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The Ashman Strength System

by Jay Ashman

Copyright 2013 by Jay Ashman

Edited by Drywall & Jason Ashman
Cover designed by Aharon J. Sailor
No part of this book may be rewritten, reproduced or redistributed in any means
without written consent by the publisher.
The author and publisher are not responsible for misapplication or neglect using
this program resulting in injury or death. It is to be assumed you are medically fit
to embark upon this training program or have been cleared to do so by a medical
professional.
Printed in the USA
ISBN pending

Table of Contents
INDOCTRINATION ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
FROM GEEK TO SWOLE .................................................................................................................................................... 7
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO EXCEL WITH THIS SYSTEM ...................................................................................................10
THE ROOTS OF THE ASHMAN STRENGTH SYSTEM ...........................................................................................................11
THE SYSTEM BASICS ........................................................................................................................................................16
THE MEAT OF IT ALL ........................................................................................................................................................19
THE ASHMAN STRENGTH BLOCK SYSTEM ........................................................................................................................25
SETTING UP ACCESSORY WORK .......................................................................................................................................28
WARMING UP AND PREVENTING INJURIES......................................................................................................................31
NOBODY WANTS TO BE FAT, OUT OF SHAPE AND STRONG .............................................................................................34
EXERCISE APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................................39
A SAMPLE ONE MONTH SETUP .......................................................................................................................................46
WHAT ABOUT THE DELOAD? ...........................................................................................................................................51
THE VARIATIONS OF THE ASHMAN STRENGTH SYSTEM ...................................................................................................54
FAQ.................................................................................................................................................................................58
CLOSING WORDS ............................................................................................................................................................65
THE PATH IS ALWAYS FILLED WITH HELP .........................................................................................................................67
ABOUT JAY ......................................................................................................................................................................69

INDOCTRINATION

This training template is not designed for the novice lifter, nor is it designed for
those who want to worry only about strength. There are other programs on the
market for beginners and strength specialists that focus on that area. This is
designed for the intermediate to advanced lifter, for the competitive lifter who
wants to add something different to his/her training, or for the general gym rat
who has been toiling in gyms and program jumping for years.
This template is for those who want to increase their strength while creating a
more aesthetically pleasing physique. Not many people will argue against that, will
they?
There are enough of those other e-books out there, if you bought this and are
reading this, I assume you already have the motivation to want to change or
improve your current strength program. If you need some extra motivation other
than self-improvement, simple words on paper are not going to be much help
because once you put the book down you will forget those words in a few days.
In my lifting career I tried a lot of programs. I was that guy who went from
program to program every so often trying to find one to stick. When I started out
lifting I was all about the bodybuilding magazines and drinking high calorie, sugarladen shakes. Sure I got big, but I got fat as hell too.
I tried Power Factor training (which was a time-under-tension program), I did
Heavy Duty, I dabbled in the ways of the HIT Jedi (god that was a mistake), I
bought Power to the People way back when the book came out, I did 5/3/1,
Juggernaut, and tried to implement my own Westside-type system using the
knowledge I had from reading the Book of Methods several times. I used Mike
Tuscherer and Team RTS to program my lifting. I competed in Highland Games,
Strongman, Push/Pull meets and even took an 18 month stint of doing CrossFit
selling my soul to the Kool-Aid.
Basically I did a lot of different experimentation in the gym.

I trained professional athletes, soccer moms, kids, average people who wanted to
get in shape, and nationally ranked raw Powerlifters.
As I get older my goals have shifted: no longer do I want to train solely for
strength; it beats you up over time as you push yourself to the limit over and over.
You dont need any more evidence of that than going to any big powerlifting meet
and watching the older lifters moving around. Some have bad hips, back backs,
torn shoulders, and a host of other injuries or chronic aches and pains. Some are
healthy- they know when to back off and know when to push it. Then there are
some that look remarkably close to bodybuilders, and finally some that look like
ten pounds of shit crammed into a 5 pound bag. It all depends on their weight
class, goals, diet and body composition.
Currently, my goals have shifted towards a more intelligent training approach; one
utilizing not only strength and max effort work, but also bodybuilding-type training
for aesthetics and to allow my body to rest and recover from the heavy lifts. For
some lifters, such as myself, we take on some vanity with wanting our hard work
to show off. Some people can gain muscle easily, some cannot. Some people get
jacked as hell doing lower rep work, some will not. Some have naturally lower
body fat; some have to eat insanely clean to show even a semblance of an ab.
This template will solve a lot of the issues some have with trying to train for
strength and hypertrophy without burnout.
I am not going to write a plethora of filler to sell this book for more money. This
book is not for the beginner; if you are reading this I am going to assume you know
how to lift. If you are a beginner, save this book for when you are past that stage
of wobbling with a bar on your back. You should be worried about getting stronger
before you start to fine tune the machine you call your body.
I am not going to overkill this: If you need your hand held, hire a good trainer.

FROM GEEK TO SWOLE

A lot of us have stories; some are great, and feature success from a young age to
their adult years. Some of us grew up in hard times, stayed in those hard times,
and never realized their potential.
Mine starts in a town called Reading, PA. I was born in 1974 to blue collar parents.
I was born with a hearing problem that wasnt diagnosed until kindergarten.
Growing up wearing two clunky-ass devices on my ears wasnt the greatest thing in
the world, but thankfully it was fixable.
Even as a young kid I was very athletic. Playing,
and excelling at, baseball, basketball, track and
field and soccer. Football didnt get into my life
until High School.
I was blessed with above average speed which
was evident looking at childhood photos of me
blowing away the rest of the pack in sprints.
Yes that is me in the front of the pack smokin
those fools..
As I got older I drifted away from sports, save
for baseball and football, and never worked
out. I can look back and wonder what my
athletic career would have been like if I actually
had coaches who gave a shit rather than coddling the ones that were genetic
marvels.
Yes, I said it My HS football head coach was an asshole. He loved his star players
and focused on them while the rest of us were shuffled aside to fend for ourselves.
This plays into my philosophy with coaching kids today NEVER push aside ANY
kid, you never know what you have in front of you and that small kid may turn out
to be the best athlete your town ever had, and YOU as a coach gave him a chance.
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Back on track - I played one year of football in high school; coach was a dick, thats
already established.
After the season was over I went into his office and talked to him about how I
could be a better player. And I fucking quote, which I NEVER forgot. You dont
have what it takes to play football here, son
Back then, I wasnt in the right mind to combat that internally. My dad died in my
10th grade year, I was in full on fuck the world mode mentally. Grades were
slipping, I wasnt being a good son to my mother and instead of thinking screw
you coach, I will show you, I gave up.
Only after high school did I re-develop my
athleticism and start lifting (at my moms advice).
Only then did I start to take sports seriously again.
A very good friend, Sean Lawlor, was able to get
me a professional football workout in Cleveland in
1998. I did very well. Benching 225 for 38 reps, ran
a 5.0 40, a 4.69 shuttle run and did my drills pretty
well oh I was 305 pounds for that. So call me
slow, but at 305, I wasnt expecting to run like the
wind.
I didnt make it because of my raw skills. Strength,
speed and athleticism were there, but the actual
skills with the hands and feet were raw.
Keystone Strength Classic Keg Throw

Later I discovered rugby which became my favorite sport, a sentiment I still have
today. Although I picked it up later in life, I was able to earn a starting spot for a
National Qualifier Division 1 team.
Playing team sports wasnt the only thing I did.
I competed in Strongman, never finishing below 3rd in amateur competitions.

I tried my hand at Highland Games, and was lucky enough to be trained by a

professional Highland Games competitor, Mark Moyer, who also took me under
his wing in the gym. It was at that time that I started to drift away from the
popular bodybuilding-type training seen in magazines, and to begin lifting with a
purpose.
I had moderate success in strength sports; top 3 in all amateur-level NAS contests,
2nd in a push/pull meet in my
weight class, but I always looked
back and thought, what if I had
coaches who instead of telling me
what I couldnt do, told me what I
could do?
Some kids have that internal fire,
that inner burning to drive them
when people push them down. I
Running with a slab, beating the field
didnt develop that internal fire
until later in life when I learned how to truly push my physical limits. Coach wasnt
responsible for teaching me that fire. That is something I had to learn how to do
on my own.
Now, at 38 years old, I look back at my formative years in athletics with a sense of
what might have been. I no longer play team sports; I now compete for myself.
The years of rugby and competing in various strength sports have taken its toll on
me. I wish I had that same drive as a kid that I have now, who knows what would
have happened in my athletic career.
But I am stronger now, and look and feel better physically (minus the speed) then I
ever had. Every time I think why I keep going and keep trying to find new ways to
improve myself physically, I always remember the words of my old coach who told
me when I was in 10th grade, you dont have what it takes, son.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO EXCEL WITH THIS SYSTEM

This template is not designed for percentage based lifting. By the nature of the
system it introduces lift variety into it and the dynamic nature of the lift selection
makes it virtually impossible to set up a training day based around percentages. I
am pretty confident that no lifter around is going to know their 1RM max for all
the different squat exercises you can choose from.
Having said that; this system is based on FEEL.
This system is predicated on keeping your ego in check, both with the main lift and
the accessory work. More will be expanded on that later.
I will say it again, because it bears repeating; this is NOT a system for beginning
lifters. This is a template for those who have had time under the bar and are aware
of the proper way to train, and who are open to using the concepts of both
strength and bodybuilding-type training. They are aware of the difference
between the two and know how to adjust the exercise style accordingly.
Novice lifters do not have that awareness yet, nor do they have the proper base to
start messing with training variables. Beginners need consistency and a solid, basic
strength program that will give them the necessary base to choose a more
advanced program after it.
This system requires discipline: There is not an option for those that want to train
2-3 days a week like other programs. This is a four day a week program. Commit to
four days a week and reap the benefits of how this system works. All you need is
between 60 minutes to 90 minutes four times a week to do this. That is 4 to 6
hours a week. Take note that this does not include drive time to and from the gym,
chatting with your buddies between sets, walking to the shake bar after lifting to
grab a protein shake and talking to the person making it for 15 minutes, etc. If that
describes your average gym day, you need to whittle away that fluff time, be a
man on a mission and train.

