Intermediate/Advanced Routine - Revision 1

[Kelei]

Hmmm, most other sources say anything over 85% of 1 RM will recruit all fibers from the first rep. 3RM is news to me but I'm not spending months/years on end researching this stuff like you! I do agree though that the 8-12 range seems to be optimal for achieving balance between tension/fatigue/volume while also being easier on the body. There has to be reason most bodybuilders gravitate towards that rep range. I know from experience that just doing a couple heavy sets of 5 can wipe me out for days after and lifting like that soon takes it's toll on my joints.

Having said that, surely there is other things to consider than just constantly using the same rep range? What about the repeated bout effect (each time you use the same load it becomes less effective for hypertrophy)? Not a problem for a newb who can make constant linear progression but for someone like me who can take a week or two to add one rep it seems like I'm using the same load for months on most exercises. In that case wouldn't it be better to keep adding weight to the bar and lowering the rep range like HST or is that just a deloading/diet issue?

Recruitment isn't the only thing that needs to be considered, firing frequency is also important. Let's say there are 100 motor units in a muscle:

- A 20% load might recruit motor units 1-30 but only motor units 1-10 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 50% load might recruit motor units 1-70 but only motor units 1-40 are firing at maximal frequency
- An 85% load might recruit motor units 1-100 but only motor units 1-70 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 100% load might recruit motor units 1-100 and all motor units (1-100) are firing at maximal frequency

So as you can see not only are lower threshold motor units recruited earlier but they also reach their maximal firing frequency earlier. An 85% load might recruit all available motor units but the highest threshold motor units won't be working very hard initially, they won't be firing at maximal frequency until the last 2-3 reps of a set.

The repeated bout effect doesn't work the way you think it does.

Adding weight to the bar by lifting heavier weights for less reps isn't really progress, you're not necessarily getting stronger, you're simply reducing your RM which allows you to lift more weight.

Only beginners can add another rep every week, I think you're being unrealistic.

10 reps with 200 pounds gives an estimated 1RM of 267 pounds, 11 reps with 200 pounds gives an estimated 1RM of 277 pounds. In order to add a single extra rep you'd need to increase your estimated 1RM by 11 pounds. Unless you're a beginner this definitely isn't going to happen in a single week, the more advanced you are the longer it'll take to add another rep.

Just because you've been stuck at the same weight/reps for several weeks doesn't mean you're not making progress:

Week 1: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 267)
Week 2: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 269)
Week 3: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 271)
Week 4: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 273)
Week 5: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 275)
Week 6: 200 x 11 (estimated 1RM of 277)

So even if it takes 5 weeks to add a single rep you'e still adding 2 pounds per week to your estimated 1RM, over an entire year that's 104 pounds which is definitely nothing to sneeze at.

I don't want to hear people complaining about only being able to add an extra rep every few weeks, it's perfectly normal. It takes a long time (5 years minimum) to build an impressive physique, some of you are simply expecting too much too soon.

Considering that you might need to add up to 4 reps before you increase the weight on the bar it's possible that you might be lifting the same weight/load for quite a long while (we're talking months, not weeks).

Patience, it's all about patience, this is the most important lesson I can teach you all.

[tbone1973]

Recruitment isn't the only thing that needs to be considered, firing frequency is also important. Let's say there are 100 motor units in a muscle:

- A 20% load might recruit motor units 1-30 but only motor units 1-10 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 50% load might recruit motor units 1-70 but only motor units 1-40 are firing at maximal frequency
- An 85% load might recruit motor units 1-100 but only motor units 1-70 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 100% load might recruit motor units 1-100 and all motor units (1-100) are firing at maximal frequency

So as you can see not only are lower threshold motor units recruited earlier but they also reach their maximal firing frequency earlier. An 85% load might recruit all available motor units but the highest threshold motor units won't be working very hard initially, they won't be firing at maximal frequency until the last 2-3 reps of a set.

The repeated bout effect doesn't work the way you think it does.

Adding weight to the bar by lifting heavier weights for less reps isn't really progress, you're not necessarily getting stronger, you're simply reducing your RM which allows you to lift more weight.

Only beginners can add another rep every week, I think you're being unrealistic.

