Question for Madcow: Planning next cycle(s)

[Jim Ouini]

I'm just beginning the 3x intensity cycle for the next 4 weeks. This is my first run through 5 x 5 and enjoying it quite a bit.

So, I'm starting to think about my next step.

Having read this link BEYOND THE 5x5 - PLANNING YOUR TRAINING CYCLES

I'm debating a few options here and would appreciate some advice.

Option 1. Start another 5 x 5 right after I finish this first one.

You have a 1 wk deload between intensity phase of cycle 1 and volume phase of cycle 2. Is this necessary and if so what kind of lifting activity if any would be involved?

Option 2. Perform a 3 wk load/1 wk unload DFHT cycle as prescribed in The Core article and then jump into 5 x 5 cyle 2.

I assume for the loading phase the weights are ramped up to the Xset/Xrep max analagous to Madcow2 5 x 5? Or is the loading cycle too short to accomodate this?

The reason I'm considering this is because of the inclusion of some exercises I'd like to perform to work on some weakpoints - good mornings, pullthroughs, GHR et al.

You mention a 2 wk 'specialty work' phase prior to another 5 x 5. Is this essentially 'practice' of some lifts that would be incorporated fully into 5 x 5 cycle i.e, lighter weight, concentrating on form for, say, powershrugs.

Lastly, I'm considering the Smolov squat cycle (considering. It sounds hard ) instead of cycle 2 5 x 5. Would this be too much too soon? and better off sticking with a 2nd run through (since I don't figure to have stopped making progress) and continue work off the cycle 1 base that I established?

If/when I do this squat cycle, is there no upper body work at all?

My goals are pretty simple: get bigger and stronger

Appreciate the input. Thanks.

 

[Madcow2]

Re: Option 1
-that was more because I believe the original person was getting overloaded with the 3x3 phase so I assumed a rest period would be applicable for him before stepping into a serious program again. Go by feel. If you are snappy and feeling like you have a lot in the tank around week 9 it won't be necessary.

Re: Option 2
-someone had posted an awesome word document recently. It included all the text and a mapped out spreadsheet. I haven't read Matt's DFHT recently. There are two articles at Core the first one is the intro and basis and the second one lays out the entire progam. Try locating the second in the articles there. The other option is borrowing his layout or adapting the 5x5 or whatever and making your own training cycle to focus on key areas. Maybe this is 2-3 weeks loading and 1-2 weeks deloading. Maybe it's longer or maybe it's 2 four week blocks with different exercises swapped in. Maybe it's a 2 week cycle to work on speed/agility and some weak points in your core lifts - I think this is what I meant by specialty. Make it what you want.

Re Smolov:
So the Smolov is pretty damn hard - maybe as hard as it gets. It also is setup in it's generic form for a fairly experienced lifter. There is a ton of volume and a lot of it at very high intensity (%1RM) levels. Rather than wedding yourself to the whole thing, you can always run the base mesocycle and then make a decision on mesocycle II. So basically you can use it for 4 weeks of heavy loading and see how it goes. The layout in the article is a long implementation with a series of mesocycles - that's not absolutely required. You can do upper body work but keep the volume reasonable - how much depends on your tolerances. Because the Smolov is layed out in percents, it's very static and harder for you to customize by feel (there is a reason why I don't provide percents in the 5x5 - for one guy it wouldn't be enough and for another I'd kill them). So if you follow the percents, you are left with whatever else you can tolerate (how much excess room is there in your own tolerance i.e. your total tolerance is Y, after I subtract the Smolov, what is left - simple answer is that I have no idea and I don't imagine you have enough history to make that call with much accuracy). I have two feelings about this. 1) I admire your enthusiasm and interest in new things 2) You are talking about biting off a big chunk of one of the most demanding programs around without much experience in training like this. I think a good compromise would be to plan on running the base mesocycle after a deloading period provided you are in adequate condition.

Either way, I think you are on the right track. You are looking at your training properly, thinking in blocks, and organizing those blocks around your goals. It might be useful to get your thoughts together, lay out 4-5 months worth as a hypothetical and put it into action. The nice thing about being recreational is that you have a lot of freedom and aren't constrained by an annual competition cycle which generally determines the entire training cycle by backing into it from the competition date. So laying out 4-6 months worth and knowing that you can adjust on the fly is a good way to organize yourself and get all your thoughts together.

 

[Madcow2]

One better for you - here is the link to the DFHT Document:

http://jalaine.com/Documents/Dual_Factor_Hypertrophy_Training.doc

 

[Jim Ouini]

Ah thanks for the link. I had the 2nd part of Mr. Matt's DFHT from Core but couldn't get it to print.

I'm going to ponder this a bit and bump this thread when I get my plan together.

Thanks again.