Our Next Program: The Patriot Program

What is it and FAQs

Patriot Program

The Patriot program is a 16 week high frequency program designed around four, 4-week training blocks. The program has 5 main training days with one optional training day for those who want to go the extra mile (A 4x per week and 3x per week version will be released for those with busier lifestyles as well). Each block will focus around one muscle group, giving you the chance to really focus hard on each throughout the program.

In addition to training high frequency per training block, we’ve designed the program to address those muscle groups with a higher rate of recovery in such a way that get to hammer them as soon as they recover. For example, traps, biceps, rear-delts, etc. will be hit with a higher frequency than those slower to recover muscle groups (quads, back, chest). In this way, the program addresses two dimensions of high frequency training.

With that being said, each training day focuses primarily around one major muscle group at a time (with some variation). One notable feature of the program is that deltoids are given their own training day (along with chest, legs, and back). Shoulders typically get buried under chest (in many cases effectively), but we felt they deserved not only their own day, but training block as well. And don’t worry about arms, they’re getting hit plenty.

The program will be broken down as follows…

• Weeks 1-4 Back Focus with deload on Week 5

• Weeks 6-9 Chest Focus with deload on Week 10

• Weeks 11-14 Leg Focus with deload on Week 15

• Weeks 15-19 Deltoid Focus with deload on Week 20

Who is the Patriot program for?

The program is best for intermediate-advanced lifters although just about anyone can run the program if they follow their own RIR(reps in reserve) carefully and aren’t absolute beginners.

This program provides you with a good opportunity to address any weak points in your training with an increased focus on each muscle group per block. Have a stubborn back? Some extra volume may be exactly what you need to break through barriers, mental or otherwise.

FAQ

How can I run this program?

All of our programs run exclusively via our Discord community which can be accessed here.

When does the program drop?

The Patriot program drops Jan 9th 2023!

Can I train on days you suggest as rest days?

Feel free to organize rest days however you’d like as long as you’re recovered enough to go hard on subsequent training sessions of the same muscle group. The goal is to get the 5 main training days in each week!

What if I am sore? Should I train or take a rest day?

Depends on the severity of soreness. Soreness is not inherently a problem unless you’re physically unable to perform movements in their full ROM (range of movement). Consider skipping any movements that falls into that category during your lift. If everything is feeling overwhelmingly sore, take a rest day.

If you’re feeling mildly sore, take your time warming up with light reps until you feel up to hitting the working sets. Just be careful and use good judgement as to avoid injury while in this state.

Do I need to belong to a gym to benefit from the program?

While you could definitely follow the program using the alternative workouts we provide (hopefully with equipment that you have at home), to get the ultimate experience, a gym membership is required. We highly recommend anyone doing this program belong to a gym.

What if I don’t know how to do a movement?

Our programs address this by providing a thumbnail of one of the coaches performing the lift. If you click on said thumbnail, it will take you to a video demonstration. Just make sure you’re connected to the internet to view the video!

What should my diet look like to take full advantage of the program?

You should run this program in a slight caloric surplus. This is important for recovery but if you’re interested in losing fat during this program, you should be eating in a caloric deficit. If you’re unsure of what a caloric deficit and surplus looks like for you, we have resources in the server — just ask a moderator for help if you’re unsure where to look.

I see a lot of programs that advocate for less volume and less what they call “junk volume”, isn’t this too much?

What those programs are advocating for are less overall sets but much higher intensity per set. Many times these programs require you go to or near failure on every working set. This is the essence of “you don’t need so much volume” which like saying to the little league baseball pitcher, “you don’t need to throw slow.”

The Patriot program uses RIR (Reps in reserve) so that we can build closer to failure each week across each individual block. Additionally, unless you are adding the optional 6th day, the overall volume is not too high (outside the focus muscle group of the training block).

Finally, the exercise selection is carefully designed to address fatigue across the week to make whatever excess volume for repeat muscle groups kept to a minimum, with at least 48 hours (more than enough for recovery) between subsequent training days of the same muscle group.

Do I need to know my 1RM/10RM to benefit from the program?

Not necessarily, but knowing these will cut out a lot of the guesswork of your training. By knowing those numbers, you’ll spend less time finding the right weight for the suggested rep-ranges as well as the suggested RIR (reps in reserve) and more time getting at it.

My gym does not have so-and-so piece of equipment, what should I do?

The programs all come with alternative workouts, usually to accommodate people with home gyms and limited equipment. If you still need another substitution, the sever has a feature to search for alternative workouts, just ask a Mod for help.

I see an optional day in the programming, when should I do the optional day?

The optional day is there if you’re absolutely certain you need more volume during the week for whatever reason. Maybe you half-assed it earlier in the week or you’re super advanced and need more volume. Personally, I recommend sticking to the 5 non-optional days earlier in the block and decide on the second half if you need more volume during the week or not.

How do I track my progress?

We ask everyone running our programs to log their workouts. You can use a personal logbook/app or use our e-logbook, which is provided on the Discord server. Our logbook will have all the workouts pre-loaded in a way that makes it super easy! This way, week to week we can not only track, but actively work towards progressing in 1 of 3 key ways. Improved form/contractions, increased reps, and increased weight week to week. Increased strength will always be the best indicator of progress.

Should I add cardio to this program?

I would recommend sticking to low-intensity (Zone 2) cardio while doing this program. High intensity cardio or too much low-intensity cardio will impose recovery demands which will interfere with the recovery demands of the actual program.

If your goal is additional fat loss, consider cutting calories in your diet before you add cardio.

What equipment will I need if any?

Personally, I use a lifting belt on leg day and back day. Especially during squats, deadlifts, rack pulls, and even heavy bench. If you do choose to use a belt, make sure to use it consistently as to not throw off your logging. Note: it’s best not to use equipment on lighter sets.

Knee sleeves also fall into this category, as do wrist straps.

Why deload every 4 weeks?

Normally, deloads are programmed every 4-8 weeks, so this falls within the prevailing wisdom of deloads. Because of the high volume and intensity of each 4 week blocks, the blocks themselves presents too perfect an opportunity to let our bodies and mind recover on that fifth week of training.

Can I run this program again after I am finished?

I would categorize this program as being higher intensity but that also depends on how you approach it. This matters because running a high intensity program back to back after 4 brutal, high-frequency blocks, may be a too gnarly. But there is nothing stopping you from foregoing the optional 6th day of training and lowering the frequency, making this program 100% repeatable with your new maxes from the first go-through.