BFS - Got som Q's (Yes, Iv already searched) - REPS

[monatu]

<--- Currently on Bill Starr's 5x5, looking to do BFS after im done with the 5x5. I play rugby, I lift for sports. I will be doing BFS in-season (its 6 months long, I have to lift in season or I make a lot less progress over a year).

Ok. Here go the Q's on Bigger,Faster,Stronger. I will only be doing the weights component of it.

So its:

Wk 1: 3x3
Wk 2: 5x5
Wk 3: 5,4,3,2,1
Wk 4: 10,8,6

With week 1, I assume those are straight sets? (3 sets, 3 reps, constant weight), so I just chuck one or two light warmup sets in quickly before that (although that then turns it into a sort of ramping 5x5...)

Week 2 - The 5x5 ramps or is it a constant weight?

Week 3 - Should the 5/4/3/2/1 be maxes? Ie - 5rm, 4rm, 3rm, 2rm, 1rm or should it only get really tricky with the last 1 or 2 sets when im doing 2 or 1 reps?

Also, how customisable is this? I know with say for instance, Bill Starr's 5x5 he advises you not to change it all - can I change the auxillary lifts up a bit? Also how important is the Towel Bench, would swapping that for maybe Overhead Barbell Press be ok (programm seems to lack shoulder work)

I was thinking maybe:

Monday: Front Squat, Military Press
Auxillay's - Leg Curls, Db Curls, Barbell Rows, Dips (If I have a dip attachment by then), 1 other

Wednesday: Deadlifts, Hang Clean
Auxillary's - Incline db Bench, Shrugs, Cgbp (for tri's), Pullup's (if i have a chinup bar by then), 1 other

Friday: Flat Bench, Back Squat
Auxillary's - Ez Bar Curls, Db Lateral Raise, Stiff leg Deadlifts, 2 others

Ill post the original program below so you can contrast, (just looks to me like alot of the auxillary lifts arent that great on the original)



Original Program


Week 1: 3x3
Week 2: 5x5
Week 3: 5-4-3-2-1
Week 4: 10-8-6
Week 5: repeat over at Week 1

Auxillary lifts: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps

Stretch everyday for 10 minutes and twice on workout days

Monday: Front Squat or Box and Towel bench or incline
Auxillaries choose 5: Str. Leg DL, Glute-Ham machine, DB jump squats, Neck, Power Snatch, Leg curls, DB Flyes, DB flat press

Tuesday: Box jumping plyos, sprint work, anything else you feel wil help you to succeed

Wednesday: Hex Bar DL and Power or Hang Clean
Auxillaries: Barbell Lunges, Jerk Press, Leg Ext., wide grip pullups, Skullbashers, Tri. Pushdown, overhead tri. ext.

Thursday: same as tuesday

Friday: Parralel Squat and Bench Press
Auxillaries: Str. Leg DL, Glute-Ham machine, Neck, balance snatches, calf excercses, barbell curl, DB incline curl

[tman0307]

What are you thinking for auxillaries? I wouldnt remove towel bench, use the OH press as an auxillary, or maybe do clean and jerks on mondays to try to get in more of that shoulder work. Instead of the leg curls, do the SLDL's. More olympic lifts are a good place to start as well.

For the weights though, you ramp up the weight each set, its not constant. And on the 5-4-3-2-1 week, you max out on the "1" set

[monatu]

oh ok thanks for clearing that up about the ramping sets
for auxilarry's I was thinking of the ones I listed, I coulndt think of 5 so I just listed 4.
If the towel bench is very important it will stay i spose

[pvdude]

We did this in hs. It works really good. Do you have the cd with the program on it? If you do then just enter the maxes and itll tell you what to lift.

[monatu]

nah I dont, i live in Australia and it would be a huge pain in the ass/costly to get the book and the whole package sent over, and thers no way of getting all the info free :/

So, on the 3x3 week - They ramp as well? Warmup sets before that?

[SecondSucks]

Week 1- 3x3 with your weight increasing each set. And remember last set is 3+ so shoot for more than 3 but no more than ten.

Week2-5x5, again weight increasing and last set 5+.

Week 3- 5,3,1+ inseason may be dif. but our school always used that instaed of 5,4,3,2,1. But same thing goes as week 1 and 2

Week 4- is the same but 6+, and the sets and reps for power cleans are 4-4-2+, but no more than 5 on last set.

All your aux. look fine to me. The workout u posted as the "Original Program" looks like over kill with all those aux. You should only have 4-6 aux. and our school uses 2x10 but i dont see any prob. with 2-3 sets of 10-12. Like pvdude said its a lot easier with the computer program, but if you dont have it just make sure you increase your weight after each set and once you complete the 4 weeks and start over your weights should be higher than the previous 4 weeks.

[SecondSucks]

nah I dont, i live in Australia and it would be a huge pain in the ass/costly to get the book and the whole package sent over, and thers no way of getting all the info free :/

So, on the 3x3 week - They ramp as well? Warmup sets before that?

Just do some bodyweight exercises for warmups. Our warm up before we start is 10 squats, push-ups, lunges, step-ups and then we do the dot drill. Dot drill is a good exercise to get the blood flowin and work on your footwork.

[tman0307]

Yep. Include a couple of warmup sets, then the first actual set is like 80 percent of your 1rm. Then you ramp up from there

[monatu]

Sweet thanks heaps man
reps
answered all my Q's


EDITl: Last Q, does working to failure on the last set burn you out after a few weeks or is it not so much of an issue as people make out? (iv never had trouble really going to failure but some people swear by not going to failure)

[SecondSucks]

always try and work 'til failure on the last set. i've never felt that burn out feeling. But if you want you could prob. do the 4 week program and and take a week off or lighten the weights up alil before hitting them hard again.

[monatu]

Also say on the last set of 3x3 or the last set of 5x5 - Should the weight be light enough so we can actually get more reps than 3/5 but less than 10? Or should it be so heavy that those 3/5 reps are the most we could do, maybe 1 more.

[SecondSucks]

If you have the program fine tuned and ur using the right weights your last set should be near that rep max. so if ur on ur 5+ you should be able to be get atleast 5, but shoot for 6-7 and see how you feel. Do you have any spotters? I find that i push myself the hardest when i have spotters becuase i know i'm going to go 'til failure and that im not goin to injure myself.

[tman0307]

I thought the last set was supposed to be balls-to-the-walls and if you got more reps, you adjust the percentages higher?

[SecondSucks]

The last set is balls to the wall but it should be with a weight that you can go balls to the wall to achieve 5 if 5+. You can go more if u have some spotter help.

[dantheman04]

thsi may sound stupid but whats a towel bench?

[tman0307]

its kind of like a 2 board press but with a rolled up towel on your chest

[SecondSucks]

thsi may sound stupid but whats a towel bench?

You just go about 2-3 inches above your chest before pressing up. Its supposed to help with explosiveness and sticking points during your reg. bench.

[monatu]

You just go about 2-3 inches above your chest before pressing up. Its supposed to help with explosiveness and sticking points during your reg. bench.

Second you seem to understand this program really well, is the towel bench fairly integral in the program for helping with normal Bench Press progression or would subbing it for Overhead Barbell press be ok?

[SecondSucks]

Your towel bench should be at a higher weight and when you come down you barely touch the towel before exploding up. so the way i see it is most ppl have their sticking problems on bench when they're about 4-6 inches above their chest so with the towel bench you basically start around the sticking point and push through it. But its totally up to you. You can do OBP one week and towel the next or towel 4 weeks OBP the next four. Just play around with it and see what gets you the best results.