I have just finished GVT 2000 and I am interested in starting Charles Poliquin’s Maximal Weights program. However, all I could find was a sample arm training program. Do I apply the same principals to my other bodyparts or is this strictly for arms? I would appreciate any feedback at all.
Bones…you could definitely apply this intensification phase to all bodyparts. For example, pair up chest/back and quads/hams. If you wanted to follow a Poliquin-split, you could do Day1: Chest and Back, Day2: Quads and Hams, Day3: Recovery, Day4: Arms, Day5: Recovery, Day6: Repeat; You don’t necessarily have to follow this split, but choose one that suits your recovery. You can just do the 5x5 for one or two exercises per bodypart like the original article outlines for arms. Hope this helps.
You can apply the same principles to your other bodyparts, but be careful not to overtrain. In a previous Q and A, the man himself advocated no more than three weeks if you choose to go this route. I just finished the first phase of Max Weights, using virtually the same split/exercises that Poliquin used in the 1/6/1 routine, although use caution in doing squats/deads on the same day. Most people won’t be able to handle this. I noticed a nagging pain in my posterior chain the day after the second leg workout, and it’s been bugging me since. Maybe instead of the deads try reverse hypers or something to that extent, or you could use abs in place of deads just as the original GVT advocated. Good luck!
You can use it with anything. I just finished a three week maximal weights phase Friday. It went like this. Four day split: Mon., Tues. - Thurs., Fri. I used a push pull super set scheme. Monday I supersetted Flat barbell bench presses with Bent barbell rows for five sets of five. I finished with Incline DB presses alternated with the Hammer strength high row.
Tues was vertical push/pull. I started with wide, behind neck BB military presses alternated with wide grip pullups. I finished with seated DB pressed alternated with close grip parallel pull ups.
Thurs. I started with Mid bar Barbell squats and alternated with lying leg curs. I finished with leg presses alternated with stiff leg dead lifts.
Friday was a fill in day. I started with Dead lifts and alternated with either shrugs or calf raises. I finished with arms, alternating standing BB curls with weighted dips.
Remember, since you are doing low reps, you want to maintain your TUT by using a slower tempo, like 512.
I loved the results, getting stronger every week. I will definitely incorporate it in the future. I do think three weeks is enough though, as by the end I was starting to feel some joint and tendon soreness. Good luck.
I don’t know for certain if such a long TUT is necessary, especially coming off of GVT. Because the premise is to work with heavy weights, I would say that tempo could be more along the lines of 401, 402, 501 or 50X. I believe that the Big Man himself advocated this as a strength phase, not necessarily a hypertrophy phase. If you increase your TUT and draw out your tempo, the amount of weight you use will have to be compromised. That being said, you would be shifting out of the intensification phase. I don’t know if I’m out of line, but that’s my take on it.
Is there a good way to incorporate the various set/rep schemes of the original Max Weights program (not just 5x5) into a full body program? The original program progressed from 5x5 to 6x2-4 to 2x6-8 to 5/4/3/2/1 over 12 weeks.