Help with New Program

Bigger Stronger Leaner
#1

Hi friends,

I need a new program, please recommend.

Previous programs include: WS4SB, 531 variations, and just recently “simple but brutal”

Back ground and goals: I lift to keep fit and look good. I also train BJJ 2- times a week, and boxing about twice a week. 35 years old, office worker, 6’2, 190lbs, about 15% body fat. Im looking to maintain/increase my strength, improve my athleticism and improve my conditioning. I like to lift 3 times a week, and I would prefer to rotate on my “big” lifts every 3-4 weeks to avoid injury.

Only injury concern I have is a fragile lower back, so I don’t do deadlifts and have to be careful with squats. Although Im considering joining a gym that has a hex bar for hex bar deadlifts(and they also have a prowler as well).

For my “main” lifts I like to use: barbell and dB bench press, floor press, pull-ups, dips, front squats, back squats, Romanian deadlifts, barbell lunges.
My “other” lifts: chest supported row, seated rows, dB rows, dB curls, dB overhead press Bulgarian split squats, walking dB lunges, face-pulls, and lateral raises.
For conditioning: hill sprints, 400m sprints, bike hill sprints, and some skipping.

Im happy to consider 531 and WS4SB again, although I am open to other suggestions as well.

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Coment on my new program
#2

Everyone’s pretty into Paul Carter’s Super Soldier program just now. I have no idea what it even is but everyone doing it seems to really like it.

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#3

If you’re doing boxing and BJJ, you don’t need any extra conditioning or improving athleticism.

For strength, I highly recommend heavy singles(80-90%) that will tax the nervous system for squat, bench and deadlift. Find a variation if you can’t do the competition style of lift. A good example for DL would be the hex bar like you referred to(this allows the weight to stay in the center with less shearing force on the back). Box squats at or slightly above parallel with a safety squat bar(this bar will save your shoulders). Do the box squats wide stance with your chest high; sit back and release your hips before exploding back up.

531 is not suitable imo for what you are doing. Too many reps on the compound lifts in 531.

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#4

As noted above SSP would be nice for you I’m currently doing it. It offers a lot of flexibility and is 3 days a week so you’d have plenty of time for your other activities.

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#5

When people ask for advice on their own “made-up” program I am usually the first one to recommend using a true and tested program, of which many have been published on this website.

I have been looking for a new program ( 3 days a week full body) for the past few weeks, and to cut a long story short I could not decide on anything and so I have decided for the first time to make something up myself.

I don’t have any specific goals. I lift because I like it, to keep strong and to look decent naked. I train BJJ and boxing on my days off, but I have no plans on entering into any serious competition. I don’t conventional deadlift due to previous injuries and monster femurs, but besides that Im pretty injury free.

Please comment on the obvious errors…

Workout A

  • Bench press (5 x 5 or 8 x 3),(alternate with floor press every 3-4 weeks) (pull-ups b/w sets)
  • lunge variation. Alternate every 2 weeks: dB walking lunges and BB reverse lunges (4 sets of 10 each leg).
  • superset seated rows with body-weight dips. (3 sets of 10)

Workout B

  • Back squats (work-up to 3-4 heavy sets of 3-5 rep.s (bodyweight pull-ups b/w sets)
  • dB overhead press (4-5 sets of 8-12 reps)
  • superset of chest supported rows and hammer curls

Workout C

  • weighted pull-ups (4-5 sets of 3-5 reps)
  • Front squat (4 sets of 10 reps)
  • dB incline press ( 4 sets of 10)
  • Also considering doing trap bar deadlifts or sled pushing if I can get access to this equipment if possible change gyms.

After every session I will alternate by finishing with farmer walks or DeFrancos shoulder shocker. Rear delt lateral raises and face-pulls will be done in most warm-ups.

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#6

And I have changed my mind again… Im going back to high reps amd low sets, twice a week with a optional “workout C” at the end of the week…

This is a rough sketch of what I am thinking. I am open to suggestions/criticisms.

Workout A

  • 10 sets of 3 reps of BB barbell bench, supersetted with 3-5 reps of T-bar chest supported rows.
  • Front squats: 4 sets of 12
  • Shoulder shocker

Workout B

  • 10 sets of 3 reps of back squats, supersetted with 3-5 reps of weighted pull-ups.
  • dB incline bench (350 method)
  • superset seated rows with dB incline hammer curls.
  • Farmer walks

Workout C (optional)

  • dB overhead press.
  • lunge variation
  • glute ham raises/romanian deadlifts
  • sled pushes/hill sprints.

Please comment.

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