Help please

BossArky

I’m looking for ideas to revamp my training. The problem is that there are not enough days in the week (or I’m just too puny).

I want to focus on 5 main exercises and hit them hard: Deadlift, Squat, Pull Ups, Bench, and Clean & Jerk.

The past week I have tried out the following-ish and am wondering if I’ll stick to it:

• Saturday am: Oly Bench, Face Pulls, Fly, Incline DB Bench, DB Pull Over (& Pull ups?)
• Sunday pm: Squat, SLDL
• Tuesday am or pm: C&J
• Thursday pm: Deadlift, Barbell Rows (& Pull Ups?)

One of my aims is to hit a 100kg bench by the end of the year for a 1 rep max. Currently I’m around 15kg off that. Hopefully I’ll add 30kg or so to my Squat and Deadlift at the same time (currently 100kg & ~130kg respectively)

So, do you think one bench session enough or should I include another one? I was hoping the pressing part of the C&J mean I can drop a second bench session.

Where should I put the Pull Ups? Weighted Pull Ups before the bench had me wrecked last time. Likewise I don’t thing I’ll have enough energy left to do enough Pull Ups volume-wise after Deadlifting (I have barbell rows in there after the Deadlifts).

I’m trying to learn C&J so have it as a session on it’s own.

There will probably be 2km of treadmill intervals in there twice a week to warm up - nothing too energy sapping.

Maybe I’m biting off too much as I’m knackered after a week of this. Should I just have the 4 session rolling over 8 or 9 days and not try to squeeze them into one week to allow proper recovery? I thought some of you may have been in a similar position before.

For what it’s worth I’m not looking to bulk up, just get stronger & leaner at 73kg. Any input appreciated.

DM-BM

Why not do something like Starting Strenght, its pretty much based on the lifts you have mentioned plus the press, although it uses power cleans not clean and jerk.

Basically alternate workouts A and B, training 3 times a week, so one week would be ABA and the next week would be BAB.

Workout A

Squat
Press
Power Clean/Deadlift

Workout B

Squat
Bench
Chins
Hyper Extensions

You alternate Power Cleans, with Deadlifts every second A workout.
I doubt you'll get big on it with out eating big.

BrianD3

BossArky wrote: »

I’m trying to learn C&J so have it as a session on it’s own.

Could you do the same for the other lifts? Personally, I find that doing one lift per session is enjoyable and allows focus on that one lift. I usually do one lift per session and have been doing that for quite a while. I don't think I'd be mentally or physical capable of doing say barbell rows after deadlifts. Maybe check out Dan John's One Lift a Day (OLAD) on t-nation, I don't use it but perhaps you would find it of interest.

There will probably be 2km of treadmill intervals in there twice a week to warm up - nothing too energy sapping.

IMO this sort of warmup is of no benefit in a strength programme. You are wasting energy and even after your 2km run you'll still need to do warmup sets before your heavy sets. These warmup sets will be your actual warmup

Hanley

BrianD3 wrote: »

. I usually do one lift per session and have been doing that for quite a while. I don't think I'd be mentally or physical capable of doing say barbell rows after deadlifts.

You might want to look at trying to up your work capacity if that's a problem...?? Of couse if you're doing something mad like sets of 12-15 on deadlifts it's more understanable!!

BossArky... If I were you I'd probably just split it up and try to hit the big compound moves on different days. Something like;

DAY 1:
Clean and Jerks
Squat (to a top set of 5 maybe, taking smallish jumps)
Front Squat (something like 6x3)
Abs

DAY 2:
Bench
Incline Bench
Weighted Chins/Pull Ups
Upper Back Work

DAY 3:
Clean and Jerks
Deadlifts
SLDL or RDL
Shrugs
Abs

DAY 4:
Clean and Jerks (light, to work form and warm up)
Shoulder Press
Close Grip Bench
Heavy Rows
Pulldowns
Maybe a bicep/tricep superset too



Day 4's a bit of an "everything" day really.. the rest are fairly solid. I always get good results coming up to competitions when I just focus on hitting lots of big moves hard. There's no need to go over 4 or 5 exercises per session if you're really pushing them imo.

BossArky

Thanks for the replies & ideas guys.

Last night with the help of youtube I realised that my "Clean & Jerk" is actually a "Power Clean & Press" so sub that in to my initial post.

DM-BM wrote: »

Why not do something like Starting Strenght

That is similar enough to what I have been doing in the past. I was hoping to cram all 5 into one week and wondered if others have particular programs which will save me reinventing the wheel i.e. how to keep the presses apart, pulls apart, deads and squats apart, etc.

BrianD3 wrote: »

I usually do one lift per session and have been doing that for quite a while.

Again, I'm trying to get everything into 1 week (or max 4 sessions).

BrianD3 wrote: »

IMO this sort of warmup is of no benefit in a strength programme. You are wasting energy and even after your 2km run you'll still need to do warmup sets before your heavy sets.

I cannot mange sprint intervals after heavy squats or deadlifts therefore I include them at the start. The small bit of energy I loose here will hopefully be more than compensated for by the fact that I will be keeping my heart healthy to leg it around with my zimmerframe at 100.

Anyway, when the call comes how the hell am I going to make it up the travelator without some sprint practice? :pac:

I will still warm up on the specific strength exercises themselves. My personal experience shows that I function better when my heart is thumping and I've worked up a decent sweat before tackling squat or deadlifting.

Hanley wrote: »

BossArky... If I were you I'd probably just split it up and try to hit the big compound moves on different days. Something like;

DAY 1:
Clean and Jerks
Squat (to a top set of 5 maybe, taking smallish jumps)
Front Squat (something like 6x3)
Abs

DAY 2:
Bench
Incline Bench
Weighted Chins/Pull Ups
Upper Back Work

DAY 3:
Clean and Jerks
Deadlifts
SLDL or RDL
Shrugs
Abs

DAY 4:
Clean and Jerks (light, to work form and warm up)
Shoulder Press
Close Grip Bench
Heavy Rows
Pulldowns
Maybe a bicep/tricep superset too

Cheers for the above structure. So you would recommend Power Clean & Press (subbed for Clean & Jerk) 3 of 4 days? (2 hard, 1 easy?)

SLDL after standard Deadlift? I thought it was best to do these after Squat as my back will be in bits from standard Deadlift.