Off-Season Gaa Head looking for advice/opinion

FastFullBack

Hey guys have been reading this forum alot recently and looking for your advice/critique.

Ok so I'm a 27 year old, 6” 2’, 13 & a half stone male. I've been lifting weights on/off for the last 2 years with the GAA club, but seeing as we've had a short year I want to take it a bit more serious from now until the New Year. I've been back in the gym 3 times a week for the past month.

My goals are to increase lean muscle & reduce body fat. 13 & a half stone is about the right weight for 6" 2' male. My main sport is hurling so I'm looking to work specifically on my explosive power and working towards doing some plyometric training to improve my speed & overall explosive ability. Also looking to increase overall upper body strength.

Here's my current schedule:

Monday - Gym
Tuesday - Off (maybe cycling 20 KM to & from work)
Wednesday - Gym
Thursday - Off (maybe cycling 20 KM to & from work)
Friday - Gym
Saturday - 50/60 km cycle
Sunday - Off

Here's my gym workout routine:

Every session
Deadlift (This is done every 2nd session alternating with the Squat)
Squat - Every 2nd session as above
Shoulder Press - Every session
Bench Press - Every session
Dumbbell Snatch - Every session
Powerclean - Starting to introduce this now. Done a bit of this during GAA training and for some reason's it always leads to slight groin strains. So I'm going to slowly bring it into my schedule but I'm a bit weary of my groins.

Alternating Sessions
Dip - Starting to introduce this now. Every 2nd session
Barbell BO Row - Every 2nd session
Wrist Curl - Every 2nd session (should be good for hurling)
Reverse Wrist Curl - Every 2nd session (should be good for hurling)
Fly - Every 2nd session
Dumbbell Side Raise - Every 2nd session
Farmers Walk - Every 3rd session
Bicep Curl - Every 2nd session. For vanity purposes
Reverse Bicep Curl - Every 2nd session. For vanity purposes
Lying Tricep Ext - Every 2nd session. For vanity purposes
Weighted Lunge - Every 3rd session. This has lead to slight groin strains so I'm a bit weary of it.
Pull-Up – Not doing this yet but will start when I think I can complete a set of 8 with the right form

Basically I try to do 10 exercises per session. The ones in the ‘Every session’ list are always done with deadlift & squat alternated. I do 3x8 of all exercises except deadlift & squat which I only do 3x5.
I split the 10 exercises in 2 groups of 5 and in between I do some core work. Plank for 45 seconds, forward & both sides, so 3x 45 seconds. Bridge for 45 seconds. 100 Russian twists with a 3kg med ball. I also do some groin strengthening exercises during this time. This core workout has become a bit stale so I’m gonna try to change this a bit.

My overall schedule is loosely based on Starting Strength, but with a few more exercises. The exercises I do every session are specified in starting strength so I took these as the best exercises to be doing every session. I split the deadlift & squat as per SS.

Diet
Breakfast at home: 7:45am – Porridge. Also trying to add a micro waved egg or 2 to this.
Breakfast at work: 10:30am – Scrambled eggs, 2 brown toasts & a yogurt.
Snack 12:00pm – Apple & banana
Lunch 1:30 – Tuna/chicken wrap with sweetcorn, cheese, lettuce.
Snack 3:00pm – Apple & banana
Prework snack 4:00pm – Brown wholemeal bread with some cottage cheese.
Dinner 7pm – Wholemeal pasta / wholemeal rice with chicken/tuna/beef and 2-3 different veg
Snack – Piece of Fruit.


OK so here what I want your advice on:

1) My rest days I’d like to cycle to work. It’s a 19km one way pretty flat cycle, which I go pretty hard at. Averaging about 30km per hour. Should I cut this out and completely rest these days? Cycling seems to be specifically tough on the hamstrings; at least that’s where I feel the burn.
2) I know I should mix my reps of exercises up a bit. I’ve been doing 3x8 for the last 4 weeks. Any suggestions on what to try. Increase or decrease?
3) Any suggestions on some good core work to do. Am I doing enough core work? I usually just do about 15 mins sandwiched by 25 mins weights on each side.
4) Plyometrics. When should I introduce this? I’ve read on here that I should have a good strength base before even starting it. At the moment I’m dead lifting close to my bodyweight 85kg, squatting 60kg. I know there’s a lot more in them as I only started back at them 4 weeks ago and I’m slowly increasing the weight.
How should I fit the plyometrics into my schedule? Replace one of my weight sessions once a week? Replace one of the core sessions once a week with weights each side of it? Again I read on here it’s pretty intensive and should only be done once a week.
5) As it gets closer to December & January; I want to start doing a lot more cardio work. Should I drop a weight session or 2 to incorporate this? Or do some cardio work on my rest days?
6) Any opinions on my overall gym schedule? Are DB snatches better than barbell snatches or should I mix them up?

Looking forwards to hearing some of your thoughts.
Sorry bout the long post.

Thanks.

squod

I've read through your post, I'm wondering if it's true you're doing bench, squat and deadlift three times per week @ 3 sets by 8 reps?

Am I picking this up wrong?

d'Oracle

FastFullBack wrote: »

My overall schedule is loosely based on Starting Strength, but with a few more exercises. The exercises I do every session are specified in starting strength so I took these as the best exercises to be doing every session. I split the deadlift & squat as per SS.

No offence mate, but its isnt and you have obviously missed the whole point of SS.

In SS you squat everyday.
SS is Warm-up and 3x5 in Squat.
Warm-up and 3x5 in one of the presses.
Warm-up and 1x5 DL or 5x3 power clean (or another pull)

Maybe one or two assistance lifts as you get on.

Just cos you are doing compound lifts doesn't mean you are doing SS or stronglifts.

FastFullBack

squod wrote: »

I've read through your post, I'm wondering if it's true you're doing bench, squat and deadlift three times per week @ 3 sets by 8 reps?

Am I picking this up wrong?

Yes I bench 3 times a week.
I alternate the deadlift & squat every session so over 2 weeks (6 sessions) I deadlift 3 times and squat 3 times.

FastFullBack

d'Oracle wrote: »

No offence mate, but its isnt and you have obviously missed the whole point of SS.

In SS you squat everyday.
SS is Warm-up and 3x5 in Squat.
Warm-up and 3x5 in one of the presses.
Warm-up and 1x5 DL or 5x3 power clean (or another pull)

Maybe one or two assistance lifts as you get on.

Just cos you are doing compound lifts doesn't mean you are doing SS or stronglifts.

Ok when I say I based it loosely off SS, I meant I took the 5 exercises and based my schedule around them. I didn't really follow the programming part of SS.

squod

FastFullBack wrote: »

Ok when I say I based it loosely off SS, I meant I took the 5 exercises and based my schedule around them. I didn't really follow the programming part of SS.

Aha, that explains that. How do you feel after each bench session?
And also after your squat session. I dunno about you but I generally knackered after them and can only do them once a week.

To get muscle gains you need to rest the muscle enough between workout days, to let it grow. It might be you're not lifting heavy enough, and so your muscles aren't tired.

Also there's not much mention of back work. Do you do db rows, pullups/latpull-downs or cable rows?

FastFullBack

squod wrote: »

Aha, that explains that. How do you feel after each bench session?
And also after your squat session. I dunno about you but I generally knackered after them and can only do them once a week.

To get muscle gains you need to rest the muscle enough between workout days, to let it grow. It might be you're not lifting heavy enough, and so your muscles aren't tired.

Also there's not much mention of back work. Do you do db rows, pullups/latpull-downs or cable rows?

I feel ok after the bench sessions. Upper body is not that sore. I'm defintely lifting about my max bench. Not a hugh amount but I'll be building it up.

I'm probably not anywhere near my max squat or deadlift. I've been slowing building it up trying to avoid injury. As I increase weight I guess I'll start to feel tired alot more.

I'm doing a BO row every 2nd session. Should I be including than in every session?

squod

FastFullBack wrote: »

I feel ok after the bench sessions. Upper body is not that sore. I'm defintely lifting about my max bench. Not a hugh amount but I'll be building it up.

I'm probably not anywhere near my max squat or deadlift. I've been slowing building it up trying to avoid injury. As I increase weight I guess I'll start to feel tired alot more.

I'm doing a BO row every 2nd session. Should I be including than in every session?

Its just for 'balance' you'd do the back with the same effort and duration as chest. I'd concider doing 5x5 on the bench, squat and deadlift.

Or a three day split routine? with chest and arms (day one), legs(day three), then back and shoulders(day five). This way theres plenty of rest between workout days for muscle recovery and growth.

Also have you considered doing another sport between seasons, like squash or indoor soccer ? (Great for reactions/reflexes).