Editors Comment: Not too long ago, Broz uploaded the now famous squat videos that quickly spread through the strength community. Shortly following, he came out and talked about his methods, explaining how himself and his lifters trained. Although the routine was originally used by weightlifters, many powerlifters attempted to emulate the ultra high frequency training. For most powerlifters, the fun was short lived and the program was tough to adapt. Damien Pezzuti wasn’t one of those powerlifters. He was able to make the methods work, and work very well. Here’s his layout on how he did just that.

The 5 – Day High Frequency, High Intensity Powerlifting Program

Overview: As you will see, you’ll be training the Squat and Bench Press on Monday through Friday. The Deadlift will be performed once a week on Friday after you Squat and Bench Press. The reasoning is because the Deadlift is the most taxing of the three lifts and is best performed on your final training session, which will then give you the weekend off to recover.

Monday – Friday: Squat + Bench up to a 1-5r “training max.”

Friday: Deadlift up to a 1-5r “training max” or 10 – 12 sets of Speed Deadlifts.

Adding a 6th Training Day: Everything in the original template stays the same except for the deadlift. Instead of deadlifting on the 5th (Friday) session you would now deadlift on the 6th (Saturday) session.

The Important Details

Training Max: This is not like a competition maximum. I do not recommend grinding out 1-5r training maxes every session. The goal should be to handle a heavy weight for a good, solid rep or reps. In my opinion you should have at least 1-2 reps “in the tank” so to speak. That said, training is always based on how you’re feeling, and if you’re feeling really good on a day by all means go for an all-time best or PR.

Back-Off Work: If you work up to a multiple (3-5r) training max I do not recommend any additional back-off work. If you work up to a 1r training max I recommend you perform one back-off set for some extra volume. Examples of back-off sets (%’s taken off training max): 90% x 1-2; 85% x 3; 80% x 3-5; 70-75% x 5-8; 60-65% x 8-10; 50-55% x 10-12.

Again, these are just examples to give you an idea. Come up with your own unique ideas for back-off work.

[pullquote]You just go to the gym and lift whatever you’re capable of. I never deload.[/pullquote]

Assistance & Substituting Exercises

I am not a big believer in the use of assistance exercises. I’ve never found it necessary to expend energy on doing isolation work. With that being said, I do recommend underhand band pull-aparts and/or some type of internal/external rotations for shoulder health. These can be done at home or the gym.

You can sub in the Front Squat for Back Squat on days you’d like. For the Bench Press you could sub in Close Grip Bench, Incline Bench, or Floor Press. For the Deadlift you could sub in Deficit Deadlifts or some type of partial ROM Deadlift movement. Again, these are just examples and by no means is it absolutely necessary to sub in exercises. I advise not to sub in exercises once you get closer (3-4 weeks) to a meet.

Squatting & Benching 2x a session

Obviously I don’t recommend you start out doing this, but this is a way to increase training load over time without increasing the number of days you spend in the gym. And honestly, it really doesn’t increase your total time in the gym that much. The reason is because your body is already warm from the 1st Squat and Bench Press sessions you performed. Thus, you can start your 2nd Squat and Bench Press sessions at much heavier weight. No need for warm up sets with the bar or 135lbs. I personally have done this in the past with very positive results. Sometimes I would even be stronger in my 2nd sessions. I attribute this to the 1st sessions essentially “priming” my body and CNS.

If you eventually choose to do this I recommend not performing any back-off work. This is also where you can get a little creative, too. There is nothing wrong with doing some CAT/”speed” work during these 2nd sessions. You’re not obligated to work up to a top set with this 2nd session. Just keep the volume relatively low during these CAT/”speed” sessions. Something like 5-8×2 in the squat and 5-7×3 in the bench.

You can mix it up, too. Maybe one day you Squat 2x and Bench Press 1x; then you have a day where you Bench Press 2x and Squat 1x. If you choose to Bench Press 2x but only Squat 1x in a session then start the session with the Bench Press. Example: Bench Press-Squat-Bench Press.

Optional Weekend Recovery/Technique Work

Perform a total of 75-100 reps with either an empty barbell or no more than 95lbs. Perform these in sets of 5-10 reps. Do not rush through these reps. Perform these reps slow and under control. Squat and Bench Press only. Again, this is just optional. That said, it’s always good to do something even if it’s just a brisk 15-20 minute walk.

Monday Session: I recommend that you play it safe and be conservative with your attempts on Monday. Why? Because it will have been two days since you last were under heavy weights. The muscles recover at a much faster rate than the tendons do. Take longer warming up and make smaller jumps in weight.

[pullquote] I owe a lot to this style of training and the Bulgarian method as a whole. I would have never hit some of the numbers I have without it.[/pullquote]

Working up to Max: Other than the Monday session, which I explained above, I recommend that you work fast and take big jumps leading up to your top set of the day. I advise no more than triples once you start adding weight to the bar. Anything above 5 reps is just wasting energy in my opinion.

Friday Deadlift: You can do Speed Deadlifts instead of maxing out on the Deadlift every Friday session. That is totally up to you. You can also alternate weeks of Speed Deadlifts and maxing out on the Deadlift. I understand that the Deadlift is the most difficult exercise to recover from so I feel it was important to add this option in.

Peaking for Competition

PLEASE NOTE: all credit for this peaking plan goes to John Broz, who is the single biggest influence on the way I train and how I think about training. Prior to my Bench Press meet in early April this year I was fortunate to exchange a few emails with Coach Broz, who was kind enough to give me a basic, general peaking plan. We all know that peaking isn’t an exact science and can be very unpredictable. Often lifters leave their best performances in the gym. With that being said, this plan worked absolutely fantastic for me. I brought my strongest performance to the platform.

Here is the exact plan I used from Coach Broz: “last max 5 days out without any additional volume

4 days out: w/u to 60-70%

3 days out: same

2 days: openers

1 day out 70%

reduced volume for those days. you should almost feel guilty that you are not training more and actually be a bit nervous like you should be doing more work.”

I personally would like to add that this plan is for the Squat and Bench Press. I recommend having your final max Deadlift 10-14 days out. You would not Deadlift again until meet day. Please understand that this is just a basic, general peaking plan. What worked for me may not work for you and vice versa. That said, this definitely gives you an idea of what to do.

Final Thoughts

These sessions should take no longer than 45-60 minutes with the possible exception being the Friday session where you will also be performing the Deadlift. Get in, get after it and go home!

(Be sure to check out Damien’s training log for more information and insight on this style of training.)