Campbell PRS v1.1

8/9/2019 Campbell PRS v1.1

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CAMPBELLPOWER.REPS.SPEED

BAR DON’T LIE by Brandon Campbell Diamond


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Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your

strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to

surrender, that is strength.

-Arnold Schwarzenegger


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Campbell P.R.S. 4

Program Overview

One of the first things I used to do when searching for a new programmingroutine was search based off how many days of training per week I wanted to be in the gym. This was literally the first step I’d take in deciding upon a

program. In fact, I think it still plays a large role in people’s decision-making process. In my time I’ve tried everything from 3x per week full body splits to 7day a week body part based hypertrophy routines. One of the main issues I had with this is that the gym was always just one small piece of the bigger picture. Meaning that I had other shit to do, from work, school, practice,friends, family, etc.… not to mention things coming up beyond my control (like injuries or illness). There was actually a point in time during college that I’d put my leg training days on Friday, not because I wanted the weekend torecover, but because I was more likely to go out socializing after class on thisday and in most cases would end up skipping the gym. Since I couldn’t forfeit

my much-needed chest, back or arm day, leg day was the obvious sacrifice.

This continued as I got older in the sense that I’d miss workouts here andthere but would never get the chance to come back to them because the program I was on revolved around a “normal” week being Sunday thruSaturday and if I tried to compensate for a missed workout that’d throw off my training completely. To further compound this issue, as I did moreresearch and I found what worked best for me, it came to my attention thattraining more frequently with less overall volume yielded better results in the long run. What really started to change things for me is when I was able to

separate my training from the “normal” weekly schedule and just look at it interms of a 7-day period.

This has led me to craft this program as a 4 or 5-day program (we’ll talk aboutthe 5

th day later), with the off days (2-3 off days depending on if you utilize the

5th

training day) being open to manipulation. Ideally you’ll be hitting like body parts every 4 days or so (to maximize muscle protein synthesis and recovery).This means your training could vary over the course of this programdepending on how your recovery is going or if life throws you a curveball and you’re unable to train on a certain day.


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Campbell P.R.S. 5

Here’s an example of 3 weeks of training (using 4 days training per 7 days) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Train Train Off Train Train Off OffDay 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14

Train Off Off Train Train Off Off

Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21Train Train Off Off Train Train Off

In the above scenario you can see how if you really wanted to, you could havea different layout each week. For consistency’s sake however, I’d suggesttrying to keep it somewhat regulated unless other issues prevent it. You canalso play around with the rest day timing as long as you get your 4 trainingsessions within a 7-day period. This way your off days become more like arain check in the essence that if something comes up that doesn’t allow you totrain (or you just don’t want to) you have days to play around with. So while initially your plan might have looked like this:Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Train Train Off Train Train Off Off

But let’s say you have to stay late for work on days 4 and 5 and are now unable to train. Instead of ruining the last half of your training you can just move the off days around to look like this:

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

Train Train Off Off Off Train Train

Since this program is based off of days in number form (instead of the usualMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.…), you can start the program on whateverday you’d like and have your days fall on your own preference (for example not doing chest on Mondays or maybe putting deadlifts on a day where you have a lot more time available in your schedule).

So now that we’ve established a high level overview of the training days, let’stake an even bigger look at the whole picture. The way this program iscurrently set up will take roughly 12 weeks. This is assuming you stick to the4-5 training days (again we’ll talk about the optional 5

th day later) and the 2-3

off days (this varies depending on that 5th

day). The 12 weeks are broken into 4different sections (3 training phases and 1 peaking phase). Each of these 4sessions takes 3 weeks to run.


