Hello CT, I would greatly appreciate if you can answer my questions regarding your “Simple, Guaranteed…” program.
Do you think it is a good program for a type 3 ? for a type 2b ?
For the big lifts, what a good RPE is for the sets? (I imagine that for weeks 3 of each phase it will be higher)
How much time should I rest in between working sets? 90 seconds for phase 1, 150 phase 2, 180 phase 3 and 4 does seem OK? (I’m thing about just 60 seconds for assistance)
It says that do you not recommend doing conditioning work, however does that include low intensity cardio? Something like bike or incline walking ?
If it is possible to do some kind of low intensity cardio, is something like 20-30 min on off days, at maximum 120 heart rate OK? maybe at 100 heart rate? (Just asking because I’m a little bit sedentary and walking is active recovery).
Is this one program one can run several times in a row or only one and then switch to something else?
is it better to take 1 week deload and run it again? Or changing to another routine and then coming back (if that’s the case, what kind of routine would you recommend?)
Thanks a lot for answering this (kind of dumb) questions CT.
It’s totally up to your natural tendencies. I actually think that you need more rest for sets of 8 and 5 since it causes metabolic and neural fatigue. I personally take 2-3 minutes but I don’t count the time.
It’s a tough program. You might need something easier for 2-3 weeks. But since it does start with an easier phase you could connect two cycles. Although I theorize that changing the lifts for the second go at the program might be better. At least it would be for me (2A), but using the same exercises might be better for a type 3 and even a type 2B
what would you recommend instead of loaded carries (my gym doesn’t have big enough dumbbells, and it doesn’t have a prowler).
If I decide to do abs, how many days can I do it (is 2 days too much?) and how many exercises?
For assistance exercises, is it fine to do long eccentric? something like 3 seconds, to promote some pump (I was thinking something like that, around 10 reps, just 3 sets).
Yes it would, absolutely. The only modification I would make might be to change the assistance exercises for the lower body with movements targeting the weak points in your competitive lifts and replacing the military press with an exercise focusing on the weak point in the bench press. On upper body days the supporting isolation exercise should focus on triceps and on the lower body days I’d replace the carries with posterior chain work (both in the 6-12 reps range).
For example
BENCH PRESS
Weak off the chest: Spotto press or wide grip bench or floor press
Weak mid-range: Military press or incline bench press
Weak lockout: close-grip bench press or 3 boards press or bench lockout from pins
SQUAT
Weak from the bottom: paused squat or Anderson front squat or Anderson squats
Bar pitching forward: Frankenstein squat or Zercher squat or Front squat
Weak past parallel: High box squat or high box front squat or top half squat from pins
DEADLIFT
Weak off the floor: Deficit deadlift or floating deadlift or Goodmorning from pins
Weak passing the knees: Romanian deadlift or Pin pull from bellow the knees
Weak lockout: Romanian deadlift with hip band or Romanian deadlift with chains/bands
So for example, let’s say that your weak points are:
Bench: lockout
Squat: bar pitching forward
Deadlift: lockout
Your sessions could look like:
DAYS 1 & 3 – LOWER BODY
Back squat
Deadlift
Zercher squat (or another variation of your choice)
Romanian deadlift with chains
Glute-ham raise
DAYS 2 & 4 – UPPER BODY
Bench press
Close-grip bench press
Bent over barbell row
Supinated chin-up
JM press