Coan-Phillipi - Success AND Failure

I’m trying to put together an 8 week training cycle coming up to my next comp.

This is one of my options, tho it might be rough trying to cram it in to that time.

Let’s hear people successes and failures so I can make a choice…

How much did you add to your pull?

How much did you base the cycle off? (and did you hit that number)

How much of an increase was the desired max over your last PR?

How long did you last? The full 10 weeks, or did you die half way thru??

How did you find recovery for squats etc??

Thanks guys!

It added 40 to mine. I couldn’t Pr at the second last week or whatever so I dropped it then.

I added a whole pizza to my diet a day so I could recover for squats.

If first did it last spring. Previous 1rm was 550, I put in 585 for my goal. I made it to week 8 before the volume caught up to me. I got the 555x2 for that week, and then quickly regressed. The next week 570 wouldn’t even budge, and my squat started to suffer as well. Obviously, I didn’t even attempt the final week.

During that time, I was typically doing a 3x5 for squat every week as well. My back was constantly fried for the first 6 weeks or so, but those last couple weeks I was feeling strong and well-rested.

Since I had done well for 8 weeks, I decided to try it again last November. The only difference was that I would only do the program every other week, still doing 10 total workouts. In between the 4th and 5th workout I strained a back muscle squatting, mostly due to stiffness from the previous deadlift session.

Since then the only deadlifting I have done is speed work against bands. I’ve put the emphasis on squat and abs, which I had inexcusably ignored for most of 2008.

I don’t think it’s a bad program, but it is not best for me. I had already known that I don’t respond well to a high volume of deadlifting, but wanted to try it anyways as a complete change of pace.

I have come to conclude that the best way to improve my dl is simply to do regular speed lifts to keep my technique down, and rely on other lifts, namely squatting, for strength gains.

I tried it a few months ago. i attempted to switch over to conventional for my next meet.

I think i made a few mistakes though. i kept pushing the accessory work weight up each week. i got really good at bent over rows and stiff legged deads but my dead slowly dropped. if i had it to do over, i would kept the accessory work lighter.

I was doing squats as an RE day. I couldn’t imagine trying to do an ME squat day with all the volume of the deadlift program.

the training sessions were very long and i felt really torn up afterwards. i never felt like i really recovered from the sessions. i could tell by the fifth week tha i wasn’t recovering because the warmup sets started feeling heavy.

i quite around the nineth week.

I don’t get stronger by doing full ROM deads every week. I need to do partial movements with supramaximal weight to get stronger.

i could see this program working for someone that has had a long layoff from deadlifting but not someone that’s been at it for awhile.

FAILURE

I did this program last May. I entered my true max of 605lbs and a desired max of 630.

I made a lot of mistakes during this program. The biggest one was not eating enough. We did a complete gut job on our kitchen during this cycle, and because of this I was always scrambling for food. I also think that because we did the majority of the work ourselves my body was pretty beat up the whole time.

My other mistakes were combining it with the add 50lbs bench program (mm2k), and doing 5x5’s for my Squat. And finally, being far to aggressive on my assistance work.

Around week 7 I started to break down. I had a 565x2 scheduled and I couldn’t get it past my shins. This is the same weight that I used as an opener at the meet prior to this cycle.

I tried repeating week 7 the following week, and again couldn’t get it past my knees.

I took a week to deload and then repeated week 7 a third time. This time I hit two singles at 565 and called it quits.

If you want to follow the train wreck, I think my old log is still around it had a real catchy name something like Modi’s Coan/Philippi Log.

I started it and got about 4 weeks into it over the summer before stabbing myself in the hand with a steak knife. Needless to say, I had to stop.

Right before I had to stop, I was handling weights that had been difficult for me before the cycle for fairly easy doubles.

My deadlift still sucks now, but it sucked a lot more then, for what its worth.

I’ve done it twice, once from 275 to 340 and from 385ish to 425. I was around 165 lb for the first run and 175ish for the second.