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The 3 training phases are set up as follows:

Phase 1: Average Intensity, Average VolumePhase 2: High Intensity, Low VolumePhase 3: Low Intensity, High Volume

After the 9 weeks (3 training phases), the last part of the program includes a 3 week peaking phase to help you reach optimal numbers as well as help decide upon possible openers for a powerlifting competition. That being said, ideally

after this program is run to completion, you’ll have a testing session of either aregulated meet or a mock meet in your own gym. Doing a full meet is by no means necessary, but in my opinion it can have a huge impact on your overalltraining for several reasons. This program will have you lifting heavy(including eventually hitting your previous one rep max, 1RM, for a double), but you won’t take any single rep attempts until the 12-week program is over.Doing a meet in this case is your time to shine and show everyone your gains,

70.00%72.00%

74.00%

76.00%

78.00%

80.00%

82.00%

1 2 3

Avg Intensity %

Avg Intensity %

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

1 2 3

Volume (LBS)

Volume (LBS)


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both in the numbers you lift and because you’ll be wearing a spandex singletthat you won’t be able to hide anything in (if you know what I’m saying) . Toooften we get in the bad habit of consistently testing our strength instead offocusing on building it. This program will help keep you regimented (while stillallowing you to set rep PRs) and if you’re able to stick to it, it’ll pay off when it

counts.

Another key aspect of this program is that it utilizes both a training max (95%of your 1RM) as well as your true 1RM (to be used towards the end of the program). I was first introduced to using a training max as part of Wendler’s 531. I understood that as part of his progressions he wanted to make slowcalculated jumps in training. However what I found was over time on the program I’d have to reset my numbers on occasion. So while it was effective, it wasn’t optimal for me in the long run.

When I first started up this program it was when I was in the process ofcoming back to the gym after a few weeks off due to injury. Since I assumed I was likely weaker due to the time off, I used a lighter percentage of my previous maxes. This way I could ease myself back into the gym without re-aggravating my injuries. I found this allowed me to train more efficiently, in the past I’d try to lift as heavy as possible as often as possible (which often times led me to feeling tired, sore, achy, etc.). Using this lowered percentage (inessence an unintentional training max), I was able to still move relatively heavy weight, but not to the point where I felt like shit. I also allowed myself to push beyond what the program called for if I was feeling really good (this is

explained more in the power day breakdown), so all my inner bro needs were met. When I did finally test out my maxes at the end of the program, I foundall my maxes had increased significantly faster. It’s because of this that this program institutes a “Campbell Max” at 95% of your 1RM for the first 3 phasesof the training. In all reality it’s just a training max, but being the egotisticalasshole I am, I figured I’d try to throw my name on it, although it’s by no means original or any different than your typical training max.

On the last phase of the programming we’ll use your real 1RM for programming purposes. The thought process here is that we don’t want any

surprises come test out time after the 12 weeks are up. Since I stresscompeting in a meet or doing a mock meet, it’d be unwise to use a lower percentage here since you should have gotten a good amount stronger by this point. Through the peaking phase we’ll be not only using the heaviest weightsof the programming, but also getting a good idea of where our openers should be.


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Campbell P.R.S. 8

So let’s get back on track, right now we’re talking about a 12-week programsplit into 4 different phases. Let’s get back to the 3 training phases and dive a bit deeper into how they’re set up. These phases are built around 4 maincompound movements; the bench, the deadlift, the squat and the overhead press. During each 3-week phase you’ll be doing a different type of training

each week for each lift. These types of training are broken down into power,reps, and strength (or PRS for short). The type of training rotates each trainingsession within each week. A full training phase will roughly look like this:

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Deadlift Speed Deadlift Reps Deadlift PowerBench Reps Bench Power Bench Speed

Squat Power Squat Speed Squat Reps

OHP Speed OHP Reps OHP Power

The basic foundation you see above doesn’t change between the 3 training phases, what does change however as we’ve already seen is the intensity andthe volume. Let’s take a quick look at how the intensity breaks down in termsof percentages:

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Power 85% 90% 92.5% 95% 80%Reps 80% 82.5% 77.5%

Speed 62.5% 70% 62.5%


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Power Day

The power portions of the program should speak for itself. This is a program intended to get you stronger, so obviously this is a big focus. The key here isfinding the right amount of work that’s not going to leave you hurt or injured.One of my favorite portions of running Wendler’s 531 program was his

implementation of plus (+) sets. On these sets he gave you a number that was within reach based off your 1RM, but he suggested going for as many reps as possible and potentially setting PRs in the process (both in terms of a rep PRand a new estimated 1RM). I’ve brought a similar idea here over to this routinethat on each strength day during the course of the week you’ll get numbers todo within reach, but you can try to go heavier if you feel it’s there.

