Welcome to Phase 2 of the Simple Strength program!
In Phase 1, we achieved several goals:
It's time to take that improved foundation and parlay it into stronger lifts!
In Phase 2, you'll notice a couple of common themes:
While I hope no one blindly jumps into this phase without first doing Phase 1, here's a quick recap on RPE's.
Choose one of the exercises listed. Do not ask if you can sub this exercise for that exercise. If you start subbing out exercises you aren't following the program.
If you need to sub an exercise out due to equipment limitations, find a different gym. End of story.
This is a question I knew I'd get asked last time, but chose not to answer it. Now is a more appropriate time.
Several years ago, Dan John wrote an article about all the various approaches to 5x5. To paraphrase, you could do 5 sets across (all sets at one weight), you could work up to one heavy set of five, you could do two warm-up sets and then 3x5 at one weight, etc.
Basically, there wasn't a right or wrong way to do it. You chose the method that you liked best and stuck with it. This program is kind of like that. There isn't a right or wrong way to do it, although I want you to get more volume on the primary lifts than last month.
Here's what I want you to do. We'll use squat day with triples as an example and I'll offer two options.
Again, when your RPE is a definite 8 (and hopefully before you hit a 9), you stop the sets. I hope this makes sense. Don't over think it, but be honest with yourself and willing to push on the days you feel good, and back off on the days you don't.
Now let's get into Phase 2!
Exercise | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
1 | Squat Variation | Bench Variation | Deadlift Variation | Lockout Variation |
2 | Accessory Posterior Chain | Row Variation | Accessory Posterior Chain | Chin-up/Pull-up Variation |
3 | Knee Flexion | Compound Upper Accessory | Supplemental Posterior Chain | Compound Upper Accessory |
4 | Anti-Extension | Anti-Lateral Flexion | Hip Flexion w/Neutral Spine | Anti-Rotation |
Note: For virtually every exercise you'll be using the same exercise variation as you did in the previous month. In other words, if you chose to back squat on Day 1, you'll back squat again this month.
There are a few chances to sub-out new exercises, but I'll let you know exactly which areas of the template have some wiggle room.
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
Squat Variation | ?x3 – RPE 8 ?x1 – RPE 8 | ?x3 – RPE 9 ?x1 – RPE 9 | ?x3 – RPE 10 ?x1 – RPE 10 | 2x4 – Light 2x2 – Light |
Accessory Posterior Chain | 2x6 | 2x5-6 | 2x5 | 2x5 |
Knee Flexion | 3x6-8 | 3x6-8 | 3x6 | 2x6 |
Anti-Extension | 3x8 | 3x6-8 | 3x6 | 2x8 |
Note: Again, the question marks simply mean to take as many sets as necessary to work up to a set of 5 (or 3) at the designated RPE. For a weaker trainee, that number of sets may not be very many; for a stronger or more advanced trainee, it could be many more.
Front Squat or Back Squat
It's time to start pushing that squat up! If you're used to squatting 8 or 10-rep sets, singles or triples are going to be a whole new ball game!
I'm invariably going to be asked the following question – should I belt up/wear knee wraps/put on a squat suit, etc.?
It depends on your level of gear usage:
Gear | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
"I only wear a belt" | No Belt | Belt | Belt |
"I wear a belt and knee wraps" | No Belt | Belt | Belt & Knee Wraps |
"I'm a total gear whore" | Belt, Wraps, Suit Bottoms | Belt, Wraps, Suit Up | Belt, Wraps, Suit, Ammonia, Chalk, Slayer |
Obviously Week 4 is no gear and meant to help you recover.
If your max squat is less than 2x your bodyweight, perform triples. If you're squatting 2x your bodyweight or more, perform singles.
Romanian deadlift or good morning variation
These shouldn't be ball-busters, but there should definitely be more weight on the bar than last month. The goal is to continue building a bigger engine, i.e., your posterior chain.
Glute-ham raise, ball leg curl, TRX leg curl
Again, crank up the intensity a bit on this. If you're doing glute-hams, move the toe plate in or hold a plate across your chest. If you're doing ball leg curls, move to a single-leg option, etc.
Ab wheel rollouts, ball rollouts, TRX fallouts, etc.
Noticing a theme yet? It's make it harder!
Throw a chain or X-vest on to increase the load. Lower the TRX/blast straps, etc.
Whatever you can do to make this more challenging, the better!
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
Bench Variation | ?x3 – RPE 8 ?x1 – RPE 8 | ?x3 – RPE 9 ?x1 – RPE 9 | ?x3 – RPE 10 ?x1 – RPE 10 | 2x4 – Light 2x2 – Light |
Row Variation | 4x6 | 4x6 | 4x5 | 3x6 |
Compound Upper Accessory | 3x6 | 3x6 | 3x5 | 2x6-8 |
Anti-Lateral Flexion | See below | See below | See below | See below |
BB incline, BB bench, SWIS bar (for those with jacked up shoulders)
Time to get strong! Not sure what else needs to be said here, but be smart about your RPE's as most guys tend to overshoot initially, especially on upper body.
