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Loved the list, but I was wondering, where on the list would you put PHUL at? I've been toying with idea of running it, wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
@@GohaN4466PHUL is a fantastic introduction program as it gets you into a variety of rep ranges and different exercises, with a good novice progression scheme
@@Issvor I' ve been running a modified 5/3/1 for a VERY long time (modified for 6 days), and I wanted to switch things up with a 4 day split (for both variety and a tighter schedule these days) and was looking at PHUL. Would it be a decent program for someone who's coming off of 5/3/1?
I would put conjugate a little bit higher for one reason. While I don't necessarily think it's the best option for raw natural power lifters I do think it has a lot of carry over to sports especially Combat Sports. Outside of wrestling combat sports don't follow an off and on season so block periodization doesn't really make sense. Furthermore, conjugate actually allows you to control the intensity/ volume by thinking of each method as a module. I can adjust the number number of accessories and I can adjust the intensity of Max effort by working my way up to a Max triple or a Max 5 instead of a Max single. Also speed work is always sub maximal, so I do a greater focus on the dynamic effort method which has really helped me with explosion and scrambling in BJJ and kickboxing. Normal linear models and wave models build up too much fatigue that I can't actually carry over the strength into the practice room. Conjugate allowed me very easily to work out really hard while still managing my fatigue really well. The high amount of variation also allowed me to work around injuries or body mechanical issues that I might have from being beat up in Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing.
Yeah, I see the hard work mantra be repeated so much and while it's true that you need to work hard for your strength training goals, you can do too much and that will often be the case when you are obsessed. I definitely did this and buried my recovery to the ground more than a few times
@@TheFelipe10848 Agreed. and not just recovery for the next workout but very easy to pick up nicks and pains and small injuries/hurts over time by doing too much repeatedly, even if you are recovered enough to go train.
Unfortunately it’s in the context of neglecting an entire half of the method he was referencing that works at 50% of 1rm lol Dunno why everyone sees Westside as “max out every session” - either they’re completely uneducated in the system or just ignorant
Intermediate I think is especially true with that. Some novices need to learn to drive harder if they’re scared of approaching legit failure but intermediates can become delusional of how hard their lifts were with their ego as they’re getting stronger All of this is literally just my experience though so maybe this isn’t accurate for others
@@simdog1502 There are folks that can't put up a 45 lb barbell or even do a pushup. 95 lbs coming at your neck or chest is not ideal. Beginners have shit technique and *bells slip. lol
S-TIER Candito 6 Week: talented lifter. very good GZCL: all around. easy. average lifter. accessory work. A-TIER Bullmastiff: less educational, help with weak areas 531: one of the most popular. 3 week waves. not strong very fast. novice and intermediate. Starting Strength: for beginners. outgrow as fast as possible. predictable Greyskull LP: competitor of starting strength. mrap sets. not for stronger lifters. Texas Method: practical programming, 5 pound jump once a week Juggernaut Method: more volume, high reps. not strength specific. wave structure. B-TIER Sheiko: broad style of training. inspired nsuns. lots of sets. very effective but boring Kong: high rep compound, build up volume, pyramid and reverse pyramids. more size than strength Supersquats: hard. only for novice and intermediate. whole body workout. not dedicated strength program. C-TIER Bulgarian lite: not that productive Westside Conjugate: lots or rotation. max effort. 5th Set: way too slow Cube Method: rotate main lift with different tresholds. difficult to keep track off. D-TIER smolov: huge stress on body, mediocre gains. Enhanced lifters. Bulgarian: used by olympic lifting team, huge stress nsuns: 5/3/1 variation. high reps. Lineair progression. Not long term sustainable
The Bulgarian criticism hit me close to home I ran it for 6 weeks when I was 20 and put 50lbs on my squat but…then I fucked up my back so bad I had to take 6 months off of all squats and deadlifts.
@@AlexeyLindenwald I put 60 lb on my bench after extending smolov Jr a week and jumping 15lbs a week. I had literally 0 joint pain. I came back to the gym after 10 years completely off and by following this program I brought myself from 270 bench on day one to 330 in just over a month.(from a completely sedentary lifestyle.) It's fucking magic if you maximize recovery between sessions. (Gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 8 hours of sleep, a modest calorie surplus, etc.) I've actually already started my second round of smolov Jr after taking off 4 days from the round I just mentioned. I'm hoping to get to around 350-360 this time. I'll update If my body starts falling apart but right now I feel incredible other than some very mild wrist pain from not having wrist wraps.
5/3/1 is my personal favorite. It can be run very long term. The “5/3/1 Forever” book gives a lot of great examples on how to cycle your intensity and volume throughout the year. I love consistent, predictable progress.
My problem has always been overdoing the assistance work. I need programs where I can go all out every session, but split in a way that allows proper recovery.
@@CigEconomy lol well yeah Rippetoe is literally a charlatan though. He thinks low bar squats would make USA a successful weightlifting nation, and that the trap bar is worthless for building strength.
Beginner lifter (think I'm past novice but weights aren't intermediate) who just discovered your channel. Absolutely awesome stuff. Well-rounded strength content, both educational and clinical. Running 531 and consistently hitting goals so will stick with that for now, but certainly will refer back here for where to go next.
I would put conjugate a little bit higher for one reason. While I don't necessarily think it's the best option for raw natural power lifters I do think it has a lot of carry over to sports especially Combat Sports. Outside of wrestling combat sports don't follow an off and on season so block periodization doesn't really make sense. Furthermore, conjugate actually allows you to control the intensity/ volume by thinking of each method as a module. I can adjust the number number of accessories and I can adjust the intensity of Max effort by working my way up to a Max triple or a Max 5 instead of a Max single. Also speed work is always sub maximal, so I do a greater focus on the dynamic effort method which has really helped me with explosion and scrambling in BJJ and kickboxing. Normal linear models and wave models build up too much fatigue that I can't actually carry over the strength into the practice room. Conjugate allowed me very easily to work out really hard while still managing my fatigue really well. The high amount of variation also allowed me to work around injuries or body mechanical issues that I might have from being beat up in Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing.
Considering a lot of the people who lifted at westside are adamant that their conjugate programs aren't westside, there's definitely a distinction that wasn't made in the video. Effective cnjugate for natural and raw lifters is completely different looking than those on gear in a squat suit
@@gabrieljohnson2645 yes my general attitude is that. Conjugate simply refers to concurrent programming that utilizes the three methods. While Westside means that you train at Westside with the Westside team for the goals specific to the Westside powerlifting team. Conjugate even Louie Simmons style of conjugate is supposed to be customized for individuals. Louie Simmons talked about how when he trained Fighters or football players he did not train them like his powerlifters. He used the same principles but adapted it for their needs
Hey dude would you mind helping me with programming conjugate for bjj? I’m a competitive brown belt - been running a novice program and want something more suitable for an athlete!
@@HenchPig there is actually 3 guys to look at who are actually real coaches who use conjugate for fighters let me find their names and I will get them to you.
One of The best videos of you! I've been running 531 for the second time now and its working well. Unfortenately the books are quite unstructured and confusing
What are you confused about? I have a couple of the 5/3/1 books and they make sense to me so maybe I can help? I do agree with you that some of the information is not presented very well.
@@Pikachuwhichissurprised the presentation is the Problem. It took some time to understand how to run the system. whats still not clear to me is how long you run a Leader cycle. Is it 3 weeks and then do another 3 weeks Leader followed by a 3 week anchor? thanks for the offer,mate!
@@d0nnerhall932 I'm pretty sure it depends on the specific cycles you choose as some last longer than others. For example, First Set Last, which can be a leader or an anchor, is run for three weeks whereas the 1000% Awesome anchor is run for just one week. After that you deload. Tbh 5/3/1 Forever is a mess and I really don't recommend following any of Wendler's specific programming advice. Just my two cents though.
Nailed the burnout caused by Sheiko. I used it for about a year building up to a meet. I did my meet and then about two more workouts and I was just so burnt out on the big 3 that working out has never been the same. I did hit my life goal of having a 1500+ total In competition and so I’m happy about that but the burn out is real.
Same happened to me after running Sheiko for about 8 months. Brought my squat up and skyrocketed my deadlift but after that the big 3 just wasn’t fun anymore. Switched to conjugate training and imo it’s more fun and my strength in the big 3 is increasing as well.