For example here’s a chest power day:

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6 Set 7 Set 8 Reps

BenchPress

285 285 285 3

In the above example the program calls for 3 sets of 3 reps at 285lbs.However, since this is a strength day, you could in theory bump the weight up based off your own choosing (I might for example bump it up to 295). The keything to keep in mind here is that you should not be missing reps during thistraining. That’s where experience comes into play here, so choose wisely.

Rep Day

Moving on to the next day, the rep workouts are vital for a few reasons.Seeing how a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, the volume here will help ingetting some hypertrophy work in with your main compounds. This also lets you get more overall volume and repeated movement patterns on the things you’ll be testing. For those worried about not enough hypertrophy training, Ialso suggest adding in more exercises/volume on the optional 5

th day (again

we’ll talk about this later).

Speed Day

There’s a lot of debate surrounding speed work and if it’s actually beneficial or

not, but in my opinion this is a big part of what helps make the program better. While training under Dan Green and running his BBSM program I madetremendous progress, but the downside of that was it left me extremely rundown and contributed to me getting injured. As part of my recovery andcoming up with this program I wanted to throw some speed work in. Othertraining programs that incorporated similar work like The Cube Method, Westside for Skinny Bastards and PHAT influenced this part of the program. Ifind that being fast and explosive on these movements has great mental carry-


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over to your heavier attempts. On top of that a key thing most overlook is thatthis speed work (because of it’s lowered intensity) also doubles as an activerecovery workout. This way you’re still in the gym getting your work done(let’s face it, no one likes an off day), but it’s not going to beat you down as much as having heavier work here instead.

The Optional 5

th

Day

I’ve mentioned this is a 4 or 5-day program several times already. I find forstrength purposes the 4 days of training are very effective. But, being a gymrat like myself, 4 days just isn’t enough. You’ll notice if you take a look at the included spreadsheet, each main day is really focused around compounds and variances of them. It doesn’t have much (if any) “bro” work. Not a lot of curls,calves, shoulders, forearms, etc.… In order to combat this, I give myself a 5

th

day (which usually ends up being Saturday or Sunday for me) to just bro out. Igo to the gym (which I love being at anyways) and focus on weak points or just

do arm work (Inb4 your arms are your weak point). Of course you couldconsolidate these into the 4 main days if you wanted to, but I don’t like being in the gym more than 90 minutes or so (plus by the time I’m done with my main work I’m exhausted). There’s no included template for the 5

th day, but

what I’ll say is use your best judgment. Do whatever you want as long as itdoesn’t impede your main training days.


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Main Barbell Movements

Being that this training is built around getting you better at the maincompound movements, it only makes sense that they’ll fall at the beginning ofeach training day. It’s important to note at this point in your training youshould be familiar and comfortable with doing all of these movements.

However, as part of my own training I’ve come across several cues that I havefound to be helpful, which I’ll share below.

Deadlift

To get optimal foot position, imagine you’re going to be testing your vertical jump max. Stand with your feet in a comfortable position that would allow you to jump as high as you possibly can from a stand still.This is your ideal foot position for deadlifting.

Generally speaking toes should be pointed straight ahead, however for myself , I found angling them out slightly lets me get more drive out of legs and hips.

Always approach the bar, don’t let the bar approach you (meaning Idon’t suggest rolling the bar into position). Everything you should doduring your set up is based off the bar and it’s position.