10 reps with 200 pounds gives a estimated 1RM of 267 pounds, 11 reps with 200 pounds gives an estimated 1RM of 277 pounds. In order to add a single extra rep you'd need to increase your estimated 1RM by 11 pounds. Unless you're a beginner this definitely isn't going to happen in a single week, the more advanced you are the longer it'll take to add another rep.

Just because you've been stuck at the same weight/reps for several weeks doesn't mean you're not making progress:

Week 1: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 267)
Week 2: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 269)
Week 3: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 271)
Week 4: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 273)
Week 5: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 275)
Week 6: 200 x 11 (estimated 1RM of 277)

So even if it takes 5 weeks to add a single rep you'e still adding 2 pounds per week to your estimated 1RM, over an entire year that's 104 pounds which is definitely nothing to sneeze at.

I don't want to hear people complaining about only being able to add an extra rep every few weeks, it's perfectly normal. It takes a long time (5 years minimum) to build an impressive physique, some of you are simply expecting too much too soon.

Considering that you might need to add up to 4 reps before you increase the weight on the bar it's possible that you might be lifting the same weight/load for quite a long while (we're talking months, not weeks).

Patience, it's all about patience, this is the most important lesson I can teach you all.

Thanks for this Kelei. It explains why I could bench 225X10 in June and on some days in September struggled for 8. Was blaming it on genetic limitations and/or over training. In your opinion does it make sense that if I was using 225 for the flat bench under the old program that I now use 205 for the slightly inclined bench for the new revised workout?

[bubba289]

The right direction? I know the strap goes under first then you just twist it like a motorcycle handle. I've only used them for 2 lifts (first time using straps) so i'm definitely a noob at them. They work great on pronated exercises, especially weighted pull ups. My gym has really fat bars and the chin ups are especially hard since its a smooth fat bar.

Can you explain how I could maybe be wrapping them in the wrong direction? Is it suppose to go over the bar first since i'm switching it?

Well, the strap has to wrap in the opposite direction your hand is encircling the bar so that they pull against eachother. Lets use overhanded and underhanded BB rows for an example. With overhand, your hand will go over the "front" of the bar, and the strap will wrap around the back side so that your hand and the strap are pulling in different directions (same concept as an over/under grip). Now with underhanded BB rows, your hands will go on the "back" of the bar and the strap will go around the "front". If you wrap the strap in the same direction as your hand is encircling the bar the straps help exactly zero.

That's probably a sh.t job of explaining it but if it's still not clear I'll just take pictures and show you visually.

I mean yeah I could do farmers walks and mimic the set times to match the straight set/rest pause setup and I remember Kelei saying people's forearms aren't big because they simply aren't lifting heavy enough weight yet but I'm Unsure to whether or not that applies to using straps or not.

As far as the belt goes I'm just curious as to whether or not it has any preventative measures against a back injury.

Even Kelei is using them on RDL's, not sure about chins and stuff though. I actually only use them on RDL's, BB shrugs and chest supported DB rows. On chest supported DB rows it's not because the weight is heavy and I can't grip it, it's just because I feel the exercise way more in my upper back when I take my arms out of the equation. Trust me man the first time you do chin ups, pull ups or some kind of row with straps you'll be blown away at how much more you can feel it in your back than without them. Are you using a double overhand grip on RDL's? I never liked an alternate grip on them cuz it seemed like it caused me to curve my spine slightly to one side. If you're using a double overhand grip, you're probably never going to get the kind of grip strength necessary to lets say do 365x10 on RDL's...hell even double overhanding 315x10 would be a stretch IMO. I still say there are plenty of ways to compensate for the lack of forearm training from using straps, and no way to compensate for the lack of training on your large muscle groups from not using them.

The belt will definitely help protect against lower back injuries. It causes greater intra-abdominal pressure which protects the spine. The argument against using them all the time and for higher rep stuff is that you'll end up with a weak core and lower back because it's doing half the work for you in stabilizing your spine.

[ThatOneLurker]

Well, the strap has to wrap in the opposite direction your hand is encircling the bar so that they pull against eachother. Lets use overhanded and underhanded BB rows for an example. With overhand, your hand will go over the "front" of the bar, and the strap will wrap around the back side so that your hand and the strap are pulling in different directions (same concept as an over/under grip). Now with underhanded BB rows, your hands will go on the "back" of the bar and the strap will go around the "front". If you wrap the strap in the same direction as your hand is encircling the bar the straps help exactly zero.