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THE ROOTS OF THE ASHMAN STRENGTH SYSTEM

THE SQUAT IS THE KING OF THE LIFTS
The squat is almost universally recognized as the single greatest overall strength
and mass builder of all the barbell lifts. A properly executed squat not only works
the quads and hamstrings, but also the traps, arms, back, chest and abs. If you had
to choose between one exercise and its variants to do for the rest of your life, you
would do well to choose squatting.
I used to hate the squat when I was younger because I performed it incorrectly,
after being coached on it and learning the right way to squat, I have since learned
to love the lift, experimenting with squatting three times a week to my current
two times a week.
For those of you worried that squatting twice a week will cause overtraining, relax:
Our legs are built for heavy usage, and squatting is part and parcel with that. If
your fears persist, I suggest you go read about how Olympic Lifters train and then
reconsider your views.
OVERHEAD PRESSING CREATES THICK DELTS
A big chest is cool, yes, but a sick pair of delts that look like cannonballs stands out
whether you are shirtless, sporting a thick hoodie a tank top or anything in
between. Thick shoulders add width to your body and look damn impressive. Plus
there is something to be said for putting a bar over your head with your
bodyweight or above on it.
IF SQUATS ARE KING, DEADLIFTS ARE THE PRINCE
Deadlifts build a strong posterior chain, a strong back, grip, forearms, traps and
abs. A proper strength program is incomplete without the deadlift.
They are a man-maker of a lift, picking a bar from a dead stop on the floor to
lockout is almost as primal as it gets,
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HYPERTROPHY IS AS IMPORTANT AS ABSOLUTE STRENGTH

There are two strength sports that require max effort lifting on a regular basis:
powerlifting and Olympic lifting. Of those two, Olympic lifters will not use this
system unless they are taking a break from their sport. Powerlifters, however, will.
The sports of Olympic lifting and powerlifting are both predicated on max effort
lifts, and training for their respective meets involves using near max effort loads.
The strength sport of bodybuilding uses higher reps for hypertrophy, but
without the base of heavy lifting, you are just pumping up a dead muscle.
There are specific ways to train for each discipline; this system combines sound
principles of both bodybuilding and powerlifting to give you a strong and wellrounded physique.
Muscular size supports muscular strength. Your body will only grow to be so strong
with constant max effort work. Keep pushing it without proper weight gain and
something will break. The best way to get stronger is to combine the two
principles of hypertrophy and max effort work in a program that allows for both
strength and size.
The reverse is true as well. Strict bodybuilding training will push you to new levels
of muscular size, but continual training in the 8-20 rep range across all lifts will not
give you the overall strength to go along with that size.
We want to be show and go, look strong and exhibit strength. This is why this
system uses both powerlifting and bodybuilding.
THE BACK IS THE KEY TO LIFTING
One of the first things to go on people as they age is the back. Knees as well, but it
has been said that 2% of the population has a herniated disc and by the age of 50,
and half the population shows signs of degenerative disc disease. While these may

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or may not be directly related to the musculature of the back, they are a sign that
the back is a terrible thing to waste. 1
Along with the hamstrings and glutes, the back is a part of the posterior chain.
These are not the glamour muscles that some misled trainees prefer to train; you
cannot have a strong push without a strong back. It is a shelf for overhead lifts in
the way that you activate your lats to help drive the bar upwards. 2
In the bench press a thicker back will shorten the bar path from chest to lockout
and a proper bench technique always includes activating the lats and squeezing
the back together as you actively pull the bar to your chest. 3
A strong back supports all lifts, from the squat to the deadlift and the upper body
pressing lifts. All you have to do is perform a squat with a back that isnt tight and
you will see for yourself how quickly you fail at weights you can do for reps with a
tight back, same as for the deadlift. Its a no-brainer, building a strong back is
essential to lifting progress,
Too many people in the gym push back training off in lieu of training more glamour
muscles. I do not have a stat for that, but I know youve seen this as well: How
many people are doing rows compared to bench or biceps. Furthermore take a
look at the rows being performed; is anyone really doing them correctly? Hell,
are YOU doing them correctly, or are you jerking the bar into your chest like you
are performing self CPR?
Training the hell out of your back means a stronger, healthier back and bigger lifts.
Period.

Degenerative Disc Disease Fact Sheet http://wwwp.medtronic.com/Newsroom/LinkedItemDetails.do?itemId=1101769745199&itemType=fact_sheet&lang=en_US

2

Lat Activation via the Military Press Negative and Pull-up - http://averagetoelite.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-video-lat-activationvia-military.html
3

How to Bench Press - http://www.dieselsc.com/how-to-bench-press/

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TRAINING FOR STRENGTH DOES NOT MEAN ALWAYS TRAINING FOR

STRENGTH
What the hell does that mean? Thats one of the biggest oxymora around, or so it
seems.
This simply means that training to get strong also means training to SUPPORT the
strength. That means, hypertrophy, mass, swole, pump, and bodybuilding
workouts.
Bodybuilding training is laughed at by some people in the strength sport, but lets
be honest, REAL strength sport athletes know the value and dedication it takes to
be a bodybuilder. They know that building muscle supports bigger lifts.
I say this all the time: Nobody will give a shit in the end how much your lat
pulldown is, how much you can curl or how much you can do on shrugs. There are
three lifts- four in old-school gyms- that most people will be impressed with; your
bench, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. Depending on where you are, and if
you wanted to be a stickler, you might be able to lump power cleans, stone lifts, or
half-a-dozen other strength sport specific movements into the fold. But, at the end
of the day, wherever strong people pick shit up, those four lifts are the ones being
weighed and measured.
This is why accessory work on this template should be performed in a strict
bodybuilding-style of training. You will train the main lifts to not only be strong,
but add mass and you will train the accessory work to add muscle to support the
main lift and balance out your physique.
CARDIO IS NOT FUN FOR A LIFTER, BUT IT HELPS
I will be brutally honest here. There isnt any excuse to be out of shape. If you can
find the time to screw around in the gym for 2 hours a day, you can find the time
to pace up that workout to one hour, and throw in some simple cardio afterwards.

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You will probably have a temporary strength plateau introducing basic cardio to
your program, but with the increased work capacity and the fact that your body
does adjust to the cardio, you will progress.
Doing cardio isnt all about body composition either. Diet plays a huge role in that
as well, but what cardio really helps with is not feeling like a fat sack of shit when
you walk up steps, play with your kids or even bang your girl. You can be that lean,
strong, machine-like object that is suddenly called out on the beach to play some
volleyball with a gaggle of girls because you look like you can actually play a game
and you look good. If your cardio sucks, you will embarrass yourself on the court.
Those hot beach chicks will look at you and think well his cardio sucks, he will
burn out in bed. Or you can do a couple days a week of sprints, steady state work
(see cardio appendix for suggestions later in the book) and look competent even if
you are a below average player. Win-win for all.
Strength without the ability to utilize it makes you no better than a walking statue,
sure you may be great to look at, but thats all you will be good for.

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THE SYSTEM BASICS

In this system you lift four days a week, no more, no less. Part of the way this
system works so well is that it allows your body to adapt to frequent body part
training over the course of it. I can personally attest that since I started using this
template I have dropped fat, gained muscle, increased my lifts across the board
and have become more aesthetically balanced.
If you have a busy, physical job, there will be an adjustment period with this
system until you adapt to the training load. In the next chapter you will see the
actual template broken down, it isnt a large training load, but it may be different
from what you are used to up until this point.
However if you have a relatively sedentary job and you are worried about
overtraining, you need a smack in the mouth.
THIS SYSTEM IS CUSTOMIZABLE
Part of the problems and issues lifters develop with set programs, set exercises
and planning out 4-5 weeks in advance are:.
1. They get bored as shit with the same thing over and over and over and
over.
2. They may want to do something different like walk with a yoke instead of
busting out another set of squats on squat day.
3. They may be having a period of stress related to life and want to cut back
on the barbell lifts for a day or two.
4. Did I mention boredom?
This is why I program a template and NOT exercises. It is up to you to fill in the
blanks. While I will give a semi-exhaustive list of exercises you can do at the end of
this book, this will not be a fully complete list. There are literally hundreds of
selections you can pick from for each body part, but I will list the ones I feel are the
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most important to use and have the best applications for muscle growth and
strength gain.
ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: BARBELL, DUMBBELL, BODYWEIGHT, MACHINE
I prefer using free weights, but there are benefits to using a machine at times.
Lets face it, lifting is not our life, we may have had a couple nights of bad sleep,
some external stress in our lives, diet has not been up to snuff or your job is
driving you to unheard of levels of stress. This will affect your motivation and
training. It is part of life; you have to work around that. You can do four things
here with regards to exercise selection.
Lighten up the load for the day across all lifts, including accessory lifts:
This is lifting by feel and is an integral part of this system. Not every day is going
to be one of those earth-shattering sessions, you have to work with what you
have on any given day and if it means your weights suffer a little for that day, so
be it. Live to fight another day.
Choose to do bodyweight exercises:
Choosing a day of Barbell Squats followed up by using bodyweight movements
in other parts of the template for higher reps will still give you a good workout
without the extra load with a weight in your hand. (See template and exercise
appendix for clarification).
Choose some machines for accessory work:
Sometimes using them for a day or two will allow your body and mind to rest
from the barbell while still giving you work. This template is designed to
minimize training burnout, but as I said, life happens and you have to work with
what you have.

