The Rebuild (Week 1)
For most people, the start of the year usually involves drafting up some sort of New Year’s resolution involving healthy eating and fitness and even with the best intentions, this may not last as long as we hoped. With the uncertainty around gym’s being open and how COVID will effect 2021, I am going to use this blog as a way to help keep myself accountable and narrate my journey back into fitness and more specifically strength training. Hopefully, it will also help you make a step in the right direction and help closer to your goals too.
About me:
I have spent 8 out of the last 10 years training in the gym for a range of goals, from sport, to trying to attain a physique to unsuccessfully attract women and then general ‘bro’ bodybuilding. Even though I have been obsessed with training and nutrition, I have never really set and met any goals. This has come down to program hopping, eating poorly at university and getting distracted with random hobbies. Strength training has always interested me and I have never fully commited to it without being distracted. So, I am wanting to try and now make the most of the opportunity I have to train and eat while I have a gym available.
Having spent the past two years working around the UK, I have not trained much at all, so my physique and strength levels have diminished to that of a gym noob. I am essentially a blank (albeit unhealthy and weak) canvas at the moment of writing this (04/01/2021). There is plenty of room for improvement!
One of the main challenges I have had training in the past is my right knee. Following 7 operations to try and return to competitive sport, I have sustained some nerve damage and also issues with my range of motion. I am hopeful that through this program I will be able to bring up the muscles on my right knee to fix the muscle imbalance between my legs.
I am going to spend the next 6 months following the ‘HOG program’ that my friend and I toyed with a couple of years ago. As I am currently ‘untrained’ and I want to bring up all areas of my physique, I will use the full body version. I will eat a surplus of calories (I know I look like I need to lose some weight as well but to get the most out of this program I am going to ensure I can recover and grow). I will then go into a cutting phase and tweak the program to account for a reduction in calories.
Current Status:
I have included progress photos as well as body composition measurements. As I mentioned above, I am definitely working with a blank canvas.
Progress Photos 04/01/2021:
Measurements:
| Body Measurements | cm | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 190.5 | 75 |
| Shoulders | 132.5 | 52.2 |
| Chest | 113 | 44.5 |
| Waist (Widest Part) | 98 | 38.6 |
| Hips | 95 | 37.4 |
| Upper Arm | 42.5 | 16.7 |
| Forearms | 37 | 14.6 |
| Upper Thigh | 63 | 24.8 |
| Calves | 44 | 17.3 |
| Body Composition | Kg | lbs |
|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight | 104.4 | 230.2 |
| Calculated Muscle Mass | 81.4 | 179.4 |
| Calculated Body Fat % | 17.9% | 17.9% |
The calculated muscle mass and body fat are from the Renpho digital scales which must use some dodgy calculations to provide ‘accurate’ measurements for both. However, it will be interesting to see how this changes throughout the program.
| 04/01/2021 | 5 Rep Max (kg) | Calculated 1 Rep Max (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 85 | 98 |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 85 | 80 |
| Flat Bench | 80 | 92 |
| Overhead Press | 45 | 51 |
| Pullups | BW (104) | BW + 10 Kg |
| Bent Over Rows | 45 | 51 |
Goals:
I have set these goals to try and push myself. I am half hoping I exceed these numbers but I know it will be a challenge, especially with the Bench and Overhead Press but we will see how it goes.
| 04/01/2021 | 5 Rep Max (kg) | Calculated 1 Rep Max (kg) | Target 5 Rep Max (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 85 | 98 | 130 |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 85 | 80 | 130 |
| Flat Bench | 80 | 92 | 120 |
| Overhead Press | 45 | 51 | 60 |
| Pullups | BW (104) | BW + 10 Kg | BW +10kg |
| Bent Over Rows | 45 | 51 | 65 |
Training Program:
The HOG program was inspired by squat focused strength training programs and is arguably an aggressive form of progressive overload but with inbuilt measures to negate over-training. It has been designed to drive different adaptations from the common strength training programs which exist.
The HOG program provides the stimulus to:
- Satisfy the demands of people not developing as much muscle mass.
- A more balanced physique, with enough work to develop the upper body (different to the generally lower body dominant programs).
With the BASE HOG program having generally a high frequency for all lifts (between 2 – 3 times a week), the program is repetitive but very effective. When rest and recovery is optimised this program could help everyone grow and become stronger. Beginner to advanced.
The purpose of this blog is not to show off my own progress, but to show how possible it is for other people to complete and improve on. Strength training programs like Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5×5 and the 5/3/1 method are effective in their own right, however, completing round trips of this program combines volume for hypertrophy as well as enough low rep stimulus to drive strength up. 5X5 programs work well for a period of time but the lack of a spread of reps means that following the body adapting to the program, the effectiveness for promoting hypertrophy and strength both diminish more than the HOG program.
