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This is Week 4 of the SECOND MESOCYCLE in the Intensity over Volume cycle. Please read the linked Blog to learn more about the current programming.
This is the FINAL WEEK BEFORE DELOAD, so we will look to push sets to 0-1 failure (unless specified otherwise). This will provide you a tangible assessment of effort in the weeks leading up to now. It will also provide you a metric to try and “exceed” during the final week of the next mesocycle.
In general, it makes sense to begin each mesocycle with slightly less perceived effort, leaving room to build week to week. The ultimate goal is to progress perceived difficulty week to week so that the FINAL week of the mesocycle (before deload) is the most challenging.
We will usually look to begin each “week 1” of a new mesocycle with ~2-3 RIR (Reps in Reserve) for COMPOUND movements, and 1-2 RIR for ISOLATION movements, unless stated otherwise.
Add weight or reps week to week so that you end up at 0-1 RIR in the week 4 (just prior to DELOAD).
RIR Example:
If you complete a set of 8 Reps with 2 RIR, this means you *COULD* have completed 10 reps
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Day 1 – Lower Body (Quad Dominant)
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track these metrics
A. Heels Elevated Pause Squat
(with BARBELL or Safety Squat Bar)
***Important to understand that this is NOT an equivalent movement to the standard back squat. Starting weights should be around 50% of what you would use for similar reps of a standard squat.
This is a QUAD priority movement, where the objective is to keep an upright torso and drive the knees forward as much as possible during the descent. Also avoid letting knees “shoot back” during ascent.
Build to ONE TOP SET of 6-10 Reps
Rest a few minutes
Then complete backoff set of 10-15 Reps
+ Superset the FINAL SET ONLY with:
Front Foot Elevated DB Reverse Lunge x 10-16 Reps (5-8/leg)
(quad focus; as much “knee over toe” as possible at the bottom of each rep)
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B. “At Home” Leg Extension Variation of choice (options below)
(select movement and stay consistent week to week)
Continue progression from prior week
***In subsequent weeks, whenever the TOP FEEDER SET hits 20 reps, add difficulty to all sets the following week
One Top Feeder set of 12-20 Reps to 1-2 RIR
Rest 30-45s
Complete another tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
Rest 30-45s
Complete a final tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
At Home Leg Extension Variations:
Sissy Squat (weighted as needed)
Scaled Sissy Squat
Bodyweight Leg Extension / Reverse Nordics
Scaled BW Leg Ext / Reverse Nodics – Band-assisted
Scaled BW Leg Ext / Reverse Nodics – Hand-assisted
DB Leg Extensions
Banded Leg Extensions
Inverted Leg Extensions (banded for added difficulty)
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C. Single Leg DB RDL (video options below)
Build to a challenging TOP set for 8-12 Reps per leg
Rest 1-2+ min between legs to ensure full recovery
Then complete ONE additional set per leg (same weight)
+ ONLY For this SECOND work set, superset EACH LEG with:
Single Leg Banded Hamstring Curl x 10-20 Reps
(take this banded set to legit failure, till you can no longer curl the band without momentum)
Single-Leg RDL Options (ordered by increasing difficulty)
Hand-supported
B-stance
Unsupported (DB in one hand)
Unsupported (one DB per hand)
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D. 2 Rounds:
Decline or GHD Sit-ups (weighted as desired) x 8-12 Reps
Superset Decline Lying Leg Raises OR (ADV on GHD (extra stretch) x 8-12 Reps
Rest 1-2 min
Weighted Toe Walks x 50 steps (25/leg)
Superset Standing Calf Raises (BW only) (use deficit as feasible) x 10-20 Reps
Rest 1-2 min
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Day 2 – Upper Body (Chest/Back Dominant)
Part A, B and C repeat week to week. Track these metrics
A. Alternate Movements:
FOR BOTH EXERCISES:
Build to ONE TOP SET of 6-10 Reps
Then complete backoff set of 10-15 Reps
Incline DB Bench Press (pause bottom)
Rest 2 min
Prone DB Row OR Helms Row OR “Head Supported” Row
(select Row based on comfort, and stay consistent week to week)
Rest 2 min
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B. Rack Pull-ups (options below)
(select movement and stay consistent week to week)
Continue progression from prior week
***In subsequent weeks, whenever the TOP FEEDER SET hits 15 reps, add difficulty to all sets the following week
One Top Feeder set of 10-15 Reps to approx. 1-2 RIR
Rest 30-45s
Complete another tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
Rest 30-45s
Complete a final tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
Rack Pull-ups arranged from HARDEST to EASIEST:
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. Push-ups (options below)
(select movement and stay consistent week to week)
Continue progression from prior week
***In subsequent weeks, whenever the TOP FEEDER SET hits 15 reps, add difficulty to all sets the following week
One Top Feeder set of 10-15 Reps to approx. 1-2 RIR
Rest 30-45s
Complete another tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
Rest 30-45s
Complete a final tough set to approx. 0-1 RIR (same weight/difficulty)
Push-ups arranged from HARDEST to EASIEST:
Deep Deficit Push-ups on Parallettes or DB handles (weight vest as needed)
Ring Push-ups (weight vest as needed)
Standard “level ground” push-ups
Hands-Elevated “scaled” push-ups (elevate more to scale further)
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D. Superset Movements x 2 sets each:
Both are work sets. Feel free to take 1-2 warm-up sets prior to prepare
Seated DB Overhead Press x 6-12 Reps
Bentover Barbell Face Pulls x 15-20 Reps
Rest 2 min
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E. At the Top of Every Minute x 5 Minutes, complete:
Standing Barbell Curls x Reps 10-9-8-7-6
(Start with 10 Reps on first minute, and decrease 1 rep each minute)
Use approx 12-rep weight (so 2 reps shy of failure on the 10-rep set)
Keep the same weight for all sets
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F. Banded Pushdowns
4 Sets:
Start with a set of 15-20 Reps unbroken
Use the same resistance for all sets, and expect reps to drop due to short rest
Rest 30s between each set
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Day 3 – REST DAY
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Day 4 – Lower Body (Hamstring/Glute Dominant)
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track these metrics
A. Hip Banded BARBELL RDL or TRAP BAR RDL
(last cycle we did this with DB’s for higher reps. Now we will do it heavier with a barbell)
Build to ONE TOP SET of 6-10 Reps
Rest a few minutes
Then complete backoff set of 10-15 Reps
+ Superset the FINAL SET ONLY with:
“At Home” Leg Curl Variation of choice (options below) x 10-20 Reps (approx. 0-1 RIR)
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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Continue progressing from prior week.
