Candito Linear Program Example from lecture one PDF

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This is an example of a strength program, you can find more about candito on his website. The excel sheet he has built is also avaliable....

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CanditoLinearProgramming ByJonnieCandito  Thegoalwiththisprogramistoprovideaverysimplelayoutwithlinearprogression. Thatmeanstheprogramwillnotchangeweektoweek,simplysteadilyincreasingweightwithout alteringothertrainingvariables.Thislackofvariationcanbeusedtoyouradvantageassimplya mentalabreakfrompercentagebasedprogramming,orasanoviceprogramtotakeadvantage ofbeginnergains.However,thereissomevariationwithintheweekfornotjustspecificphysical reasons,butalsoduetothefactthatthepsychologyofalifterplaysahugeroleinhoweffectively strengthcanbedeveloped.   Anotherpurposeforthisprogramistogiveyouamoreflexibleregimen.My6week periodizationprogramdoeshaveamorespecificschedule,andIunderstandthatsomepeople mightnothaveanopportunitytocompleteafullcycleuninterrupted.  AlsoIwanttosaythatwithanyprogramImakeforyou,Ihaveactuallyuseditpriorto comingupwithit.Becauseanyonecanjustcomeupwitharandomprogram,butI’veactually foundthisstyleoftrainingtonotonlybeefficientintheory,butalsoextremelyeffective personally.Thisiswherethosepsychologicalfactorscomeintoplay.AnexampleI’llgiveisthat withallofmyprogramsIkeeplowerbodytrainingtoaveryminimalisticoutline.Evenintermsof frequencysomesay3legsessionsaweekisidealforeveryone.Butthetruthisitjustisn’tthat simple.Yourprogramminghastoputyouinapositionwhereyoucannotonlystimulategrowth viaadequatevolume,butmoreimportantlybeabletofocus100%ofyourenergyintotheheavy lowerbodysessions.Motivationisatrainingvariable.Likeallothervariables,theyare interconnected.Raisethevolume,loading,andfrequencytoohigh?Wellthennotonlyis recovery/riskofinjurynowanissue,butlongtermmotivationisalsodecreased.Mymentality hasalwaysbeenthatsquatsanddeadliftsarenevergoingtobeeasy.I’venoticedthatsquatting 315lbsx10isstilldifficult,eventhoughIcansquat405+lbsx10.Thesebigliftsrequireyouto bementallyready.InoticedwhenIdidjusttrainlegsmoreoftenwithoutasenseofpurpose becauseitisalwaysdifficult,IwasfoolingmyselfintothinkingIwastrainingadequately.YetI wasn’treallyprogressingquickly.WhenIstartedtraining3setsof6repsonsquats,2setsof6 repsondeadlifts,longrestsinbetweensets,focusedonsettingapersonalrecord,thatwas whenIstartedprogressingveryrapidly.Iwentfromsquatting325lbs,to395lbs,to465lbsina periodofabout1.52years.Thiswasdonewithoutbulkingaswell,justgaining1015lbsof bodyweightwhiledecreasingbodyfatpercentage.  Thatdoesn’tmeanthoseexactnumbersofsetsandrepsaremagical,ratheritshows howeffectiveaminimalistsetupcanbe.Ihavesincerefinedmytrainingmethodsintothis linearprogramandthe6weekperiodizationprogram,Ipersonallyneveruseaprogramoutside ofthosetwoformyowntraining.Overall,thisprogramisjustaneffectivewayto implementverysimpleprogrammingforstrength/musculardevelopment. 

3DifferentTemplates  Theentiregoalofthisistofocusonsimplestrengthtraining.Thatiswhythereare3 templates,butallofthemincludethesameexactsetupontheheavystrengthdays.However, eachprogramissetuptomodifythevariationdaystoservedifferentpurposes.Thethree templatesarethestrength/controlprogram,strength/powerprogram,and strength/hypertrophyprogram. 

