New Book Announcement

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Ladies. Gentlemen. Today I reveal my next book: The 70’s Big LP.

70sBig_LP-mediumI know what you’re thinking: “What kind of a stupid asshole puts himself on a cover like that?”

The answer is an asshole who wants to get you stronger. Jacked. Thick. TIGHT!

When I first started planning this  book in 2011, I considered it an arm training program. But as I experimented and wrote, it became clear that it’s a legitimate program…that just so happens to make impressive arms.

 

The 70’s Big LP is a…

  • Linear Strength Progression – This is another option for novices to get stronger and bigger. The inclusion of things like rows, chin-ups, and curls will prevent the “big legs, small arms” body so many guys get from only squatting.
  • Transition from Bodybuilding to Strength Training – This program is a good transition from bodybuilding because it includes a bit of vanity training, but not at the expense of strength training. Bodybuilding guys can even use this as a mass gaining program; the decrease in training frequency and overall volume combined with hard eating cannot be denied.
  • Transition to Intermediate Programming – Each exercise in this program has several set/rep schemes to keep you progressing for a long time. Some of them breach into the realm of intermediate programming. There’s a gray area between novice and intermediate programming, and The 70’s Big LP connects the two.

At the core of it, this program is an innovative strength program that allows — no, encourages! — you to build those pythons, brother. It places big, compound exercises into a strength program to force the upper body to grow. Then it feeds you curls and triceps work to whet your appetite, because shut up.

Sick of not getting those noodly appendages to grow? Look no further because The 70’s Big LP has you covered. And the best part is, you don’t have to sacrifice your strength training to get there: when I used this program in 2011 I PR’d on press (240 lbs), bench (350 lbs), deadlift (500 lbs), and pull-ups (21 reps) at a 210 body weight.

70sbigLP

This is the basic template. It may look a bit vanilla, but what sets The 70’s Big LP apart from other linear progressions or programs is in the set/rep schemes. Each exercise listed in the template has at least three different set/rep schemes to force progress for a long time — many of which I’ve never seen out there on the ol’ world wide web.

It’s a magical program. You can get bigger, jacked, or strong, or all three. You can start or continue your linear progression. You can bridge the gap to intermediate programming. You can use it as a mass gain program. This program is about you getting the results you want. So saddle up partner; let’s get to work.

The 70’s Big LP will  be available for purchase tomorrow, 20 February 2015. 

47 thoughts on “New Book Announcement”

    • This will be another e-book.

      I haven’t made the jump to hard copy yet (other than FIT). It’ll happen eventually, but…probably not in the next six months.

      • Good to know. Does the program allow for incorporation of metcons, or is the strength template too much to try to add them in? I’ve been following your Military S&C program for some time and was looking at transitioning to this program since I am not as happy with my pressing movements, but didn’t want to do only strength training and have screwed myself over when the PT test comes around.

        • The program does, but the only options are to do it after training or put it on Saturday (and I address this in the book).

          It sounds like you read FIT, so you know where to put conditioning workouts.

          The one thing this new book does is introduce a lot of new and very useful set/rep schemes. I think you could take the set/rep schemes from this book and drop it into your current template. That way you don’t have to modify the whole week.

          What branch are you in?

          • Read FIT and loved it. Glad to hear that you think that’s an option, as I am definitely a fan of the current template.

            I’m in the Navy, F/A-18 backseater. Really appreciate all you guys do with the site and literature available, as I try (probably futilely with most) to convert people in my community to be better with strength training. It doesn’t make g’s tolerable, but they do suck less.

      • If you’re jumping to hard copy, please QA the publishers!! The print quality on my copy of FIT is terrible.

        Content is awesome though, as it is on the site. Thanks for all the quality info and entertainment.

