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A quick review of Brandon Lilly's Cube Method for powerlifting, as I seem to be enjoying it: Once linear gains stall there's a bunch of intermediate programmes that can be used - 5/3/1, Texas Method, Madcow, and so on and so on. Cube is another one of those, aimed squarely at a 10-week programme for a powerlifting meet. After the meet (or mock meet) you feet your max lifts back into the plan for the next round. The basic idea is that you have four days of training: squat, bench, deadlift and bodybuilding. You then cycle a heavy day, a speed day and a volume day through the three big lifts - so you have speed squats, max bench and volume deadlifts one week; max squats, volume bench and speed deadlifts the next, and so on. A nine-week programme is three complete cycles, during which the weight used goes from about 60% of max to 85% or so - there's no mandatory max lifts either. Key is that you don't miss any lifts - this is a nice ego boost, as well as reining in too much caveman excess. Ten weeks of all-success lifts makes for a good headspace. Savvy nerds will notice that 3x3 is not a cube, it's a triforce. So, my experience? My main reason for trying it is that I'm older - 42 - and natural, and my recovery can't handle the TM's Heavy Day and other balls-to-the-wall plans. Cube is very nice to recover from - it feels very sustainable long-term. My joints aren't screwed! But its not easy, not by a long way. Speed day is brutal. About speedwork: apparently it's a thing, and the faster you can explode a weight (even in grindy powerlifting) the better. After a couple of rounds, and now getting my deadlift variations up to rx, it's true. My most recent PB moved a lot faster than the previous attempt, the form was tighter, force was good. Variations? Lilly is all about variations: floor and incline bench, high and low bar squat, snatch grip and block and deficit deadlifts. They kicked my ass. I guess that means I was weaker than I thought apart from the planes of the Big Three. "Powerbuilding" is the current hotness and Cube is no exception: after the main work is done (and all day on BB day) you'll do a bunch of smaller, lighter stuff for bodybuilder-style volume. Because my bench is a bag of suck I throw volume at it on BB day too, which is finally unsticking its progress (yay). Gives you an excuse for curls. Conditioning? None here. You have to add your own, either on rest days or after the main work. Results? Best on your intermediate-strength stuff, IME. I've had to add volume to make my bench move; my dl is up from 205 to 220 and squat 172 to 180(+?); bench finally unstuck but it's still not a par. If you have a nicer spread, you'll probably benefit more evenly.

Training frequency question: I'm 42, seriously lifting for 2y, dicking around for ages before that. Cube is currently kicking my ass, and I'd like to go from 2-on, 1 off , 2-on, 2 off; to just alternate days. As it stands I often miss the last day because it's just bodybuilding day and I'm beat. Doesn't sound stupid but I might be missing something? Why it sounds good: I'm not a whippersnapper any more and recovery is important. Why it might be bogus: Counjugate methods have the days all work together and I might just be a wuss. Why my judgement might be clouded: I have fresh anime, fresh Soreen, it's raining and I'm sore as hell from yesterday's Heavy Squat day.