The bar should be cutting your foot in half. I find this puts the barroughly 2-3 inches from your shins. To make my set up consistent, I picka spot on my shoelaces that I always aim to line up with. DO NOTSTART WITH THE BAR RIGHT AGAINST YOUR SHINS UNLESS YOU WANT TO BLEED.


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I like to set one foot at a time during my set up. Once both feet are in place I’ll sometimes “wiggle” a bit. In reality what I’m doing is trying toscrew my feet into the floor.

At this point in the lift I like to focus on my breathing. I prefer to get my breath set before bending down to grab the bar as I find I’m able to get atighter core standing rather than doing it when I’m hunched over.

I also like to visualize the lift at this point. It sounds dumb but being mentally prepared and picturing the lift happening seems to have goodcarry over for myself.

From here I set my over hand. The way I begin this process is to break atthe hips and do what looks like a stiff legged deadlift down to the bar. Itry not to bend my knees just yet. Once my over hand grasps the bar, Itry to pull as much slack out of my arm as I can.

Once I’ve done that I bring my under hand to the bar in a similar fashion

and pull the slack out here as well. Once I have both hands on the bar, I bend my knees until my shins touch

the bar (shoulders should be in line with the bar at this point). While I’m bending my knees to the bar I also imagine pulling my chest through and up while bracing my lats (and everyt hing else for that matter). You’llfind this also puts your hips in a very strong position. I used to be tooconcerned with getting my hips really low so that my form looked moretextbook, however this resulted in my hips always shooting up early.

I try to pick a spot on the floor about 5 feet in front of me and lock mygaze here. Some like to use the cue “tuck the chin” but to me this just

feels weird. I keep it simple. Once I’m in a good position I try not to waste too much time from when I

start my pull. What’s helped me the most is to imagine that the bar is tieddown to the floor and the best way to lift it is to try to push the flooraway. I liken this to the story “The Sword in the Stone.” This way you’re using the floor to brace yourself and the lift should be more of a pushthan it is a pull (pushing the ground away).

As you push the bar away from the floor focus on keeping yourself braced. At the point where the bar gets to around knee level, make sure you utilize your glutes and hips and push them through. This will take

over the 2 nd part of the lift and allow you to finish in a strong lockout position.

I recommend not bouncing your reps during this program. It may allow you to move more weight easily, but you’re really short changing yourself from getting stronger at the lift in the long run.


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Bench Press

Shoulder position is huge here. Make sure you’re able to set up with your rear delts and traps pulled back (thus ensuring your chest is doingthe majority of the work).

Personally I find the best way to set up is to lay in position, then pull myself up off the bench using the bar before laying myself back down atan angle with my traps/shoulders touching first). Some also like to do

the above with both feet on the bench first to get even better leverage. I’ve found foot position varies quite a bit based off the individual and

their mobility. I’d suggest aiming to find a position that allows you to push off the floor and further emphasize pushing into the bench with your shoulders and traps. I’d also suggest trying to keep your feet flat onthe ground, as some federations don’t allow for your heels to be lifted(not just your toes on the ground).

Arch is going to vary from person to person as well. I wouldn’t concern yourself with having a huge arch, but at the same time, don’t worry if you’re unable to arch much (if any) either. The key thing to do is find a position that again allows you to have your shoulders/traps dug into the bench and lets you utilize leg drive to further enforce that point.

For grip width, I suggest taking a grip that allows your forearms to be perpendicular to the floor (depending on the degree in which you tuck your elbows) when the bar is touching your chest. Having yourforearms straight up and down in this fashion allows you to deliver the most power.


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Speaking of tucking your elbows, I’d say get preferred grip first and atthe bottom portion of the lift, make sure you’re tucking enough toachieve a 90 degree angle with the floor (as mentioned above). If you’re unable to do so, either your grip has to change, or how much you tuckdoes… your call.

If you’re having difficulty deciding on the above, imagine you wanted to push someone (or something) as hard as you could with both hands. The position you find your arms in here would translate well over to your bench press arm position.