That's probably a sh.t job of explaining it but if it's still not clear I'll just take pictures and show you visually.



Even Kelei is using them on RDL's, not sure about chins and stuff though. I actually only use them on RDL's, BB shrugs and chest supported DB rows. On chest supported DB rows it's not because the weight is heavy and I can't grip it, it's just because I feel the exercise way more in my upper back when I take my arms out of the equation. Trust me man the first time you do chin ups, pull ups or some kind of row with straps you'll be blown away at how much more you can feel it in your back than without them. Are you using a double overhand grip on RDL's? I never liked an alternate grip on them cuz it seemed like it caused me to curve my spine slightly to one side. If you're using a double overhand grip, you're probably never going to get the kind of grip strength necessary to lets say do 365x10 on RDL's...hell even double overhanding 315x10 would be a stretch IMO. I still say there are plenty of ways to compensate for the lack of forearm training from using straps, and no way to compensate for the lack of training on your large muscle groups from not using them.

The belt will definitely help protect against lower back injuries. It causes greater intra-abdominal pressure which protects the spine. The argument against using them all the time and for higher rep stuff is that you'll end up with a weak core and lower back because it's doing half the work for you in stabilizing your spine.

Well my grip is never a limiting factor on anything except weighted pull ups so I may opt for them on that exercise. Thanks man I'll give them a shot on pull ups for now.

[DravenCarey]

What do you guys do to hold the weight for weighted chins/pull ups/dips? Just toss a dumb bell between your legs (that's what im currently doing) or are you guys using a dip belt. If you guys are using a dip belt how helpful are they? Also, I'm looking for some cheap-ish straps if anyone has an old pair

[64509chvl]

What do you guys do to hold the weight for weighted chins/pull ups/dips? Just toss a dumb bell between your legs (that's what im currently doing) or are you guys using a dip belt. If you guys are using a dip belt how helpful are they? Also, I'm looking for some cheap-ish straps if anyone has an old pair

Dip belt...love it!

[OfTheHill]

What do you guys do to hold the weight for weighted chins/pull ups/dips? Just toss a dumb bell between your legs (that's what im currently doing) or are you guys using a dip belt. If you guys are using a dip belt how helpful are they? Also, I'm looking for some cheap-ish straps if anyone has an old pair

I use a simple backpack wirh weights in it.
For dips it hangs on my back.
For chin/pull ups it hangs in front of me. It's more comfortable this way.

[Clintw1976]

What do you guys do to hold the weight for weighted chins/pull ups/dips? Just toss a dumb bell between your legs (that's what im currently doing) or are you guys using a dip belt. If you guys are using a dip belt how helpful are they? Also, I'm looking for some cheap-ish straps if anyone has an old pair

Dip belts are the way to go and they're cheap.

[CollegiateTRACK]

What do you guys do to hold the weight for weighted chins/pull ups/dips? Just toss a dumb bell between your legs (that's what im currently doing) or are you guys using a dip belt. If you guys are using a dip belt how helpful are they? Also, I'm looking for some cheap-ish straps if anyone has an old pair

ATM, I use a deadlifting belt and attach a chain to it. 2 birds with one stone IMO. although it sometimes hurts my hips..especially with 60+ lbs attached

[ready_to_learn]

Starting this today! After researching Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy I kind of stumbled on to Kelei's routines! Was on the last rotation for about roughly 4-5 weeks and loved it!

[cfrs123]

Awesome. I've been doing this for about a year

I think the 30 reps will create explosive power instead of lean muscle in excited. Still at 15 percent bf I will post transformation pics at ten percent

I'm gonna finish with legs on Wednesday and start this! Can't wait!

[dexdizzle]

Recruitment isn't the only thing that needs to be considered, firing frequency is also important. Let's say there are 100 motor units in a muscle:

- A 20% load might recruit motor units 1-30 but only motor units 1-10 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 50% load might recruit motor units 1-70 but only motor units 1-40 are firing at maximal frequency
- An 85% load might recruit motor units 1-100 but only motor units 1-70 are firing at maximal frequency
- A 100% load might recruit motor units 1-100 and all motor units (1-100) are firing at maximal frequency

So as you can see not only are lower threshold motor units recruited earlier but they also reach their maximal firing frequency earlier. An 85% load might recruit all available motor units but the highest threshold motor units won't be working very hard initially, they won't be firing at maximal frequency until the last 2-3 reps of a set.