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Suck it up and push through it:

This is a given otherwise, and the only exception to this is if you are injured in
some way or seriously exhausted from life. Some of my best workouts were on
days when I did not feel like touching a weight, warming up was painful and the
work up sets felt slow, but then a switch was flipped and PRs happened. This
has probably happened to you as well.
Under no circumstances do you replace the first lift of the day with a machine.
No hammer strength bench press, no leg press, no machine shoulder press and no
machine deadlifts. My gym has a deadlift apparatus, I never used it and dont
intend to.
The system is built around compound lifts, if you have to go lighter on a certain
day for whatever reason, so be it, but do the main lift with a barbell or dumbbell
in your hands.

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THE MEAT OF IT ALL

Day 1
Main Lift: Squat
(1)

Day 2
Main Lift: Chest (1)
Rows/Thickness (1)

Hinge/Hamstrings
Shoulders/Overhead
(1)
(1)
Shrugs (1)
Triceps (1)
Chins/Back Width
Abs (1)
(1)
Biceps (1)
Abs (1)

Day 3
Main Lift:
Pulls/Hinge (1)

Day 4
Main Lift:
Overhead (1)

Squat/Quads (1) Pushups/Chest

(1)
Shrugs (1)
Rows/Thickness
Chins/Back
(1)
Width (1)
Rear Delts (1)
Biceps (1)
Triceps (1)
Abs (1)
Abs (1)

*** (1) is the number of exercises you will choose for each lift explained further
below ***
You may look at this and think HOLY SHIT!!!! How can I train back four times a
week!!!! Squat twice a week!!! THIS WILL KILL ME!!!!!
No it will not.
I assume people are going to get this system rather easily, but I will explain this in
painstaking detail anyway to avoid any crazy email questions that make me want
to smash my face off a wall.
Day 1 and Day 2 will be completed two days in a row, take a day or two of rest and
complete Day 3 and Day 4 the next two training days in a row.
For example:
Sunday Day 1
Monday Day 2
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Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday Day 3
Friday Day 4
I realize that sometimes life and work get in the way and you cannot always get to
the gym 4 days a week, but if you have a life where consistent attendance at the
altar of the power rack is causing a problem, this is not the program for you.
Missing a day every so often happens, missing them frequently is going to go
against how this system works, commit to four days a week or choose something
else.
In a future chapter I will elaborate even further on the lifts you can choose from in
the exercise appendix, for now, this is a basic primer on the template.
Day 1
Squat (1)
You pick one squat exercise. Yes, ANY squat Back squat, front squat, Zercher, pin
squats, whatever just pick ONE and do it.
Hinge/Hamstring (1)
Pick one hinge exercise or hamstring exercise. This is a posterior chain movement
either a knee flexion movement or a hip extension movement. In the exercise
appendix I will list recommended exercises and label them hip extension or knee
flexion movements.
Shrugs (1)
One exercise for shrugs. If you need a shrug explanation I dont know what to tell
you.
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Chins/Back Width (1)

You can either do chin-ups/pull-ups or some sort of a lat pulldown. Again, one
exercise. Seeing a pattern here?
Biceps (1)
Pick any bicep exercise from the exercise appendix.
Abs (1)
There are good ab exercises and there are worthless ones. In the exercise
appendix I will list the ones you, as a lifter, should choose from.

Day 2
Chest (1)
Choose one chest exercise from the list and perform it, the goal here is using a
barbell or a dumbbell. Not a machine on this particular day, not ever.
Rows/Thickness (1)
Choose one rowing exercise from the appendix.
Shoulders (1)
You can do some overhead work here or choose to do some detail work like rear
delts or side laterals. The choice is yours, but choose according to your needs and
your goals.
Triceps (1)
Choose one tricep exercise from the appendix.
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Day 3
Pulls/Hinge (1)
Starting off with a deadlift or a hinge exercise. Rack pulls, deficit deads, trap bar
deads, good mornings. No banded exercises here like banded good mornings,
there needs to be a barbell in your hand in some way.
Squats/Quads (1)
Pick a squat or quad exercise and do it. This is when you can do some bodybuilding
type stuff as well; leg press, hack squats, lunges, step ups, ass to grass squats, etc.
Dont do leg extensions too often. Personally I hate them, but I will do them at
times when I feel like smoking my quads out like a bad cigarette and I dont feel
like killing myself doing it.
Shrugs/Chins Width/Biceps (1 each)
At the risk of being too repetitive and taking up unnecessary space, I combined the
next three exercises into one for that sake. See previous days for the description. If
you cant remember what shrugs/chins/widths/bicep exercises look like, see your
doctor about treatment of early-onset dementia.
There is one caveat here that I will strongly recommend you following as well. If
you choose one day for a pulldown exercise, make the other day chin-ups. Chinups are a staple for a good training program for a reason; do them at least once a
week in this system.
Abs (1)
There are good ab exercises and there are worthless ones. In the exercise
appendix I will list the ones you, as a lifter, should choose from.

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Day 4
Overhead (1)
Choose an exercise from the exercise appendix and perform it. I will highly
recommending avoiding using explosive lifts like the push press or a jerk on any
higher rep days, save those lifts (if chosen) for the lower rep day to get the
maximal benefit from the explosive nature of those lifts.
Pushups/Chest (1)
I like weighted pushups: On certain days, I will do them with a super heavy band
through my hands and around my back for extra resistance- it adds some variance
to the workout. If youre not a fan, pick a chest exercise and rep your ass off.
Rows/Thickness (1)
Choose one rowing exercise from the appendix.
Rear Delts (1)
Now that you have done overhead work, balance it out with some rear delt raises,
some face pulls or band pullaparts. Nothing looks worse than a lifter with some
sick-ass delts but when viewed from behind, it is a frozen tundra- flat and barren
of muscle.
Triceps and Abs (1)
One tricep exercise from the appendix and one ab exercise from the appendix
There it is, laid out for you in about as much detail as I can for the simplicity of this
system.
It is not rocket science and you are not doing 3 exercises per body part per day. Its
a multi-day system which will allow your body to adapt and grow using different
exercises to keep it fresh.
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People are so scared of overtraining that they train one body part per week, over
recovering and never giving the body a chance to adapt to constant stimulus.
Lets be real here, the body is a machine meant to use, you use every single body
part every single day in some way, it adapts to walking, doing yard work, etc...
Why cant it adapt to a high frequency system? It will if you are smart about it and
not training the piss out of everything like you see in a magazine.
The greatest strength and conditioning programs and the best bodybuilding
programs involve the usage of barbells, dumbbells and compound lifts. Workout
multi-joint movements as much as possible will increase your muscularity in a way
that machines or excessive isolation exercises do not. That is why this system is
built around compound lifts and accessorized with isolation lifts for maximum
effectiveness.

24

THE ASHMAN STRENGTH BLOCK SYSTEM

You have the exercise template and you have the basic description of what to do,
now what is next sets and reps.
This is where it gets fun and tricky at the same time. This is when you set your ego
aside and LISTEN to your body. You have to be smart and know when to push,
know when to back off. You have to understand that one day you may be able to
smash the shit out of the weights and the next day you go through the motions.
This is auto-regulating in the way that your body is your guide and your ego needs
to shut the hell up. If you are an ego lifter, you will have half-assed results and I
dont want to hear you bitch about it.
This system is set up in blocks, for each two days of this template that is one block.
Block 1 Day 1 Day 2
Block 2 Day 3 Day 4
Block 3 Day 1 Day 2
Block 1 Day 3 Day 4
And so on and so forth, this is when a solid training journal is a must to keep track
of what block you are on, what exercise you selected in the last session and to
compare progress across blocks.
Block 1
8-12 reps across 3-4
sets

Block 2
4-6 reps across 3 sets

Block 3
1-3 reps for one max
effort set

Rest between main lift

Rest between main lift 90-120 secs
Back off 85% for max
60-90 secs
reps (optional)
Max effort day, rest as
needed
25