Strength/Control  Ofall3templates,thissetupisthemainoneI’drecommendforgeneralstrength.Itis alsoidealforbeginners.WhenIsaybeginners,Imeannewtoseriousstrengthtraining.Ifyou haveabsolutelynoexperiencewithliftingingeneral,thenyoumaywanttogiveyourself6 monthsorsotoliftwithlighterweights.Youwillneedtoknowhowtoperformtheliftssafelywith afullrangeofmotionpriortothis.Asabeginneryoulikelywon’tbeveryefficientorconsistent withyourform,butIdon’twantanyonestartingthisprogramwithoutbeingabletoatleast performtheliftswithproperformusinganemptybarbell.   Ianticipatemostpeopleseeingthisprogramwillwanttousethistemplate.Thebeautyin thisformatisthatyouwillnotonlybeliftingwithahighintensitytotakeadvantageofthequick progressionnewliftershave,butalsothepausevariationswillforceyoutostrengthenyourform. NoticehowIsaidstrengthenyourformratherthanlearnproperform.Thatisbecause somethingwhichseemstobedownplayedisthefactthatmaintainingproperformrequiresmore thanskillandevenmobility,italsostrengthinspecificareas.Youmaybeabletosquatdown withyourkneesopeningup,butifyourhipflexors/externalrotators(Igroupthemtogether becausethehipflexorsalsoaidinexternalrotationaswell)areweak,thenoncetheweightgets heavyenoughyourkneeswillcavein.   Thegoalwiththecontroldayistodeveloptheskillofthelifts,increasetimeundertension whichwillhelpbuildmuscle,andincreaseeffectivemobilitybystrengtheningform.Another benefit,whichispossiblythemostsignificant,isthecontroldayallowsforlighterweightstobe usedwithoutdroppingtheoverallintensity.Soyoucantrainyoursquatwithoutworryingabout battlingthesamenumberseveryworkoutwhichmaycausementalbarriers.Thisisn’tjustfor beginners.Pausedliftsareactuallyusedbynotjustbyadvanced,buteveneliteliftersvery often.Sowhileincludingthesevariationscanbeextremelyusefultodevelopformfornovice lifters,itwillalwaysbeeffectivenomattertheexperienceofthelifter.IknowI’llconstantlyuse thisexactsetupfordifferentperiodsofmytraininginthefuture.  Thisprogramfollowsanupper/lowersplit,whichisgenerallygoingtobemoreeffective thana5daybodypartsplitfornaturalathletesintermsofbuildingstrength/muscle.Isuggest upper/lowerratherthanfullbodyroutinessimplybecausethatsetupcanmakeitdifficultto adequatelytraintheentirebodywithoutlosingfocusduetofatigueneartheendoftheworkouts.

Strength/ControlProgram  MondayHeavyLowerDay  Squat3setsx6reps Deadlift2setsx6reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps  TuesdayHeavyUpperDay  BenchPress3setsx6reps PrimaryUpperBackExercise3setsx6reps ShoulderExercise1setx6 UpperBackExercise#21setx6 OptionalExercise3setsx812reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps  ThursdayControlLowerDay  PauseSquat6setsx4reps PauseDeadlifts(pauserightafterweightcomesofffloor)3setsx4reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps  FridayControlUpperDay  SpotoPress6setsx4reps PausePrimaryUpperBackExercise(pauseatfullcontraction)6setsx4reps ShoulderExercise1setx10 UpperBackExercise#2(notpaused)1setx10 OptionalExercise3setsx812reps OptionalExercise3setsx812reps       NoteThesets/repslistedarefortheworkingsets.Thatmeansitdoesnotincludethewarmupsetstobedone priortotheprescribedsets/reps.Also,upperbackexercise#2isaslotforaverticalpull,whilethefirstupperback exerciseshouldbeahorizontalpull(rowingmovement). 

