Get stronger by using

The Old School Method

by Dr. Janne Heittokangas In this note some aspects of The Old School Method in powerlifting will be discussed. It is not just one idea or one single method, it is an infinite set of methods and ideas, and every lifter has his/hers own versions of it. We will only scratch the surface, so don't expect to find a complete package here. It is assumed that the lifter uses all possible gear. This is because many of the Illini Powerlifting Team members participate actively in competitions, and because gear is allowed there. However, if you do not want to buy/use gear from a reason or another, you can still adopt the method by making small modifications to it. In fact, it will be even easier for you to figure out the weights you must use in case if you don't use any gear. This is just because it is often difficult to predict what is the advantage of using the gear, unless you are really familiar with it. The method consists of several 3-week periods. In each of these periods, the first week is always easy, the second is moderate, and the third is a blast. This allows you to recover well and to learn/recall the proper technique. Therefore, the method is suitable for lifters who are not taking steroids. Please note that the Illini Powerlifting Team DO NOT encourage anyone to use steroids. One of the core ideas here, as well as in many other methods, is that you have two weekly workouts for each of the following: squat, bench and deadlift (abbreviated as DL). One of the weekly workouts is heavy, while the second is devoted to speed and technique (abbreviated as S/T). In this first update of The Old School Method, we concentrate on the heavy workouts only. Further updates of this note (will there be any?) may attack on the S/T-workouts, as well as on the assistance work that are both required for the maximum strength. Further, only the squat routine will be discussed in detail. The bench and the deadlift routines are mainly outlined, since they are mostly just easy modifications of the squat routine. We use the abbreviation 1RM (1 Rep Max) for the maximum weight you can lift for one time. Note that 1RM depends on time (one tends to get stronger or weaker all the time) and on the gear that is used. For example, 1RM in raw bench is not the same as 1RM in bench when using a shirt. To avoid confusion, we will always point out which 1RM is in question.

1. Squat
It takes some time to justify the method and the ideas behind it, so please be patient. We will first discuss what is behind the scenes, then we will compute the weights that should be used

on the most important weeks of the program (the core weeks), then we will figure out the weights for the remaining weeks, and finally we will concretely state the full program, week by week. So, fasten your seat belt, here we go. You need to have a some sort of lifting background, and you need to prepare yourself to lift heavy weights before starting this program. If you have been lifting weights, but not in the powerlifting style, you might want to start with a 3-week preparation program, say. If you are totally out of shape, you might need more than 3 weeks. The preparation period could consist of learning the proper techniques and getting slowly into heavier weights. One possible and concrete idea is to do 3 sets of 5 reps for 3 weeks, using just the belt, such that the first week is light, second week is moderate, and on the third week, the weight should be chosen so that you can hardly do 3 sets of 5 with that weight (maybe just 5-4-4). Another idea for the preparation period: You can also do 3 sets of 7 reps using belt and knee wraps, if you think that longer sets is your thing. Sometimes this 3-week preparation is considered as a part of the program. If you hesitate even a bit, you should incorporate this preparation into your program. Usually it is worth it, since patience is a virtue when getting stronger. All strong lifters have lifted several years, some even decades, to achieve their strength levels. The actual program consists of three 3-week cycles followed by the max out week, so 10 weeks in total (13 weeks if you count the 3-week preparation). If you use this program to prepare yourself to a competition, then week 11 (or 14 if the preparation is included) is your competition week. In the first cycle we use just the belt and the knee wraps, for the second cycle we add the squat suit with straps down. In the last 3-week period and in the max out week, full gear should be used. The core idea of this program is to plan ahead what you need to lift the next 10 weeks, and then follow that plan wisely. It might be that you are getting stronger faster than you have planned, so you need to make small corrections to your plan by adding some weight to the bar. Or, sometimes you cannot keep up with the plan, so you have to reduce the weights a little bit. We will discuss this in more detail later. To simplify the computations that will follow, let us assume that you can squat 500 lbs using full gear. (Andrew, pay attention.) Suppose you want to be able to lift 550 lbs (full gear) at the end of this 10-week program. For some people (advanced lifters), this 10% improvement is a very optimistic goal, some people (usually beginners) are even more greedy. Most lifters can do 1-2 sets of 3 reps with 91% of 1RM, and 1-2 sets of 5 reps with 87% of 1RM (but maybe not in the same workout). Now, 91% of 550 lbs is 500,5 lbs, and 87% of 550 lbs is 478,5 lbs. Round these poundages up to the closest number divisible by 5 (usually a wise thing to do to be sure of what you need to lift), and conclude the following: If you can lift 1-2 sets of 3 reps with 505 lbs, OR, if you can lift 1-2 sets of 5 reps with 480 lbs, you should be able to lift your goal 550 lbs. Similarly, one can compute the percentages for the current 500 lbs 1RM, which are 455 lbs and 435 lbs, respectively. All these numbers (some of them rounded up) are collected in the following table. Table 1.1.