The 275 wasn’t that smart but I wanted 3 plates like immediately. My grip and legs got absolutely brutalized and there were times where I could barely hold a bar from the callus pain. This pretty much eliminated any kind of gap in my grip strength- I did most of the work double overhand and today I can pull about 95% of my max with it. My progress was great (was only shooting for 325) but at the same time I think I could have made a similar increase with another linear program like 5x5 that had me deadlifting heavy and consistently.

About 6 months later I decided to do it from a max of around 365-385 to 425. I reaggravated an old back injury over that summer and decided to get back into pulling with a vengeance. This time around the program was definitely harder, especially weeks 3 and 4 (the highest of the high volume) but I made it through and got my goal of 425 but 435 wouldn’t budge from the floor unfortunately.

I had some problems going between different gyms- my main weakness is off the floor and at my college gym (where I do most of my training) we have bumper plates that are about the size of competition plates (so I’m told) but are bigger by a good 3-4 inches compared to my gym back home. This was over Thanksgiving and another break, so some weeks I’d be pulling in one gym and the other in the next- definitely made a difference in difficulty and some weeks I didn’t make reps.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that the assistance work isn’t crucial to the program. I also subbed chinups for pulldowns and did pretty much whatever type of row I felt was appropriate that day.

If you’re feeling especially good that day, by all means do what you want. If you’re feeling drained than do what you can and get out of there and eat some food. There’s definitely weeks (4-8 or so) where you feel beat the fuck up and like you can’t continue but that’s overreaching for you. Oh, and don’t ever try this while cutting. A couple of my training partners did it on the Anabolic Diet and it wasn’t pretty.

Damn that was an essay. Anyways, good luck with the program.

Edit: Oh yea, and past week 1 until week 6 or so the speed deadlifts will not be anything close to ‘speedlike’. They will be slow, grinding rep work towards the end of 8 sets. Just push through it.

I am very interested in seeing how this thread goes. I have been thinking of trying this while I am deployed. I would love to hit a 500lbs DL before I head for home in August.

SUCCESS

I just finished the program, full 11 weeks, and I started with 500 lb PR, hoping for 540 lbs. I ended up pulling 585 lbs raw, just a belt.

I’m not gonna lie, I found it brutal ,and as Meat said earlier, I upped the assistance work poundages every week.

I ate like a fiend, used squat day as a RE day.(I am entering a push-pull meet).

I know my hands were torn up pretty good, and weeks 4 and 8 were nightmares… but… it worked for me.

I am actually contemplating doing it again, I would like to be up to 700 come end of July.

[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
SUCCESS

I just finished the program, full 11 weeks, and I started with 500 lb PR, hoping for 540 lbs. I ended up pulling 585 lbs raw, just a belt.

I’m not gonna lie, I found it brutal ,and as Meat said earlier, I upped the assistance work poundages every week.

I ate like a fiend, used squat day as a RE day.(I am entering a push-pull meet).

I know my hands were torn up pretty good, and weeks 4 and 8 were nightmares… but… it worked for me.

I am actually contemplating doing it again, I would like to be up to 700 come end of July. [/quote]

THAT is fucking insane.

[quote]Stronghold wrote:
bunny7568 wrote:
SUCCESS

I just finished the program, full 11 weeks, and I started with 500 lb PR, hoping for 540 lbs. I ended up pulling 585 lbs raw, just a belt.

I’m not gonna lie, I found it brutal ,and as Meat said earlier, I upped the assistance work poundages every week.

I ate like a fiend, used squat day as a RE day.(I am entering a push-pull meet).

I know my hands were torn up pretty good, and weeks 4 and 8 were nightmares… but… it worked for me.

I am actually contemplating doing it again, I would like to be up to 700 come end of July.

THAT is fucking insane.[/quote]

take it with a grain of salt… He’s a compulsive liar and a cross dresser.

