If you are a beginner or novice who desires to break powerlifting records on a professional level in the coming months or year, then the Sheiko program can surely prepare you well to get those desires fulfilled.
The prime objective of the Sheiko Program is to train you like a powerlifter and get you used to heavy weights and exhausting workouts. Unlike various other training and lifting programs, the Sheiko program has been developed as a system of training.
What Is The Sheiko Program?
Sheiko programs are basically powerlifting programs that have been designed by Boris Sheiko. He was a renowned Russian powerlifting coach. His programs present a high volume approach and is famous for providing great results to people who have completed them.
The Sheiko Program is not like a conventional strict program rather it is a loose working template that has different variations. The different variations of the Sheiko powerlifting programs have been on the Internet forums and have been used by powerlifters for many years.
The templates created by him serve as a great foundation for training. It can be optimised to design an individual’s training routine. This further makes the programs suitable for both the beginners and novice lifters who are just starting out with their strength training journey.
How Do You Use The Sheiko Program?
To start up using the Sheiko Program you have to first have a clear understanding of your experience level i.e. you must know in advance whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced lifter. The charts and spreadsheets mentioned in this page will guide you well about your experience level.
They will aid you in knowing about which program you must go for. For instance, lifters who fall in the category of below Class III should get started with a beginner program. Lifters falling in the category of either Class II or Class I can get started with the intermediate program. CMS or more elite level lifters can start with the advanced program. However, you must keep in mind that these are just the rough guidelines. What your body tells you and what it feels comfortable with to recover from is also of great relevance.
You would be surprised to know that while following this program, most of the time you would be working with weights that are in the range of 68-72% of your one-rep max. Moreover, you won’t be required to take any set to failure. Even if you are an advanced athlete you would rarely take up your weights to 80% of your 1 rep max.
The way you will perform the Sheiko program can be listed as follows:-
- You would be working out thrice a week. Some can even last for more than two hours.
- The main focus in your training sessions will be the big three lifts performed in a conventional manner with little variations in them.
- You would be performing bench presses in all the three workouts.
- Mondays would be reserved for squats and Fridays would be reserved for deadlifts.
Russian Sports Classification System
If you are a powerlifter or willing to be one and compete, the Russian Sports Classification System can guide you in letting you know about your lifting experience. You can find the perfect results using the Russian Sports Classification System.
In this table all the values are presented in kilos. So assume that you are a lifter who weighs 198 pounds and have a raw total of 1300 pounds. You will first have to convert that into kilos.So, 198 pounds will be 90 kg and 1300 pounds will be 590 kg.
Then using the table, have a look at your weight class in the left column. Then keep on tracing to the right until you don’t meet the requirements. Example; In case you will be meeting Class II requirements but not the requirements of Class I. So you will fall under the Class II lifter category.
Any category below Class III is considered a Novice Lifter. Your confidence and ego should certainly not shatter down to get categorised in the Novice category. The Sheiko program works like that and following this program religiously will definitely take you from novice to intermediate or advanced level soon.
Sheiko Beginner Program
The Sheiko Beginner Program is used as a general strength building and physical fitness program that runs for 6 weeks. This program was crafted by Boris Sheiko himself as a complete unit. This program is designed for teenagers and people who are new to strength training.
It focuses on exercises that are effective and prepare your muscles for more difficult training in the later stages. Anyone who is new to the arena of strength training can use this program to get the desired results of strength gains. Following the beginner program, you would be required to lift thrice a week. In a conventional sense, you can go with a Monday, Wednesday and Friday lifting session.
This program does not include any accessory exercises and focuses solely on the compound lifts. However, you should not lift to failure under this program. You should moderate your intensity when you proceed from set to set. You should keep a training journal while following this program to keep a track of your incremental improvements.
Sheiko Intermediate Small Load (ISL) Program
Following this program you are required to go through two prep periods that extend to 4 weeks each. Then you have a comp period that extends till 5 weeks.
Sheiko Intermediate Medium Load (IML) Program
Under this program, you go through two prep periods of 4 weeks each and then you proceed to a comp period of 4 weeks.
Sheiko Intermediate Large Load Program
Under this program, you have two prep periods of 4 weeks each and then a comp period that also extends to 4 weeks.
Sheiko Advanced Small Load (ASL) Program
Under this program, you would be having three prep periods of 4 weeks each and a comp period extending upto 5 weeks.
Sheiko Advanced Medium Load (AML) Program
You will be having Prep cycle II and III for class 1 and above athletes and the same will go for comp period.
Sheiko Advanced Large Load Program
Under this program you would be having three prep cycles and then one comp cycle afterwards.