Starting this template out from day 1 means you will squat first, that first day of
squatting will put you in block 1 and on block one you choose a squat exercise
from the appendix and perform it for the required number of reps in the block. On
day two is bench and this falls into block 1 as well, you choose one bench exercise
from the appendix and perform for the required reps as said in block 1.
Once you get to day 3 and 4, that falls into block 2. Choose a pull and an overhead
exercise and perform the rep ranges from block 2. Once you return to day 1 and
day 2 at the beginning of the next week, that second week is the start of block 3
and that is max effort day, when you select a squat for day 1, a bench for day 2
and you find a 1-3 rep max with that exercise.
Only the MAIN lift on those days will follow this rep pattern.
I dont go by percentages whatsoever. Thats not practical in a system like this
when the main exercise changes often. This is by feel. You select a rep range from
8-12 for the day and you find a challenging weight for that day for the main
exercise and you repeat that across 3-4 sets. You need to challenge yourself to
keep with the rest period which will not only build muscle and burn fat due to the
shorter rest period but will also humble the hell out of you because chances are
most of you never monitored rest periods closely. You may think you can get 400
pounds for 8 across 3-4 sets but by set 3 you are struggling to get 5 reps. This is
where the ego check comes in handy if by set 2 you are almost failing with the
weight, drop down in set 3 so you get the required reps. This block is NOT about
pushing the weight, its about building muscle. If you have to drop weight this
block, the next few blocks of 8-12 reps will get better, it takes time to build up a
work capacity to do higher reps if you are used to lower reps, I know this from
experience.
In block 1 the last rep of the main lift should be done to near muscular failure
with GOOD FORM!!!! This is bodybuilding type training, not max effort work. You
should have muscular fatigue and not pushing it as heavy as you can, there is a
difference the only exception will be deadlifting and hinge exercises. The last rep
should be challenging but not enough to break down form to a horrible level.
Exercises like that done to failure often are rather foolish in my opinion.
26

In block 2 the rest period is a little longer because this is heavier. Again, let me
reinforce this rep range is for the MAIN LIFT only. I would stay away from 5x5, 4x6,
etc. This isnt Starting Strength; you have to keep in mind this is a heavier and
more frequent training load than a basic 5x5 program because of the exercise
selection and the number of days lifting. Stick to 3x5s, 3x6s, 3x4s but this block
is meant to be a hard 5 repeated across the required sets. Challenge yourself and
push the weight, but dont go to failure on this one, just make it a hard set
sequence.
Now you are back to Day 1 and 2 of week 2. This is block 3. Block 3 is max effort
work. This is when you strap on the balls, crank up the adrenalin and throw the
main lift around for a max effort set of 1-3. One max effort set please.
In block 3 you will rest as needed to recover for the heavy lifts. Being that this is
max effort work, you should rest anywhere from 1-5 minutes - depending on your
own bodys threshold for recovery. As you progress in this template you will most
likely find you are able to take shorter rest periods on the max effort days and still
be able to work as heavy as you can.
After the max effort set, drop the weight down to 85% of what you just lifted and
rep out. This type of work will help you build strength and mass. This is an optional
scenario. You may have tapped yourself out doing max effort work or you may feel
like a champ after it.
You have the basics down for the main lift of each day. You should, by now, have a
general idea of how to set up the blocks and what rep range to use, this may take
a couple weeks to feel out working weights and feel out your body as to what
weight is appropriate per selected exercise. This template is unique in that there
isnt a set percentage because of the variety of exercise selection and also each
persons individual work capacity, you will find as you go on, you will be able to do
a higher percentage of your 1RM for reps than when you started, this means
growth and strength increase. This also means you will have your favorite lifts and
less favorite ones. I caution you against always choosing the same lift over and
over for a particular day. This template is at its best when variety is introduced as
it prevents adaptation and allows for a more complete training system.
27

SETTING UP ACCESSORY WORK

There are several ways to set up sets and rep ranges for accessory work and
several ways to do them.
Most lifters seem to prefer the 3x10 or 4x10 way of doing them, you may prefer 8
reps or you may prefer 20 reps. I recommend a range between 8-20 because the
accessory work is designed to stimulate muscle growth and not exhibit strength.
As I wrote earlier in this book, people arent going to care if you can do heavy lat
pulldowns, they are a vanity lift and an accessory lift, use this work intelligently to
support the main lift and to add symmetry to your physique.
Again, let me reinforce that this work is done in the strict method of bodybuilding
training.
Stretch
Contract
Repeat
This means the reps are controlled, not thrown. This means you will have to
humble yourself some to do a lighter weight than normally to BUILD muscle. If by
the middle of the rep range in the 2nd set you are heaving the weight, you have
gone too heavy; however if by the last few reps of the third set these are harder
than hell, chances are you are doing them right.
There isnt any reason to rush the actual sets here, control the weight, stretch and
contract each rep and feel the muscle working. Rest between 30-60 seconds
between each set. This rest period is important as high lactate levels are created
in the muscles and the shorter rest period helps your muscles learn to buffer the
lactate, which will improve your muscles ability to contract. 4

Rest Periods Between Sets: Everything you Ever Needed to Know - http://www.protraineronline.com/exercise/rest-periodsbetween-sets-everything-you-ever-needed-to-know/

28

In laymans term; as your muscular endurance increases from the shorter rest
periods, you will be able to do more reps, more weights and still be able to stick to
the stretch/contract way of training and get larger muscles.
Larger muscles mean stronger muscles, combining this type of training with the
template I outlined in the previous chapter creates a stronger more aesthetic
physique.
When choosing accessory exercises you can take a couple different approaches.
There is the traditional approach of regimented training by choosing one exercise
and repeating it for as long as you progress at it, when progress stalls, change up
either the sets/reps or the exercise itself.
For example on Day 2 you choose Reverse Grip Barbell Rows for your chest
thickness exercise, you perform this for 3 sets of 10 reps for 5 weeks on Day 2 as
an accessory. On week 5 you get 225 for 3 sets of 10. Week 6 comes around and
you repeat that same number. On week seven, you can either choose a new
exercise from the list, or you can modify the sets and reps of it to something along
the lines of 4 sets for 8 reps, 3 sets of 12 reps, 3 sets of 20 reps, etc. As long as you
stay within the parameters of the templates set/rep scheme its adjustable.
The only exception is using bodyweight or band for resistance. Those will require
higher reps than 20 to get a response, so adjust accordingly. You may want to do 3
sets of 25 reps for bodyweight squats, 3 sets of 25 reps for band pressdowns or
something like 3 sets of 30 for unweighted pushups. What you can do and work
with is what you should do.
Some people like that regimented approach as it gives them a more quantifiable
progression to look at in terms of strength and gives them an element of
consistency.
If you are like me and crave a dynamic template (which is the reason why I created
this in the first place) you can take my approach and insert randomness into this
structured template.
29

I dont believe in total randomness. I believe an element of consistency is essential

for progress in any program, but I do believe that switching up exercises within the
set template gives your body consistent progress as it never adapts to a set
exercise. Some people may not agree, but this works for me and it works for
countless other lifters.
This template allows you to select that option.
For example on Day 2 the first week you may choose Pendlay Rows for 3x10, on
Day 4 the first week you may choose Dumbbell Rows for 3x20.
When week 2 rolls around you may select Chest Supported Rows for Day 2 and
Reverse Grip Barbell Rows on Day 4.
All of them increase thickness of the back with different exercises; your body
constantly adapts to it and never gets accustomed to a regimented exercise
selection.
The choice is fully yours in this template.
You need to keep this important bit of information in mind, accessory work is
accessory work. Its not to replace the main lift; it assists it like Robin helps
Batman, but without the tights.
As you go from block to block, you need to keep in mind that as the intensity
increases, you need to adjust the volume of the accessory work. There isnt any
need to push accessory work to the max when doing heavy singles to triples.

30

WARMING UP AND PREVENTING INJURIES

None of us are that lucky to avoid aches, pains, pulled muscles, strained tendons
and tightness. If you lift for any period of time with any intensity, you will develop
some sort of minor injury, and god forbid, a major one.
Major ones are away from the scope of this book and are doctors and
physiotherapists are for. Do not take this section as any sort of medical advice for
treating injuries; it is merely a guide for getting yourself ready to attack the lift
with some semblance of mobility.
FOAM ROLLING
You can buy either a black roller or if you have balls made of steel, a 6 PVC pipe
cut into a three foot length.
There are key areas you want to address with rolling.
o Hamstrings
o IT band
o Upper, lower and mid back
o Lats
o Piriformis
You dont need to excessively roll the entire body like you are trying to work out
every single kink in your frame. If you have a tight area not specified in this list, do
it. Odds are the listed 5 will be plenty to keep your self-massage needs fulfilled.
Roll out each area for a couple minutes. If you come across a particularly painful
area, hang out on it for 15-20 seconds. Grit your teeth and get it worked out.
It will take longer than one session to fix any issues, so be patient. This is why its
best to start this ASAP to get your stiff ass moving with some level of fluidity again.
31

You can also use lacrosse balls, softballs or a baseball to really dig in to the tight
areas. Be a man, tough it out.
HIP MOBILITY AND GLUTE ACTIVATION
Tight hips are a problem for many of us, especially those with a sedentary job. If
you are on your ass most of the day your hip flexors are shortened, causing tight
hips and sleepy glutes. Even if you have an active job, keeping your hips and glutes
in good working order will ensure better lifts and better results without nagging
aches and pains.
o Glute Bridges
o Side to side leg swipes
o Front to back leg swipes
o Hurdlers stretch
o KB Swings
Do about 15-20 of each of these for 2 cycles. Be sure to fire the glutes at the top of
the bridge and the KB swing.
SHOULDER MOBILITY
For a lifter this is a key area of concern. Hell, for anyone really.
You dont need to have fancy devices and a crazy routine to warm up the
shoulders and keep them healthy. A broom handle and a skinny band are all you
need.
o Shoulder Dislocates
Do about 10-20 of these, trying to get the hands closer together as you continue
these. You can use a skinny band as well if lugging around a broom handle isnt
practical.
32

These are a good all-purpose exercise to loosen up the shoulders to get ready for
lifting.
Using the skinny band and a 5 pound plate after dislocates, you can do this
suggested warm-up:
With skinny band:
Band Face Pulls
Band Scapular Retractions
Band Pullaparts
With 5 pound plate:
Circles in and out
Halos clockwise and counterclockwise
External Rotations
Do 2 cycles of these with about 15-20 reps per exercise.
There are numerous ways to warm-up and entire books devoted to the methods
of warming up and mobility, if you keep yourself loose, mobile and stretch when
things are tight, you can prevent any unnecessary injury due to neglect.
You may not be able to entirely prevent an injury, but you can lessen the chances
by doing a proper warm-up and making sure all tight areas are addressed.

