Strength Training-Frequency and Workload.

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

I have been lifting weights seriously for 12 years, I started when I was 13. I used respected workouts the past several years and even made some gains, but nothing staggering. I chalked it up to just reaching my limits and accepted it. But then it really started driving me crazy. I love the gym, and I love working out, I am so passionate about it that it was unacceptable for be to just grow complacent and be satisfied where I am.

I started to pour over research on training theory and different routines. I wanted some information I could apply to a life-style change, so I shyed away from researching steroids, to me they are dangerous when made a life-style, if I used them the only way I would and the way I have used them in the past, all they would be is a quick fix that would go away in time. I wanted a new philosophy and outlook on training. I also was aware that switching to some new routine I never used before would be a spark, but evebtually, I'd plateau, and to to my level of strength and years training, it would be sooner rather than later.

What most highly regarded strength coaches seem to say is that when a person first begins training, no matter what their goals (bodybuilding or strength training), they should focus on building a base and foundation. Then the more advanced one gets, the diference between training for BB and training for strength will become more apparent by the workouts. The difference mainly is frequency of training, number of working sets per exercise, and number of exercises.

What I discovered is that I was not training often enough. Now I don't mean I thought I should kill myself everyday, but I found out what was halting my progress. The problem was that my weekly workload wasn't high enough. Sets and reps weren't that important, because no matter how I mixed and matched, I was doing no more work from one week to the next. Workload is very important for an advanced/experienced lifter to continue making progress.

My newer approach seems to be just what I needed. I train at least 5 times a week (sometimes even up to 7 or 8 times a week). I usually hit my core lifts like a squat variation, a shoulder girdle variation, and either deadlift or an Oly lift variation heavy once a week, with numerous other workouts dedicated to either a lighter % day, a speed day, or a combination of the two with assistance work thrown in. I found out that the speed work, the light work, and the assistance work all count towards weekly workload and that as long as that increases on a weekly basis, my strength keeps increasing. The added work also aids in recovery, and I feel better and recover better now than when I was a teenager doing a one bodypart per week BB style split.

What I found was that I talked myself into think I was 'overtraining' and that less was better. While these concepts apply to bodybuilding, they weren't doing shit to get me stronger. Sure, the average gym rat thinks I am strong as hell, but I was not happy being stuck in a rut.

I guess my point is that traing for advanced strength is much different than what most people in America think it is. I followed typical Western training philosohies, and displayed a typical, stubborn, western mentality towards training until I got sick of trying to accept that I had just reached my limits. Things that work in the beginning and middle for everyone, but that do nothing for advancing an advanced trainee.

I have been making great gains, does my body have limits, yes, everyone's does, but I think people believe they have reached their limits much sooner than they really do. At least I thought I did.

I was wondering how everyone else who trained for strength did things.

This week my workout looked like this:

Monday:

Full Clean- 6x3
Clean Pull(from hang)-4x3
Front Squat-Warmed up to a single, dropped 35lbs and did 3x3
Lying Leg Curl-2x20

Tuesday:

Incline Press-Warmed up to a single, dropped 35lbs and did 3x3
Dips-4 sets to absolute failure with bodyweight
Plate Raises-2x20
Skull Crushers-5x8

Wednesday:

Full Snatches -6x3
Snatch Pulls -4x3
Overhead Squats -4x5
D-Bell Rows -3x5
Chins -3 sets to absolute failure

Thursday:

Front Squats-1x5, 1x5, 3x3(with 30lbs less than I used for 3x3 on Monday)
Good Mornings- 1x10, 3x6
Smith Machine(LOL) Calf Raises- 3x30
Leg Extensions-4x8

Friday:

Speed Bench -8x3
Push Press -work up to a single, take off 30lbs and do 3x3
D-Bell overhead press-2x10
Power Shrug-6x5
Incline Curl- 4x8

This weekend I will do AR like swimming and ab work and maybe some sled dragging.

 

[InTraining]

Great post, seems like a lot of work but I'm sure you are able to handle it

How many calories are you taking in per day typically?

 

[Tom Treutlein]

As long as you give your body the fuel and rest it needs, you should be fine with that work capacity. I agree that overtraining is probably overrated, in that a lot of people haven't reached their work capacity when they think they have.

It's funny how in the off-season many bodybuilders get pudgy, yet athletes who are active usually a minimum of 5x a week get bigger, stronger, more explosive, and remain lean. The latter is definitely ideal for myself, and surely for most others.

I think lifting has to be kept down to a degree. You can't lift heavy for the same bodypart more than 3x a week, really. However, the more active you are the better. Cardio-wise. Conditioning. Tire flipping and sled dragging would be part of this. So would jogging, going for hikes, cycling, sparring, grappling, heavy bag work or shadow boxing...it just seems ideal to be active like that as much as possible. Plus, it just feels healthier.

 

[coolcolj]

frequency needs to change periodicly as much as volume and intensity

that is something most people don't put into practise
That's what I do now, alternate btween higher frequency lower volume sessions, and then every so often do a higher volume low frequency session

IF you do just one type of frequency, either low or high you will stagnate eventually since your work capacity and tolerance to fatigue won't progress

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

Intraining, I don't count calories to the T, but typically between 5,000-6,000, as a general rule I shoot for 250/300g of protein and 550/600g of carbs, if I feel I didn't eat enough throughout the day, I will drink a rel milkshake before bed with a PB and J sandwich, If I feel I ate plenty, I will just have a plain old protein shake, that sort of shit. I'll tell you what, I think a large meatlover's pizza is the perfect fuel. If I eat a meatlovers the night before a workout, I feel diesel at the gym. Due to my activity level I am fairly lean. I am fat by bodybuilding contest standards, but at 5'11" and 257lbs I have a 36" waist and can see my top 2 abs, not that I care about abs, but just to show that if you use your fuel, you won't get fat. I see so many guys who eat just as much as me or even a little less, and get pudgy because they don't do squats/deads, they don't do the olympic lifts, they follow a BB split with too many rest days where they lay around, they do no cardio. I always said I think a BB diet is a lot different than an athlete's diet.

