strength program structure

when creating a strength training program you need to figure out which exercises are being tested and which ones are going to be used to assist the tested exercises. you will also need to decide how long you plan on running this program and determine when your test days are going to be. i would not recommend doing more than 2 test days in 1 week. so lets say you want to work on 4 major lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift, and military press). i would take the military press and deadlift in 1 week, and then bench press and squat the following week. this way you give your body and CNS (central nervous system) adequate time for recovery. i would take 72 hours in between the testing days as well.

lets say you want to run a program for 12 weeks and then test your main lifts. you will need to determine when to take deload weeks. a deload week is a back off week. back off the intensity and volume to allow the body time to recover so you can come back stronger and fresher. typically this will be between every 4 to 6 weeks depending on how strong you are. so if you are a beginner you can get away with going 6 weeks before a deload is needed and the more advanced lifters will need to go every 4 weeks.

another variable needed to take into consideration is determining what your training max is. i would not recommend going with a true 1RM, instead i would take a weight i believe i can get 4 to 8 reps with and get as many reps as possible in 1 set. and taking 90% of that number to determine a training max. this is nothing new. this is something i took from jim wendler and his 5/3/1 program.

example: squat weight 315lbs x 7 reps = 2205 (2205 x .033)= 73 (315lbs + 73)= 388 (388 x .9) = 356.

round the number to the nearest 5 or 10 and that will be your training max. same goes for all the other 3 main lifts you plan on testing.

lets stick with the same exercise and numbers for the 12 week program. you can plug this in to your other 3 lifts as well.

week 1 5x5 @65%

week 2 3x5 @75%

week 3 1x5 @85%

week 4 5x5 @65%

week 5 3x5 @75%

week 6 5x3 @80%

week 7 3x5 @60% (deload week)

week 8 5x5 @65%

week 9 3x5 @75%

week 10 5x3 @80%

week 11 3x3 @85%

week 12 amrap @95% (as many reps as possible)

this is the plan for the main lift. next we need to determine what the secondary movement will be. this movement will be similar to the main movement. after the squat exercise a lifter may go with a front squat, a pause squat, or some other variation of a squat and perform the exercise with lighter intensity. the intensity may be lighter but the volume will be slightly higher. the second exercise will be done in a fatiqued state so i suggest keeping the sets between 2 to 3 and the reps between 6 to 10. just go by feel. if the weight feels heavy just go lighter on the next set and keep track of your progress in a workout journal.

the next exercises will either be done with machines or dumbbells. go by feel. keep the sets between 3 and 4 and keep the reps between 10 and 12. these exercises help build some muscle while keeping stress off the joints and putting it mostly in the muscles. this is your chance to train like a bodybuilder, and pump up those muscles.

i would keep the exercises between 4 and 6 for each workout. during the deload weeks i would cut the overall volume in half. on the testing days i would only perform the main movement; this will allow you to focus solely on 1 thing and put all of your effort into that movement.

so there you have it. very simple effective plan. this is not the end all be all. there are many ways to get stronger. once you start a program see it through and do it for 6 months. after 6 months you can determine if this plan worked well or not. so take your time and get strated.