Work capacity

[oso0960]

My work capacity sucks. All i've done for the past couple of years is workout 3x a week. Last week I just incorporated sled pulling 2x a week. Really, I don't know what the hell i'm doing and am just reading articles about increasing GPP. does GPP=work capacity or are they different in some way?

Could someone either spread their knowledge or direct me to some articles explaining how I can eventually squat 12x a week like an olympic lifter without dying after 3 weeks? Not that I really want to squat 12x a week, but I need to start doing things to help recover faster and be able to do more work and thus progress faster

 

[bblazer]

2 things.

1) Read the stickies. They give great workout routines like the 3x5 & 5x5.

c) I don't squat 12x a week and I am the best there is.

Your welcome,
Kirk Karwoski

 

[fortunatesun]

GPP and work capacity are related concepts. The names give away exactly what they do. GPP = general physical preparedness. Work capacity = how much work you can actually do. Raising your fitness level through GPP of course increases your work capacity.

Work capacity itself is broken down into several components. Not just absolute strength , but endurance, speed, power, etc. This is where your goal becomes important. For instance, you may be able to lift 200 lbs. for 5 sets of 5. Work capacity is expressed as 25x200 lbs. or 5000 lbs. On the other hand, your goal may be to lift that weight as many times as possible within 2 minutes. You'll still come up with a number of lbs., but you'll have to rely more on speed and power rather than absolute strength to obtain your figure.

It's easy to guess now that that way to increase work capacity is to focus on the area that's the weak link in the chain. There's lots of ideas. Sled pulling is a great beginning. You can add in mini-workouts once or twice a day 5-6 days a week where you just pick 5-6 bodyweight exercises like, push-ups, squats, burpees, shadowboxing for 2 min. whatever.

Maybe it's the amount of work you need to do within the workout period takes the endurance out of you. You can try interval training. Intense sets followed by short periods of rest. For instance: Front squats 1x6, rest 1 min. SLDL 1x6, rest 1 min. Step-ups 1x6, rest 1 min. Lunges 1x6, rest 2 min. and repeat the circuit for 4 complete intervals Do this at the end of your workout. This will help you accomplish more work in a shorter period of time.

Another way is plyometrics. The idea here is similar to the other methods. You're stimulating the CNS with different techniques that will enable you to transfer this to weight training. A good article about this is Plyometric Ability - React Like A Cat And Explode Like Lightning.

One thing I've used is Sheiko's Preperatory Program. The idea is to improve your conditioning through high volume to be able to handle a period of heavier training. Here's the link: THE PROVISIONAL MONTHLY PLAN - 1. Pardon the poor translation but something like this will def,. get you ready to sling more weight that you have previously.

 

[oso0960]

2 things.

1) Read the stickies. They give great workout routines like the 3x5 & 5x5.

c) I don't squat 12x a week and I am the best there is.

Your welcome,
Kirk Karwoski

I have read the stickies and have read madcow2's posts. Years ago I used the 3x5 and 5x5 routines and now must periodize my training monthly because I stopped progressing weekly.

lol that was just an example, I don't plan on squatting 12x a week but I know some OL do which are highly conditioned to be able to effectively.

 

[lockdownd7]

Replicating what the Bulgarians do on your own is going to be very tough, especially if you want to have any life outside the weight room. They operate under strictly managed government sponsored programs with their entire schedules mapped out for years by some of the best sport scientists in the world. Throw in "supplements", and every kind of recovery method you could imagine, and it's not feasible for most people to match.

That being said, here's a nice article aimed at the recreational lifter that provides a progressive buildup to similar volumes:

Bodybuilding.com - Critical Bench - Weightlifting: The Bulgarian Blitz!

----------
Now if you're not necessarily hoping to do that much volume, and just want to be able to recover better, your options are limitless. One of the simplest ways to raise work capacity is just to run a very basic dual factor program. This can take the form of a structured program along the lines of the advanced 5x5, or even be as simple as adding running to your current split every day for a few weeks. The basic idea when you're trying to improve work capacity is just that you basically want to be overtraining for a period of time. There's been a great scare about overtraining recently, which is unfortunate. If implemented intelligently, it can be a very powerful tool.

 

[SaiBoT]

Here is a good reading on the subject, if you going to try these make sure you have a bucket near just in case you feel like...

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...acceleration-training-641513.html#post8698919

 

[oso0960]

GPP and work capacity are related concepts. The names give away exactly what they do. GPP = general physical preparedness. Work capacity = how much work you can actually do. Raising your fitness level through GPP of course increases your work capacity.

