Anyone who’s interested in Meadow’s views on exercize sequencing and splits (and more) should search for “John Meadows Open UGSS Presentation” on youtube where he talks extensively about this and other topics.
As far as splits are concerned, he seems to have mostly moved on from once-a-week traditional bodybuilding splits to either of two options:
a) One “base workout” per muscle group per week (this is where all the fun stuff happens) and one additional pump workout per muscle group a few days later.
b) Short blocks where you focus on one muscle group for a few weeks and train it three times a week while training the rest once, changing the focus about every five to six weeks if I remember correctly.
Just do it. Get it out of your system. All these are novelty stuff to justify paying $200+ for a program. Yes, it’s fun. I bought a couple to force myself to go lighter during my workouts. This is what I find valuable about them and I’m willing to pay for it. But the results aren’t any better than a normal bodypart split. You really don’t have to rack your brain trying to design something “optimal”. Just take some ideas and add them to your normal workouts.
I think your program looks good. The only thing that sticks out to me is your leg programming.
Leg workouts seem to have less volume and exercise selection than other workouts.
– I’ve found that my legs love volume…but maybe that’s just me.
You’re not doing any traditional squats. I would really think about squatting (non-smith machine).
– Maybe you’re just following John’s articles. I know John doesn’t squat much, but that’s not because he thinks it’s a bad exercise; rather he was training around injuries and keeping his already fragile joints at a status quo.
Otherwise, hit this program hard and see what happens. The biggest things I took away from Mountain Dog Training:
Exercise sequencing.
Intensity techniques AND timing (where they are in your day’s workout).
If you are asking for my insight, I strongly suggest you find my leaning-out/contest-prep thread.
I don’t want to come across as if I am as experienced as John Meadows in helping other people. However, I don’t think ANYONE in bodybuilding-consulting or personal training is doing ANYTHING special. It’s all been done for a long time; it’s just that some are better in understanding and applying all this than others. Some have better bodybuilding eyes also; they can see a physique, see how much muscle needs to be gained to look like a bodybuilder or about how much weight needs to be lost to compete shredded, and design a program to get from point A to point B.
With that said, I am going to repeat what I stuck to for my best gains. EVERY time I strayed from these basics, my physique looked less like that of a bodybuilder and more like someone who was just a gym goer with some muscle.
Proper exercise selection
Split the body into four or more workouts
Three to four exercises for big body parts, two to three for small ones. Three or four sets each, some being very hard (ramping up for some or whatever the heck one wants to call it).
Proper exercise sequence or pre-exhaust
Meadows workouts fits all these. So yeah, I like what he has written. Do I think some of his stuff is necessary, though creative? No. Thousands of bodybuilders stuck to what I wrote above, without ever hearing of some of the beloved gurus.
