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This is Week 3 of the THIRD and FINAL MESOCYCLE in the Spring 2024 Hypertrophy cycle.
The objective this week is to EXCEED performance from “week 3” of the prior Mesocycle, when “reps from failure” were the same for the repeating movements.
Please read the Lengthened ROM Blog, as the philosophy for this current training cycle will reflect all of the principles discussed in this post.
This cycle is designed in the idea of utilizing a predominance of movements that train the muscle at long muscle lengths and/or provide significant overload tension at the lengthened position of the movement.
For movements that do not overload the muscle in the lengthened position (the exercises that are inherently “lower stimulus” short overload movements) will be progressing in a manner that provides additional stimulus to the portion of the movement where the muscle is lengthened.
We can expect the lower fatigue “short” movements to utilize partials, dropsets, rest/pause sets, and “lengthened only sets” as a way to accentuate the lengthened portion of these exercises that are inherently lacking sufficient stimulus at that portion of the ROM.
Per the standard SOP for Evolved Programs, we will progress effort week to week. The objective is to begin the cycle around 4 reps from failure on demanding compound movements and around 1-2 reps from failure for “short overload” single joint movements that have much lower fatigue cost per unit.
These will each be progressed to failure (and beyond where relevant) as the cycle continues.
As we enter “week 3,” these respective movements will begin their journey to move closer to failure (and beyond failure for the lower fatiguing “short” movements).
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THIS IS Physique below. NTE accessoty
Monday
Lower Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Barbell RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
2-3 Warm-up sets, then;
2 work sets x 5-8 Reps (~3 then 2 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min between work sets
Alternative Movement you can swap (stay consistent week to week):
–DB RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
–Trap Bar RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
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B. Front Foot Elevated Split Squat (Quad Dominant)
1-2 Warm-up sets per leg, then;
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~3 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min between legs
1 set x 10-15 Reps (lighter; ~2 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min between legs
Alternative Movement you can swap (stay consistent week to week):
– Flat Foot Split Squats (quad dominant)
–DB Split Squat (quad dominant)
*flat ground
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C. Landmine Hack Squat
2-3 warm-up sets then:
2 tough work sets x 8-12 Reps (~3 then 2 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min between work sets
+ Superset the FINAL SET ONLY with:
Sissy Squats OR BW Leg Extensions x 6-12 Reps (~2 RIR)
(see videos and options below)
Alternate swaps for Hack Squats:
Pause “Heels Elevated” Squat (Barbell or Safety Bar)
Foam Roller / Slider Hack Squats
Sissy Squat Options:
Sissy Squats
Weighted Sissy Squats
Band-Assisted Sissy Squats
BW Leg Extension Options:
Bodyweight Leg Extensions
Weighted Bodyweight Leg Extensions
Band Assisted Bodyweight Leg Extensions
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D. Barbell Hip Thrust (1 and 1/4 reps)
Reps 10-8-6
Increase weight each set
*First set = warm-up
*Final set = ~1 RIR
Rest ~2-3 min between harder work sets
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E. Climb as High as Possible in 5 Minutes:
Double-Unders OR Single-unders x Reps 20-40-60-80 etc… (add 20 reps each round)
Decline/GHD Sit-ups x 10 Reps after each set of Jump Rope
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F. EMOM x 6 min:
Alternate Movements at the top of Every Min
Min 1: Lying Leg Raises with hip thrust x 10-15 Reps
Min 2: Burpee Toe Touches x Max Reps in 30s (rest 30s)
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Tuesday
Upper Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Flat DB Bench Press
2-3 Warm-up sets, then:
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~2 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 set x 10-15 Reps (lighter; ~1 RIR)
+ Superset the FINAL SET:
Flat DB Flies (Bottom 60% ROM) x 8-12 Reps (~2 RIR)
Alternate movements you can swap for Flat DB Bench Press (stay consistent week to week):
–Flat Barbell Bench Press
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B. Alternate Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
3 work sets (see reps and RIR below for each)
Strict Pull-ups x 6-10 Reps (~2-1-1 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min
DB Lateral Raise x 10-15 Reps (~0 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min
+ Immediately after Failure on the FINAL SET of lateral raises:
complete 3-4 “attempted partial reps”
(i.e. you try hard as possible to make the rep, but fatigue prohibits you from getting full range of motion)
Alternative Movement you can swap for Pull-ups (stay consistent week to week):
(weighted) Pull-ups
Weighted Rack Pull-ups
Unweighted Rack Pull-ups
Leg in front Rack Pull-ups (no elevation)
Foot-Assisted Pull-ups
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C. Banded Crossovers
1-2 warm-up sets, then:
Start with tough set of 12-15 Reps (to technical failure)
Rest 10-15 seconds
Then continue to 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Rest only 10-15 sec between sets
Chip away till 30 total reps are achieved
Alternate movements you can swap for Crossovers:
–Flat DB Fly
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D. 4 Rounds (for time and quality):
Reps 12-10-8-6
Use difficulty of ~15 rep max for both movements
Bentover Barbell Row (maintain torso ~45-degree angle)
Skull Crusher Push-ups (elevate height of bench as needed)
Dual DB Snatch
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E. DB Spider Curls
Use difficulty of ~15 rep max
Complete 10-12 Reps EMOM x 5 Min
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Thursday:
Lower Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Heels Elevated Back Squat
Each rep should have a PAUSE at the deepest stretch position at the bottom of each rep.