    • Last year I ran a cycle of Jonnie Candito’s 6 week strength cycle and saw pretty decent gains in hypertrophy in my quads as well as saw all my lifts go up (roughly 30lbs in my squat, 20 in my bench, only 10 in my DL at the time of testing, though I did pull 405 later which was 40lbs over my previous 1RM).

      I attributed this to the volume work in the program. Is there similar structure in this program?

      I do well with rigidity so having a program to follow is paramount for my success under the bar so I’ll definitely be taking a look at this.

      • I don’t know much about Jonnie Candito’s program so I can’t speak on the similarity.

        I’d say I use set/rep schemes to drive progress instead of accumulating volume in this program. The result of those set/rep schemes can be increasing the volume from your previous program, but that would depend on you and what you were doing.

        • Well right now I’ve just been making sure to get in there and do something since I was battling knee injuries (to both, previous obesity related) and try and keep it heavy relative to my current strength.

          Right now I can squat 225x3x5 (weightxsetsxreps), bench 185x3x5, press 135×1 when I’m feeling good, and I struggled to DL 315×3 last week. Basically between the injuries and the holidays all my strength I had accumulated went out the window. And this week I’ve had the flu :(

          Also, how essential are dips vs. other tricep exercises? I had no trouble with them in the past but the last year or so they’ve been nigh impossible at my current weight without banded assistance.

          Thanks for your time Justin.

          • I don’t think of the dips as a triceps exercise. I think of them as an additional press. I explain it more thoroughly, but I don’t use the bench or press a second time because the second session doesn’t really accomplish much when your initial 3×5 runs out on a normal LP.

            As for you, it sounds like you just need some consistency. And hamstring development (which is my assumption upon hearing about your knee issues). EDIT: Or “re-hearing” about them. I remember you mentioning them before.

            • Yeah consistency has always been a problem. When I’m able to be consistent, I mage progress. Imagine that?

              Would you say the program is good for someone at my stage or am I better off on a SS style LP?

    • I work out at home with a pull-up bar, a squat rack. I have no bench so I usually do floor presses instead of bench press and I have no place to do dips.

      Should I still get the book?

      Thanks!

    • Hi Justin. I bought the book and am looking forward to hopping on the program as a borderline novice / intermediate.

      I train BJJ 3x a week, with sparring during all sessions, but especially hard sparring on Saturdays. How would you recommend I implement the program?

      I’m thinking of the following schedule:

      Fri – Program Day 1
      Sat – BJJ
      Sun – Program Day 2
      Mon – BJJ
      Tues – Program Day 3
      Wed. – BJJ
      Thurs – Rest

      Am I setting myself up for failure with only one day of rest?

    • Bought the book. Love it. Just one question: I want to pendlay/barbell row, but I can’t retract my scapula as well as dumbell rows, or seated cable row with appropriate attachment.

      The bar meets my torso before I can squeeze my back.

      What should I do? What am I doing wrong? Again, I’d prefer to pendlay row.

  4. Definately been checking out the websit 2 or 3 times a day waiting for this bad boy. I have two questions. Number one: Will the lack of a bench press seriously impede my ability to do this program well? Number two: Would it be possible to incorporate power cleans in there somewhere?

    • I would say this program will push your bench and press better than most things you’ve tried. It’s not the frequency in the week that matters here, but the set and rep scheme. Here’s a sneak peak on that: it eventually gets to be an alternating weekly thing.

      Not to mention — and this is thoroughly explained in the book — the other upper body pulling exercises are what contribute to driving the bench and press.

      It is possible to incorporate power cleans, yes. They are mentioned in the book. They could completely substitute the deadlift. They could replace front squats, especially if you did full cleans.

      I’ll say more about this tomorrow, but this program is about being right for you, the user. Not something you have to stick to lest someone yell at your for changing it.

      • Sweet! I should have phrased my question differently, but you answered it anyway. So I actually don’t have a bench press and don’t have room to put one in my apartment. I think it is awesome that the program let’s the user decide. I’m super stoked and will be grabbin this bad boy tomorrow!

