Training for strength on cycle?

[hoopdreams92]

What is the correct way to focus on increasing strength on a cycle? I'm thinking about going on a superdrol cycle and need some help with a workout routine.

thanks!

[Docd187123]

Lift heavy shit, recover, repeat....

You want to work with mainly lower rep ranges on your big compound lifts and for the accessory or assistance lifts you could go higher range.

[hoopdreams92]

okay thanks for that.

i was wondering now, let's say for example i am doing chest, and i hit bench press and dips for 5x5, is that a good rep number, 25? or should it be more?

i don't want to overtrain, but I also want to be optimal as well.

[Docd187123]

okay thanks for that.

i was wondering now, let's say for example i am doing chest, and i hit bench press and dips for 5x5, is that a good rep number, 25? or should it be more?

i don't want to overtrain, but I also want to be optimal as well.

5x5 type programs can be extremely effective but the program itself must be suitable to your goals as would the progression scheme need to be as well. Your question is difficult to answer bc you leave out the intensity portion and what else you'd be doing. A good resource on how many reps and sets at a given intensity percentage are optimal is Prilepin's chart. Google it or buy the book. Invaluable resource.

[hoopdreams92]

5x5 type programs can be extremely effective but the program itself must be suitable to your goals as would the progression scheme need to be as well. Your question is difficult to answer bc you leave out the intensity portion and what else you'd be doing. A good resource on how many reps and sets at a given intensity percentage are optimal is Prilepin's chart. Google it or buy the book. Invaluable resource.

Yes I will be adding a progression scheme to it. Well I assume that since I will be on a SD cycle, I can train more than stated in the program, so in that case I will be adding basic isolation to every muscle.

thanks for that chart!

[Docd187123]

Yes I will be adding a progression scheme to it. Well I assume that since I will be on a SD cycle, I can train more than stated in the program, so in that case I will be adding basic isolation to every muscle.

thanks for that chart!

No problem brother. Some more quick tips:

If you're training for strength or power you train lifts and movements NOT body parts. That is you train your squat and squat assistance lifts, press and press assistance, etc. You don't do chest day, back day, etc. For strength to improve, you would best be served by increasing CNS efficiency which big compound lifts do more than isolation lifts.

Generally, the only time you'd want to lift <70-80% of your 1RM is if you're doing dynamic/speed days or working more on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. For myofibrillar hypertrophy you want >80% 1RM and the reps/sets can be determined by that chart.

Your assistance lifts should target your weak areas. If you cannot maintain lordotic/lumbar extension during a squat or deadlift then you work your lower back with weighted hypers, GHR's, good mornings, etc. If you're weak at bench lockout you'd work triceps, things of that nature.

After a while of strength training your body will begin hurt all over. Get some voodoo floss, foam rollers, and a lacrosse ball for before and after your workouts and on off days. Without these tools I wouldn't be able to do a body weight half squat on some days.

Work up your volume in increments. Volume is the number one cause of overtraining in lifting and can be a pain to recover from depending how advanced you are. Don't just jump into a heavy volume program....work up to it over time.

There are many proven programs out there depending again on your advancement level: Texas Method, 5/3/1, Westside, the Cube, Sheiko, GVT, Starr 5x5, etc. Most of these are actual templates rather than cookie cutter programs so an in depth understanding of how they work goes a long way in setting you up for success.

Make sure you're eating and sleeping enough. I cannot begin to explain how hard it is to make progress on some of these programs if you're trying to cut or out partying a lot. I remember I hit a wall one time and it took me over a month before I was back to normal. No energy, constant pain, loss of libido, depression, no appetite, irritable, etc.

Some of the best advice ever given to me: if there's a PL'ing gym in your area....JOIN IT. lifting with a team is worth the 50-150$ in fees bc they'll teach you things you'll never learn on your own. Often times they'll reduce the fees too once they see you're serious and putting in the work required.

[hoopdreams92]

No problem brother. Some more quick tips:

If you're training for strength or power you train lifts and movements NOT body parts. That is you train your squat and squat assistance lifts, press and press assistance, etc. You don't do chest day, back day, etc. For strength to improve, you would best be served by increasing CNS efficiency which big compound lifts do more than isolation lifts.

Generally, the only time you'd want to lift <70-80% of your 1RM is if you're doing dynamic/speed days or working more on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. For myofibrillar hypertrophy you want >80% 1RM and the reps/sets can be determined by that chart.

