Just got the general S&C template, and I’m looking forward to starting it soon. However I have a few questions about it, so I can understand programming better:
Why is the OHP only 1x a week?
It’s been made clear that the purpose of this template is not to specialise in particular lifts and in a fitness element, but rather just a blend of everything, and I understand that. But if strength in a variety of motions is part of this ‘blend’, then how do I know that I’m getting stronger in vertical pressing? The answer may be that I’ll be able to OHP more, but then wouldn’t increasing the OHP frequency to at least 2x a week aid this outcome even more, since I’m practising the movement more?
The question about the reduced deadlift frequency has already been answered, which again I understand. But likewise, wouldn’t increased frequency aid the strength gains in deadlifting?
Why is there two hinge movements in the same workout, but none in the others? Wouldn’t it make more sense to distribute the workload of the hinge motion into other workouts? (No issue with this - just curious)
I always thought that you should have the frequency of a lift at least 2x/wk when trying to improve it’s performance, and even more if it’s a big priority. Idk if i’m right or wrong about that (please correct me) hence these questions.
Thanks for the post and your business Some answers below:
The program is not a press-focused template. Strength is force production measured in a specific context. If your pressing numbers are going up within the same context (effort, rep range, ROM, etc.) then you’re getting stronger. If you’re looking to increase your 1RM press, this is not the template for that specific goal. I don’t think that dedicating 2 slots per week to OHP is a great idea unless you want to forego progress/development of other strength, e.g. incline benching, flat benching. I see no inherent benefits of focusing on any of these for a non competitive lifter.
Added volume with the appropriate other variables, e.g. intensity, exercise selection, total fatigue, etc. would likely help, but again this is not a powerlifting template. I think there’s enough pulling work to make the lifter stronger, but definitely not as focused on deadlift 1RM strength than our strength templates.
I don’t use the hinge descriptor at all to describe exercises or think about them when programming. I don’t find it valuable at all.
Overall, it seems like you’re asking why this template isn’t a more dedicated strength template when that is not the aim of the program. It has a big dose of conditioning, movement variety, and rep variety to try and improve fitness adaptations in a broad sense, not a narrow sense. This is not a pure strength template and it is programmed accordingly. While I expect to see metrics of performance go up over the course of the template, I do think the breadth of programmed variables compromises the magnitude of development in any one specific area.
As far as frequency, I don’t think you can say reliably that more frequency (independent of volume) improves strength outcomes, though in very strict strength applications I can see a benefit to doing lifts more often to manage volume and fatigue.
Regarding frequency, I was talking more about the gained neural adaptations associated with motor pattern learning, which would contribute to strength (if I’m not wrong here)? I don’t know if you were referring to this too in your response? E.g If I press more frequently, I will have the motor pattern more ‘ingrained’, which would make me stronger at it
Do you consider gpp upperback workouts as pull workouts when you say there’s enough pulling work?(Cause I do swimming instead of gpp workouts, worried if there’s not enough pulling work without gpp)
Not as part of deadlift-specific work, no. Swimming doesn’t really work that well for hypertrophy compared to resistance training. You’d do worse from a strength/hypertrophy standpoint if you subbed in swimming for resistance training.
Yea I don’t really know that more frequency is going to be the ticket here necessarily. That said, I do agree that increased frequency can be a viable option for increasing training volume and practice and there are dose-response relationships between strength, hypertrophy, and other outcomes. That said, the General S/C template is not a strength-specific training template designed to pull out all the stops for strength acquisition. I’m not sure that training more frequently with the same volume is necessarily going to improve your strength performances, though there is some data that suggests it might- especially if it increases volume.
Some answers below: