Six-Week Training Plan To Boost Strength

Strength is a skill, not an attribute. It takes time to acquire it, and hundreds if not thousands of workouts to perfect the art of a heavy deadlift, squat or bench press.

You can’t just walk into the gym one day and decide you’re going to lift 500 lbs off the floor, press 300 above your head or perform a double bodyweight bench press. In the beginning though, your strength gains will come relatively easily. You can add weight to the bar each workout, perform extra reps with ease, and generally feel like you’re top dog in the gym, as you throw another 45 on the squat bar. That's because when you're an absolute beginner, it doesn't take much work to get stronger.

But over time these gains slow down, the extra 10 lbs you add each workout soon becomes 5 lbs, then two and a half, until finally you’re struggling for every extra rep, only adding weight every third or fourth workout, if that, and generally feeling like your strength gains are reaching a plateau.

So what can you do to kick start your strength again?

You could flick through the latest muscle magazine, and even though there might be a small bit of content here and there between the supplement ads and pictures of oiled up, ripped dudes posing in tight shorts, the workouts are more targeted to muscle-heads, rather than the strength training connoisseur.

There’s also tons of information on the Internet, but how do you know what’s legit and what’s not?

Powerlifting books can be especially useful, but even those have their shortcomings, as authors will often stick rigidly to their own beliefs, which may not be right for everyone.

The only solution is to have a go at a tried and tested program that really works, which is what this article is.

Your training should be separated into different blocks throughout the year – fitness and conditioning phases, muscle growth phases, power phases, active rest and obviously – strength. Each block should be roughly six weeks long, as this is just about the longest time you can milk one specific program. Any less and you’re probably not taking everything the program has to offer, and any more and you’ll likely exhaust the benefits and quickly plateau again.

A word of warning – this program is not for beginners. As a new trainee, you shouldn’t need complicated programs – just focus on gradually increasing the weights you’re lifting and adding extra sets and reps while maintaining perfect form.

If you’re ready to get started and make the next six weeks the most productive of your strength training life, then read on.

Six Weeks To Superhero Strength

If you want one word to describe this program, then “hard” is probably it.

It won’t be the same type of hard as a grueling hill sprint session, a biceps curl drop set, or running a marathon, but it will tax your muscles and nervous system in a completely different way. For that reason, there are a few considerations to take note of before starting:

Rest is essential

During the six weeks the only type of training you should do are the set workouts. This means you should do no extra cardio sessions, no team sports, not added workouts to target lagging body parts, and no bodybuilding style accessory work. Doing any of these extra activities will sap your energy and seriously impede your performance in the gym, and ultimately your strength gains.

Nutrition is key

It goes without saying, but to lift big you need to eat big. This is not the workout for you if you’re currently dieting or trying to cut weight. While there’s no need to go mad and eat everything in sight, you do need to increase your calorie intake to aid with recovery and provide energy for your sessions.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to diet is that you should aim to multiply your body weight in pounds by 18 to get the number of calories you should eat per day.

Consume at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight and 0.5 grams of fat per pound, and then make the rest of the calories up with healthy carbs that will boost your micronutrient "stats".

Knowing Your Numbers

You need to know your one rep max numbers for your squat, bench press and deadlift before starting this program. If you’re not sure what they are, then test them, wait a fortnight and then start this program.

Exercises

There are three main exercises for this program – squats, deadlifts and bench presses. These are chosen as they’re the three powerlifting exercises, and the ones you’ll be able to increase strength on the quickest. If you’re not a competing powerlifter though, you can change squats to front squats or box squats, bench presses to overhead presses or close grip presses and deadlifts to trap bar deadlifts.

With those out of the way, it’s on with the program.

Program Overview

Here is a quick rundown of the weekly workout template. The schedule will stay the same for the whole six weeks.
All the accessory work should be done for three sets of eight to 12 reps, using a moderately challenging weight.

Monday – Squat as prescribed, plus glute ham raises, dumbbell lunges and weighted sit ups.
Wednesday – Bench Presses as prescribed, plus chin-ups, dumbbell rows and dips.
Thursday – Deadlift as prescribed, plus goblet squats, back extensions and ab wheel rollouts.
Saturday – Recovery/Technique Session as prescribed.

Sets and reps for the Main Exercises

For each session, it is important that you warm up progressively with your main exercises before hitting your top set. It should take six to eight sets before you reach the final one. Here’s what you do for each top set –

Week 1 – 92.5% of your one rep max for two reps.
Week 2 – 95% of your one rep max for two reps.
Week 3 – 97.5% of your one rep max for two reps.
Week 4 – 95% of your one rep max for three reps.
Week 5 – 97.5% of your one rep max for three reps.
Week 6 – 100% of your one rep max for as many reps as possible.

In week six of this challenging workout program, you should be able to get at least two reps at 100 percent of your previous one rep max, but if you’ve followed the program to the letter, chances are you’ll hit three or four with no issue.

Accessory Session

Here’s what to do in your Saturday session each week. This stays the same for the duration of the program as well:

Squat – 60 percent of one rep max for five sets of five reps
Bench Press – 60 percent of one rep max for five sets of five reps
Deadlift – 60 percent of one rep max for five sets of five reps

This weekend session is purely designed to reinforce your technique without over-taxing your muscles and nervous system.

The End?

Once the program is over and you have set new personal bests on all three lifts, it’s up to you what you do next with this new strength. Mind you, you will need at least a week away from the gym to rest and recuperate after you finish this taxing program, and while the results from this program are so great that it will be incredibly tempting to jump straight back into it, you should only use this program once every six months at the most. The best time to do it? Right when you have hit that plateau that you think you'll never work through.

Use it wisely, and you’ll get better results than you’ve had over the last year in just six weeks.