33

NOBODY WANTS TO BE FAT, OUT OF SHAPE AND STRONG

Well, unless you are one of the ones that actually like that.
Lets face it, cardio sucks. The only people who really enjoy it are those who run
for a sport or participate in something that involves random exercising with
unplanned progressions.
The rest of us look at it as the bane of our existence.
I realize you can have a fantastic body composition by just eating properly and
training smart, but a lot of us need the extra help. I know for a fact I do and I
would probably be correct in saying you do as well.
Cardio not only assists in body composition by burning calories, it also raises your
aerobic and anaerobic threshold, increases your lung capacity, lowers your heart
rate and does all sorts of awesome things for your body that a lifter who does no
cardio doesnt have.
How does this actually relate to a lifter?
How many of you have performed a set of higher rep squats, or even a particularly
grueling single or double, and felt gassed as hell afterwards with a heart rate that
is racing like you did a hit of meth?
Cardio will help with that. It wont get rid of the work, but the increased lactate
threshold along with the increased lung capacity will allow you to do more work in
less time. That means instead of taking the customary 5-6 minute break between
sets of squats will start to be reduced to 2-3 as your recovery improves and your
work capacity is increased. 5

Does Running Give You a Bigger Lung Capacity? - http://www.livestrong.com/article/484982-does-running-give-you-a-bigger-lungcapacity/

34

This doesnt mean we need to start running 5K races. That may be overdoing it for
many of us, as our specific needs as lifters demands a shorter, more intense form
of cardio.
About 2-3 times a week, either on rest days or after leg days (I dont recommend
higher intensity cardio before a leg day unless you are a sadist or have worked
yourself up to it first) go run a few hills, push the prowler around, do some
treadmill sprints, or do a light barbell complex.
Cardio on this template is to assist, not be the end goal. So to keep that in mind
here are some recommended cardio workouts to take part in:
TREADMILL INTERVAL SPRINTS
10-20 seconds of sprinting with 30-60 seconds of rest, this is dependent upon
your current fitness level. I suggest using a slight incline, increase it as you
adapt. Push the sprints as fast as you are able to without falling all over the
place. Treadmill sprints are tricky, the best way to do them is to keep the
treadmill running at the allotted speed, jump off onto the rails when the time
is up and carefully jump back on when its time to move.
Treadmills do not replace outdoor running, or hills, but not everyone has the
ability to sprint outside, or has a hill within a decent distance from your
home or work. These are a competent substitute.
HILLS AND SPRINTS
If you are one of the lucky ones with a hill nearby and/or a place to sprint,
take advantage of it.
It does not matter how big the hill is or how steep it is, its going to suck. Run
up, walk down, rest as needed and do what you can. The purpose is not to
puke; it is to get a solid workout in. Once your hill running is starting to
resemble a staggering drunk, stop.

35

Sprints are easy, find a nice straight path from 40-100 yards, go as fast as you
can and rest fully between each one.
You can use a handheld stop watch to measure approximate time for your
records and see how you are improving. I would recommend starting out
slowly with these, doing 5-6 the first time out and gradually working up to 812 over time. You will find the first few times you do these you will be
incredibly sore the next day or two. This is why I said earlier about not doing
these BEFORE a leg day. Plan accordingly and plan smart.
STEADY STATE CARDIO
Sometimes you just do not feel like sprinting up a hill or sprinting in general,
but mentally you want to do something. These are the days you would want
to do steady state cardio. This is doing 15-20 minutes of light jogging,
elliptical, step mill, bike riding or even some fast paced walking. Push your
heart rate to a decent level and maintain it for the duration of the session.
Find your recommended target heart rate and maintain that level. I know its
a pain in the ass if you dont have a heart sensor on and you have to check
your pulse manually, but give it a shot. 6If you have a hard time finding your
pulse, go by the breathing method. If you are breathing too heavy and cant
get air fast enough, slow the pace down some. Over time your lung capacity
will increase and you will be able to maintain a faster pace through these
sessions.
PROWLERS AND SLEDS
Treat these as sprints, but with shorter distances. Lighter weight to start and
keep them about 20-30 yards and go balls out with them.

Pulse and Target Heart Rate - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/exercise/pulsethr.aspx

36

If you are one of the lucky ones to have access to these, take advantage of
them. They not only give you a great cardio workout, they also strengthen
the legs without the soreness of eccentric contractions.
CONDITIONING USING BARBELL/DUMBBELL OR KETTLEBELL COMPLEXES
These need not be heavy at all to whip your ass. They also dont need to be
super complex as well. Do not make the mistake of stringing together
movements that take a higher amount of skill to complete.
Start with 65 pounds on the bar and as your conditioning increases, increase
the weight, reps, rounds or any combination of them.
Start with 3 rounds using a barbell complex and rest as needed between
each dependent on heart rate or breathing. Complexes are deceiving little
bastards so be warned.
Here are two examples of barbell complexes:
8 Deadlifts
8 Hang Power Cleans
8 Front Squats
8 Push Presses
8 Bent Over Rows
8 Romanian Deadlifts
8 Hang Power Cleans
8 Push Presses
8 Back Squats
Note that in those two examples you can follow a sensible bar path.
Stringing them together in a way where the rest point of the last movement is the
beginning of the next movement or an easy transition into the next one is the
key to a good complex.
37

Doing something like the next one is how NOT to create a barbell complex:
8 Push Presses
8 Deadlifts
8 Front Squats
8 Good Mornings
In that one you have to readjust on the fly, taking away from the continuity of the
bar path.
Simple enough? Good.

38

EXERCISE APPENDIX
Squat:
Back Squat with various bars Ass to grass or Powerlifting style
Front Squat
Pin Squats dead stop squats. Set the rack pins up at parallel or slightly
above and grind out
Zercher Squats
Goblet Squats
Kettlebell Squats
Pause Squats using various pauses from 1-3 seconds, various bars and front
or back
Squats with chains or bands
Box Squats with front or back to parallel or below
Quads:
Lunges with barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells or bodyweight walking or
stationary
Reverse lunges with barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells or bodyweight
stationary only please
Bulgarian split squats with BB, DB, KB, BW
Split Squats with BB, DB, KB, BW
Step ups with BB, DB, KB, BW
39

Leg Press
Hack Squats
Hinge:
Romanian Deadlifts
Straight Leg Deadlifts
DB Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts
Good Mornings
Band Good Mornings
Hip Thrusts
Back Extensions
45 Degree Back Extensions
Pull Throughs
KB or DB Swings heavy or light in rep ranges from 10-20 not for
conditioning
Pulls:
Deadlifts from floor, rack or deficit with bar or fat bar
Trap Bar Deadlifts
Snatch Grip Deadlifts
Hamstrings:
Glute Ham Raise
40

Lying Leg Curls

Dumbbell Leg Curls
Band Leg Curls
Chins/Back Width:
Chin-ups and pull-ups using different grips, width of grip. Use ropes, towels,
ledges, anything you can hold and pull yourself up on is fair game.
Weighted chins and pull-ups.
Lat Pulldowns using various bars, palms facing, palms away or palms in a
neutral position, and different hand widths.

