An Experiment in Linear Progression
Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights
-Ronnie Coleman
I used to be somewhat strong. Not that strong, but hey - if I walk into a typical commercial gym I'd usually be strongest one there. And by strength, I mean specifically strength in the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. I get that's not everyone's measure of strength, and that's cool, but that's the strength I care about.
Unfortunately, that time has passed. In 2022 I was likely at my peak strength; having PRs of: 550/375/625 in the Squat/Bench/Deadlift. I had a few stints of lifting between now and then, but nothing beyond a few months.
I'd like to perform a sort of experiment, and document it publicly for posterity. Namely, I want to answer two questions:
- how long can I linearly progress for in each movement?
- how long before I can get back to my former strength?
The Experiment
I'll use a simple linear progression program for the SBD (Squat/Bench/Deadlift). We'll want to keep the rep scheme roughly static, to have the most confidence that we're progressing week-over-week. I'll somewhat arbitrarily use 5 reps for this; it's right in the middle of peek "hypertrophy" and "strength" training rep zones (note: I mean this in the conventional sense, you can gain either/or in any rep range imo).
The split will be upper/lower, training 4 times per week. That means I'll hit the Squat and Bench 2x, and the Deadlift 1.5x (what I mean by this: one legit Deadlift day, and one variation, because I can't sustain 2x per week serious Deadlifting).
I'll use 5 sets for Squat+Bench, and 3 for Deadlift; because I just know from experience how much volume I can sustain for these exercises.
For accessories, I'll add 3 exercises on upper and 2 on lower (per day); training the upper muscles is overall less fatiguing than the lower, thus the slightly extra volume.
This wont affect the experiment over the long run, but I want to mention that I won't use a belt for at least the first month. I want to slowly acclimate to training (especially the joints), and so I'll be intentionally limiting myself by not using a belt. Once I do throw on the belt, I anticipate my strength potential will go up a considerable amount.
On progression, I'll aim for 5lb increments on the Squat and Deadlift, and 2.5lb increments on the Bench. I'm not even sure if my gym has the plates to support that, so I may have to bring my own... I don't plan on applying this progression logic to the accessories; as long as I'm hitting them hard (RPE 8+), that's good enough.
Here's what it will look:
| Day | Lift | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bench | 5 | 5 |
| 1 | Incline DB Press | 3 | 8 |
| 1 | Cable Row | 3 | 8 |
| 1 | Vertical Pull | 3 | 8 |
| 1 | Tricep Extension | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Squat | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | Stiff-legged Deadlift | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | Leg Extension | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Leg Curl | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Close Grip Bench | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | Overhead Press | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | Barbell Row | 5 | 5 |
| 3 | Pullover | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Tricep Extension | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Pause Squat | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | Deadlift | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Leg Press | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Glute Extension | 3 | 8 |
The starting points are: 225/185/315 for SBD. So if next week I hit 230/187.5/320, then that week was a success.
Alright, I don't know when I'll check-back-in - maybe if something interesting happens - but wish me luck.
Happy holidays,
Caden