After XC season I want to start up ABBH but after reading the article, looking at an excell with all of Waterbury’s routines on it, I am confused. Most of the workouts only consist of 2 exercises at 10 sets of 3 reps - is this correct?
If true, should each set be say like one rep before failure when it comes to the load?
Just a little confused on how hypertrophy can be accomplished with only 2 exercises, that’s all
Thanks guys
P.S
Has anyone used this routine and had good results in size and strength?
You don’t want each set to be near failure. If you do this correctly, you will be picking a weight that you would normally do for 5 reps. However, you only do 3. By set 7, it is going to be a hard 3 reps (maybe set 8 if you have a good work capacity).
Trust me, this isn’t an easy program. I like doing this program for strength improvements and it kicks my ass each time.
Hypertrophy is what happens when you combine a caloric excess with progressive overload. You do not need to do eight different exercises for each body part to grow, particularly when you have hardly any muscle to begin with. If you are eating enough (are you?) and you are lifting more weight (or more reps) each week, you will grow.
For someone like you, there is no such thing as a strength routine that doesn’t also produce hypertrophy. Maybe, MAYBE, for powerlifters of O-lifters with a lot of experience, and a lot of muscle already, strength can go up without much hypertrophy, due to neural adaptation, but you need to get the idea that strength and hypertrophy are two mutually exclusive training goals out of your head.
I will say, though, that ABBH will require a different mindset than the sort of training it sounds like you’re used to. If those ten sets are all you get to do each week of bench, you need to make them count. The standard recommendation for most of CW’s programs is that you should use a weight that puts you near failure for the last rep of the last set. Don’t overthink that. Just pick something that seems reasonable. If it’s too heavy, bump it down a little the next week, if it’s too light, bump it up.
Finally, I just want to remind you that NO workout will help you grow unless you are eating enough. So eat.
