Sample Routines

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Sample Routines

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#	Web Link	Hits
1	The 5/3/1 Bench Routine for the Equipped Lifter This is a version of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 routine that I modified to help my competition bench. I needed something structured to stick to for a while to see if could make some real progress with my bench. My bench always seemed to do better when I did 3RMs and 5RMs instead of just 1RMs all the time.	525
2	The SOS Way I receive many emails daily, and training is the consistent subject of them. Drawing up the perfect cycle or routine has become extremely important to most, if not all, in hopes of becoming stronger. This for me has never changed. Since day one in November of 2005	274
3	Six Hundred Pounds of Raw bench In June of 2007, my training partner, Vincent Dizenzo, set an IPA World Record with a 600-lb unequipped bench press. Vincent had been chasing that number for two years. He suffered through some injuries and setbacks but finally got himself healthy and mentally focused. He put a 16-week plan down on paper and followed it to the end.	349
4	Manipulating a Training Program - Coan & Phillipi Deadlift Routine From personal experience, this is a serious hardcore training program. This is no joke folks. If you have the will to go through this program, it will kick your ass in a way that has never been done before. The problem with this program is that it, along with many routines, are so focused on percentages that people decline to think it through	290
5	Finnish Deadlift Secrets : The Sumo System The second part of this article is a system built for sumo lifters. It consists of parts that have been proven to work but never tested as a whole. So you can take some parts of it or use it as it stands. Pick the parts that you think are crucial for your progress. Don’t choose your favorites but rather pick something that you’ve never tried before or that you suck at.	218
6	Advanced Systems for Beginners I hear all the time that Westside training is for the advanced and that only top 10 lifters can do the training that is required at Westside. It is true that our training is advanced, but it is also great for beginners. Why start out wrong, or start with a program that will yield only small results?	287
7	A Squat Cycle You've Never Tried The program listed below was done by one of my training partners, Kevin Deweese. Kevin and I started training together about 2 years ago. We began our powerlifting careers together at the 2001 IPA Nationals and his success on the platform is impressive. At that first meet, Kevin totaled 1600 and squatted 600. At the Ironhouse Open in April 2003, Kevin squatted 860 and totaled 2100. And to top it off, Kevin is 21 years old. Needless to say, he has a bright future in the sport.	312
8	Periodization for the Competitive Bench Presser: What System Works Best? [I received this e-mail from Lee Zimmerman in regards to this article—“Jim, Attached is a literature review I wrote for one of my master’s classes in research methods. I think you may find it interesting because I compare what we train with to NSCA methods and explain to the reader why so many NSCA studies are not completely accurate for use when designing a strength program.” I thought many of you in college would appreciate this paper, and it will help you get some ideas on how to set up your own work. Also, it’s a great read. It’s not the Penthouse forum, but it’s good. —Jim Wendler, EliteFTS]	239
9	A New Look at Three Days a Week I received a call two weeks ago from a friend of mine, and he had some good news for me. About five months ago, he and I were discussing a three-day split that would accommodate his needs and time schedule. He’s an ex-football player, and competes in the 242 lbs class. Like many of you, he’s tried the standard four-day split, but because of work commitments (60+ hours a week) and a long drive time to the gym, he has trouble getting to the gym all the time.	358
10	Cycling for the Big Meet Getting ready for a big meet is stressful. There are a lot of things to consider, especially when using equipment. I am not going to write out all of my workouts, but I am going to give you a few points that I have learned over the last 20 years, and hopefully you can avoid some of my mistakes. Then again we are a bunch of hard headed powerlifters so who knows. This is based on a 16 week program.	188
