Lift Strong Friday #7 – Chad Waterbury

Chad Waterbury’s contribution to the Lift Strong project is titled “The 3-6-9 Method.” This article not only discusses a little neuro-physiology (for all you geeks out there), but also outlines an entire program for you to follow.

The 3-6-9 principle is predicated on a concept called “undulating periodization.” Traditional periodization schemes would have you follow a certain rep scheme for an extended period of time, say 3-4 weeks. The goal of that phase could be improved maximal strength, power development, hypertrophy, or a host of other goals. The main take-home point here is that you’re only training for one specific physical quality in each phase.

Undulating periodization, on the other hand, employs all these training methods into ONE WEEK! In other words, each workout you’re training for a different goal; whether that’s maximal strength, hypertrophy, or muscular endurance, there’s a lot more set/rep variation within the week than a more traditional approach.

There’s been a lot of research done on undulating periodization, and in my opinion it seems very well fit to certain populations:

- Intermediate level lifters who have been training in a more standard 8-15 rep range
- People who suffer from training ADD (you know who you are!)
- Trainees who have “tapped out” their non-functional hypertrophy reserves and need to start a shift to more max-strength based lifting

Chad does a great job of outlining why the program works, and then backs it up with a program following the same principles. If you’d like to learn more about Chad, you can find him online at www.ChadWaterbury.com.

That’s it for this edition of the Lift Strong Friday. Pick up your copy of the CD-ROM today and have a great weekend!

Stay strong
MR