When unracking the bar, be mindful not to let all the hard work you justdid getting into position go to waste. Having a bar rack too low or too high can throw you off. I try to lift in benches that allow for adjustablerack height, that way I can have my height in a position that allows me to just pull the bar out of the rack (instead of lift it off). Don’t be afraid toask for a hand off either if need be.

I’ve found bringing the bar dow n to nipple level to be most effective, butagain play around with your own form and see where you’re able togenerate the most power.

When pressing, I also find having a slightly altered bar path is moreefficient than just going up and down. For me, pressing up and slightly back seems to work better.

I very highly suggest using the first bench day in the programing each week for paused work. Even if you don’t plan on competing, using a pause has helped me tremendously. It forced me to learn how to

generate more power and fine-tune my technique, as you’re unable to bounce the weight and use momentum to mask these issues.


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Squat

The first thing I like to do on squats is to set my grip. I try to use thesame grip width that I use on my bench press. I find for my own mobility(and to keep things consistent) it’s just easiest this way.

Once grip is set, the next thing to focus on is feet to unrack the bar. Thegoal here should be to have both feet directly below the bar. This way you don’t have to worry about being off balance or tweaking something

when trying to unrack. Speaking of this, rack height also plays a key role. Your best bet is to

have a rack height just high enough so you have about 1-3” of clearance when walking the bar out. This way for your unrack, you can get underthe bar and pretty much just push your glutes through to get the bar upand out. You don’t want too low of a position because then you waste valuable energy too early.

Once the bar is unracked, your goal should be to get into position withas few of steps as possible (again to conserve energy). Ideally you only need 2-3 steps back and slightly out to get into position. It would be wiseto practice these walk-outs so you get comfortable doing so.

To find a good foot position, before you begin, stand in the same position we discussed for deadlifts (as if you wanted to test your max vertical jump). From here stand on your tippy toes and slightly swing both heels outward. Plant them on the ground in this position (so yourtoes are pointing inward), from here swing your toes outward (while maintaining position of your heels). This position should be very


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comfortable to squat down in. Do a few air squats here to make sure andadjust as necessary.

I prefer to squat low bar as I find I can move more weight. For low barsquatting your goal should be to have the bar rest on your rear delts. If you prefer high bar, it should rest on your traps. This is where I think acloser grip width can help create a better shelf. If you grip the bar super wide, it’s harder to get the “meat” to stick out.

Make sure to take your time unracking and getting into position. Rushingthrough could lead to momentum swaying you (forward or backwards)and cause you to expend extra energy trying to stabilize yourself.

Once you get walked back and your feet in place, it’s time to get a good breath to squat with. I can’t emphasize enough how much learning howto breath and brace more efficiently has helped my squat. I find oftentimes if I fail a lift, it’s b/c I wasn’t braced as well as I could have been. Isuggest taking in as much air as possible and once at this point focus on pushing out your core 360 degrees (not just your gut).

Imagine your sitting down on a toilet to drop a deuce for your squats. Ifind thinking of it in this fashion helps me break at the hips and then the knees more effectively.

As I’m descending I’m also imagining my mid-foot and heel being loaded up with the weight. I do this so that my heels don’t end up col lapsing as much and it also helps me keep the weight from traveling to my toes.

If at all possible, try not to squat in front of a mirror. I find it’s mucheasier to hit depth when not looking at one.


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OHP/Secondary Bench Press

My OHP sucks pretty bad so it’s not fair for me to give you many tips here, what I will say is that bracing is still as important here as it is in theother lifts. I feel most comfortable using a just wider than shoulder width grip. The rest is up to you for this one, good luck.


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Assistance Barbell Movements

One of the best ways to get better at the main compounds is to do themfrequently. However, that being said, sometimes we get bored and want a little variety. The goal of these assistance barbell movements is to add some variety in, work on weak points, but also not to stray too much from the main

movement. You’ll find on each day, immediately following the main movement,there will be more barbell work with some slight variation in place. The onlyexception is on day 4, which since it’s being used as a second bench day as is,there’s no need to add in a variation. Feel free to play around with the degreeof variance on these, meaning that you can use different heights for deficit or block pulls, as well as different grip widths for close or wide grip bench. Onething I would suggest though is, as you get closer to competition, try not to vary too far from the main lift (for example maybe only use 1” deficit or block pulls).