The repeated bout effect doesn't work the way you think it does.

Adding weight to the bar by lifting heavier weights for less reps isn't really progress, you're not necessarily getting stronger, you're simply reducing your RM which allows you to lift more weight.

Only beginners can add another rep every week, I think you're being unrealistic.

10 reps with 200 pounds gives an estimated 1RM of 267 pounds, 11 reps with 200 pounds gives an estimated 1RM of 277 pounds. In order to add a single extra rep you'd need to increase your estimated 1RM by 11 pounds. Unless you're a beginner this definitely isn't going to happen in a single week, the more advanced you are the longer it'll take to add another rep.

Just because you've been stuck at the same weight/reps for several weeks doesn't mean you're not making progress:

Week 1: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 267)
Week 2: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 269)
Week 3: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 271)
Week 4: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 273)
Week 5: 200 x 10 (estimated 1RM of 275)
Week 6: 200 x 11 (estimated 1RM of 277)

So even if it takes 5 weeks to add a single rep you'e still adding 2 pounds per week to your estimated 1RM, over an entire year that's 104 pounds which is definitely nothing to sneeze at.

I don't want to hear people complaining about only being able to add an extra rep every few weeks, it's perfectly normal. It takes a long time (5 years minimum) to build an impressive physique, some of you are simply expecting too much too soon.

Considering that you might need to add up to 4 reps before you increase the weight on the bar it's possible that you might be lifting the same weight/load for quite a long while (we're talking months, not weeks).

Patience, it's all about patience, this is the most important lesson I can teach you all.

What do you think is the optimal body fat % for most people to make gains at?

[mattj15]

315 for effing 12!!! I'm ecstatic right now. Since the revision rdl's have went from 285 to 315. Thank you kelei for the gains!

There will be video next time!

[AD1984]

During transverse abduction movements your shoulder is externally rotated when the back of your hand/palm is facing in the same direction as the line of pull, so for example during reverse dumbbell flyes the back of your hands/palms should be facing the ceiling in the top position, during face pulls the backs of your hands/palms should be facing directly behind you in the fully contracted position.

I'm trying to figure out what you mean by back of the hands facing behind you for face pulls. All the variations that I know end up with the back of the hands facing either upwards or in front (when using a neutral grip).

[AD1984]

Impressive numbers, congratulations. How long are you training with Kelei type routines? (I remember you were in the first times of the old thread, but since I read all of it in a few days I have no time perspective)

Thank you. About 14 months now.

Tfw me and you are using the exact same FS/RDL weights

We're all gonna make it, man.

Are your injuries all healed up now?

Wtf at you doing glute bridges with 275! I'm just now up to 295x15 and I'm 90lbs heaver than you and a guy. And RDL's with 205? Posterior of the gods?

lol It's probably because I've incorporated them sooner than you have, so I had more time to progress. They used to be at 285, but I've lost strength and size, so I'm working my way back to that.

This made me lol. Does it matter what types of foods you eat or more just the quantity? I can definitely tell a difference between my appearance/feel in a fasted state versus within a couple hours after I ate a decent sized meal.

It's a combination of both I'd say. Sometimes it's just the sheer volume of the food consumed, sometimes it's foods that aren't digested properly, and sometimes it's a mystery. The worst bloating for me was when I did a parasite cleanse, that wiped everything in my stomach, the good and the bad. I tried the Bio-K in that dark period (and by dark I mean drinking a whole bottle of magnesium citrate without it having any effect and baby dolls became tight fitting lol). It was the only thing that worked for me then. Now just taking probiotics regularly seems to keep the bloating at bay.

FS & RDL's are sick. Your pulling seems to have improved also. I see you put back up an Avi. Does that mean we can expect to see you around a little more?

I hope so, jay I'm back to working 2 jobs, I try to make the most of my free time. This thread is so fast though, you blink and you miss a ton of posts.

[AD1984]

Provided you're not at the advanced stage of development, do straps limit forearm development in the long run?

I remember reading that gloves would and so I never trained with gloves. I assumed the same for straps and have avoided them for that Same reason. I'm curious to if this is the case though. I have 6 inch wrists with 12-13 inch forearms. I don't want to short change my forearm development lol.

I don't see how gloves would limit forearm development in any way. They're just a flimsy layer of protection for the palms, even the ones who have wrist support are garbage, for proper wrist support you need wrist wraps.