        • I didn’t have a bench for…over half a year at one point. I trained out of the garage and stuck to press and other overhead movements. You can still do push-ups, potentially weighted ones if that was a worry.

  6. I’m finally starting to work back into normal barbell movements and pull ups/chin ups after having a really persistent elbow issue for the past year. My upper body strength has gone down a lot.
    I assume from what you described that I could easily transition into this from the 3×10 that I’ve been doing on most movements post-rehab?

    • Yes. You could even use this template and keep running 3×10 for a while (one of my examples in the book reflects this).

      The only thing I’d be wary of with you is not reintroducing that elbow issue. Lots of rowing, pulling, and then adding arm work could flare it up, so introduce each exercise in slowly and progress it slowly. You wouldn’t need the arm specific work for a bit (the book explains this).

      • Awesome thanks for the response. I’ve been really conservative in getting back into pulling movements so I’ll definitely continue that slow progression.

  7. Does the book cover anything on how to break the program up into a 5 or 6 day split? My time to lift is limited and I wouldn’t have time each MWF to do all of the exercises. I know it’s not ideal, but I don’t really have a choice.

    • Hmm, the book does not. But I am here for you.

      It kind of throws off a few concepts from the book, like using systemic training as the foundation for the isolation work.

      Five days is a bit much anyway, but you are probably talking about short sessions. Hmmm. Bring this back up in tomorrow’s post and we’ll discuss it over Friday/Weekend.

      • Yes the sessions are the 35 minutes (counting warm up) that I get in the gym during my lunch hour from work. Saturdays and Sundays however I would be able to squeeze in a much longer session.

        I’ll hit you up tomorrow. Thanks man.

    • It depends on what you’re talking about.

      You’ll see some analogous programming things in both books. Kinda the same, kinda not.

      But there are some set/rep schemes, especially on the presses, that could drop into the TM split template. You’d have to kind of rearrange how you go about press/bench training in that template if you used them, but they could go there.

      Lastly, the concept of certain compound assistance exercises and then isolation can be dropped into any program. It just depends on what we have to work with (and that’s called programming). We can figure it out if you don’t get the answer.

      • I’m mostly interested in the presses set/rep schemes. I’ve already modified them in my current TM setup to work on my bench press more (and I’ve kinda tossed my press aside).

        I’m looking forward to this book and how it can help me get some pythons and not be embarrassed when people ask how much I bench.

    • Just from comparing the two, I think personally the 70s Big LP is better balanced. Greyskull is just essentially alternating bench and press, back squatting 2x a week, and DLing 1x a week.

      With the 70s Big LP, you’re getting a bit more variety, a better balanced routine, and still getting the ability to rock the tank top to steal your non-lifting buddies’ girlfriends.

      Just my opinion.

  12. Alright Justin, you just convinced me to buy dumbbells. I have a home gym so do you have any recommendations on a dumbbell set? Also, do you have an alternative to the preacher curls? I don’t think I want to invest in the preacher bench. For the same reason, I won’t be doing cable press downs, since I don’t think I will be buying cables. What do you think of LTEs? I have always been a fan of them. I was thinking about doing LTEs and one other tricep exercise on a weekly basis, rather than rotating between four tricep exercises on a bi-weekly basis. Lastly, thanks for all the quality stuff you do for free. Buying this ebook was a very easy choice for me.

  13. Yo Justin, just bought the book. Looks great, but I was disappointed by the lack of chicken shake recipes, perhaps next book. In any case, what are your thoughts on adding in some unloaded body weight movements, more gymnast-esq stuff?

  14. Justin —

    Bought the book, good stuff.

    Two questions for you:

    1) Would added power cleans and power snatch on Mondays and Wednesdays be a bad idea?

    2) If my uncoordinated and poorly mobile self is having issues with front squats, which would be a better substitute: a) Leg press b) reduced weight back squats or c) full weight back squats?

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