Deadlift Accessory Movements

Block Pull

Deficit Pull

Alternate Stance DL (Sumo or Conventional depending on main stance)

Stiff Leg Deadlift

Romanian Deadlift

Squat Accessory Movements

Front Squats

Pause Squats Alternate Stance Squat (High or Low Bar depending on main stance)

Stiff Leg Deadlift

Romanian Deadlift

Bench Accessory Movements

Close Grip

Wide Grip

Floor Press

Spoto Press Incline Barbell Bench


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Other Exercises

The rest of the exercises are up to you in terms of volume and intensity. I’dsuggest trying to take a somewhat balanced approach to it all. I also like to usea lot of dumbbell work in this area. Most of what I choose to do here is a more hypertrophy style approach (8-15 rep range). I do this because I’ve already

done a lot of heavy work and I’m tired, but also because I think bodybuildingand getting bigger overall has a lot of carryover to your progress (not to mention we all want to look like we lift). While you have some free reign here, be sure that your extra work isn’t going to end up making you regress on your main compounds the rest of the week. If you don’t know what to do here, usethe spreadsheet as a guide (as I’ve included a fleshed out version for what Ifeel is most effective), but if you struggle past that, you might not be asadvanced of a lifter as you think.


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Rest Time Between Sets

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from people is in regards to how long do I rest between sets. I used to actually time my rest intervals toensure they didn’t exceed a certain length. However in my old age what I havefound to be most beneficial is to take as long as I feel necessary without

getting into that “too comfortable” zone. This means that depending on the intensity and volume, the time I need differs. When I feel mentally ready to goand that I can physically perform the set for the required reps, I lift. For heavy main compound movements, this usually means 3-5 minutes of rest. Where ason the speed work I might only need 30 seconds or so. As long as you’reresting enough to be able to perform, without resting too long that you feel“cold” it shouldn’t matter too much.

Warming Up

You should be at the level now to know how to warm up properly with your

progressions. As far as the main compounds go (with perhaps bench as anexception), I have a very structured warm up protocol. I start with 135 on the bar for my first actual warm up set. I don’t like to start with just the bar onsquats because I feel like it’s not enough load on my back to allow me to perform the movement effectively (taking into account I squat low bar). Ondeadlift it’s not a good idea as the bar will be very low to the ground and willcause you to get out of what is considered a normal position. From there Itypically make jumps of adding 45 lbs. plates on each side until I start getting near my working numbers. As I get to be about a set or so off from my working set I more than likely will make 25 lbs. plate jumps instead. The rep

ranges you use for warm ups is up to you, but for the most part I find doingsets of 5 initially, then transitioning to triples, doubles or singles as I get closerto my working weights.


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Personal Equipment

Personal equipment is going to vary on the person and what they find to be most beneficial. That being said, below is some of the equipment I always bring in my gym bag (but don’t necessarily use each training session).

Weight Lifting Belt – This by far is the best piece of equipment you can invest in. In my opinion it’s a no brainer to use a belt on your heavydead or squat work (I’ve even taken to using it on my 1RM benchattempts as a helpful cue to engage my core better). There are those that will say using a belt will impede the progress of your core gettingstronger, but the available research says otherwise (basically since usinga belt aids you in lifting heavier, it actually gets more work). I spent a long time using your average cheap leather belt (the ones you get at your local sporting goods store) and although it served it’s purpose, I wish I could have gone back and bought a good 10mm or 13mm lever or

prong belt sooner.

Wrist Wraps – Since most of us have been lifting for quite a while and wish to continue to do so, using equipment that helps let us avoid theaches and pains that heavy stress can put on our joints is critical. For wraps, just like belts, I suggest investing in a good quality pair. Althoughthe cheap ones will work too, I’ve just found they fall apart after a few weeks of use. I use them on heavy pressing movements as well as whendoing low bar squats.