11	Frequent Pulling for Faster Progress: 12 Weeks to a Bigger Deadlift The deadlift is the bastard child of powerlifting; it doesn’t get much love. Maybe it’s the fact that the deadlift is less impacted by equipment than are the squat and bench press, so it may require less practice. Or, it might just be vilified because lifts 7-9 of a powerlifting meet feel like cardio after a long day of lifting. Finally, it may be that many lifters and coaches hold that the deadlift is best trained indirectly, and that the chips will just fall into place if you focus on squats, good mornings, and plenty of assistance work. While this may be the case in some instances, there are also quite a few lifters who have made tremendous progress with more frequent pulling, and that’ll be my focus in this article.	255
12	Push/Pull This article was inspired by Alwyn Cosgrove and something that he mentioned to me in passing. He was talking to me about the first time that he began weight training. Like most people, he incorporated the bench press as one of his major movements for his upper body. A couple of weeks later, he asked another lifter what else he did for his shoulders/chest. The guy responded, “Incline Press”. So Alwyn added incline presses to his arsenal. Then he read a magazine that talked about decline presses. So decline presses were done after this bench press and incline presses. Pretty soon he did every single pressing exercise known to man IN ONE WORKOUT. This included bench press, incline press, decline press, db decline press, db bench press, db incline press, push-ups, dips and various fly movements. Pretty soon, Alwyn’s workout consisted of almost 10 movements just for his chest.	238
13	So You Wanna be a Powerlifter Do you really have what it takes to become a powerlifter? Are you ready for bloody shins, a sore back, knees that ache, crack and pop as you go downstairs? Are you ready for shoulders that are so messed up that the only way you can sleep is flat on your back cause lying on your side is too painful. Do you really think you have the heart to train Hurt day in and day out? Hell, if I wake up in the morning and I am not in pain, I think 2 things. 1st, am I dead, and 2nd (now that I have decided that I am alive), I must not be training hard enough. Are you tough enough for that?	488
14	Training with Angelo Beradinelli’s Progressive Evolution System PES is a conjugated method program very similar to Westside. The training days are Sunday – Speed Bench, Tuesday – Max Effort lower/posterior, Wednesday– Max Effort Bench, Saturday – Squat/Dead. The main differences I noticed compared to Westside are no use of bands, limited use of chains, no “sitting” on the box, lower volume of assistance work, direct chest/shoulder work, no GPP, slow workout pace, rotation of very few ME movements, limited rotation of accessory movements, alternating free squatting on Squat/Dead day, and using gear in training. The execution of the exercises is also extremely strict, especially on the main exercises. The best way to describe the above would be to show some template weeks.	214
15	Got Bench? I don't care what gym you train at there's always that one question that, essentially, is used as a measuring stick of your masculinity; “How much do you bench?” And regardless of whether you weigh your bench in kilograms, pounds, or even buckets of galvanized nails, more is always better! You see, sometimes it doesn't matter how well you can debate on matters of scientific reference. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you know about “correspondence carryovers” to sport. Sometimes it is required that you seal your lid, grip the bar, and see how well you fair in the real world. It is times likes these that no one cares that you're a professor of sports science. No one cares about what you think you know. And, surely, no one listens to the smack you talk. The only thing that does matter is who wins the fight- you or the bar! The proof is in the pudding, friends, and this article is about giving you what it takes to become a bench press beast!	198
16	First Meet Training While preparing for the 2002 IPA Nationals, I tore my hamstring and thus ended up competing in the bench. Despite this set back, I had trained for quite awhile and I knew what it was like to be prepare for a full meet. As I began training for the IPA World Cup I knew what I was in for. I had certain goals in mind going into this meet so I knew my training would have to be changed a bit to help me obtain my goals. My goals were very specific which I believe is something I think everyone should do. If you don’t have goals in mind you won’t know if you’ve succeeded or failed. If you reach your goals, you can look back and analyze what you did correctly and vice versa.	135
17	Training the Bench Press The training program explained here is one based on the principles of Westside Barbell. While Westside Barbell originated in Culver City, California, Louie Simmons has taken the attitude and innovative training techniques to Columbus, Ohio.	517

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