From Eastern Europe with love, Sheiko powerlifting routine

[JP]

Here's my new routine i just started:

All weights in kilos, the number in the front of the big main lifts is the week number, so i will max out on the week 7.

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Day 1

Squat
1 5x5x105
2 4x3x112.5 4x2x127.5
3 3x4x112.5 6x4x120
4 4x3x112.5 3x2x135
5 3x4x112.5 6x4x120
6 2x3x112.5 2x2x142.5
7 one rep max test

Abs
Optional weakness area exercise

Day 2

Bench press
1 5x5x75
2 4x3x80 4x2x90
3 3x4x80 6x4x85
4 4x3x80 3x2x95
5 3x4x80 6x4x85
6 2x3x80 2x2x102.5
7 one rep max test

Row 3x8
Optional: Bicep curl 3x8 (i have small biceps, vanity thing i know...)

Day 3

Deadlift
1 5x5x127.5
2 4x3x135, 4x2x155
3 3x4x135, 6x4x145
4 4x3x135, 3x2x165
5 3x4x135, 6x4x145
6 2x3x135, 2x2x172.5
7 one rep max test

Side bends
Opt: Leg curls or some other exercise working weak areas

Day 4

Shoulder press 3x8
Pull-ups 3x8
Speed bench
Optional: Flyes or some other exercise working the weaknesses

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Here are the main lift progression in percentages of your one rep max:
1 5x5x70
2 4x3x75 4x2x85
3 3x4x75 6x4x80
4 4x3x75 3x2x90
5 3x4x75 6x4x80
6 2x3x75 2x2x95
7 one rep max test

Idea is to keep the sessions short and purposeful. Also the idea is to plan the progress, not just hit your head against the wall and see what happens. So for each session i will know how much i'm lifting beforehand.

Also, no failure, no partial reps or forced reps.

This routine is based very loosely on a guy called Sheiko, famous eastern european powerlifting coach. I just read a few articles on www.dragondoor.com and built the routine around the stuff i learned.

Let see how this pans out!

[buzz]

Ive vaguely copied and tweaked this, and started last night, doing 7 sets instead of five. Was a good session and different to what i'd been doing previously, more intense, and i feel great today for it. Will probably take a bit longer than 7 weeks to go through it fully, but will be interesting to see how it goes next week - more sets and higher weights!!! Like you said JP, its cool to know what youre lifting beforehand, all going well that is

[tylerm]

JP, what are your thoughts on applying this to just one main exercise per week, such as the squat?

I have been neglecting squats the last month and been focusing on max deadlifts every week. I am deadlifting tomorrow and going for a 1 rep max next week (hopefully with Crystal and daviddenton at my local gym!), and then starting in the new year with working my squat numbers up.

About a month ago (I have only squatted once since then!) I did a 2 rep max at only 200 lb. (my bodyweight), and I would like to up it. I was thinking about doing some higher rep squats, like 3x10 or something, but I am undecided. I have basically only ever done a 5x5 with squats.

So I would like to keep alot of my other routine the same, but just use this for squats to keep a steady plan and gain strength. What are your thoughts on this?

[tylerm]

Been thinking about this routine since I read it on here earlier, and I think I am going to adopt it almost entirely, starting at the 1st of the year for the 7 weeks and see how it goes.

Couple questions, JP, see if you could help me out. I get to the gym 3 times per week, as I have JKD class 4 times a week. I really don't want to add a 4th day for the gym, as I will not get enough rest. I have one off day, usually Sunday, as on Saturday I have a morning JKD class and hit the gym in the afternoon.

So if I do this routine for squat, bench and deadlift, is there any problem adding in other exercises afterward? I would like to target tri's one day as well, as they are a weak point in my bench, my arms in general need to be targeted specifically as I don't have any set workout for them. I can add in core work somewhere no problem.

Also, just to make sure, that is
week sets x reps x weight
correct?

[JP]

if i was you, i'd keep it 3 days/week with following split:

deadlift
abs and sides

bench
row or pullup
biceps

squat
overhead press
tricep work, like narrow grips 5x5

and then possibly some more assistance, but not a lot, if any at all.

The speed bench is there because i fail about 3-5 cms off the chest and i was told to do more speed work for it. It's also there as an additional technique training. But if your weakness is in triceps, then perhaps it would be better for you to do narrow grips? But go heavy if the strength is the issue.

But do avoid failure with the assistance exercises as well. Get the sets you have determined and then increase the weight patiently and slowly. When things progress to the heavier weeks, it's recommended to cut back on sthe assistance work, the 6th week i'm planning to have pretty much no assistance work at all.

If you start it, there will be 3 of us doing same kind of routine, so it will be interesting to compare results and experiences.

Good luck bros!

[tylerm]

Thanks for the input, I will post my finished workout plan in the next couple days or so... It will be interesting to see how much our 1 rep maxes go up between the three of us.. sounds like fun

[JP]

Brilliant!

you know, when i wrote down the lifts i didn't think twice of them. It is now starting to dawn to me how demanding this routine is, especially week 3 when i should be doing 3x4x112.5 6x4x120 on squats, thats 6 sets of 4 reps with 120kg!

Same week on deads 3x4x135, 6x4x145kg, bloody 6 sets of 4 reps with 145kg!!!



May father vegan, mother earth and holy activist help us...

No surrender though, lets help eachother on this one, i have a feeling i could use some...

[tylerm]

I am just looking forward to the first couple weeks of relatively easy lifts right now, I feel spent! I will worry about the hard stuff when I come to it

[buzz]

Yeah, i think i'll do similar, and condense it down into three workouts, as i can sense it wil get mighty hard with huge sets of the compound lifts. Will be doing squats today, as my third day of first week, then probably onto week 2 on tuesday, or even tomorrow!

Best of luck JP and Tylerm!!

[JP]

getting this back up as we are approaching the half way mark here soon.

Seems like the idea is starting to make sense to me now. The "waving" of intensity and sets create a feeling that the session is easy when you suddenly do not do huge amounts of sets, but peak with a higher load, but with lower amount of reps. Todays benching session felt really light, 4x3x80, 3x2x95kg - eventhough the used weight was higher.

Next week will be a tough one again with high number of sets and reps, loads of work!

[buzz]

yeah, it seems like a sound system. strange how weeks 3 and 5 are exactly the same, but its the high set routines, like wk3 that i found the toughest, which then make the next (high weight low set/rep) seem easier. I really enjoy the variety of it, although I have probably been neglecting a lot of isolation exercises. I get a bit impatient and am a few days ahead of myself already

One good thing is that, although it is a pretty tough overall routine, i feel that from being compound focused, it has not injured me in any way, and niggles that i had when starting have not been made worse by any lifts. I think its good to lay of the isolations for a bit, not completely, but largely, and at the moment my inclination is to get new 1rpms, re-do the whole thing, and start all over again from week 1! Whats your thoughts? Bad idea?

[tylerm]

Today is my last day of week 2, can't wait to get to the gym and deadlift!

I enjoy having an exact plan to stick to, because no matter if a particular lift gets really hard, I will finish out every set no matter what. Also, I have dropped all weight lifting except for the big three and a few assitance exercises. I do bent over barbell rows & some real wide grip cable rows, shoulder presses, barbell or dumbell curls, dips, and core work. That's it, and even though my workouts are shorter (still usually about 45 minutes), they are more intense and heavy lifting, and I end up leaving totally spent, having had a great workout.

I also am unsure what I am going to do in 5 weeks after this routine is over, I still have plenty of time to think about it though

[JP]

buzz, i did discuss with you that this routine is more for the intermediate and advanced lifters, and the build up is understandably long. In fact it is really even longer, but because i don't consider myself advanced lifter i cutted it a bit short to get max attempts a bit sooner.

So if you feel like maxing out, i would not criticise But once you find your more solid levels of maxes i would recommend going through the fulll routine.

hey guys, i just noticed something in my journal, check this out just couple weeks ago:

Squat

5x40
5x80
4x3x112.5kg
4x2x127.5kg

that was much tougher than it looked on paper. It was 8, yes eight, working squat sets, and i started to run out of steam. Luckily i trained with some motivating lads at Moss Side gym who kept me going.

compare to an entry this week:

At last, slightly easier session:

Squat
5x70
4x3x112.5
4x2x135kg

I forgot my routine cheat sheet home, so had to guess the number of sets, so i did one set too many of 2x135kg.

you see? First i do 4x2x127.5kg and call it tough. Then i have 4x2x135kg and am glad that the session was easier! Only thing changed was that brutal 6x4x120kg session in between of these two sessions. What i think has happened is that both mentally and physically that one brutal session was so demanding that anything would have felt easier after that - even if it was heavier weight than on the first time around when i did doubles!

Good concrete proof of getting stronger

[JP]

forgot to add that i'm liking this routine as well, much like tyler, i like the variety and that it is fixed and you can prepare mentally on whats to come.

Might just do the same routine again after this one perhaps couple weeks in between of something else, lets see...

[buzz]

JP - sorry, i didn't mean that i was skipping sessions, just that i have done the first four weeks in about three and a half