thEMP

I thought I would share this routine I have come up with, which I have labelled SMC/SPM, short for 'Strength Muscle Conditioning / Strength Power Muscle'. 

Feel free to give feedback on this or share how you have gotten on with it. I am very lucky that I have a power rack at home so I have been doing this for the last two months or so since the lockdown and I intend to carry this on for the forseeable. 

This SMC/SPM routine has been influenced by Korte’s 3x3, Wendler’s 5/3/1 and Andy Baker’s HLM and I am not trying to take credit for their ideas which underpin this routine. I have written this for me, but if you are similar to me then this would also be good for you to try:

I want to get stronger, but I also want to look good.

I can train at least three days a week.

I am not a powerlifter or bodybuilder, but I consider barbell training to be my ‘sport’.

I like my routines to be straightforward and driven by me.

There are plethora options out there for routines that focus on powerlifting, strength or hypertrophy: Westside for Barbell, Juggernaut Method, Wendler’s 5/3/1, Andy Baker’s HLM, PHUL and PHAT are all routines that spring to mind and they all work. 

So here is the routine which I will explain below.

Strength Muscle Conditioning (SMC) Phase

Day One

Strength: pushing main lift (5x5+)

Muscle: squatting assistance (4x8)

Conditioning: pulling assistance + bodyweight pushing assistance (50 reps)

Day Two

Strength: pulling main lift (5x5+)

Muscle: pushing assistance (4x8)

Conditioning: squatting assistance + bodyweight pulling assistance (50 reps)

Day Three

Strength: squatting main lift (5x5+)

Muscle: pulling assistance (4x8)

Conditioning: pushing assistance + bodyweight squatting assistance (50 reps)

Strength Power Muscle (SPM) Phase

Day One

Strength: pushing main lift (3x3+)

Muscle: squatting assistance (3x3 at 90%)

Conditioning: pulling assistance (5x5) + bodyweight pushing assistance

Day Two

Strength: pull main lift (3x3+)

Muscle: pushing assistance (3x3 at 90%)

Conditioning: squatting assistance (5x5) + bodyweight pulling assistance

Day Three

Strength: squatting main lift (3x3+)

Muscle: pulling assistance (3x3 at 90%)

Conditioning: pushing assistance (5x5) + bodyweight squatting assistance

Exercise Selection - Main Lifts.

The obvious choices here are back squat, deadlift and bench press, although I can and will change these to exercises I prefer/work best for me - just as long as there is one variation of pushing, pulling and squatting movements. My suggestions for main lifts are:

Pushing: bench press, overhead press, incline bench press, push press

Pulling: deadlift, rack pull, romanian deadlift, pendlay row

Squatting: back squat, front squat, zercher squat

Exercise Selection - Assistance Lifts.

Depending on which phase I am in, I will either use one or two assistance exercises. I find that by limiting the assistance work I am ensuring that I am focusing on exercises that work best. This work is to complement the main lift, work on weak areas and build a well-rounded physique. My suggestions for accessory exercises are:

Pushing: overhead press, close grip bench, incline bench press, landmine press, front raise, lateral raise.

Pulling: rack pull, romanian deadlift, row variation, dumbbell row, kirk shrugs/upright row, any curl variation.

Squatting: front squat, box squat, zercher squat, lunges, good morning, stiff leg deadlift.

At the end of each session I also throw in a bodyweight exercise which complements the main lift so: dips/push ups on pushing day, chin ups/inverted row on pull day, crunches/hyperextensions on squatting day.

The SMC Phase.

The Strength Muscle Conditioning (SMC) phase is designed to provide volume and variety in assistance whilst also building strength in the five rep range.

Main Lift - 5x5+. 3x warm up sets | 4x working (straight) sets | 1x max reps set. Increase weight of working sets when >6 reps performed on max reps set. This builds strength and provides volume.

1x assistance lift - 4x8. 2x warm up sets | 4x working (straight sets). This provides volume in the assistance work and is a good muscle building range, some strength will be developed.

1x assistance lift - 50 reps. Pick a weight and try to perform 50 reps in as few sets as possible; when this takes 3 sets or less increase the weight. This is provides muscle building and conditioning in assistance work

I will perform this SMC phase until I have increased the weight in all the main lifts at least three times. I may not increase the weight each week, it might be every second or third week. So this means that this phase can last for some time, somewhere from three to nine weeks. I might even just stay in this phase for even longer if I do not want to move into the SPM phase just yet. But that is ok, I am doing this for the long haul, not trying to complete some '8 week challenge'. I may change the assistance lifts during this time, but I will not change the main lift until I have increased the weight at least three times.

The SPM Phase. 

