The Bridge®8-Week Barbell Medicine Strength Program Intermediate / Advanced 8-Weeks / 3x per Week BB MED JORDAN FEIGENBAUM, MD AUSTIN BARAKI, MD BLACK BOX WARNING The Bridge ® (8-Week Barbell Medicine Novice to Intermediate Strength Program) Dose: 3x Weekly Side Effects: Increased strength, muscle size, work capacity, improved technique, and programming knowledge. Warning: Using “The Bridge” may result in significant improvements in all trainable physical characteristics, however this may result in strained friendships, increased social media following, and nefarious accusations. Authors: Jordan Feigenbaum, MD Austin Baraki, MD Table of Contents 1. Intro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. Programming Definitions . . . . . . . . 2 3. Training Outcomes and Programming Considerations . . . . . . . 7 4. Assessment of Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression . . . . . . . . . 10 5. The Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6. Rate of Perceived Exertion, Percentages, and Other Loading Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 7. FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 8. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 BB MED o Collect data on outcomes. We would highly recommend reading the rest of this text and using the provided resources in order to get the best results possible. and how we came to design The Bridge in the manner you currently see. Program Specifications o Length: 8-week strength mesocycle o Time per session: 70-90 minutes (typically) o Training Frequency: 3 times per week o GPP/Conditioning Frequency: 1 time per week Now.Chapter 1 Intro Thank you for downloading Barbell Medicine’s 8 Week Strength Program. 2) decrease time wasted following suboptimal programming. The Bridge. thanks for downloading the eBook. Once again. and 3) improve training outcomes for the masses. o Define programming terms. designed to help transition lifters from the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression to intermediate-style programming. o Build adaptability into the program to meet the training needs of intermediate trainees. We wrote this short text with an accompanying program in order to 1) reduce confusion. o Improve programming knowledge. programming concepts. let’s get into the background information on relevant training outcomes. but before we go over the program let’s take time to discuss some of the pertinent details: Goals of The Bridge o Provide a “next step” to follow after completing the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression. We hope you all like it as much as we do. Good luck! 1 . i. When it comes to the physical determinants of fatigue.Chapter 2 –Programming Definitions If you’ve ever read an exercise science textbook. which are discussed below in detail. emotional. If these factors change significantly. *A lifter’s recovery variables include sleep. This stress-induced disruption must then be 1) recovered from in order to restore homeostasis. In order to generate a strength adaptation. improve conditioning. It is well established that the total level of fatigue must be appropriate in order to optimize the stress – recovery – adaptation cycle. In other words.000 steps when visiting a new city. With that in mind. intensity. Fatigue is the sum of all stress the lifter is exposed to that subsequently modifies performance including physical. as inducing the disruption of homeostasis requires incrementally more stress assuming recovery variables are held constant. hormonal status. frequency.e. then training fatigue may suddenly become inappropriate as long as recovery variables are changed. One very important concept needs to be introduced first: Fatigue. emotional stress.e. One consideration of primary importance is that of fatigue. e. it should not result in an excessive disruption for a number of reasons. tonnage. and exercise selection. and environmental stress.* This concept also holds true for someone advancing from early to late intermediate levels or late intermediate to advanced training levels. and 2) adapted to in order to more effectively “defend” this new homeostatic state. and other physical stresses that occur outside the gym. a stress must be applied to an individual that is 1) itself dependent on force production and 2) sufficient to disrupt homeostasis. bigger. 2 . you have likely noticed that there is a lot of jargon used to describe training concepts and their practical application to program design.. It should be noted that recovery variables can be affected negatively or positively. then making sure an appropriate amount of fatigue is being generated is important to optimize adaption outcomes once recovery takes place.g. volume. walking an extra 10. While this stress must be sufficient to disrupt homeostasis. etc. In the context of a lifter advancing from novice to intermediate the amount of stress applied must be increased appropriately. we’ll start by cruising through some very important programming definitions with the appropriate context included to make things as clear as possible. if you want to get stronger. the main components from a training perspective are (not-so coincidentally) the main considerations in exercise programming: i. You may have also noticed that it’s fairly hard to figure out what exactly the authors are talking about when jargon is used outside the context of a real-world situation. a case study. nutrition. and is therefore rapidly recovered from and adapted to before the next session. Volume = Sets x Reps.is low in absolute terms. at a certain intensity the degree of stress applied exceeds the lifters’ “48-hour recovery capacity”. (For our purposes. and this approach is no longer viable. as we’ll discuss in the other definitions below. then the higher volume of program A may not be terribly important from a programming perspective. Volume can also be measured over a week and in the SSLP example the weekly volume would be 45. this stress – while sufficient to disrupt homeostasis -. For example. o In general.) This value gives more insight into a program than the volume alone if a lifter’s strength is known. the accumulated tonnage of the warm-up sets is omitted. Eventually. since they do not constitute a part of the “overload event” unless serious mistakes have been made in their programming. training volume. the SSLP ends and a change in approach is necessary to allow for continued progress. This increases the stress applied to the lifter in a step-wise manner each session. For example. In SSLP for instance. the volume for that exercise in that session would be 15 reps. reps. if a lifter squatted 3 sets of 5. • Tonnage o The product of sets. the exercise selection. (15 reps per session x 3 sessions per week= 45 reps per week). o In order to compare volume from program to program in a useful way we need a minimum intensity (load) consideration in order to make the comparison worthwhile. if program A recommends a ton of warm-up sets that are lighter than. i. more volume at a given intensity produces more fatigue than less volume at that same intensity. this may not be as straightforward as it appears. say. we can make better predictions about the effect of a program that prescribes 315 lbs (78% of 405) for 5 sets of 5 reps than if we only know the volume without any 3 . as inducing the disruption of homeostasis requires more stress to be applied by altering one or more of the fundamental training variables: • Volume o Volume is the product of sets and reps. During the novice phase. and weight on the bar yields tonnage. and training frequency are all maintained in the context of ever- increasing intensity. for a guy who squats 405 lbs x 5RM. However. 