This podcast begin as a basic podcast on how JP would progress the deadlift and turned into a very interesting and useful programming podcast. You know someone is a good programmer when they are asked about a program, they ask an avalanche of questions like
How old, tall, and heavy are you?
What are your lifts at?
What program have you been doing?
How many times a week do you train?
What is the set/rep scheme?
Programming is an organic art. Listen to this podcast to learn how to do it effectively.
LINK (right click and “save target as”)
30:32 long. Also available on iTunes.
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22 thoughts on “Podcast – Ep. 4 – Johnny Pain: Programming”
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Can someone please tell me what sort of gains I should be expecting as a beginner. I started lifting in February this year, I began with no weight on the bar so I could focus on technique and added 2.5kg every training session. I am 6’1″ and a not very 70s big 162lbs.
I now have my squat up to 70kg, deadlift 80kg and overhead press is at 40kg. At these weights I am now unable to continue adding 2.5kg every session and try to add 2.5 every week. When I start with a weight I begin with 5 reps for 2 sets, once I can hit 8 reps for the 2 sets I increase the weight and drop back down to 5 reps. My program consists of: squat, press, deadlift, weighted push up, weighted pull up & weighted dips 3x a week in the rep range already described.
Is there something wrong with what I am doing and could I be getting greater strength gains?
Sorry for the long post but I really want to be lifting heavier weights and the thought of hindered progress bothers me.
Oh and I think I am eating enough, I am gaining around 2lbs a week at the moment.
I refuse to believe you are eating enough or properly. How much do you currently weigh? Drop the weighted stuff and just use regular body weight cals. Switch to deadlifting once a week. Other than that, I’d need to know more. I have a feeling your program or implementation is goofy.
–Justin
Cool, I am looking forward to when I can listen to the podcast tonight, but I have a quick question right now. I am opening up my shins every deadlift day as the bar travels up my leg. What is the best way to solve this? Thanks.
Probably have the butt a little low, because your shins/knees will get out of the way in a good set-up, although there will be some friction. I’d have to see it, but sucks are the obvious answer (see below).
–Justin
@jaybles deadlift socks?
skatersocks.com Also keep your shins on the non-knurled part of the bar.
x156
This podcast was one of the best by far. Deadlift programming is something i struggle with constantly. This was extremely informative and had some good and new ideas to implement.
Thanks for the reply Justin.
I weigh 162lbs at 6’1″. I would estimate that I consume around 3000 calories a day. When I weighed myself on Monday it was the first time in a while that I did not gain any weight from the previous week so I have started to eat a little more. I eat clean, my carbs are from oats, rice, quinoa, veggies & fruits. Protein comes from chicken, steak, ham, salmon, tuna & eggs. My fats come from nuts, seeds, olive oil & avacado. I also drink whole milk.
I lift on Mon, Wed & Fri doing squats, overhead press, deadlift, weighted push ups, chins & dips. I have a warm up set then 2 work sets in the 5 – 8 rep range. For example I have just got my squat upto 70kg(154lbs) so next session I will start on 5 reps, Once I am able to hit 2x 8 reps I will add 2.5kg to the bar at the next session and go back down to 5 reps. I hope that makes sense.
My squat is 70kg(154lbs), overhead press 40kg(88lbs) & deadlift 80kg(176lbs). I had been able to add 2.5kg to the bar at every session but the last few weeks I have only been able to go up 2.5kg every week roughly.
So I guess from your response that as a beginner my strength gains should be alot better than this? I am not really sure what else I can tell you.
If I am to drop the deadlift from 2 sessions a week should I replace it wirh something like a bent over row? Also will I still be squatting on the deadlift day?
Appreciate the help.
@theobsoleteman
You’re 162 lbs. @ 6’1″ – you need to eat more.
Try tracking your calories with fitday.com or something, a lot of skinny guys “estimate” they’re eating more than they actually are (in my experience at least).
Terrible, I weighed 156 lbs a few weeks ago. I am gaining weight, roughly 2 lbs a week. At my weight and low strength level should I be looking to gain more than that weekly? Wouldnt much more of a weight gain just be fat?
At that weight, you should be eating absolutely everything that crosses your path. Drink more whole milk, a gallon a day is ideal. Don’t worry about putting on fat right now. Once you’ve put a lot more muscle it will be very easy to lose any fat you might gain.
And stop with that 2 sets of 8 reps crap. 3 sets of 5, and add weight every workout. You might need to reset your weights, however.