@@laughingtothebanklikehahah3618 exactly. I think I learned more from that training cycle than any other but the monotony is literal torture to yourself after awhile lol
I think 5/3/1 as it's written is an A tier but I think if you are someone astute to your weaknesses and know how to regulate things on your own it can be modified to suit more advanced lifters. I tend to run 5/3/1 then instead of a + set do a 5x5 with the lowest working weight before accessories. I find this more sustainable than doing too many AMRAPs as programmed or suggested but still a good amount of extra stimulus. Ive also taken some things Jim has said in interviews or blogs that he would have changed somewhat if he were to rewrite them. But again keeping the core program sort of the same and peppering In changes as time goes on seems sustainable and adaptable from beginner through intermediates. Not the best if your just running it as it's written and stopping there.
Looking forward to part 2. Programs that I would like to hear your opinion on are Westside for skinny bastards versions and Brian Alsruhes program methods
531 is a great program to do after your noob phase is over. It's designed for long-term slow progress, which is perfect if you're not a strength athlete. Also the hundreds of variations might be unnecessary if you're new, it does feel better to pick a variation that is designed for your own goals.
Just started 5/3/1 today... Looking forward to seeing how it goes, just turned 50, and do not work a desk job. I'm not looking to add pr's in a hurry, I like the slow progression, thinking it'll help my old body recover better. LOL.
It's the long-term focus it has which I really like. A lot of programs go too hard too fast, which increases the risk of injury, burnout or force a reset. I think 531 is much better for older or casual lifters. Slow and steady wins the race eventually!
Starting Strength made to a 405 deadlifter and 390 squater from a untrained person in 5 month, and I was not even training consistantly for that time frame.
starting strength is how I started with the novice linear progression and then switched to a 4 day upper lower split. I'm currently doing a strongman program but will likely go back to a 4 day upper/lower heavy/light split for off season work since it worked so well in the past.
Excited for a part II, cant leave out Calgary Barbell, Bryce Lewis(TSA), Greg Nuckols 28 programs, PHAT, PHUL, my favorite Steve Denovi (PR's Performance) intermediate program and etc. Edit: Candito 7 weeks program is coming out soon btw
I would be intetessted to know what he thinks of canditos advanced squat/deadliftprograms. The squat one seems to be of similar brutality as smolov from just looking at it.
So many people crap on SS - It is nice to see a positive review in context for what SS is good at. This is the program that got me started and I still reference as a guide, as I am an older guy and still consider myself a beginner.
People like to rag on SS because it's actually just not a great programmer outside of very early beginners. Even for beginners it's not really "optimal" but that can be hand-waved away because beginners get results from anything, so the difference between a beginner on a more optimized program compared to SS won't be as noticeable. The good part is that it's so simple you really can't screw it up so it's very sustainable and easy for new gym-goers which is just important if not more than any "optimal" training at that skill/strength level.
Working the Juggernaut program now. Agree with your assessment. Has helped me to understand the strength training cycle from base building with volume to peaking with high intensity. Really like it!
SS ran properly (adding chins and cleans or Pendlay's) is my favorite way to introduce anyone to weight training. SOOO much bang for the buck and adding 15-lbs/wk to your squats and pulls is very rewarding. Every training day on SS is a 5-rep PR day, which, imo, helps keep the lifter focused on nutrition and REST. On SS, you can't keep up if you're not eating or resting enough and you learn those lessons in a real-time, observable, sink-or-swim, type of way.
I had great success with a similar program (SL 5x5), but I didn't have a clue how to think for myself or make logical training decisions afterwards. I tried Texas Method, 5/3/1 and Juggeenaut, and lost strength on all of them. I was so used to high volume/frequency/intensity squats that I had no idea how to progress any other way. This isn't a dig at 3x5/5x5, just my experience.
@@jackmcmahon2324 did you read practical programming? Like actually read it? The first time I made the switch to the Texas method I made a few mistakes, but I went back and read it properly and progress has been good since then. I also did Paul Hoorns version cos I didn’t want to do Olympic lifts. It also depends how strong you got from SL. Like Texas method and 531 are for intermediate level strength. What were your lifts at after SL?
What about the Doug Hepburn method? (The "method" was simply adding either a rep or a set to your workout each time you train a lift, when you eventually hit the prescribed number of sets/reps, up the weight and take the number of sets back down and start working up again.) There were four main programs he advocated: Program "A" (early) Take a weight you can do for 8 reps but not 9 (read: ~80% 1rm, Doug never actually used percentages) and perform 8x2 reps, then take 80% of that weight (~65% 1rm) and do 3x6. At the next workout add a rep to the first set of each, so 1x3 and then 7x2 for the heavy weight and then 1x7 and 2x6 for the "pump" work. The actual weights should stay the same, only the number of reps increases. So for example on a 2-day a week schedule you would start on Tuesday with 8x2 with 80% and 3x6 with 65%, on Thursday with 1x3 and 7x2 followed by 1x7 and 2x6. Next Tuesday you would do 2x3 and 6x2 at 80% and 2x7 and 1x6 at 65%, and so on until you hit 8x3 at 80% and 3x8 at 65%. At this point you add 10 lbs to the heavy sets and 5 lbs to the light sets and start back over at 8x2 and 3x6. Doug reckoned the average lifter would be able to go for 4 months before getting stale, at which point they would switch to program "B." Program "B" (early) Program B was more about strength. For this routine you would take your 3RM (~90% max) weight and do 5 singles, then for the volume work take your 80% 1RM (i.e, the heavy weight from program A) and do 6x3. For the next workout you would add a single at 90% and a rep to your sets at 80%, so on a 2-day schedule this would be: Tuesday 5x1 at 90%, 6x3 at 80%, Thursday 6x1 at 90%, 1x4, 5x3 at 80%. Next week - Tuesday 7x1 at 90%, 2x4 and 4x3 at 80%. After you've built up to 8x1 on the heavy singles, add 5 lbs and go back to 5x1. Once the 80% sets get up to 6x5, add 5 lbs and go back to 6x3. For obvious reasons, this routine is way more taxing than program "A." Later on Doug had a bit of a change of heart on the amount of volume he was recommending and thought that much work would kill a normal lifter. His revised programs that he started pushing (made famous by "Twiceborn") basically dropped the light rep work altogether. Program "A" (new) Take your ~80% 1RM and do 4x3. With each successive workout, add a triple until you get to 10x3, then add 5-10 lbs (depending on if you're talking about a heavy compound or accessory movement) and work back up from 4x3. At 2 workouts per week, this is a 10 lbs per month increase. Program "B" (new) Take your 3RM (~90%) and do 4x1, adding a single each workout in the same way you did on the old version of "B" until you get to 10x1, then add 5-10 lbs and start back up from 4x1. In my opinion, the advantage of this new style of program is that you can still gain a lot of strength for a relatively short time investment; heavy singles and triples get you used to handling those kinds of weights more often than other programs, and the low number of sets let you add in a lot of accessory, base building work on the side. The downside of course is that it's really boring and monotonous (speaking from personal experience.) In his semi-autobiography ("Strongman" - Tom Thurston), Doug recommends the following training splits based on time availability: 2 days per week: Tuesday - bench, squat, deadlift Thursday - bench, squat, deadlift 3 days per week: Monday - bench, squat, deadlift Wednesday - overhead press, squat, high pull Friday - bench, squat, deadlift 4 days per week: Monday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl Tuesday - squat, hamstring curl on machine, calf raise Thursday - bench, high pull, bicep curl Friday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise 6 days per week Monday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl Tuesday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise Wednesday - overhead press, high pull, curl Thursday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise Friday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl Saturday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise. All lifts would progress on one or another set/rep scheme mentioned above.
I have used his a program for squat and bench and b program for deadlift simply because i can handle very little volume on deadlift, if i do deadlift for even a moderate volume i can only do it for a very short time before i feel run over by a big ass truck and it affect my other lifts and progression stall or goes down, but for me he's programs is gold
I honestly recommend any beginner to read the Starting Strength and Practical Programing. Even if you don’t do Rips program. Him and Andy Baker will teach you the basics of programming and what variables actually need to change as you advance.
