This routine is focused most on strength and power. For those who’s number 1 goal is strength, power, speed, or explosiveness, this is your routine.
This routine was originally designed by Iron Addict (ironaddicts.com), a legendary trainer of many athletes and bodybuilders and is known as the Simple Power Based Routine (SPBR). PES approves and highly recommends this routine. Specific questions on the routine can be asked on ironaddicts.com
Don’t let the word simple make you think this routine is not good enough for you. Odds are it is better than any routine you have done. Don’t bash it till you try it!
Here is a routine a LARGE percentage of the lifters here could make great gains doing.
1st workout
Day 1
Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Day 2 – OFF
2nd Workout
Day 3
Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10
Day 4 – OFF
3rd Workout
Day 5
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Day 6 – OFF
Day 7 – OFF
4th Workout
Day 8
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday
Next workout sequence repeat 1st through 4th workouts. At the bottom of the page you can find an example of how three weeks laid out of this routine looks.
Sets are NOT taken to failure, at least 1 rep short, or to the point RIGHT before form starts to break down. If you do not recover well, reduce 1 set from each of the lifts.
Rep cadence is explosive on the positive, controlled on the negative, no need to count cadence.
After warm-ups use the same weight for all sets. If you cannot get all the sets with the same weight, the weight is too heavy.
If you want to substitute something like dumbbell skull crushers for pushdowns, or hammer curls for barbell curls go ahead. DO NOT SUB OUT BIG COMPOUND MOVEMENTS FOR ISOLATION LIFTS. IF YOU CAN SQUAT AND DEADLIFT, DO THEM. THEY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFTS IN THE ROUTINE.
Rotate the lifts to something else every 4-8 weeks or whenever a lift stalls.
DELAOD BY DOING 1/2 THE SETS, OR 85% OF THE WEIGHT EVERY 4-8 WEEKS (4-5 WEEKS WORKS BEST FOR MOST PEOPLE.
Suitable substitute lifts:
Squat or box squat, you can front squat, or smith squat (smith ONLY if that is all you can do) You can leg press ONLY IF YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT DO REAGULAR SQUATS AND THE RESULTS WILL NOT BE AS GOOD.
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs
Bent Row or Chest Supported row, you can dumbbell row or machine row
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl, you can do any curl variation
Calf Raises, you can do leg press calfs, standing barbell calf raises, or 1 arm, 1 leg dumbbell calf raises if you don’t have a machine
Bench Press or low board press, you can do dumbbell presses or dips
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell inclines, or smith inclines (use the SMITH ONLY IF THAT IS THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press, NO SUBS
Skull Crushers, you can do dumbbell skull crushers, overhead tricep extensions with a bar or dumbbells, or tricep push-downs if any of these movements bother your elbows.
Ab work, you can do a weighted sit-up, hanging leg raises, ab-wheel, or an ab machine
Deadlift or rack deadlift, you can do romanian deadlifts, or good-mornings
Leg press, you can front squat
Chin or lat pull-down, NO SUBS
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl, any curl variation
Calf Raises, you can do leg press calfs, standing barbell calf raises, or 1 arm, 1 leg dumbbell calf raises if you don’t have a machine
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press, NO SUBS
Dumbbell Bench Press, You can do dips
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press, you can do upright rows
Tricep pushdowns, you can do a skull crusher, or overhead tricep extension with a barbell or dumbbells
Ab work 3 x 10, You can do a weighted sit-up, hanging leg raises, ab-wheel, or an ab machine
If you can’t sub any of these lifts figure it out yourself and quit asking endless questions about what you can sub. The sub list just posted was created after over 100 questions have been asked about “can I do lift B instead of lift A.
Iron Addict
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Example 3 week plan
Monday – Workout 1
Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday – Workout 2
Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10
Thursday – OFF
Friday – Workout 3
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF
Monday – Workout 4
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday – Workout 1
Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Thursday – OFF
Friday – Workout 2
Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF
Monday – Workout 3
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday – Workout 4
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday
Thursday – OFF
Friday – Workout 1
Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5
Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10
Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF
Monday – Workout 2
Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10
Tuesday – OFF
Wednesday – Workout 3
Deadlift or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5
Leg press 2 x 10
Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6
Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8
Calf Raises 3 x 15
Thursday – OFF
Friday – Workout 4
Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8
Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8
Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10
Ab work 3 x 10 Monday