60% of a lifters one rep max (1RM) compared to program B which has a much less extensive warm up. It should be reiterated that in the context of a lifter advancing from novice to intermediate the amount of stress applied – and therefore the amount of fatigue generated -.In the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression (SSLP).must be increased appropriately.e. At that point. higher intensity training is more fatiguing than lower intensity training. and pulling. any squat-type movement can be included in the overall frequency of squatting. though there are no universally agreed-upon ranges that determine “low. o In general.” “medium. o Thus. sufficient to disrupt homeostasis). it’s effects would likely be dissipated in 2-3 days for an early intermediate lifter without generating additional fatigue from subsequent stressors. While the 1x/wk frequency would represent a significant single stress event. if a program calls for squats on Day 1. This concept is described in detail later in this text. o In general. pressing. a higher tonnage produces more fatigue than less tonnage over a given period of time. the three basic movement patterns that are most important from a strength perspective are squatting. the 4 . intensity can also be subjectively characterized using Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). as stress is serially applied without full recovery.e. paused squats on Day 2. Additionally.” or “high” intensities. and can be objectively defined as a percentage of 1RM. With that in mind. • Intensity o The load being used is referred to as the intensity. By spreading out the frequency. • Frequency o Frequency is defined as the number of times a movement or movement pattern is trained per unit of time (week/month/year). consider the different effect of a program that prescribes squatting 5 reps for 5 sets @ 75% of a 5RM all in one day (frequency of 1x/wk) compared to another program that prescribes squatting 5 reps @ 75% of a 5RM for one set on five separate days in a week (frequency of 5x/wk). and front squats on day 3 then the total squat frequency is 3 times per week. discussion of the load. which requires the lifter to retrospectively estimate the difficulty of a work set. o More interestingly. the overall fatigue tends to increase. 5 sets of 5 at 225 (55% of 405) for this lifter is a completely different training stimulus. and again requires consideration of the minimum intensity necessary for a given amount of training volume to be “useful” (i. For example. Broadly speaking. These two different protocols would generate vastly different effects on relevant training outcomes like strength and hypertrophy. However. more frequency is associated with increased volume and tonnage and this also produces more fatigue. However. increased frequency tends to produce increased fatigue. or practicing assigning RPE’s to work sets) in order to inform subsequent training decisions after SSLP is finished. 5 . with different effects on fatigue. let’s discuss training outcomes. in general and 8 weeks in this example. a light squat day) or obtaining certain data (volume. we are running a strength mesocycle.g. While this all may sound wildly complicated. tonnage. There is no shortage of jargon with respect to periodization. Now that we’ve wrapped up the common programming definitions. ! Length: 1-10 workouts (1-15 days) For context. above example shows how increasing frequency without altering volume or tonnage represents a different type of stress. so let’s just get those out of the way here: o Macrocycle: The entire training year ! Length: 12 months ! Number of training sessions: Variable o Mesocycle: Each “block” of training where the variables of the program are often biased towards a specific outcome ! Length: 3-8 weeks. The aforementioned programming variables can be compared to the different bands on an equalizer. ! Training sessions: Variable in general. with varying effects on training outcomes. Each variable can be manipulated independently or in conjunction with the others. we’d like to suggest the radical idea that long-term planning of training is likely to produce better results than flying by the seat of your pants. in this specific program. but 18 training sessions and 12 GPP/conditioning sessions for this program o Microcycle: A series of workouts where stress is applied cumulatively. we know that a good run through SSLP is going to last 3-5 months on average so we may plan on making some changes (e. Intelligently organizing these changes is key to ensuring good results and is classically referred to as periodization. which is part of the yearly macrocycle. Periodization can be defined as the systematic planning and organization of training in order to produce a desired outcome. you know? For example. for instance. We will define our training outcomes as follows: • Strength: The production of force against an external resistance. environmental stresses). emotional. Training stress is only one component of overall fatigue. In the context of barbell training. The hypertrophy stimulus provided from a single workout is sufficient to nearly maximize the molecular and physiologic processes involved in increasing muscle cross sectional area. intermediate. and advanced lifters.Chapter 3 Training Outcomes and Programming Considerations In this chapter. we must focus on the elements of a program that are within our control as they relate to trainees’ differential rates of adaptation. typically in response to training combined with appropriate nutrition that is resulting in net weight gain. non-training physical stress. but does produce increased fatigue that may interfere with strength improvements.g. yet the recovery interval is ~48 hours long before adaptation occurs. However. 3RM. and how each of the previously discussed programming variables can influence these outcomes. The hypertrophy stimulus provided from a single workout may be sufficient to nearly maximize the processes involved in increasing muscle cross 6 . 5RM. since we cannot directly control all sources of fatigue via exercise programming (e. a concept introduced in the last chapter. The recovery interval is approximately ~1 week before adaptation is completed. • Muscular hypertrophy: An increase in muscle cross sectional area (CSA) resulting from the growth of both the contractile and non-contractile elements of a muscle. • Intermediate: The stress incurred from a week-long series of properly programmed workouts is enough to disrupt homeostasis. given that a novice -. This allows for objective strength progress every week on a proper intermediate program like The Bridge. we will discuss how manipulating programming variables influences the stress-recovery-adaptation cycle as it pertains to these outcomes. which stratifies lifters based on their rate of adaptation to training stress and also has implications for how that stress is applied. improvements in strength result in an increase in weight on the bar for a given rep scheme. or estimated 1RM. e. Once the threshold for homeostatic disruption has been reached. exposing the untrained novice to more volume (working reps) in a single session does not produce more muscle growth.g.by definition -. More specifically. This allows for objective strength progress every workout on a proper novice program like SSLP.is previously untrained. We agree with Rippetoe’s classification system for novice. These categories are defined as follows: • Novice: The stress of a single properly programmed workout is enough to disrupt homeostasis. 