TLDR: Lowered frequency, higher volume, more balls-to-the-wall
John Meadows programs are not to be trifled with. In his programs, he loves to periodize intensity techniques and frequently dishes them out in his favorite high volume and moderate frequency programs. This 14-week, 5 times a week, program is no exception.
The program is split into 2 specialization phases of 6 weeks each, one for additional work with back, chest and shoulders, and another one for legs. After 1 phase, a 2-week deload is taken before the next specialization phase starts. Outside of the deloads, volume increases weekly, up to 160 work sets for the entire body. John Meadows also like to count shoulders and chest as 1 body part, and at its highest, it will be at 45 work sets for a week.
A classic to his programs is a ‘pump and activation’ exercise before an explosive exercise. According to him, he likes it because it pumps the working muscle full of nutrients (that you are supposed to take before the workout). The explosive compound exercises should be done with maximal intent and maximal force to activate the most amount of fast twitch fibers. After that, he likes to do an exercise that stretches a pumped muscle to create some occlusion. All these are done in a workout, so an example would be:
- Pump and activation: Chest press for 3 sets of 8
- Explosive: Inclined bench press 3 sets of 6, final set at RPE 10
- Stretching: Chest Flyes for 3 sets of 10, only working up to the ¾ of the way up of the rep to keep tension, and holding ¼ of the way up at the last rep for 10 seconds. RPE 10 for all sets
Each workout will consist of around 4 to 8 exercises depending on the number of body parts targeted. The focused body part will be targeted twice a week, while the rest once a week.
Pros:
- This program will be loved by people who like to go balls-to-the-wall
- Well received by volume junkies
- A phasic approach to intensity techniques and a long-term program
Cons:
- May not be sufficient frequency for certain muscle groups
- Each workout will drain the life out of you (good if you’re an intensity junkie)
- Expensive af