New strength protocol since August 22nd

One word: simplification. After all my readings this summer, far away from any gym or pressure to perform, I realize I was probably still doing too much with too much variety. Inspired from Pavel’s programs, what I do now looks like this:

• Deadlift 10 reps total in 2 or 3 sets
• Initial Weight: 196lbs
• Side press 10 reps total per side 2 or 3 sets
• Initial weight: 45lbs
• Dumbell swings 10-20 reps (no kettlebell at my gym!)
• 75lbs (I quickly switched for 95lbs and then 100lbs)
• Ab wheel 4-6 reps

Some important side points in this protocol:

• Magic number 10. No matter how many sets (but for singles), I target 10 reps total.
• Wave cycle on 6 weeks. The 6th week is my final objective (for me 310 lbs). (A, B, C), (B, C, D), (C, D, E), etc.
• 5 minutes minimum between exercises, even for switching sides.
• 3 workouts/week.
• No warm up. Some mobility exercises if needed. For the deadlift, I will lift about 100lbs a couple of times to get into the groove and remember my form.
• No belt, no glove, no shoes. Only me, some chalk and the barbell.

I still cherish the idea of improving my pull ups without overtraining. What I do now is try to do super easy reps (in my case 2) each time I go under my pull ups bar with at least 5 minutes between sets. At the end of the day, I do 10-20 reps per day. 3 weeks later, I feel lighter…. It might just be me! Next week or so, I will go for 3 reps.

Fred Barbe

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