3 sets of 5 reps. This becomes more complex when considering how the stress-recovery-adaptation cycle changes in multiple ways as a lifter advances. we will discuss the major training outcomes of strength and hypertrophy. If we compare that to a training session consisting of 5x7 squats. intensity. As a lifter becomes more advanced. However. It varies among individuals and changes over time depending on the lifter’s age. MPS rates tend to remain elevated for 24-48 hours after an overload event. which may be inappropriate for the lifter depending on their training stress requirements and the context the overall program. where a score of 0 represents no hypertrophy and 1 represents maximal hypertrophy. consider the hypertrophic response to training (HRTT) ranging from 0 to 1. etc. As a thought experiment. 5 x 7 bench. Training frequency’s influence on hypertrophy outcomes are discussed with the advanced lifter’s description below. sectional area if training volume is sufficient to represent an overload event. with novices and earlier intermediates trending towards a 48 hour elevation whereas later intermediates 7 . the HRTT score may be 0. the longer the stress accumulation and recovery. It is not unusual for advanced lifters to require stress accumulation to last for a few months with the subsequent realization of that training’s effect occurring weeks to months later. e. hormonal milieu. however. then it receives a HRTT score of 0. If a training session does not meet criteria to cause an overload event*.8 for the trained musculature. If the lifter is exposed to enough volume. • Advanced: The stress incurred from a series of workouts completed over a time interval greater than 1 week is required to disrupt homeostasis.g. The more advanced a lifter. This allows for objective strength progress every 2 weeks or greater depending on the level of advancement. fatigue dissipation. level of training advancement.” this exposure produces an increase in muscle protein synthesis rates. with additional caveats that training frequency is even more important here given the more rapid decay in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rates seen in highly trained lifters. will be.9 due to the added volume in the latter example. and 5 x 1 deadlifts may represent an HRTT score of 0. However. and 5 x 2 deadlifts. and/or has a less anabolic hormonal profile. there is also significantly more training stress in that example. any and all training that meets the physiological criteria for an “overload event” will elevate the muscle protein synthesis (MPS) rate. older. overload events generally require more volume in order to surpass the threshold. the degree to which muscle hypertrophy is increased with “more reps” alone within the context of a strength program is not yet known. The minimum training stress that qualifies as an overload event is not known in absolute terms. On the other hand. The recovery interval is also therefore also greater than 1 week before adaptation is completed.* Exposing the intermediate to increased volume (reps) in a single session in excess of that which produces optimal strength improvements may result in increased muscle hypertrophy when accompanied by appropriate nutritional interventions that produce weight gain. It is critical to note that this theoretical threshold does not always have to be met with significant intensity. * By definition. The same hypertrophy considerations seen in the intermediate’s description apply here as well. and range of motion to accumulate enough stress to qualify as an “overload event. 5x5 bench press. a training session consisting of 5x5 squats. This concept also suggests that “total annihilation” of a muscle group with ultra-high volume training. this means the advanced lifter who wants to maximize hypertrophy may benefit from more frequent training of muscle groups. the way to maximize hypertrophy is to stimulate MPS as often as possible through training without doing too much “extra stuff” that compromises future stimulation of MPS. 24 hour elevation. you can see how linearly progressing the intensity of a massive single-session volume stress might generate fatigue out of proportion to the ultimate adaptation. tonnage. and training frequency are all maintained in the context of ever- increasing intensity. this stress is recovered from through the week (including “Light Day”). The application of an inappropriate amount of training stress (either insufficient or excessive) results in stagnation. so the only real effect is additional unnecessary “junk” fatigue. instead of within a single session. During the novice phase. and frequency to ultimately induce the desired adaptation after recovery takes place. the SSLP ends and a change in approach is necessary to allow for continued progress. there is an upper limit to the amount of useful stress that can be applied in a given session. there are two general approaches to managing the post-novice lifter. Additionally. This provides a far more sustainable strategy for incremental increase in training stress over a far longer period 8 . a threshold above which you aren’t getting more adaptation.g. or even increased risk of injury. In short. At that point. At this point. e. the exercise selection. whereby a very large stress is applied on “Volume Day”. This increases the stress applied to the lifter in a step-wise manner each session. The first involves continuing to escalate the applied stress in a single session. since further training of the arms (and therefore subsequent stimulation of MPS) may be delayed long past the completion of that MPS bout. 300 reps for “arms” may be counterproductive. The alternative to this approach is to accumulate the necessary training stress over a series of workouts. at a certain intensity the degree of stress applied exceeds the lifters’ “48-hour recovery capacity”. and advanced lifters trend towards a shorter. while providing additional time for recovery and adaptation. this stress is rapidly recovered from and adapted to before the next session. training volume. The downside of this approach is that there is a physiologic upper limit to the amount of training stress in one session that an intermediate lifter can tolerate and recover from within the context of a program designed for a 1-week stress-recovery- adaptation cycle. Again. With these factors in mind. due to soreness. and this approach is no longer viable. Eventually. intensity. regression. and the adaptation is demonstrated on “Intensity Day”. This approach fundamentally relies on incremental increases in the stress applied on Volume Day. the overarching theme that persists regardless of training level is that the correct amount of training stress must be applied through manipulation of volume. In practical terms. This is one interpretation of the theoretical underpinning