Love the podcasts, guys.
I need help with my squat, because it sucks.
and I’m being super serial right now, guys.
Theo, just keep eating, keep training. You’ll get there. Getting strong takes time. No need to go super crazy with the food. Just eat a lot of good food. You’ll be good, I promise.
Will listen to podcast soon.
Stank – how’s the sleeve?
So JP thinks that DL’s are easier to recover from than rack pulls and that’s why he is against switching to them? I found rack pulls to be better for recovery maybe due to the shorter ROM.
That’s not what he said, brah.
–Justin
WCM – It’s pretty much healed right now. I ended up waiting 4 days after it was done, after that initial “burn” kind of went away. The 2 weeks it is healing always pisses me off because of the overall inconvenience it causes, but as soon as that bad boy heals I’m itching to get another one. Feels good, man.
I bet Brent Kim drinks his mom’s dirty douche vinegar water like the Dude enjoys a white Russian.
I have a buddy who gets tattoos regularly and doesn’t avoid training like you are. Pansy.
Show me a vid of your squat. If you aren’t goofy and black, I’ll be disappointed.
–Justin
@stank
oh my fucking god. you are too fucking funny. “his mom’s dirty douche vinegar water” bbaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha
He said the dude was having a hard time recovering so not to do rack pulls, but deficiets instead to use less weight. How am I misunderstanding, brah?
Rack pulls would have more stress on the lumbar/sacral area and hamstrings, although total systemic recovery may be less. Even had I not said that, I think we can both agree that rack pulls don’t qualify as an “active deload”.
–Justin
“avoid training like you are”
bro fucking kill yourself just because i have a fucking blog doesn’t mean i’m going to update it in real fucking time with every fucking rep i do
PS what’s on that full sleeve tattoo bro, some abstract concept that you feel has distinct meaning to you because it somehow defines a part of you? try harder dude someone might give a fucking shit one day
its actually a geisha, i think i modeled the slut on my arm after your whore of a grandmother you nip bastard
oh that’s not fucking typical at all, a Westerner with an Asian tattoo, get fucked bro
what are you trying to prove with a sleeve bro, you’re a fucking adult now, something to think about
@theobsoleteman: I’m where you are (6’0″, 160#), except I started three weeks ago with nearly the weight that you’re using now. The weights you are running right now are what you should have started with. You should have two more months of stacking 2.5kg onto your press. You should have two months of stacking 5kg onto your Squat and 5-10kg onto your deadlift. And those weight additions are for every single workout. What I’ve just outlined there are my goals for my linear progression. It’s what Rippetoe suggests in Starting Strength. (If you haven’t read it, go buy a copy now. Before you finish reading this.)
Given that you’re a normal 6’1″/160# male, your Deadlift 1RM should be at least 115kg, possibly even more (mine at the start of training was around 120kg). If you can’t pull that off the ground, there is something wrong with your form. And part of that might be simply not believing you can lift that much weight (I stacked 50kg onto my deadlift 1RM by fixing my form and believing that I could pull that much. The strength was always there, I just didn’t know it). I bet part of your problem is you are just now starting to do real, Hard Work, and need to suck it up and figure out how to do Hard Work (it’s a skill, I’m still learning it, but I keep putting more weight in the air by gritting my teeth and going for it). Do 3x5s for press and squat and 1×5 for your deadlift (after the appropriate warmup sets). You can lift more. You should have at least another month (probably two) of easy gains, if you just put more willpower into it. At least, that’s my expectation for myself.
Also, you aren’t eating enough. Due to lighter workout load thanks to a stupid back injury (I was messing around with programming and did too much deadlifting, don’t ask), I had a light breakfast this morning: 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, a cup and a half of whole yogurt with a quarter cup of cashews, a banana and an apple. When I start squatting and deadlifting again next week, that’s going up to 3 eggs, half a pound of bacon (I love bacon), a couple apples, a couple bananas, 2 cups of yogurt with cashews and some dried fruit, and that might still be not enough. If you are starting your day with cereal or oatmeal or just a cup of coffee, you’re doing it wrong. You need to shoot for 160g of protein. My light breakfast this morning was 10g from bacon, 12 from eggs, 12 from yogurt and 5g from cashews for 39g of protein. That’s 25% of my daily goal. You have to eat like that all day long. Count grams of protein, eat lots of fruit and veggies, whole fat everything, and your calories should take care of themselves.