The 20-40 Method: No two people are exactly alike. Everyone's bodies and minds respond to stimuli differently. Why is it then that people follow cookie-cutter strength training programs? Sheiko, Smolov, 5x5, 3x3, 5-3-1; they're all one-size-fits-all strength training programs where everyone, regardless of if they're a skinny kid or a jacked athlete, does the exact same thing. But why would everyone do the same thing if their abilities spanned a very broad spectrum? Is 5x5 so special that it's the perfect number of reps for everyone? How about 3x3? 5-3-1? The answer, of course, is no. To see the best results, training needs to be specially tailored, not just tailored to the individual, but to specific training sessions and conditions as well. Allow me to explain myself. When tailoring a program to an athlete, how much he should do is dependent on how good his work capacity is. An athlete with high work capacity may be able to 5x5 without a problem, in fact, he might even respond better to more volume. On the other side of the coin, an athlete with low work capacity might burn himself out on a heavy 5x5 routine. This should be easy enough to understand. What I mean by tailoring the workout to specific sessions and conditions is that even one athlete won't have the same capabilities on a day to day basis, and this needs to be addressed. Normally, 5x5 might be just fine for an athlete, but what happens if he slept poorly the previous night? Maybe he's coming down with a cold too, and he hasn't eaten enough. How would that affect his ability to train that day? Of course, when put under extra fatigue, he wouldn't be able to handle as much work, so 5x5 would be too much. On the other hand, say our example lifter feels particularly great on a given day. He got plenty of sleep, he's eaten like a horse, and the planets just seem to have aligned themselves for him. On this day, the athlete may be able to handle and benefit from far more than 5x5 provides. So, as can be seen, there is no specific number of reps that will work for everyone on every day. How then do we assign strength training? Easily enough, we use the 20-40 method. The 20-40 method is a simple set of guidelines to help assign strength training work that's accurate for each and every individual. The rules behind 20-40 are simple: 1) Train lower body and upper body every 3-4 days each 2) Pick 2 compound exercises per session 3)Do 20-40 total reps of each exercise in a session 4) Only use weights between 70-85% of your 1RM (excluding warm ups) 5) Challenge yourself Sounds simple right? Well it is. The only magic behind the 20-40 method is autoregulation. That means that you choose the intensity and volume of your workout based on how you feel on any given day. If you feel good, you might shoot for 35-40 total reps per exercise. If you feel crappy, then maybe shooting for the minimum of 20 reps is fine. It all depends on how heavy the weight feels in your hands, or on your back. Why 20-40 though? The answer to that is 20-40 reps @ 70-85% 1RM is the range that I, and many other athletes, have found to work best for strength gains. 20-40 reps accommodates the work capacities of nearly all athletes and makes sure everyone does enough work to see that they both learn the movement and cause enough muscle damage to cause hypertrophy (which is the root of strength gains). 70-85% 1RM works for the intensity range because 70% is heavy enough to cause strength gains (especially when using compensatory acceleration or higher reps), and 85% is light enough to avoid significant CNS stress and burnout. Just like the number of reps or the weight used aren't set in stone, neither is there a set progression. The only progression included in the 20-40 method is that the trainee should always challenge themselves. Whether that means they try for more volume than last time, or maybe the same volume but with heavier weights, it doesn't matter. As long you're working hard and trying to improve when possible (either through volume or intensity), you're on the right track. Some people have a tendency to over-think things, and this gives them a chance to get over it. Just stick within the set ranges and train hard. If you don't PR one session, that's fine. Give it another go next time around. All you need to do is put in the effort. On a personal note, I've been following a 20-40 plan for a couple months now and it has taken my full squat (no belt, close stance, high bar) from 253 lbs x 10 (in all fairness, I was out of practice and getting used to the stance) up to 315 lbs x 9 and the gains are still coming. Other athletes have seen similar gains. So, maybe this will help you get away from your set programs and think for yourself. Don't base your training on the exact sets, reps, and weights some Russian guy wrote down, base your workout on how you feel on that given day, with your only goal to be to challenge yourself and get better. And just a couple of notes, some people can go lighter than 70% and still benefit from it, though most trainees should stick to the designated intensity range. Also, abdominal work, external rotation work, and all other prehab work should be done after the main session. Again, the volume and intensity is up to you. -Revolution