I’ll try to be succinct. I have experienced what I consider to be tremendous growth running Powerbuilding I and II. I am 30 yrs old, 6’1’', and currently 201 lbs as a ICU Nurse on night shift. I have always been a hardgainer, but I feel that consistency in training, creatine intake, age, and night shift is leading to weight gain. My lifts have improved, see below:
Squat
Bench
Conv. Deadlift
After Beginner Template
280
255
390
After PBI&PBII
385
285
425
I loved the programming of PBII, but the intensity/fatigue I am accumulating seems to be problematic. I don’t seem to be able to recover fast enough to do the recommended back to back days that would work best for PBII (i.e. Lifting Day 1 on Monday, Lifting Day 2 on Tuesday, Day 3 off or GPP…). I seem to adapt well to the 3 day a week programs. I struggled through the end of PB II and know I probably could have gotten more out of the template, but again, I don’t seem to be able to keep up with the demand especially in Weeks 7-10. Should I just re-run PBI or try Strength I for the 3-day a week advantage or somehow mix and match the PBII template. I am not doing the cardio at all because I can barely squeeze in the GPP for arms, abs, and back every week. I want to increase my big 3 lifts and gainzzz. Although, I know I could clean up my diet and probably lose some nagging adipose tissue lol.
Thank you for all your dedication and hard work with BBM!
Hey, Jordan! Thank you, wouldn’t have done it without the programs though! The question was embedded in the last paragraph: “Should I just re-run PBI or try Strength I for the 3-day a week advantage or somehow mix and match and re-run the PBII template?”
Ah, sorry about that. I had just searched for a question mark and came up empty-handed. I think PB I or Strength I is more of a personal preference thing based on primary goals. If you’re strength focused, hypertrophy second, then strength I is for you. If you are giving hypertrophy and strength even footing, PB I or II would be for you. I think the decision between PB I or II comes down to training time. If you can train 4x/wk, PB II would work. If not, I wouldn’t really mess with it. I would also strongly encourage you to get the conditioning done each week, even if you feel like it’s going to compromise recovery! Long-term, I think it’s likely to be beneficial for recovery and performance.
I don’t know why, but my entire reply wasn’t posted, including my punctuation at the end of that sentence lol. Anyways, thank for the recommendation. Choosing between strength or hypertrophy is a struggle. It’s like choosing between Chipotle or Chic-Fil-A.
Yea I get you. It should be noted that it’s not an either/or situation, as both templates will likely improve both strength and hypertrophy. I think if you’re looking for a significant change in programming, Strength I would be the choice. If a more minor change, PB II would be great. If no change, repeating PB I would be the move IMO.