Absolute Beginners

I've always thought that, sometimes, one should treat themselves as a beginner when in doubt. But for how long?

I've been experimenting with the Prilepin cycle for the longest time now, mainly to build work capacity and give myself strength from the low ends to the high. I've done it for sets of 2-3 up to sets of 4 to 6. Put lots of time into front squats, deadlifts, and hamstrings. In the bench, I can now do more volume before it starts to make inroads into my energy. And the deadlifting twice a week has really started to build my back up and improve my pull, I can't wait to start applying all of that to the conventional DL.

I've been trying to develop a cycle for myself that will get my back to really heavy weights and that will reintroduce speed into my workouts, and maybe as such so I can learn to really apply it. Since I can already deadlift 400 lbs, my eyes turn to a 400 lbs squat (I test in a month) and the beginning of my journey towards a 300 lbs bench. For me, deciding on a template for speed was the the tough part. I have experimented in the past with some of the recommendations from Dave Tate's 8 KEYS, but found 30% 1RM to be on the so light side that my benches got sloppy after the midpoint. When I emailed Louie Simmons (Matt Smith answered) and Dave Tate, they both told me that the 30 percent was too light and that, for a beginner, they can go as high as 70% 1RM for speed work. What to do, eh?

My second thing was the bench press. Since it has been the close grip bench press that has contributed to my improving bench press, I thought of using it again for a heavy cycle. Then I thought, "Why not just run Patrik Nyman's Prilepin cycle on my triceps, with the dip as my light day movement?" Ok, great, this is all the tricep work I will need, but what about my bench press? The bench press will be my speed movement, done at lunch on the same day I do the Prilepin Triceps. I got the idea for the cycle from a beginning bench program by Ryan Kennelly. It will be a flat load: 8 sets of 3 reps each session. The first session will be at 40% 1RM and will climb 5 percent each session until I hit 70 percent. On that day, I will then work up to a heavy single, and use the new 1RM to begin again at 40%. While the 24 reps at 70 percent will yield almost 1000 lbs more total tonnage than 15 reps of the same weight at 85% 1RM, I'm not too worried because my current cycle has me doing twenty reps at 70% and with more reps/time under tension per set (5 reps per set). The conditioning will be in place, hopefully, from this curent cycle.

Third was the squat. At one point, I was considering a 16-18 inch box squat to overload the movement, with a 14" parallel box squat for speed. Being my beginner's program, I figured I just save this for another time. I thought about my front squats and considered all the quad strength I've gained on it and decided to use the 12 inch box squat as my ME Squat movement. For the DL, I'll just do 12 fast singles on DE Squat Day: the pull throughs, shrugs, GHRs, and step ups should cover me for all other things DL. For DE Squat/DL day, it will be the same progression as the bench press.

I will do the ADD 50 program on T-Bar Rows based on a calculated max for a 5 RM. SInce this is a 7 week program, all other days get a 7th week for a deload, done at a very light 45% 1RM. My goal is, as always, to have an equally strong back.

Prilepin Triceps Heavy Day/ME SquatDay: Wk1 (3 sets of 2@89%), Wk2 (5x3@80%), Wk3 (5x3@86%), Wk4 (3x2@90%), Wk5 (5x3@80%), Wk6 (5x3@86%), Wk7 (8x3@45% for triceps, 12x2@45% for squat)

Prilepin Triceps Light Day: Wk1 (5 sets of 3@82%), Wk2 (5x3@85%), Wk3 (6x3@73%), Wk4 (5 sets of 3@82%), Wk5 (5x3@85%), Wk6 (6x3@73%), Wk7 (8x3@45%)

DE Squat/DL: Wk1 (12x2@40%), Wk2 (12x2@45%), Wk3 (12x2@50%), Wk4 (12x2@55%), Wk5 (12x2@60%), Wk6 (12x2@65%), Wk7 (12x2@70%). Deadlifts will be the same progression, but for twelve singles on the same day.

ME Squat/DL Movements: 12" Box Squat, Trap Bar Shrug, Bent Leg Pull Throughs, GHR, 24" Step Ups, Ab circuit.

DE Squat/DL Movements: 14" Box Squat, Speed Conventional DL, GHR, Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Straight Leg Pull Throughs, Ab circuit.

Prilepin Triceps (Heavy): Close Grip Bench Press, T-Bar Row (Add 50), Incline Laterals, Seated Scarecrows, Nautilus Pullovers, Reverse Curls.

Prilepin Triceps (Light): Hoist Assisted Dips, T-Bar Rows (Add 50), Seated Laterals, Rear Delt Machine, Nautilus Pullovers, Hammer Curls.