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ProgressionOfLoading  Tostartfortheheavydays,pickaweightyoucanperformfor3straight6repsets withoutanytrouble.Nowthatisn’ttosayyoushouldstartwithanextremelylightweight,just makesurethereisnochanceoffailure.Around7580%ofyour1repmaxisgenerallygoingto bewhereyouwanttobegin.Sosomeonewhobenches225fora1repmax,wouldworkwith anywherefrom170180.  Forthecontrolday,therulesarethesame.Forthe6setsof4reps,makesureyoucan comfortablycompletetheweightyoustartoutwithaswell.Theweightisgoingtobelighterthan yourheavydaysinceyouareperformingsomanysetsandthepausevariationsmakeitmore difficult.Sotypicallyforthepausesquats,pausedeadlifts,spotopresses,andpauseupper backmovements,you’llbeusingaround70%ofyournormal1repmaxinthoselifts.  Nowasfarasprogression,eachweekadd010pounds.NowIknowyourfirstthought isprobablywhyinclude0?Wellthetruthisoftentimesoneofthemainlifts,usuallythebench press,,willdevelopslowerthanthelowerbodyliftsduetolessweight/forcebeinginvolved.This maycauseyoutowanttotaketwoweekstoincreasebythesmallestincrementyourgymhas available(5lbsformostpeopleinstandardgyms).Andalso,sometimesyoumayfeelgreatone week,andwanttothrowon10morepoundsthanlastweek.Thisisverypossibleifyouarea beginner,areonabulk,orarejustusuallynottrainingforstrengthwith100%focusthroughout theyear.Butgenerallyspeaking,addingthesmallestincrement(5lbsformost)eachweekwill bethegoalforeachlift.Overalltheendgoalisthattheheavydayswillbeveryintense sessionswhereyouhavetoput100%ofyourfocusintoeachworkingset.Thefirst coupleweekswillbeeasiertobuildintoit,but  Youmaybethinking,doesthisprogressionapplytothecontroldays?Theanswer isyes,youwanttoprogressinthepausevariationsaswell.Butlikethemainlifts,Ileaveitopen to010poundsbecauseyouneedtolistentoyourbody.Theheavydaysshouldbeintenseafter acoupleweekssooddsareyou’llbefairlysoregoingintothesecontroldays.Soifthatisthe case,thenyoucanadjustbynotraisingtheweightforthecontrolsessiontomatchtheweekly raiseinthenormallifts.Thenfromthereyoucouldstartraisingboththestandardheavyliftsand controlliftsatthesamerateagainwiththediscrepancyincreasedbetweentheheavy/control days.Thecontroldaysshouldbechallengingoverallbutyoushouldneverbeatserious riskofactuallymissingarep.Theheavydaysshouldbewherethelimitsarebeingpushedat thestartoftheweek.  

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AccessoryExercises  Iintentionallywanttoleavetheexercisesbesidesbench,squat,anddeadlifttobeopen foryoutochoose.Fortheshoulder,upperback,andbicepexercisesIsuggestyoupicka movementandstickwithitforatleast4weeks.Soforexampleifyouchoosetouse dumbbellrowsforupperback,stickwithitforatleast4straightweeksratherthanswitching everyweekorso.Bystickingwithamovementitallowsyoutomasteritwhilefocusingon progression.ButthenIalsodon’twantyoutobetoolimited,whichiswhyafter4solidweeks ofdumbbellrowing,thenyoucoulduseanothermovement,likeweightedpullupsforexamplefor theupperbackexercise.   Asfarasprogressiongoesfortheaccessorylifts,itcandependonthelift.Forthe primaryupperbackmovement(horizontalpull),thegoalistoincreaseby010lbseach weekjustlikethebenchpress.GenerallyspeakingfromwhatI’veseen,mosttrainees typicallyareabletoprogressquickerbyasignificantmargininboththebenchandaformofrow incomparisontoashoulderpressandverticalpull.Thatisoneofthereasonswhythevolume isloweronthosemovementsastheyareincludedmoretobalanceoutstrengthdevelopment ratherthanbeingthefoundationofupperbodystrengthintheprogram.Withthisinmind, progressionfortheshoulder/verticalpullexercisesshouldbeat010lbspereach3 weekperiod.Sotorecap,forthemainliftsyou’lltrytoincreaseeveryweekifpossible,buton theselifts,every3weeksbumpuptheweight.   SuggestedExercisesForAccessoryLifts  UpperBackExercise#1Options(horizontalpulls)  1.Dumbbellrow 2.Barbellrow 3.Anymachineupperbackmovement  ShoulderExercises  1.Seateddumbbellpress 2.Standingdumbbellpress 3.Militarypress 4.Seatedbarbellpress 5.Anymachineshouldermovement  UpperBackExercise#2Options(verticalpulls)  1.Weightedpullup 2.Weightedchinup 3.Pulldown 