Work capacity itself is broken down into several components. Not just absolute strength , but endurance, speed, power, etc. This is where your goal becomes important. For instance, you may be able to lift 200 lbs. for 5 sets of 5. Work capacity is expressed as 25x200 lbs. or 5000 lbs. On the other hand, your goal may be to lift that weight as many times as possible within 2 minutes. You'll still come up with a number of lbs., but you'll have to rely more on speed and power rather than absolute strength to obtain your figure.

It's easy to guess now that that way to increase work capacity is to focus on the area that's the weak link in the chain. There's lots of ideas. Sled pulling is a great beginning. You can add in mini-workouts once or twice a day 5-6 days a week where you just pick 5-6 bodyweight exercises like, push-ups, squats, burpees, shadowboxing for 2 min. whatever.

Maybe it's the amount of work you need to do within the workout period takes the endurance out of you. You can try interval training. Intense sets followed by short periods of rest. For instance: Front squats 1x6, rest 1 min. SLDL 1x6, rest 1 min. Step-ups 1x6, rest 1 min. Lunges 1x6, rest 2 min. and repeat the circuit for 4 complete intervals Do this at the end of your workout. This will help you accomplish more work in a shorter period of time.

Another way is plyometrics. The idea here is similar to the other methods. You're stimulating the CNS with different techniques that will enable you to transfer this to weight training. A good article about this is Plyometric Ability - React Like A Cat And Explode Like Lightning.

One thing I've used is Sheiko's Preperatory Program. The idea is to improve your conditioning through high volume to be able to handle a period of heavier training. Here's the link: THE PROVISIONAL MONTHLY PLAN - 1. Pardon the poor translation but something like this will def,. get you ready to sling more weight that you have previously.

Thanks, that clears up the confusion about gpp and work capacity.

So basically, increased work capacity translates to being able to handle an increase in tonnage and that there is great variety in training work capacity because nearly every physical activity contributes to it?

I've read a lot about the sheiko program. Have you tried it? I know it's a bench specialization program but do you know why it has so many flyes?

 

[oso0960]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I have a much better understanding on how to raise work capacity and how to do it.

 

[fortunatesun]

Thanks, that clears up the confusion about gpp and work capacity.

So basically, increased work capacity translates to being able to handle an increase in tonnage and that there is great variety in training work capacity because nearly every physical activity contributes to it? YES IT CAN ALSO MEAN RUNNING FARTHER IN 2 MIN, BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.

I've read a lot about the sheiko program. Have you tried it? I know it's a bench specialization program but do you know why it has so many flyes? NOT ALL HIS STUFF IS BENCH. THE PROGRAM THIS LINK IS GENERAL CONDITIONING. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE DEAL IS ON THE FLIES. I THINK HE JUST LIKES THEM FOR SOME REASON BECAUSE HE PUTS THEM IN ALL HIS PROGRAMS. MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT THEY'RE GOOD AT STRETCHING THE UPPER BODY COMPLEX OF MUSCLE ALONG A DIFFERENT PLANE THAN THAT OF BENCH. WHEN YOU WORK MUSCLE IN A SINGLE DIRECTION (FOR INSTANCE AFTER ALOT OF BENCH) THEN WORKING IN ANOTHER DIRECTION IS GOOD FOR BOTH BALANCED DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTHIER JOINTS. ALSO, THE ORDER OF THE EXERCISE SELECTION PUTS THEM BETWEEN 2 HEAVIER LIFTS (BENCH & DL FROM PINS FOR EXAMPLE) THIS GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO 'REST' WHILE KEEPING THE PACE UP, SORT OF LIKE INTERVAL TRAINING. THE WHOLE IDEA WORKED VERY WELL.

 

[Sub-Zero]

make sure you eat so much that your friends and family criticize you.

if you arnt treated like you are crazy for eating too much, then ur not eating enough

 

[oso0960]

make sure you eat so much that your friends and family criticize you.

if you arnt treated like you are crazy for eating too much, then ur not eating enough

Hah I take advantage of my unlimited meal plan in college. I've always had a mild problem gaining weight in highschool and couldn't get past 200lbs for the life of me. Now I need to watch how much I eat because I'm tipping 250 with more bodyfat than I should have.

@fortunatesun - yeah I guess the flye thing makes sense, never thought of it that way. It reminds me of the pullovers in the 20 rep squat routines.