Your assistance lifts should target your weak areas. If you cannot maintain lordotic/lumbar extension during a squat or deadlift then you work your lower back with weighted hypers, GHR's, good mornings, etc. If you're weak at bench lockout you'd work triceps, things of that nature.

After a while of strength training your body will begin hurt all over. Get some voodoo floss, foam rollers, and a lacrosse ball for before and after your workouts and on off days. Without these tools I wouldn't be able to do a body weight half squat on some days.

Work up your volume in increments. Volume is the number one cause of overtraining in lifting and can be a pain to recover from depending how advanced you are. Don't just jump into a heavy volume program....work up to it over time.

There are many proven programs out there depending again on your advancement level: Texas Method, 5/3/1, Westside, the Cube, Sheiko, GVT, Starr 5x5, etc. Most of these are actual templates rather than cookie cutter programs so an in depth understanding of how they work goes a long way in setting you up for success.

Make sure you're eating and sleeping enough. I cannot begin to explain how hard it is to make progress on some of these programs if you're trying to cut or out partying a lot. I remember I hit a wall one time and it took me over a month before I was back to normal. No energy, constant pain, loss of libido, depression, no appetite, irritable, etc.

Some of the best advice ever given to me: if there's a PL'ing gym in your area....JOIN IT. lifting with a team is worth the 50-150$ in fees bc they'll teach you things you'll never learn on your own. Often times they'll reduce the fees too once they see you're serious and putting in the work required.

this is seriously some of the best advice I have gotten. thanks a lot for every bit of it!

[Chicagotarsier]

Doing a 5x5, even on cycle, will lead you to a plateau. This is unavoidable because you cannot circumvent the CNS.

If you're training for strength or power you train lifts and movements NOT body parts. That is you train your squat and squat assistance lifts, press and press assistance, etc. You don't do chest day, back day, etc. For strength to improve, you would best be served by increasing CNS efficiency which big compound lifts do more than isolation lifts. Agree. Attack the CNS.

Generally, the only time you'd want to lift <70-80% of your 1RM is if you're doing dynamic/speed days or working more on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. For myofibrillar hypertrophy you want >80% 1RM and the reps/sets can be determined by that chart. GVT will result in less raise in your max while on GVT...but your loss in strength off cycle will be minimised when compared to 5x5.

Your assistance lifts should target your weak areas. If you cannot maintain lordotic/lumbar extension during a squat or deadlift then you work your lower back with weighted hypers, GHR's, good mornings, etc. If you're weak at bench lockout you'd work triceps, things of that nature.

After a while of strength training your body will begin hurt all over. Get some voodoo floss, foam rollers, and a lacrosse ball for before and after your workouts and on off days. Without these tools I wouldn't be able to do a body weight half squat on some days.

Work up your volume in increments. Volume is the number one cause of overtraining in lifting and can be a pain to recover from depending how advanced you are. Don't just jump into a heavy volume program....work up to it over time. Can you overtrain on cycle?

There are many proven programs out there depending again on your advancement level: Texas Method, 5/3/1, Westside, the Cube, Sheiko, GVT, Starr 5x5, etc. Most of these are actual templates rather than cookie cutter programs so an in depth understanding of how they work goes a long way in setting you up for success. This. Understanding what you are accomplishing with the program and how to accomplish it with the program will take you much further than focusing on just lifting heavy. In my results so far the most under utilized portion of workouts is tempo. Tempo during the motion, tempo between sets, etc.

Make sure you're eating and sleeping enough. I cannot begin to explain how hard it is to make progress on some of these programs if you're trying to cut or out partying a lot. I remember I hit a wall one time and it took me over a month before I was back to normal. No energy, constant pain, loss of libido, depression, no appetite, irritable, etc. ANother great point. My first two weeks on cycle I slept over 18 hours a day. I also gained 4.5 kilo of lbm over those two weeks. It still was not enough and had all that you mentioned plus the squirts (gravy biscuits) 24/7

Some of the best advice ever given to me: if there's a PL'ing gym in your area....JOIN IT. lifting with a team is worth the 50-150$ in fees bc they'll teach you things you'll never learn on your own. Often times they'll reduce the fees too once they see you're serious and putting in the work required. Also if you have time and live in a big city go to a college with a football team and volunteer to do whatever..wash jock straps whatever. The top guys in strength training are located in NCAA gyms. Check out youtube and the Alabama strength trainer video. Every day he takes kids squatting 300 and moves them to 700 in 3 months. The learning you could get in a month there would be more than most in their lifetime.

Great post.

