Powerbuilding II Day Order

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey guys, I have a question regarding the exercise placement within the working week for the Powerbuilding II template. I see that all squat volume is placed on the first two days, and DL volume on the last two. I am thinking of changing this to do deadlifts on day 2, and squat assistance on day 3 (rather than day 2) so that I am able to practise each movement more, while being ‘fresher’. Would this be considered ‘more optimal’?

I ask as I would have thought that practising the movements ‘more often’ (every 3-4 days rather than twice back-to-back then 5 days rest for example) would be beneficial for someone who still needs to work on technical proficiency ie a low-life intermediate like me haha.

Thanks in advance, it’s always good to read more and challenge my knowledge on programming!

2

Hello,
I would look at it like this-this particularly template is set up to make each of the 4 lifts a “priority” each day: squat, bench, DL, and press are first on each of their days. This allows you to train each of these with a bit more focus and “freshness”, and then the supplemental work in this template is more suited for the goals of the PB template-it’s more generally focused compared to a more specific strength template. So the supplemental variations are often fairly “non-specific”. Meaning I don’t think that seeing frequency as the most important idea is the key-it’s about the distribution of the lifts and the overall training volume. You’re going to be benefiting from the work on SSB (or the variation) on Day 2 even in the 2nd position.

But you could move things around a bit too, and while I would make various arguments for the template as it is, particularly if this is your first run through it, I don’t think we can definitely argue for the exact placement being optimal for everyone in every situation. If you find reason for yourself to make a switch, then go for it!

1 Like
3

Hello Leah,

Thank you for the reply.
I never saw it from this perspective, that is quite interesting!
As it is my first run through, I will stick with it.
Yet again thank you :slight_smile: