Program 7 – Creeping Death
There will be no deloading during this program. We will not be waving volume. Make
sure you have a light week or two before starting it, and then also once you complete it.
We can’t completely dismiss periodization.
This program is meant to push you to the absolute limit of your ability to tolerate pain,
and for you to do things that you did not think was possible.
This program will be a 5 day a week program that will place extra emphasis on hams,
chest and back.
We will be implementing band work as well, but not in the traditional 6 week mid
program format that I used back in program 4 if you did that one. It is sprinkled in all
over the place now.
Get bands (the Mountain Dog band pack) from
http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=114&pid=3928
On occasion the short bands sell out, so this pack is temporarily taken off the site. If you
don’t see this pack, just call in and ask to purchase all the bands that are available. They
are not expensive.
This is a 5 day a week program. Below is a sample split showing you how to set it up.
Day 1 – Legs
Day 2 – Chest/Shoulders (and odds and ends I throw in)
Day 3 – Off
Day 4 – Back
Day 5 – Off
Day 6 – Chest/Shoulders (pumping day)
Day 7 - Arms
*Calves and ab workout can be done up to 5 days a week! Use your level of soreness as
an indicator that the muscle is ready to be trained again.
Week 1
Legs – 17 sets:
Lying leg curls – 2-3 warm up sets. Do 6 sets like this. Find a weight that is a hard 10 reps. Do 10 reps and
rest for 20 seconds, then go again to failure. Rest 20 seconds and then go again, and so on until you reach
6 sets. 6 total work sets.
Goal – Activate and pump muscle
Squats – Work your way up in weight doing sets of 8 until you find a weight that is a pretty tough 8. Stay
there and do 6 sets of 6 with 3 second descents and explode up! Go down to parallel or just above it. Your
stance should be slightly wider than shoulder width with toes turned out some. On these sets, rest for 2-3
minutes, no need to rush. 6 total work sets.
Goal – Train explosively
Leg press – On these I want you to place your feet fairly close and on the middle of the platform. We are
going to destroy your teardrop. Do 30 reps. Pump them non-stop. No locking out. Rest for 3 minutes and
do 25 reps with the same weight. On your 3rd and final set. Drop the weight a little more, and go totally
apeshit. Get as many reps as you can. Push yourself. Expect to do more than 40. You CAN stop periodically
on these to catch your breath. Give it everything you have on this set. Train like a champion. 3 total work
sets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Dumbell stiff legged deads - 2 sets of 10 – Push your hips back and keep your back arched. Stretch your
hams good. Don’t come up all the way. Keep constant tension on them. You don’t need to go real heavy
on these. Use a moderate weight. 2 total work sets.
Goal – Work muscle from a stretched position
Chest - 20 sets / Shoulders – 4 sets / Back - 5 sets / Triceps – 4 sets
Banded hammer or machine press – Do a few warm up sets then we are going to hammer 4 sets of 6. On
the sets of 6, I want you to drive as hard as you can out of the bottom. Blast the weight up. Come just
short of lockout ok. Also, remember to only let your elbows go back to 90 degrees or these can turn into a
harmful exercise. Do them right, and you’ll reap the benefit, do them wrong and they are not pleasant. I
have these on my YouTube channel if you want to see form. 4 total work sets.
If you do not have a Hammer Flat, do these on the Hammer Decline.
Goal – Activate the muscle and train explosively
Incline Flye/Press – This is where you use a slight angle incline and do a sort of flye press combo. Do not
do a straight fly, but don’t do a straight press. The best way to describe this is to start the rep like a fly,
but toward the end bend your arms so it’s almost a press. Keep your palms facing each other the whole
time. I have video of this on my YouTube channel, so take a look. The reps are going to be set at 8 reps for
sets. You will be supersetting this with incline barbell.
Supersetted with
Incline barbell press – Try to use only a 20-25 degree angle if possible, if not that is ok. Do not touch your
chest, and do not lock out. Use continuous tension. I want 12 reps, go up in weight a bit and do 9 reps,
and then go up a tiny it and do 6 reps for 2 sets. 8 total work sets via 4 supersets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Machine flye – I want sets of 10 on these. Hold the flex at the top for 2 seconds. Flex HARD! You are going
to superset these with pec minor dips.
Supersetted with
Pec minor and regular dip – I want you to do 8 pec minor dips, then do regular dips to failure. You won’t
be able to get a lot of them. Work more on the bottom part of the exercise. DO not worry about locking
out on the regular dips ok. 8 total work sets via 4 supersets.
NOTE: Women do not do the pec minor dips. Just do straight sets of machine flyes.
Goal – Supramax pump
Incline smith machine triceps extension – Do 1 or 2 warm up sets to get feel. Your elbows will be plenty
warm from all the chest work. Lower the bar down toward your nose, and drive back up. Let your elbows
flare out a tad, but not too wide. I want them more tucked in like a close grip press. Pause each rep at the
bottom 2-3 inches above your nose. There is video of this on my YouTube channel under the “band”
playlist. Do 4 sets of 8. 4 total work sets.
NOTE: On these we actually used bands to make the lockout really hard. I couldn’t put weight on my
triceps the next day they were so sore. The bands are optional on these though.
