The Paradigm Shift
Sometimes in lifting you hit a wall that can’t be broken down by traditional measures. Solid progression models, deloads, hypertrophy blocks, peak weeks and other methods just aren’t budging the numbers. That is where you need to throw out the rule book and try something a little crazy. Enter, The Paradigm Shift.
This isn’t a “program” as much as it is a way for you to get outside of your comfort zone and break some PRs. It is a way of thinking, a way of challenging yourself, a way of breaking the rules to come out a different lifter on the other side.
The Paradigm Shift
I’ve written my own programming for over a decade now. It is simply something I enjoy doing. I’m not saying it is the most effective or best approach for progress, but I enjoy it. When I wrote this program, I had been pushing my Rickshaw Deadlift (essentially a trap bar). It was stuck at 500lbs for more than 6 months. I couldn’t get past it. I tried more sets, less sets, lots of accessories, no accessories, you name it. Nothing worked.
I said F*%k it, and decided to do something stupid. I started with about 65% of my 1RM and did a set of 20 reps touch and go style. Just one set, all out, with the mentality that I was NOT letting go until I got that set done. I used straps, I could take as many breaks at the top as I wanted, but each week I was adding 10 lbs to the bar and getting 20 reps.
How Did It Go?
Some weeks I would hit 10 reps, and then get the last 10 by breathing between reps. Other weeks I just murdered 20 straight through. Regardless, I got 20 reps. It was something I both dreaded as I warmed up, but also looked forward to. Almost like a test you have studied for, you are anxious and excited.
I hit 20 reps every week from 320lbs up to 470lbs in consecutive weeks with no deload or breaks. Then we had some horrible fires in Northern California. It made breathing in my garage pretty difficult. I finally tapped out at 480lbs for 17 reps, and 490lbs for 14 reps. Regardless, that was close to 20 weeks of pushing a 20 rep set of deadlifts higher and higher every single week. I had ONE mission, which was to crush that singular set. Lazer focus, eyes on the prize, with no real idea of where this might end.
As I got closer and closer to 500lbs, I was having this weird thought process. How far can this go? Can I keep going forever? Will my body explode at some point? I clearly will need a deload, right? Could I hit 500lbs for 20?
When it all ended I had one AHA moment of clarity. Hitting 14 reps for 10lbs shy of my 1RM meant that 500lbs was no longer my 1RM. I took a deload week, made it through the smoke, and came back to test my 1RM.
My New 1 RM
I tested my 1RM a few weeks later and got 575lbs. Yes, 75lbs better than my previous 1RM just a few months earlier. That is a 15% increase in my 1RM!
Let’s be clear, I didn’t put 75lbs on my deadlift in ~ 20 weeks in terms of physical strength. I broke the mental barrier of 500lbs by going hog wild on something I had no real expectations (and thus limitations) on.
Sometimes you need a paradigm shift, and this was it.
What Else Did I Do?
The rest of the program wasn’t too radical. I had a 10lb increase each week on weighted carries, where I simply carried what I deadlifted that week. For squats, I went in each week and tried to hit a solid set of 5 reps for more weight than the week before. I honestly think the deadlifts and carries had such a huge carryover to my squat, that I didn’t need anything special there.
For bench I was toying with a few things that weren’t crazy. Two bench days, with some accessory work. Nothing earth shattering.
I added 75lbs to my rickshaw deadlift alongside adding 100lbs to my cambered bar squat. This was the most productive training cycle I have ever had. I didn’t put on any weight or make drastic changes to anything else. I simply went after something that I had no expectations on, and gave it everything I could.
Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training wrote an article back in 2014 about How To Make Any Program Effective. He mentions belief and consistency as two key factors to success. Basically, if you show up believing you will succeed, and put the work in to do it, it might just work.
Who is the Paradigm Shift for?
If you’ve been stuck in a lift for awhile, if you’ve tried all of the conventional ideas with no results, this is for you. Please make sure your technique is solid, you are in solid health, and things are generally “good to go” before doing something a little crazy. You probably need a few years under your belt of consistent lifting with a decent strength level before you consider this. Your technique needs to be SOLID. You shouldn’t be going ham on deadlifts for 20 reps if your technique is trash. You should likely be in an intermediate level as well as you don’t need anything crazy to clear your first 100lb squat.
Wrap Up
Remember, the Paradigm Shift isn’t a program. I’m not telling you to go out today and do 20 rep deadlift sets. I’m offering you an invite to try something that honestly makes no sense. Something that goes against the typical rules of powerlifting and to give it EVERYTHING you have.
You could do 20 rep squats or deadlifts. You could do a set of 90% of your 1RM, and add a set every week. Maybe try squatting EVERY SINGLE DAY for a month, or two, or three? Try something that you’ve never done before, that you have zero idea on your abilities or limitations, and just say F*%k it and go for it.
If you do it, let me know how it goes.
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