Monday, September 14, 2009

I don’t know but this last cycle seemed to be a little more easy on the mind and body than the previous two. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t tough, it just seemed to be a little less stressful on the mind and body. I know I am going to be sore from the pushups yesterday but other than that, I feel pretty good. It could possibly be that the body is adapting to the programming a bit. It could also be that the mind was actually happy to see a chipper today instead of a couplet or a triplet. Could be both.

We have just finished our rotation of strength exercises and, in two days, will begin the process of repeating them. The first go round was to establish a number for each exercise or in other terms, display our current strength. Now begins the process of increasing or improving that number or in other terms, developing more strength. Olympic lifts, when developing sheer power and increasing proficient technique, the reps must not pass beyond three reps. Going into a fourth rep and beyond, the neuro-muscular system becomes momentarily fatigued and posture, power, and thus technique fall by the wayside. This then proves to be detrimental to technique. This is not a good thing for those who have no feel for the snatch or clean & jerk at even the most elementary level. It encourages poor technique which in turn, in the long run, will hamper performance or keep athletes from finishing in faster times or moving greater loads. This is where the results lie.

As for the power-lifts or heavy and slow, the rep scheme will go as high as five per set. Technique is less important. Still very important but less than Olympic lifts. All movements, both Olympic and power, will use percentages of their one rep maxes.

Hopefully by keeping the movements fresh in everyone’s minds, we will begin to see the fruits of our labors. There will always be those that just don’t put in the work to remember what any of the exercises are called and thus never actually learn how to do each movement on their own. I mean, show them once and they know pretty much what to do but just won’t ever know what to do on their own. Every one else should see incredible results.

Here are the following movements we have 1 rep maxed on:

Full Snatch
Dead-lift
Push Jerk
Full Clean
Overhead Squat
Back Squat
Push Press

We maxed out on reps for Pull-ups.

We will begin an undulating periodization model for the remainder of the programming. This is in contrast to other models of periodization such as linear, alternating, concurrent (which we are always utilizing), and conjugate. Each model has its merits and can be called upon at different times during a trainees exposure to weight training.

Linear periodization is the basic model in which a program begins with moderate amount of volume and lower intensity (load) and gradually over each phase (period of 1 to 4 weeks) switches into lower amounts of volume with higher intensity (load). This program is great for beginners or those who have been away from weight training for quite some time as it allows for a base of hypertrophy and increase in connective tissue strength. As the trainee becomes stronger, each successive phase allows for new adaptations to occur such as a true increase in contractile tissue strength or becoming muscularly stronger. Finally, the volume is low enough and the weight is heavy enough where you allow the final adaptation to occur which is neuro-muscular or your ability to fire on all cylinders for one or two max efforts. Neuro-muscular falls into life or death situations. Those stories of women pulling off a car that has fallen on top of her kid type of strength. Linear periodization will work for anyone but not for very long. It has faults as well. They are beyond the scope of this blog entry.

The rest of the models are a variation on linear periodization. Alternating is taking linear and alternating the pieces. So instead of a step like approach of decreasing volume and increasing intensity over each 1 to 4 week phase, you start with a certain volume and its matching intensity and then you might drop the volume and increase the intensity over the next phase but instead of continuing to drop volume, you all of a sudden increase it to a point where it is more than what was in the first phase with the lowest intensity yet. Finally over the last phase you drop the volume once again and increase the intensity to match.

Undulating, which we will be utilizing, is similar to alternating but instead of phases in which the rep schemes are alternated, it is from workout to workout where it occurs. So in other words, you see exercise A one time and follow a certain reps scheme and then the next time you see the same exercise, it will follow a different rep scheme. This will have a matching volume/intensity schematic. This is a great method of periodization. It has faults but not as many as linear and can be utilized for a great period of time so long as things are modified along the way to keep adaptation occurring.

The last two models of periodization are advanced models and to be used only when all other methods have been exhausted. These have been used prematurely by strength coaches and for no good reason. There is a time and place for each and usually only when a trainee is in his prime years of strength training. By prime, I mean, is close to potential in the weight he/she can lift/move. For example, a 500 pound bench press, 750 pound squat, 600 to 900 pound dead-lift, 300 to 450 pound snatch, 400 to 550 pound clean and jerk, and so on. Conjugate may get the above mentioned athlete to a 5 pound increase in each of his lifts over the span of a year because it is that good, if implemented correctly. Where no other program would work. This is what I mean by prime.

Below are some reps schemes for the back squat of the above mentioned periodization models:

Linear: Back Squat
Weeks 1 thru 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 75%
Weeks 5 thru 8 – 3 sets of 8 @ 80%
Weeks 9 thru 12 – 4 sets of 6 @ 85%
Weeks 13 thru 16 – 5 sets of 4 @ 90%
Weeks 17 thru 20 – 7 sets of 2 @ 95%

Alternating: Back Squat. Same as above but alternated (many ways to accomplish)
Weeks 1 thru 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 75%
Weeks 5 thru 8 – 4 sets of 6 @ 85%
Weeks 9 thru 12 – 3 sets of 8 @ 80%
Weeks 13 thru 16 – 7 sets of 2 @ 95%
Weeks 17 thru 20 – 5 sets of 4 @ 90%

Undulating: Back Squat. This what we are using. (Many other ways to accomplish)
Week 1 – 1RM
Week 2 – 5 sets of 5 @ 85%
Week 3 – 6 sets of 3 @ 92.5%
Week 4 – 3 sets of 10 @ 70%
Week 5 – 7 sets of 1 @ 101% (hopefully, new 1RM)

There are many ways of periodizing a strength training program and these are but a few of the many out there. If this interests you, I would recommend you read and learn. There are many books out there on this subject. Good articles as well. Need ideas? I can also point you in the right direction. Just ask.

Today’s WOD (090914)
Chipper
For time
25 walking lunges
20 pull-ups
50 box jumps, 20 inch box
20 double unders
25 ring dips
20 knees to elbows
30 kb swings, 2 pood
30 situps
20 DB hang squat clean, 35 pound db’s
25 DB RDL’s, 50 pound db’s
30 Wall balls, 20 pound ball
3 rope climbs

Time: 11:24

Sunday’s WOD (090913)
Push Press 1RM – 228 pounds (2 pounds off pr)
followed by
10 rounds for max pushups
1/2 gasser (53 yards there and back)
15 pushups
40 seconds to complete each round followed by 30 seconds to rest

Reps completed: 137 pushups

Saturday’s WOD
Back Squat 1RM – 325 pounds
followed by:
10-8-6-4-2 rep rounds for time of:
Dead-lift @ 1.5 x bodyweight
2-fer-1 Wall Ball Shots @ 20 pound ball

Time: 2:26