BASIC TEMPLATE
This is the concept, you'll be doing 2 weight sessions with a Limit Strength focus a week, and 2 sessions with a Speed Strength focus to begin with. This method of training can be very taxing to both your muscles and your nervous system, so it is highly recommended for you to be fairly experienced with intense weight training beforehand as well as having sound nutrition and good post-workout recovery habits.
LIMIT
Work your way up to a 1 or 2 Rep Max with ONE of these chosen exercises for each of the two weekly sessions. During your first mesocycle you will however focus on 3-5 Rep Maxes. Start every training session warming up with 2-4 reps, progressively increasing the weight until it becomes so heavy that you have to progress over to single or double lifts. In the case of 3-5 RM lifting during your first mesocycle you simply lift until your last 3rd, 4th or 5th repetition is your maximum effort. The main staple for this type of lifting is lifting until you're at your maximum weight for the given exercise, though. So the first mesocycle can be looked upon as sort of a preparation for the 1-2RM lifting. For every 1-3 weeks, you will switch exercises so that you prevent stagnation followed by overtraining of your Central/Peripheral Nervous System.
These training sessions maximize your limit strength; the amount of muscoskeletal force you can generate in an all-out effort.
Day 1 - LB (Lower Body)
Squats >
Back squat, front squat, box squats (1 or 2RM
preferred, 2-3 weeks before you switch type of exercise)
Pulls > Clean
pull, snatch pull, clean/snatch high pull, full/power clean/snatch
(2RM for pulls are preferred, 1RM for snatch/cleans)
Deadlifts >
Traditional deadlift, rack deadlift, stiff-legged deadlift (1RM preferred, once every 4-6 weeks, one weekly session max)
Day 2 UB (Upper Body)
Overhead Push >
Push press front/back, snatch grip push press(1 or 2RM
preferred)
Overhead Pulls >
Muscle snatch, power snatch, high pull (each must
be done from a "hang" position, which is from the top of
the knees. 1RM preferred)
Pressing/pulling >
Barbell bench press, DB bench press, bent-over row, military
press, weightened pull-ups. (1RM preferred, performed
once every 3 weeks)
SPEED
Your speed days will be consisting of one and two rudimentary
exercises, two for lower and one for your upper body. When you get to your third mesocycle you can and should incorporate a third speed day (which would be an additional lower body session).
These training sessions focus on maximizing your power, or what is referred to as speed-strength, starting strength and/or explosive strength. In short, you improve
the amount of force you can excert in the shortest amount of time
possible.
Day 1 - LB (Lower Body)
Power snatch >
65-85% of max for doubles (2 reps) 8-10 sets
Power clean >
70-85% of max for singles (1 reps) 6-8 sets
Lower body plyometrics
Day 2 - UB (Upper Body)
Choose between
- Jerk from rack
(split/power/squat) > 65-75% of max for triples (3
reps)8-10 sets
- Power snatch from hang
> 65-80% of max for doubles (2 reps) 8-10 sets
Upper body ballistics
So, basically a week of training may look like this:
Monday - Limit LB
Tuesday - Limit UBMonday - Limit LB
Wednesday - Limit UBASSISTANCE EXERCISES
3-10 repetitions of submaximal effort for 3-6 sets. These are to be performed after the main exercise of each session as to work on weaknesses and additional strength enhancement. Because of the demands placed on the nervous system by maxing out on your main lifts, these exercises should never be done to muscular failure.
LIMIT
LB (Lower Body)
Lower back training
> Reverse hypers, good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts
Upper back/latissimus
training > pullups, chins, rows etc
Quadricep and hamstring
training > back squat, front squat, romanian
deads, leg curls/extensions etc.
Abdominals and neck training
> flags, leg raises, neck bridges etc.
UB (Upper Body)
Tricep training >
Close-grip bench, JM press, military presses
Deltoid training >
Muscle snatch, overhead presses/raises etc.
Upper back/lat-training
Bicep training >
Curls, close-grip pull-ups
SPEED
LB
Lower back
Legs
Abdominals and neck
UB
Deltoid training
Upper back/lat-training
PERIODIZATION
Instead of periods utilizing completely different training methods, you simply shift on what is to be your main focus according to the goal of each mesocycle.
Mesocycle One
Maximize muscle mass
> -More squats, fewer pulls
-3-5 RM focus on Limit days, more assistance work
-Focus on weaknesses
Work on spesific skills and flexibility
> -focusing on your weaknesses
Introduce light plyometric work >
Mesocycle Two
Maximize limit strength for movements more spesific to your event > -In
football you start putting much more emphasis on your legs
Start pushing back your anaerobic threshold > -Hill sprints, stair sprints
etc.
Begin training spesific skills in earnest > -Still focusing mostly on your
weak points
Concentrate on between-workout recovery > -Introduce contrast showers
Put more focus on your Speed-days > Incorporate more plyometric movements and go heavier on the clean and snatch.
Mesocycle Three
Maximize explosive strength > Your focus will now be mostly on pulls, cleans and snatches
Increase run-spesific intensity > Run full-speed on the track, field and be spesific towards the demands of your event/sport.
Start becoming very spesific to your event in your skill training
Maximize between-workout recovery > increase sleep, limit
drinking/partying.
Mesocycle Four
Maximize starting strength >
-1 Limit day a week (focusing on the clean & jerk/snatches/pulls)
-3-4 Speed days a week
Introduce «shock» plyometrics > Depth Jumps
Heavy emphasis on skills > Focus on your strengths
Maximize between-workout recovery > contrast showers, massages and saunas
everyday possible, no drinking/partying etc.
There you have it, that's all the basic stuff you need to know. Any further questions about the training method will be addressed in my blog, or you can send me an E-mail at either GridIronBarbell@live.no or ingarjkd@hotmail.com.
