The DUP (Daily Undulating Periodization) is one of the best methods to increase your strength. Offering ample variety in programming, it is one of the few methods I personally like doing for extended periods.
In a DUP program, you repeat the same workout two to three times per week, only changing the reps, sets and rest. For a two day DUP, you could do a light day and a heavy day.
Example:
Light upper body day
Military press 4x12
Dumbbell bench press 4x12
Bent over rows 4x12
Chin ups 4x12
Preacher curls 3x15
Cable tricep extensions 3x15
Heavy upper body day
Military press 4x5
Dumbbell bench press 4x5
Bent over rows 4x5
Chin ups 4x5 (weighted)
Preacher curls 3x8
Cable tricep extensions 3x8
This allows you to do a couple things. First off, it keeps the workouts a little more interesting and fun. Second, it gives your muscles more challenge, delaying any form of plateauing caused by doing the same thing over and over again. Thirdly, it has been proven to show quicker increases in strength.
The best part of this method is the weekly progress it yields. You do your first light workout, and then you do the heavy workout a few days later. Then you notice that when you do the light workout again, you can add a bit of weight! Both workouts go hand in hand to improve your performance.
With the 3 day split, you can even be more creative. You can do a workout focused on mass, then on strength and then on power. The typical reps for each day would be:
Mass: 8 reps or more
Strength: 3-5 reps
Power: 2 reps with very long rest periods (2min or more)
Assuming you go to the gym 3-5 times a week, I recommend either of the following splits to increase strength and muscle size:
3 day split full body
Day 1: Endurance, 12-15 reps
Day 2: Mass, 6-10 reps
Day 3: Strength, 2-4 reps
To ensure a full body workout, make sure to include a press movement, a squat, a pull and a deadlift. Check out this article if you need any ideas.
Lower/Upper split
Day 1: Light lower body 8-12 reps
Day2: Light upper body 8-12 reps
Day 3: Heavy lower body 3-6 reps
Day 4: Heavy upper body 3-6 reps
Quick note on training volume
Your training volume (total sets x reps) should go down for the heavy days. I typically do a few auxiliary exercises on the light days and then just focus on lifting heavy for the main lifts on the strength/power days.
Conclusion
You can play around with how you want to organize your split, you need to do the same exercises a minimum of twice per week so you can alternate the reps. If you need help with your split, schedule a free assessment with me so I can help you out.
This method is great for busting out of plateaus and just keeping things fun.
Enjoy the gains,
Clem
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