in the original Texas Method. in other words. In the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression (SSLP). The adaptations are then “displayed” during the following week’s training days. This approach is the alternative interpretation of the Texas Method. Let’s now turn our attention to assessing SSLP and figure out how. it now takes place over 7-14 days. and may cause injury and/or regression.of time. which then sum together to disrupt homeostasis yet again. where stress applied from the volume. similarly. and intensity days all sum together to produce enough stress to disrupt homeostasis over the week in its entirety and. light. the total stress applied must be carefully managed in order to remain appropriate. The fact remains however. whereas too much stress does not allow for enough recovery to occur within program structure. that because our lifter has freshly graduated from novice status. which should translate into an objective performance increase (such as weight on the bar or estimated 1RM) every 1-2 weeks. an intermediate lifter’s “new” stress-recovery-adaptation cycle length is longer than the novice’s for strength outcomes. Instead of a full cycle taking place within 48 hours. is simultaneously recovered from over the week and weekend in its entirety. when discussing the different rates of adaptation that define a lifter’s training advancement. Too little stress offers no disruption of homeostasis and results in stalling or detraining. As mentioned above. 9 . why we came up with The Bridge. It is possible that those running Texas Method may oscillate between both models presented here depending on their recovery capacities given that recovery is a dynamic process that changes all the time. Both scenarios provide the same amount of additional volume. which describes the adaptation process muscles undergo when exposed to a novel training stress. For instance. though it would be hard to discuss the addition of volume without discussing its intensity. Further. Consequently. Classically. Volume In SSLP. a lifter squatting 315 for 3 sets of 5 did 15 “working reps” for the squat that session and these reps most directly translate to producing strength gains. Therefore. we will attempt to show that increasing volume exposure correctly is both necessary and beneficial for long term progress. Increasing volume of the lifts is one way that we can increase training stress. and frequency of SSLP and give some clues as to how we modified these variables to manage training stress appropriately. suppose we have a lifter squatting 315 for 3 sets of 5 reps who just finished SSLP.Chapter 4 Assessment of Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression We are assuming many who will be running The Bridge will be fresh graduates of the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression (SSLP) or have completed it in recent history. but the higher intensity of scenario A inflicts more stress than scenario B. we will assess the volume. For completeness. representing a misunderstanding of exercise programming. In scenario A we add 2 sets of 5 at 315 and in scenario B we add 2 sets of 5 at 275. For example. Working reps in this context refer to the sets done across at the same weight within SSLP. we know that trainees get better at tolerating and recovering from a stress the more they are exposed to it. reps performed at intensities greater than 70% of a lifer’s 1RM would qualify. This is due to the Repeated Bout Effect (RBE) Principle. intensity. Simply put. but the number of these reps in SSLP that occur outside of the work sets are small enough to ignore. We find these claims lacking both scientific and anecdotal evidence and. the lifter squats 3 times per week and subsequently exposes the lifter to 45 working reps for the squat and pressing exercises. in our estimation. tonnage. An interesting concept has come up in some coaching circles suggesting that there are trainees who are uniquely “volume sensitive” who do not handle adding stress in the way of volume very well and incur more stress than we’d otherwise expect from a given amount volume. use less volume. the effect of volume cannot be discussed without intensity. this type of trainee is an older person and the typical suggestion is to train less frequently. exposing the lifter to 3 sets of 5 reps at 315lbs for squats 10 . and to use higher intensity work sets in order to incrementally increase stress. SSLP also commits 20 working reps of volume to the deadlift from the combination of the deadlift and power clean. In general. we admit that all reps performed at sufficient intensity level to produce an overload event that subsequently results in improved strength performance should be included in the volume calculation. As mentioned above. not male. After this initial period of success however. it should be stated that less male someone is. this program would likely result in progress for a few weeks. It could be either in this situation. there are only two possible answers: 1) The stress applied is insufficient to disrupt homeostasis. which occurs through the Repeated Bout Effect and this compromises the trainee’s future success. For a rank novice. a lifter who is not exposed to significant training volume never builds the work capacity to tolerate volume. but we’d make a case for the former with some additional nuance (of course). or of advanced age. this is one of the reasons multiple sets training programs routinely outperform single set training programs in more trained populations. e. Finally. 2) The stress applied is too great to recover from in the given time interval. The question is why and simply speaking. applies a certain amount of stress upon a trainee and will disrupt homeostasis in untrained populations for about ~6 weeks. a single work set does not generate a significant physical or metabolic insult to the muscles and will not disrupt homeostasis.g. as it [volume] is the main driver of muscle growth.g. but at some point in the near future the stress increase incurred from just increasing the weight will not result in an improvement. e. Hypertrophy outcomes also suffer without appropriate volume. As we would predict. the less robustly they will respond to a given training stress. lower testosterone levels. A high intensity set. imagine that a “volume sensitive” novice lifter has been advised to train twice weekly in the following fashion: • Day 1 o Squat x 5 reps x 1 set o Press x 5 reps x 1 set o Deadlift x 5 reps x 1 set • Day 2 (3 days later) o Squat x 5 reps x 1 set o Bench x 5 reps x 1 set The lifter had been advised to do a single work set on each lift because volume would “beat him up” and prevent his stress-recovery-adaptation process from taking place within the time between Day 1 and Day 2. a 1RM. easier to recover from.produces a bevy of changes in that lifter that ultimately make re-exposure to the same workout less stressful and also. 11 . Moreover. This is substantiated by multiple studies looking at single set vs multiple set training programs applied to various demographics showing worse strength outcomes with single sets. 3RM. For an extreme example. or 5RM. we feel that the evidence suggests against reducing volume. If anything. 