Wrist Straps – I’ve gone through waves of training where I like strapsand other waves where I detest them. I do think they serve their purpose however in the sense that they allow you to get in some volume on yourtraining past the point where your grip fails. Although I don’t use themoften, I do keep them in my bag for those instances where my grip just won’t last. They shou ld be used as a last resort in my opinion as the best way to get a better grip is to just do a lot of heavy pulling movements without them.

Knee Sleeves – Continuing with the trend of protective gear, I’ve reallygrown fond of using knee sleeves. Being someone who enjoys squattingfrequently (which you’ll be doing on this program), they help keep knees warm and I find my knees generally feel better day-to-day. Some will make it out that these add lots of weight to your lifts (they don’t), theydo still add some (not to mention a big confidence boost). As a side bonus you can also use them on your shins during deadlifts for protection if you wish.

Good Shoes – This one will vary depending on the person, but this can include a solid pair of Olympic style shoes (Romaleos or Adipowers forexample), flat soled shoes with minimal cushion (Chuck Taylors or


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Crossfit Lite TRs for example). I wouldn’t suggest training barefoot only b/c the risk for injury is higher (slippery floor) not to mention in mostcompetitions you have to wear some type of footwear.

Chalk – Your gym might provide this for you already, if so disregard. I prefer to keep mine in my bag with a sealable Tupperware container. If your gym doesn’t allow chalk, you can also look into a chalk substitute(like liquid grip), however if your gym doesn’t allow chalk, it’s probably agood indicator you don’t go to a good gym.

Training Log – Keeping a track of your training is mandatory. A log notonly allows you to ensure you’re on track and lets you know what you need to do. It can also be used to reflect upon where you’ve come fromand what worked well. If you use your phone during training I suggest using an app to do the tracking on (I prefer Fitocracy).

Misc. Items – Things like bands, foam rollers, lacrosse balls, etc.… allthese can help in mobility if needed. Many of these items are also provided by your gym; if you don’t want to buy them yourself, ask thegym manager to invest in some.

http://www.fitocracy.com/http://www.fitocracy.com/http://www.fitocracy.com/http://www.fitocracy.com/


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General Nutrition

I’ll keep this simple. In order to maximize your results, your best bet is to feed your body what it needs to do so. In most cases this means a caloric surplus. While you can gain strength on a deficit, the results aren’t as optimal andeventuall y you’ll reach a point of diminishing gains. Lift heavy + eat well =

gains.

Personally I’m a big fan of tracking my nutrition on MyFitnessPal. Regardlessof your weight goals, I think it’s important to know how much you’re eatingeach day. What I’ve found works best for me in terms of macro percentages isroughly 45% carbs, 30% protein and 25% fat. I say roughly b/c on these I allow myself to float some. Meaning that as long as I’m around 5% +/- of my goal percentages I’m ok with that. If you want to alter these numbers to fit yourown preferences, you should. Just ensure you’re hitting at least your minimums when it comes to fat or protein.

Pre Workout Nutrition

By now you’ ve likely seen me eat Pop Tarts or some form of candy right before hitting the gym. This begs the question, “What is the best pre workout nutrition?” Honestly I don’t put much thought into this (if that wasn’t overlyobvious by the Pop Tarts and Monster energy drinks). A lot of times I end upgoing to the gym after work and it’s hard to time a real meal around that. Oftentimes I look for a quick carb source that’s going to give me some energy, but isn’t going to make me feel full and bloated while training. If you don’t have a hectic schedule, eat a real meal 90 minutes or so before training. However if

you’re hitting the gym after work or first thing in the morning, try to getsomething in your system to help get you through some of these workouts, it’ll help.