Candito is great for peaking, i had most of my gains on Squat and DL's from it. Bench tho, i had waaaaay more luck with the 3xWeek Bench from GNT Program. That hits really good, and i'm feeling stronger than ever, without a proper peak. It's simply great.
my exact experience, did candito with the 3x intermediate bench program from greg nuckols and added more than 100lbs on my total in 3 months, but after that i found myself working ridiculously hard for tiny pr's its a peaking program after all
Absolutely agree on the Candito 6 week program. I've run it 3x in a row in 2021 and made substantial strength gains every 6 weeks and learned a lot about how my body dealt with volume swings and peaking. It left me beat up after every run tho, it takes a toll.
I ran the Juggernaut program and it was nasty! Added 90lbs to my total in 9-10 weeks. Definitely recommend it. I'm running Kong now and boy those high rep sets are killer. Thank you for putting out such great content!
Finished video answered my own question. Yea I downloaded his pdf beginning of last year. I remember seeing that program. He has programs on football and strongmen and stuff too. I’ll have to find again
*Westside puts out 70 800-pound squatters, 19 1000-pound squatters, 6 1100-pound squatters, and 2 1200-pound squatters by 2016* “A tad overrated, they just showed up a lot”
Now I am very biased (if you look at my videos, you'll see why), but your critique of Westside is a little lacking. While it is true that sports specificity (in terms of full ROM SBD lifts) is low (and that is still not entirely true), condensing conjugate down to "maxing out every week" takes away a great deal from what conjugate actually is. I will definitely say that conjugate isn't something for a beginner or maybe even intermediate, but instead of thinking of it as a "maxing out every workout" type of system, it should instead be critiqued by its complexity and approachability. Louie (rest in peace) did construct the program as a longevity-type system (inspired by the Soviets' multi-year weightlifting plans). As for the drugs, I can only speak for myself, I am 100% clean (I am also on the internet so it's up to you whether you believe me or not) and I have done conjugate myself and I definitely liked it a ton. But that is of course, my opinion, which I have established is biased, and your tier list is naturally your opinion. I just wanted to shed some additional light on it!
Westside = conjugate or concurrent training There's ALOT more to conjugate than was explained but I will agree, it's not for the lifter that wants to read through all the literature just to grasp the system. I will say though, I found conjugate great with the athletes that I work with. Especially the autoregulatory nature of concurrent training.
So happy to see someone mention candito 6 week strength. I absolutely never hear about it anymore , but my lord it fucking blew up my squat and deadlift.
Interesting and fun watch. As someone that competed for 20 years, has tried every program and achieved an Elite total in two weight classes, I have to respectfully disagree on putting Sheiko in the B tier. I understand it's "boring", but if you want to increase your total, it truly belongs higher. Sheiko, through his various programs which all are structured similarly - managed to produce more world champions than all of those other programs combined. With all due respect, if you want to drop him to B, you need more than "it's boring" and "you train with sub-maximal weights a lot". There are plenty of 85% and 90% days where you can extrapolate your max via RPE which tends to be highly accurate when you're using @8 and @9 RPE. RTS makes use of this method. RTS and Sheiko were by far the most effective methodologies I used. Cheers mate!
Its not just about it being boring, its about how appropriate it is for the average trainee. It also doesn't have a clear split or pattern of progression. Its extremely complex and requires calculation of a lot of variables that the average lifter would lose track of. I believe its extremely effective but I would expect a majority of lifters who run their own programming to run into trouble, if they finish it at all.
@@AlexanderBromley Understandable point, for your average lifter, it probably would be a bit daunting. Whereas for someone that is experienced and places a high priority on competition, it is a solid option. I see your point from the view of your average gym goer. Cheers!
I would love to see another video like this about hypertrophy programs. I know that's not this channel's main purpose, but it would be great to hear your point of view from a programming perspective. Also, a strongman program tier list would be awesome, though I only know of a handful.
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of 5/3/1. If you actually read the books (give Forever a read) you'll see there's so much more to it instead of just the base lifts. There's tons of supplemental lift templates to go though (second set last, BBB, 1000% Awesome etc)
Laughing, in a good way, at how much respect you give Candito. I totally found everything you said with that programme. It's really good and straightforward.
Not sure if you actually know, but since you asked about what happened to Brandon Lilly - he had a devastating injury back in 2014 that he was never really able to come back from. This was an update from Juggernaut Training post-surgery: During 5 and a half hours of surgery on Monday he had the following repaired in both legs: torn quad tendon, torn patella tendon, torn MCL, torn meniscus, also in his left leg he suffered a torn ACL, torn hamstring tendon and broken patella.
I'm still classed as an amature Powerlifter and stuff like Stronglifts, 5/3/1, Starting Strength works really well for me. Why? Well it's a really simple program to follow and it doesn't burn my CNS system out and doesn't take a genius to follow those programs. Stuff like German volume training or those made for advanced lifters or high volume just tends to burn my CNS and mental fatigue halfway through the program as it's just too much for me. But stuff like I mentioned earlier works well for me due to not having to go high or near you max lifts all the time and it's just enough reps every session to a point where I'm improving my technique and form and not having DOMs past day 2 so I can get onto my next session very easily without being sore.
Amazing video bro, great summary of the programs. But Smolov (jr) has to be B-tier, if you're doing everything correctly; mobility, kcal surplus, sleep and not giving into temptation of too much or any pump stuff, if will yield you great success.
I do something similar to both Shieko and Candito. Yes, it gets slightly monotonous at times, but it definitely works for me. Started it in September, and saw progress I did not expect to see that year by the end of 2022.
Running starting strength now. I could see how someone would hate the lack of variety, but I was wanting a thinkless way to train and this fits the bill.
People want complexity, because complexity makes them feel smart and gives them the sense that they're "doing something". But novice lifters don't need to do anything other than complete the 5th rep and then add 5 lbs the next workout.
I found I didn't really care too much because I was adding weight to the bar most workouts anyway so the idea of changing to a different exercise and missing the opportunity to increase the weight seemed stupid.
I enjoyed Sheiko, it helped me push my limits and my work capacity skyrocketed. Sadly it didn't translate to my 1rm very much. I'm a 5/3/1 man at heart though, old reliable.
I guess I’m one of those few people who can handle smolov without pain and while natty. I train for strength very infrequently and have utilized it for squat and bench over the years just as a way to smash passed a plateau. I love it.
@@TensaiHARDSTYLE just finished jacked and tan 2.0 and I liked that one better because it was way more challenging, but some of the workouts take like two hours so be prepared for that!
Great Video! Please do a part 2 with more programs! I would be very interested in how you'd rank the stronger by science (old average to savage) programs by Greg Nuckols. Me personally would rank them S or at least A.
I like Mike Bartos’ programming. Most view his programming as an adapted westside/conjugate style for strongman but what I think he did very well was give more precise thought and better structure to the cube method.
I’ve used GZCL template and a specifically his dealift waves and it took my conventional from 170kg to 250kg through 3 12week runs. It’s also got me more jacked for sure
@@adr3510 I would say I was late novice when I first ran it and in 12 weeks went from 170kg to 205kg, then the second time 205kg (sumo) to 220kg (conventional) third time 220kg to 250kg. Just make sure you’re eating right and in a surplus and don’t skip accessories
@@linghamskatepark11 im running kong right now as its good for weaknesses and working capacity and good as a base builder for where im at rn. After that im looking for a more specified program, ive seen alot of moxed reviews of other programs but gzcl seems to have the most homogenous reviews being that its good for intermediate strength building
Do you think some people are better suited to training with some methods? I'm autistic and love doing similar things over and over again, as long as the thing interests me. This is why Sheiko appeals to me. I love thinking about minor technical improvements between sets and doing these movements year round. I also heard Simmons talk about training introverts vs extroverts, and how he thinks introverts can do well with fewer exercises.
I absolutely think individuals may have traits that predispose them to certain training. Hard thing for me to recommend though because usually people are really bad at determining when they need to suck it up and learn something hard as opposed to just using "I'm just built that way" as a cop out. If your situation predisposes you to enjoying something that is productive that people typically loathe, that's like a super power!