Goal – Supramax pump
Rear delt cable crosses – This is just where you start the pull from the top pulley on a crossover machine,
and go across your body, flexing your delts at the end for 1 second. Do 3 sets of 15. Then on your 4th set, I
want you to do partials. The partials are done from the beginning of the range of motion. So your arms
are cross and you just pull them out halfway. I have video of this on my YouTube channel. On the last set
do 50 partials without stopping. 4 total work sets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Parallel grip pulldowns – Do 1 warm up set. Try to use a bar that is sort of medium wide. I don’t want you
to use the close grip bar or a really wide bar. Again, your palms should be facing each other. Your rep
scheme is 20, 17, 14, 11, and 8 reps. Add a little weight each set. Let the weight pull you and stretch you
at the top! Drive it down hard. 5 total work sets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Back - 15 sets
Meadows rows– Do 2-3 warm up sets, then hammer out 4 sets of 8 reps with a good weight. Stretch good
at the bottom. I have 2 versions of these on my YouTube channel, feel free to use whichever version you
feel the best. 4 total work sets.
Goal – Activate and pump lats
Rack deadlifts – Do sets of 5 all the way until the 5 reps is moderately tough. Once you get there. Do 5 x 4.
Do these dead stop style. Set the weight down, relax, get tight, and explode up on each rep. You will be
supersetting these with chins (start the chins when you get to the hard 5 sets of 4).
Supersetted with
Chins– Do these wide grip to the front. Keep your sternum lifted/chest arched. Go to 1 rep shy of failure
on each set. If you can’t do chins, feel free to use an assist/cheater machine or a spotter’s help. I love that
machine. You can use perfect form with it. 10 total work sets via 5 supersets.
Goal – Supramax pump and explosive training
Stretchers – Ok, let’s get everything in your upper lats and shoulder girdle stretched out even more. Do 3
sets of 10 here. 3 total work sets.
Goal – Work muscle from a stretched position
Banded hyperextension – Each set use bands and do as many as you can do. I would like to see 15 reps
here, then drop the band and get 10 more. I want 3 sets like this. 3 total work sets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Chest - 13 sets / Shoulders – 9 sets
Machine flyes – Do a few warm up sets then do 4 sets of 10. On each rep hold and flex for 1 second at the
top.
Goal – Activate and work muscle from a stretched position
In between the shoulders exercises you are going to do pec minor dips to failure.
NOTE: Women, you are going to skip the pec minor dips and just focus on shoulders! Women add a set on
each shoulder exercise.
Dumbell side laterals – After doing a warm up set, do 4 sets of 8 reps with a moderate weight. Use
standard form.
Supersetted with
Pec minor dips – To failure – use weight if you can.
8 total work sets via 4 supersets.
Goal – Supramax pump
High pulley rear delts flyes – This is where you face into a crossover rack and do rear delt pulls from the
top attachment. I have video on YouTube of these. On the partials, do the partials from the arms crossed
position, not the arms extended flexed position. You’ll see on video. Looks easy, it’s not. Do 4 sets of 15
reps with 15 partials on each set.
Supersetted with
Pec minor dips – To failure – use weight if you can.
8 total work sets via 4 supersets.
Goal – Supramax pump
Dumbell press – Do this set seated and with a back support. You are going to do a drop set. Just work the
bottom range of motion, do not lockout or your triceps will give out too soon. The dumbells should face
out (normal), nothing fancy. Do a weight for 8 reps, then drop weight down and do 8 more, then drop
weight down and do 8 more.
Supersetted with
Pec minor dips – To failure – use weight if you can.
2 total work sets via 1 superset.
Goal – Supramax pump
Biceps - 12 sets / Triceps - 12 sets
Goal – The strategy for arm training is for maximum pump. Take as many sets as you need
Superset #1
V-Bar pushdowns – Do a few sets to get warmed up. Do 10 hard reps with a flex at the bottom of every
rep.
Superset with
Dumbell curl – Do 6 reps on these with a 3 second descent. If you have fatgripz or grip4orce use them.
Also keep your palms up throughout the entire rep.
Do 4 rounds. Only rest 30 seconds after the curls, then start again.
Superset #2
Seated dip machine – Do sets of 8 with a 3 second negative. Control the weight, crush your tris.
Superset with
Barbell curl – Do 6 reps on these, and use the fatgripz or grip4orce if you have them.
Do 4 rounds. Only rest 30 seconds after the curls, then start again.
Superset #3
Smith machine JM press – Lower to your face, not chest, and drive up with your elbows flared out. Don’t
lockout. Do these on an incline bench too. I just added video of this on my YouTube channel so you can
see the form. Use bands if you have them, I actually am using bands in the video. I used one set of pro
minis on each side. Do 8 perfect reps.
Superset with
Hammer curls – Do 15 normal reps on these!
Do 4 rounds. Take your time between sets. You need rest to do the tricep work here.
Calves - 8 sets:
Standing calve raises I want you to do 8 sets of 8 reps with 30 second breaks. 8 total work sets.
Do 2 times this week minimum on whatever days you want.
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Abdominals– 8 sets
Do 2 times this week on whatever days you want.
Pick one exercise from the following to hit lower abs:
- Hanging Leg Raises
- Leg raises with your elbows supported on pad
- Leg raises on a decline board/bench
- V ups
Pick one exercise from the following to hit upper abs:
- Incline sit ups
- Rope pulldowns/crunches
- Band crunches
For abs – these will always be simple. You will pick an exercise from the first list and do 4 sets of 15-25
reps depending on how hard they are. Next you will pick an exercise from the upper ab list, and do the
same. Each ab workout will be 8 sets.
