Questions Regarding Waterbury Method Program

Okay so t bar rows are fine, how about the chest press machine in place of dips? I couldn’t think of another chest exercise since I’m already pressing on flat and incline bench. Plus I really can really feel my chest on that machine

As for the laterals, I think this could do it:

On Monday, after my last exercise (abs) I do 4 sets of laterals supersetted with face pulls (12-15 reps per set) with lighter weight, whereas on Wednesday I go heavier with laterals, and I perform 4 sets of 6-8 as the program has me doing.
The last exercise of Wednesday is Tricep pushdown, which I will superset with rear delts cable pull aparts (4 sets of 15 reps)

On Friday, at the end of the workout I will do 4 sets of 12-15 face pulls

How does that look to you?

thank you for the input!

I’ve found it difficult to perform laterals with bands, at least with the ones I’ve got which provide just too much resistance to make it effective

What’s your take on the plan I wrote out in the previous post?

Sometimes it’s difficult to compare or program assistance work. Everybody has different levels of strength/conditioning and strong/weak points.

I think I would have trouble with that many delt raises/rear delts/facepulls done that often. Some guys do way, way more than that. You know your own shoulders.

This is why it’s good to run the program once, then make adjustments. If you do all those raises, and your performance on other lifts drops (compared against how you did following the program strictly) you know it’s too much. If things feel great and your shoulders grown, you know it’s good.

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I would gather you haven’t read his book? I picked it up at a second hand book store for cheap. He does have progression models, depending on your goal(s).

The rep range for “accessory” in not low. Again, he give a thorough explanation on his concepts in the book. They are there, as is for a reason. Every work out you hit those muscles. Don’t sweat the small stuff and believe.

Instead of changing the rep scheme, do a different Waterbury WO. The 4x6 is there for a reason.

If you are not reaping benefits from dips and BB bent over rows, you are doing them wrong.

The above, are just a few articles.

Due to lower back injuries, I never do bent over. I always need a pad on my chest type of exercise. TBar rows are great. The take away from the above is to let you know that “not getting anything from an exercise” has nothing to do with the exercise itself. Take a long look at how you are doing them. Don’t discard for personal reasons.

Your shoulders get hit plenty with this program. Again, you are sweating the small stuff.
Day 1: Dips and bent over rows
Day 2: DB Bench Presses, Press and external rotation (to some extent, upright rows and deadlifts)
Day 3: Chin ups and declines presses.

For something else, you can always go to this

or this

Or, if you find the book, it’s a good read and gives you a years worth and more of progressions.

Cheers

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Just an FYI, the poster who commented on low reps for arms, in your log, is a 15 y/o who has been lifting for less than 3 months.

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Thank you jfg, you always go in depth with your posts.

You’re right, I haven’t read his book. Since I live in Italy and there’s no way they are selling it here, would you mind telling me the title so I can look for an ebook version to buy?

I agree with your as far as it being pretty much my fault if I can’t reap benefits from dips but what I’m asking is, is it really worth it to try and master it? I feel like I’m not really working my muscles while I’m trying to attain good form like when I’m learning a new exercise

As for the rep range, I’m sure there is a logic behind it and I’m in no way questioning his reasoning. I’m just trying to figure out if maybe upping the reps a little bit might be beneficial for some muscle groups.

Yes, delts in general get hit quite a bit in this program, but I feel like this is only true for the front and rear delts. The middle delts don’t quite get hit a lot.

Yes, I’m doing laterals (I’ve been doing db laterals instead of the upright row because I’ve been unable to properly engage my delts versus the traps on them, plus that internal rotation kinda bothers my shoulder joints even when using dbs or a rope) but it’s 4 sets per week, which isn’t much if you ask me.

I think I’ve expressed my thoughts on pretty much everything we’ve discussed so far, lemme know what you think about all this and where the possible flaws in my reasoning lie

Thank you

Got the memo, will double check who’s posting what from now on

oh I just love this. If only all beginners were as receptive to constructive criticism.

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Muscle Revolution

And again, for the shoulder thing, sweating the small stuff.