3RM the following week. We can also increase stress by increasing intensity. Interestingly. changing from 3 sets of 5 reps to 5 sets of 3 reps preserves the volume.g. this young virile cohort may be the “volume sensitive” folks. e. From an intensity standpoint. it is highly likely that weekly “improvements” seen are really just previously developed strength gains that are now being tested. and tissue plasticity. and so on before repeating this method. It should be stated that SSLP is already fairly high intensity so increasing that aspect of the program without modifying other factors doesn’t tend to produce strength gains or any additional hypertrophy. a 5RM one week. for older trainees. by adding weight to existing set/rep schemes or by changing them in order to allow more exposure to heavy weights. both scientific evidence and professional experience suggest that adding intensity doesn’t work very well in this context. Consider a program that has a lifter cycle through rep ranges. a person who has not previously trained with singles (sets of 1). may get better at doing singles. younger males with high testosterone levels respond more readily to an overload event than older females with miniscule amounts of T floating around. we do not deny that it is possible to apply too much stress to an older trainee if the intensity is too high. or triples once they train them.This is secondary to blood flow characteristics that change with aging. However. or triples (sets of 3). 4RM the next week. this corresponds to 79-84% of “1RM” for a set of 5 reps. and likely improves within this range due to the relatively consistent increase in the novice lifter’s strength as he runs the program successfully. This is most easily explained by the Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand 12 . the hormonal milieu.e. i. Given the low volume situation of training sessions like these. For example. Intensity The relative effort on any given set of 5 during the novice progression is somewhere between 70% and 90% of his actual 5RM ability. In general. In other words. SSLP’s intensity for the working sets tends to be about 80-85%. With this in mind. doubles. it’s 15 reps in either case. Said another way. volume performed at 70% of a lifter’s 1RM is useful volume for strength improvement and adjustment of intensity while increasing volume is our preferred method of programming folks after SSLP. e.training frequency. however it may allow the lifter to realize previous strength via testing that is thinly disguised as training. This means that the lifter could likely perform an additional 1 to 3 reps in any given work set if he absolutely had to.g. not the geezers or geezlings. It is also possible that the act of exposing an intensity naïve individual to this type of loading may improve their ability to demonstrate their strength. or by association. In summary. doubles (sets of 2). but the intensity and tonnage is higher in 5 sets of 3 reps. SSLP has 4 lower body slots (3 squatting and 1 deadlifting) and 3 pressing slots (the alternating press and bench) per week.g. and deadlift. the squat. which states that the body adapts to the specific demands placed upon it.5%. Keeping with the methods used when assessing volume and tonnage. However. e. whereas slots are the exercises within the workout sorted according to whether they are upper-body. despite the benefits of the Repeated Bout Effect (RBE) stating that a lifter gets less fatigued from what he is exposed to.(SAID) Principle. press. we will include the additional variants that train the collection of muscle groups in either the lower body or upper body. However.” Thus. Tonnage Recall that tonnage is reps x sets x load. Using the theoretical example of a 180 kg squatter. 70 kg presser. stress and fatigue. and other effects from exercises stressing similar muscle groups are significant and thus. we get the following comparisons: • Squat Tonnage= 6601kg per week • Bench Tonnage= 1793kg per week • Press Tonnage = 855kg per week • Deadlift Tonnage= 815kg per week For squats. More advanced lifters. For example. Frequency The last program variables we’ll jointly assess in this article are frequency and “slots. like squats and deadlifts. the higher the absolute strength. and 200 kg deadlifter and under the assumption that SSLP uses an average intensity of 81. as this is the mean of the predicted 79-84% intensity range. cannot tolerate thrice weekly loading at >80% of 1RM for significant amounts of volume for extended periods of time. 13 . bench. we’ll limit frequency calculation to only directly attributable variations of the Big Four lifts. The logic for comparing slots this way is as follows: “…the carry-over. squats contribute to increasing the deadlift and deadlift training contributes to increasing the squat through both indirect and direct mechanisms. 110 kg bencher. like the pressing movements. are best grouped together. SSLP provides a good amount of tonnage at a given strength level. or lower-body.” Frequency refers to the amount of times a particular exercise is seen. the less able the lifter will be to recover from and sustain that amount of intensity at a given volume. and exercise selection. • Bench: Increase volume. increase frequency. an increase in any one of the factors (save for intensity) discussed above typically results in higher volume. We briefly outline how we prefer to increase training stress for each lift for this program below: • Squat: Increase volume. through use of similar variations and gradually improve skill for handling circa maximal weights. and gradually improve skill for handling circa maximal weights. decrease intensity. As you may have predicted. maintain intensity. decrease intensity slightly. How these modifications come together synergistically are seen in the next chapter. increase frequency through use of similar variations. maintain frequency. maintain intensity. This requires adjustment of training intensity. we can consider what modifications should be made in order to provide the appropriate increase in stress for the post SSLP lifter. 14 . frequency. and gradually improve skill for handling circa maximal weights. • Deadlift: Increase volume. • Press: Increase volume. increase frequency through use of similar variations.Overall Assessment and Plan Now that we’ve laid out the main variables in play. The Program. Our personal and professional experiences agree with the scientific evidence that increasing volume typically produces a beneficial increase in stress provided it is increased in an appropriate manner. and gradually improve skill for handling circa maximal weights. Chapter 5 The Program We present to you the 8-week Bridge (*for RPE discussion. see next chapter): 15 . 16 . 17 . 18 . Do not pause at the bottom. no belt: Squat without a belt.Movement Explanations Squats • Squat w/ belt: Self-explanatory. then stand up. • 2 or 3ct paused bench: Pause for 2 or 3 seconds on chest. 