Candito 6 Week Strength Program PDF

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a squat oriented powerlifting program, with high frequency...

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Candito6WeekStrengthProgram CreatedByJonCandito BeforeIgetintotheprogram,I’dliketothankyouforsupportingCanditoTraining. Whetheritisbydonatingorsimplylikingavideo,eachactionhelpsthemissionofadvocating strengthtrainingwithoutgimmickspossible.Nowwiththatsaid,let’sdelveintothemethodology oftheprogram. BasicWeeklySetup Week1MuscularConditioning Week2Hypertrophy Week3LinearMaxOT Week4HeavyWeightAcclimation/Explosiveness Week5IntenseStrengthTraining Week6Deload(optional) NoteThereisanoptiontomaxoutonthe6thweek,whichwillthencallfora7thweektobeaddedasthedeload toendthecycle.

Sothatistheprogrambrokendownintoafocusfromweektoweek.Thisiscalled periodization.Somepeoplesaythatperiodizationisjustforadvancedlifters,butthetruthisthat periodizationisoptimalforbeginnersaswell.Thebenefitfromperiodizingratherthanjustdoing straightsets(5x5),isthatyoupreventweaknessesbeforetheycanbegin.Plateausarebest handledbypreventingtheminthefirstplace!Also,thespecificweightsalongwithvaryingrep rangesgreatlyimprovefocusforbeginners.Youwon’tpsycheyourselfoutbycomparingeach workouttothelasteverysingleweek.Youwillneverbeunsureofwhatweightstouse,whichis oftenthecauseforweeksofnoprogress.Youwillbeonalongtermpathforconsistentgains. Allyouhavetodoisfollowtheplanasformulatedforyou,andjustlifttheweights! Itisalsocrucialtounderstandthateachphaseeffectstheother.Thehypertrophyphase willalsomakeyoumuchstronger.Thestrengthphaseisgoingtobuildmuscleaswell.The factiswithnaturalathletes,strengthandmusclemassgohandinhand.Ifyoufocusonlyonlow repstrengthdevelopment,injuriesaremuchmorelikelytooccur.Andifyoufocusonlyhigh reps,therewillbeagreatdealoftotalbodystimulationbeingmissed.Thisprogramisalsobuilt withthebiggerpictureinmind.Sothetransitionfromeachphaseistakenintoconsideration. SetupWithinWeekUpper/LowerSplit Thisisanextremelyimportantaspectoftheprogram.A5daybodybuildingsplitisNOT optimalfornaturalbodybuilders.Andmostcertainlynotoptimalforathleteslookingtodevelop strength.Upper/lowersplitsallowforagreateremphasisoncompoundmovements,which stimulatesyourbodytoproducemoretestosteronethanisolationexercises.Also,thequalityof eachsetwillbefargreaterinanupper/lowersplit.5daysplitshavefartoomuchvolumeper workout.Bythe18thchestset,howstrongareyoureally?Nowcomparethattoanupper/lower