2-3 Warm-up sets, then;
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~3 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 set x 10-12 Reps (lighter; ~2 RIR)
Alternate movements you can swap for Back Squats (stay consistent week to week):
–Foam Roller DB Hack Squats
–Landmine Hack Squat
–Heels Elevated Safety Bar Squat
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B. Superset Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
2 work supersets (see reps and RIR below)
*Bring DB’s over to the Hip Extension with you
Weighted Hip Extensions (45-degree) x 8-12 Reps (~1-2 then 0-1 RIR)
Walking DB Lunges (Glute focus) x 8-12 steps (4-6 per leg) (~2-3 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min
Alternative Movement you can swap for Hip Ext (stay consistent week to week):
–Horizontal/GHD
–Home Hack (with barbell and box)
–Home Hack (Hips over barbell)
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C. Squat Clean
Build QUICKLY with low volume, to a challenging set of 3 Reps
(drop from top or “touch and go” if proficient)
Rest a few minutes and reduce weight 10-15% from top triple
Complete 2 Reps at the top of every min x 5 minutes
(focus on improving quality and execution every rep!)
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D. Leg Curls (see options below)
1-2 warm-up sets, then:
1 challenging set x 12 Reps (~1 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min
Complete 3 sets x Reps of 10-8-6 (use same weight as 12-rep set)
Rest ~30 seconds between each of these mini sets
“At Home” Leg Curl Options:
Hamstring Walkouts (scaled option)
Gliding Leg Curls (with Rings/TRX)
Gliding Leg Curls (with barbell)
Hamstring Curls on Rower
Slider Leg Curls (Slider = skateboard, towel, socks, etc…)
DB Leg Curls
Stability Ball Leg Curls
Rings/TRX Leg Curls
Banded Leg Curls
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E. Alternate x 3 sets each:
First set warm-up
Then two challenging work sets
Overhead DB Sit-ups x 8-12 Reps
+ Superset the FINAL SET ONLY with Reverse Crunches x 10-20 Reps
Rest 1 min
Single-Leg DB Calf Raise x 8-12 Reps/leg
Rest 1 min
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Friday
Upper Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
2-3 Warm-up sets, then:
1 work set x 6-9 Reps (heavier; ~2 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 work set x 9-12 Reps (moderate; ~1 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 work set x 12-15 Reps (lighter; ~to failure)
+ Immediately after Failure on the FINAL SET:
complete 3-4 “attempted partial reps”
(i.e. you try hard as possible to make the rep, but fatigue prohibits you from getting full range of motion)
Alternative Movement you can swap for DB Row (stay consistent week to week):
–Head Supported DB Row
–Chest Supported Cable Row
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B. Superset Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
2 work supersets each (see reps and RIR for each below)
Incline DB Lateral Raise (Behind back) x 10-15 Reps (~1-2 then 1 RIR)
DB Front Raise x 8-12 Reps (~1 then 0 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min
The Incline DB Lateral focuses more on the lengthened range-of-motion by placing the arms behind the body. The Front Raise will therefore be much lighter, given the fatigue carried into the second exercise.
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C. Unweighted Rack Pull-ups
(use a harder or easier variation from below list as needed to meet rep range targets)
1 warm-up set, then:
3 work sets x 10-15 Reps (~3-1-0 RIR)
Rest 2 min between work sets
+ Superset the FINAL SET ONLY with:
Banded Straight-Arm Pulldowns x 12-20 Reps (to failure)
Alternative Movement you can swap for Rack Pullups:
(weighted) Pull-ups
Weighted Rack Pull-ups
Leg in front Rack Pull-ups (no elevation)
Foot-Assisted Pull-ups
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D. Flat Barbell Bench Press
Over 2-4 increasing sets, build to a challenging set of 5-8 Reps (~2 RIR)
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E. Climb as high as Possible in 6 Minutes:
10 Flat Barbell Bench Press @ 60-65% of top weight in Part D
DB Hang Power Cleans x Reps 5-10-15-20 etc… (add 5 reps each round)
(Select a weight where you can make the 10-rep set unbroken and possibly the 15-rep set)
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Saturday – OPTIONAL Conditioning
45-60 Minutes of ZONE 2 Cardio
This can be performed with whatever modality you can do with EFFICIENCY.
For most people, this would likely be optimized with a bike, elliptical, or steep incline walking.
Zone 2 can be completed by rowing OR running (or other modality) however most people are inefficient rowers and runners, and therefore will often find it difficult to stay within the target heart rate zone for ZONE 2.
My views on finding this zone have changed a bit.
In the past, I’ve veered towards relatively crude formulas based on HEART RATE.
Now I tend to simply use RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) as the BEST way to assess ZONE 2.
Take a 12-15 word sentence that you have memorized with a normal speaking cadence (not rushed).
When you believe you are in ZONE 2, speak this sentence. If you can complete it in one breath without having to stop to get air, and without feeling like that sentence caused you to go into a breathing deficit (i.e. you aren’t gasping for air at the end of the sentence), then you are likely in ZONE 2.
Another RPE based assessment of effort is the duration component.
We are performing ZONE 2 workouts for 45-60 min, but we want to select a pace / effort level in which we *COULD* continue at the SAME PACE for 2-3 hours.
This means that when complete your ZONE 2 workout, you are glad it’s over, strictly due to monotony/repetition, and not due to accumulated fatigue.
In fact, you should feel like the session never actually gets harder. The first 10 minutes should feel the most taxing, as you move from doing nothing into Zone 2.
Once you’ve established yourself into Zone 2, each 10-minute period should be exactly as difficult as the prior 10-minute period.
At no point should you think that the workout has increased in difficulty. It just a steady and consistent effort could be repeatable for multiple hours (if needed).
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OTHER FORMULAS:
Well-trained aerobic athlete:
180 minus age = approx. Zone 2 (~75% of Max Heart Rate)
Lifter or non-trained aerobic athlete:
170 minus age = approx. Zone 2 (~65-72% of Max Heart Rate)
*Max Heart Rate can be determined generally with 220 minus age
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