Optimally Stringing Templates Together

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello,

Thank you for all the educational (and entertaining) content that BBM puts out! I’m really having a fun time running these templates and learning more about lifting, nutrition, and health!

I have been gathering a lot of information from BBM via podcasts, videos, and these forums (especially the “Barbell Medicine Template Overview”); I wanted to see if my planned sequence of templates seems like a good idea and ask a question about running the Bodybuilding Template. Currently, I have finished the Hypertrophy I template (lost ~8 lbs. in 8-9 weeks) and I am in Week 2 of Strength I.

Where I’m at:

  1. Age = 23
  2. Bodyweight = ~180 lbs.
  3. Height = 6’0
  4. BMI = 24.4
  5. Waist circumference = 34" at the navel
  6. Navy body fat calculator puts me at 16%, but I’m thinking I might like to push myself down to 12-15% slowly over the next few weeks/months of Strength I (not sure yet)
  7. I’ve run the Beginner Template, slightly modified Bodybuilding Blocks I & II (did the best I could w/ gym closed), Powerbuilding I (modified bc of injury), the first 3-5 wks of PBI again, the At-Home Template for ~2 weeks, and a slightly modified 4 week version of Tom Campitelli’s “returning to the gym from a lay-off” Strength Program. So, training has been a bit of a rollercoaster over the past several months, but I am trying to get my sh*t together and hammer out a solid plan now that life has become a bit more stable. 1.) Does the below sequence of templates & plans for my weight seem like a plausible strategy for becoming the strongest & most jacked version of myself? Any suggestions and/or feedback would be welcome.

Hypertrophy I [cut] > Strength I [maintain/maybe cut 4-5 lbs.] > Hypertrophy II [bulk 5-10 lbs.] > Strength II [maintain] > Hypertrophy II again [bulk 5-10 lbs.] > Strength III [maintain] > Powerbuilding I [cut (if I am too fat) or maintain] > Powerbuilding II [mass] > Bodybuilding Template [maintain 6 weeks-bulk 12 weeks]

2.) When I get to the Bodybuilding Template, should I start on Block I or just skip it and start on Block II?

-Sean

2

Hey Sean,

I think I would just run the Strength I template on repeat until you either: 1) start seeing your strength results taper off and/or, 2) want a change of pace. At that point, you could return to hypertrophy I or go to hypertrophy II or bodybuilding- assuming you wanted to focus on hypertrophy. From there, it’s really a choose your own adventure based on the results you’re getting and what you want.

I don’t see anything wrong with what you’ve laid out, but it’s hard to plan that far in advance.

I’d start from Block I on the BB template anytime I ran it.

-Jordan

1 Like
3

Thanks for the advice, Jordan!