splitwhereyoucomeinfresh,slam34setsofbenchandmoveon.Thishelpsforinjury preventionaswellbecauseyouwillusebetterformhavingshorter,moregoalorientedworkouts. Theoneadvantagethe5daysplitwouldappeartohaveisvolume,butthentheupper/lowersplit allowsfor23upperdaysaweek.Sothevolumeendsupbeingaboutthesame,ofmuchhigher qualitywork. UpperVsLowerFrequency Thisisanissueyoucan’tsolvethroughresearch.Itonlycomesthroughexperience.I havefoundthattheupperbodycanhandleamuchgreaterfrequencythanthelowerbody.Full bodymovementslikethesquatanddeadliftcanbeverytaxing,notjustonyourCNSbutalso psychologically.Ialwayssaythereisnosuchthingasaneasysquat.SoI’drathersquatwith highintensitythanunderperformwhileusingahighvolume.Nowcomparethefeelingafter squatstothefeelingaftertrainingbiceps,abs,orcalves.Thesmallerrangeofmotion movementstendtobemucheasiertorecoverfrom.Obviouslythebenchpressisstilla compoundmovement,butitisclearthefeelingisentirelydifferentincomparisontoa squat/deadlift. Itisvitaltokeepinmindthatthetradeoffbetweenfrequencyandintensityisalwaysan issuetobalance.Ifyouaregoingtoliftupperbody3timesinoneweek(asthefirstweek requires),thentheintensitysimplycannotbeextremelyhigheveryworkout.Lateroninthe trainingprogram,theupperdaysarespacedoutandonlytwiceaweek.Thisisbecauseafter thebaseofvolumehasbeenbuilt,thehighintensitysessionsrequireadecreaseinvolume (bothdailyandweekly). Nowsomeofyoumayknowthatmanyolympiclifterssquateveryday.Ialwayskeep lowertrainingbetween12timesaweekbecausethewayItrainiswithextremeintensity,and highervolumeperworkout(bothsquatsanddeadliftstogether).Ihaveseenolympiclifterstrain personallyandwasabitsurprisedatthelackofintensitygoingintosquats.Itisjustadifferent mentality.Thisislargelybecausethesquatisanaccessoryliftinolympicweightlifting.Itisjust atooltodeveloptheclean&jerkandsnatch.Alsomuchofthecultureofthesporthasbeen influencedbytoplifterswhotrainwhileusingperformanceenhancingdrugs.Thisallowsfor quickerrecoveryobviously.Thenthelastpointisthatolympicliftersoftenarewillingtoputtheir bodiesontheline.Mytraininghasnotonlyallowedmetosquat3timesmybodyweightwithout theuseofdrugs,butalsocompletelyavoidanyinjurieswhiledoingso. SetupWithinWorkout Theupper/lowersplitallowsforafocusonthemosteffectiveexercises.Thereisno pointinwastingyourtimedoingexerciseswhicharesimplyinferior.Theproblemispeopledo substituteexercisesaddedonforthesakeofvolume.Ifyoucansquatdeep,thereisnopointin doingalegpressafterwards!Thelegpressisjustusefulasasubstituteforifyouhaveabad backforexample.However,aproperaccessorymovementwouldbeinclinechestflys.You maythinkIwouldthinksuchanexerciseissillysinceitwontbuildstrength,butitoffers somethingthebenchpressdoesn’t.Itfocusesontheupperchestandtakesthetricepsoutof

themovement.Soifalifterhasalaggingupperchest,andperhapshistricepsareoverpowering hischest,thenthiscouldbeagreatadditiontotheendofaworkout.Itwouldn’tbeanadequate mainaccessoryhoweverinthisprogram,itwouldbeapossibleoptionalexercise. UpperBodyMainAccessories Youcanseeonthespreadsheet,theprogramcallsfor3additionalrequiredexercisesto thebenchpressforupperbodydays.Youneedtopickanexercisefortheupperback, shoulders,andbiceps.SomeaskwhyIdontemphasizethetricepsifIdosoforthebiceps. Welltheissueisthatyourtricepssimplygetworkedfargreaterinpressingmovementsthan yourbicepsdoinpullingmovements.Ifyouweretodoheavydumbellrows,yourbicepsarenot goingtobeverysore.However,ifyoubenchpressandthendodumbelloverheadpress afterwards,additionaltricepworkwillalmostalwaysbeoverkill.Soretricepscanreallylimitthe nextworkout. These3exerciseswillbedoneeverysingleupperbodyworkout.Becauseofthis,these shouldbeexerciseswhichyouwillbeabletoprogressinovertime. ExamplesofUpperAccessoryMovements Back: 1.DumbbellRow 2.WeightedPullUps 3.Pulldowns 4.MachineRow Shoulders: 1.SeatedDumbbellOverheadPress 2.StandingDumbbellOverheadPress 3.MilitaryPress 4.LateralDumbbellRaises(Isuggestthisasanoptionalexercise). Biceps: 1.Dumbbellcurl 2.BarbellCurl 3.DumbbellHammerCurl 3.EZBarCurl 4.Exercisesinvolvingpulleys/machines(Ialsosuggestthisasanoptionalexercise). NoteThesemovementsarealllistedinorderofoveralleffectiveness.Someexercisesareproventobemore effective(i.e.weightedpullupsbetterthanpulldowns),andothersarerankedbasedonwhatIpersonallypreferfor practicalreasons(i.e.dumbbellrowbeingaboveweightedpullups).Sopickwhichonesworkbestforyou.