Tom Treutlin, i have noticed some of the same things you have. Usually, my first session of the week is heavy on a full body split, and my first 2 sessions are heavy on an upper/lower split. The rest of the week is either form work, speed work, or a lighter % workout, I also do assistance work on these days. My goal here is to run up my workload for the week. I find that doing this is more effective and puts me at lower risk for stagnation than by running up my heavy work sets.

On off lifting days I swim sometimes or mountain bike, my girlfriend and some of her friends are pretty elite endurance athletes (triathlon), and they are MUCH smaller than me and have MUCH better endurance than me, so I like to go with them for a much needed ass kicking. I also do farmer's walks, sled dragging or tire flipping or some kind of medly for recovery/cardio. Generally one day a week I like cardio for time, like a slower 45 minute run, or an hr and a half bike ride at a steady cadence, or a bunch of laps with various strokes in a Oly sized pool. The rest of my cardio is short bursts, followed by a little rest, then repeat, like s tire flip/sled drag medly, or sometimes I will sprint a quarter mile, walk a quarter mile, sprint 1/4, walk one until I feel like I am gonna pass out.

CoolColJ, I am gonna check out your training journal. Do you basically mean that you recommend alternating between a schedule with say 5-7 weekly sessions that last an hr or so and a schedule with maybe 3 weekly sessions that are say 2.5 hrs?

 

[Tom Treutlein]

BBBD, that sounds like Westside, using an upper/lower split and having the first two sessions heavy, the later for form/speed/assistance work. I'm on a Westside split now, but still have to get a hang of JM presses and such.

Anyway, I do cardio however I see fit. I just like to be active. Be it short, intense heavy bag drills or some type of low-intensity, low-impact cardio. Even just shooting baskets for awhile is better than sitting around.

 

[BigBadBootyDaddy29]

Tom, my training is my own hybrid of West Side, Bill Starr, and Eastern European-style Olympic Lifting. Actually, West Side is an Eastern European method, made famous in the US by Louie Simmons. I like Louie's ideas that speed work makes you more explosive, and I like Starr's idea's that the lighter sets run up your workload without breaking you down. And after lifting for 13 years, I need to alternate heavy movements and do a lot of like movements for a lift I want to improve.

You're 100% right about staying active, so many people think a day off from the weights means to lay around and eat ice cream and "recover", while they would be much better off jogging a mile or two and shooting some baskets to stay loose and help lose some soreness.

 

[big4life]

You have already learned one of the most important concepts when it comes to weight training, IMO. Research different training styles/routines and incorporate these ideas into building the routine that works for you.

Good luck, and keep lifting!!

 

[coolcolj]

CoolColJ, I am gonna check out your training journal. Do you basically mean that you recommend alternating between a schedule with say 5-7 weekly sessions that last an hr or so and a schedule with maybe 3 weekly sessions that are say 2.5 hrs?

Well not quite - talking in realtive terms here
I still allow for tendon/joint and CNS recovery as well

basicly right now I train a certain amount of volume to create 4-6% fatigue
and the rest 4 days and work the same muscles again. This is the first
instance -

then every 5 workouts I crank up the volume to 10-12% fatigue, basicly
double the total volume and rest a week after the workout before resuming the cycle It will take a week to recover as is anyway
Or you can also use a 6:2 ratio, ie 6 low volume workouts with 4 days rest
between each, followed by 2 high volume workouts
with one week breaks.

So basicly your teach your body to tolerate fatigue
and work capacity does rise over time. I also find this a good way to keep the aches and pains that creep up to a minimum

 

[InTraining]

Intraining, I don't count calories to the T, but typically between 5,000-6,000, as a general rule I shoot for 250/300g of protein and 550/600g of carbs, if I feel I didn't eat enough throughout the day, I will drink a rel milkshake before bed with a PB and J sandwich, If I feel I ate plenty, I will just have a plain old protein shake, that sort of shit. I'll tell you what, I think a large meatlover's pizza is the perfect fuel. If I eat a meatlovers the night before a workout, I feel diesel at the gym. Due to my activity level I am fairly lean. I am fat by bodybuilding contest standards, but at 5'11" and 257lbs I have a 36" waist and can see my top 2 abs, not that I care about abs, but just to show that if you use your fuel, you won't get fat. I see so many guys who eat just as much as me or even a little less, and get pudgy because they don't do squats/deads, they don't do the olympic lifts, they follow a BB split with too many rest days where they lay around, they do no cardio. I always said I think a BB diet is a lot different than an athlete's diet.

I am like that too, can see top 2 abs, probably around 15% BF but I don't really care right now...I think the extra fat\water is good for the joints after the torture they are put through with lifting....pizza is great fuel!! Personally I've always dreaded cardio as I thought it would bring strength\size gains to a halt...but I think that's just a common misconception...

As always, thanks for the informative post.