Yup, some folks have no problem _at all_ with strength programmes that others consider monotonous. And actually dislike those bodybuilding type routines where you switch things up all the time.
I run Sheiko and volume (bench cycle) is brutal but effective. The upside is no wasted lifts ( no shoulder work) so my shoulders felt great and bench max did go up. Key on this program is to not miss lifts and test max after 4 weeks and readjust the numbers. Don't let ya ego get in the way nothing wrong with ya max being less than you thought. Replug and go yes its boring but training can be sometimes
Currently following GZCL‘s General Gainz framework. Reminds quite a bit of Bullmastiff just with some of the component knobs turned and switches flipped
In my mid twenties i befriended a kinesiology gradute student. I was 185 lbs and had never dead lifted before, i was strictly body building. My friend suggested i try the sheiko prep program. I was natural and only lifting in a belt. After 10 months of completing a couple rounds of the program i was deadlifting 500lbs at a 200lb body weight. This is nothing special but increased my strength immensely. The program is monotonous and requires focus. I have not experienced that level of strength gain since.
I've ran J&T 2.0 and BullMastiff. I have not run GCZL. I believe BullMastiff is superior for hypertrophy. Extremely high volume. I am not against running it again. In fact, after two J&T2 cycles I am thinking about giving it another go. I liked J&T2 because you learn the value of taking things easy and seeing more gains than the "harder than last time" trope that had me spinning my wheels for 20 years. Sorry, my man, but Kong didn't interest me. I have no desire to do endless squats or deadlifts. Obviously, just my personal opinion. Love your content, and I know you have way more knowledge, skill and strength than me.
this is one of my favorite videos of yours. however, i wish you'd cover more programs (like a lot of the programs i've done, you don't even mention here, even though they are very popular, like doggcrapp training). so yes, i vote for a part 2, there's a lot more programs to cover. other ones i ran that you didn't mention are: the beginner program of 'aworkoutroutine', alphadestiny's naturally enhanced, dan john's easy strength, dan john's mass made simple, and convict conditioning.
Saying that "starting strength" isn't great for people that aren't novices is actually kind of trivial, or self evident or something. What people mean when they say "starting strength" is actually the novice progression in Rippetoes books. It is by definition only appropriate for novices and no one else. The Texas method is by definition an intermediate program that you would do after a basic novice progression. No one is saying to use the novice progression if you aren't a novice.
I’m so glad nsuns ended up at the bottom. As a brand new lifter 6 years ago I took to Reddit to see what program people recommended running after 6 months, and unanimously the answer was nsuns. I tried really hard to run it. But goddamn did it just give me the worst tendinitis I’ve ever experienced in my life. My body was not built for that much volume and intensity. I left every workout feeling destroyed. It felt like I was the only one with any criticism of it though, as it was still being worshipped as the holy grail of training on /r/fitness for the next few years. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I saw any real negative speak about it.
"whatever happened to Brandon Lily?" he had major career ending injuries, dropped a crap ton of unnecessary bodyweight, and now does BJJj/trains more general fitness and strength/has a pretty great lifestyle podcast.
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Loved the list, but I was wondering, where on the list would you put PHUL at? I've been toying with idea of running it, wanted to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
@@GohaN4466PHUL is a fantastic introduction program as it gets you into a variety of rep ranges and different exercises, with a good novice progression scheme
@@Issvor I' ve been running a modified 5/3/1 for a VERY long time (modified for 6 days), and I wanted to switch things up with a 4 day split (for both variety and a tighter schedule these days) and was looking at PHUL. Would it be a decent program for someone who's coming off of 5/3/1?
I would put conjugate a little bit higher for one reason. While I don't necessarily think it's the best option for raw natural power lifters I do think it has a lot of carry over to sports especially Combat Sports. Outside of wrestling combat sports don't follow an off and on season so block periodization doesn't really make sense.
Furthermore, conjugate actually allows you to control the intensity/ volume by thinking of each method as a module. I can adjust the number number of accessories and I can adjust the intensity of Max effort by working my way up to a Max triple or a Max 5 instead of a Max single. Also speed work is always sub maximal, so I do a greater focus on the dynamic effort method which has really helped me with explosion and scrambling in BJJ and kickboxing.
Normal linear models and wave models build up too much fatigue that I can't actually carry over the strength into the practice room. Conjugate allowed me very easily to work out really hard while still managing my fatigue really well.
The high amount of variation also allowed me to work around injuries or body mechanical issues that I might have from being beat up in Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing.
Can you rate Athlean X
“Novice and intermediate lifters, if anything, need to learn restraint to make their training sustainable” is an S tier quote.
I've been saying this for years. I'm glad someone else is finally saying it.
Yeah, I see the hard work mantra be repeated so much and while it's true that you need to work hard for your strength training goals, you can do too much and that will often be the case when you are obsessed. I definitely did this and buried my recovery to the ground more than a few times
@@TheFelipe10848 Agreed. and not just recovery for the next workout but very easy to pick up nicks and pains and small injuries/hurts over time by doing too much repeatedly, even if you are recovered enough to go train.
Unfortunately it’s in the context of neglecting an entire half of the method he was referencing that works at 50% of 1rm lol
Dunno why everyone sees Westside as “max out every session” - either they’re completely uneducated in the system or just ignorant
Intermediate I think is especially true with that. Some novices need to learn to drive harder if they’re scared of approaching legit failure but intermediates can become delusional of how hard their lifts were with their ego as they’re getting stronger
All of this is literally just my experience though so maybe this isn’t accurate for others
Bulgarian is S tier if you want to speedrun the hospital
PR or ER
Wtf Bro 😂 I threw out food that I was chewing 😂😂😂 best comment
its not bro. at least not for beginners, your 95 lb bench max is not going to send you to the hospital, not even if you do it every day
This comment is really annoying dude. Stop saying dumb shit. Everything I see you say is dumb. You piss me off.
@@simdog1502 There are folks that can't put up a 45 lb barbell or even do a pushup. 95 lbs coming at your neck or chest is not ideal. Beginners have shit technique and *bells slip. lol
S-TIER
Candito 6 Week: talented lifter. very good
GZCL: all around. easy. average lifter. accessory work.
A-TIER
Bullmastiff: less educational, help with weak areas
531: one of the most popular. 3 week waves. not strong very fast. novice and intermediate.
Starting Strength: for beginners. outgrow as fast as possible. predictable
Greyskull LP: competitor of starting strength. mrap sets. not for stronger lifters.
Texas Method: practical programming, 5 pound jump once a week
Juggernaut Method: more volume, high reps. not strength specific. wave structure.
B-TIER
Sheiko: broad style of training. inspired nsuns. lots of sets. very effective but boring
Kong: high rep compound, build up volume, pyramid and reverse pyramids. more size than strength
Supersquats: hard. only for novice and intermediate. whole body workout. not dedicated strength program.
C-TIER
Bulgarian lite: not that productive
Westside Conjugate: lots or rotation. max effort.
5th Set: way too slow
Cube Method: rotate main lift with different tresholds. difficult to keep track off.
D-TIER
smolov: huge stress on body, mediocre gains. Enhanced lifters.
Bulgarian: used by olympic lifting team, huge stress
nsuns: 5/3/1 variation. high reps. Lineair progression. Not long term sustainable
Westside and Conjugate are not the same thing though.
I doubt Alex is going to put Conjugate into C-tier.
thank you mate
@@joethesheep4675 where do i put it
Thx bro
Thank you man
S-tier program + D-tier discipline to balance things out
The Bulgarian criticism hit me close to home I ran it for 6 weeks when I was 20 and put 50lbs on my squat but…then I fucked up my back so bad I had to take 6 months off of all squats and deadlifts.
And so the cycle continues 😂
@@zackhurwitz9441fortunately my Bulgarian days are behind me.
@@jaxonkarnoski8270 КАКВО?!
If you did reverse hypers and sled drags your back would’ve been fine and you would probably be an 800 lb deadlifter
@@laughingtothebanklikehahah3618 thats what all the westside fanboys say at least lmao
Smolov in D tier I'm downvoting and suing. You will hear from my lawyers.