OptionalExercises Theoptionalexercisesaremovementswhichareoptionalfromworkouttoworkout.The onlyrequirementforupperbodydaysistodothe4exercises.Theoptionalexercisesare2 spotswhichyoucanthrowinwhateveryoujustwanttoaddforthatparticularworkout.These shouldbemoregearedtowardsisolation.Agreatexamplewastheinclinechestflymentioned earlier.Thesemovementsaren’tnecessarilygoingtoneedtobeimprovedovertime,theyare morejustforaddedvolumeandtomakeupforsomeareaswhichmayneedemphasis.This wouldbeasectionwhichtricepmovementscanbeaddedsincetheintensityislowerandreps arehigher.Thesealsomayactuallyreducesorenessactingasacooldown.Itiscrucialto rememberthatyoucanchangetheseexercisesfromworkouttoworkout.Soyoucan completelyskiptheseandjustdothe4mainmovementsforyourupperdays.Theseare interchangable Examplesofoptionalexercises: 1.LateralDumbbellRaise 2.InclineChestFly 3.OneArmedTricepExtension 4.Bicepcable/machinemovements 5.PreacherCurl 6.Skullscrushers 7.HammerCurl(ifnotusedasmainaccessory) NoteThemostimportantaspectoftheseliftsisthattheyarelowimpact.Thismeanstheywillnotdamage recoverywhendoinglightlyinthe812reprange.Thisiswhyexerciseslikeinclinebenchpressarenotincluded.

LowerBodyWorkoutOptionalExercises Inthisprogram,therearenomainlowerbodyaccessorieswhicharetobedoneeach workout.Thatissimplybecausethesquatanddeadliftwilldeveloptheentirelowerbody. Glutes,quads,hamstrings,evencalvesareallworked.Ihavedevelopedenormouslegsrelative tomybodyfatpercentagebysimplyhavingaminimalistapproachtolegday.Ididnotjust assumethistobetrueeither.Believeme,Ihavetriedeverypossiblelegexerciseforthesakeof volumeaftersquats/deads.AndeverysingletimeItriedthis,Ifoundmyselfwastingtime,andit waseffectingmyfocusgoingintolegday.Itiseasytofeellikeyousucceededif,despite squattingwithouthittingthenumbersyouneed,afteryouworkagoodamountofvolume.Thisis alie!Ifyouarenotincreasingyourperformanceinthegym,youarenotgettingstronger,and youarenotbuildingmuscle.Over90%ofmyworkoutsIsimplesquat,deadliftandleave. Thisisthepartoftheprogramthatallowsforthemostcustomization.Youcanchoose betweenexplosiveaccessoriesforlowerbody,orhypertrophy(bodybuilding)movements. OptionalHypertrophyLegExercises:

1.CalfRaisesOnLegPress 2.Anyotherformofcalfraise. 3.LegCurl 4.LegExtension(canbeusefultorelievekneepainasacooldown) 5.IsolationGluteExercises 6.SingleLegPress 7.SingleLegcurl NoteThesearealltobedoneinthe812reprangejustliketheupperbodyoptionallifts.Alsotheyarenot intendedtobeextremelyintense.

OptionalExplosiveLegExercises: 1.Boxjumps(jumpingfullintensity,needhighbox) 2.JumpSquats(uselowweight,greatifdonerightbutifconfused,don’tdothem) 3.Powercleans(needdecentform,ifunsuresendmeaformcheckvideo) 4.DeepSquatJumps(Simplyjumpingbutdescendingtosquatdepthbeforelaunching) 5.SingleLegBoxJumps 6.MedBallThrows 7.ExplosiveSingleLegPress NoteThisiscrucial.Theseexercisesaretobedonein4repsets.Thisistoensurethattheexercisesare workingexplosivepower,whichrequirespeakperformance.Draggingalonghighrepsbreaksdownformand defeatstheentirepurposeofthesemovements.

