So I totally missed a day of writing yesterday! But that’s ok, I’m not going to beat myself up over it, it’s just writing and frankly, I didn’t exactly miss much to write about yesterday.
Anyway, I woke up today feeling quite refreshed (finally) after the 2 back-to-back BJJ workouts plus weight sessions earlier in the week. I hit squats, seated press and chin-ups today and everything was moving pretty well. My neck is still tender, so I decided to completely deload the seated press and use just the bar for 3 sets of 10, but added in a super set of behind-the-neck press of 3 set of 5, just to get blood flowing in the effected region. I did a ton of face pull aparts super set with the squats which also really helped, and I’m thinking that I should be good to go by next week.
Frankly, my neck is already feeling better from this morning, so I’m going to attribute it to the targeted blood flow in the injured area.
Anyway, here’s the workout:
- SSB Squats – 45x5x2, 115x5x2, 155×5, 205×5, 245x5x2, 245×7 (RPE8)
- I was really hoping to get 10 reps on the top set, but I also had a feeling that it wouldn’t happen. I was able to get 10 reps on Monday, but that was the first working set where I got that. If I had done the AMRAP first today, then I would have easily had 10 reps, but by doing it this way, my total work volume was higher than Monday’s even though my AMRAP set was lower. Plus, I don’t like pushing past RPE8 when I don’t have to, so this was a good place to call it a day.
- To compare to Mondays, where I got a total of 15 reps with 245lbs (1 set of 10 and 1 set of 5, and the set of 5 basically put me at a RPE10), today I got 17 reps, and I was feeling much better after the last rep than on Monday. So that’s definitely an improvement.
- Seated OHP – 45x10x3
- Super set this with 45x5x3 of behind-the-neck press
- Chin-ups – 5×3
- Nothing really to write up here, the first 2 sets I did with the pauses at top and bottom, but the 3rd set I just kind of repped out for the sake of getting it done.
Anyway, I think I’m done with the linear progression, I’m just getting bored with it, and frankly that doesn’t help me progress. I’m going to start new programming next week.
I’ve been debating between going back to 5/3/1 style programming, or a conjugate-style (Max Effort/Dynamic Effort) program, and I was originally going to go with 5/3/1. However, I’ve been reading the book The Hybrid Athlete by Alex Viada (https://completehumanperformance.com/meet-the-coaches/) who is just a complete animal and has deadlifted 700lbs while simultaneously keeping a sub-5 minute mile. He’s also competed in several Ironman triathlons as well as marathons and other endurance events. To sum up, he’s pretty much the kind of athlete that I would like to develop into.
With all that said, his general suggestion is a conjugate-style program because this style of programming is easier to fit into a endurance program due to the ability to consolidate stressors in a much more cohesive fashion.
I’ll be training 3 days a week; in effect, I’ll be utilizing 9-day micro-cycles (M/W/F/M, W/F/M/W, F/M/W/F, M/W/F/M, etc.). With that in mind, I’m going try my hand at it, and use the following program:
Day 1 (ME Lower):
- Movement 1: ME SQ/DL (alternate squat focus and deadlift focus every micro cycle)
- Work up to top sets of 5 on squat variations and sets of 3 on deadlift variations, RPE cap of 8 on all top sets. In an ideal world, it should take no more than 15-20 minutes to get to this top set.
- Depending on feeling, drop down to 80% of this weight, and do 3 sets of 5 with paused reps. For squats, the pause will typically be in the hole, and for deadlifts, the pause will typically be just below the knees.
- Movement 2: Single-Leg Variation
- This will utilize some form of lunge or split squat movement, loaded with weight vest and/or chains.
- I’ll also super set this with some kind of core movement.
- Movement 3: Core movement
- On squat days, I’ll focus on a posterior core movement (ie. back raises)
- On deadlift days, I’ll focus on a anterior core movement (ie. ab wheel)
Day 2 (ME Upper):
- Movement 1: ME Press (rotate in a seated press movement every 3 weeks for good measure)
- Work up to a top set of 5 on bench variations and top set of 6-8 on seated press movements.
- Depending on feeling, drop down to 80% of this weight, and do 3 sets of 8 with paused reps. Pause will alternate between on chest and 1″ off chest each micro-cycle. No pauses for seated press variation.
- Movement 2: Row variation
- Typically, these will be dumbbell or barbell row variations, but given sufficient time available I’ll try and set up a landmine row or T-bar row as well.
- Super set with triceps movement
- Movement 3: Triceps extension
- High-volume with bands are good for this, or some kind of seated/prone extension with dumbbells or EZ curl bar.
- Movement 4: Upper back/traps/rear delts
- High volume band pull aparts and face pulls
- Super set with chin-ups
- Movement 5: Chin-ups
Day 3 (DE Lower):
- Movement 1: Speed Squats
- 12x2x60% of variation used on ME day – this variation will stay consistent for the remainder of the macro cycle, add volume or intensity each micro cycle (ie. 12/15/18 sets, or 60/65/70% intensity)
- Super set with some kind of anterior core movement
- Movement 2: Good morning
- 3×20 with SSB bar, try to add weight in small increments each set, but the goal is the volume and not the intensity.
- Movement 3: posterior core movement
- Back raises again
Day 4 (DE Upper)
- Movement 1: Speed Bench
- 12x3x50% competitive bench max – macrocycles will alternate between straight weight and accommodating resistance (bands or chains).
- When using accommodating resistance, bar weight will be reduced to account for added external resistance.
- Add volume or intensity each micro cycle (ie. 12/15/18 sets, or 50/55/60% intensity)
- Movement 2: DB Press variation
- Either seated, incline, flat or decline dumbbells for 3×20, press variation will be used for 3 microcycles before being changed.
- Ideally add weight in small increments where possible.
- Super set with DB row or one-arm barbell row
- Movement 3: DB or one-arm barbell row
- Nothing really crazy here, just get the volume in, try to match volumes between pressing and rowing movements
- Movement 4: Chin-ups
- Simple volume, super set with upper back movement
- Movement 5:
- Band pull aparts or face pulls
So there you have it, this is the basic overall structure that I’m looking to follow. It looks like a lot of work each day, but my goal will be to build into this level of volume gradually. In an ideal situation, I should be able to get through the first 2 movements at least within 25-30 minutes. The ME and DE movements should really be done and packed up within 15 minutes.
At the end of the day, I’m shooting for efficiency and short gym times with moderate progress over time. It’s far from ideal to not be able to take sufficient rest breaks between sets, but that’s fine. My primary focus is on overall conditioning. Being able to recover quickly between work up sets for ME movements as well as between DE movements will only help me in the long run.
Ramble on Fitness 