Rerun powerbuilding I or start powerbuilding II?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi BBM,

I just finished week 9 of powerbuilding I and I wanted to ask for advice as to whether I should rerun powerbuilding I or start powerbuilding II.

The numbers I hope to end week 10 of powerbuilding I with are (2.5 kg increases on my week 9 lifts that felt good):
Comp Bench (1ct pause) - 100 kg × 1 @ RPE 8
Deadlift - 150 kg × 1 @ RPE 8-9 (The movement itself is probably more towards RPE 8 but in terms of my grip strength it feels more like an RPE 9)
OHP - 47.5 kg × 6 reps × 3 sets @ RPE 8
Squat - I’ve got a long term injury so i’m working on getting back to squatting with a full ROM and i’m less focused about the weight at the moment.

I wanted to add that I ended the beginner template with the following numbers, but had to take a 2 weeks off the gym (not related to injury), which meant that I started powerbuilding I with slightly lower numbers:
Touch and go bench - 105 kg × 1 @ RPE 9
Deadlift - 145 kg × 1 @ RPE 9
OHP - 32.5 kg × 12 @ RPE 9.

I’ll also add that I have prior gym experince having been in the gym for about 5-6 years (Trained standard full body and then 4 day per week AB splits for about 2-3 years, but without proper programming or knowledge about the gym), though due to injuries and other life circumstances in the last 3 years i’ve only been training consistantly since this december (I wanted to give this background as it may effect whether I potentially need / can tolerate the higher volume in powerbuilding II).​

Thanks,
Ben

2

Hey Ben,

I think PB II would be right up your alley, provided you’re good with training 4x/wk. What do you think?

-Jordan

3

Hey Jordan,

I think starting powerbuilding II and training 4x/wk sounds great. I’ve already bought the program previously and had a look at it, it looks like a fun program and i’m excited to try it out.

As a side question about powerbuilding II - what do you think about adding a fifth training day where I add some additional volume to the “bodybuilding” exercises if that is a big goal of mine on top of strength? for example, I thought of maybe adding an additional exercise or two for the upper back, an exercise for the rear delts and side delts, and an additional exercise for the calves (Such as seated calve raises to supplement standing calve raises that are already programmed).

Thanks for the advice!

4

I don’t think adding a 5th day would be wise, particularly because ALL of those muscles are getting trained with high volume and high intensity. Adding more volume may be necessary down the road, but I wouldn’t do it within the next ~ 6 months or so.

5

Got it,

Thanks Jordan!