In subsequent weeks, increase weight for ALL SETS, when the FINAL SET of 8 Reps has a solid 1 RIR
6 sets of 8 Reps
Rest only 30s between sets
***Even though the ROM is SHORTER than a HIP THRUST, this movement is usually done MUCH LIGHTER than a thrust. The intention is to AVOID the thrust motion; instead SQUEEZE into extension!
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C. Alternate Movements x 2 “work sets” each:
Complete 2-3 increasing difficulty warm-up sets to prepare for the TOP LOADS each
First work set 6-10 Reps
Second set backoff lighter weight for 10-15 Reps
Weighted Hip Extensions (angled or flat)
Rest 1-2 min
Hand Supported DB Reverse Lunge (same leg)
Rest 1-2 min between legs, and 1-2 min before returning to Hip Extensions
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D. Landmine Hack Squat
Over 2-3 increasing difficulty warm-up sets, complete ONE TOP SET of 12-15 Reps
+ stand at the top of rep with bar on shoulder, and take 5 deep breaths (approx. 15s)
Then complete one additional challenging set (goal for 4-7 reps)
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E. As Many Rounds as Possible in 5 Min:
Climb as high as possible in Reps 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 etc….
Barbell Sit-ups
Leg Raises (with barbell held at lockout) (Reverse Barbell Sit-ups)
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Day 5 – Upper Body (Shoulder/Arm Dominant)
Part A and B repeat week to week. Track these metrics
A. One Arm DB Overhead Press (hand-supported)
Build to ONE TOP SET of 6-10 Reps per arm
Then complete backoff set of 10-15 reps per arm
Rest 2 min BETWEEN ARMS on all work sets
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B. Alternate Movements x 3 sets each:
Keep the same weight for all 3 working sets.
Push to 0-1 RIR this week on FINAL SET (usually 1-2 RIR)
Incline Barbell “Nose Crushers” x 8-12 Reps
Rest 1-2 min
Prone DB Lateral Raises x 10-15 Reps
Rest 1-2 min
Prone DB Spider “Hammer” Curls OR Preacher DB “Hammer” Curls x 8-12 Reps
(select movement and stay consistent week to week)
Rest 1-2 min
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C. One-Arm DB Rows (lat focus, see cues in video description)
Over 2-3 increasing difficulty warm-up sets, build to One top set of 10-12 Reps per arm
(rest 1-2 min between arms of top set)
Rest a few min
Then complete 4-5 sets of 4-6 Reps PER ARM (same weight as 10-12 rep top set)
Try to rest mostly while the opposite arm is working
The first few sets will feel super easy and you can focus on perfect movement pattern
Then it will become quite challenging by the final couple sets (due to accumulated fatigue)
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D. Superset Movements x 2 “work sets” each:
Complete 1-2 increasing difficulty warm-up sets prior
DB Fly (pause at stretch) x 10-15 Reps
Flat Barbell Bench Press x 6-12 Reps
Rest 2-3 min
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E. Bentover Reverse Flies (rear delts)
3 x 15-25 Reps with 30-45s rest between sets
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F. Leaning DB Curl
Quickly find One top set of 12-15 Reps per arm
Rest a few min
Then complete 4-5 sets of 6-8 Reps PER ARM (same weight as 12-15 rep top set)
Try to rest mostly while the opposite arm is working
The first few sets will feel super easy and you can focus on perfect movement pattern
Then it will become quite challenging by the final couple sets (due to accumulated fatigue)
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Day 6 – OPTIONAL Conditioning Day
A. As Many Rounds as Possible in 3 min (Rest 2 min) x 3 Rounds:
300/250m Row (male/female) OR 16 Shuttle Runs (30 feet “there and back” = 2 reps)
12 DB Thrusters
8 Burpee Pull-ups (highest bar possible)
Max distance Row or Shuttle Runs in remaining time
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B. Hill Sprints
Find a hill that will take you 15-20 seconds of hard effort
**Can also use a longer hill and just stop short of the full length
***Any form of “incline” is better than a flat surface, even if it’s subtle
50% effort x 1 set
80% effort x 1 set
95-100% effort x 3 sets
+ Walk 10-20 min cooldown
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Day 7 – REST
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