Post by Steve Gardener on Nov 12, 2007 17:48:31 GMT
As someone who may or may not have made something of themselves in the strength world - esp grip - like many I get asked with help putting together a training program or schedule. Just yesterday I had such a request and explained that I'd have a bunch of questions, that it'd be time consuming and so on. Add to that the most people do not truly value what they have paid for, be that in sweat, blood or money and so I declined say I would do so but for fee. I still managed to offer some tips and here are those and a few more.
It is easy enough to write out a program but ideally, as with any proper instructor, you should know something about the persons aims, rep/set schemes, access to equipment and more. The best person for this is you. It CAN be difficult for any individual to somehow see themselves rather than be. What I mean is even the best lifters will make mistakes the rest of us can see easily but it is hard to accept that you might be a world record holder and still ballsing it up.
Anyway...
Write out your aims
When I am rewriting a program, adjusting it or redoing it completely I may use a few sheets before I am happy. The aims can be an inch here or a few kilos there but should be clear. Most of my recent ones have been a certain weight lifted by a set date - usually a competition.
Do not get stuck on the 7 day week
Some programs and targets within them can end up as quite a list and even those using anabolic steroids can do too much. We've all seen newbies doing 2 hours of chest using every movement known to mankind and with chests that would just about make a small pigeon proud. For them I'd actually get them to do just one or two movements and do them well. But if you insist you need a movement to work the upper/inner chest, another for the outer lower and so on then why not do 2 or three different chest workouts? But not back to back.
With rest of equal importance to training there is no need for 5 day back to back sessions or similar as some are still doing. All too often these athletes like 'training' or 'going to the gym' as they call it but have no real sense of purpose and cannot train hard and still recover as they should. They might argue that weekends are not free but I would then suggest a 6 workout (M-W-F week 1 and same again week 2) schedule. The whole of their program takes 2 weeks, not one and they are getting 4 days a week to recover in. When some muscles will be hit directly and indirectly more than once in most schedules the idea of only doing a 6 workout schedule some 26 times a year might seem more attractive than 52 times a year.
My current schedule repeats itself every 10 or 11 days. During that time I do 2 different gripper workouts, one whole body workout and so on. I am alternating thick pinch (70mm) with a thinner workout (44mm). Add a speed bench workout with a max weight workout and that's just half of it. What I am not doing is thinking it all has to be done inside a week. Even allowing for most peoples 3 training days a week and rest days you can stretch it out more. If I did this, rather than a every other day schedule, my program would take at least two weeks. It might even be an idea for the future.
With the 7 day idea thrown out you can, if need be, fit it all in. I probably adjust everything every 4 months or so. Some recommend less (12 weeks or under).
A comment on a variation of DC (Dogg Crappe) training
DC training is another idea on extending a way of hitting a bodypart without over training. It suggests various means of exhausting the muscle (drop sets etc) but has you rotate through a sequence of movements. So a chest workout 30 day schedule might be dips and flyes, then flyes and incline bench, Then incline bench and something else.
All of the above are ways to break out of the doing the same thing in as little time as possible. The 7 day week mind set need not be used. Look at 4 month periods instead. Even the idea of an end of year poundage should be as attractive as a '1/4 inch in a month'. It's a journey not a race.
Do not neglect the basics
If you are aiming to be a strongman or a grip strength nut it would all too easy to do very little but events. But neglecting the basic compound movements would weaken you. A strong bencher will press well, a strong deadlifter will grip well and so a balance between strengthening weak events and working on technique should be equally opposed by (50-50 or close to it) a good solid compound based program.
Right now the rest of the whey boys do one event day a week. The other two days are basic compounds and a combo of conditioning (lots of bag work this winter) and weak point strengtheners.
A quick look at my log shows pressing, benching, leg work and curls etc. They might be done just once over the 11 day period but all are done enough to keep me weighing 19st plus, with arms at 18.5 cold and so on. The grip stuff, or your specialization, is done a little more often.
Cycle poundages
Do not go all out all the time. My speed bench weights are not the same as the max days and I cannot hope to bench 180kg (my current target) all year round. The same applies to grippers and pinch. I have found that the setting of a date - typically a competition - is enough to focus my energies with an idea of peaking on that day, week, whatever. I will then rest a few days. On returning to training I'll drop poundages and draw up a plan for the next event some months away. Often the first few weeks will have some basic fucking around - fun days where I might do something I've not done for ages as a test and a break from the schedule. But within a few weeks it's head down and away towards the target. It keeps me focused as will any program you write up - as it should.
