TacticalBarbell.com

Hi, I came across TB at the end of 2018. I had been doing splits for a few weeks and then changing to something else for years before that, call it training ADD.

TB offered a simple, yet logical approach to training. I also very much enjoyed the extra place it left to either work on skills, cardio or just have more time off due to life . The flexibility it gave me really allowed me to thrive with my uneven work schedule (some weeks I'll work 4x 8hours shift, other weeks 6x 12 hours, etc.).

TB allowed me to establish a plan and follow it for a long period of time. Before that I was always trying to hit PRs, dabbling with Push/Pull, Lower/Upper, etc. wanting to get good at everything at the same time and forgetting the basics along the way.

My starting stats were the following:

6'0, 207lbs
Squat ≈ 3 x 315
Deadlift = hadn't deadlifted in over a year due to lower back injury, last attempts were in 2017 or so, 3 x 405. in my prime I had pulled 1 x 475
Bench ≈ 3-4 x 225
Press = PR was 10 x 135 which was pretty solid already
W Chin Ups = 5 x BW+70 that lift has always been way ahead, so didn't improve dramatically

After 5 months or so my current stats are the following:
6'0, 212.6lbs
Squat: 5 x 365 (1RM ≈ 426)
Deadlift: 5 x 425 (1RM ≈ 496)
Bench: 5 x 235 (1RM ≈ 274)
Press: 5 x 165 (1RM ≈ 192)
W Chin Ups: 3 x BW+90 (haven't retested in a while)

As you can see, I mainly did Trap DL and Squats, very little actual Deadlifting and it still went up a lot. I believe Squats help the Deadlift, but no the other way around. For Bloc 1 I ran stricly TB Operator, I did the minimum on the sets. For Bloc 2 I ran a TB Operator/Greyskull hybrid keeping the 3 main cluster, but alternating Press/Bench, tweaking the % and incorporating the Deadlift.

Bloc 1:


Bloc 2:


Video of latest PRs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or18ro27XqI

I think the form was pretty solid on all lifts, except the squat where my knees caved in, I think it was due to fatigue from testing the other lfits first and an error on form, going maybe 1.5 inch too wide with my stance. I hit some plates on the rack backing up and it threw me off.

Where to go from here? I'd like to try my hand at something like 5/3/1: building the Monolith. I actually customized the workout to fit my needs and because I thought the % were too irregular + not a fan of TM%.

(template)


(% description of the main lifts)


The plan is to run 3 cycles ON, 1 cycle BW/cardio only, 3 cycles ON, 1 cycle BW/cardio only, 3 cycles ON, OFF, then resume TB in fall. The progression would be +1% across the board every new cycle.

I'm very open to criticism/critique/ideas, I left my ego at the door a long time ago and I'm always looking for ways to improve. Sometimes it helps to have people from the outside look at your training and bring a fresh new look.

Those are some great results mate over a pretty short time. My question is why change what’s not broken?

You have your next program mapped out, but I am not sure exactly what your goal is? Are you chasing powerlifting numbers or just training to improve those lifts you listed?

I regularly go outside the TB system, but it’s usually when I have a specific goal in mind e.g gymnastic ring training or similar.

Use whatever gets you to your goal mate. TB and 5/3/1 are effective systems. Either will do the job for general strength in the big 3.

Maxrip13 wrote:Those are some great results mate over a pretty short time. My question is why change what’s not broken?

You have your next program mapped out, but I am not sure exactly what your goal is? Are you chasing powerlifting numbers or just training to improve those lifts you listed?

I regularly go outside the TB system, but it’s usually when I have a specific goal in mind e.g gymnastic ring training or similar.

Use whatever gets you to your goal mate. TB and 5/3/1 are effective systems. Either will do the job for general strength in the big 3.

You bring a great point, in the sense that I often get lost on the ''how'' instead of focusing on the end goal. I find the TB system excellent as an auto pilot mode, where you don't have to think much and it still works with a hectic schedule.

There's a few reasons why I would like to try something different, that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, though:
-I would like to see how I do with AMRAP sets, instead of always going at 80-90% (which worked great so far)
-I want to test higher volume and see how I respond strength wise (don't care about size)
-It would only be for a specific period of time where I have a bit more off days than during the year

I think there's 3 pillars to an athlete (besides the whole psychological aspect); Strength, Mobility/Injury Resilience and Cardio. As of now, I think the last 2 could use a lot of improvement, perhaps something focusing on that for a while could be beneficial?

