Just a quick question. I’m doing IK’s 12 Week Chest & Back program & I’m also doing the 12 Week Limping series for an all-round body program. I know there’s two parts for the legs program, and he says we should do it for 3 weeks.
So does this mean I will have to do both legs programs in a week so that I satisfy having done each part 3 times in 3 weeks? I usually prefer a 3 day split so that means I’d only be able to do one part twice and the other part once. Basically, how is it meant to be done?
You need to do the upper body twice a week and same for your lower body. It’s a four day split. I’m on the seventh week of the exact same routine right now. Believe me, the results are great.
You might want to take a week off after the second phase (6th week). It will all depend on your recovery ability.
I see what you mean with the four day split James, however in his first Limping article (Part II), Coach King says in his endnotes;
“Use this workout once every four to seven days, depending on your recovery ability”
I have a moderate recovery ability and I’d probably take a 5-6 day recovery period. So then how can you fit two demanding leg workouts in the one week? Even taking the lowest range of four days it’s impossible to fit both in one week!
The advice given is ambiguous at best, it just says to alternate between the two for a period of 3 weeks… It does not say if each has to be done at least 3 times in those 3 weeks… In fact for Part II Coach King says you can do this for up to four weeks…
I just finished both 12-week programs a few days ago. My split looked like this:
Monday: Upper (Chest)
Tuesday: Lower (Squats)
Wednesday: off
Thursday: Upper (Back)
Friday: Lower (Deadlifts)
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off
I’m pretty sure this is how it’s supposed to be. However, Ian does say that you can get away with only doing one legs day. If this is the case, you might want to combine 2-3 of the key lifts from both the squat emphasized and deadlift emphasized days. Just make sure the set and rep schemes fall within the 3-week phase you’re in.
Recovery wise, I had no problem. In fact, I saw my best results in Squats and Deadlifts. However, if you’re still nervous about recovery, I’d do what james_526 said and take a week off after every 3-week phase or every 6-week phase. Ian acutally recommends doing this in his later programs.
Personally, I used this program right after running a marathon in late May. The first three weeks of this program were great for me because they eased me back into weightlifting, and by the last three weeks, I’d regained almost all the strength I’d lost during my three months of training.
The routines are relatively low in volume so working out four days a week shouldn’t be a problem with them, even for those with limited recovery ability or a hectic lifestyle.
But if you prefer to do one leg day, I would replace deads with power cleans or high pulls on your leg day. Squats + deads on the same day = difficult; cleans + squats on the same day = very do-able. Make sure you do the cleans first. Then do some lunges, SLDL, one-legged stuff, calves, traps, whatever’s in the routine, etc., but only do half the volume from each workout.
if you prefer to do one leg day, I would replace deads with power cleans or high pulls on your leg day. Squats + deads on the same day = difficult; cleans + squats on the same day = very do-able. Make sure you do the cleans first.
Since you’re only doing one legs day, I’d still consider keeping squats and deads together, especially keeping in mind that these are the two lifts the whole limping series is built around.
I’d agree with the auxilliar lifts erp7e recommended, and like I said earlier, be sure to follow Ian’s recommendations for intensity and volume.
