Phase 1 – GPP/Hypertrophy Phase
Length Of Phase     Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
4-6 Weeks     4-5     10-20     50-65%     1-2 Minutes

Phase 2 – Strength Phase
Length Of Phase     Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
4-5 Weeks     4-5     4-6     75-85%     3-4 Minutes

Phase 3 – Power Phase
Length Of Phase     Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
3-4 Weeks     3     3     85-95%     4-5 Minutes

Phase 4 – Peaking Phase
Length Of Phase     Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
2-3 Weeks     2-3     1-3     95-100%     5-7 Minutes

Phase 5 – Active Rest Or Transition Phase
Length Of Phase     Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
2-4 Weeks     1-2     10-15     50%     1-2 Minutes

The Repetitive Effort Method
Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
3-5     8-15     60-80%     2-3 Minutes

The Maximal Strength Method
Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
5-10     1-5     85-100%     3-7 Minutes

The Dynamic Effort Method
Sets     Reps     Load (%1RM)     Rest Interval (between sets)
6-10     1-5     50-70%     45-90 seconds Minutes

The following program is based upon a 4 day split routine for Joey with lower body being worked Monday and Thursday and upper body worked on Tuesday and Friday. Wednesday and Saturday are for some basic GPP work and “active recovery” while Sunday is taken completely off. The weekly split looks as follows:
Monday     Tuesday     Wednesday     Thursday     Friday     Saturday     Sunday
Lower     Upper     GPP     Lower     Upper     GPP     Off

The program will be changed every 4 weeks and then will switch lower and upper body days during the week to change the stimulus and encourage further adaptation. The second four weeks will look as follows:
Monday     Tuesday     Wednesday     Thursday     Friday     Saturday     Sunday
Upper     Lower     GPP     Upper     Lower     GPP     Off

Since Joey lacks strength, the first two workouts of the week during the first 4 weeks will be dedicated to the development of maximum strength. The second workouts of the week will focus on the dynamic effort method which is based on bar speed.. The bar must me accelerated as fast as possible during the concentric part of the lift with a slight slowing down near the end to avoid hyper-extending your joints. (* Remember, the following example is for the subject discussed in this article. Adjust the weights according to your own abilities!)

Lower Body – (Max strength)

A. Back Squats – 5 x 5 x 210 (aprox. 80%1RM)
Rest intervals: 2-3 minutes

B-1. DB Step-ups (into high box or bench so thigh is parallel to ground at start) – 2-3 x 6-8 reps x 40-50 lb. DB’s in each hand.
Rest 60 seconds and than superset with the next exercise:

B-2. Romanian Deadlifts (aka stiff-legged deadlifts) – Perform with a barbell and use a squat cage to take the bar on and off. Hands shoulder width apart; feet hip width apart, slightly bend knees and slowly lower bar towards ground keeping the bar glued to your thighs. Lower to slightly below knee level and then return to standing emphasizing your hamstrings and glutes. It is very important to keep an arch (lordosis) in your lower back the entire time! 2-3 x 6-8 reps x 155-185 lb.
Rest 60 seconds and start over again with the step-ups.

C. Core Circuit: Do some abdominal exercises such as crunches or oblique work and superset with a lower back exercise like a reverse hyper or back extension.: 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps each with a 60 seconds in between circuits.

Upper Body – (Max Strength)

Your browser may not support display of this image. A-1. Bench Press – 5 x 5 x 170 (approx 80%1RM) Superset with next exercise
Rest interval: 90 seconds

A-2. Chin-up: 5 x 5 x 20 lb. DB (aprox 80%1RM) Superset with bench press
Rest interval: 90 seconds

B-1. Incline DB press – 2-3 x 6-8 x 55-65 lb. DB’s Superset with next exercise
Rest interval: 75 seconds

B-2. Seated Rows (medium palms downs grip) – 2-3 x 6-8 x ?(choose adequate load based in low row used)
Rest interval 75 seconds Superset with Incline DB press.