OptionalExercises  Themainliftsandaccessorymovementsarethefocusofthisprogram.Thegoalisto masterthebasics.However,thatdoesn’tmeanyouhavetoexcludeanyotherexercises altogether.AsIsaidinthebeginningofthiswriteup,thereneedstobeabalancebetween simplicityandplasticitywhenitcomestoprogramming.Theoptionalexercisesallowforyou tonotworryaboutnumberstoomuch,justlift.Italsoallowsforyoutoadjustbasedonhow youarefeelingforthatparticularday,youcanchangewhichoptionalmovementsyou choosefromoneworkouttothenext.Havesomeshoulderimbalancescausingdiscomfort? Wellthenthrowinsomelightexternalexercisesalongwithareardeltmovement.Simplyhaving thisflexibilitywithintheprogramwillhelpmentallyaswell.Ifyouwanttojustpumpyourselfup withsomelateralraisesforyourdelts,ormaybewantsometricepisolationthenyoucanworkit in.Thesemovementscanbeeitherisolationorcompoundlifts.AlsonotethatareasonI don’tincludedirecttricepworkisbecausethepressingmovementstaxthetricepstoagreat extent,usuallyextratricepworkcanimpederecovery.Onpullingmovementsthisusuallywon’t bethecasebecausethebicepsarerarelyactuallythelimitingfactorofabackmovementasthe tricepscanbeinapressingexercise.Sothatiswhydirectbicepworkisincludedinthe accessorylifts,whiletricepsarelefttotheoptionalexercises.   ExamplesofOptionalExercises(notlimitedtothislist)

 UpperBody  1.Reardeltfly 2.Triceppushdown 3.Closegripbench 4.Extremelystrictdumbbellcurl 5.Inclinecablefly 6.Inclinedumbbellpress 7.Lateralraises 8.Facepulls 9.“Looseform”dbbicepcurls 10.Barbellbicepcurls  LowerBody  1.LegPress 2.Hamstringcurls 3.Frontsquats(performedwithrelativelylightweight) 4.StiffLeggedDeadlift 5.Singleleggedlegpress 6.Overheadsquats 7.SnatchGripDeadlift  NoteTheseareinnoparticularorder.Justalistofsomeexercisesthatcouldfitwellintotheprogram.

ResettingAfterHittingFailure  Sincethisisalinearprogram,andyouarepushingyourselfontheheavydays,youwill eventuallyhitapointwhereyoumissaweight.Oncethishappens,droptheweightby15 poundsforthenextweek.Thatisjustforaparticularlifttoo.Soifyoujustmissasquatset butareabletostilldeadliftthe2setsfor6repseach,thenkeepthedeadliftprogressionthe sameasyoudropthesquatweight.Fluctuationsofliftsareverycommonandifyoutrytohold backallofyourliftsforthesakeofbeing“even”,thenyouwillessentiallyholdyourselfbacktothe weakestlink.Generallytheweaklinkwillcomeupinduetimeanyway,sothereisnoneedto forceit.  Nowonceyouhavehadtoresettheweight3timesonalift,thenyouneedto startprogressingevery2weeks.Thiswilllikelytakeyoualongtimetoevenreachthispointif youareabeginner,butifyoudo,thenallowingforslowerprogressionisthebestwaytohandle thissituation.Also,ifyouarestartingasamoreexperiencedlifter,youmaywanttoconsider takingthisapproachfromthestart.Ipersonallyprefertogivemybench2weeksattimesto progressbutevennowatmystrength,Iamstillcomfortablebumpinguptheweightweekto weekinthesquatanddeadliftforshortperiodsoftime.Ifyoufailmorethan3times progressingevery2weeks,thenthatiswhyyouneedtotakeabreakfromtheprogram. ThiswouldbewhenIrecommendmy6weekperiodizationprogram.Youcanactuallyuseboth oftheseverywellbyusingthe6weekcycletotakeabreakfromthislinearprogram.Fromthere Igenerallysuggestyourun3straight6weekcyclesifyoucan,butalsoyoucanalternate betweenthetwohoweveryouseefit.  