The advantage of rotating from higher rep work down to lower rep work in the same program enables you to generate muscle mass (hypertrophy from 8 rep range), then utilise your new muscle to push your strength higher during the lower rep work (2 rep range). This combines both hypertrophy focused training and strength training.
When you repeat the program you can now use your new found strength to do even more work at the higher rep range to drive further hypertrophy gains and then the cycle repeats itself.
So how does it work?
It begins with 8 reps x 2 sets for the lifts in question.
You aim to progress and increase the weight each session by 2.5kg (maximum) for
each lift, until the point you are unable to increase in weight and still
complete the prescribed reps and sets.
At this point you then reduce the target reps and increase
the sets, to still allow for weight to be increased. This continues until you
have to reduce the reps again and increase the sets etc….
So simply the progression is as follows:
| Reps and Sets | Notes |
|---|---|
| 8×2 | Until Near Failure* then: |
| 6×3 | Until Near Failure* then: |
| 4×4 | Until Near Failure* then: |
| 2×5 | Until Complete Failure then: |
| Rest the lift for a week, then restart the HOG Program. |
*This is not the typical bodybuilding ‘near failure’, the best way to describe it is that on the next attempt at the prescribed reps and sets, it will be VERY DIFFICULT to the point you might not finish the sets. IF in doubt, always come down in reps, there is no problem in doing so as it is the natural progression of the program. Stalling should be avoided at all costs when completing the program.
Example Starting Template:
Week 1
| Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| Squats 8×2 40kg/90lbs | Squats 8×2 42.5kg/95lbs | Squats 8×2 45kg/100lbs |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 40kg/90lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 42.5kg/95lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 45kg/100lbs |
| Bench 8×2 35kg/90lbs | Overhead Press 8×2 30kg/95lbs | Bench 8×2 35kg/90lbs |
| Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) | Bent Over Rows 8×2 40kg/90lbs | Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) |
Week 2
| Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| Squats 8×2 47.5kg/105lbs | Squats 8×2 50kg/110lbs | Squats 8×2 52.5kg/115lbs |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 47.5kg/105lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 50kg/110lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 52.5kg/115lbs |
| Overhead Press 8×2 32.5kg/75lbs | Bench 8×2 40kg/90lbs | Overhead Press 8×2 35kg/80lbs |
| Bent Over Rows 8×2 42.5kg/95lbs | Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) | Bent Over Rows 8×2 45kg/100lbs |
Note the increase in the weight each time you repeat an exercise.
As mentioned earlier the program starts out with 2 sets of 8 reps for the lift, you then repeat this next session, but increase the weight very slightly. This is repeated until you can only just manage 8 reps and know you will fail the 8 reps next session. This is the ‘NEAR FAILURE POINT’.
You then reduce the reps to 6 but complete 3 sets. Still increasing the weight ever so slowly. You continue to repeat the 6 reps until you reach the ‘NEAR FAILURE POINT’ etc.
So the progression for each exercise may look something like this over the time it takes you to complete a cycle of the program:
| Reps | Sets | Weight | Difficulty | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | 8 | 2 | 60 | 60% | |
| Session 2 | 8 | 2 | 62.5 | 65% | |
| Session 3 | 8 | 2 | 65 | 70% | |
| Session 4 | 8 | 2 | 67.5 | 75% | |
| Session 5 | 8 | 2 | 70 | 80% | |
| Session 6 | 8 | 2 | 72.5 | 85% | |
| Session 7 | 8 | 2 | 75 | 90% | |
| Session 8 | 8 | 2 | 77.5 | 95% | NEAR FAILURE |
| Session 9 | 6 | 3 | 80 | 75% | |
| Session 10 | 6 | 3 | 82.5 | 80% | |
| Session 11 | 6 | 3 | 85 | 85% | |
| Session 12 | 6 | 3 | 87.5 | 90% | |
| Session 13 | 6 | 3 | 90 | 95% | NEAR FAILURE |
| Session 14 | 4 | 4 | 92.5 | 75% | |
| Session 15 | 4 | 4 | 95 | 80% | |
| Session 16 | 4 | 4 | 97.5 | 85% | |
| Session 17 | 4 | 4 | 100 | 90% | |
| Session 18 | 4 | 4 | 102.5 | 95% | NEAR FAILURE |
| Session 19 | 2 | 5 | 105 | 80% | |
| Session 20 | 2 | 5 | 107.5 | 85% | |
| Session 21 | 2 | 5 | 110 | 90% | |
| Session 22 | 2 | 5 | 112.5 | 92.50% | |
| Session 23 | 2 | 5 | 115 | 95% | |
| Session 24 | 2 | 5 | 117.5 | 97.50% | |
| Session 25 | 2 | 5 | 120 | 100% | |
| Session 26 | 2 | 2 | 122.5 | FAILURE | RESET PROGRAM |
Once the program has been completed, you then reset, have a rest week and then start the cycle again.
