Hey docs, hope you’re well.
I’ve completed Block 1 of the Bodybuilding template after a year of running the beginner template, been enjoying the high rep, high volume training so far. I’ll be starting Block 2 of BB in the coming week but after that ill be joining a school for an intensive 12-month program which will be quite demanding. Given that bodybuilding training can be quite long, I’m unsure what template I should run during this time, (Time Crunch, Hypertrophy 1&2 ??) given that my goal is just Bodybuilding and hypertrophy. I understand and appreciate the importance of a strength block but have no interest in it whatsoever (apart from strength templates not taking as much time) since I never see any size gains on a strength block (obviously).
Would be grateful for your input Doc.
Kind regards,
Kirill
Kirill,
I think the hypertrophy I template would be where I would go. You can spread the 3-days of lifting over 5-days or so, yielding much shorter sessions.
For completeness, I think most strength programs should produce an increase in muscle size and most hypertrophy programs should produce an improvement in strength…if they’re dosed appropriately. There are issues with measuring these things in the short term, but I wouldn’t expect you to only gain size on a hypertrophy-focused program. Rather, we’d predict it to be more on hypertrophy-focused plan compared to a strength-focused one.
-Jordan
Thank you for replying Dr. Feigenbaum, massive respect for your work and everything you do.
Kind regards,
Kirill
Hey, doc, I forgot to ask about what I should substitute for the standing ohp in Block 2 of bodybuilding, I’ve not had a good experience with standing ohp so far, stalled a lot. in the drop-down cells it says, seated ohp just like the previous block or dips, etc, and many other incline bench variations. I was keen on seated ohp or dips, what would be the best according to you?
Kind regards,
Kirill
I think dips have a better carry over to bench press strength and a bias towards more pec major compared to OHP, which is more deltoid. I’d pick one based on your preferences. If you’re already doing some high incline work, do seated OHP. If not, dealer’s choice.