12-Week Cycle Update

While gym night is generally Wednesday, I shifted it to Thursday. The plan kept it as a lighter night. What I’ve done is shifted from the four day split to the more common three day split. This pattern allows for Monday to be the moderate intensity night, Wednesday to be light intensity, and Friday is Beast Mode.

Friday is Beast Mode because there are two days for recovery. And, two days for my wife and kids to laugh at me. When any of my kids join me at the gym, which they occasionally do, we laugh And cuss at each other for what we’ve done.

Another change that I’ve done to the 12-Week mass routine is changing some of the 8 to 10 repetitions for three sets into drop sets. I love the intensity of the drop sets.

If you are not familiar with the overload capabilities of drop sets, we can cover them quickly. You set the weight to start at just about your max repetitions. Whatever that number looks like, you set the bar with that weight. I am setting the weight for a rep range of 3 to start with. I know that I will be able to max out at 6 to 8 repetitions as the weight drops during the set.

So, for example, you’re doing squats. I set the weight today at 345 pounds. Being a light day, I only did 3 reps and racked the bar. As quickly as I could, I stripped 20 pounds from the bar, shouldered the weight, and did the next set. Then, I acmes the weight and stripped another 20 pounds. And squatted more.

You keep this pattern of squat, rack drop weight, squat, rack, drop weight, and so on going without stopping or resting until one of two situations happens. One, you have only the empty bar on your shoulders. Two, you have completed the number of drops you have set for yourself.

For me, that’s 10 drops. My 12-week cycle has become a mix of drop sets for the compound movements and sets of 3x8 for isolation exercises.

This is week 10 of 12. At the end of 12 I will tell you how much weight I’ve added to my squat, deadlift, bench, bent row. I will also share how much my body weight has changed. To date, I’ve put on just under 10 pounds of body weight. The rest of the update will have to wait until the end of the cycle.

I will also outline the full routine again so that you all can go and grow, too.

Stay healthy!
Stay strong!