Strength training has long been popular across many different areas and cultures. Millions of people flock to gyms each year in the hopes of getting in shape, getting stronger, and getting more muscular. The problem is that a lot of gym goers get overwhelmed by the sheer mass of information available. How many days a week should I work out? Is it better to lift heavier weight or higher reps? What about cardio? While there is a considerable amount of bad information out there because of everyone having a voice on the internet, there is also a lot of good information available as well.
Working with a good coach or trainer will more than likely get you the best results. You will push harder and progress faster. This option is not available for everyone, and that is where a good strength training program comes in. A good program should be structured with a few rules or guidelines in place. It should be progressive in nature, meaning that a person over time is either lifting more weight or has the ability to handle more volume or workload. A good program should also allow a person to recover from their workout. The period after a muscle has been trained is where it adapts and grows. If it is not being taxed enough, or if it is being taxed too much through frequency, intensity, or volume past the beginner stage, it will result in subpar results or possibly injury. A good program should also have some variation to prevent someone feeling stale or bored when working out, but not have so much variation so that a person doesn’t progress. Your program should cater to your goals as well. If you want to put on muscle mass, you wouldn’t do a marathon training program.
When it comes to program design, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Powerlifters, bodybuilders, strength coaches and athletes, and exercise professionals have all wrestled with the dilemma of what the best program is for a certain set goal. They have researched scientific studies and used real world experiences that will help the average gym goer avoid the mistakes or pitfalls of improper programming. This blog post is going to review some of the best strength training programs available, who they are appropriate for, and some of the pros and cons of each program.
The first program we are going to explore is Starting Strength. It is a 3 day per week full body program primarily focused on gaining strength. Starting Strength was written by strength coach Mark Rippetoe. The program consists of an A and B routine that are rotated on a 3 day per week schedule. It is primarily focused toward beginner lifters to try and advance them to the intermediate stage. Starting Strength has phases that add different exercises as the participant progresses. It uses linear progression which means if you are able to hit the set and rep targets each workout, the following workout you add load (Rippetoe, 2005). Pros: Starting Strength is focused on the basics: Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press which are compound movements and have the most room for progression. It is also perfect for the beginner lifter as it doesn’t have a lot of “fluff” type movements that can impede progress on the important basic lifts. Cons: If a person should have any pre-existing injuries or conditions (hips, low back, shoulders) when starting the program, they may encounter some issues due to the frequent repetitive nature of the exercises.
The next program we are going to explore is 5×5. There are a few versions of the 5×5 workout, but the most popular is the Stronglifts 5×5. The beginner portion is a 3 day per week program (do you see a pattern here) of rotating barbell exercises (bench press, squat, overhead press, deadlift, barbell row) done for 5 sets of 5 reps (Medhi, 2017). The exception is the deadlift which is done for 1 set of 5 due to safety concerns. You use the same weight on each set and progressively add weight at the smallest increment possible as you progress through the weeks (Bill Starr’s 5×5 was originally written for football players and ramps weight upwards from set 1 to set 5). Pros: Uses basic barbell lifts and focuses on progression. Cons: High intensity adding weight to the bar each week which may not be ideal for older lifters or those with injuries.
The next program we are going to explore is 5/3/1. It was written by powerlifter, Jim Wendler, and caters to the beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters. 5/3/1 is a 3-4 day per week training program focusing on four staple lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhead press. The program breaks training into four week blocks. Week 1 the lifter will do 3 sets of 5 (ramping or increasing weight), week 2 will be 3 sets of 3, week 3 will be ramping sets of 5 reps, 3 reps, and 1 rep, and week 4 will be a deload with less volume and intensity (Wendler, 2009). The idea is to start light and slowly increase the weight used on each training block. The program also uses assistance work after the main lift of the day. The lifter is encouraged to stick to the basics: chin-up, back extensions, dips, etc. Cardio is done on this program, but should not impede recovery for the main lifts. Hill sprints and sled pulling are the main forms used. Pros: Allows people who overthink and hop from program to program a long term plan for success. Cons: Progression is slow and some might get bored without a lot of variety.
The strength training programs are good, but what if you want to get your swole on? The last program we are going to cover is GVT or German Volume Training. GVT was written by strength coach Charles Poliquin. It is a program primarily focused on muscle hypertrophy. The participant will do 10 sets of 10 reps with a 45 to 60 second rest between sets. There are a few variations of GVT. In the first version, the lifter would do usually a lift per body part at 10 sets of 10 with some accessory work done with lower volume. In the second version, the lifter would superset antagonist muscle groups (when one muscle lengthens, the opposite one shortens. eg: chest and back, biceps and triceps, etc.). This would be done at 10 sets of 10 each. Muscles are worked usually once every 5 to 7 days with this program. The idea is to start with a really light weight (something you could get 20 reps with) and progress with weight when you can reach 10 sets of 10 (Poliquin, 2016). Pros: Simple and easy plan to execute, good plan for putting on muscle mass. Cons: If not a very strong lifter, it will be hard to lift enough weight to cause a positive adaption of muscle growth to occur.
We have covered but a few of the good training programs that you can try. It is usually good to pick a plan and give it a good 6-8 months before trying something else. Every workout plan out there is just that, a plan. It requires hard work and consistency to be really effective. I hope this post has been informative and can help you pick a plan that will assist you to reaching your goals.
-Trent
References:
Medhi. (2017, Dec.). StrongLifts 5×5 Workout Program For Beginners / StrongLifts. Retrieved From: https://stronglifts.com/5×5/.
Poliquin, Charles. (2016, Feb.). German Volume Training!. Retrieved From: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis13.htmi.
Rippetoe, Mark. (2005). Starting Strength. Retrieved From: https://startingstrength.com/.
Wendler, Jim. (2009, July). 5/3/1: How To Build Pure Strength / TNation. Retrieved From: https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/531-how-to-build-pure-strength.