My wrists are 6.5 and my forearms are 10.5. No matter how bad you think you have it, there's always someone worse off than you.

[ThatOneLurker]

I don't see how gloves would limit forearm development in any way. They're just a flimsy layer of protection for the palms, even the ones who have wrist support are garbage, for proper wrist support you need wrist wraps.

My wrists are 6.5 and my forearms are 10.5. No matter how bad you think you have it, there's always someone worse off than you.

Heh.

I will be exclusively using straps for weighted pull ups. That's about it.

My RDL's don't warrant them.. yet and my grip isn't an issue on anything except weighted pull ups but they did the trick today.

We're all gonna make it, man.

Are your injuries all healed up now?



l

Elbows are healed for the most part.

Left knee is still a little inflamed so I'm watching that.

Right anterior delt was aggravated 2 weeks ago but it looks to be almost healed.


So I'll be performing my first set of flat benching 2x per week and that's about it for chest work until it's good to go again.

[Finnegan Bell]

Guys , what's the substitute of Dips ? It really hurts my elbow. I was thinking of Incline DB flies. Is it ok ?

[Kelei]

What do you think is the optimal body fat % for most people to make gains at?

8-12% is a good range for a male, there's no reason to ever exceed 12% body fat.

Guys , what's the substitute of Dips ? It really hurts my elbow. I was thinking of Incline DB flies. Is it ok ?

Flat bench press.

[VicRattlehead]

Recruitment isn't the only thing that needs to be considered, firing frequency is also important....

Patience, it's all about patience, this is the most important lesson I can teach you all.[/b]

Damn, I have to spread reputation around You really need to get your own website/book going man. Thanks for taking the time to hash that out.

[gingersgym]

8-12% is a good range for a male, there's no reason to ever exceed 12% body fat.

i always end up at 15-20% when bulking :/

feel as if i make faster strength progress then but guess its probably not optimal in the long run

about to finish my cut in 2 weeks and sitting at 8-10%, how would you suggest i transition?

was going to do it as slow as poss but not sure at how much weight to be looking at gaining, want to try and lean bulk rather than look to gain 1lb a week like i did last time.

[Effrum]

i always end up at 15-20% when bulking :/

feel as if i make faster strength progress then but guess its probably not optimal in the long run

about to finish my cut in 2 weeks and sitting at 8-10%, how would you suggest i transition?

was going to do it as slow as poss but not sure at how much weight to be looking at gaining, want to try and lean bulk rather than look to gain 1lb a week like i did last time.

I ended up at 20% after my last bulk as well, so I know what you mean. You're probably better at it than me though, I tend to go too ham on stuff I should be avoiding.

I know Kelei has often suggested 5lb bulk/recomp cycles. So you'd eat your way up 5lbs, then recomp until you lean back out to 8-10%. This'll help keep your bf% from blowing up as you gain mass. Once I finish my next cut I hope to start doing this as well.

[gingersgym]

I ended up at 20% after my last bulk as well, so I know what you mean. You're probably better at it than me though, I tend to go too ham on stuff I should be avoiding.

I know Kelei has often suggested 5lb bulk/recomp cycles. So you'd eat your way up 5lbs, then recomp until you lean back out to 8-10%. This'll help keep your bf% from blowing up as you gain mass. Once I finish my next cut I hope to start doing this as well.

yeh iv seen that, i just can't stick the recoup part as I'm a bit impatient, i either like to be gaining weight or loosing it else i don't feel as though I'm going anywhere

i lifted for 2 years when i was 15-17 and ate at maintenance and done nothing but gain neural strength adaptions, literally no size gains were seen.

and after that when i bulked with an attempt to make the scale weight move i blew up quite easy so that put me off recomps really as i done that for 2 years and got no where haha

[Effrum]

yeh iv seen that, i just can't stick the recoup part as I'm a bit impatient, i either like to be gaining weight or loosing it else i don't feel as though I'm going anywhere

i lifted for 2 years when i was 15-17 and ate at maintenance and done nothing but gain neural strength adaptions, literally no size gains were seen.

and after that when i bulked with an attempt to make the scale weight move i blew up quite easy so that put me off recomps really as i done that for 2 years and got no where haha

Yeah, everyone responds differently. It sounds like you and I are a bit similar, when we're eating correctly, our bodies have no trouble gaining/losing weight. I'm actually attempting to recomp right now, just to see how it goes, but I know it's not as effective as it could be since I'm still letting myself go out and do stuff with friends on the weekends haha. I'll give myself until new years then I'm going to just buckle down and cut my way down to where I need to be. I'll probably try at least 1 good 5 lb bulk/recomp cycle like Kelei suggests just to see if it works for me, and if not I'll go back to bulking and cutting.

As far as clean bulking and a weight gain to aim for, Kelei has said that looking to gain .5 lbs a week is optimal, since 1 lb a week will likely add on too much fat.

[ctprelude]

It's a combination of both I'd say. Sometimes it's just the sheer volume of the food consumed, sometimes it's foods that aren't digested properly, and sometimes it's a mystery. The worst bloating for me was when I did a parasite cleanse, that wiped everything in my stomach, the good and the bad. I tried the Bio-K in that dark period (and by dark I mean drinking a whole bottle of magnesium citrate without it having any effect and baby dolls became tight fitting lol). It was the only thing that worked for me then. Now just taking probiotics regularly seems to keep the bloating at bay.

Haha yikes! Can't say I've ever done any of those various cleanses, and I'm not sure I could talk myself into trying it unless I was having some type of issue. I eat basically the same thing everyday though, so I'm sure that probably helps. It was tough when I first started really upping my calories by quite a bit. First time I'd ever not looked forward to eating!

[swedalex]

Hi! Thinking about hopping on this routine. I workout at home and since my equipment is limited I'm not able to do every exercise, namely Seated rows, Rope pressdowns and Leg extensions. What would be the appropriate sub for these exercises? I've figured out leg curls, I'm just gonna do GHRs instead.

Thankful for any answer.

[Effrum]

Hi! Thinking about hopping on this routine. I workout at home and since my equipment is limited I'm not able to do every exercise, namely Seated rows, Rope pressdowns and Leg extensions. What would be the appropriate sub for these exercises? I've figured out leg curls, I'm just gonna do GHRs instead.

Thankful for any answer.

You can do inverted rows as a sub for seated rows, and if I remember correctly you can do tricep dips instead of pressdowns (keep your body straight instead of leaning, so it uses triceps more instead of chest). For leg extensions I've heard people recommend lunges.

[Effrum]

Flat bench press.

Sorry to keep bugging you Kelei, but I have another question about dips/bench. I've been doing the revised routine for 2 weeks now and I've noticed that dips seem to put a lot of strain around my sternum (I feel like the muscle on the left side of the sternum - my left that is - is getting pulled/strained). It wasn't too bad at first, but I've noticed that I can still feel that same strain even outside the gym so I'm a little concerned.

I plan to keep doing dips for a while longer to see if it's just a matter of my body adjusting, but I'm already doing flat bench in place of the 15-degree incline bench since my gym doesn't have a barbell bench at the right angle - so if I end up needing to replace dips because of pain around my sternum, would I just do flat bench on both days? Or in this case would it be acceptable to go back to a 30 degree incline bench so that I'm doing flat + incline?

Sorry everyone for the double post - I just wanted to hit 50 .

[klaximilian]

I freaking love the hell out of this new program. Work up a solid sweat in less than 10 minutes and I always leave the gym feeling entirely worked. Full-body pumps FTW.

Hoping to see some good gains on this, as I only have 3 months left of solid bulking.

[ThatOneLurker]

Sorry to keep bugging you Kelei, but I have another question about dips/bench. I've been doing the revised routine for 2 weeks now and I've noticed that dips seem to put a lot of strain around my sternum (I feel like the muscle on the left side of the sternum - my left that is - is getting pulled/strained). It wasn't too bad at first, but I've noticed that I can still feel that same strain even outside the gym so I'm a little concerned.

I plan to keep doing dips for a while longer to see if it's just a matter of my body adjusting, but I'm already doing flat bench in place of the 15-degree incline bench since my gym doesn't have a barbell bench at the right angle - so if I end up needing to replace dips because of pain around my sternum, would I just do flat bench on both days? Or in this case would it be acceptable to go back to a 30 degree incline bench so that I'm doing flat + incline?

Sorry everyone for the double post - I just wanted to hit 50 .

Incline DB bench. I'm sure your gym has an adjustable bench by the DB rack. Put that up to 15 degrees and perform DB benching.