[quote]Hanley wrote:

How did you find recovery for squats etc??

Thanks guys![/quote]

Good thread, I am definitely interested in people’s answers. Especially regarding the squatting question.

I am considering running this program after I finish Smolov. I will want to maintain whatever new PR I hit from Smolov.

I’ve completed Coan and considered it a success. I was a couple weeks behind Modi and have some input on his thread referenced above.

Started at 490, goal was 560 and I hit 535 at a meet (dropped 550 at lockout). I eased into the accessory work and upped my calories. I dealt with severe low back stiffness in the beginning due to the volume. I did have some misses in training toward the end.

I have since continued my pull days very similar to Coan’s routine (with some tweaks) because I did get good results and do feel like it has drastically strengthened my back. I was terribly weak off the floor when I began.

My next meet is in May and I plan on utilizing his routine again to hopefully get a 600 pull.

I just did week 8 yesterday.

starting max of 435 with a projected max of 475. I pulled 455x2 yesterday and decided to just get it over with and go for 475. Got it so a 40lb increase in 8 weeks. My strength off the floor is my weakness. I barely missed on a 705 18" pull before and have pulled 495 in a metal deadlifter but was just real weak off the floor raw.

I didn’t squat for the first few weeks but added in front squats towards the end which wasn’t that big of a deal since my focus is strongman. I did do heavy yoke walks, farmers walk, stones, etc every weekend though. My recover was fine but I also ate a shit ton.

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
bunny7568 wrote:
SUCCESS

I just finished the program, full 11 weeks, and I started with 500 lb PR, hoping for 540 lbs. I ended up pulling 585 lbs raw, just a belt.

I’m not gonna lie, I found it brutal ,and as Meat said earlier, I upped the assistance work poundages every week.

I ate like a fiend, used squat day as a RE day.(I am entering a push-pull meet).

I know my hands were torn up pretty good, and weeks 4 and 8 were nightmares… but… it worked for me.

I am actually contemplating doing it again, I would like to be up to 700 come end of July.

THAT is fucking insane.

take it with a grain of salt… He’s a compulsive liar and a cross dresser.

[/quote]
No no no… I told you before, its compulsive crossdresser and a Friar!!

[quote]bunny7568 wrote:

No no no… I told you before, its compulsive crossdresser and a Friar!!

[/quote]

that picture sent a level of horror through me and at the same time excited me…just a little. is that wrong??

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
bunny7568 wrote:

No no no… I told you before, its compulsive crossdresser and a Friar!!

that picture sent a level of horror through me and at the same time excited me…just a little. is that wrong??
[/quote]

I laughed and puked at the same time. Thanks, Meat.

I did it a while back, and modified it like crazy… so its really a different program?

I did 1 accessory movement the first 4 weeks, that was a 5x5 of top position deadlifts. After this I did 0 accessory work.

I did all the speed work beltless and did it while standing on a 3 inch platform.

I went til the eight week and brought my gym pull from 580ish to 627 x 2. Usually I pull about 50lbs more in a contest then the gym, so we will see.

[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
maraudermeat wrote:
Stronghold wrote:
bunny7568 wrote:
SUCCESS

I just finished the program, full 11 weeks, and I started with 500 lb PR, hoping for 540 lbs. I ended up pulling 585 lbs raw, just a belt.

I’m not gonna lie, I found it brutal ,and as Meat said earlier, I upped the assistance work poundages every week.

I ate like a fiend, used squat day as a RE day.(I am entering a push-pull meet).

I know my hands were torn up pretty good, and weeks 4 and 8 were nightmares… but… it worked for me.

I am actually contemplating doing it again, I would like to be up to 700 come end of July.

THAT is fucking insane.

take it with a grain of salt… He’s a compulsive liar and a cross dresser.

No no no… I told you before, its compulsive crossdresser and a Friar!!

[/quote]

Stop that. Go to Mexico like you promised.

Adios amigos!