C-1. DB hammer curls: 2 x 8-10 x 20-30 lbs Superset with following exercise

C-2. Triceps cable push-downs with rope: 2 x 8-10 x ?(choose a suitable load)

Note: the main emphasis of this training program is to get stronger and more explosive in a few key lifts. Don’t be shocked at the small volume of arm work. When you return to a more usual bodybuilding workout you will be much stronger and therefore able to use greater loads for sets of 8-12 reps. Remember, patience is a virtue!

Lower Body – (Dynamic Effort)

A. Back Squats: 6 x 3 x 135 (Approx 50% 1RM)
Rest interval: 45 seconds

B. Lunges: 3-4 x 6-8 x 95-155 lb.
Rest interval: 2 minutes

C. 1-Legged leg press: – 1-2 sets x 15-20 reps
Rest interval: 60 seconds (get on a regular leg press and perform 1-2 sets of slow and controlled leg presses with 1 leg at a time. Slow and controlled on this one!)

D. Core work: pick one ab and one lower back exercise for 2-3 sets of 10-12 with 60 seconds in between sets

Upper Body – (Speed-Strength)

A-1. Bench press: 6 x 3 x 110 lb.(Approx. 50% 1RM) Superset with the following exercise
Rest interval: 60 seconds

A-2. Chin-ups: 6 x 3 x Bodyweight/Superset with Bench
Rest interval: 60 seconds and then go back to bench press

B-1. Standing DB arnold presses: 2-3 x 6-8 x 30-40 lb. Superset with the following exercise
Rest Interval: 60 seconds

B-2. Bent-over barbell Rows: 2-3 x 6-8 x 95-110 lb. Superset with arnold presses

C-1. Barbell curls – 1-2 x 8-10 x 65-75 Superset with following triceps exercise
Rest – none

C-2. Lying DB skull cruhsers: – 1-2 x 8-10 x 25-35 lb. Superset with curls
Rest – 90 seconds

GPP Days – (Wednesday and Saturday)

GPP work (General Physical Preparation) is extremely important for even the bodybuilder. Think of this work as “active recovery” work that will help you recover and prepare for your weight sessions. The basic workout is short and includes the following: Your browser may not support display of this image.

Jump rope – Try to go for 1 minute rounds if you are new to jump rope and during the rest intervals try to bang out 15-20 push-ups with good form!

Bodyweight GPP – Jumping Jacks, Shuffle splits (aka Ali shuffles), Burpees, and Mountain climbers. Try to perform 20-30 of the jumping jacks, shuffle splits, and mountain climbers and only 10 burpees. If you are unfamiliar with any of the exercises check out Bodybuilding.com’s writer Josh Henkin’s excellent article series on GPP work. Try to perform 3 rounds with only 45 seconds rest in between each circuit. Enjoy!

Some Closing Thoughts…

The program listed above was just an example of what a specific individual might do to achieve their goals. Substitutions and load changes can be made wherever necessary as they were based on the hypothetical subject. My main objective was to show you some alternative methods and how modern periodization could be used to design a workout.

After the 4 weeks program one could either test for new maximums and then take the rest of the weeks off, or better yet, simply change all the non-tested exercises for variety sake and start another 4 week program while starting slightly higher in the core lifts (bench, squat, and chin).

Some people do much better if after the 3rd week they reduce their volume by 60% and slightly reduce the load to allow the body to overcompensate from the previous 3 weeks. This works very well for most lifters but requires some ego control as you will be going into the gym that week and not really pushing yourself to the limit.

STRENGTH TESTING GUIDELINES
Exercise     Requirement
Chin Up

Flat Bench Press

Squat
Warm Up  5 -10 reps
1 minute rest
Chin Up

Flat Bench

Squat
Add 5-10 kgs, 3-5 reps

Add 5-10 kgs, 3-5 reps

Add 10-20 kgs, 3-5 reps
2 minutes rest
Chin Up

Flat Bench

Squat
Increase weight appropriately to allow for only 2-3 reps
2-4 minutes rest
Chin Up

Flat Bench

Squat
Attempt 1 RM

No more than 5 attempts.

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