I usually lift in 3x5 hard as i cna sets, but am unable to have cardio after my some heavy liftingdays . if I lifted the same volume but less heavy reps, would it be functionally the same to mantaining strength? Would it help wit hrunning, typically?
The BBM templates usually don’t promote this rather they use sets at RPE 8 across after a light week on the beginning of the template. Essentially 2 reps in the tank. Sometimes it is RPE 9 then back off sets. If you want to keep up with a linear progression though, I would try cardio on the off days. It just depends on the day for me. Sometimes I can do cardio after a weight lifting session. In the gym I work out in there is some AC but it is still pretty hot so I feel pretty spent in the Texas heat and a soaked shirt at the end of a session. In cooler months doing cardio and weights in the same day is fine. I have only run beginner, hypertrophy, and power building templates but they suggest the cardio on the off days. 3X5 squat, bench or press, and 1X5 DLs does work as in you add weight to the bar but the novice program wasn’t meant to put cardio in it. The idea was to get as much weight on the bar so no cardio to interfere with your recovery. The BBM templates are programmed with a couple of days of cardio in them. So it in is by design and you wouldn’t add anything. The cardio is prescribed.
Bottom line is the LP will only last for a relatively short time and you have to transition to something like a BBM style template. I think you will find the BBM templates give a seeming slower progression since you are adding each week to the big lifts instead of each session. They do have a bit more volume and I think are better for overall fitness. I found work capacity increased more which helps in an intermediate style program. If you don’t want to buy a template, I would suggest the HLM or the 4 day from the practical programming book and adding 30 LISS on one off day and 20-25 HIIT with 20/120 intervals on the other. I have seen good progress with weight loss on the hypertrophy and the powerbuilding templates. It wasn’t the 15 lbs a week on LP but that doesn’t last long and even the blue book admits it. The difference is BBM tries to raise work capacity so sacrifices the grinding at max for 3 sets for a bit more slower but steady increases. In with is general condition not only with cardio but assistance exercises. The stimulus changes about 5 weeks when accessories and set/rep prescription changes so you don’t get over adapted to doing the same thing for months. You still feel the voluntary hardship without feeling you are doing something wrong when the stimulus lessens and you are starting to fail or if you just have a bad day for whatever reason and don’t make your lifts at the weight you wanted to.
The LP does work for awhile I lost a lot of weight and added a lot to the bar with my LP. So I am not knocking it. Still it is a limited time program that eventually needs some tweaking you really good coaching for. I think a lot of people flame out because they buy the book and without coaching they just think they are not doing the program when it hits a wall. BBM disagrees with just lowering work capacity to keep adding weight to the bar like the blue book suggests. In my opinion, the BBM templates are much more sustainable and have better potential health benefits with the conditioning aspects. Which template depends on what you want to do. If you want to do an off season power lifting template, power building 1 or 2 is great for that. They are also good for cutting.
Assuming you need to cut or you need to work cardio for a sport, I would suggest beginner first or one of the power building templates. If you are going by the grey book, the HLM is essentially the star program. It was developed for football players who needed a lot of conditioning with strength. So you don’t grind every workout and it has some lighter days to accommodate the cardio that football players have to do. The 4 day split is probably closer to BBM templates and should allow you to put some cardio in if you can do something 6 days a week. You don’t really need a gym for low intensity steady state. You can walk or ruck for 30 mins or even break it up into 3 10 sessions if you just want to knock it out in work breaks. The HIIT doesn’t need to be machines but I find them easier than high knees, sprints, mountain climbers, sprints, etc. You won’t add 15 lbs a week to your squat but you can only do that a limited time with LP. I think in the end they get you to the same place as far as strength but BBM takes a slower steady approach that incorporates some beneficial cardio. The cardio isn’t heavy but it is usually enough.
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Another note on RPE. If you watch certain youtube channels it says it is an excuse to be a wimp to put it more politely. It is the goal is to make progress on each lift not just go in and say I am not feeling good I will do the same as last week or less. How much you add depends on what you think you can do with 2 sets left in the tank not a prescribed 5 lbs which even LP says you have to drop down from for things like the press. You do have to be self disciplined and not use it as an excuse to work hard but it doesn’t mean RPE just says that felt heavy so I will stop. It takes some experience with using RPE to be fully honest. Honestly I usually understate RPE and sometimes fail to do all the reps in all the sets. That may not be optimal but it just says ok try again next time just like the LP says if you fail your reps repeat. If you undershoot it is also ok if you don’t do it repeatedly for too long and fail to progress. If you haven’t slept and ate well for a session and drop a bit it isn’t the end of the world. BBM’s use of RPE sees strength training as a long term marathon not a sprint for the most weight on the bar. If you want to compete there are templates for that though.
Just my opinion but if you aren’t planning on competition anytime soon or you aren’t a young kid that needs to get strong for the next sports season so you can make the team, a marathon is the way to look at it. Even with LP, sooner or later you have to shift to a more marathon mentality. You just don’t get the hit the wall and it must be something wrong with me feeling the LP gives you if you buy into if it isn’t working YNDP. I think this happens a lot if you just buy the book and don’t have a trainer to help you tweak the program. Any program has to be able to change some if it isn’t working LP is no exception but just reading the book without real programming experience can make you think you are not the doing the program rather than the program needs some tweaks. If you really listen to people who have experience and use LP, you start to find the coaches are doing a lot of tweaks depending on the lifter and often pretty early on. The books are good but someone thinking it is just a set prescription that doesn’t need tweaking and it is their fault if it stops working is setting themselves up for failure. In fairness the books do explain this but an inexperienced lifter often doesn’t know when tweaks are needed.