...I’ll then add extra “pump” sessions to the basic split. If you’re familiar with the John Meadows style of training, you already know about pump sessions:
-They avoid barbell work as much as possible and instead use machines, bands and dumbbells to put less stress on the joints.
-They use light weights to avoid putting undue stress on the central nervous system.
-They involve short rest periods and typical bodybuilding methods like drop sets and supersets to create an insane pump in a short period of time.
Again, there are two approaches I’ll take to designing these pump sessions. The first is a traditional bodybuilding one: I’ll break them up into chest/shoulder, back, leg, and arm days. That method is probably ideal (and definitely simple) if you’re more concerned about size than strength.
Putting It All Together
I highly recommend not including extra pump sessions for all muscle groups – that’s just too much work! Instead, prioritize, and pick your top one or two weaknesses. For me, that’s the posterior shoulder (mainly rear delt and tricep) and elbow. Then, add those pump sessions in where they’ll have the least impact on your heavier training days. Here’s an example:
A Sample Powerbuilding Split
Day 1: Heavy bench and accessories for the pecs, front, and side delts
Day 2: Pump session for posterior shoulder muscle groups
Day 3: Heavy squat and accessories for legs
Day 4: Light bench and accessories for chest, shoulder, and triceps
Day 5: Heavy deadlift and accessories for legs
Day 6: Pump session for elbow muscle groups
This method is flexible, fun, and productive, and I highly recommend you give it a shot. If you want the up-front work to be done for you, of course, you’re welcome to join my training team and follow along with my own programming!
Read the full Coaching Log here!