The Strength Power Muscle (SPM) Phase is designed to build on the volume work from SMC phase and focus on strength work by repeating the main lift a second time in the week and only having one assistance exercise.

Main Lift - 3x3+. 3x warm up sets | 2x working (straight) sets | 1x max reps set. Increase weight of working set when >4 reps performed on max reps set.

1x main lift power work - 3x3 @ 90%. Sets/reps as above. Perform main left again at 90% of weight used in previous max reps set.

1x assistance lift - 5x5. 3x warm up sets | 4x working (straight) sets | 1x max reps set.

This is bloody hard work so I will limit this to four weeks of work before having a deload week. I have the option of doing this again or going back to SMC phase.

Conditioning.

Either later the same day I lift or on off days I am doing conditioning work in the form of barbell complexes, bodyweight circuits or jump rope work. This depends on energy levels though and I am more lenient with this, particularly in the SPM phase.

Conclusion.

I am very happy with this routine and I have seen some great progress with it. It is not easy and I have to be careful with sleep, hydration etc but I wanted to share it here to see if anyone has any comments or experience doing similar routines. 

Will respond to constructive feedback in the comments.

What?

Look around on the internet and you will find a plethora of information about training routines and systems - some free, some not so free - such as PHAT, PHUL, 5x5, Wendler’s 5/3/1, Westside for Barbell, MadCow’s, Starting Strength, or tried and tested routines such as push/pull/legs, full body, upper/lower, bro split and push/pull. there is a lot of information with many people claiming they have the ‘only’ or ‘true’ answer.

This is at best confusing and at worst contradictory given that any routine will work. Seriously, any training routine or system will work if you approach them in the right way, by which I mean there are three overarching factors to consider when looking at a training split and whether it will ‘work’:

Progressive overload: Increasing the work done, over time, in terms of either volume or intensity.

Volume (the total work done as measured by weight x sets x reps) and generally has an inverse relationship with intensity (difficulty of exercise performed as measured as a percentage of your one rep maximum). 

Both intensity or volume focused routines will develop both muscle mass and strength, however they can be used for specific purposes: for focusing on strength work use higher intensity and for focusing on muscle mass work use higher volume. Fat loss and aesthetics is combination of diet and cardio. 

High intensity tends to use increased weight with lower (1 - 5) reps whereas high volume tends to use lower weight with increased (8 - 15) reps. The middle ground of 5 - 8 reps is generally accepted as being a good middle ground between strength and muscle mass.

Exercise selection is important here. Compound movements are more effective (as they allow you to lift more weight and therefore recruit more muscle fibres) than isolation exercises; barbells or dumbbell variations of barbell exercises are the way to go.

Consistency: Training in a regular and organised way which establishes continuity, enables progress and manages injury.

Progressive overload can be achieved no matter how often you train although frequency plays a part here too. Generally speaking, higher volume (muscle building) routines will require 4 - 6 days, working each muscle group/movement at least twice, a week; higher intensity (strength) routines will require 2 - 4 days, working each muscle group/movement as little as once, a week. There are ways you can combine both intensity and volume training 3 or 4 times a week.

Varied and complementary exercise selection enables progressive overload and assists in injury prevention. Ensure you have a balance of pushing, pulling, squatting and hinge pattern movements. 

The concept of periodisation should be considered here, that is the adjustments between volume and intensity on either a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Combining both intensity and volume keeps training interesting and reduces plateaus.

Lifestyle: Your capability to manage time to train alongside your capacity to recover, considering all other factors, e.g. work, stress, diet, sleep. 

Recovery and diet are where progress is made and maintained; you cannot out-train a bad diet and stress or poor sleeping habits will restrict your ability to recover.

We all have commitments and restrictions on our time, be it children, work or the commute, stress, availability of a gym/workout space. Putting aside time for training that will be adhered to will enable progressive overload and consistency.

Getting stronger and/or gaining muscle mass and/or becoming fitter and/or losing weight is hard work and requires consistent and dedicated effort. You actually need to put in the time, sweat, work and likely tears to make any sort of progress.

So What?

By combining these three factors we can see that the specific routine itself does not matter as long as the routine fits in with your lifestyle allowing for consistency in training and enables progressive overload. Strength can be gained and muscle can be built in as little as two days a week all the way up to a six day or even a double split routine. The specific layout of your routine in terms of how you group the exercises or muscle groups you work should be a purely personal choice. Do not let all the information out there distract you from these three simple factors to consider - if your routine incorporates them then you will be just fine.

Searching for the ‘perfect’ routine is a pointless task that will only lead to frustration and further confusion, mainly because it does not exist. However, there are plenty of routines and systems to use which will be perfect for you based on