I started my year of turning up the volume on my weight training with the notorious program from Jon Anderson called Deep Water (or DEEPWATER). Let me tell you: it delivered. Right from day 1 I started resting by laying down in the gym, sucking down as much oxygen as possible. My AppleWatch informed me that I’ve never burned that many calories in an workout ever after it was over. My legs had DOMS for days.
All of this is to say, Deep Water is not for the quick lunch workout. It has a reputation as a killer and I am here to confirm that reputation.
While Deep Water does ask for one rep maxes (1RM), the beginner program progress isn’t represented in an increase to 1RM. This program is about volume and the lifter’s capacity to keep up with that volume as rest time is reduced. Because of that, I measured my progress not in terms of movement to 1RM, but rather in terms of if I could complete the program as written. Here’s the results:
- Squat: Finished
- Deadlift: Finished
- Push Press: Finished
- Strict Press: Finished*
- Bench Press: Finished*
- Narrow Bench Press: Finished*
- Incline Bench: Finished*
I lived.
