Whenever any program switches from the volume block to the strength block, I tweak my back about 2 weeks in almost every time.
Question is, do I hit pause on the program while I take a week or so to rehab it back to a place I can train again while repeating the weeks bench work while i do this. Or do I adjust squat/deadlift training and keep moving along the weeks towards the specialisation phase?
in the end it’s not too important because I don’t compete, so the time frame is irrelevant. But I do take my progress seriously, so which is better for having the most productive peaking phase?
Thanks for the post. Sorry to hear about the back tweak! That’s gotta be frustrating. I’d probably look at transitioning more gradually when moving to a “strength” block. To do so, I’d take the average intensity difference between the two blocks and cut it into thirds, going up 1/3 each week for the first 3 weeks of the new block. Think of it as an on ramp so to speak.
Regarding what do on the program, it really depends on the symptoms and the program itself. If the symptoms are minimal/resolving, I don’t know that the program needs to be changed at all, though a week or two of conservative loading may be helpful. If you have significant pain and/or dysfunction, you don’t really have a choice to keep programming the same, which would necessitate a few weeks of a “rehab” plan for the lower body stuff. You may be able to keep the upper body stuff the same as it was, again depending on the symptoms.
Thanks Jordan, I’ll ramp it slower on my next run of the low intensity template.
I’m back to minimal discomfort with regular weights now, so I’ll just power on through. Goal is to hit 300kg deadlift before I’m 40 (100kg increase over 10 years). Any advice for slotting 1rm deadlift training into a bodybuilding program? The big 3 are getting a little stale after so many years but I still love heavy deadlifting, and I don’t want to drop it with this goal I’m chasing.
My idea was a 4 day upper/lower split with DL and a DL variation split between the lower days, there would also be more upper back work done on the ‘upper’ days.
Happy to hear the back is feeling better. As far as the deadlift programming goes, my preferred approach in this context are reflected in the Bodybuilding II or Powerbuilding III templates. The Powerbuilding template has the specific 1RM training in the program already, whereas I’d plan on transitioning to a block of singles + back off sets in the Bodybuilding II template after the block of 3-5 rep sets.