As for your initial question, the long term goal would be the following numbers/traits:
Press: 3 x 225
Bench: 3 x 315
Chin Ups: 3 x BW+100
Deadlift: 3 x 500
Squat: 3 x 405
Joints/Tendons/Spine: 100% healthy
Cardio: Be able to go 10 x 3 mins rounds on the heavy bag, hard (not much of a runner at 215lbs, but I could look into that, too)

I think that pushing passed these strength numbers would likely hinder the other 2 ''pillars'' and the diminish returns would be too great.

It all comes down to your goals mate.

You have listed mostly strength goals so I am guessing that’s the way you are more inclined ? Do you have any work fitness requirements? You only have to do as much cardio as you require for general health if you don,t have work requirements.

Either plan will get you there. If you had an interest mass gain wise I would recommend TB barbell as it includes AMRAP sets etc. It goes really well with all the other TB books and I wish my life was more conducive to higher volume and mass gain right now.

Give your plan a go. I think you should stick with what already works, but in the end do whatever gets you towards your goals. 5 months isn’t that long and I think you could get heaps more out of your current plan with a few tweaks. I love TB and think it is the best strength system out there,but feel free to experiment.

Maxrip13 wrote:It all comes down to your goals mate.

You have listed mostly strength goals so I am guessing that’s the way you are more inclined ? Do you have any work fitness requirements? You only have to do as much cardio as you require for general health if you don,t have work requirements.

Either plan will get you there. If you had an interest mass gain wise I would recommend TB barbell as it includes AMRAP sets etc. It goes really well with all the other TB books and I wish my life was more conducive to higher volume and mass gain right now.

Give your plan a go. I think you should stick with what already works, but in the end do whatever gets you towards your goals. 5 months isn’t that long and I think you could get heaps more out of your current plan with a few tweaks. I love TB and think it is the best strength system out there,but feel free to experiment.

I won't lie, I was set up on changing things up for the summer and trying something different. I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, regarding not changing what already works. I apply the same mentality in life, I don't know why it would be different regarding my training. This approach has worked better than anything I've tried since I've started training, there's no reason to put it aside (not yet anyways).

Thanks for bringing me back to what works Maxrip13. It was a nice slap in the face.

My job is very much sedentary, I'm an ATC in a fairly busy sector in Canada. It's mostly mental stress, not physical. That being said, the gym really does help keeping me sharp psychologically as well. I used to box and do BJJ as well, had to drop it due to the hectic work schedule. I do have a BJJ dummy and a 120lbs heavy bag in my basement gym, so those are my go-to tools for cardio.

Here's the new plan I've laid out:

1RM tested this week


Weeks 1-6


Weeks 7-12


It's basically Operator , but with a few tweaks. I'm using the same rep ranges and %, but with an hybrid cluster of Squat, Bench / OHP, Chin Ups + Deadlifts, while keeping both deadlifts and chin ups every workout. I keep the deadlifting volume extremely low to counter balance it. Only thing left now is to program cardio with some form of ''progressive overload'' along the strength training. I'll be figuring that out this week.

I'll be doing
Squat, Bench, Chin Ups + 1 set of Deadlifts
Squat, OHP, Chin Ups + 1 set of Deadlifts
Squat, Bench, Chin Ups + 1 set of Deadlifts

I've also made it into 2 x 6 weeks blocs, where the first part is done with the minimum sets and reps, and the second 6 weeks with the maximum sets and reps, basically keeping the same intensity, but upping the volume. The goal here is to set PRs on Bench, Deadlift, Squat, Press and W Chin Ups. Those are what I consider the ''big 5''.

Bonus video of the new tested 1RM on chin ups:

https://youtu.be/51UEAnI419U

I'll be taking it easy this week as I have been training hard 3-5 days a week for the last 17 week. The plan is light cardio and mobility drills, maybe some assistance work with bands and core. Starting the new plan next Sunday.

Sounds good mate.

Nothing wrong with changing things up but still try to stick to the basics of the programming you choose.

Good luck with it.