Beginner Powerbuilding Routine

[rkeck515]

Hey grouchyjarhead if im coming off a few months off due to an injury abd my lifts werent all that high would you recommend this or how do you feel about doing a tb mass protocol template?

[Cleveland33]

effing burned out on presses on Monday - couldn't even get the sixth rep of the final set. Had hit 7 reps on the fourth set the previous session. I'm blaming lack of food on Monday.

[Doyoueven2020]

What if you have established training under you. Say two years of consistent training. Would this work for me? Could I do it four times a week?

[grouchyjarhead]

Hey grouchyjarhead if im coming off a few months off due to an injury abd my lifts werent all that high would you recommend this or how do you feel about doing a tb mass protocol template?

Sorry I missed this. If your lifts weren’t very high to begin with continue using linear progression as long as you can.

[grouchyjarhead]

effing burned out on presses on Monday - couldn't even get the sixth rep of the final set. Had hit 7 reps on the fourth set the previous session. I'm blaming lack of food on Monday.

Lack of food will do it. Some of my worst workouts were because I was hungry.

[grouchyjarhead]

What if you have established training under you. Say two years of consistent training. Would this work for me? Could I do it four times a week?

If you want four times a week and have been lifting for over two years, try the intermediate power building routine.

[easye7]

Starting this today after some time out of the gym. Intend to run it as written for at least 8 weeks, but question re chins. They have always been a problem for me, partially just due to weight vs strengths and partially due to a skin issue on my hands that makes them particularly painful.

I don't want to avoid something as good as chins just because they are hard, but I can literally only do like 1-2 tops right now. Just stick with the program? Or should I alter it somehow to get those rep #s up?


Edit:

Did the A workout today, minus the chins because I had to set up my account with new gym and I'm on pretty strict time limits. That said, very fun! Went easy on my lifts but my legs are jelly. Looking forward to watching my strength come back and crush some AMRAPs

[easye7]

Day 2 in the books, press and deads felt great, still keeping it relatively light though. Heavy pulldown is new for me so took a bit to fine the right weight.

I think I'm gonna need to sub Kroc rows though. This thing with my hands (eczema probably) makes them extremely painful. Was thinking of subbing either the barbell row or Meadows row from here - https://www.t-nation.com/training/mo...untain-dog-way

Which I've done before and really dug. Thoughts? Know I shouldn't be tinkering but this isn't just "mehh Kroc rows are hard", it's like knives in my hand.

[grouchyjarhead]

Starting this today after some time out of the gym. Intend to run it as written for at least 8 weeks, but question re chins. They have always been a problem for me, partially just due to weight vs strengths and partially due to a skin issue on my hands that makes them particularly painful.

I don't want to avoid something as good as chins just because they are hard, but I can literally only do like 1-2 tops right now. Just stick with the program? Or should I alter it somehow to get those rep #s up?


Edit:

Did the A workout today, minus the chins because I had to set up my account with new gym and I'm on pretty strict time limits. That said, very fun! Went easy on my lifts but my legs are jelly. Looking forward to watching my strength come back and crush some AMRAPs

Do gloves help at all? How does it feel deadlifting?

[easye7]

Do gloves help at all? How does it feel deadlifting?

Deadlifting was fine. I wasn't going very heavy though.

I haven't tried gloves in some time and I've never tried straps. It may have just been that these were less-used dumbbells, whereas the barbell was worn down more. But it would be very annoying to progress weights while trying to avoid certain sets lol

I'll give it another shot next go around though .

[PCKM]

This program looks awesome. I'm starting to burn out on linear PPL after eight months, and the dual focus on power and hypertrophy here is sexy af.

Have there been any recorded results for this program (esp. for late beginners)? Like before/after pics or journals.
Just started posting on the forums this morning so pardon me if I'm out of my depth here.

[Cleveland33]

ok - I fell off at the beginning of June and need to get back on it. Before falling off, no missed targets on bench, squat, or deads. Pull downs I missed once but was probably close to needing a reset. Presses I missed twice (not in a row) and was at the point where they were always heavy/grinding sets and 7 reps was never a given. Rows I reset a few times mainly for form.