Right - a quick go at an example or two
It is easy enough to write out a program but ideally, as with any proper instructor, you should know something about the persons aims, rep/set schemes, access to equipment and more. The best person for this is you. It CAN be difficult for any individual to somehow see themselves rather than be. What I mean is even the best lifters will make mistakes the rest of us can see easily but it is hard to accept that you might be a world record holder and still ballsing it up.
Anyway...
Write out your aims
When I am rewriting a program, adjusting it or redoing it completely I may use a few sheets before I am happy. The aims can be an inch here or a few kilos there but should be clear. Most of my recent ones have been a certain weight lifted by a set date - usually a competition.
Do not get stuck on the 7 day week
Some programs and targets within them can end up as quite a list and even those using anabolic steroids can do too much. We've all seen newbies doing 2 hours of chest using every movement known to mankind and with chests that would just about make a small pigeon proud. For them I'd actually get them to do just one or two movements and do them well. But if you insist you need a movement to work the upper/inner chest, another for the outer lower and so on then why not do 2 or three different chest workouts? But not back to back.
With rest of equal importance to training there is no need for 5 day back to back sessions or similar as some are still doing. All too often these athletes like 'training' or 'going to the gym' as they call it but have no real sense of purpose and cannot train hard and still recover as they should. They might argue that weekends are not free but I would then suggest a 6 workout (M-W-F week 1 and same again week 2) schedule. The whole of their program takes 2 weeks, not one and they are getting 4 days a week to recover in. When some muscles will be hit directly and indirectly more than once in most schedules the idea of only doing a 6 workout schedule some 26 times a year might seem more attractive than 52 times a year.
My current schedule repeats itself every 10 or 11 days. During that time I do 2 different gripper workouts, one whole body workout and so on. I am alternating thick pinch (70mm) with a thinner workout (44mm). Add a speed bench workout with a max weight workout and that's just half of it. What I am not doing is thinking it all has to be done inside a week. Even allowing for most peoples 3 training days a week and rest days you can stretch it out more. If I did this, rather than a every other day schedule, my program would take at least two weeks. It might even be an idea for the future.
With the 7 day idea thrown out you can, if need be, fit it all in. I probably adjust everything every 4 months or so. Some recommend less (12 weeks or under).
A comment on a variation of DC (Dogg Crappe) training
DC training is another idea on extending a way of hitting a bodypart without over training. It suggests various means of exhausting the muscle (drop sets etc) but has you rotate through a sequence of movements. So a chest workout 30 day schedule might be dips and flyes, then flyes and incline bench, Then incline bench and something else.
All of the above are ways to break out of the doing the same thing in as little time as possible. The 7 day week mind set need not be used. Look at 4 month periods instead. Even the idea of an end of year poundage should be as attractive as a '1/4 inch in a month'. It's a journey not a race.
Do not neglect the basics
If you are aiming to be a strongman or a grip strength nut it would all too easy to do very little but events. But neglecting the basic compound movements would weaken you. A strong bencher will press well, a strong deadlifter will grip well and so a balance between strengthening weak events and working on technique should be equally opposed by (50-50 or close to it) a good solid compound based program.
Right now the rest of the whey boys do one event day a week. The other two days are basic compounds and a combo of conditioning (lots of bag work this winter) and weak point strengtheners.
A quick look at my log shows pressing, benching, leg work and curls etc. They might be done just once over the 11 day period but all are done enough to keep me weighing 19st plus, with arms at 18.5 cold and so on. The grip stuff, or your specialization, is done a little more often.
Cycle poundages
Do not go all out all the time. My speed bench weights are not the same as the max days and I cannot hope to bench 180kg (my current target) all year round. The same applies to grippers and pinch. I have found that the setting of a date - typically a competition - is enough to focus my energies with an idea of peaking on that day, week, whatever. I will then rest a few days. On returning to training I'll drop poundages and draw up a plan for the next event some months away. Often the first few weeks will have some basic fucking around - fun days where I might do something I've not done for ages as a test and a break from the schedule. But within a few weeks it's head down and away towards the target. It keeps me focused as will any program you write up - as it should.
Right - a quick go at an example or two
