Greyskull Training Program
What is The Greyskull LP? The Greyskull LP is the strength training program to which my name, and the Greyskull brand is most strongly associated.
What is The Greyskull LP? The Greyskull LP is the strength training program to which my name, and the Greyskull brand is most strongly associated. Redditor 09091919 made a very nice Grey Skull Linear Progression Spreadsheet. Features: calculates an 8 weeks training plan logs progress & personal records includes.
Anyone tried this out? I had a beginner friend of mine get on it a couple of months ago and he's seen great gains strength and body composition wise. I definitely think it's a better beginner program than SS. Plus the diet advice over there is much more sensible than GOMAD etc.
Here's the link: Monday Bench/ or Press (A/B) 2x 5, 1 x 5+ Curl 2x 10-15 (bench days) Squat 2x 5, 1x 5+ Neck Harness Wednesday Bench/ or Press 2x5, 1x 5+ Weighted Chins 2 x 6-8 (press days, and only if you can do at least 6-8 BW chins) Deadlift 1x 5+ (with or without power cleans as warmups) Neck Harness Friday Bench/ or Press (A/B) 2x 5, 1 x 5+ Curl 2x 10-15 (bench days) Squat 2x 5, 1x 5+ Neck Harness Bodyweight Chins are done every day. 5 lb jumps on Squat and Deadlift 2.5lb jumps on pressing movements and curls (when rep ranges are satisfied) When reps on last set fall below 5, take 10% off of bar and begin process over (on that lift only) I'd definitely advise getting the ebook if you want to give it a shot. Way more detail in there.
I like the 2x5, 1x5+ rep scheme on the main lifts. I like the more sensible amounts of weight added to the bar each session (compared to SS; I remember the first time I ran SS, I started most of the exercises far below the point at which the book says you should start, and I'm certain that if I progressed in 10lb jumps on squats up front, I would have stalled by the end of the first month). I like the option of using power cleans as warm ups for deadlifts. I don't like putting squats towards the end of a session, and I doubt that most rank novices can do weighted chins (but if they can, super!). Not sure that neck exercises are all that important for most trainees, but there certainly are sports that call for it. Over all, not a bad program.
I'd prefer squats at the start rather than towards the end, but either way the program's fairly well balanced, and I can see people making plenty of progress on it over a long time. And that's what counts, ultimately. The reason the squats are at the end is that the last 5+ set is pretty much done to failure and most people wont feel like doing much else afterwards. I think this is a good add on to have in the program, it lets you really test yourself on the last set. You start the program with a weight you can do for around 8-10 reps and then the first two sets of 5 act as heavy warm up sets then as you increase the weight the reps on the third set begin to drop until all 3 are heavy sets then once the reps drop below 5 on the last set you reset.
It actually enables you to make progress for a pretty long period of time which is good for beginner. Plus the fact that you're doing frequent chins and pushups/dips everyday along with a couple of conditioning workouts i think people are less likely to end up a lard ass because of being scared of 'overtraining' The progress might be slightly slower than the SS LP but i do like the programming far more with this setup. The Greyskull LP is a great program and I think it holds up way better than SS. I'd recommend it to anyone. I was on a SS style program for awhile and really hit a wall with it. I also felt like a centaur cause i was only gaining mass in my legs and ass.
I wasn't gaining any upper body mass. I switched to the Greyskull LP and made huge gains, and put a lot of mass on my upper body. I like the reset style much better and haven't felt like I've really hit a wall since switching over. The book is definitely worth a read and the site has tons of great advice.
I've been on the program since December and here's what i gained so far: Squat: 135x6 - 240x5 Bench: 120x8 - 165x5 Deadlift: 275x8 - 405x1 Press: 80x10 - 120x5 BW: 181 - 197 Pant size: 32x32 - 30x32 Everything is still gaining with no signs of stall. Form on squats could be better, but it will improve over resets. What makes this program work REALLY well is the resets. They aren't seen as a bad thing. Resets are your chance to set rep PRs and are a great indicator of progress. If you repped 200 on squats for 8, your first time around, and after a reset at 245, you rep 200 for 15 or so, you've gotten much stronger.
Its not like on SS in which you take a reset, and hit the 3x5 and move on. I never really saw the point of stopping at some number just because the program says so. After each reset, I've noticed that I've gotten significantly bigger, as well. Second, i think the chins everyday idea is pure genius. People that go to prison do chinups all the time, and they don't have access to the food that you have yet they still come out huge once they get released.
I've added quite a bit of arm and back size from doing chinups everyday. It doesn't even have to be that many chins. I've been doing like 15 chin ups a day, 6 days a week whenever i pass by the chinup bar i rigged up at home. Only thing id advise is that you need to work up to lots of chins a day. Otherwise, you are going to end up backing off for a bit before continuing. I recently purchased the Greyskull LP ebook, and Id say it was the best investment i've made towards my lifting career.
After reading that book, all you need is this base program. It can be adapted towards anything. Need to lose bodyfat?
Well, add some of the plugins and tweak your diet a bit, and you'll be well on your way to doing that. Need to gain mass? The books got exactly what you need to do it. Starting out a bit on the chubby side and want to get leaner and have more muscle? The book will get you there as well.
By The Power Of Greyskull
Ive also found, with the help of the book, that the program is one of the most adaptable programs ever. If you've stalled out on adding weight every workout, despite resets, the book instructs you on what to do as well. Its a basic template that can be tweaked well into your advanced years of lifting, whether your goal is to compete in bodybuilding or to compete in powerlifting or just look good and be strong, this book has everything you need to get there.
1 last thing. The owner of Strengthvillain, Johnny Pain, is one of the nicest people i've ever interacted with. When i was 177, i was afraid to gain weight. This wasn't a eating disorder thing, it was more of a 'I don't want to end up a fat mess' kinda thing.
I consulted with him, and he set me up on the right track. Id say his advice is the reason i gained weight and dropped a pant size. His advice is very direct, and its amazing how open he is to help you out.
As stated earlier in this thread, Johnny Pain's diet advice is extremely simple. If you need to gain weight, he'll get you there.
If you need to lean out, he'll help you put together a plan that will get you lean at a pace that you will be able to keep up with. The reason the squats are at the end is that the last 5+ set is pretty much done to failure and most people wont feel like doing much else afterwards.
I think this is a good add on to have in the program, it lets you really test yourself on the last set. You start the program with a weight you can do for around 8-10 reps and then the first two sets of 5 act as heavy warm up sets then as you increase the weight the reps on the third set begin to drop until all 3 are heavy sets then once the reps drop below 5 on the last set you reset. It actually enables you to make progress for a pretty long period of time which is good for beginner.
Plus the fact that you're doing frequent chins and pushups/dips everyday along with a couple of conditioning workouts i think people are less likely to end up a lard ass because of being scared of 'overtraining' The progress might be slightly slower than the SS LP but i do like the programming far more with this setup.