Ed Coans 8 week strength program

[Sackett]

I decided instead of an upper lower routine I would follow an eight week strength routine by Ed Coan in an old Flex Magazine laying around the gym. It says you can expect to add at least 30 lbs to each major lift. I liked the way it looked for the most part but I am tweaking it a bit.


For Squat Day I will not do leg extensions because they actually bother my knees and I actually enjoy doing walking lunges. I will add ab work to Tuesday and Friday. I will do chin-ups instead of pull-ups on Dead lift Day and move the standing calf raises to Thursday. On Assistance Day I am going to make Military presses the first lift and follow the same progression that goes along with the other core lifts, do away with Bent dumbbell raises because I feel they get enough work on Back Day, do triceps extensions instead of press downs and do barbell curls instead of alternating dumbbell curls.

Has anyone done this program? What do you think about the changes I made?

This is the orginal program (The changed version is below):

MONDAY: SQUAT DAY

Barbell squats 3x10
Leg presses 3x10
Walking lunges 3X50 feet
Or leg extensions 3x 10
Lying leg curls 3X10 reps
Seated calf raises 4X10 reps

TUESDAY: BENCH DAY

Bench presses 3x10
Incline bench presses 3x10
Dips 3x 10
Dumbbell flyes 3x 10

THURSDAY: DEAD LIFT DAY

Dead lifts 3x10
Bent barbell rows 3x 10
Wide-grip pull ups 3x 10
Stiff-leg dead lifts 2x 10 standing an a 2" block
Shrugs 3x 10

FRIDAY: ASSISTANCE DAY

Close-grip bench presses 2x 15-12 (warm-ups) 3x 10 (working sets)
Military presses 3x 10
Dumbbell lateral raises 3x 10
Bent dumbbell raises 3x 10
Cable push downs3x10
Alternating dumbbell curls
Standing calf raises 4x 10

WARM UP INSTRUCTIONS FOR SQUATS, BENCH PRESS, AND DEAD LIFTS

Warm up at least 5-10 minutes doing light cardio
(First warm-up) 1x10 at about 45% of working sets
(Second warm-up) 1x5 at about 65% of working sets
(Third warm-up) 1x3 at about 85% of working sets
(Fourth warm-up) 1x1 at about 90% of working sets

PROGRESSION INSTRUCTIONS

* Week 1 Do 10 reps for each working set of the core lifts (squats, bench presses and dead lifts) and 10 reps per set for assistance movements (as shown at left).

* Weeks 2-3 Increase the weights you're using and do eight reps per working set for the core lifts. Continue to perform 10 reps per set for the assistance exercises.

* Weeks 4-5 Increase the weights and do five reps for each working set of the core lifts. Drop your reps per set to eight for the assistance moves.

* Weeks 6-7 Increase the weight each week and do three repetitions for each working set of the core lifts. Assistance exercises remain at eight reps per set.

* Week 8 Increase the weight for squats, bench presses and dead lifts to the maximum that you believe you can lift for one rep.

Modified version following the same progression:

MONDAY: SQUAT DAY

Barbell squats 3x10
Leg presses 3x10
Walking lunges 3X50 feet
Lying leg curls 3X10 reps
Seated calf raises 4X10 reps

TUESDAY: BENCH DAY

Bench presses 3x10
Incline bench presses 3x10
Dips 3x 10
Dumbbell flyes 3x 10
Reverse Crunch 3 x 15-20
Crunch 3 x 15-20


THURSDAY: DEAD LIFT DAY

Dead lifts 3x10
Bent barbell rows 3x 10
Chin-ups 3x 10
Stiff-leg dead lifts 2x 10 standing an a 2" block
Shrugs 3x 10
Standing calf raises 4x 10

FRIDAY: ASSISTANCE DAY

Military presses 3x10
Dumbbell lateral raises 3x10
Close-grip bench presses 3x10
Tricep extensions 3x10
Barbell curls
Reverse Crunch 3 x 15-20
Crunch 3 x 15-20

[Crusier]

I think there was a thread about him a week or two back. You may find it by searching.

[baker]

Looks solid. Is this percentage based like the 5x5 program?

[egoatdoor]

I think the routine has way too many exercises and too many B S movements to be called a true strength training routine. Its a bodybuilding routine trying to be dressed up as something else.

I'm surprised Ed Coan's name is attached to it. Be aware that what is in the magazines is not necessarily the truth, especially if it is a bodybuilding magazine publishing an article about a powerlifter. Flex may have doctored the routine for its own purposes. A well known writer in the bodybuilding mags who posts on another board has discussed some of the magazine routine fraud like this that happens.

If Ed put that routine in a powerlifting publication, I think he'd be laughed at.

[baker]

I think the routine has way too many exercises and too many B S movements to be called a true strength training routine. Its a bodybuilding routine trying to be dressed up as something else.

