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Reload: Your Barbell Strength Blueprint
Where do you go next when your strength gains hit the wall?
You learned your way around the barbell. And made quick gains as a beginner.
Then you moved on to some reliable classic program, like 5×5. You put meat on your bones and pounds on your lifts.
But, finally, you hit the wall. How do you break through it?
Your best move is to find an expert coach to individualize your loads. If that is not an option, this purposefully concise book is your answer. Reload takes one of history’s most successful strength training methodologies and shows you how to customize it—and make it nearly foolproof.
Powerlifting “cycling” was born in the 1970s as a joint Russian-American venture. It produced some of the strongest men in history. Other than the Soviet Olympic weightlifting system of the same vintage, no other method has ever asserted such decisive and lasting dominance on the lifting platform.
At StrongFirst, we enjoy the challenge of polishing the chrome of classic methods. We stand by “cycling” as one of the best ways to build barbell strength. We also recognize that even timeless methods benefit from periodic updates.
Cycling works great for many. But it can fail others by imposing a cookie-cutter rhythm of progression that does not fit the individual athlete. To tackle this pitfall, StrongFirst developed a series of straightforward tests and instructions for you to build your own custom power cycle, while respecting the original cycling system’s spirit and simplicity. Test after test, Reload delivered.
Get your barbell strength blueprint:
• Build a custom power cycle that matches your rate of adaptation—almost guaranteed to prevent undertraining or overtraining.
• Choose your 2 to 5 lifts to get strong in: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Military Press, Barbell Row.
• Select your perfect assistance exercises—or not to remain a minimalist.
• Rinse and repeat…
Barbell power to you!
About the Authors
Fabio Zonin is a former powerlifter and natural bodybuilder. He is a former Master Teacher and member of the Advisory Board for FIF (Italian Federation of Fitness) and a former vice president of the AINBB (Italian Association of Natural Bodybuilding).
Fabio is a Master StrongFirst Instructor and has trained many athletes at national and international level in natural bodybuilding, powerlifting and other sports.
Pavel Tsatsouline is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor and a Subject Matter Expert to elite U.S. military and law enforcement special operations units.
Pavel is the Chairman of StrongFirst, a global school of strength offering instructor certifications and user courses in kettlebell, barbell and bodyweight strength training.
You learned your way around the barbell. And made quick gains as a beginner.
Then you moved on to some reliable classic program, like 5×5. You put meat on your bones and pounds on your lifts.
But, finally, you hit the wall. How do you break through it?
Your best move is to find an expert coach to individualize your loads. If that is not an option, this purposefully concise book is your answer. Reload takes one of history’s most successful strength training methodologies and shows you how to customize it—and make it nearly foolproof.
Powerlifting “cycling” was born in the 1970s as a joint Russian-American venture. It produced some of the strongest men in history. Other than the Soviet Olympic weightlifting system of the same vintage, no other method has ever asserted such decisive and lasting dominance on the lifting platform.
At StrongFirst, we enjoy the challenge of polishing the chrome of classic methods. We stand by “cycling” as one of the best ways to build barbell strength. We also recognize that even timeless methods benefit from periodic updates.
Cycling works great for many. But it can fail others by imposing a cookie-cutter rhythm of progression that does not fit the individual athlete. To tackle this pitfall, StrongFirst developed a series of straightforward tests and instructions for you to build your own custom power cycle, while respecting the original cycling system’s spirit and simplicity. Test after test, Reload delivered.
Get your barbell strength blueprint:
• Build a custom power cycle that matches your rate of adaptation—almost guaranteed to prevent undertraining or overtraining.
• Choose your 2 to 5 lifts to get strong in: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Military Press, Barbell Row.
• Select your perfect assistance exercises—or not to remain a minimalist.
• Rinse and repeat…
Barbell power to you!
About the Authors
Fabio Zonin is a former powerlifter and natural bodybuilder. He is a former Master Teacher and member of the Advisory Board for FIF (Italian Federation of Fitness) and a former vice president of the AINBB (Italian Association of Natural Bodybuilding).
Fabio is a Master StrongFirst Instructor and has trained many athletes at national and international level in natural bodybuilding, powerlifting and other sports.
Pavel Tsatsouline is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor and a Subject Matter Expert to elite U.S. military and law enforcement special operations units.
Pavel is the Chairman of StrongFirst, a global school of strength offering instructor certifications and user courses in kettlebell, barbell and bodyweight strength training.
- GenresFitness
81 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2019
79 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 26, 2025
Straight To The Point
I’ve been researching several barbell “powerlifting” programs and this is one of the easiest to implement, allowing for novice or advanced lifters to determine current 1RM’s, formulate a training plan according to their own training adaptations and goals, then retest 1RM’s at the end of the cycle. It even includes some troubleshooting for common issues.
The book was about as long as most internet “lifting” articles, but the practical knowledge surpasses reading a hundred of them.
I’ve been researching several barbell “powerlifting” programs and this is one of the easiest to implement, allowing for novice or advanced lifters to determine current 1RM’s, formulate a training plan according to their own training adaptations and goals, then retest 1RM’s at the end of the cycle. It even includes some troubleshooting for common issues.
The book was about as long as most internet “lifting” articles, but the practical knowledge surpasses reading a hundred of them.
December 19, 2020
This is a very interesting take on traditional cycling. The meat of this book is going to be familiar to anyone that has spent time in the gym and knows what periodization is.
What really sets it apart is the testing phase that customizes what is commonly a cookie cutter template to your individual strengths.
This is the kind of book you read, take to the gym, do the tests, go home and break out the spreadsheet and get to planning.
What really sets it apart is the testing phase that customizes what is commonly a cookie cutter template to your individual strengths.
This is the kind of book you read, take to the gym, do the tests, go home and break out the spreadsheet and get to planning.
Read
October 21, 2019Great help
For anytime that wants a straight forward way to program lifts. Make sure you read multiple times, and try all options.
For anytime that wants a straight forward way to program lifts. Make sure you read multiple times, and try all options.
May 11, 2020
Obtuve este libro de oferta con el anterior, la versión revisada de Simple & Sinister. Es un programa breve de fuerza con barra olímpica, que está bien pero asume ya familiaridad.
May 27, 2025
Excellent perspective and plan from the Strong First team. I am adding this to my routine- the 8 week cycle really appeals to me
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews