A couple of questions about PB III

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey BBM,

I’m currently on week 4 of PB II (third time running the program) but I have already bought PB III as I really enjoyed the PB templates. I had decent results the first time running PB II, though the second time I ran it my results weren’t great (bench didn’t increase at all for example). Now that i’m running the template for a third time, i’ve been putting a lot more attention to progressing on the supplemental movements (such as close grip bench for example, were I improved from 72.5 kg x 10 reps @ RPE 8 in week 5 the second time I ran PB II, to now being 80 kg x 10 reps @ RPE 8 this week after training it for only the last 4 weeks in a row).

My questions are:

  1. Would it be okay to move on to PB III once I finish PB II or run it for a fourth time since i’m seeing some decent progress so far with the third run of the template? I’ll note that my deadlift has not improved much so far on this run of PB II, but it did improve a lot the last 2 times I ran the template (by around 30 kg combined). Also, my OHP hasn’t really improved though i’m aware that it’s not one of the main objectives of this template.

  2. I had a look at some of the exercise selection in PB III, and there are a few exercises that I would like to change due to lack of equipment / difficulty setting them up due to my gym being crowded and with a limited amount of equipment. I’m aware that I can choose whichever exercise variation i’d like, but I wanted to know if there were specific variations that you would recommend instead of these upcoming exercises in order to have a similar movement:

Block I:

  • Floor Press → There isn’t really a legitimate reason why I couldn’t do this, though I just don’t really like the ideas of laying on the floor where the squat rack is. Would a pin bench press for example be a suitable replacement?
  • Slingshot Bench Press → (Lack of equipment), Haven’t thought of a suitable replacement (I’ll note that high incline bench press, close grip bench press and 2ct paused bench press are the supplemental bench movements for block II so i’d probably like to have something different in block I).

Block II:

  • 15* Incline, close grip bench → Thought about replacing it with 30* Incline (lowest possible incline on our free weight benches), dumbbell bench since the Incline barbell bench in my gym is in a fixed degree of 45* (And the program calls for High Incline Bench Press earlier in that workout). Would this be okay?
  • JM Press → The movement is very painful for me to perform due to a tearing my SL wrist ligament a couple of years ago (Also skull crushers and exercises that have my wrist in that kind of angle is painful), I thought about replacing it with weighted dips, would this be okay?

Block III:

  • Belt Squat → (Lack of equipment), Haven’t thought of a suitable replacement.
  1. If I wanted to run PB III for a few times consecutively like I did with PB II, but I don’t want to test my 1RM at that point in my training career, should I just skip the third block each time I run the template? I don’t plan on competing (maybe in a few years I would just for fun, but I don’t have any plans for it right now)​, and i’ve got quite an extensive history with injuries, so I don’t really want to “risk it” by testing my 1RM at the moment.

Thanks in advance!

2

Ben,

Thanks for the post. I am also quite partial to the Powerbuilding templates. To your questions:

  1. I would be cool with you switching, for sure.
  2. Feet up Mid pin or 2-3 board bench would be equivalent to the floor press, or regular mid min/board (or towel) bench, or a larsen press would work. Really trying to reduce the back fatigue in this variant.
  3. For slingshot bench, I would do a 5-7cm towel (under the shirt) bench for a sort of easy overload that doesn’t require additional equipment. Picking up a slingshot and/or board bloxz (or whatever they’re called) would be useful equipment to have.
  4. I would do high incline again (maybe close grip), feet up bench, or close grip bench. I would not sub dumbbell bench in this slot.
  5. Can you do them with dumbbells - e.g. rolling triceps extensions- or “floor” DB JM presses? If no, I’d do standard triceps press downs and not weighted dips in this slot to manage fatigue.
  6. For belt squat, would recommend leg press, hack squat, goblet squats (if you can load them) or unilateral leg exercises with dumbbells
  7. I would not skip the 3rd block in most cases unless you needed to change the training significantly for some reason. That said, you can skip the last week if you want and not actually test. I also should note that I don’t think 1RM attempts are more risky than multi-rep sets.

-Jordan​

3

Hey Jordan,

I’ll go ahead and do as you suggested.

As for the slingshot, I saw that there are a few levels (1 to 4), which level would you recommend? (I’ve never used a slingshot before and my e1rm for comp bench press is ~120 kg).
I also saw that they come in different sizes, my height is ~180 cm and I currently weigh ~78 kg though i’m planning on slowly gaining weight over the next few years to reach 90+ kg. It says in the size guide that size L is from 140-180 lbs, and XL is from 181-220 lbs, so should I go for the XL since i’m planning on slowly gaining weight (even though it might be slightly too big for me at the moment)?

As for the JM Press, I haven’t tried them with dumbbells - I’ll give it a go.

4

I’d get the XL and the original “red” one. I think that’s a ~ 10-15% increase per their advertisements.

5

Sounds good, thanks for the help.