1ct paused: Bench with a 1 second pause on the chest. where you just touch the pins before touching your chest with the barbell. • Squat. This is not done to increase how much the “core” gets trained or to get the lifter to use their abs better. Start the movement at the top. squat down and pause on the pins.e.5” between index fingers. which may allow for technique corrections and decreased load-induced musculoskeletal pain. Rather. Presses • Bench Press. • 2ct Paused Squat: Pause for 2 seconds at the bottom of the squat. • Pin Squat: Squat in a rack with the pins set at a height where you just get below parallel when the barbell touches the pins. Pulls • Deadlift w/ belt: Standard deadlift from the floor w/ belt. then press it back up. beltless squats allow for a training stress to be achieved with a slightly lighter weight. respectively. • Press w/ belt: Overhead press w/ belt. bring the bar down and pause on the pins. Most variations besides the squat w/ belt should be performed beltless. • Pin Bench: Bench in a rack with the pins set at chest height. just squat with the belt. • 3-0-3 Tempo Squat: Take 3 seconds to descend and 3 seconds to ascend in the squat. 19 . Each rep should be done from a dead stop. as neither of those statements are supported by evidence. i. Start the movement at the top. • Close grip bench: Bench with a grip set at ~16. cardio. • 2ct paused deadlift: Start like a normal deadlift but then pause for 2 seconds 1” off the floor. mid shin: Deadlift in a power rack or with the bar elevated on blocks such that the barbell is at mid shin level. e. i.g. where you would deadlift it from. Each set should be submaximal meaning that the lifter should be able to perform additional reps or work and not go to failure. • Pendlay Rows: Start with the barbell on the ground over the midfoot. e. While it is true that many studies suggest HIIT is superior to LISS for outcomes like body fat loss. i. VO2max improvement. it behooves the early intermediate trainee to start developing their work capacity appropriately and some conditioning work is usually indicated for this. 20 . we like to program in General Physical Preparedness (GPP) work 1-2 days a week. and again this depends on a ton of variables. • Rack Pull. About GPP A common question with nearly all programs is “Where do I put ______?”. The rationale for including LISS first is that it is difficult to improve overall conditioning without an aerobic base. arm work. 2” higher than it would be it were on the floor. Extend the knees slightly more than you’d have in a deadlift. we assume that he or she was not performing a significant amount of conditioning or accessory work prior to running this program so the type of progression seen in The Bridge is how we’d start incorporating GPP into a program. In general. For the intermediate recently graduating from SSLP. We include low intensity steady state conditioning (LISS) work initially and later include high intensity interval training (HIIT). at best. these studies are all short term and performed mostly in untrained populations or. Suffice it to say.e. In these time-criterion prescriptions the goal is to accumulate as many reps as possible within the given time frame.g. endurance athletes. how much work they can tolerate before becoming too fatigued to induce the desired training stress. then row the bar to a point where it contacts the lower sternum. which compromises development of work capacity.. Try to use minimal hip and knee movement to lift the weight.e. we try to make sure the lifter can’t go full-bro and apply too much stress to themselves on these GPP days by using time-caps on highly effective (in my opinion) exercises. Perform reps from this height. The conditioning is included in order to augment development of a lifter’s work capacity. 7 min upper back or trunk work. e.g. If you assumed that a failure to develop work capacity over time limits the amount of training a lifter can both perform and recover from AND that this has implications for future progress. etc. then finish the pull. Furthermore. etc.then you’re right on the money. which gives as an e1RM of 417lbs.If we think about the population running The Bridge program. etc. lactate) and force production increases and this may actually cause a more rapid onset of fatigue during highly aerobic activities like running. 21 . we recommend you write down all work done at RPE 7 or greater (see below for discussion of RPE). we recommend calculating the load you need ahead of time in order to beat last week’s e1RM. If the rep ranges change however. we know that 5 @ 9 is 84% of a 1 rep max. and the cardiometabolic base that anaerobic improvements (from a conditioning perspective) must be built upon. In short. unless additional steps are taken to transfer the anaerobic improvements to aerobic capacity.just add a little bit of weight if you can while staying within the given RPE range. we need some aerobic conditioning to get good at clearing metabolic byproducts. and maintain or improve technique. Let’s say you squatted 350 x 5 reps @ 9. So. which can be calculated from the included percentage chart. From the chart. swimming. we need to do some LISS to make sure the HIIT works optimally and a failure to do so compromises results from a conditioning perspective.g. For simplicity sake. this is fairly straightforward. cycling.g. Week to week. lifting weights. You should be tracking your estimated 1 rep maximum (e1RM). we can infer that nearly all of them have been exposed to large amounts of anaerobic stress from recent training. we can set up the following equation: 350/x = 84/100 and solve for x. which subsequently may compromise strength outcomes. the adaptations produced are mainly metabolic fatigue factor producing (e. accrue more tonnage. From a conditioning standpoint. you can use the following equation to calculate your e1RM: E1RM=(Weight on the bar x 100)/Percentage from Chart Ideally. each week you would try to make the e1RM go up. e. Tracking Progress On this program. maintain or improve efficiency of movement. If the rep range stays the same week to week. the idea is to add more weight to the bar. Said a different way. which will now be increased. Rate of Perceived Exertion. school. you want to start an intermediate program because they are more complex and exciting. periodization) in order to continually deliver sufficient stress while 1) allowing for adequate recovery. then got caught up with a new job. the simple act of performing a rep max effort in order to test their strength represents an overload event from which they adapt and get stronger – similarly rendering the measurement immediately invalid. Similarly. Percentages. more than one training variable must be manipulated at a given time (e. Of course. the fact that an effective intermediate training program will get you stronger on a weekly basis means 22 . or benching 3 x 2 at 90% 1RM. It should be obvious that this technique requires a crucial part of information – knowing the lifter’s 1-rep maximum for a given lift. a program may suggest squatting 5 x 5 at 80% 5RM. Eventually. And at no time during (or after) the novice linear progression is it recommended for a novice to perform a 1RM test. Training intensity continuously increases as you adapt to ever-increasing intensities. and skill. Unfortunately. how do we decide what the load should be for a given exercise on a given day? There are a few common methods used in exercise programming for this. neuromuscular efficiency. For example.g. having completed your novice phase.. You plug in your old 1RMs. These are very convenient and preferred among many lifters because they continue to provide a concrete number that they must hit on a given day. there is also the consideration of when this 1RM (or “estimated” 1RM) was performed. The alternative. Typically. enter the gym on day 1. For some novices. and get pinned under the first heavy squat set… because your 1RM was no longer valid. But. and Other Loading Considerations During the novice progression. 