Rows/Back Thickness:
Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows
Barbell Rows
Pendlay Rows
Chest Supported Row
T-Bar Row
Inverted Rows
o Lying on floor on your back with a bar set in the power rack high
enough to reach with straight arms. Grab pronated or supinated and
row your entire body, touching the chest to the bar right below your
nipple line. The only part of your body left on the floor is your heels. Do
these with bodyweight or weighted using chains or plates on your
41

chest/stomach. That isnt the most comfortable feeling in the world,

but this is training, not playing house.
Seated Cable Rows
Batwings
Weighted Scapular Retractions
Biceps:
Barbell curls using straight bar, fat bar or bicep bar.
Dumbbell curls
o Seated straight up or incline
o Standing
o Hammer Curls
Barbell Cheat Curls i.e. Power Curls
Low Cable Curls
Band Curls
Inverted Bodyweight Curls
o Place a bar in the power rack far enough to reach out to grab, curl your
entire body to the bar using only your biceps and leaving only the heels
of your feet on the ground.
Triceps:
Lying DB Tricep Extensions
Tate Press
42

Seated DB Tricep Extensions

JM Press
Tricep pushdowns using a variety of bars or ropes
Band Tricep Pressdowns
Shrugs:
Barbell Shrugs
Barbell Power Shrugs
Standing Dumbbell Shrugs
Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
Mid-back Shrugs
Chest:
Barbell and Dumbbell Bench Press using different width grips and bars (for
barbells).
Incline BB and DB Bench Press using different width grips and bars and chest
angles.
Pushups either with bodyweight or added resistance in the form of bands,
chains or plates.
Feet Elevated Pushups with bodyweight or added resistance.
Dips with bodyweight or weighted.
Shoulders:
Plate Raises
43

DB Side Laterals
DB Rear Delt Raises - standing, seated or lying down
Face Pulls
DB Front Raises
Seated DB Power Cleans
Band Pull Aparts
Overhead:
Military Press using a variety of bars
Standing Behind the Neck Press (Rack Press)
Klokov Press
Push Press front or rack
Push Jerk front or rack
Z Press
Seated DB Press
Standing DB Press
Arnold Press
Seated Press, either behind the neck or in front.
Rear Delts:
DB Rear Delt Raises standing, seated or lying down
Face Pulls
44

Seated DB Power Cleans

Band Pull Aparts
Abs:
Decline sit-ups weighted or unweighted
Hanging Leg Raises
Planks weighted or unweighted, done for time
Glute Ham Sit-ups weighted or unweighted
Standing Crunches using bands or pulldown station
Ab Wheel
Barbell Rollouts
o Take a barbell with two 45 pound plates on it and use this for an ab
wheel. This is much more challenging than an ab wheel.
This is not a comprehensive list of all exercises for each body part. I left out
exercises you can do with the Elite FTS Blast Strap/TRX and advanced bodyweight
exercises. Most of us dont have access to TRX/Blast Straps and cant do handstand
pushups.
If you have Blast Straps or the TRX available to use, by all means feel free to
substitute exercises using those pieces of equipment as needed.

45

A SAMPLE ONE MONTH SETUP

There are going to be some questions in your head as to how to set this up. Below
I am going to list a sample month of exercise/set/rep selection so you can clear
this up in your head and see the above section laid out for better comprehension.
Week 1:
Sunday
Back Squat 3x10
Choose weight
which makes
the last 2 reps of
the 3rd set hard
Romanian DL
3x10
Seated DB
Shrugs 3x20
Neutral Grip
Chin-ups 3 sets
to failure
Hammer Curls
3x20
Hanging Leg
Raises 3x12
Interval Sprints
:30 on :60 off

Monday
Incline BB Bench
3x10
Choose weight
which makes
the last 2 reps of
the 3rd set hard

Thursday
Trap Bar DL 3x6
Challenging 6
across 3 sets,
not to failure

Friday
Z Press 3x5
Challenging 5
across 3 sets,
not to failure

DB Walking
Lunges 3x10

Weighted
Pushups 3x10

Reverse Grip
Bent Over Rows
4x8

Barbell Power
Shrugs 3x8

Chest Supported
Row 3x20

Plate Raises
3x15

Wide Grip
Pulldowns 3x20

Face Pulls 3x20

Band
Pressdowns
3x20

Incline DB Curls
3x15

Decline Sit-ups
3x15

Tate Press 3x12

Glute Ham Situps 3x10

Planks 3 sets for

max time
Prowler sprints
10 sprints @
20m

46

47

Week 2:
Sunday
Front Squat
3RM

Monday
Pin Press
(Bench) 2RM

Glute Ham Raise DB Rows 3x10

3x10
DB Side Laterals
Barbell Shrugs
3x12
3x8
Rope
Close Grip
Pressdowns
Pulldowns 3x10 3x12
Fat Bar Curls
3x10
Decline Sit-ups
3x12

Thursday
Deficit DL 3x8
Barbell Reverse
Lunges 3x10
Standing DB
Shrugs 3x15
Weighted Chinups 3x8

Preacher Curls
Planks 3 sets for 3x15
time
Glute Ham Situps 3x12

Friday
Standing Press
3x8
DB Bench 3x15
Cable Row 3x20
Rear Delt Raises
3x12
DB Tricep
Extensions 3x10
Standing
Crunches with
Band 3x20

6 40m sprints

20 mins steady
state incline
treadmill
walking

Week 3:
Sunday
Monday
Safety Bar Squat Close Grip
3x4
Bench 3x4
Weighted 45
Degree Back

Pendlay Rows
3x8

Thursday
Deadlift 1RM

Friday
Rack Jerk 1RM

Leg Press 2x10

Band Resisted
Pushups 3x10

Barbell Shrugs

Inverted Row
48

Extensions 3x10 DB Front Raises

3x12
Seated DB
Shrugs 3x12
Band
Pressdowns
Neutral Grip Lat 3x15
Pulldowns 3x10
Ab Wheel 3x12
DB Curls 3x10
Hanging Leg
Raises 3x12

3x10

3x12

Pull-ups 3x10

Band Pullaparts
3x20

Barbell Curls 3x8

Tate Press 3x10

Weighted Glute
Ham Sit-ups 3x8 Barbell Rollout
3x8
Treadmill Hill
Sprints

15m Step mill

Week 4:
Sunday
1 Count Pause
Squats 3x10
Single Leg RDL
3x10
Seated DB
Shrugs 3x20
Close Grip
Pulldowns 3x15
Cheat Curls 3x8

Monday
DB Bench 3x12

Thursday
Snatch Grip DL
3x6

Chest Supported
Row 3x15
DB Step Ups
3x12
Rear Delt Raises
3x15
Power Shrugs
3x8
JM Press 3x10
Weighted ChinDecline Sit-ups ups 3x8
3x12
Hammer Curls

Friday
Pin Press
(Overhead) 3x6
Weighted Dips
3x10
Reverse Grip
Barbell Rows
3x15
Face Pulls 3x15
Tricep
Pressdowns
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Hanging Leg
Raises 3x12
5 30m sprints

3x10

3x12

Standing
Crunches with
Band 3x20

Ab Wheel 3x10

Barbell Complex
3 rounds

50

WHAT ABOUT THE DELOAD?

I do not program deloads. Everyone is different. Some people can lift for weeks at
a time without a programmed deload, and some people can only go three weeks
without one. Thinking a cookie cutter deload is going to work for everyone isnt
always the best option. You have to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
This template regulates intensity in a way that frequent deloads are not necessary.
That is the nature of this template, but like all good things in life, there are also
going to be times when things are not so good.
Stress, eating like hell, feeling beat up from lack of sleep, work is getting to you,
etc...
If that happens, it would be a smart idea to either take a couple days off, pick up
where you left off, or go through the motions in the gym.
By going through the motions you can attack this in a few ways:
1. Just do the main lift at a lesser intensity. Meaning you cut back on the
working weight to make it easier. For example you have to do Squats on a
day you feel like hell, but you will mentally beat yourself down if you dont go
in and do something. The last time you pulled off 300 across 4 sets of 10 for
the back squat, so instead of trying 310-315, drop to 225 for 4x10 and give it
the going through the motions treatment. You are still getting minimal
work in and slightly satisfying your ego by actually showing up.
2. Lessen the intensity on the main lift and also the accessory work. If you want
this option do example 1 across the board. Lessen the weights across all
movements, get minimal work in, skip cardio and go home.
3. Dont bother going in at all, and just rest. Sometimes your body needs a
break. This may be the best option of all of them, because in reality one or
two missed workouts isnt going to kill your progress, and in many cases a
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good couple days off from even touching a weight will give you the rest you
need to come back with a vengeance.
With all three of these options you will want to keep one thing constant.
Eating.
When you are feeling like a break is needed, that is your bodys signal to refuel.
You need to continue to eat as your normally eat and give your body a chance to
recover properly, whether it is mental or physical. If you slack off on proper eating,
your body will tell you.
Understand that once you tackle training as a life-long commitment, you are
different than people who dont train. Deviate too long from your plan and you
notice a lack of energy, lack of endurance, lack of strength and lack of well-being. It
is easy to fall off the wagon if you allow yourself too much room to jump. It is
important to rest, but equally important not to say you know, I will just take 3
weeks off and come back. Meanwhile in those three weeks you decide to hit the
bars all weekend, drink, eat like hell, sleep in late, and act like a college freshman.
That rest will make it that much harder to come back as excuses start coming into
your head. You may say Im tired, I will start tomorrow. Trust me there; I went
through this exact thing at a couple points in my life.
There is a fourth option and sometimes this happens.
Once in a while you feel like going home from the gym before you even start. I
remember one recent lifting session I had when I was sitting on the bench, tired
both mentally and physically. I was starting to take my lifting shoes off to go home
before I even started and I just said the hell with it, I am here, I will just lift.
On that day I set a new overhead PR of 30 pounds more than my previous best.
Sometimes your body surprises you, we are resilient, sometime you have full
intentions of taking a deload and all of a sudden the weights are explosive and you
feel like you can take on the Huns.
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Listen to your body and lift according to feel, not by ego.

