The Powerbuilding eBook is finally here! Below, I’m going to include the first chapter of the book… for FREE so you can get a feel for what it is all about. You can purchase the book here: https://gumroad.com/l/onemorepound
Introduction
Thank you for interest in One More Pound! I hope this method brings you as much enjoyment and progress in the gym as it has brought to me and the many athletes I work with. Before we get into the meat and potatoes of how to use the methods contained in this “book”, I want to explain what my intentions and hopes for One More Pound actually are.
What One More Pound is All About
For those of you who are familiar with my previous programming book, ProgrammingToWin, this book is going to be an entirely different flavor. ProgrammingToWin set out to be both a scientific explanation of programming principles as well as a systematic method of programming that individuals could follow from the very beginning stages of novice programming all the way to the beginning of the advanced stages.
One More Pound is going to focus on the latter half of what is mentioned above; One More Pound is intended to be the compilation and distillation of ALL my personal best practices and methods for powerbuilding programming. As such, you’re not going to find a ton of heavy explanation in this book on the ins out and outs of programming. What you will find is a comprehensive, detailed explanation of the methods I use in my own programming as well as the programming of my athletes who want simultaneous gains in size and strength. If you want more of the science behind programming then you’re going to want to get a copy of the updated ProgrammingToWin2. This book is about getting the job done and not-so-much why the methods work.
Most importantly, unlike ProgrammingToWin, this intended to be a living document. In other words, whenever I get asked a question that isn’t on the FAQ, I’m going to update this book. All those who have previously purchased will receive access to ALL future updates free-of-charge. The reason for this is very simple: methods evolve and get better with time. I updated ProgrammingToWin only once and it was a huge, monumental task. With this book, updates are going to happen extremely frequently. This will spare me the effort of huge updates, it will allow me to not answer the same questions over and over, and it will get all of you new information at a MUCH quicker rate than waiting until I have enough substance for a huge overhaul. I am serious when I say this: I intend to update the book on a weekly basis and sometimes even more often than that. In fact, I’ll probably make small updates as they happen IN REAL TIME.
My point in saying all of this is that I don’t want you to think of this as-yet-another immutable, static eBook that never changes. This is my Powerbuilding Method. It will be current, it will be updated regularly, and what you’re paying for, in my mind, is not an eBook at all but rather my current, real-time opinion on how to optimally use my methods for powerbuilding. This is the closest thing I can offer to “coaching” that isn’t actually coaching; every time my method improves, you’ll have access. You’re buying the method and the access to that method going forward – not a simple eBook.
Who is One More Pound For?
Very simply, One More Pound is a programming method designed for those who want to simultaneously increase their strength and size at the same time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re natural or enhanced as this book is intended to be used by both populations! This is a method for those who still want to train relatively heavy with barbells, but who also want to keep their abs in the process; this is a method for those who want to see their compound lifts continue to go up, but who also don’t have any interest in using “tricks” and special equipment to cut down on their range of motion in order to lift more. This method is NOT intended as a bash to powerlifting, bodybuilding, or any other iron sport – this method IS intended to be a halfway approach, a compromise if you will, for those who want a little bit of everything.
As such, you will notice that everything in this program is aimed at the simultaneous development of strength on some of the most popular compound lifts in existence such as: squats, bench presses, barbell rows, dips, chin-ups, curls, etc. while also including a heavy variety of isolation movements as well as higher rep ranges. This program isn’t intended to make you a world class powerlifter or a world class bodybuilder; it is intended to help get you jacked without ignoring strength. The method here is designed to help you set PRs while ALSO improving your physique and liking how you look during the process.
Why not just run a Powerlifting Program?
Some of you may be wondering what the difference is between this method and a typical powerlifting program. After all, plenty of powerlifters are big and they are very strong on the big three compounds: squat, bench, and deadlift.
I think there are several fundamental differences but let’s start with the largest one: powerlifting is a sport where you need to lift the most weight possible on the squat, bench, and deadlift. Getting strong or having a nice physique are potential corollaries but they are NOT primary goals for a powerlifter.
If a powerlifter can move his grip out and bench more weight, that is just as good for their purposes as adding mass to their chest in order to bench more. If a powerlifter can use an incredible arch in their back to cut their range of motion in half and add 50lbs to their bench press, that is just as well as adding 50lbs worth of pressing muscle mass.
With this program, our goal will be to add strength WHILE adding size. We won’t use technical tricks or special equipment to lift more weight unless it also increases hypertrophic potential. This is a subtle but important difference. We want our PRs to correlate with physique improvements and improvements in true strength rather than simply getting better at displaying strength.
Additionally, physique really isn’t a concern for a powerlifter at all. Body fat is something lighter weight class lifters must consider for competitiveness but, again, it isn’t the primary concern. In this program, the methods will be tailored towards lifters who are attempting to stay lean during their training rather than someone who is prioritizing strength at all costs.
Finally, in this method, we recognize that there is more to overall strength than just the squat, bench, and deadlift. We will have far more primary movements. We will not treat the entire group of muscles that makes up the “back” as second-class citizens. Powerlifters do rows, pulldowns, chins, and curls after all their pressing, squatting, and pulling. For us, these muscle groups and movements will have their own day where they are focused on and treated as primary movements. The goal is complete, whole body strength rather than specializing in a few pet movements that are tested in competition.
Again, the goal here is not to shit on powerlifting as a sport, but to point out some of the flaws that turn off many gym-goers from becoming fully invested. This isn’t an attempt to tell powerlifters to quit their sport, but rather a simple explanation for why this program is different than a typical powerlifting program and why those differences matter for certain goal sets.
Why not just run a Bodybuilding Program?
Much like Powerlifting, Bodybuilding is a well-established sport with very specific criteria. For example, competitive bodybuilders need to be concerned about balance and symmetry. Their physique is supposed to be beautiful according to a set of standards imposed by judges. Once a year, or potentially more, they need to diet down to absurdly low body fat levels. Competitive males can often approach 3.5-6% body fat on stage.
While gains in strength correlate to gains in size, especially when technique is held consistent, bodybuilders really have no reason to prioritize strength gains in barbell, compound lifts. If a leg press makes their quads the biggest, they can justify not squatting. If a hammer strength chest press gives them better chest development than a bench press, they’ll simply drop the bench press.
While it could be argued that bodybuilding has a lot more in common with the One More Pound method than Powerlifting, they’re still fundamentally different in several key ways. The typical person who wants to “powerbuild” still cares about certain big compound movements and they care about their PRs on those movements. Bodybuilders ONLY care about PRs insomuch as they lead to gains in size. For us, PRs on key compounds are still ends in themselves. Similar to a powerlifter setting a new 1RM on deadlift, getting measurably stronger is still a primary objective for us.
This is an important distinction to make because many of the programming methods chosen in One More Pound are chosen with the idea that the lifter cares about their numbers on certain lifts. There are places where it might have been advantageous, for hypertrophy, to include more variety or a new movement after a certain amount of blocks, but because strength numbers on certain moves still matter to us in the One More Pound method, we WON’T switch up certain movements. Again, there won’t be four different squat variations that we cycle through because we’re looking to increase our Squat just as much as we’re looking to increase quad size.
In essence, there is a fusion of goals between the two sports in the One More Pound method. We want the best of both worlds – we’re aiming to get stronger on the biggest, most important compounds while also getting bigger simultaneously. For us, both goals are the end purpose rather than having either size or strength as subservient to the other. This will be important to keep in mind as I get into the actual programming.
Want More? GET YOUR COPY NOW!
You can get your copy here: https://gumroad.com/l/onemorepound
Hope you enjoy the book!
Best,
Izzy