[fitnesstrainer]

It would be easy to go online and find a periodized program specifically for strength. This is the best and mosst efficient way to go as it would follow all the principles of proper training if you fit it to yourself. Go online and look up periodized strength program on google and find one that you like. Only way to know if it works is to go do one.

[hoopdreams92]

Okay I have a few questions that I researched a ton in this forum and on google and other places, but still come up short.

Anyone with experience on doing strength training on a steroid cycle tell me what their results were like? How much strength did you gain? How much mass did you gain?

From what I can understand, a 5x5 program can effectively build mass on intermediate and advanced lifters, even though it is a strength program, because of the total reps done + the heavy weight.

This is why a lot of newbies on Starting Strength not only gain crazy amounts of strength, but they also gain as much muscle as the kid who goes on a hypertrophy for the same amount of time, and in a lot of cases the SS lifter is actually bigger than the hypertrophy lifter because they stalled much less. This is of course all to my observation and what others have said, but there is some good reason to believe this. Correct me if I am wrong though.

The reason why I ask this is because I am wondering how great the enhancement of steroids will be for an explosive athlete who relies on strength, force, power, and agility? Since I will be going on a cycle, would it be wise to combine all elements of performance to train? Or should I just stick with strength and force generation right now?

Now, I ask this because I see a lot of hypertrophy lifters crank up their workouts to a whole new level on cycles, because the bodies can take extra training (or so I'm told). So would it benefit me to do a strength training program mixed in with plyometrics (this is called cross training) as well as add agility drills on days off for active recovery?

Maybe I am looking way too much into this instead of just planning my routine, but any help regarding this would be great!

[Docd187123]

Okay I have a few questions that I researched a ton in this forum and on google and other places, but still come up short.

Anyone with experience on doing strength training on a steroid cycle tell me what their results were like? How much strength did you gain? How much mass did you gain?

From what I can understand, a 5x5 program can effectively build mass on intermediate and advanced lifters, even though it is a strength program, because of the total reps done + the heavy weight.

This is why a lot of newbies on Starting Strength not only gain crazy amounts of strength, but they also gain as much muscle as the kid who goes on a hypertrophy for the same amount of time, and in a lot of cases the SS lifter is actually bigger than the hypertrophy lifter because they stalled much less. This is of course all to my observation and what others have said, but there is some good reason to believe this. Correct me if I am wrong though.

The reason why I ask this is because I am wondering how great the enhancement of steroids will be for an explosive athlete who relies on strength, force, power, and agility? Since I will be going on a cycle, would it be wise to combine all elements of performance to train? Or should I just stick with strength and force generation right now?

Now, I ask this because I see a lot of hypertrophy lifters crank up their workouts to a whole new level on cycles, because the bodies can take extra training (or so I'm told). So would it benefit me to do a strength training program mixed in with plyometrics (this is called cross training) as well as add agility drills on days off for active recovery?

Maybe I am looking way too much into this instead of just planning my routine, but any help regarding this would be great!

If you're goal is strength, power, and force generation I'd recommend using test at over 600mg a week. I saw a study where it was shown Type II muscle fiber hypertrophy was significantly higher with 600mg a well vs 500mg a week. I'll see if I can find the link.

The thing with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is that I doesn't necessarily bring about strength gains like myofibrillar hypertrophy would but increasing your LBM is never a bad thing and will help strength but also it will give you more efficient leverages around your joints allowing you to lift more.

I'd suggest a dedicated strength program if your goals are strength and power. Add in Olympic lifts or dynamic effort days for power and force production. Max effort days, 5x5, etc will help wih max effort strength.

Agility work and plyometrics can certainly help but you just be careful not to overdo it and let your overall training suffer. What specifically is the goal here?

[hoopdreams92]

Thanks again Doc.

Well as for specific goals, I don't know if I am specific enough, but I want to maximize my power output. So yes I will incorporate olympic lifts. I guess in the end I want to increase my 100m dash time, and my vertical leap. I want to jump down from 12 seconds to close to 11 and sub 11 seconds.

My vertical, I want to get above 40 inches, so that's about like 5-6 inches more.

[Docd187123]

Standing vertical leap is one of the truest measures of force output and type II fibers but unfortunately it is highly dependent on genetics. I'm not saying you can't increase it but you also may never hit the 40. Joe DeFranco has an excellent write up in how to increase standing vertical, google should have it. Also Oly lifts like cleans and snatches will help tremendously.

To help with 100m dash times again Oly lifts are important, sled/prowler work will help with your running angle, and working on running form is actually most important IMO. Probably best to work on that more than anything as that will shave tenths and possibly full seconds off your time depending on your starting point.