Most of the wise men in the fitness industry suggest that you spend your first macrocycle building muscle so you can support the strength phase. It's called the "hypertrophy" phase. Well, most of us in our age cohort remember our younger days where that's ALL we did. We got completely polluted by Arnold and "Pumping Iron" and just wanted to get "swole". So if I cut you loose on a "hypertrophy" phase I'll never be able to reel you back in. Strength training is also done in lower rep ranges, which means that the workouts are generally shorter and increasing more intense, which leads to greater strength gains. In my mind if you focus on getting stronger the body composition changes will follow, so I don't subscribe to the idea that you have to do a hypertrophy phase first.
If you haven't done any resistance training for a while you will be tempted to base everything on what you "used to do". That's not reality. At one point in my early 20s I could bench press 335 pounds at about a 205 pound body weight. That will never happen again. Never. And I dont't care. I'm not trying to keep up with my 20-year-old self because I'm comfortable with my 55-year-old self. I just want to be the baddest 55-year-old I can be.So what are we going to do in the first macrocycle? The first thing is to realize is that we are "building strength", not "testing strength". Overload and progression are the keys in this phase, with the emphasis on "progression". I suggest you select five multi-joint compound movements and then make this the basis of your resistance training during the "building strength" phase. So what are the movements? They are variations of the following movements, all with "two hands on the bar"
(1) Deadlift. The king of all strength builders
(2) Squat. The crown prince of strength builders.
(3) Bench Press.
(4) Barbell Row
(5) Overhead Press
Notice that there are no curls, skull crushers. leg extensions, calf raises or any other bodybuilding exercises listed. That's because they are not core strength builders and I don't think they are useful in this phase. Also notice that I said "variations". Look, I understand that you've got aches and pains and some of them may actually be legit. I have had five knee surgeries, three herniated disks, and arthritis all over the place. So what? If it hurts, go to the doctor. You should not be limited by pain - or the fear of pain. If you say "I can't squat because I have a bad knee", then get it fixed. If you say "I can't deadlift because I have a bad back", I would say it's because your core is weak. This is an investment in the rest of your life. Are you going to simply deteriorate without a fight? I"m not, so I'm not scared of any strength movement.I am a true believer in the 5X5 workout for beginners or those returning to training after a long layoff. Take a look at 5X5 Workout Overview for a primer on the subject. Why do I promote this? First of all, it's simple and easy to track progress. Second, it's efficient. You can knock this out easily in one hour, including warm-up and cool down. Finally, it allows you to progress gradually, but in a way that makes you feel like you are getting stronger every day.
In the next episode we'll set up a 5X5 program for the 12-week "building strength" phase that incorporates variation, overload and progression.
Be well, my friends.
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