Need some help deciphering this RKC program

[sogjohn]

https://www.dragondoor.com/the_delorme_method/

I like clean and jerks, deadlifts and the history/science of the Delorme method. So this article would seem to be perfect for me. But I can’t make sense of the last program mentioned that is deadlifts and c&j’s.

The author talks about waves, but it seems more like the intensity/order of the sets are randomized. I don’t see the actual wave. (Unless it’s a wave within the workout).

(Edit -Okay, I do see some waviness with the deadlifts. I still don’t see the waves with the C&J.)

Is each “wave” a workout?

Here’s the part in question-

————

Here is a sample wave of workouts:

Assuming a 140kg max 5RM DL and 32kgs C&Js for 5

Wave 1

DL - 100kg x 5

C&J - 16kgs x 5

DL - 140kg x 5

C&J - 32kgs x 5

DL - 120kg x 5

C&J - 24kg x 5

Wave 2

DL - 80kg x 5

C&J - 16kgs x 5

DL 100kg x 5

C&J - 24kgs x 5

DL - 120kg x 5

C&J - 32kgs x 5

Wave 3

DL - 140kg x 5

C&J - 32kgs x 5

DL - 80kgs x 5

C&J - 16kgs x 5

DL - 120kg x 5

C&J - 24kgs x 5

Wave 4

DL - 100kg x 5

C&J - 16kgs x 5

DL - 120kg x 5

C&J - 24kgs x 5

DL - 140kg x 5

C&J - 32kg x 5

 

[chanhhobieu]

@sogjohn Try asking this at Dan John’s forum at https://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showforum.php?fid/73/

I know they have had extensive talks about it there.

 

[sogjohn]

@chanhhobieu That specific program? Or Delorme in general?

I posted that program a few weeks ago on Dans forum but didn’t get much discussion. (I later heard a podcast with Read and seems he’s had a falling out with DJ - so maybe not a great place to ask about his program. I don’t think Read is with RKC anymore, but DJ is. ).

Next I’m going to get Beyond Bodybuilding and study Pavel’s writing about Delorme myself.

(But good suggestion)

 

[chanhhobieu]

@sogjohn Sorry, I recalled they talked about it over the years, the delorme program and Dan’s own version of it.

 

[juancarlos]

@sogjohn AFAIUnderstand, one wave is one series and your aim is to get 5 series done during your session. Maybe they are waves here because it's not a ladder that goes up. A way of adding waviness to your programming is by varying the order of intensity, as is shown in the various sample waves. The way I see it, you can stick to one kind of ladder or wave those too. Not sure how the 80 kg got there, twice. Is it a medium day?

 

[sogjohn]

@juancarlos so I should repeat that wave 5 times in one workout? That seems like a crazy amount of volume. Or am I misinterpreting your comment?

Re: the 80kg deadlift. He mentions the Starr H-M-L days and says his guys did better making the medium day a light day. So, H-L-L-H in the sample above. I guess the next two waves would be L-L. Or that’s my best guess.

 

[juancarlos]

@sogjohn Yes, that is my interpretation. But then again, the original DeLorme was with 5 reps at 50/75/100% of 10RM, not 5RM. Could one proper set be enough?

 

[sogjohn]

@juancarlos Ah. Ok. I just read the Beyond Bodybuilding section on Delorme. Pavel does say repeat that up to 5 times, but the heaviest he has you do is sets of 5 with your 10 rep max. Andrew Read has you do sets of 5 with your 5 rep max. (Which would seem to night impossible. If you are working with your 5rm, you aren’t going to get 5 reps in the second, third, fourth and fifth series due to fatigue. Plus, in theory you would be maxing your deadlift (for reps) five times in a work out three days a week.

regardless of the load, that seems like a lot of deadlifts. I could probably handle 75 clean and jerks when the hardest sets are 5 reps of my 10rm. (Pavel’s loading scheme) And the other 50 reps are even easier.

But that’s approaching Russian Bear volume of deadlifts. I’m thinking that’s not what I need.

Thanks for your info.

 

[juancarlos]

@sogjohn

A sample ladder might look like this:

• Deadlift – 5 x 50kg, 5 x 75kg, 5 x 100kg.
• Rest one minute between "rungs" and up to three minutes between series.
• When you can get five series of whatever weight you are using, add ten percent and start again.

Rereading the article, I think that yes, it will a lot of volume. But that is also the progression method. You won't do more than 2 series at first since the designated rest between series is too short to get 5 reps @5RM done twice.

But if the session is going to be just DLs and C&J, plus abs, plus swings for conditioning, it probably needs volume.

 

[sogjohn]

@juancarlos On further reading, I think your interpretation is correct. Thanks again.