SoWhichExercisesShouldIUse,HypertrophyorExplosive? Youhave3simpleoptions. 1.Ifyouareabodybuilder,simplychoosethehypertrophyexercises. 2.Ifyouareanlookingforgeneralstrength,mixandmatch.Youcaneventimeitsothat youperformthehypertrophymovements,onthehypertrophyfocusedweek.Thenmoveto explosiveaccessoriesontheheavystrengthweeksoftheprogram. 3.Ifyouarelookingtoincreaseyourverticalorsprintingspeed,simplestickwiththe explosivemovementsfortheentireprogram. WhatAboutPinSquatsWithWeightAbove1RepMax? ThereisanothertypeofoptionalexercisewhichIdidn’tmentionforthelowerbodydays. ItisunderitsowncategorycalledSupramaximal.Thatmeansyouuseweightthatisabove your1repmaxwhichyoucouldnothandleinafullrangeofmotionsquat.Ifyouareabeginner, don’tworryaboutthis.ThisisreallyoneofthefewtimeswhereIthinkbeginnersandadvanced liftersshouldnotalwaysdothesameexactmovements.Thatisonlybecausehandlingweight aboveyourmaxonpinsquatscanbedangerousifyouarenot100%intunedwithwhatyour bodycanhandle/recoverfrom.

CanIJustSkipTheOptionalExercises? Simpleanswer.Ifyoujustdon’thavethetimeordesiretomotivationfortheoptional exercises,onlydotherequiredlifts.Thatmeansavoidingalloftheoptionalexercisesforboth upperandlowerdays.Trustme,youwillbecompletelyfineandgainatonofstrength regardless.Tobehonest,afterliftingfor8yearsstillstickwithjustthemain4exercisesfor upperand2forlowerinmostofmyworkouts!Theextrasaresimplytoallowforsome customizationtoadjusttheprogramtospecificneeds. CanIChangeThe3MainLifts? Thisprogramisbuiltwiththebench,squat,anddeadliftinmindasthebaseforbuilding rawstrength,power,andmusclemass.Ifyouareabeginneryouabsolutelyneedtohavethese movementsemphasized.Evenifyouareanadvancedlifter,Ihighlysuggestkeepingthe maxliftsasthefoundationoftheprogram. However,ifyouforsomereasonreallydonotwanttobenchordeadliftinthestandard form,youcanmakesomeadjustments. SubstitutionsFortheDeadlift: 1.Youcandoasnatchgripdeadliftinplaceofthestandarddl. 2.Youcanalsoreplacethestandarddlwithadeficitdeadlift(deficitmustbeconsistent throughoutprogram). 3.Youcansimplyignorethedeadliftbeingacorelift,andonlyenterthesquatmaxinto formulatetheworkouts.Thenperformthestiffleggeddeadliftasanoptionalexercise(note,the stiffleggeddeadliftcannotbeusedasanoptionalexerciseifthestandarddeadliftisalsoused). SubstitutionsFortheBenchPress: 1.Youcanusethedumbbellbenchpress.Thiscanbeagreatexercisebuttheissue withitwillcomethedifficultyofhandlinglowrepssincestartingthemovementisalwaysthe hardestpartwithdumbbells. 2.Youcanalsousetheinclinebenchpress.Thiswillemphasizetheupperchestabit more.Idon’tsuggestdoingthistobuildstrength,butifyouareabodybuilderyoucouldcycle thisineverynowandthen. SubstitutionsFortheSquat: 1.What’swrongwithyou?Tryingtoreplacethesquat?Youmightaswellleavemy channelandsubscribetosixpackshortcutsifyouareentertainingthisthought. KeyToTheProgramPsychologicalFactors Thisisoneofthebiggestreasonsthisprogramsimplyworks.Itisnotjustatheoretical concoctioncreatedfromprinciplesalone.No,itismadewiththepsychologyofthelifterinmind. Thatiswhythereisarepmaxoutdayattheendofthefirsttwoweeks.BecauseIknowyouwill

