The four lift workout plan

[That Foreign Guy]

I can't claim that the idea of doing a few big lifts is at all revolutionary, but it does seem to work. I lift two week days, and one or two weekend days. If I know I'll be going both days I'll split the routine pull / push and add some extras like direct arm work and calf raises.

I do 1 x 10 v light for form, warmup, and to get myself mentally focused. Then 6 x 3 with a simple escalation in the weights (usually 2,2,2 but depends how I am feeling, what the last set felt like the workout before, etc) from medium weights to somewhere near my 3 RM. The medium weights I really focus on exploding into the work part of the movement as this means I am trying to get the heavy ones fast and that makes me stronger.

But yeah, the four lift workout:

Squats
Deads - I just did a workout using one of those reebok steps so that I am pulling the bar from a few inches lower than normal. It makes the lift a bit tougher and feels better to me.

Bench
Chinups

I really like this workout. It's dead [censored] simple, and gives me great bang for my buck I think. I'm doing vanilla variations right now but when progress stalls I'll change things up a little (eg front squat, sumo deads, close grip bench, pullups).

I do a bit more core work at the end when I don't feel too wrecked and sometimes throw in some shoulder work on weekdays as I have had trouble with them in the past.

So, please tell me I'm an overtraining moron, or not doing enough variety, or whatever.

[StaticShock]

Welcome to our little of corner of 2p2 here Foreign Guy.

The workout looks good and the variations are a nice touch. The only thing that could be trouble is squats and deads on the same day. That can wreck your lower back and overload your CNS. I like to seperate those two and form seperate workouts around them. Oh yeah, consider cycling your rep scheme as well.

I like where your head is at though. Do a few lifts but do them with intensity.

[Efourdee]

I agree..if you have enough left to do deadlifts and squats on the same day then you probably need to up the intensity.

Not enough volume for me, but its definatly a solid workout.

I would incorportate incline bench or shoulder presses. Maybe rotate it with flat bench.

[AZK]

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he only thing that could be trouble is squats and deads on the same day. That can wreck your lower back and overload your CNS. I like to seperate those two and form seperate workouts around them.

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Hmm...more on this please, I normally do them together. Though I'm a huge pussy and can't really do significant weight on either...maybe this is why?

[dethgrind]

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he only thing that could be trouble is squats and deads on the same day. That can wreck your lower back and overload your CNS. I like to seperate those two and form seperate workouts around them.

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Hmm...more on this please, I normally do them together. Though I'm a huge pussy and can't really do significant weight on either...maybe this is why?

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Yes, this is it. In the rippetoe thread at bodybuilding.com, people usually start with squatting every workout and deadlifting every other workout. Eventually it gets too heavy and they switch to back squatting twice then front squatting once, and doing the deadlifts only on the front squat day.

[Weir]

i think simple, intense workouts are really good. I stalled for a bit after "getting into a routine" and upped the weight, decreased the reps, and attempt to do them in a completely random order every time. It has seemed to work really well so far.

I don't know enough to comment any further....but it has worked for me so far.

[Blarg]

Simple is usually better. And full-body exercises are the way to go.

The only supplement you might want to do is some more work for your neck or forearms/grip work. Some guys might do some extra calf work too. Apart from that, I'd start placing working on flexibility higher than adding any more exercises.

[That Foreign Guy]

Thanks for the feedback. I've actually got yoga planned for a day or two a week (depends how tough the beginner class is and just how many attractive women there are). I start this weekend actually so lets see how that goes.

I was just reading the captains of crush thread, I'll probably wind up buying some as I have a lot of desk time.

I may well move to a full 2 day split (squats, chinups, shoulders, front abdominals / deads, bench, calf raise, obliques) and 4 days a week training, but for now, I'm coping (a bit of lower back tightness but I've always had that and the foam roller is getting well used [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

So far I've been feeling fine the next day (eg I tend to play squash or 5 a side soccer on most of my non lifting days and feel pretty good during) so my body seems able to handle it.

We'll see what happens when I start moving serious weight though. Right now the "big" squat sets are only at about bodyweight and the big deads are only about 1.2x (220lbs and 260lbs respectively)

As for the low volume, I'm not training for size or to lose fat (although at some point in the future I may focus a bit more on simply looking good naked). I'm pretty much after strength and improved athletic performance.

My goal is to get back to where I was when in the army - double bodyweight squat and dead, bodyweight bench (right now a wimpy bit over half , 40lb weighted pullups.

I don't think this routine, even with variations and changed set/rep schemes, will get me all the way there, but it will give me a hell of a start before I need to look in to assistance work etc.

[Blarg]

If you are doing deadlifts heavy enough, you won't really need abdominal work and in fact I would be very careful with it. You probably won't hurt your abs, obliques, or serratus, but as all exercises that work those involve the lower back too, it's very easy to overtrain your lower back when doing heavy deads and trying to add on something else besides. That doing deadlifts alone is enough to give you a sixpack should make you feel fine about cutting way, way back on ab work.

You've gone from four exercises to working on seven by your count. I don't think this is an improvement. The only one that sounds like a good addition is the calf work. Personally, I would choose only one upper body push, and get good at that -- bench press or overhead press. And you would do quite well if you did primarily squats or deadlifts too, or at least majored in one and minored in the other. They're both quite a strain on your CNS, stress the very vulnerable lower back, and need some recovery time from if you want to maximize the gain.

To me, an ideal routine is full-body exercises in the form of one upper body push, one upper body pull, and then either squats or deadlifts. Because of leverage reasons, shorter guys tend to favor the squat, and taller guys the deadlift, so that part is fairly easy to choose. Then supplement with grip work(especially helpful for doing deadlifts without straps) for everybody. And then you're pretty much done. For people who don't grow strong necks naturally, some more neck work would be good, and calf work for people who don't get much calf growth from squats or deadlifts. (My calves are a big problem area and I'm an incredibly hard gainer, but deadlifts helped my calves a lot.)

After that, I think your body gets more bang for the buck by giving yourself time to recover, and working on things like flexibility or aerobic capacity. Stretch and hop on a bike, kind of thing. You can leave the weights alone. Learn to eat right.

[AZK]

Everyone measures bench by bodyweight, and people are wowed by benching their own bodyweight...call me crazy, but this should be ridiculously easy for most of you...exceptions being if you are really really heavy or really really light, the vast majority of people though fall into i'm not fat but i'm not skinny category adn should be able to easily do this.

Am I reading into this wrong?

I weigh about 175 lbs and have maxed out at 225 on bench, and I consider myself puny compared to most people at the gym.... wtf am i missing?

I thought I read somewhere that standard "goals" were 2.5bw dead, 2bw squat, 1.5bw bench...but this was probably in mens health or something