53

THE VARIATIONS OF THE ASHMAN STRENGTH SYSTEM

You talk to 10 strength coaches and you will get 10 different answers for most
strength/physique related questions. There is no one right way to train, but there
are a shitload of wrong ways to train as well.
If you bought this book, you purchased one right way to train with a ton of
variations involved with it.
DEADLIFT
Some people respond well to higher frequency deadlifting, some people do well
with less infrequent pulling.
If you respond well to higher frequency of pulling you may want to use a pull (or
variation of a pull) for the first exercise on Day 3 most of the time. Higher reps
build muscularity and work on form, moderate reps build strength and the max
effort days will test your ability to pull heavy weights and grind them out. As with
the base template, lift on feel. You dont have to shoot for a PR with every max
effort day; the max effort day is based on how you feel ON THAT DAY.
If you respond to less frequent deadlifting (as I do) pull every other week. On the
weeks you dont pull start with a hinge movement (on Day 3 in case your attention
span is the same as a gnats life) to strengthen the hamstrings, glutes and lower
back. I will highly recommend you dont do good mornings as a max effort
movement, if you have to ask why, please slap yourself. The risk/reward is
potentially too great for a max effort good morning.
As this book is for intermediate to advanced lifters, I expect some common sense
to be used with it since you have an idea of how to train already.
I highly advise against pulling twice a week. Some people can do it, most of us
cant. Day 1s hinge/hamstring movement should always be done in the rep format
as described in the accessory work section, save Day 3 for pulling from the floor.
BENCH
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The template is just that, a template. It starts with the main lift first and as you go
down the rest of the days training it ends with the smaller muscle groups.
Powerlifters and bro benchers (you know the types, the ones that want a big
bench before all else) will want to slightly modify this template to adjust to the
needs of that lift on Day 2 and Day 4.
On Day 2 the order of exercises is as follows:
Main Lift: Chest (1)
Rows/Thickness (1)
Shoulders/Overhead (1)
Triceps (1)
Abs (1)
If you are a bencher with weaker triceps (problems at lockout) you will want to
make the tricep movement your SECOND lift of the day. Dont get caught up in
boards, partials and other geared lifter tools. This is a RAW lifting program and you
will build raw strength. I dont believe that using boards will help a raw lifter out as
much as some people think they do, so there isnt a pressing need to work on
lockout strength. People were benching some big ass weights before boards were
being used, and they still do. Do a tricep movement that builds tricep strength and
size, not necessarily partial movement strength.
Immediately after you can continue on with the program on Day 2 as written.
If you are a bencher with weaker shoulders and stronger triceps (lockout isnt a
major issue, but strength off the chest is), make a shoulder movement your
SECOND lift of the day.
You want to hit the muscles that you need to first (in order of weakness that
pertain to the bench) and then carry on with the rest of the program.
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This requires analysis of your lifting with a critical and honest eye. Training alone
makes this harder, but with a partner they can tell you where the issue happened
and you can go from there.
On Day 4 you can do the same thing, even if shoulders are the first movement. The
template was written for a general strength/physique application, but if you are an
off-season powerlifter you are free to swap bench and shoulders around, make
bench the first movement and follow the suggestions for Day 2.
See how this template works? Its simple to adapt it to your needs as an off-season
powerlifter looking to add strength and mass before the meet prep.
SQUAT
You can attack this in a few different ways.
1. On Day 1 and Day 3, make squatting the FIRST movement of the day with
Day 3 having the hinge/pull being the second. Deadlifting, good mornings,
hypers, extensions, any sort of hinge movement will be acceptable after
squatting on Day 1 and Day 3 using the set/rep scheme in accessory work.
This is a great way to build lower body mass with the squat since you are
focusing on the squat 2 days a week while using the hinge/hamstring/pull
day to add posterior chain mass.
2. Stick with the template as is, but choose a squat exercise for the second
movement on Day 3. Work the lift more that way by adding extra volume to
the weekly squat load.
3. Stick with the template and add unilateral work on Day 3 for the second
movement. Unilateral movements for the lower body will really work the hip
flexors hard, balance and stability in ways a squat dont. These will add to
your work on the squat and allow for a bigger lift progress.

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4. Leg Press. Mainly for leg size as I dont buy into the notion that leg pressing
directly helps the squat since they are two entirely different movements. It
wont hurt it, but there are better ways to get a bigger squat rather than leg
pressing. Ive seen 1000 pound leg pressers struggle with 315 on their backs.
If your approach is a well-balanced duo of strength and size, leg pressing may
be your buddy after the main lift on Day 3. If you are focused on using this
template to get geared up for meet prep, you dont really need the leg press.
BACK STRENGTH
You are doing back 4x a week. If back strength is a problem, be patient. It will
come. Rome wasnt built in a day and doing a shitload of volume to make up for
years of back neglect wont help as much as sticking to the plan as written.
In a couple months, on this program, you will have a stronger back and that
weakness will start to catch up. Be patient.
This program, as it is written, offers adaptability and variations for both
powerlifters and powerbuilders; however, the core of it remains the same. Cycle
the intensity between higher reps, moderate reps and max effort and hit the
accessory work in a bodybuilding style to add size and support for the main lift.
Trying to adapt the basic principles of the program will render this program
pointless and you may as well write your own up because you sure as hell wont be
following this one.

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FAQ
1. Why cycle core lifts using different bars/lifts?
You cannot make progress forever using just one type of core lift. Every program
on the market, every coach who is worth their weight in muscle and every
effective system utilized in a legitimate strength gym uses various types of boards,
boxes, pauses, bars and bar position to help their lifters get bigger and stronger.
The same applies here. Using different lifts work the lift in different ways which
will help increase the straight bar lift over time.
2. I like doing CrossFit workouts; can this be used with some WODs?
Not at all. Combining programs is a good way to ensure lesser results across both
programs. Stick to one, see it through and reap the benefits of doing one program.
3. Can I pick more exercises to do instead of one? It doesnt feel like enough
on a day.
No you cannot. In this template you will do Squats twice a week, some sort of
posterior chain dominant movement twice a week, biceps and triceps twice a
week, a chest exercise twice a week, back four times a week, abs four times a
week, traps twice a week, shoulders twice a week and rear delts once. If you feel
you need more, you arent doing it right.
4. Can I do back squats all the time instead of the other variations (instead
bench, deadlift, shoulder press here)?
The beauty of this template is in the variation of the exercise selection. Being that
this is not a traditional percentage based program, you dont have a marked
percentage to work off of like other programs. The nature of that alone does not
necessarily allow for progressive overload. You will have some progress sticking to
one main lift for a period of time with the different rep/set combinations, but you
will come to a point where you will stall.
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5. Can I do accessory work heavier, like 4-6 reps?

Id prefer you not. This template combines both bodybuilding and powerlifting
training. The accessory work is designed to be executed as a bodybuilder would.
Furthermore you will see better muscular gains doing the accessory work in that
manner. Sure, once in a while you can push the envelope and do some heavy
shrugs, rows and other accessory movements, but for 95% of your accessory work,
stick to the 8-20 rep range with weights and higher for bands and bodyweight.
6. I want to do cardio four times a week, can I?
Sure, but keep in mind your gains may be slower than you expect until your body
adjusts. Also be smart about it and dont do sprints four times a week. You are a
lifter and chances are you will be incredibly sore and burned out for any lower
body work for a while if you choose to start off doing sprints all the time.
7. What about Olympic Lifts? Can I do power versions of them?
Not on this version you cannot. In a future supplemental version there will be
additions on adding power cleans, power snatches and explosive pulls to increase
athleticism and power. For now, just focus on getting bigger and stronger.
8. What about lifting tempo?
We are not going to count seconds to lower and raise the bar. That is taking it to
another level that I have no desire to go to. Train the main lifts like a powerlifter,
meaning you stay tight and treat every rep no matter the bar weight as a max
effort lift. Same exact form using 135 as you would using 400.
With accessory work you train it like a bodybuilder; controlled concentric and
eccentric contractions, fully stretching and contracting the muscle. You shouldnt
be heaving the weight doing accessory work, if you are, lighten the load.
9. What about a workout log, should I keep one?

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The answer to this is always yes. In this log you should keep a detailed record of
the lift, the bar used, the sets, the reps and the weight used. Make notes about
how heavy the weight was relative to the day so you can go back to see progress
and increase weight and reps as needed. Being that this template relies on using
multiple main lifts and accessory lifts, keeping a detailed log will make your
training a hell of a lot easier.
10.

Can I use this to train for a powerlifting or strongman meet?

This current template is designed for a general strength, hypertrophy and

offseason program. I am working on a version as of this writing to peak for a
powerlifting meet.
Strongman will be a different animal as events, weights, times of events and
implements available for your own personal use change. That will be expanded
upon in a future supplement edition of this e-book along with the powerlifting
peaking program.
11.

Can I superset the accessory work?

Yes you can. Feel free to superset how you please after the main lift. If you are
pressed for time this is a great way to get a workout in quickly. This will also
accelerate your heart rate and add some conditioning and work capacity to your
training outside of cardio.
Experiment a little; its a template, not a set-in-stone program.
12.

What do I do if I stall with this system?

