FAQ: Heavy Light Medium (Part 1)

[@AndJusTIceForRob]

8:18, that’s exactly what I was hoping to get from this video after reading your article about the top set followed by back-off sets! Thank you very much!

[@subieguy00]

Great as always. Love the HLM content you put out

[@MrDW-ei1fe]

You took a topic that seemed really complicated and hard for me to understand, and made it very very simple. Much appreciated. I’m now programming a very basic program for when I’m done with NLP.

[@andybaker2413]

Perfect!!! Thanks. Good luck!

[@johnharbour4936]

Love your videos Andy. I ran across them a while back and should have paid closer attention. Now I can't get enough. If only I could actually get IN to my gym now! Thanks dude. Stay healthy.

[@andybaker2413]

Thanks!

[@billionaireclub1703]

🤯 great video and content soon to try an HLM workout. Great job Andy looking forward to get stronger.

[@DaveRae77]

Great video. It really shows how many different options there can be for using the HLM template.

[@FOUADN72]

thank you coach

[@renehamers3233]

Great video again Andy, I like your articles, videos on youtube and last but not at least your books. I've got the Barbell Prescription Strengt Training for life after 40 and a know for sure it is the best book I've ever read about strengthsport for master lifters ( Rene Hamers, European Recordholder Unequipped Benchpress Master 2 / 145+ class WDFPF)

[@andybaker2413]

Thanks Rene!!!

[@renehamers3233]

Andy Baker I'm a typical "one and done lifter" as you describes in your article 5 ways to 5x5. Is it possible to implementing the method from a topset with back off sets with the TSFOSB which you recommend in your book The Barbell Prescription for advanced master lifters? In Strength, Rene

[@abdeldjalilbelhani6244]

thx andy , great info az usual , especially what concerns programming , thank you very much andy

[@zajicapp]

Awesome breakdown !

[@Oldmanwithguns]

What about the offset when you do a 5 rm top set on a heavy day? Still base it off of the back off sets or the in this case the top set?

[@DChunk]

in regards to training the variants, isnt it potential overtraining taking every lift from each day, even if it is less weight, to its technical "maximum", the argument a lot of people use against DUP?

[@jackforge5353]

Hi Andy Baker. Thank you very much for all the quality content. I'm currently on your Classic HLM and going to test new 1RM next week. So far so good on the heavy day however squating on medium day feels heavier compared to the heavy day at prescribed percentage. Now my question is should I change the percentage, reduce the sets or reps? I tried extra +1 rest day before medium day but not so helpful.

[@Gyftomancer]

I own the GGW program, but I like the idea of a 4-day split (for shorter workouts and maybe because it's easier to add 2 assistance exercises). However, I am not sure how to split the workouts. Plus, I have noticed that the squats and pulls in the 4-day split are reduced, while the presses are increased. Why is that? Is it actually proper?

[@nealstarbird3901]

Great content as always, Andy. Would safety squat bar be a suitable Medium Day squat alternative? And are any weighted lunge variations "big" enough for a light day?

[@andybaker2413]

Yes. I think an SSB Squat would be fine as a medium day movement. Single leg exercises fit better as just GPP work after the main barbell work is finished. If I was going to use a single leg movement for a light day, it'd be a weighted step up though. Being mainly a concentric only exercise (like sled dragging) they don't cause soreness and for some people, can actually help speed up recovery. But just not much of a strength stimulus

[@nealstarbird3901]

Thanks!

[@preterosso]

great clarification on a lot of things H-L-M. I still don't fully understand the importance of a light day, especially with exercise variation: eg. front squats use less weight than back squats , but the stress on your quads is similar if not bigger. the same goes for bench and 'light' OHP with front delts. In another article you wrote that even in Texas method the light day represent stress since you are not fully recovered from Monday: doesn't it mean light days lengthen the sra curve further? thx

[@legitboss100]

Ya but as an intermediate you need more stress so maybe the light day stress is needed in regards to the actual weeks worth of stress to induce an adaptation.

[@codyd6385]

Hey Andy, not trying to get super focused on the %'s but I have a question. Medium day is usually in the 70-75% range depending on the offset. In my case, I've been running the rep ranges (5/3/1) out on my top set with 3-4 back off sets @ 5% of my most recent 5RM Squat. It has been several weeks and I've steadily increased my back off sets close to my old 5RM with no struggles. (Heavy Squat: 300x3, back offs 260x5, Medium day: 250x5) I've cycled paused and normal squats on my medium day which is currently about a 5%ish difference from my back offs. This was planned off my 5RM in the beginning but both H and M days have increased on a weekly basis and that percentage is where it landed several weeks later. (2 months) It's kind of hard to word this question, but is this scenario one of the many reasons you base a 5-10% off the back offs for medium days when hitting 3's 2's and 1's on the heavy day or is there any other important reasons? Thank you for your time, I'm just trying to understand and learn a little more as to "why" and the reasoning. Thank you sir!

[@andybaker2413]

Hey Cody, answered this on Facebook

[@codyd6385]

Thank you sir.

[@Matthew-pf9mj]

Thank you Andy. When could I add chest dips?

[@andybaker2413]

Could add them to any training day as an addition to other pressing movements or as primary pressing movement. I like them on a medium day with a barbell chest press as the heavy day movement and an overhead movement as the light day, the dips can be a medium day movement.

[@Matthew-pf9mj]

Andy Baker thanks

[@SomeHayato]

If I were to do Heavy Back squats for 5/3/1 as described and tried to PR, Light back squats as 10-20 % of top set on Heavy days, and for medium used a variation like Front Squats and went as hard as possible. Would I stick to just going as heavy as possible on front squats for 4x5 each week? Or is there progression I can use? Thanks.

[@andybaker2413]

If you've never Front Squatted it's likely that you'll just be able to progress in a weekly linear fashion for quite some time. So if you were doing 4x5 or 5x4 or even 3-5x3 just pick something and add 5 lbs per week. Likely you can do that for 6 weeks minimum, maybe more. Once you plateau then you can work in a more cyclical fashion.

[@SomeHayato]

@@andybaker2413 I have front squatted numerous times. I planned out how I'd progress on them. Thank you for replying and thank you for your content Andy, I appreciate it.

[@xenios7]

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