20kg boost in a 3week span with crazy shoulder pain... I think it was worth it tho 😂
@@AlexeyLindenwald 15 kg bench gains but made me take a break from BB bench in over a year 🤣
😂
Smolov is an overtraining program. It fails in longevity. It is also skewed by steroid use of the bulgarian and russia oly eras
@@AlexeyLindenwald
I put 60 lb on my bench after extending smolov Jr a week and jumping 15lbs a week. I had literally 0 joint pain.
I came back to the gym after 10 years completely off and by following this program I brought myself from 270 bench on day one to 330 in just over a month.(from a completely sedentary lifestyle.)
It's fucking magic if you maximize recovery between sessions. (Gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 8 hours of sleep, a modest calorie surplus, etc.)
I've actually already started my second round of smolov Jr after taking off 4 days from the round I just mentioned. I'm hoping to get to around 350-360 this time.
I'll update If my body starts falling apart but right now I feel incredible other than some very mild wrist pain from not having wrist wraps.
5/3/1 is my personal favorite. It can be run very long term. The “5/3/1 Forever” book gives a lot of great examples on how to cycle your intensity and volume throughout the year. I love consistent, predictable progress.
My problem has always been overdoing the assistance work. I need programs where I can go all out every session, but split in a way that allows proper recovery.
@@Pete0621 5/3/1, cube, or juggernaut and use triumvate accessories.
@@robertbatista7164 I was referring to 5/3/1 being where I overdo my accessories.
@@Pete0621 Did you try 5/3/1 Boring But Big?
@@Pete0621 I also have the same urge during my workouts. I like to go to and past failure for partial reps really squeezing targeted muscles.
That's dope that nSuns himself reached out, I haven't heard from him in years, so I'm glad to hear that he's still a good guy
AFIK he's still very active in /r/weightroom (he changes his username a lot so hard to keep track lol)
@@John-fh2mg he's the illustrious dadliftsnruns:)
@@ericy1 the guy who’s now doing a lot of ultra marathons was the inventors of nsunz? Interesting
@@Geologist997 he got addicted to that runners high
@@Geologist997guy just loves volume
I learned a lot from practical programming. If you read the latter chapters, there are even high rep bodybuilding options in the small print.
Shout out Andy baker his take on raw conjugate is great too
@@drinkinouttacups2665and for his take on the 4 day Texas method.
@@corymiller8270and for his heavy light medium takes.
Baker is a beast of a coach
Practical programming is top tier. It only gets hate because Mark routinely upsets all the Jeff Nippard type poindexters with his controversial takes.
@@CigEconomy lol well yeah Rippetoe is literally a charlatan though. He thinks low bar squats would make USA a successful weightlifting nation, and that the trap bar is worthless for building strength.
Thanks for the recommendation bro! We are of similar mindsets regarding how to train.
Beginner lifter (think I'm past novice but weights aren't intermediate) who just discovered your channel. Absolutely awesome stuff. Well-rounded strength content, both educational and clinical. Running 531 and consistently hitting goals so will stick with that for now, but certainly will refer back here for where to go next.
Get the beef, brother
Part II would be nice 💪. This was great 🥳
If Smolov isn't S tier expect a response video good sir!
edit: OK lol fair enough
Haha this video is chemically engineered response-bait.
@@AlexanderBromley So you admit your tierlist being carbage just for the sake of stirring some controversy and getting maybe a view or two?
@@leevikamarainen1493 are you ok dude?
I would put conjugate a little bit higher for one reason. While I don't necessarily think it's the best option for raw natural power lifters I do think it has a lot of carry over to sports especially Combat Sports. Outside of wrestling combat sports don't follow an off and on season so block periodization doesn't really make sense.
Furthermore, conjugate actually allows you to control the intensity/ volume by thinking of each method as a module. I can adjust the number number of accessories and I can adjust the intensity of Max effort by working my way up to a Max triple or a Max 5 instead of a Max single. Also speed work is always sub maximal, so I do a greater focus on the dynamic effort method which has really helped me with explosion and scrambling in BJJ and kickboxing.
Normal linear models and wave models build up too much fatigue that I can't actually carry over the strength into the practice room. Conjugate allowed me very easily to work out really hard while still managing my fatigue really well.
The high amount of variation also allowed me to work around injuries or body mechanical issues that I might have from being beat up in Jiu Jitsu or kickboxing.
Considering a lot of the people who lifted at westside are adamant that their conjugate programs aren't westside, there's definitely a distinction that wasn't made in the video. Effective cnjugate for natural and raw lifters is completely different looking than those on gear in a squat suit
@@gabrieljohnson2645 yes my general attitude is that. Conjugate simply refers to concurrent programming that utilizes the three methods. While Westside means that you train at Westside with the Westside team for the goals specific to the Westside powerlifting team.
Conjugate even Louie Simmons style of conjugate is supposed to be customized for individuals. Louie Simmons talked about how when he trained Fighters or football players he did not train them like his powerlifters. He used the same principles but adapted it for their needs
Step 1 of successful conjugate method: recruit competitive powerlifters
Hey dude would you mind helping me with programming conjugate for bjj?
I’m a competitive brown belt - been running a novice program and want something more suitable for an athlete!
@@HenchPig there is actually 3 guys to look at who are actually real coaches who use conjugate for fighters let me find their names and I will get them to you.
One of The best videos of you! I've been running 531 for the second time now and its working well. Unfortenately the books are quite unstructured and confusing
Wendler needs to hire an editor.
@@dancairns318 absolutely!
What are you confused about? I have a couple of the 5/3/1 books and they make sense to me so maybe I can help?
I do agree with you that some of the information is not presented very well.
@@Pikachuwhichissurprised the presentation is the Problem. It took some time to understand how to run the system. whats still not clear to me is how long you run a Leader cycle. Is it 3 weeks and then do another 3 weeks Leader followed by a 3 week anchor? thanks for the offer,mate!
@@d0nnerhall932 I'm pretty sure it depends on the specific cycles you choose as some last longer than others. For example, First Set Last, which can be a leader or an anchor, is run for three weeks whereas the 1000% Awesome anchor is run for just one week. After that you deload.
Tbh 5/3/1 Forever is a mess and I really don't recommend following any of Wendler's specific programming advice. Just my two cents though.
Nailed the burnout caused by Sheiko. I used it for about a year building up to a meet. I did my meet and then about two more workouts and I was just so burnt out on the big 3 that working out has never been the same. I did hit my life goal of having a 1500+ total In competition and so I’m happy about that but the burn out is real.
Are you enhanced athlete?
Same happened to me after running Sheiko for about 8 months. Brought my squat up and skyrocketed my deadlift but after that the big 3 just wasn’t fun anymore. Switched to conjugate training and imo it’s more fun and my strength in the big 3 is increasing as well.
@@laughingtothebanklikehahah3618 exactly. I think I learned more from that training cycle than any other but the monotony is literal torture to yourself after awhile lol
@@laughingtothebanklikehahah3618 based
@@_JamesHowlett_ Is this the fancy way of saying that someone is on juice?
I think 5/3/1 as it's written is an A tier but I think if you are someone astute to your weaknesses and know how to regulate things on your own it can be modified to suit more advanced lifters. I tend to run 5/3/1 then instead of a + set do a 5x5 with the lowest working weight before accessories. I find this more sustainable than doing too many AMRAPs as programmed or suggested but still a good amount of extra stimulus. Ive also taken some things Jim has said in interviews or blogs that he would have changed somewhat if he were to rewrite them. But again keeping the core program sort of the same and peppering In changes as time goes on seems sustainable and adaptable from beginner through intermediates. Not the best if your just running it as it's written and stopping there.
this is exactly what I do.
3/5/1 + 5x5 FSL
Looking forward to part 2. Programs that I would like to hear your opinion on are Westside for skinny bastards versions and Brian Alsruhes program methods
531 is a great program to do after your noob phase is over. It's designed for long-term slow progress, which is perfect if you're not a strength athlete. Also the hundreds of variations might be unnecessary if you're new, it does feel better to pick a variation that is designed for your own goals.
Just started 5/3/1 today... Looking forward to seeing how it goes, just turned 50, and do not work a desk job.
I'm not looking to add pr's in a hurry, I like the slow progression, thinking it'll help my old body recover better. LOL.
