Dip Your Toes In – 4 Day

1. Weeks 1-5: Strength Phase

Build a strong foundation with heavy, low-rep sets (3-7) on the SBD lifts. Assistance work focuses on hypertrophy, using moderate rep ranges (8-15). Training 3 days a week allows for extra recovery between sessions, enhancing performance on heavy lifts.

2. Week 6: Deload

A crucial week to reduce training intensity and volume, promoting recovery and preparing for the peaking phase.

3. Weeks 7-9: Peaking Phase

Shift to very low reps (1-3) on SBD lifts, emphasizing maximal strength whilst still dialing into hypertrophy alongside.

4. Week 10: Max Testing

Test your one-rep maxes for squat, bench press, and deadlift, showcasing your strength gains after weeks of focused training.

Endless Progress

This program is highly repeatable, allowing you to make continuous progress by swapping in new variations of the SBD lifts, such as pause squats, Larsen presses, or deficit deadlifts, to target different muscle groups and improve weaknesses. You can also rotate assistance exercises, like replacing barbell rows with cable rows or hack squats with Bulgarian split squats, to keep the training fresh and balanced. You can continue to challenge your body, prevent plateaus, and achieve ongoing strength and hypertrophy gains.