Sheiko Modified 4 Day Hypertrophy Program
In this program you would be going through three 4 day prep periods and one 4 day comp period.
The credit of creating this Google sheet goes to u/dewasser
Sheiko 3 Day Under 80 Kg Program
This program is designed for lifters that are below 80 Kg or 175 lbs. It is a 3 times lifting program. Lifters who fall in this category should follow the below-mentioned excel sheet.
Sheiko 3 Day Over 80 Kg Program
This program is designed for lifters weighing more than 80Kg and contains two prep periods and 1 comp period.
Sheiko Universal Program Part 1 & Part 2
Under this program, you have one prep period of 6 weeks and one comp period of 4 weeks.
Sheiko #29, #30, #31, #32, #37, #39, #40, CMS- MS Prep, CMS- MS Comp, MSIC Prep & MSIC Comp
You will get to know the volume calculations and other essentials of this system from the spreadsheet given below.
Sheiko Bench Press Specialization, #32 Peaking Cycle, #29, #31, #30, #37, CMS Base and Competition
The excel sheet presented below will give you detailed information about the program.
Sheiko #29, #30, #31, #32, #37, CMS- MS Prep, CMS- MS Comp, MSIC Prep & MSIC Comp
The below-mentioned excel sheet will guide you about getting the best from the program.
Sheiko- Bench Press Only Program
By following this spreadsheet will ensure that you progress well throughout your sessions that are targeted towards upping your bench press strength.
This Sheiko bench press template is created by u/tobspr
Sheiko 12 Week Programs
The Sheiko 12 week programs have been further divided into different categories of different loads. here you can find two 12-week program templates
Sheiko 3-Day Advanced Medium Load (12 Week)
Under this program, you train thrice a week with medium load for 12 weeks.
Sheiko 3-Day Advanced High Load (12 Week)
Under this program, you train three times a week with high load for 12 weeks.
Both the programs mentioned above have been presented with their respective Google sheets to get a comprehensive idea about them.
Sheiko 16 Week Program
The Sheiko 16 week programs have been further divided into different categories
3-Day Advanced Low Load (16 Week)
Under this program, you train three times a week with a lighter or lower load for 16 weeks.
3-Day Advanced High Load (16 Week)
Under this program, you train three times a week with a higher load for 16 weeks
Both the programs mentioned above have been presented with their respective spreadsheets to get a comprehensive idea about them.
Sheiko 4-Day Advanced Medium Load (20 Weeks)
This program extends for 20 weeks and has three prep periods and 1 comp period.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Sheiko A Good Program?
Sheiko programs are good for powerlifters. It has been designed specifically for powerlifters. By following this program you will be subjecting your muscles to enough volume to promote hypertrophy. And you can be sure that your competition lifts will surely go up.
Who Is Boris Sheiko?
Boris Sheiko is a well-known Russian powerlifting coach. His programs are characterized with a high volume approach and have successful in providing desirable results, especially to powerlifters.
Which Sheiko Program To Run?
The answer to this question depends on your individual bodyweight and strength levels. These two factors determine which Sheiko program will be ideal for you. However, in a general sense you can get started with #29 but even then considering your bodyweight and strength levels are of prime importance.
Can Beginner Lifters Run Sheiko Programs?
Yes, for sure. If you are a beginner or novice in the field of strength training you can certainly get guided by the Sheiko Beginner powerlifting programs.
What Are The Sheiko #29, #30, #31, #32 Etc. Programs?
These represent specific training blocks that provide different training effects when they are combined. To be more specific #29 represents a preparatory block, #39 is an accumulation block, #31 is a transmutation block and #32 is a realization/peaking block.
Final words
Being an experienced and renowned powerlifting coach, Boris Sheiko’s teachings have built the foundation stone for many amateur and professional powerlifters. Even if you are stuck with plateaus, his teachings can break them in no time. But you should keep in mind that whatever program you choose to go for it should be properly modified so that it suits your goals, requirements and experience levels.
Talking specifically about the results, many amateur and professional lifters swear by this program. Even being a drug-free and raw lifter, the Sheiko program can take you to an elite level in the sport of powerlifting. Switching up to the Sheiko program and following it well along with modifying it to suit your specific requirements and experience can surely provide you with the gains you are looking for. And that too in a shorter span of time.
Related:
GZCL Spreadsheets
5/3/1 Spreadsheets
Smolov Squat Program
Texas Method Workout Program
Greyskull LP (GSLP) Program Spreadsheet
Juggernaut Training Method Program Spreadsheet
Madcow 5×5 Program
Russian Squat Program
nSuns 531
Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP) Program
Leave a Reply
We would love to hear your thoughts. Please remember that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy. Join us for a meaningful discussion.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *