TLDR: To change, one must push beyond his limits
Most people train without truly pushing themselves. Jon Andersen believes in finding his limits within each workout, with the mindset akin to throwing oneself into the deep end of the pool and struggling to survive. He believes that true growth lies in pushing his body to its limit. “All in, every day.’
He also believes in going zero carbs, calories taken in should consist of mostly protein and some fat for health purposes. He believes that since protein is the key to recovery, and maximizing protein intake will allow for maximal recovery.
He lists out 3 types of programs in the book, beginner, intermediate and advanced ‘Deep Water’ programs, and each program is 6 weeks long.
For his beginner program, which is 4 sessions a week, is split into legs, back, chest and shoulders. The compound lifts, which are deadlifts and squats for legs day, and push press and overhead press for shoulders, are 10×10 at 70% of a 10RM.
For his intermediate program, the back day will also feature power cleans taken to 10×10 for the first 2 weeks. For the next 4 weeks, all 10×10 exercises will turn into all-out sets totaling 100 reps, with the goal of doing as little sets as possible, and with bumping the weight to 80% of the 1RM for the final 2 weeks.
For the advanced program, he periodizes the ‘Deep Water’ workouts, with around 1 to 2 of them in a week. The main exercises, however, now take on a 5×5 format, working up to a 5RM. After that, there will be 2 drop sets, at 65% and at 50%, and he wants the lifter to find failure with each drop set.
This program is not for the faint-hearted nor for lifters with subpar technique.
Pros:
- Workouts customized for lifters of different training background
- High volume for volume junkies
- High relative intensity for intensity folks
Cons:
- Very high volume on the compound lifts can cause form to break down, leading to injuries (100 reps of power cleans?)
- Low frequency for frequency junkies