If you wear a bench shirt at any point, go ahead and wear it all three weeks.
If your max bench is less than 1.5x your bodyweight, perform triples. If your max bench is more than 1.5x your bodyweight, perform singles.
Chest supported row, low cable row, DB row
Most have a tendency to totally drop upper back work right when they're getting ready to hit a PR. What do you think happens?
They lose all that stability they just spent the past 2-3 months developing!
Up the intensity, and we'll do our best to keep your shoulders in one piece while you're pressing those heavy weights!
Weakness Training
Okay champ, time to see how smart you really are!
The exercise you use to address your weakness can take on a lot of different forms – typically, though, it addresses one of three things:
I think most of us intuitively know where we're weak, or what holds us back from hitting a new PR.
And in case you don't, I'm going to make it brutally easy for you!
If you miss in the bottom half of a bench press. You're going to choose an upper back exercise, either a vertical or horizontal pull. Lat pulldowns, dumbbell rows, chest supported rows, low cable rows, or any sort of pull that you haven't performed in the last month is fair game. It must be an upper back exercise, though – no exceptions, and definitely no pumping/fluff work! You can go back to that next month.
If you miss in the top half of a bench press. You need a compound press/upper body exercise. Acceptable options are dips, close grip benches, close grip incline presses, floor presses, etc.
Kettlebell windmills, offset waiters walks, offset farmers carries, suitcase deadlifts
Since I'm nice, you can choose a different exercise this month. You can thank me later.
Here are the options:
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
Deadlift Variation | ?x3 – RPE 8 ?x1 – RPE 8 | ?x3 – RPE 9 ?x1 – RPE 9 | ?x3 – RPE 10 ?x1 – RPE 10 | 2x4 – Light 2x2 – Light |
Accessory Posterior Chain | 2x6 | 2x5-6 | 2x5 | 2x5 |
Supplemental Posterior Chain | 3x6-8 | 3x6-8 | 3x6 | 2x6 |
Hip Flexion with Neutral Spine | 3x8 | 3x6-8 | 3x6 | 2x8 |
Sumo or Conventional
Time to crank up the heavy deads! If you typically wear a belt, I'd suggest wearing it all three weeks during this phase.
If your max deadlift is less than 2x your bodyweight, perform triples. If your max deadlift is 2x your bodyweight or more, use singles.
RDL's or good morning variation (whatever you didn't do on Day 1)
More posterior chain work. If you chose RDL's for Day 1, perform a good morning variation on Day 2.
Kettlebell swings, pull-throughs, glute-ham raise, ball leg curl, TRX leg curl
I'd stick with the same exercise here as the previous month. If you chose the correct exercise in Phase 1, you can continue to glean some benefits from it here in Phase 2.
prone jackknifes on physioball, band resisted jackknifes, alternating band resisted jackknifes
Chances are many of you chose the physioball options in Phase 1. If that's the case, great! But it's time to man up.
Get a band, tie it to the rack, and do some band-resisted variations. These will absolutely smoke your core and give you the necessary stability to squat and deadlift more weight.
Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
Lockout Variation | ?x3 – RPE 8 ?x1 – RPE 8 | ?x3 – RPE 9 ?x1 – RPE 9 | ?x3 – RPE 10 ?x1 – RPE 10 | 2x4 – Light 2x2 – Light |
Chin-up/Pull-up Variation | 4x6 | 4x6 | 4x5 | 3x6 |
Compound Upper Accessory | 3x6 | 3x6 | 3x5 | 2x6-8 |
Anti-Rotation – 5 second Bursts | 3x3 | 3x4 | 3x5 | 2x4 |
Reverse band bench, board press or pin presses
"Yo Mike, can I overhead press?"
No – and it's not that I have anything against the overhead press, just not in this program. Save it for another month.
Same rules apply here as on your primary bench day. If your max bench is less than 1.5x your bodyweight, perform triples. If your max bench is more than 1.5x your bodyweight, perform singles.
This month the reps go down, so the weight needs to go up. If bodyweight is easy, strap on some extra plates – just make sure the chest touches the bar on every rep!
Weakness Training
This is another swing exercise. The same three areas should be focused on, just like Day 2:
If your upper back/stability were the weak link, I'd make the program look like this:
Vertical Pull
Horizontal Pull
If your lockout is the weak link, simply pick a different exercise than you used on Day 2, i.e. if you did dips on Day 2, perform close-grips on Day 4.
Pallof press variations
Use the same Pallof press variation as before, but now do it in 5-second bursts. On Week 1, you'd perform 3 sets of 3 reps, with each rep being a 5-second hold.
Congrats! You made it through the program – now what?
It's rare that people discuss what to do after a program, but I think this will help you out.
How's that for a sweet deal? Two months of solid programming that can make you stronger than ever before.
I've introduced a number of new concepts, but if you can apply the lessons you've learned over the past two months, you'll be well on your way to better understanding your body and taking your strength to a whole new level.
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