Training Protocols

Falcon said:

I usually do a variation of upper-lower because this seems most balanced for me. One upper day is usually push focused, the other is pull focused, and the lower days are also usually one with quad focus and one with glute and hamstring focus, calves added to whichever, and abs also added to 2-3 days. I've been training this way since I to switched to the Fierce 4 which has a similar structure about 8-9 years ago, and just switch the exercises up whenever I feel burnt out and can't progress anymore. Sometimes even small changes return my energy.

I usually have to modify the pre-made programs to work around my injuries. There are some great exercises that I can't do because they really hurt my joints, especially knees, so I have to replace them with less effective ones while building up knee strength. I can painlessly do some things now that always used to hurt, but I still have to avoid others.

Then cardio, of course, I try to cram in a short session after my lifting, and have a day or two per week for a longer one. This is all I can fit into my days now.

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learthzz said:

So my split is like a mix of everything but it works because I have A an B Days.

A-High Volume
B-High Intensity

Starting with Chest/Biceps and a little bit of quads on Mondays both A
Just pushing my Weights to the absolute limits because I don’t wanna look jacked but be weak.
And it really works for me I pushed my bench PR from 165KG to 190KG.

Tuesdays rest

Wednesday

Back/Triceps/Hamstrings
It’s a B day so I just focus on the feeling and how the weights move and try to get as many sets and reps out of it

Thursday is Arms with more focus on my Weakspots so a B Day
I just focus on how my weight moves and how the muscle feels.
And I mix in a little bit of calves.

Fridays is Chest B/Back A/Shoulders B

For the Chest more focus on the muscle and the feeling I get and push my sets to the absolute limit

For Back I just push the weights to my limit and try to get a decent pump mostly rowing and excercises I do without any machines like Bent over rows.

Shoulders is more focused and try to push to limit with moderate weights.

Saturday is Legs A
It’s a A day because while I’m training other muscle groups as you can see above I just do simple exercises with moderate weights just to get a feeling and a pump.
On Leg day I usually just push myself to my limits heavy lifts on everything

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Upper/Lower (new routine)​

Target​

• Advanced athletes aiming for muscle size over 16+ weeks.

Structure​

• Mon: Upper A
• Tue: Lower A
• Wed: Upper B
• Thu: Lower B
• Fri: Upper C
• Sat: Lower C
• Sun: Rest

Rationale​

• High frequency (each muscle hit ~3×/week) with varied stimuli across sessions maximizes protein synthesis opportunities and allows moderate per-session volume while keeping joints safer than single massive weekly sessions.
• Split separates heavy compound-focused days from higher-volume accessory/isolations to manage fatigue and target hypertrophy.

Session​

• Upper A: Heavy compound emphasis
  • Bench press: 4 × 4–6 (RPE 8–9)
  • Barbell row: 4 × 4–6
  • Incline DB press: 3 × 6–8
  • Chin-ups or lat pulldown: 3 × 6–8
  • Triceps pushdown: 3 × 8–12
  • Face pulls: 3 × 12–15
• Lower A: Heavy lower, strength focused
  • Squat (or variation): 4 × 4–6 (RPE 8–9)
  • Romanian deadlift: 3 × 6–8
  • Leg press: 3 × 8–10
  • Hamstring curl: 3 × 10–12
  • Calf raise: 4 × 8–12
• Upper B : Volume & medium hypertrophy
  • Overhead press: 4 × 6–8
  • Pendlay row or T-bar: 4 × 6–8
  • Flat DB press: 3 × 8–10
  • Cable row or single-arm DB row: 3 × 8–10
  • Lateral raises: 3 × 10–15
  • Biceps curl (heavy): 3 × 6–8
• Lower B: Quad focus, higher volume
  • Front squat or hack squat: 4 × 6–8
  • Bulgarian split squat: 3 × 8–10 each leg
  • Leg extension (slow eccentrics): 3 × 12–15
  • Stiff-leg deadlift: 3 × 8–10
  • Seated calf: 4 × 10–15
• Upper C: Pump & accessory focus
  • Close-grip bench or dips: 3 × 8–10
  • Wide-grip pulldown: 3 × 8–10
  • Incline flye or pec deck: 3 × 10–15
  • Chest-supported row: 3 × 10–12
  • Rear delt flyes: 3 × 12–20
  • Biceps curl (pump): 3 × 10–15
  • Triceps overhead: 3 × 10–15
• Lower C: Posterior chain & metabolic overlad
  • Deadlift variation (conventional/hex bar): 3 × 4–6 (heavy)
  • Glute bridge / hip thrust: 4 × 6–10
  • Good mornings or RDL: 3 × 8–10
  • Hamstring curl (single-leg): 3 × 10–12
  • Calf raise (high-rep): 3 × 15–25

Weekly​

• Prime movers (chest/back/quads/hamstrings): 18–28 hard sets/week.
• Secondary muscles (shoulders/biceps/triceps/calves): 12–20 sets/week.

Recovery​

• Sleep 7–9 hrs, prioritize protein (1.6–2.2 g/kg/day) and modest calorie surplus (~200–500 kcal/day) for moderate→high pace mass gain.
• Monitor joint pain, persistent soreness, strength plateau, or rising RPE. If two of these occur, reduce weekly sets by 1-2 on prime movers or insert an extra rest day after Lower B.
• Keep conditioning minimal (1–2 low-intensity sessions/week) to preserve recovery.