You must have missed the Flex Magazine part, lol. I'm a little surprised Ed would have someone doing this many assistance movements when cycling down to Max Effort lifts. I'd say start dropping them in week 4.

[egoatdoor]

You must have missed the Flex Magazine part, lol. .

I was trying be nice. Flex is the king for publishing overtraining routines.

[egoatdoor]

I went out on the Internet and found this article outlining an Ed Coan bench press routine. Its not dated so I do not know how current it is.

http://www.impulseadventure.com/weights/bench-coan.html

The light bench day which seems to coincide with the Friday routine in Flex minus the shoulder movements( which here on done a separate day, Thursday) is much more abbreviated.

I think the Flex routine has far too much volume. A 5x5, with only 3 days in the gym a week (benches and squats are done all 3 days and deadlifts once or twice) and only a few assistance movements would be a lot more effective IMO.

[Crusier]

I went out on the Internet and found this article outlining an Ed Coan bench press routine. Its not dated so I do not know how current it is.

http://www.impulseadventure.com/weights/bench-coan.html

The light bench day which seems to coincide with the Friday routine in Flex minus the shoulder movements( which here on done a separate day, Thursday) is much more abbreviated.

I think the Flex routine has far too much volume. A 5x5, with only 3 days in the gym a week (benches and squats are done all 3 days and deadlifts once or twice) and only a few assistance movements would be a lot more effective IMO.

I am a newbie and still learning and doing Rippetoes program. My question is after reading these responses and other articles is how many sets and reps can a routine have before it is considered high volumn. One of these days and years I am going to want to move on to other program but I want to do it right and not fall into the trap of jumping on any routine that looks good.

[Sackett]

I picked this routine because I had been doing Starting Strength for awhile and wanted a change. I also felt that my body needed a break from full body training three days a week that why the split. Also to be honest I would like to look a little bit more like a body builder. If this routine is too much volumn could someone post a split that works each major body part once a week.

Thanks

[Nikonguy]

It's funny that most powerlifters log workouts as reps x sets. Reading this program it looks like a lot of sets of triples but I'm sure that's not what they mean.

It doesn't suck but I'd have to drop some of the assistance work.

[egoatdoor]

I picked this routine because I had been doing Starting Strength for awhile and wanted a change. I also felt that my body needed a break from full body training three days a week that why the split. Also to be honest I would like to look a little bit more like a body builder. If this routine is too much volumn could someone post a split that works each major body part once a week.

In that context, then maybe a change to a routine like this would be beneficial for you. But be aware that "looking like a bodybuilder" is not just a function of routine, but DIET, REST and to some extent cardio also. There are many people in the gyms who miss out on this part of the equation and they just continously spin their wheels.

Since you have done the work, I would stick with the plan you have, but wind down a bit on the volume. At 50 years old, you and I can't the volume of young pups and even experienced lifters like Coan who also have training as a full time pursuit and do not have real jobs and other things pulling on their time.

I decided instead of an upper lower routine I would follow an eight week strength routine by Ed Coan in an old Flex Magazine laying around the gym. It says you can expect to add at least 30 lbs to each major lift. I liked the way it looked for the most part but I am tweaking it a bit.

Modified version following the same progression:

MONDAY: SQUAT DAY

Barbell squats 3x10
Leg presses 3x10
Walking lunges 3X50 feet
Lying leg curls 3X10 reps
Seated calf raises 4X10 reps

TUESDAY: BENCH DAY

Bench presses 3x10
Incline bench presses 3x10
Dips 3x 10
Dumbbell flyes 3x 10
Reverse Crunch 3 x 15-20
Crunch 3 x 15-20


THURSDAY: DEAD LIFT DAY

Dead lifts 3x10
Bent barbell rows 3x 10
Chin-ups 3x 10
Stiff-leg dead lifts 2x 10 standing an a 2" block
Shrugs 3x 10
Standing calf raises 4x 10

FRIDAY: ASSISTANCE DAY

Military presses 3x10
Dumbbell lateral raises 3x10
Close-grip bench presses 3x10
Tricep extensions 3x10
Barbell curls
Reverse Crunch 3 x 15-20
Crunch 3 x 15-20

My suggestions:

Chest Day: Either eliminate flyes or do flyes and eliminate the incline bench presses.

Deadlift Day: Doing stiff deadlifts after doing regular deads plus bent rows in the same workout may be too much for the lower back to handle. See how it goes. If it is, I would either eliminate them or move them to squat day in place of either walking lunges or leg presses. You may also need the energy for the shrugs. In my current 5x5 routine, my day 3 workout is squat, bench, standing military and then shrugs. Doing shrugs after all this is really wearing me out.

Assistance Day: Its a personal bias, but I don't think side laterals belong in any strength training program. Use the energy on the triceps movements instead. Those are going to help build strength which can then be used to increase the poundages on your presses.