This time you start at the same beginning weights but push to beat your weights for the ‘NEAR FAILURE’ points for each rep range. The goal is to keep tracking your PR’s for each rep range and to try and beat your previous best for the 8 reps, 6, 4 and 2 range. You should be able to easily surpass your previous personal
Following the completion of the cycle a few times and PR’s are considerably harder to hit, the evolution is to increase the starting sets. So instead of 8×2,6×3,4×4 and 2×5, it would change to 8×3, 6×4, 4×5, 2×6. This increase in volume will provide the additional stimulus to drive hypertrophy and strength gains once again.
One other method is to try and find a way to reduce the increase in weight each session (i.e buy some smaller fractional plates).
Reaching a plateau is not the end of the world in strength training. It gives you the opportunity to develop other aspects of your training to bring about adaptation.
What Lifts?
Compound lifts work best for this program and I would recommend that you only have one lift dedicated to each movement pattern. Suggested exercises can be seen below:
Hamstrings + Back: Deadlifts, Stiff Leg Deadlift
Quads: Front Squats, Back Squats, Leg Press
Chest and Shoulders: Flat Bench, Incline Bench, Overhead Press
Back: Bent Over Rows, Pull-ups, Chest Supported Rows
Finding Your Starting Weight:
If you have trained before this program and you know your current 5 rep max I will show you how to roughly calculate your starting weight. However, if you are new to training, start with a weight that seems very light, slowly increase the weight for 8 rep sets until you reach a 5/10 difficulty rating (or RPE), then use this.
If you know your 5 rep max already you can input it here to find your starting weight.
The calculator determines your 8 rep max then 60% of that.
Warming Up For Strength Training:
It is VERY IMPORTANT to warm up before every exercise, do not rush into your working sets straight away. You are more likely to injure yourself and you will not benefit as much from the exercise.
The best way to warm up is to gradually increase the weight up to your working weight. You don’t need me to tell you that!
For example: Your prescribed squat for this session is 100kg/220lbs. You could initially squat just 20kg/45lbs (the bar), then you could slowly complete warm-up sets of 4-6 reps of 60kg, then 80kg, 90kg before starting your working sets.
Strength Training Accessory Work:
Although this is certainly not necessary to making progress on the HOG program, accessory work is optional and can be beneficial as long as it does not impact recovery for the main lifts. I will look to add in some extra sets (with significantly less intensity than the core lifts) for particular body parts. This may include some extra shoulder and arm work (everyone wants bigger arms right?).
For example, a way to implement some accessory work would be to introduce some lateral raises following your upper body work. Completing 3 sets of 10 reps would work well to increase the volume for the shoulders.
Nutrition:
In order to maximise the results from the program, it is strongly recommended to eat in a calorie surplus. With a weight of 104kg, I am going to aim to eat 3500 calories and ensure I have at least 210g of protein a day. I will try and have a good balance of carbohydrates and fats as well. Basically, everything should be focused on making recovery the priority.
Before a session, I would recommend having an easily digestible carbohydrate-rich meal to fuel yourself for the workout. But I will go into more detail with this in a future post.
Notes About The Program:
You may think that only a 2.5kg (5lbs) increase in weight per session will take forever to build your lifts, but trust me, by the end of the first cycle, you will be wishing you had increased the weight even less per session. Ideally, it would be beneficial to have the weight plates available to only increase 1.25kg per session.
The rep and set progression are independent of each lift, this enables consistent progression for all lifts. So you may reduce the number of reps for your squats, but you can still continue completing the same number of reps for the stiff leg deadlift.
For pull-ups, if you cannot complete the initial reps required, try 8 reps of negatives. Jump up to the tip of the range of motion, then slowly descend. This will help build strength. Then try and complete 4 normal reps, then 4 negatives for the set. Continue to try and improve. When you reach 8 reps of BW for 2 sets. You can then start to very slowly increase the weight.
What to do on the days that you are not in the gym? You can simply relax! Strength Training is intense and your body will need to recover before another session. However, if you want to be active, try doing some stretching! ROMWOD offers a great program for stretching which you can follow along on your phone using their app. Or you can do some low impact cardio on your days off. Just remember, if you want to get the most out of this program, you need to prioritize recovery. That means eating well and sleeping as well as staying hydrated.
