awesome stuff pal, mind telling us your routine?
well its pretty simple really. I operate on a 4week block periodization program, containing 3 phases
1) Muscular Endurance and Training Load Adaption
2) Muscular Strength
3) Muscular Power and Peaking
each phase lasts 4 weeks and concentrates on the trait listed...all workouts are full body 3x a week focusing on the objective at hand...AKA in my strength cycle i go for most weight possible and even if i CAN get more reps with something heavy i dont and instead add more weight. By keeping laser beam focus on one objective instead of many i feel like you maximize your progress.
ill list an example workout from my log during my strength phase
Squat: 405x2 (5)sets**
Bench: 375x2 (5)sets***
Pullups: 3platesx2 (5)sets*
SLDS: 405x3 (5)sets*
LPC: 9platesx10 (5)sets*
Pullover: 60x10 (3)sets**
SLDS= stiff leg dead lift + shrug, a power movement that focuses on speed and type II muscular strength excellent exercise because it builds lower and upper back and teaches the hips back and traps to work together to produce max power
LPC= Leg Press Calve Raises, not much to explain lay on the sled and do some calves as heavy as you can for reps
Notice the *** after each of the sets...this is something i started doin a few years ago that really helped me in my training...its a simple ranking system of how difficult finishing the exercise was, 3* being very easy and 1* being difficult
i go so far as to explain my missed reps and sets so i dont see them as permanent failures...for instance if i miss a rep on a set of squats i think back on the past few days and examine possible causes for the breakdown in strength...doing this will force you to evaluate your lifestyle and make life descisions that are synergistic with making gains in the weight room
I also cycle military press in for bench press after each 12 weeks is completed...so 12 weeks of bench then 12 weeks of military so on and so forth....i throw in some flys when i stop doing bench so i keep my chest shaped up (gotta look my best for the ladies
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the more notes you take when you work out...the faster you are going to make progress...tommy kono said that when asked about his workout logs which were EXTREMELY detailed
NOTE: it is important to switch phases often because by doing this you allow yourself to constantly make progress and never get stale.. For instance everyone knows when you start a new program the first week is kinda mediocre then the learning curve sets in and you rapidly adjust and make gains...this cycle utilizes the bodies ability to adapt to training so that you maximize the curve then switch to a new phase so you can max another curve and come back to the old one stronger than before
example i do 275x20 on a squat during Muscular endurance phase to start the week...by week 4 i am able to do 300-315x20...i start my Muscular Strength phase and work up to 405 for 5x2. now i add in a power phase that most dont but if you go back to Muscular endurance you reset your bodys learning curve with a higher starting weight so you start with 315 and work up to 350...Back to muscular strength 405 5x2 is gonna be a joke compared to 350x20 so you will be able to work up to around 475-500 for 5x2
its all about maxing out your bodies ability to adjust to a program and make gains while tailoring it to meet your specific needs...for me i am a power athlete so my peaking phase is about moving big weights FAST!!!!!!! where if you are a bodybuilder you would have a MUscular Hypertrophy phase
that being said sorry for the long drawn out explanation but hopefully you are able to take somethin useful away from it...remember what works for one doesnt always work for all...ive been training a long long time for only being 21 years old, so tailor a program for YOU, just remember to base it on science and not hopes and dreams lol as so many people sadly do...if you believe in your program it is gonna take you farther than you ever could imagine, if your just doing it cuz somebody said so, it will take you only as far as the next person you decide to listen too.
Train Hard, Eat Heavy, Rest Well, and PLAN Every inch of the way!