It's the long-term focus it has which I really like. A lot of programs go too hard too fast, which increases the risk of injury, burnout or force a reset. I think 531 is much better for older or casual lifters. Slow and steady wins the race eventually!
Starting Strength made to a 405 deadlifter and 390 squater from a untrained person in 5 month, and I was not even training consistantly for that time frame.
You are an outlier. Vast majority of people aren’t making anywhere near those gains in that timeframe.
starting strength is how I started with the novice linear progression and then switched to a 4 day upper lower split. I'm currently doing a strongman program but will likely go back to a 4 day upper/lower heavy/light split for off season work since it worked so well in the past.
Do you remember how long you ran each phase of starting strength for?
Excited for a part II, cant leave out Calgary Barbell, Bryce Lewis(TSA), Greg Nuckols 28 programs, PHAT, PHUL, my favorite Steve Denovi (PR's Performance) intermediate program and etc.
Edit: Candito 7 weeks program is coming out soon btw
"soon".... LOL
I would be intetessted to know what he thinks of canditos advanced squat/deadliftprograms. The squat one seems to be of similar brutality as smolov from just looking at it.
When did he say soon? Last year?
"soon" ? ?
@@2.0.1.0. UA-cam keeps deleting my reply for some reason, its on his Instagram
So many people crap on SS - It is nice to see a positive review in context for what SS is good at. This is the program that got me started and I still reference as a guide, as I am an older guy and still consider myself a beginner.
People like to rag on SS because it's actually just not a great programmer outside of very early beginners. Even for beginners it's not really "optimal" but that can be hand-waved away because beginners get results from anything, so the difference between a beginner on a more optimized program compared to SS won't be as noticeable. The good part is that it's so simple you really can't screw it up so it's very sustainable and easy for new gym-goers which is just important if not more than any "optimal" training at that skill/strength level.
@@_d0seryou don’t know what your talking about
@@jms0313Tell us what you know then
@@_d0ser Do you know what the term "novice" means?
Working the Juggernaut program now. Agree with your assessment. Has helped me to understand the strength training cycle from base building with volume to peaking with high intensity. Really like it!
Hey. Did you go for powerlifting or powerbuilding program? Whats your final review of it please.
Love how much larger your channel has been recently!
SS ran properly (adding chins and cleans or Pendlay's) is my favorite way to introduce anyone to weight training. SOOO much bang for the buck and adding 15-lbs/wk to your squats and pulls is very rewarding. Every training day on SS is a 5-rep PR day, which, imo, helps keep the lifter focused on nutrition and REST. On SS, you can't keep up if you're not eating or resting enough and you learn those lessons in a real-time, observable, sink-or-swim, type of way.
@Toroidal Zeus if they don’t learn good form they will hurt themselves on any program lol.
@Toroidal Zeus do you even lift bro, seriously xD
I had great success with a similar program (SL 5x5), but I didn't have a clue how to think for myself or make logical training decisions afterwards. I tried Texas Method, 5/3/1 and Juggeenaut, and lost strength on all of them. I was so used to high volume/frequency/intensity squats that I had no idea how to progress any other way.
This isn't a dig at 3x5/5x5, just my experience.
@Toroidal Zeus it’s a serious question dude. Your objection was silly. It’s literally a beginner program for a reason.
@@jackmcmahon2324 did you read practical programming? Like actually read it? The first time I made the switch to the Texas method I made a few mistakes, but I went back and read it properly and progress has been good since then. I also did Paul Hoorns version cos I didn’t want to do Olympic lifts. It also depends how strong you got from SL. Like Texas method and 531 are for intermediate level strength. What were your lifts at after SL?
What about the Doug Hepburn method? (The "method" was simply adding either a rep or a set to your workout each time you train a lift, when you eventually hit the prescribed number of sets/reps, up the weight and take the number of sets back down and start working up again.) There were four main programs he advocated:
Program "A" (early)
Take a weight you can do for 8 reps but not 9 (read: ~80% 1rm, Doug never actually used percentages) and perform 8x2 reps, then take 80% of that weight (~65% 1rm) and do 3x6. At the next workout add a rep to the first set of each, so 1x3 and then 7x2 for the heavy weight and then 1x7 and 2x6 for the "pump" work. The actual weights should stay the same, only the number of reps increases. So for example on a 2-day a week schedule you would start on Tuesday with 8x2 with 80% and 3x6 with 65%, on Thursday with 1x3 and 7x2 followed by 1x7 and 2x6. Next Tuesday you would do 2x3 and 6x2 at 80% and 2x7 and 1x6 at 65%, and so on until you hit 8x3 at 80% and 3x8 at 65%. At this point you add 10 lbs to the heavy sets and 5 lbs to the light sets and start back over at 8x2 and 3x6. Doug reckoned the average lifter would be able to go for 4 months before getting stale, at which point they would switch to program "B."
Program "B" (early)
Program B was more about strength. For this routine you would take your 3RM (~90% max) weight and do 5 singles, then for the volume work take your 80% 1RM (i.e, the heavy weight from program A) and do 6x3. For the next workout you would add a single at 90% and a rep to your sets at 80%, so on a 2-day schedule this would be: Tuesday 5x1 at 90%, 6x3 at 80%, Thursday 6x1 at 90%, 1x4, 5x3 at 80%. Next week - Tuesday 7x1 at 90%, 2x4 and 4x3 at 80%. After you've built up to 8x1 on the heavy singles, add 5 lbs and go back to 5x1. Once the 80% sets get up to 6x5, add 5 lbs and go back to 6x3. For obvious reasons, this routine is way more taxing than program "A."
Later on Doug had a bit of a change of heart on the amount of volume he was recommending and thought that much work would kill a normal lifter. His revised programs that he started pushing (made famous by "Twiceborn") basically dropped the light rep work altogether.
Program "A" (new)
Take your ~80% 1RM and do 4x3. With each successive workout, add a triple until you get to 10x3, then add 5-10 lbs (depending on if you're talking about a heavy compound or accessory movement) and work back up from 4x3. At 2 workouts per week, this is a 10 lbs per month increase.
Program "B" (new)
Take your 3RM (~90%) and do 4x1, adding a single each workout in the same way you did on the old version of "B" until you get to 10x1, then add 5-10 lbs and start back up from 4x1.
In my opinion, the advantage of this new style of program is that you can still gain a lot of strength for a relatively short time investment; heavy singles and triples get you used to handling those kinds of weights more often than other programs, and the low number of sets let you add in a lot of accessory, base building work on the side. The downside of course is that it's really boring and monotonous (speaking from personal experience.)
In his semi-autobiography ("Strongman" - Tom Thurston), Doug recommends the following training splits based on time availability:
2 days per week:
Tuesday - bench, squat, deadlift
Thursday - bench, squat, deadlift
3 days per week:
Monday - bench, squat, deadlift
Wednesday - overhead press, squat, high pull
Friday - bench, squat, deadlift
4 days per week:
Monday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl
Tuesday - squat, hamstring curl on machine, calf raise
Thursday - bench, high pull, bicep curl
Friday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise
6 days per week
Monday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl
Tuesday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise
Wednesday - overhead press, high pull, curl
Thursday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise
Friday - bench, deadlift, bicep curl
Saturday - squat, hamstring curl, calf raise.
All lifts would progress on one or another set/rep scheme mentioned above.
Thanks
I have used his a program for squat and bench and b program for deadlift simply because i can handle very little volume on deadlift, if i do deadlift for even a moderate volume i can only do it for a very short time before i feel run over by a big ass truck and it affect my other lifts and progression stall or goes down, but for me he's programs is gold
This is a great video. I'll be recommending this to anyone who needs help choosing a program.
Looking forward for the part 2, especially the Greg Nuckols 28 programs and the Ivysaur 448 program.
Smolov jr has done wonders for my benchpress. I generelly think I need a high frequent bench approach to get my benchpress biger.
Same here, smashed a bp plateau last year with smolov jr
moved me from 255 to 275 recently
@@nicolasreed21 great to hear mate!
I honestly recommend any beginner to read the Starting Strength and Practical Programing. Even if you don’t do Rips program. Him and Andy Baker will teach you the basics of programming and what variables actually need to change as you advance.
Andy Baker is streets ahead of Rippetoe.