Supplementation

Over my years of training I’ve become more of a minimalist when it comes tosupplements. This is a complete opposite from where I started when I firststarted training. Through my own experience (as well as a lot ofreading/researching), I’ve come to the realization that most supplements areover-rated. That being said there are a few that I find extremely beneficial.

Creatine Monohydrate: This is a no brainer for anyone who wants to getstronger (if you don’t want to get stronger why are you reading this book?). It is the most researched supplement out there, as well as theone that’s proven to be the most beneficial. Suggested usage is 5g a day ,every day. Drink it with whatever you want, whenever you want.

Whey Protein: I list whey here but you can use another form if you wish(whey is just the best quality and usually the best price). This is by no

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Campbell P.R.S. 24

means necessary but if you find it hard to make sure you’re gettingadequate protein throughout the day, whey is a great way (see what I didthere?) to help boost your numbers.

Caffeine: Cheap and effective. Lots of good info about this as a performance booster. Suggested dose is 200mg roughly 20 min beforetraining.

Beta Alanine: To me, one of the best things you can take in terms of helping performance. Suggested dose is 3.2g taken daily (timing does not matter). However many like taking it as part of their pre-workout stackdue to the tingling sensation some notice. If you’re overly sensitive tothe tingles, split the dose in half and take twice daily.

Joint Supplements: This is a tricky one as there’s no real concreteevidence these are effective for joint pain in resistance-trained individuals. However when I do have joint pain, I do have to admitsupplementing in glucosamine sulfate has helped (when taken for a few weeks). Again take this with a grain of salt, placebo or not, I’ve found itto do the trick if need be.

This is going to sound more like a plug (and it basically is), but the onlysupplements I take are from Citadel Nutrition. Their pre-workout, Tier 1, has everything I would be supplementing in anyways and they’ve managed to put it (and the correct dosages) in a decent tasting product.Check them out here.

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Campbell P.R.S. 25

Training While Sick

I get this question a lot. To me it really boils down to one simple question; can you hit the required numbers, reps/sets for that particular day? If the answer is yes, train. If you don’t think you can, don’t train. Again this program gives you some leniency when it comes to picking your days off, so if you need to

manipulate them, do so. If you’re sick for an extended amount of time (out ofthe gym for more than 2 weeks), I’d suggest starting the program over as that means you missed almost 25% of the training (not counting the peaking cycle).

Mobility Work and Cardio

Both of these are really up to you. I used to spend a long time doing both inorder to get ready for a workout session. After awhile I cut them out almostcompletely as I found that they ended up taking too much time and provided little to no benefit for me. Instead I like to do some technique work here. I’verealized in my old age I’m never going to be a “Supple Leopard” no matter how

hard I mash my shit up.

Other Important Stuff

Sleep is important. Make sure you’re getting enough of it.

What time you train is up to you, do what’s convenient.

Push yourself on the strength days. Remember we’re using a 95%training max, so have confidence in what you’re capable of !

If you’re too sore, manipulate your off days.

Listen to your body.

Don’t overdue the assistance, if your main lifts take a hit, cut down onthe extra fluff.

Use a spotter whenever possible or have some safety equipment in place(spotter arms or whatever).

Film yourself as much as possible. Seeing yourself back on film helps you pick out weak points and areas of improvement.


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Wrap Up

The above is what’s worked well for me in my almost 20 years of lifting. I don’tthink there’s one optimal program for everyone. I’ve crafted the above basedoff many of the programs I’ve tried over the years and cherry picked thethings that I found to work well for me. That being said, this is in no means afinished product. Each time I run through this program I make changes and tryto evolve it for the better. Please feel free to take some of the same liberties based off what you’ve learned about your o wn training. I will say that if yougive this program an honest attempt and put in the effort, you will see theresults.

If you have specific questions on this program please email them to me at [email protected] That way I can include some of the morefrequently asked ones into further revisions of this eBook.

This eBook wouldn ’ t be possible without the help, support, influence or friendship from thefollowing people: Amanda, Garrett, Audie, Daniel, John and Travis.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

Campbell PRS v1.1

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