I realize that with every program on the market, you will stall. There isnt a single
program on the market you can do for a lifetime without modifying it in some way
to change up the stimulus you receive.
Since I have started this program I have adapted it two different ways. I kept the
core lifts and the set/rep scheme the same, the only thing I changed is the
accessory work schedule.
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61

The two modifications are below:

Day 1
Main Lift: Squat
(1)

Day 2
Main Lift: Chest (1)
Rows/Thickness (1)

Hinge/Hamstrings
Shoulders/Overhead
(1)
(1)
Shrugs (1)
Triceps (1)
Chins/Back Width
Conditioning
(1)
Biceps (1)
Abs (1)

Day 3
Main Lift:
Pulls/Hinge (1)

Day 4
Main Lift:
Overhead (1)

Squat/Quads (1) Pushups/Chest

(1)
Shrugs (1)
Rows/Thickness
Chins/Back
(1)
Width (1)
Rear Delts (1)
Biceps (1)
Triceps (1)
Abs (1)
Conditioning

For the first modification I realized I was being pressed for time in the gym with
doing abs and conditioning, once I actually scheduled conditioning training I
stuck to it more instead of making excuses and leaving the gym before I did it.
This may be an option for the lazy lifter who thinks they dont need to do some
form of cardio.
After doing this for a couple months, I wanted to add more to my core lifts to give
them some extra work. I am forever tweaking what I have and this template is very
dynamic to work with.
This is my current setup:
Day 1
Main Lift: Squat
(2)

Day 2
Day 3
Main Lift: Chest Main Lift:
(2)
Pulls/Hinge (2)

Day 4
Main Lift:
Overhead (2)
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Hinge/Hamstrings Shoulders (1)

(1)
Shrugs (1)
Rows/Thickness
Triceps (1)
(1)
Chins/Back Width Biceps (1)
(1)
Conditioning
Calves (1)

Squat/Quads (1) Chest (1)

Chins/Back
Width (1)

Rear Delts (1)

Biceps (1)

Rows/Thickness
Triceps (1)
(1)
Calves (1)

Conditioning

Abs (1)

Abs (1)
In this tweak I increased the core lift to 2 lifts per session. This means you could
follow up a squat movement with a quad dominant movement such as Olympic
squats, leg presses, lunges or even leg extensions.
Same goes for chest and overhead. You arent restricted to doing two barbell
movements; feel free to use dumbbells or other tools to work the core lift only
after doing the main movement with a bar in your hand.
Pulls are the only one where you really dont need to do two deadlift variations on
the same day. Some will love that, I dont. I choose to do some lower back work
like back extensions or reverse hypers to keep my lower back healthy without
overdoing the pulling.
If you are one of the lucky ones who can tolerate frequent deadlifting, feel free to
knock yourself out by utilizing two different pulling movements back to back.
Another tweak I added was consolidating the back work into two days. Doing this
allows me to focus hard on the back work over two days rather than spacing it out
over four. Changing it like this means I now moved all arm work to two days doing
bis/tris on the same day.
You can see I added calves to the mix as well. Why? I wanted more calf
development.
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I would recommend running the original template as described before trying out
one of the tweaks, especially the second variation above. It adds volume to it and
youll need the work capacity built up from following the program as described in
the previous chapters.
That original system worked wonders for me for several months, as well as others
who have used it. The tweaks were added to prevent the body from becoming
accustomed to a set exercise order.

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CLOSING WORDS
I wrote this template out of need. I was a habitual program hopper. I got bored
easily; I did not self-regulate my intensity like I needed to. I was in the mindset of
always lifting heavy or it is a bad workout. A lot of us fall into that category as well.
If you have a certain amount of years under the bar you already know what it is
like to be competitive with yourself. If you compete, you know what it is like on a
whole other level. We dont like to dial it back and often dial it back only when
needed or if we get hurt. That is no way to train long term. You cant compete
forever, you cant go heavy forever. The body develops aches and pains. You get
hurt. You burn out. Life happens. Goals change.
This template takes the guess work out of regulating intensity but provides enough
stimulus and variation to add size and strength to your frame. It solves the
problem a lot of us have with knowing when to push and when not to push. It has
helped me immensely and it will help you.
There are literally hundreds of programs on the market you can buy, use and read.
Of those hundreds only a handful are programs you can use long term. 5x5 doesnt
work forever, programs with a set routine dont work forever, and gimmick
programs dont work forever. Its a fact. The human body adapts to a stimulus and
the only way to ensure long term progress is to modify sets, reps, exercises and
intensity.
Progressive overload and repeating the same exact program over and over again
will cause plateaus. Variations need to occur.
This template uses all of them to achieve a system that can be used for years of
progress if programmed intelligently with regards to what your body needs. Not
what your mind needs, what your body needs. You may love to back squat and
want to do it all the time, but changing up the bar, changing the depth, changing
from back to front, etc. will give your body the whoa what is this? factor it may
need to break past a plateau and spur it to muscle growth and strength increases.

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This is a huge reason why I dont provide a program, I provide a template. The
template uses body part training with an exercise list to choose from to give you
the best results possible. Its adaptable, its customizable and no two people using
this system will have the exact same program. Its dynamic, its fun and it may just
be the spark your training needed to give you an awesome combination of size,
strength and conditioning.
The template is customizable, you can change order of accessory work based off
your needs, you can emphasize squatting over pulling, you can emphasize bench
over overhead pressing or you can keep it as is (as I have and many others as well)
for a more well-rounded approach to training with weights.
The basic principles remain the same, cycle the intensities among the main lifts
and hammer the accessory work with the purpose of building muscle, not
exhibiting strength. This is NOT weak point training; this is training to add size,
strength, aesthetics and balance. As a raw lifter/powerbuilder, the weak points will
take care of themselves with the frequent lifting and building overall muscularity.
Training should be fun above all. If you approach the gym with a sense of dread,
something is wrong. Boredom creates dread. Boredom is the kiss of death for any
training program.
Have fun, lift smart, grow and be a better version of yourself.
Thank you for buying this e-book and I am confident you will enjoy using it.

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THE PATH IS ALWAYS FILLED WITH HELP

This e-book has been a journey from a maybe to a yes. I look back on the years
spent in the gym and what I have learned from everyone along the way. I have
been blessed with some luck being exposed to some great minds along the way.
Dan John who always takes the time to talk with me regarding training and life, he
is a father figure in many ways and one of the smartest men I ever met. As a
strength coach, he has almost no peers. He has an innate ability to make the
complex easy; his simplicity of training philosophies has been my inspiration for a
very long time. Having the chance to meet him, talk with him and speak on the
same billing as him was a great honor. To see him taking notes on my topic was
about the greatest moment in my strength coaching career. I was thinking, Dan
has forgotten more about training then I will ever know and he is writing down
what I am saying. That alone shows you we NEVER stop learning when even a
coach as respected as Dan is still looking for information.
Tim Mosolino who invited me to attend his strength coach workshop in Boston
when I was starting out on my own, with himself, Elliott Hulse, Joe Hashey and Ari
Selig. Five coaches sitting around talking training, that weekend was one of the
most educational of my life. We had the chance to sit with CJ Murphy and Matt
Rhodes at TPS in Boston as well. Fantastic minds in training. That weekend is still
inspiring.
Angry Coach from Elite FTS. He doesnt use him name there, so I wont here. When
I need honest opinions and no bullshit criticism, he gives it. When someone will
tell me I am wrong, it is usually him. He goes above and beyond what a
friend/mentor does for someone and he has opened many doors for me. To this
day, he is there criticizing me and also helping out. He is a coachs coach and one
of the most knowledgeable men in this industry. I will place his expertise and
experience against anybody in this industry, past or present, and his track record
with athletes and coaching speaks for itself.
Sean Waxman of Waxmans Gym in CA has been a tremendous help with
expanding my knowledge base.
67

Mark Watts of Denison University for allowing me to speak at his Annual Strength
and Conditioning Seminar, being up there with collegiate and professional strength
coaches and discussing my training methods in front of the attendees, and the
coaches, was an awesome experience.
There are many more, but these people stand out as ones who took the time to
really help out. They have my appreciation and helped forge my knowledge base.
One more person one woman told me years ago to start working out and she
doesnt know it yet but that set in path this entire chain of events. She took me to
her gym with her and encouraged my progress. That is my mom; she started the
ball rolling for me more than anyone else did at that time. Her insistence that I
start to fill out led me on a path to my love for the iron. It was the single greatest
catalyst a young man could have; to be encouraged into a healthier lifestyle. My
mom was teaching STEP classes part-time and was very physically fit so she was a
good role model at that time.
As I said, I have been lucky to be around people who have given their time,
resources and knowledge to me over the years and I thank them all. Without being
exposed to these people, this e-book would have never been a thought in my
head.
Para mi diosa, para mi musa.

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ABOUT JAY
Jay Ashman has been training clients and
athletes full and part time for over 12 years.
He got his start in Reading, PA and has worked
with various athletes from the professional
ranks, high school kids and college athletes from
PA to NY and Ohio. He has worked with older
populations, young kids, normal adults and
post-rehab patients looking to return to a good
level of fitness.
He has been a featured speaker at the Denison
University Strength and Conditioning Seminar
speaking on the topic of Training
considerations for pitchers and was a part of
the 4 speaker seminar with Dan John, Gant
Grimes and Jack Reape called Putting it all Together; speaking about Strongman
training and programming.
He has been published online at Elite FTS and in Ohio Sports and Fitness.
He is certified through AAAI/ISMA but firmly believes that certifications mean little
as continual education and time under the bar is the key to success as a strength
coach.
Currently, he is eyeing a return to Strongman competitions in 2013 and takes on a
limited number of both online and in-person clients.
To contact Jay; visit his website at http://www.ashmanstrength.com or email him
at jay@ashmanstrength.com
Look for the Ashman Strength System Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ashmanstrength
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