So two months off - how far back should I reset weights, if at all? I'm leaning around 20% because I am looking at this as long term and have no reason to rush but would like Grouchy's opinion

[easye7]

So did chins today as part of the A routine for the first time, I could only do 3-2-2. Any suggestions on how I can run chins to get those numbers up? Maybe include them at the end of both workouts until I'm doing higher reps?

[FPS75]

Day 2 in the books, press and deads felt great, still keeping it relatively light though. Heavy pulldown is new for me so took a bit to fine the right weight.

I think I'm gonna need to sub Kroc rows though. This thing with my hands (eczema probably) makes them extremely painful. Was thinking of subbing either the barbell row or Meadows row from here - https://www.t-nation.com/training/mo...untain-dog-way

Which I've done before and really dug. Thoughts? Know I shouldn't be tinkering but this isn't just "mehh Kroc rows are hard", it's like knives in my hand.

Staph infection? Did you go to dermatologist?

[jnatale3]

Wow.

[GrouchyUSMC]

grouchyjarhead here. Long story short, thought I reset my password, sure didn't, and can't recover my account as it's on an old email address. Whatever. Here's my new one. I'll try to catch up as I can to those who I used to follow/help out.

This program looks awesome. I'm starting to burn out on linear PPL after eight months, and the dual focus on power and hypertrophy here is sexy af.

Have there been any recorded results for this program (esp. for late beginners)? Like before/after pics or journals.
Just started posting on the forums this morning so pardon me if I'm out of my depth here.

Throughout the thread I discuss the results of a few guys who ran the program before I published it on here. Realistic strength and size gains but they had fun doing it which is what it's all about.

[GrouchyUSMC]

ok - I fell off at the beginning of June and need to get back on it. Before falling off, no missed targets on bench, squat, or deads. Pull downs I missed once but was probably close to needing a reset. Presses I missed twice (not in a row) and was at the point where they were always heavy/grinding sets and 7 reps was never a given. Rows I reset a few times mainly for form.

So two months off - how far back should I reset weights, if at all? I'm leaning around 20% because I am looking at this as long term and have no reason to rush but would like Grouchy's opinion

20% is a good call. You have the right mindset - long term progress is more important than short term ego stroking.

[GrouchyUSMC]

So did chins today as part of the A routine for the first time, I could only do 3-2-2. Any suggestions on how I can run chins to get those numbers up? Maybe include them at the end of both workouts until I'm doing higher reps?

Try the rep goal approach. If you're doing 3-2-2, aim for a total of 10 reps per workout. Do as many sets as it takes to get to 10 reps. Once you can hit 10 reps in two sets (e.g. 6 and 4), then bump it up to 15 or do your three AMRAP sets again.

[IronFortified]

This thread is packed with great information.

Powerbuilding has kept me in the iron game for the last 40 years. As a natural lifter, I get the best results with a two days per week training schedule and have always been that way - even in my teens and 20's. It's enough time to recover from one workout and get fired up for the next. There is so much to consider for successfully building size and strength, it can be overwhelming.

Proper exercise execution is a huge factor for growth, and took me years to fully understand. For example, if you want to grow your chest, don't bench press like a powerlifter. They belly-bench to limit the range of motion and emphasize the triceps in the movement.

Study the old-school big benchers like Pat Casey and Ted Arcidi and you will see that they had massive chests to go along with their impressive bench numbers. They utilized proper leverages, which in turn maximized muscle recruitment, and they reaped big rewards of their efforts.

Another key to success is consistency. Dial-in a solid program and stick to it. Also, eat consistent and sleep consistent - two to three big nutritious meals per day, minimum, and at least eight hours per night sleep. If you don't eat and sleep enough a few days leading up to your scheduled training day, have a plan in place to push out your training day and still stay on track with your program. You have to time this right to avoid the natural muscle atrophy that occurs when you don't workout, but it can be done.

Big compound movements followed by muscle specific exercises will bring about the muscle breakdown synergies that need to occur for substantial growth. And, of course, this includes the bench, deadlift, and squat. Working those exercises for strength and power (typically sets of five and triples) will allow for long term performance at peak levels, and combined with an occasional max-out, powerbuilding success is sure to follow.

I wrote a book on powerbuilding a couple of years ago titled Iron-Fortified For Life. I wrote it as a personal challenge to see if I could do a productive data download of everything I've learned over the years. I was 50 when I wrote it, and my target audience was myself at 20 years old. I'm happy to report that the program in that book has me as big and strong today as I ever was. Anyway, if you happen to pick up a copy of the book (and I thank you if you do), you have my permission to post excerpts on this forum if you think the information would be of help to anyone.

[brad0504]

Hey grouchy,
Just found this thread and it seems to be what I've been looking for !! Been on a bro split then PPL split since I began lifting 5 years ago but I'm tired of them.
I'm going to give this a go but I have a herniated disc in lower back this doesn't stop me squatting etc but I haven't deadlift since it happened is there any alternatives to put into the the B workout ? And also I've have been bulking for the past few months and was going to begin a cut but do you think I should leave it another few months while I try this routine ??

[GrouchyUSMC]

Hey grouchy,
Just found this thread and it seems to be what I've been looking for !! Been on a bro split then PPL split since I began lifting 5 years ago but I'm tired of them.
I'm going to give this a go but I have a herniated disc in lower back this doesn't stop me squatting etc but I haven't deadlift since it happened is there any alternatives to put into the the B workout ? And also I've have been bulking for the past few months and was going to begin a cut but do you think I should leave it another few months while I try this routine ??

Have you tried sumo? It’s a lot more forgiving on the lower back. I have two herniated discs and am pulling again but now I use sumo and it’s been going well so far.

[brad0504]

I haven't tried sumo no, I will definitely give it a try. Whats your thoughts on my diet situation ? Or would you just sit at maintenance and see if I lean out abit doing that ?

[Jdsocmd]

My 14 year old son is 5'5, 135lbs and has a max squat of 335. He's strictly basement workout at home. Would he be competitive if he decided to move into powerlifting?

[THUNDERGOOSE]

Using a routine that's used and endorsed by professional juicers, and thinking its optimal for natty growth?

[GrouchyUSMC]

I haven't tried sumo no, I will definitely give it a try. Whats your thoughts on my diet situation ? Or would you just sit at maintenance and see if I lean out abit doing that ?

Try maintenance first, you can always adjust from there. That’s my personal approach.

[GrouchyUSMC]

My 14 year old son is 5'5, 135lbs and has a max squat of 335. He's strictly basement workout at home. Would he be competitive if he decided to move into powerlifting?

Powerlifting is all about competing against yourself. But he’s off to a great start so sure.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Using a routine that's used and endorsed by professional juicers, and thinking its optimal for natty growth?

This is based off of powerlifting approaches from the 1970s but was designed by myself. The results from those who have tried it speak for themselves. I recommend rereading the introductory thread since you seem to not understand.

[TopHeavyMirin]

why did grouchy get banned makes me doubt this program even though it looks pretty good

[GrouchyUSMC]

why did grouchy get banned makes me doubt this program even though it looks pretty good

I ended up having two accounts because of the password change fiasco and I no longer had access to that old email. BB.com let me make a new one and banned the old one so I didn't have two accounts. That's all.

[TopHeavyMirin]

I ended up having two accounts because of the password change fiasco and I no longer had access to that old email. BB.com let me make a new one and banned the old one so I didn't have two accounts. That's all.

oh that makes sense, good to hear that!

i have some questions, would love if you could answer them

-there are 5 "pulling" movements per week. and only 4 pushing movements per week (A B A)
-10 pulling movements and only 2 pushing movement (B A B) dont you think thats putting maybye too much emphasis on pulling? maybye swap out that lat pulldown for some kind of push?

-can i swap out deadlifts for pullups (good back exercises) if i dont want to deadlift?
-can i swap out leg press for squats (injury)

-why no direct tricep work? is the idea to get really good at pressing so your triceps grow from that?
-no direct isolation work but i suppose those chins will be good, can you do them weighted? or stick to bodyweight?

-what to do if you notice lagging bodyparts halfway through the program from not getting any direct work? (traps, calves, forearms, biceps, triceps, rear delts)