Yeah I still read sections of my SS book occasionally if I have any problems with my form on lifts.
Candito is great for peaking, i had most of my gains on Squat and DL's from it. Bench tho, i had waaaaay more luck with the 3xWeek Bench from GNT Program. That hits really good, and i'm feeling stronger than ever, without a proper peak. It's simply great.
gnt?
GNT?
@@disturbed911 short for Greg Nuckols Training.
@@alexcorbett671 short for Greg Nuckols Training.
my exact experience, did candito with the 3x intermediate bench program from greg nuckols and added more than 100lbs on my total in 3 months, but after that i found myself working ridiculously hard for tiny pr's
its a peaking program after all
Absolutely agree on the Candito 6 week program. I've run it 3x in a row in 2021 and made substantial strength gains every 6 weeks and learned a lot about how my body dealt with volume swings and peaking. It left me beat up after every run tho, it takes a toll.
Flashbacks to week 2
@@Melvin_499 candito week two is definitely a humbling experience
I ran the Juggernaut program and it was nasty! Added 90lbs to my total in 9-10 weeks. Definitely recommend it. I'm running Kong now and boy those high rep sets are killer. Thank you for putting out such great content!
Is that with the waves of 10s, 8s, 5s and 3s? 16 week program maybe
Finished video answered my own question. Yea I downloaded his pdf beginning of last year. I remember seeing that program. He has programs on football and strongmen and stuff too. I’ll have to find again
90lb on yout total of what?
I mean its a big difference if you put 90lb on a total of 800 lb or if you put90lb on a total of 1800 lb.
@@joethesheep4675 Yeah, adding 30lbs to your 600lb squat in 10 weeks is pretty good.
Adding 30lbs to your 135lb squat in 10 weeks is fucking pathetic.
This was great. Do a part 2 and add some barbell medicine programs! I saw great results with their powerbuilding programs.
I'm doing the Beginner template and it's great. I'm on the 12th week (and still going) and i've never been this consistent
@Atif Mansoor Way to go man!
Yeah I agree I switched off ss to their novice program and it was amazing for me I’m stronger and feel a lot less beat up
@@OMAR-vk9pi When was the last time you hit a PR?
@@dafunkmonster last week
*Westside puts out 70 800-pound squatters, 19 1000-pound squatters, 6 1100-pound squatters, and 2 1200-pound squatters by 2016*
“A tad overrated, they just showed up a lot”
Steroids are crazy
Well, to be fair, these guys need to total 1700 before they’re even considered for the gym. So they are recruiting first, then training.
Do a part 2 with Brian Alsruhe programs, Jeff Nippard powerbuilder series!
Now I am very biased (if you look at my videos, you'll see why), but your critique of Westside is a little lacking. While it is true that sports specificity (in terms of full ROM SBD lifts) is low (and that is still not entirely true), condensing conjugate down to "maxing out every week" takes away a great deal from what conjugate actually is.
I will definitely say that conjugate isn't something for a beginner or maybe even intermediate, but instead of thinking of it as a "maxing out every workout" type of system, it should instead be critiqued by its complexity and approachability. Louie (rest in peace) did construct the program as a longevity-type system (inspired by the Soviets' multi-year weightlifting plans).
As for the drugs, I can only speak for myself, I am 100% clean (I am also on the internet so it's up to you whether you believe me or not) and I have done conjugate myself and I definitely liked it a ton. But that is of course, my opinion, which I have established is biased, and your tier list is naturally your opinion. I just wanted to shed some additional light on it!
Smolov is magic for me, arguments are pretty weak
Did full blown Smolov, not junior, one summer. Works but I thought I was going to die. Never again.
As a natty?
@@nicolasreed21 Yes. Two cycles. Ate like crazy.
I found your UA-cam a couple months back. Comprehensive and honest. Keep up the great work!
Westside = conjugate or concurrent training
There's ALOT more to conjugate than was explained but I will agree, it's not for the lifter that wants to read through all the literature just to grasp the system.
I will say though, I found conjugate great with the athletes that I work with. Especially the autoregulatory nature of concurrent training.
I love conjugate/concurrent! It definitely takes some time to learn and practice with auto regulation, but I'm a huge fan
You should review The Bridge. Does a good job teaching and helped me a shit-ton getting passed post-novice purgatory.
Definitely agree
Candito AND GZCL S tier. Nice. Best tier list.
So happy to see someone mention candito 6 week strength. I absolutely never hear about it anymore , but my lord it fucking blew up my squat and deadlift.
Hey Bromley. You should consider reviewing the Calgary barbell 8 and 16 week free programs at some stage
Interesting and fun watch. As someone that competed for 20 years, has tried every program and achieved an Elite total in two weight classes, I have to respectfully disagree on putting Sheiko in the B tier. I understand it's "boring", but if you want to increase your total, it truly belongs higher. Sheiko, through his various programs which all are structured similarly - managed to produce more world champions than all of those other programs combined. With all due respect, if you want to drop him to B, you need more than "it's boring" and "you train with sub-maximal weights a lot". There are plenty of 85% and 90% days where you can extrapolate your max via RPE which tends to be highly accurate when you're using @8 and @9 RPE. RTS makes use of this method. RTS and Sheiko were by far the most effective methodologies I used. Cheers mate!
Its not just about it being boring, its about how appropriate it is for the average trainee. It also doesn't have a clear split or pattern of progression. Its extremely complex and requires calculation of a lot of variables that the average lifter would lose track of. I believe its extremely effective but I would expect a majority of lifters who run their own programming to run into trouble, if they finish it at all.
@@AlexanderBromley Understandable point, for your average lifter, it probably would be a bit daunting. Whereas for someone that is experienced and places a high priority on competition, it is a solid option. I see your point from the view of your average gym goer. Cheers!
I would love to see another video like this about hypertrophy programs.
I know that's not this channel's main purpose, but it would be great to hear your point of view from a programming perspective.
Also, a strongman program tier list would be awesome, though I only know of a handful.
Hypertrophy programs are scams and are designed for people to scared and lazy to lift heavy
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of 5/3/1. If you actually read the books (give Forever a read) you'll see there's so much more to it instead of just the base lifts. There's tons of supplemental lift templates to go though (second set last, BBB, 1000% Awesome etc)
That happens a LOT, people see the three-set base and think that's it. I'm 52 and 5/3/1 (BBB) is great for me.
Laughing, in a good way, at how much respect you give Candito. I totally found everything you said with that programme. It's really good and straightforward.
Bro you have so much good knowledge I am just now finding and for free too. Love you for that!
We want hypertrophy tier list too. Nice presentation.
No we don’t. Hypertrophy programs are scams
Not sure if you actually know, but since you asked about what happened to Brandon Lilly - he had a devastating injury back in 2014 that he was never really able to come back from. This was an update from Juggernaut Training post-surgery: During 5 and a half hours of surgery on Monday he had the following repaired in both legs: torn quad tendon, torn patella tendon, torn MCL, torn meniscus, also in his left leg he suffered a torn ACL, torn hamstring tendon and broken patella.
I'm still classed as an amature Powerlifter and stuff like Stronglifts, 5/3/1, Starting Strength works really well for me. Why? Well it's a really simple program to follow and it doesn't burn my CNS system out and doesn't take a genius to follow those programs. Stuff like German volume training or those made for advanced lifters or high volume just tends to burn my CNS and mental fatigue halfway through the program as it's just too much for me. But stuff like I mentioned earlier works well for me due to not having to go high or near you max lifts all the time and it's just enough reps every session to a point where I'm improving my technique and form and not having DOMs past day 2 so I can get onto my next session very easily without being sore.
Amazing video bro, great summary of the programs. But Smolov (jr) has to be B-tier, if you're doing everything correctly; mobility, kcal surplus, sleep and not giving into temptation of too much or any pump stuff, if will yield you great success.
superb content! love your doubling down, high entertainment value as well as educational :D
I like the Westside Barbell because I like to go hard on majority of my sets.
And High Intensity and Volume makes it very easy to plateau on lifts.
Would be great to hear your thoughts on the Tactical Barbell program at some point
Yeah bro
I do something similar to both Shieko and Candito. Yes, it gets slightly monotonous at times, but it definitely works for me. Started it in September, and saw progress I did not expect to see that year by the end of 2022.
