RPT routine

**pb75** · 10-01-2012 03:39 PM

Anyone have advice for rep ranges/sets/best lifts to do etc for a RPT routine. I want to keep gains stable but lose BF and heard this was a good program for this, ta.

**Dolphinski** · 10-01-2012 04:18 PM

Yo PB! I prefer doing the big compound lifts starting at around 90% of my 1RM (usually around 4 reps), and then drop down from there. You don't want to go to failure though, stop 1 rep before.

Assistance exercises (isolation or additional compounds for the same muscle group) can be done at lower weight for higher reps. They should still be challenging but not so heavy that you can't complete them.

**pb75** · 10-01-2012 07:19 PM

cheers fella... do you up the reps when you drop down weight, say up from 4 to 6, then 8 etc, or keep to 4??
and yeah was also planning using the big 3 compounds, along with some rows, ohp etc, hope to start next week after an enforced break

**Dolphinski** · 10-01-2012 08:17 PM

Reps go up as weight goes down.

Berkhan suggests dropping 10% off the first set and doing the same number of reps +1 for the second set but I reckon if you can squeeze a couple more out the do it. Same on the 3rd set, drop another 10% off and just see how many you can push out. Always try and stop one short of failure though!

So Bench press example:
Set 1 - 100kg x4
Set 2 - 90kg x 5 or 6
Set 3 - 80kg x 8 or whatever you can do.

**spodoinkle** · 11-01-2012 01:15 PM

Sorry to threadjack here, but how many assistance exercises for each compound would you do and how many reps, weight percentage Dolphinski?

I was thinking something along the lines of the 531 boring but big, one assistance of the same compound each session at 50%, 5x10, so I was thinking:

Mon - Squat + assistance
Wed - Bench + assistance
Fri - Row + assistance
Mon - Squat + assistance
Wed - Press + assistance
Fri - Deadlift + assistance

warm up: 5x65%, 4x75%, 3x85%
work : 4x100%, 6x 90%, 8x80%

**Dolphinski** · 12-01-2012 05:37 PM

You can't do 4x100% mate, 100% is usually considered to be your 1RM. 4 reps is usually close to 90%. Unless you're talking specifically about Wendlers, where he designates your top RM to be 90% of your actual 1RM.

Re assistance exercises, it's up to you, depending on what you think is benefical.

For example for push, i used to do

Flat Bench 3 sets RPT
Incline db press 2 sets higher reps
shoulder press 3 sets RPT
skullcrushers 2 sets higher reps

For the higher reps i just used my 10RM from my last round of HST.

And that was pretty much it to be honest.