You should be able to do this 1-2 sets of 3 reps 1-2 sets of 5 reps

Your 1RM is 500 lbs 455 lbs 435 lbs

Your 1RM is 550 lbs 505 lbs 480 lbs

So, in the second column you can find the weights you can handle in your current situation, while the third column represents your goal. Slight variations apply also. For example, 3 sets of 3 reps with 500 lbs might ensure 550 lbs 1RM. Also be aware that all of these percentages depend on the lifter. You have to find your own system by trial and error. This is why the first time of using this program is usually just practicing. You will probably get the full advantage of the program the second time you follow the 10-week period. But, with a careful plan, you can gain strength even from your first experience. The program is constructed backwards. One of the basic ideas is to always think backwards. So, on week 10 you want to squat 550 lbs. This means that on week 9 you will have to be able to lift 1-2 sets of 3 reps with 505 lbs (or, alternatively, 1-2 sets of 5 reps with 480 lbs). Recalling that your current situation is 1-2 sets of 3 reps with 455 lbs (or, alternatively, 1-2 sets of 5 reps with 435 lbs), we will use the averages to figure out your poundages for weeks 3 and 6. This is due to the fact that the weeks 3, 6 and 9 pretty much determine what you can lift on week 10, as you will soon see. We collect all the weights for these core weeks in the next table. Table 1.2. Week # 0 3 6 9 Weight for sets of 3 reps 455 470 490 505 Weight for sets of 5 reps 435 450 465 480

The table above is just to give you a some sort of an idea of the progress you need to make in order to reach your 1RM goal. We will do a lot of modifications to it. Also note that you are not required to do sets of 3 reps and sets of 5 reps on the same week. We will discuss this in more detail a little later. Suppose for a while that you don't use any gear, and that all the poundages discussed above are for raw squat. That is, your current 1RM is 500 lbs raw, and your goal 1RM is 550 lbs, also raw. Then the above table for the weeks 3, 6 and 9 can be used without modifications. You would only have to figure out the poundages for the remaining weeks. This part will be made more clear later in this section. See also Table 2.1 in the next section, which can be used for squat as well.

Now, get back to using gear. We have to figure out how much do you benefit in using it, because we don't use full gear for the entire program. Again, all depends on the lifter, the gear used, etc. To get started with, let us make some assumptions/estimates. Suppose that 10% of your 1RM is because of the suit, and another 10% of your 1RM is because you are using wraps. (The belt does not necessarily give you much, but it protects your lower back, and hence it will be used all the time during the program.). This means that your raw 1RM is 80% of your 1RM in full gear. In numbers, your current 1RM is 400 lbs raw, and your goal 1RM is 440 lbs raw. All of this is just speculation, you need to find your own percentages. Next, we will figure out a modified table for the weights to be used on weeks 3, 6 and 9 (week 0 will no longer interest us). We use gear as follows: belt and wraps during weeks 1-3 (90% of the poundages); belt, wraps, and suit with straps down during weeks 4-6 (95% of the poundages); full gear during weeks 7-9 (100 %). Let us summarize all this in the following table (compare with Table 1.2). Table 1.3. Week # 3 6 9 Adjusted weight for sets of 3 reps 425 (belt and wraps) 465 (add suit with straps down) 505 (full gear) Adjusted weight for sets of 5 reps 405 (belt and wraps) 440 (add suit with straps down) 480 (full gear)

The numbers in Table 1.3 are rounded to the closest number divisible by 5 (pounds). Next, we figure out the weights for the remaining (non-core) weeks. As is already mentioned several times, each 3-week period is progressive. For 500-range squats, 15 lbs weekly steps are suggested (using the same gear). In the 650-range use 20 lbs weekly steps, and in the 350range 10 lbs weekly steps. During the first period, we do 5 rep sets only, while in the two remaining periods, 3 rep sets are performed. All this might be confusing, but please continue reading. We are now ready to list the full squat routine, week by week, together with some comments and suggestions. The notation x*y*z will be used in the following sense: x sets of y reps with z lbs. For example, 3*5*425 means 3 sets of 5 reps with 425 lbs. The notation x-y-z is used in the following sense: x reps in the first set, y reps in the second set, and z reps in the third set. For example, 3-3-2 means that you lift 3 reps in the first two sets, and 2 reps in the third.

Weeks 1-3 (belt and wraps)

Week 1: 3*5*375. This week should be very easy. Of course, you will still be swetting, but all sets should be fully doable with no trouble. If you cannot do this, you have started the program too heavily.

Week 2: 3*5*390. You have to struggle quite a lot, but you should be able to do full sets. Week 3: 3*5*405. This is your heavy duty week, but also your first official failure test week. Try to perform 3-3-2 or better. 3-2-2 is still acceptable, 3-2-1 is so and so. By performing these sets means that you have passed the test, and you may continue the program. Anything less means that you have to give up your goal a little, say 10 lbs lower, and adjust all the weights for the remaining weeks accordingly. If you can do 3-3 and the weight feels light, try to do 4 reps in the third set. But avoid forced reps and avoid adding weight to the bar between the sets, they only get you jammed in this system. Performing 3-3-4 definitely means that you have to adjust your goal: set it 10 lbs higher, say, and adjust all the weights for the remaining weeks accordingly. Before even coming to the gym, recall your week 2 performance and predict what you might be able to do. In case you think you can do better than 3*5*405, then go ahead and try. But make the plan before coming to the gym, since it is usually difficult to think there wisely due to increased adrenaline levels. All weights in this program are suggestive, you need to try the program at least once to find how it works for you.

Weeks 4-6 (belt, wraps, and suit with straps down)

Week 4: 3*3*435. See the comment for week 1. Week 5: 3*3*450. See the comment for week 2. Week 6: 3*3*465. See the comment for week 3.

Weeks 7-9 (full gear)

Week 7: 3*3*475. See the comment for week 1. Week 8: 3*3*490. See the comment for week 2. Week 9: 3*3*505. Based on your performance on this week, you can predict what you can lift on week 10..

Week 10 (full gear)

This is your max out week. If you still have energy after finding your 1RM, find your 3RM. This info helps you the next time you are constructing the program. You may also find your 3RM on week 11.

2. Bench press
You can follow the method described for squat. If you want to use bench shirt, use it during weeks 7-10 only. Weeks 1-6 are for raw power. Let us next figure out a program for raw bench (or squat or DL). If you can lift 500 lbs raw and if your goal is 550 raw, you may find the weights for some of the weeks from Table 1.2. But not too many lifters can lift 500 lbs raw, especially in bench. In fact, if you can lift that much, you probably find this note useless.

Let us next construct a raw bench (or squat or DL) routine assuming 300 lbs raw 1RM for the starting point. (Ben, you are almost there.) The goal in this routine is 325 lbs 1RM raw. Recall that one should be able to do 1-2 sets of 3 reps with 91% of 1RM, or 1-2 sets of 5 reps with 87% of 1RM. To this list, we add that you should be able to do 1-2 sets of 7 reps with 83% of 1RM. The difficulty here is that your 1RM changes (hopefully increases) along the way. Here is the solution to this inconvenience (inconvenient only in the sense that it makes the computations harder; getting stronger is always convenient): We start doing sets of 7 reps, so we use the strarting point 1RM, rounded up a little. At the end of the program, we do sets of 3 reps, and, since we are close to the end, we use the goal 1RM to figure out the weights. In the middle of the program we do sets of 5 reps, and take an educated guess to figure out the 1RM that should be used: Since you are on the half way, use the average of the starting point 1RM and the goal 1RM. In numbers, the average of 300 lbs and 325 lbs is 312,5 lbs. The core weeks in this raw program are 3, 6 and 9, as usual. On week 3 we do sets of 7 reps. Using 300 lbs as 1RM, you should use 250 lbs in your sets (because 83% of 300 is 249). On week 6 we do sets of 5 reps. Using 312,5 lbs as 1RM, you should use 270-275 lbs in your sets (because 87% of 312,5 is about 272 lbs). On week 9 we do sets of 3 reps. Using 325 lbs as your 1RM, you should use 295 lbs in your sets (because 91% of 325 is about 296). We have now figured out the weights for the core weeks. Using roughly 10 lbs steps in this 300range, we can figure out the weights for the remaining weeks. We summarize all in Table 2.1. Weeks 4 and 7 are set low on purpose (so they are not missprints). Table 2.1. Week # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sets and weights (raw) 3*7*230 3*7*240 3*7*250 3*5*245 3*5*260 3*5*270 OR 3*4*275 3*3*265 3*3*280 3*3*295 OR 3*2*300 1*1*325

For this program (and all other programs in this note) to work effectively, you should be drugfree.

3. Deadlift
You can follow the method described for squat or bench. If you can lift 500 lbs raw and if your goal is 550 raw, you may find the poundages for the core weeks from Table 1.2. See also Table 2.1. If you want to use suit, use it during weeks 7-10 only. Always remember that the weight feels much heavier if you pause it between the reps. You have to plan your weights depending on whether you are pausing or bouncing.

4. The set up
How to arrange your weekly routine? The main question might be: Should you squat and deadlift on the same day? If you squat and deadlift in the same workout, it might be wise to do squat first, just for safty reasons. Next, we discuss two systems (possibly there are others as well). Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Maybe you should try both of them (but not at the same time), so that you can find the system that works for you the best. System 1: Heavy squat and DL on one day, and S/T squat and DL on another day. Your lower back gets a full week to recover from the first mega workout. System 2: Heavy squat and S/T DL on one day, and S/T squat and heavy DL on another day. This way you would have two "moderate" workouts twice a week instead of one mega workout. If you choose to train with System 1, then it might be wise to adjust the weights for the DL routine a bit. This is just because your muscles are already tired from the squat when it is the time to lift up the weight from the floor. It is suggested that you cut down the weights from all of the sets in your DL program by 5%. This does not mean that you have to lower your 1RM goal in DL. This 5% cutting is needed so that you would not be over training, and that you would not be trying to lift weights that are calculated for healed and relaxed muscles. When it comes the day when you need to lift your 1RM goal in DL, you will be able to lift that no matter what.

5. Make a global plan

If you take powerlifting seriously, you should have a some kind of a plan for the entire year. Take into account different seasons of the year. For example, where will you be spending the summer and will you able to train there effectively. For students, it might be convenient to follow one power program in the Spring semester, and another one in the Fall semester. (Do not plan to have the max out weeks at the same time with the finals weeks.) So, how many times per year you can perform this program? Assuming that you have the required foundation for the program, you can start following it immediately. After the program is finished, you need to buid a new foundation before starting the program again. This could

consist of training a few weeks more in the bodybuilding style strengthening your weaknesses (shoulders etc.) followed by the 3-week preparation cycle mentioned in Section 1. Since there are only 52 weeks per year, this definitely restricts the number of times the program can be done in a year. But there are also some other issues that should be taken into account. Suppose you want to participate in 2 competitions per year. This takes 2 weeks off from your training. Suppose you normally have a flu 2 times per year, which takes another 2 weeks off from your training. Then you want to travel during the summer time for one week, and you also want to celebrate the Spring Break on the Miami Beach for another week. We are now talking about 6 weeks in total, all off from your training. In addition, your religion may set some limitations. Maybe you want to spend a week during the Christmas time with your family, or maybe you want to fast for 1 week before Easter. All of this will easily add up to 7 weeks in total, maybe even much more than that. Suppose for the moment that it is 7 weeks that we are talking about. Then you have 45 weeks left for your training per year. Suppose also that you aim to train the program 3 times per year. Now, every program is for 10 weeks, so you would have 15 weeks for the preparations and for training in the bodybuilding style. In practice, this means 2 weeks of bodybuilding, 3 weeks of preparation, and then 10 weeks for the program, the whole package being repeated 3 times per year. As you can already see from this equation, it is going to be though. Many lifters need more preparation time and bodybuilding style training per year than just this. Performing the program 3 times annually demands a lot of dedication, but is doable. Many lifters cannot devote themselves for that due to several reasons, so they perform the program only 2 times annually. But even this can make you stronger. We don't advice you to give up your religion. Instead, try to stay healthy, try to find a gym (even a lousy one) wherever you spend your holidays, etc.