It would be S tier if it wasn’t such a strain on your mental strength that’s the hardest part about Sheiko in my opinion
Running starting strength now. I could see how someone would hate the lack of variety, but I was wanting a thinkless way to train and this fits the bill.
People want complexity, because complexity makes them feel smart and gives them the sense that they're "doing something".
But novice lifters don't need to do anything other than complete the 5th rep and then add 5 lbs the next workout.
I found I didn't really care too much because I was adding weight to the bar most workouts anyway so the idea of changing to a different exercise and missing the opportunity to increase the weight seemed stupid.
Never seen such a cool video that organized these training methods I’ve heard of for years!
I have had tremendous success with my clients and the 6 week candito program
This is probably one of my favorite videos ever
I enjoyed Sheiko, it helped me push my limits and my work capacity skyrocketed. Sadly it didn't translate to my 1rm very much.
I'm a 5/3/1 man at heart though, old reliable.
I guess I’m one of those few people who can handle smolov without pain and while natty. I train for strength very infrequently and have utilized it for squat and bench over the years just as a way to smash passed a plateau. I love it.
Are you a smaller lifter? The smaller guys on average can handle more volume and recover faster.
@@MrClassicmetal in height yes. 5’8” 210.
@@jackkrichilsky Dude, you're not a small lifter...😁
Conjugate got rid of my elbow pain without reducing frequency or intensity. I will never abandon it (unless it stops working)
Candito in S tier is such a W
Alexander is daddy for putting the chapters timestamp for each program
The first two programs i started on boostcamp were candito's and GZCL jacked and tan 2.0
About to run JnT 2.0 and I wanted to try Canditos after lol, which one did u like more?
@@TensaiHARDSTYLE just finished jacked and tan 2.0 and I liked that one better because it was way more challenging, but some of the workouts take like two hours so be prepared for that!
Great Video! Please do a part 2 with more programs!
I would be very interested in how you'd rank the stronger by science (old average to savage) programs by Greg Nuckols.
Me personally would rank them S or at least A.
I like Mike Bartos’ programming. Most view his programming as an adapted westside/conjugate style for strongman but what I think he did very well was give more precise thought and better structure to the cube method.
"Suck it, Reddit" is pretty much the motto of any sane informed individual on most topics.
I’ve used GZCL template and a specifically his dealift waves and it took my conventional from 170kg to 250kg through 3 12week runs. It’s also got me more jacked for sure
would you recomend it to novice/intermediate
@@adr3510 I would say I was late novice when I first ran it and in 12 weeks went from 170kg to 205kg, then the second time 205kg (sumo) to 220kg (conventional) third time 220kg to 250kg. Just make sure you’re eating right and in a surplus and don’t skip accessories
@@linghamskatepark11 im running kong right now as its good for weaknesses and working capacity and good as a base builder for where im at rn. After that im looking for a more specified program, ive seen alot of moxed reviews of other programs but gzcl seems to have the most homogenous reviews being that its good for intermediate strength building
@@linghamskatepark11 i think you just convinced me to run gzcl after kong
@@adr3510 there’s a few really good templates jacked and tanned 2.0 is what I’m currently running and my squats close to breaking 200kg
Currently running Greyskull LP and I love it specifically for the AMRAP set as well
Are you gonna eventually do this for hypertrophy programs?
+1 on this
That doesn't seem to really be his niche
Do you think some people are better suited to training with some methods? I'm autistic and love doing similar things over and over again, as long as the thing interests me. This is why Sheiko appeals to me. I love thinking about minor technical improvements between sets and doing these movements year round.
I also heard Simmons talk about training introverts vs extroverts, and how he thinks introverts can do well with fewer exercises.
I absolutely think individuals may have traits that predispose them to certain training. Hard thing for me to recommend though because usually people are really bad at determining when they need to suck it up and learn something hard as opposed to just using "I'm just built that way" as a cop out. If your situation predisposes you to enjoying something that is productive that people typically loathe, that's like a super power!
Yup, some folks have no problem _at all_ with strength programmes that others consider monotonous. And actually dislike those bodybuilding type routines where you switch things up all the time.
If you do part 2 can you review tactical powerlifting by Josh Bryant and also the coan/phillipi program. Thanks!
I run Sheiko and volume (bench cycle) is brutal but effective. The upside is no wasted lifts ( no shoulder work) so my shoulders felt great and bench max did go up. Key on this program is to not miss lifts and test max after 4 weeks and readjust the numbers. Don't let ya ego get in the way nothing wrong with ya max being less than you thought. Replug and go yes its boring but training can be sometimes
It hurts to hear 5th set get called too slow when it progresses almost twice as fast as I've ever been able to add weight.
Ngl, I’d love to see this but for hypertrophy
Just doing Brian Alsruhe's PowerBuilder program and really liking it- gaining strength and conditioning
Westside for life. I love it.
Currently following GZCL‘s General Gainz framework. Reminds quite a bit of Bullmastiff just with some of the component knobs turned and switches flipped
Cody is a genius. Love his training styles
Is there an app that has GZCL?
@@semyaza555 I think it's on Boostcamp
Thanks for running GG bro!
@@sushiter I love you too bro.
Super keen to watch this one!
In my mid twenties i befriended a kinesiology gradute student. I was 185 lbs and had never dead lifted before, i was strictly body building. My friend suggested i try the sheiko prep program. I was natural and only lifting in a belt. After 10 months of completing a couple rounds of the program i was deadlifting 500lbs at a 200lb body weight. This is nothing special but increased my strength immensely. The program is monotonous and requires focus. I have not experienced that level of strength gain since.
Soviet inspired fuckery - that phrasing sir is pure gold
Crazy to hear about nsuns 531. I loved it for a while, got stronger, got injured and burned out.
I've ran J&T 2.0 and BullMastiff. I have not run GCZL. I believe BullMastiff is superior for hypertrophy. Extremely high volume. I am not against running it again. In fact, after two J&T2 cycles I am thinking about giving it another go. I liked J&T2 because you learn the value of taking things easy and seeing more gains than the "harder than last time" trope that had me spinning my wheels for 20 years.
Sorry, my man, but Kong didn't interest me. I have no desire to do endless squats or deadlifts. Obviously, just my personal opinion. Love your content, and I know you have way more knowledge, skill and strength than me.
suck it up buttercup
That was a well informed critique. Thanks.
this is one of my favorite videos of yours. however, i wish you'd cover more programs (like a lot of the programs i've done, you don't even mention here, even though they are very popular, like doggcrapp training). so yes, i vote for a part 2, there's a lot more programs to cover. other ones i ran that you didn't mention are: the beginner program of 'aworkoutroutine', alphadestiny's naturally enhanced, dan john's easy strength, dan john's mass made simple, and convict conditioning.
Alex - could you do a review of programs for 50+ year old lifters?
Ive been recommending Candito 6 week to people for 2 years now. Great program
Now this is quality content right here!
Saying that "starting strength" isn't great for people that aren't novices is actually kind of trivial, or self evident or something. What people mean when they say "starting strength" is actually the novice progression in Rippetoes books. It is by definition only appropriate for novices and no one else. The Texas method is by definition an intermediate program that you would do after a basic novice progression. No one is saying to use the novice progression if you aren't a novice.
Been loving your content - keep it up!
I’m so glad nsuns ended up at the bottom. As a brand new lifter 6 years ago I took to Reddit to see what program people recommended running after 6 months, and unanimously the answer was nsuns.
I tried really hard to run it. But goddamn did it just give me the worst tendinitis I’ve ever experienced in my life. My body was not built for that much volume and intensity. I left every workout feeling destroyed.
It felt like I was the only one with any criticism of it though, as it was still being worshipped as the holy grail of training on /r/fitness for the next few years. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago I saw any real negative speak about it.
Awesome break down and info, thumbs up. Think you might add on to this to review and critique Calgary Barbell, TSA programs, and RP strength programs?
"whatever happened to Brandon Lily?" he had major career ending injuries, dropped a crap ton of unnecessary bodyweight, and now does BJJj/trains more general fitness and strength/has a pretty great lifestyle podcast.
Love Bullmastiff, on week five now!! Thankyou.