Recording your sessions in a logbook/on your phone is ESSENTIAL. In order to track your progress, you need to be able to understand what you will be lifting in the next session. As well as being able to check your progress and the weights you have to beat when you restart a HOG program for the lift.
Biggest Pitfalls:
1.Never Stall. If you did stall and you missed your prescribed reps and sets, you did something wrong (you should have gone down in reps). This is the key to autoregulation to never kill yourself to failure. If you end up pushing yourself too much, you may have to come down in reps faster than necessary, etc.
2. Never go over the top on frequency and volume pointlessly. These are the most effective tools for very big gains in the future, however, if you jump too fast it is so much harder to sustain more workload in the future. The best-case scenario is to drive gains with MINIMUM WORK POSSIBLE.
3.Getting distracted when the program becomes repetitive. IF it gets boring then try and slowly add in accessory work more often, however, do not use it as an excuse to change your core exercises or do additional working lifts.
4. Rushing into the program with poor technique. You will get much more out of this program when you have the technique perfected. This will help activate your muscles more and reduce the risk of injury. Just like the majority of strength training programs, you get what you put in. Always check that your technique is safe and you are using the full range of motion of the movements to maximise your results.
4. Combining this program with other sports and training. The program may seem easy, to begin with but it will become very taxing on your body towards the lower rep stages. If you are playing sport and are using this program to help improve your strength and muscle mass, it is recommended to priories your sports training first, then slowly start the program if you are still able to recover from your sports training and strength training. Remember, in the majority of sports, technique wins and you only improve that through sports specific training. No amount of muscle mass and strength will improve your accuracy in throwing the ball or your understanding of your own game.
My Program:
Using Lombardi’s formula to calculate rep maxes (my personal favourite), I estimate my 8 rep max. I then take 60% of this and round down to the nearest 5kg/10lbs for my starting weights for the program.
Lombardi’s formula:
1 RM: w*r^(0.1)
You can then do the math to determine your 8 rep max, then take 60% of that to determine your starting weight.
Having already calculated my 1 rep max and utilising the numbers to calculate my various rep maxes, I am able to estimate a good starting weight for each lift to maximise the chances of improvement.
| 04/01/2021 | 5 Rep Max (kg) | Calculated 1 RM (kg) | Calculated 8 RM (kg) | Calculated Starting Weight (60% of 8 Rep Max) (kg) | Starting Weights Rounded to Nearest 5kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 85 | 98 | 83.43 | 50.06 | 50 |
| Stiff Leg Deadlift | 85 | 98 | 83.43 | 50.06 | 50 |
| Bench | 80 | 92 | 78.32 | 46.99 | 45 |
| Overhead Press | 45 | 51 | 43.42 | 26.05 | 25 |
| Pullups | BW(104) | BW + 10kg | BW | BW | BW |
| Bent Over Rows | 50 | 58.7 | 47.7 | 28.6 | 30 |
My Program Template:
Here is my program for the first two weeks. At the start of February in next month’s post I will show all of my progress for the month of January and the weights for each session, as well as what I should be lifting in the month of February.
HOG Week 1: 04/01/2021
| Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| Squats 8×2 50kg/110lbs | Squats 8×2 52.5kg/115lbs | Squats 8×2 55kg/120lbs |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 50kg/110lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 52.5kg/115lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 55kg/120lbs |
| Bench 8×2 45kg/100lbs | Overhead Press 8×2 25kg/55lbs | Bench 8×2 47.5kg/105lbs |
| Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) | Bent Over Rows 8×2 30kg/65bs | Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) |
HOG Week 2: 11/01/2021
| Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| Squats 8×2 57.5kg/125lbs | Squats 8×2 60kg/130lbs | Squats 8×2 62.5kg/135lbs |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 57.5kg/125lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 60kg/130lbs | Stiff Leg Deadlifts 8×2 62.5kg/135lbs |
| Overhead Press 8×2 27.5kg/60lbs | Bench 8×2 50kg/110lbs | Overhead Press 8×2 30kg/65lbs |
| Bent Over Rows 8×2 32.5.5kg/70lbs | Pullups 8×2 BW (Max Reps up to 8) | Bent Over Rows 8×2 35kg/75lbs |
The Road Ahead:
As mentioned above, the purpose of this blog is to showcase the HOG program and to illustrate how effective it is in building strength sustainably.
Every month I will update the blog with my progress, answer any questions and develop some helpful features in case you are wanting to follow along. Check through previous updates or look at what I managed to achieve next month here.
If you are interested in following my journey, please subscribe to be notified when the next update is released. There should be some extra information on how to help improve your strength in between my monthly updates. Or if you have any questions about the program, please send them to info@hogstrength.com.
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