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This is Week 5 of the Power Building Program, which is the first DELOAD week of the Macrocycle.
The prior week consisted of a purposeful “slight over-reaching.” After flushing the excessive fatigue via this “deload week,” the body should be primed to manifest the gains made during the prior four weeks of accumulation.
If you have any doubt about the importance of Deload weeks, or would like to learn more about the why and how of implementation, please see THE DELOAD BLOG POST
If nothing else, please approach this week with a few objectives:
1. Stay at least 5-6 reps shy of failure on all sets
2. Leave the gym with a similar feeling and endorphin level of going for a hike
3. Avoid the sense of “oh that was a great workout!”
Please read the PowerBuilding BLOG to learn about this training cycle in general
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Day 1 – Lower Posterior and Upper Body Pull
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track metrics
A. Deadlift
Reps performed with STOP briefly on ground, providing time to reset and ensure optimal movement
pattern
3 Reps EMOM x 8 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
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B. Weighted Pull-ups (@21X0) (Scaling below)
21X0 = 1-sec pause at bottom (full hang position)
***Choose neutral, pronated, supinated, or rings, and stay consistent week to week
Complete ONE set that is approx HALF your “max reps unbroken”
Then complete half of that number (25% of max unbroken) for EMOM x 6 Min
SCALING:
Follow same protocol as above with:
Band-Assisted Pull-ups
Rack Pull-ups (foot assisted)
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C. Bentover DB Rows OR Seated Cable Rows
One super light set then 2 x 8-10 @ 15+ Rep weight
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D. Alternate Movements x 2 Rounds:
10-15 Reps DB Hammer Curls
Rest 1 min
10-15 Reps Seated Leg Curl OR Lying Leg Curls
Rest 1 min
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E. Banded Glute Bridges
2 x 20-30 Reps (30-60 sec rest between sets)
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Day 2 – Upper Body Push + Core
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track metrics
A. Pause Bench Press OR Pause Machine Chest Press (of choice)
(choose; stay consistent week to week)
Reps at 21X0 tempo, meaning 1-sec pause at bottom, and minimal or no pause at top of rep
3 Reps EMOM x 8 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
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B. Incline DB Bench Press
2 x 6-8 (with 12-15 rep weight)
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C. DB Powell Raise
3 sets of 8 Reps (per arm)
(goal to use approx 10% of bench press max; but proper technique is more important than load)
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D. Cable Face Pulls
12-15 Reps EMOM x 5 Min (with approx weight for 25 reps)
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E. Alternate Movements x 3 sets each:
Banded Dead-Bugs x 10-20 Reps (5-10/leg)
Rest 1 min
DB Tate Press x 8-10 Reps (with 15+ rep weight)
Rest 1 min
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Day 3 – REST DAY
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Day 4 – Full Lower Body (Quad focus) + Core
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track metrics
A. Back Squat
(choose LOW BAR or HIGH BAR and stay consistent week to week)
3 Reps EMOM x 8 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
OR choose a machine version (with slightly higher target rep range)
Whatever choice you make, stay consistent week to week
Hack Squat OR Other Squat Machine of choice
6 Reps EMOM x 6 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
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B. Choose Movement (stay consistent week to week)
With the SAME weight/difficulty as prior week, complete 2 sets with 60-65% of the reps achieved
Then complete one set of 8-15 Reps with an easier variation (remember 5-6+ Reps from failure!)
Weighted Hip Extensions
OR
45-Degree Hip Extension (add load as feasible)
OR
45-Degree Hip Extension + GHR finish (add load as feasible)
OR
Glute-Ham Raise (add load as feasible)
OR
Reverse Hyper (if available)
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C. 4 Rounds:
Walking Lunges (BW only) x 1 minute
Rest 1 min
***Note that difficulty can be adjusted by speed of reps. An Advanced athlete who is slow twitch muscle fiber dominant (better at endurance) might move quickly and achieve over 40 reps in a minute. Difficulty can be scaled by moving slower between reps. Try to keep moving for the full minute and just adjust the speed at which you perform reps to modulate difficulty.
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D. Alternate Movements x 3 sets each:
Hanging Oblique Knee Raise x 10-16 Reps (5-8/side)
Rest 1 min
Standing Calf Raise (BW; deficit) x 10-15 Reps
Rest 1 min
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Day 5 – Full Upper Body
Parts A, B and C repeat week to week. Track metrics
A. Strict Overhead Press OR Machine Overhead Press (of choice)
Reps at 21X0 tempo, meaning 1-sec pause at bottom, and minimal or no pause at top of rep
3 Reps EMOM x 8 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
***If performing “machine Overhead Press” stay consistent week to week
6 Reps EMOM x 6 Min @ 60-65% of working weight from prior week
Full focus on technique and improving execution which can be implemented into next mesocycle
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B. Strict Pendlay Row OR T-Bar Machine OR Hammer Strength Row
(choose one and stay consistent week to week)
2 sets of 5-8 Reps @ 80-85% of load from prior week
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C. Weighted Dips (or scaled with Assisted Dip Machine)
Reps at 21X0 tempo, meaning 1-sec pause at bottom, and minimal or no pause at top of rep
One set (super easy, maybe even assisted) for 8-10 Reps (warm-up)
Then 2 sets of 5-6 RIR*
*You can choose to do the 2 sets with weight for lower reps or BW/assisted for higher reps. As long as you stop 5-6+ reps shy of failure, it’s all good!
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D. Alternate Movements x 3 sets each:
Standing DB Curls x 12-15 Reps with 20-Rep weight
Rest 1 min
Bentover Reverse Flies x 12-15 Reps with 20-Rep weight
Rest 1 min
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Day 6 – OPTIONAL Conditioning
Mostly an additional REST DAY to finish off DELOAD WEEK
Feel free to do some light movement + Mobility circuit
Also cool to do a long walk or slow bike ride
Keep intensity down, eat to recover, sleep well, and get ready for the new mesocycle!
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