5RM. and 3) realizing the final adaptation. with more variety to “keep things fresh”. Let’s say you completed your novice progression 3 months ago. There are various formulas and calculators available to estimate such things. Unfortunately. these percentages are calculated off of a lifter’s 1-rep maximum in a given lift (or perhaps a different rep-max like a 5RM). this does not work forever.Chapter 6. their accuracy still is highly variable due to individual differences in things like training status. and life stress. because novices are not yet sufficiently trained (in terms of skill and neuromuscular recruitment & coordination) to actually execute a “true” 1RM effort. This leaves you basing your entire training program off of a measure of questionable validity. of course is to estimate the 1RM off of their best 3RM. load selection is easy. Perhaps the most common method of load selection involves using percentages. 2) managing fatigue. as we have already discussed at length. It’s always “just a little more than last time”. So if we aren’t going to be adding more weight to the bar every session anymore. or training 5 x 5. print out your program. Finally. the RPE scale was typically applied to aerobic exercise and exercise physiology research and not resistance training. In other words. For example. if a person rated their exertion at 13 (somewhat hard). recall also that fatigue encompasses other non-training components that may be outside of our control. an acronym which stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion.g. Let’s introduce the concept of R. each numerical value is correlated with a heart rate by multiplying the RPE by 10. then their heart rate is estimated to be about 130 beats per minute. At this point. 23 .P. with 6 representing a resting state and 20 representing maximal exertion. It is a necessary component of any training program..E. What do you do then? Quit and go home? There is a better way. Each increment is associated with a subjective level of effort. recall our important concept of fatigue. The RPE scale was originally developed in the 60’s by Swedish psychologist Gunnar Borg and had a linear scale of 6-20. etc.. and must be managed carefully as lifters get more and more advanced. Using this scale. you might be strong enough to squat 5 x 5 at 80% of 1RM. an unexpected life stress. but since you’ve been dealing with various acute life stressors you might fail your second work set that day.that the original 1-rep-max used to calculate your training weights becomes progressively less and less valid as the program goes on. However.) might result in performance decreases that are not accounted for by the rigid prescription of a percent-based program. Unexpected or non-modifiable increases in fatigue (e. having to flip to working night shifts. injuries. sleep. By using RPE to determine loading. We would be remiss if we did not give credit where credit is due. In contrast. Things like previous training stress. I am fortunate to have called him both coach and friend. training environment. etc. nutritional status. all play a role in what a lifter’s performance level will be for a given training session. using something like percentages or pre-planned loads may be less appropriate depending on the 24 . time of day. we can account for variability in performance that occurs day to day.Fast forward to the late 2000’s and enter the freaky strong and very intelligent Mike Tuchscherer. owner of Reactive Training Systems. You see. performance on a given training day is related to many factors. Using RPE to select the weight accounts for all of this because it allows the lifter to “feel” out the load that will deliver the prescribed stress. It is our opinion that there are advantages and disadvantages to using RPE to determine the load for non-novice lifters that we discuss below. motivation. including many the lifter may not be able to control. Mike was the first to apply RPE principles to strength training as a way of selecting the weight for a given exercise on a particular day. as Mike deserves a lot of praise for bringing this concept to strength sports. it is my opinion that the load may need to be adjusted based on the lifter’s actual performance on that day. Thus. you’re probably sick of hearing about “the correct amount of stress”. we get the unique opportunity to clue the lifter in on their potential performance for the particular exercise. Secondary to allowing for selection of the appropriate loading based on performance potential of a given training session. For instance. and the amount of fatigue the lifter is dealing with at the time is really friggin’ important. being 16 weeks away from meet day?). So in selecting the load for a particular exercise. which is very important during a meet in attempt selection. Of course. if someone is far away from a meet or test week. Consider that a 1RM is only truly “accurate” on the specific day it is performed. When we use RPE for each set. selecting loads using this old measurement may be sub- optimal. weeks. admittedly.accuracy of the 1RM they are calculated from. We’d be remiss if we didn’t also discuss the drawbacks to using RPE.g. we’ll likely be see the greatest improvements in outcomes. Overall.but I do find it useful to help build a lifter’s self- awareness of their performance over time.g. are we close to a meet vs. therefore. this depends on numerous factors that are hard to communicate so I simply say “Do 4 sets of 6 reps @ 7” because there is (hopefully) an understanding of just how hard an “@7” set should be regardless of any other factors. the timing within the training cycle (e. by using a set scale like the RPE scale to describe the relative effort. or months later. but it should be said that we ultimately think that using RPE has a better risk/benefit profile compared to using percentages or discrete loading. we also think that learning to use RPE- 25 . there may be a discrepancy between predicted and actual performance that is learned during the last few warm up sets by subjectively rating these sets’ difficulty level. exercise selection. In other words. he or she will have insight into their potential for the day. Say a lifter is warming up and everything feels light. relatively more important for competitive lifters and serious trainees. that previously measured 1RM may be much heavier or much lighter than a lifter’s current maximum ability. While I’m not against having a certain load in mind as the goal of the day. One seldom discussed benefit of using RPE is that it has a high likelihood of improving a lifter’s awareness with respect to their ability of a given day. if we continue to apply the right stress over a series of training sessions. etc. rep range. ambient temperature. depending on how they feel under the bar. e. This is. RPE allows us better opportunity to expose the lifter to the correct training stress. it’s likely best to get in a good amount of training volume at a relatively lower intensity than if the meet or test week is 14 days away. Days. but it bears repeating applying just the right amount of stress given the demographic. By now. RPE prescriptions can communicate to the lifter that the sets are supposed to be at a certain level of difficulty and they can gauge this