surpriseyourselfeachtimeafterfollowingthehighervolumeworkouts.Andthehighervolume workoutsareintendedtobeverydoablewithoutbeingtooeasy.Soyouwillfeelconfident realizingthatyoucancompletethiscycleanddominateinthegym.Ratherthancomingintrying toincrease5poundseachworkout,strugglingtomaintainformwhilebeingdemotivatedaseach workoutseemstogetharder. Thementalityisalsoahugereasonwhyeachworkoutisshorterthannormal.Mostof themwillonlytake45minutestoanhour.Thereisdebateonwhetheryouseehormonal advantagestoshorterworkouts,wellIsaythatdoesn’tevenmatter!Eventhoughtheshorter workoutsarebetterintheory,Iadvocateforthemnotevenforthatreason.Rather,theysimply arebetterforyourmentalityinthelongrun.Youwillnotbeabletoconsistentlyexerteffortina goalorientedfashion,forhoursonendeveryday.Youwon’tdrasticallybreakdown,orbecome extremelyovertrained.No,therealisticeffectisthatyouwilljuststopbeingasambitiouswith yourlifts.Graduallynotreachingforhugegains.Slowlybecomingaveragelikeeveryoneelsein thegym.Instead,Iwantyoutocomeinthegymonamission.Accomplishthatgoal,feel satisfiedknowingyoudideverythingyouhadtoinordertogetbetter,andcomebacknext workoutexcited! WhatWeightsShouldIUseForAccessories Thispartisuptoyou.Forthe3requiredaccessoriesontheupperdays,Isuggest keepingtheintensityfairlyhigh.Ifthebenchingisextremelyhard,youcangoabiteasieronthe accessories.However,onmostdaysyoushouldbeabletobringtheintensityintoall4lifts. Also,makesureyouaren’tjustusingthesameweightovertheentire6weeks.Youshouldbe progressinginalloftherequiredlifts.Youjusthavemorefreedominhowyougoabout doingit.Ifyouwanttotakethe3rdweekeasyontheaccessories,thereisnoproblem.Just makesureyouaren’tcompletelystagnateontheselifts. Asfarastheoptionalexercises,youdonothavetohavethesamementality.Thesecan bedonejustasacooldownasIpreviouslysaid,orjustforsomeextravolumeincertainweak points.Thatiswhythesetsare812repsandshouldnotbeatanextremelyhighintensity.Only theexplosiveoptionalexercisesforlegdayshouldbedonewithahighintensity.Otherthanthat, youcantaketheseexerciseseasy,getyourpumpon,takesomeselfiesandwatchasyour bicepsbecomeatrendingtopicontwitter. AbTraining Youcantrainabswheneveryouwantinthisprogram,withoneexception.Donottrain absthedaybeforelegday.Thisiscrucialbecauseheavysquatsanddeadliftsrequire immensecorestrength,andifyourabsarenot100%ready,youwillbeatriskofinjury.The lowerbackandabdominalsworktogether.Ifyourabsareextremelysore,theworkloadshifts tooheavilyuponthelowerbackduringtheseheavymovements.

HowShouldIWarmUp? Youwarmupforthelifts,bysimplydoingtheliftswithlightweight.Noneedforanything special.Remember,wewanttogetin,accomplishthegoal,andgetout.Forheavysquats,I suggestdoinga10repwarmupwithextremelylightweight,thenproceedingindoing14rep setstowarmupuntiltheworkingset.Themostcommonmistakeistowarmupusing extremelyhighreps,whichburnoutthelifteranddon’tacclimatethemtoheavyweights. Thewarmupshouldbetheshortest,mostefficientroutepossibletoallowyoutostart theactualworkout.Thestrongeryouget,themorewarmupsetsittypicallytakes. Soforme,Iusuallywarmupforsquatswith135x10,225x4,315x4,375x3,405x2,425x1, thentheworkoutbegins. Forthebenchdayswithhighervolume,youonlyneedtodooneortwowarmupsetsas theworkoutitselfgraduallyincreasesinintensity.Also,ontheaccessoriesthereisalsononeed todomorethanonewarmupset.Itisthedayswhereyouhaveaveryintensesetasthefirst workingset,wherethewarmupmayneedtobeabitextensive. Nutrition Lastbutnotleast,let’sdiscussyourdiet.Believeitornot,thisissueispainfullysimple despitewhatmany“experts”say.Allyouhavetodoisthis. 1.Trackcalories(eatmoretogainweight,lesstolose) 2.Trackproteinintake 3.Eatahighamountofproteinrelativetocalories(Isuggesteatingagramormoreper poundofbodyweight) Thebalanceofcarbstofatsislargelyirrelevant.PersonallyIpreferhighprotein,high carbs,lowfat.Ifindthatthisisbestforenergyandperformanceinthegym.However,Ihave noticedthatthosewhoareabitlessactivetendtogravitatetowardsfats.Everyonehasa preference,butaslongasthecaloriesareonpoint,andtheproteinissufficient,therestwillfall intoplace. Nowyoudon’tevenhavetogothisfar.Idon’ttrackmycalories.Butthatisalso becauseIhaveaverygoodsenseofhowmuchIeatalongwithstillcheckingthecalorieson...