Strength and Physique

Q:  "I know this article was posted a few months ago, but I have a question regarding the 'Controlled Overtraining' strategy you presented in the 5 battle-tested strategies article. I was wondering what type of split I should use during the decompression phase (5X5, 5 body parts)? Upper/lower body split (2 times a week each) or full body (3 times a week)? And should I use only compound movements or also some isolation work? "Sorry to bother you with those questions, especially 6 months after the article was written, but I'd really like to give this approach a shot. Thanks for your help! And your blog is really great!" - Mathieu, a trainee from France  My Answer: Good to hear from you, Mathieu. To answer your question, go with the upper/lower body split (2 times a week). Just compound movements. No isolation movements. The whole point of decompression is to pull back from your training, so adding extra isolation movements would defeat the purpose.  Q: ...

Q: I wrote you an email about two weeks ago, asking about your shoulder exercises that make your lateral deltoids wider. I have gone through all three of your different work outs and I have to say, wow. This workout really works. Even after doing the first workout, I could instantly tell. My striations were popping, my nose was running (always a good thing on shoulder day), and I can start to see the cuts between my biceps and shoulders. I look a little bit wider, making my waist seem even smaller.  Thank you for posting your workout. I just read your article on arms . Can’t wait to try that one either. I'm working on achieving my NASM certification as we speak. Thought you would like to get some feedback from an almost another fitness guru.  Thanks again!  Keep posting, I'll keep lifting. Jonathan Hatchell Athletics Administrator www.footballfoundation.com My Response: Thanks for the feedback, Jonathan. I'm glad the program is working out for you...