in real-time. how does one get better at this? By doing it more. and keep practicing to hone your RPE rating abilities. if I squatted 405 x 5 this week.is a valuable skill to have.is to be adding weight to the bar regularly and if a person can do that weekly without overshooting the planned training stress (and thus. One of the biggest gripes with RPE is the worry that a lifter will gauge their efforts poorly. Some folks just like planning their training linearly. We see the appeal in that. 26 . Additionally. Having a backup plan in RPE however. We admit that there’s definitely a learning curve here and it is very normal for people who have never assigned RPE to their sets to both under and overestimate at the beginning. So.e.5-5lb jump they planned for. i. there is a potential that training progress is slower the in the absence of discrete loads being planned for.likely best improved by continued practice assigning RPE’s to sets. Nevertheless. for whatever reason. make that 2. but I do feel the advantages outweigh this disadvantage when considering how I as a coach most effectively communicate the intended loading and stress for a given exercise if I can’t be there in person. of course! It is important to be honest with yourself after a given set. For some this takes longer than others. I’m aiming for 410 x 5 next week. certainly. use video for objective feedback. for instance) are not mutually exclusive. likely missing reps or having to eliminate volume by cutting sets) then that’s a great plan. The idea. let’s talk about the potential pitfalls of RPE. and this can be troublesome over time if it’s not worked out. but would make the argument that the use of RPE and linear progression (adding weight each session or each week. allows the lifter to know what to do if they cannot.EVEN WITH RPE. I have also run into people who consistently underrate or overrate their RPE. Coaching may be needed for this process. Then. this likely isn’t the best program either.barbellmedicine. maintain good support systems for your outside-the-gym stress. if you are slightly overweight you should lose weight slowly while running this program. b.see here: http://www.FAQ 1) Why is this better than the Texas Method or 5/3/1? a. being mindful of sticking to the program will optimize 27 . 5) What can I do to maximize recovery? a.com/article/into-the-great-wide-open-the-texas-method- and-5-3-1 2) What should I eat while on this program? a. Similarly. to drive strength improvements optimally. For a very overweight person who is seeking to lose a significant amount of body fat quickly. or movement selection to optimize it to your specific needs. but you may need alterations in volume. you could repeat the program and probably get some good results. Theoretically. the individual. Neither program has an appropriate change in the factors contributing to training stress discussed above. do sets of 4 all the way up until you get to something that feels like a RPE 7. For a very underweight individual.e. Then add another 5% to the bar for your @9 set. That’s a great question whose answer depends on what you want to do. c. frequency. SSLP is likely a better choice when accompanied by appropriate weight gain. and eat appropriately such that rapid weight loss is not occurring. i. see here: http://startingstrength. 4) How should I warm up? a. b. 4 reps @ 9. In other words. which should get you close to an 8. we recommend sticking to the prescribed rep range for that exercise and increasing weight. However. 4 reps @ 8. intensity. Great question! As you might expect.Chapter 7 . Also. if the prescription is 4 reps @ 7. add 5% to the bar. the answer depends on a host of variables that are specific to each individual. We recommend doing repeated sets of 5 with the empty barbell for the first exercise every minute on the minute for 8-10 minutes until appropriately warm. Then. You can sleep 7-8 hours per night. By adding 5% bar weight while maintaining the rep range. intensity. and frequency. we typically see an increase in RPE by 1. For more details on how to setup a diet for you. you gain weight consistently week by week.com/584-2/ 3) What should I do after this program? a. volume. For a more in-depth discussion. it is our recommendation that if you are slightly underweight. However. bro? a. We recommend obtaining a good quality lifting belt that is 3 or 4” wide. and of the single prong or lever variety. Whey protein is also useful. 12) Why so much benching. and volume recommendations. Our experience suggests that increasing the strength of the shoulder girdle most readily responds to increased pressing volume. 7) Can I train arms. RPE. contrast baths. Yes. Depends when this occurs. specifically of the bench variety. should I still run this program? a. NEVER. 8) When do you recommend stretching? a. but usually we’ll have you jump right back to the week preceding your week off. A good set of knee sleeves. Great question. HMB. will not help recovery. creatine. Sure. but for maximal performance one could make an argument for inclusion of some sports supplements. elimintating the hassle of dosing multiple supplements. 10) I’m not a novice. but keeping the same rep. Do them on GPP days. If that sounds like you. These are all combined in our GainzZz Rx supplement where you take 1 scoop pre workout and another 1 scoop post workout. wrist wraps. beta alanine. b. chiropractic adjustments. e. and we recommend our GainzZz Rx Whey Protein or protein of similar quality. and do as many reps as possible using sub maximal sets . etc. Great question. This will need to be titrated up every few weeks. Easy answer. 9) Do you recommend supplements with this program? a. 10 or 13mm thick. Supplements definitely aren’t necessary to survive.g. set a clock for 7 minutes. we recommend pressing on days 1 (swapping out the supplemental bench on Day 1 for a press) and 3 (press w/ belt) and benching on day 2 (paused bench). citrulline malate. we have had cases of folks with history of shoulder issues who do well we 2x/wk pressing and 1x/wk benching. 6) I have to take a week off. what should I do? a. betaine anhydrous. 11) What kind of lifting gear do you recommend? a. recovery. 28 . etc. by definition. bro? a. and wrist straps may also come in handy. this program is designed for folks who are not novices. massage. sodium. Stretching. com How to setup your diet: http://www.com/ Form check: http://startingstrength.com/watch?v=QhVC_AnZYYM Bench: https://www.com/store/books/starting- strength-basic-barbell-training-413 Practical Programming: https://aasgaardco.youtube.youtube.com/watch?v=4T9UQ4FBVXI&t=27s Press: https://www.org/index.com/584-2/ Ask a nutrition question: http://startingstrength.com/consults-and-contact/) or send us an email at [email protected]/resources/forum/forum171/ How to do the lifts: Squat: https://www.Resources For 1 on 1 coaching click here (http://www.myfitnesspal.barbellmedicine.com/watch?v=CnBmiBqp-AI Deadlift: https://www.com/store/books/practical-programming-for- strength-training-328-506 For a Starting Strength coach in your area - http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/forum167/ Smartphone App for tracking dietary intake: https://www.youtube.youtube.php/site/coaches 29 .barbellmedicine.com/watch?v=4AObAU-EcYE&t=64s Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training: https://aasgaardco.Chapter 8 .