WarmingUp  Allofthesetslistedarenotincludingwarmupsets.Whenitcomestowarmingupyou canuseothermovementsifyou’dlike,buttherequirementistosimplytakethetimetogradually increaseweightwiththemovementitself.Checkonmychannel“HeavyLowerBodyWorkout (everyrep/set)”foranexampleofhowIwarmup.Yourwarmupwilllikelynottakeaslongas mineifyourworkingsetsaresomewhereinthe200300poundrange.Ifyoudohavesomejoint soreness,itwillbeagoodideatothrowinsomeextrawarmupdrills. 

Diet  ForthisprogramallthatIaskisthatyouareeatingatleastatmaintenancecaloriesand aregettinganadequateamountofprotein.However,Ifyouareabove15%bodyfatbya considerableamount,thenyouwillstillbeabletogainstrengthwhilegraduallylosingweight.But ifyouarerelativelylean,Idon’twantyoutobulkintoobesity,ratherjustgraduallygain weight/strength.Youcanalsosimplyrecomponthis,whichisusuallywhatIpersonallyam doing.Isuggestinmy6weekprogramtoeat3scoops(2535grams)ofwheyproteinadayfor thosewhodon’twanttometiculouslytrackmacronutrients.Thatguidelineapplieshereaswell. 

Thebrandofwheyproteindoesn’tmatteraslongasithasenoughgramsperservingso youaren’tbeingshortchanged.Thengetsomecheapmonohydratecreatineifyou’dlike.I personallydon’tuseitasitdoesnothingforme,butscientificresearchhasrepeatedlyshownit canbeveryeffectiveformanypeople.Boththewheyproteinandcreatineareverycheap relativelyspeaking.Apreworkoutmighthelpmentallybutisabsolutelynotanecessity.  

RestInBetweenSets  Thisisoneofthemostcommonlyoverlookedissueswhenitcomestostrengthtraining. Ifyouarenotrestingenoughinbetweensets,thenyouwillnotbeabletoprogress.Youneed fullrestinbetweensetstoensureyouareabletocompletetheworkouts.Thisusually meansanywherefrom310minutesinbetweeneachworkingset.Ihavehadtimeswhereafull 15minuteswasneededsojustmakesureyouarerestinghoweverlongyouneedtobe100% focusedforthenextset.Forthecontrolsessionsyoulikelywillonlyneedaround3minutesin betweensetstofullyrecoverastheweight/intensitywon’tbequiteashighastheheavydays. Theonlyexceptionstothisruleofallowingforfullrecoveryaretheoptionalexercises.While performingthosemovementsyoucanrestshorterintentionallytoincreasetheintensitywhile usinglighterweights.ThatisactuallyusuallywhatIrecommend,havingjust12minutesin betweensets.   Ifyouwanttomakeyourworkoutsshorter,youcansupersetupperbody movements.NowIdon’tmeanthatyoushouldbench,thenimmediatelystartyourback movement.Ratherstillgiveyourselfsometimeinbetween,justalternatebetweenthe movementstoallowtheworkouttogoquickerwithoutcompromisingrecoveryforaparticularlift. Soforagivenupperbodyworkoutsupersetbench/back,shoulder/curl,andthenthetwooptional movements.Youdon’thavetodothisifitisn’tconvenientforyouatyourgymorifyousimply don’tpreferit,butasIsaiditisjustawaytomakethetrainingsessionsabitmoreefficientin termsoftimemanagement.Thiswillworkwellonupperbodylifts,butofcoursethiswillnotbe agoodideawhenitcomestosquats/deadlifts.  

Strength/Power  AsIpreviouslyexplain,chancesaremostofyouwillprimarilywanttousethe strength/controlprogram.Thisversion’sstrengthdayisthesame,actuallytheonlydifferencein thisprogramisthelowerbodyvariationday.Insteadofcontrolitisfocusedondeveloping explosiveness.Thiscan...