His philosophy for rep range is based strength vs hypertrophy vs fat loss (and combinations) and where you stand as a beginner, intermediate or advance.

Let him teach you. It is a good ride and I am a convert. 10x3 is my favourite scheme.

For a natural, unless you are genetically gifted, (which you aren’t obviously because you’re asking avout it)big shoulders will be one of the last things you notice growing. The medial delt is very stubborn and it is hard to attain that cannonball shape. Doing lateral raises 3 times a week is honestly pointless. If you want to do them twice, so be it, but I see no point. I was like that once and was convinced I needed to do them all the time. Once I got my head out of my ass and started doing laterals only when I wanted to and focused on overhead pressing, my delts began to grow. Get some time under the bar doing compounds and focusing on those, then start deciding what you need to add after a base is built. Like @JFG said,

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Getting your hair cut shorter will do more too make your medial delts pop than three days of lateral raises.

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Unless you’re somewhere in the ballpark of pressing your bodyweight overhead, don’t worry about meaningless stuff like lateral raises and just get stronger. That’ll do far more for you. All the isolation stuff just cuts into your recovery and honestly doesn’t do much for you. Pretty much anyone you see who is big and does things like lateral raises is already strong and moves big weight on the big lifts. It’s always the 150 pound guys who are sweating how many lateral raises to do in a week.

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Yeah high reps for triceps,12-20 even, is fine, not worth pissing off elbows. 4x6 for skullcrushers is nuts.
To reiterate others above main thing is getting in a 10x3 on a heavy compound lift.

Waterbury once recommended to move on from one template to the next in this order:

“ABBH 1
ABBH 2
Strength Focused Mesocycle
SOB Training
Hybrid Hypertrophy
Triple Total Training
Waterbury Method
Primed for Muscle
Total Body Training
Quattro Dynamo
Singles Club”

lolzers

@dt79

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Why do people keep thinking in extremes lol?

I did lateral raises all the way from 105lbs to 210lbs bodyweight and repping 225lbs for the Overhead Press. Every one I know who went from small to big did this before the Internet. They didn’t wait until they got to some arbitrary size or strength level before they decided, “Hey guys. look at us! We’re jacked! Now we can do some side raises! Yay!” If that really happened, being people with common sense, they would have said, “Wait, we’re jacked as fuck! Why the fuck should we do side raises if we already have proportional delts? This doesn’t make any fucking sense! You’re fucking with us, aren’t you?”

Note: @samul Side raises 3 times a week is overkill. Once is enough. Unless the program states otherwise.

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I love everything contained in this post.

I knew I could count on you.

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I don’t think anyone is saying not to do things like lateral raises at all, just that it’s not very important and definitely not something you people need to do multiple times people. The OP should just do a few sets after one of his workouts every week. Stuff like those and curls and the like should be done as light and effort free as possible.

hahaha! Oh dude please keep going!

What other golden insights will you offer?

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Then why the fuck do them if they are effort free? Seems like a dumb fucking thing to do something with no effort

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Hi guys,

So this week will be the last one for my first cycle of TBT (total body training) of Chad waterbury.

Reading in his book that you can do that program with “the movements you want” (as long as you meet certain rules) has had me wanting to try and design a program of my own following his principles.

I would like to see how much I learned in these two months and if I can apply it to a designing a program.

Before I try, I will ask you guys a question to get a little more clarity, because I don’t think I found this topic being discussed anywhere.

I see that in total body training, Chad has you doing exercises with a different set/rep scheme for each day (3x5, 3x8, 2x15 for the first two weeks). The scheme applies to all six the exercises for that day.

Would it be detrimental to mix the schemes on a given day? Like doing one exercise with 3x5, and then moving onto another muscle group and do 3x8.

The reason being that I found it difficult to have days where I trained my whole body heavy, and then there was that 2-3x15 day where I felt like I was moving no weight and I was accomplishing nothing.

Can it be beneficial to mix it up so that for example one day I’m working chest with lighter weights and back heavy, and then the next session I’m doing the opposite?