Your New Training Method

Last post we discussed my new method that I have adopted from Christian Thibaudeau and now I'll let you know how to use it.

If you remember I asked you to find your 3 rep max for military presses, incline presses and bench presses but only counting the sets where the speed and acceleration of the movement is maintained from the fist set to the last set.

Now that we have those 3 rep max numbers I now want you to calculate 87.5% of that 3 rep max. So if your 3 rep max is 75kgs:

75 x .875 = 65kgs

NOTE: for lower body exercises, use 80% of your 3 rep max.

65kgs is your max training weight which you will not exceed during your first 6 week cycle. For some this may take some discipline but we're looking at performing 2 - 3 times the volume you have in the past as far as sets per week is concerned. The trade off for high intensity (load) is low volume and vice versa.

From your 3 rep max now calculate 60% of that:

66 x .5 = 32.5kgs.

32.5kgs is the load you'll start with for your 1st set.

From here you want to work out 6 even jumps for each set that you ramp up, it doesn't need to be perfect but get it as close as you can.

Set 1 - 32.5kgs x 3 reps

Set 2 - 37.5kgs x 3 reps

Set 3 - 45.5kgs x 3 reps

Set 4 - 52.5kgs x 3 reps

Set 5 - 60kgs x 3 reps

Set 6 - 65kgs x 3 reps

Set 6 is your first max training zone set which is basically your working sets.

From here you want to perform all of your max training zone/work sets at 90 - 95% of your max training weight (65kgs) your next 6 sets will look like this:

Set 7 - 60kgs x 3 reps

Set 8 - 62.5kgs x 3 reps

Set 9 - 65 kgs x 3 reps

Set 10 - 60kgs x 3 reps

For set 10, we finish with the lighter max training zone weight where you really want to blow that rep out of the water.

So that is how most of the exercises are done when performed on their own but all upper body pressing movements, military, incline and bench press, are all trained on the same day.

Now we have already activated the nervous system through our neural ramping of the military press so for the next 2 exercises we simply want to do the last 5 sets in the max training zone, such as above for the military press.

So as we have already done, calculate 87.5% of your incline and bench press 3 rep max and do the following:

Set 1 - your max training weight x 3 reps

Set 2 - 5pds less then your max training weight x 3 reps

Set 3 - 2.5pds less then your max training weight x 3 reps

Set 4 - max training weight x 3 reps

Set 5 - 5pds less then your max training weight x 3 reps

And repeat for the bench press.

Try this out and notice how you feel at the end of your workout and make sure you're fully charged nutritionally prior.