A Year of Training Plan!

Well I have wrote a year plan for training in a word document and just wanted to see what you guys though on here!
My goal of the year is to compete in two equipped meets early on then after that increase my raw strength.
My plan for training was staying as simple as I could and slow and steady progress!
I attached the word document so check it out!

2013: THE PLAN!

Well 2013 is here and this is my plan for training and competing in the coming year. I am going to get back to simple and basic and if anyone follows my blog knows that I am already pretty simple and basic but I am going to get even more simple and basic as possible.

I am doing so because I believe training in todayâ??s society has gotten overly complicated even for the people that claim to be simple and crude in there training. What happen to just going to the gym loading up some heavy weights on a barbell and lifting then going from there? Now I ainâ??t doing that I will have at least a plan but it is inspired by some old school strongmen and lifters like Doug Hepburn, Bob Hoffman, Bill Starr, and even the great Reg Park. We all know they all did 5x5 or some form of it which is a great program but we have forgotten some other great training such as singles and triples and the biggest part of any program; a simple plan of progression! I was introduced by this idea with Mehdiâ??s Stronglifts 5x5 and Jim Wendlerâ??s 5/3/1 programs that preach slow and steady progress going up 5-10 pounds and go back in weights and building back up when stalled.

Yes this is linear periodization and yes I would be the first to say that it is crude and out of date and that undulating or block periodization is better and has proven so; just ask Louie Simmons and Dave Tate about the problems of linear periodization and the benefits of undulating and block periodization. Now with that said lets look at Doug Hepburn, Paul Anderson, and even the likes of Arthur Saxon or Herman Goerner they all did linear progression and got super human strong right? Well I beg a differ with that; they werenâ??t only using linear periodization they were also using principles from block and undulating periodization without knowing it and even though he wouldnâ??t be consider a old school strongman Ed Coanâ??s training program is considered linear but in a lot of ways looks block style due to the fact he starts with higher repetitions with more of a general approach; for example he would start with high bar back squats for sets of 10 then 8 and as he went along lower the bar on his back along with the number of reps then close to the meet added his suit with straps down at first then up which is more sport specific thus you have block periodization; and I believe all periodization or training is linear because that is the goal and thatâ??s the goal of gradually getting stronger over time and thatâ??s the principle of all forms of training or at least I hope so!

All the old school strongmen also knew the benefit of taking a step back when needed and the importance of recovery for example Herman Goerner believed in training outside and doing some swimming which both helped him relax get some fresh air and also take stress of his joints and then there was Doug Hepburn he recommends taking a nap after training and preached the importance of eating to recover. Theses werenâ??t the only old school strongmen that practiced these techniques.

Part 1: A New Season
Enough of the gibberish lets get down to the nitty gritty. My next meet is on February 23rd and then another one 21 weeks later on July 20th; then after that is pretty much my off season and might not compete again until the next Alabama State Championship in February 2014, so that gives me almost six months of off season training to get stronger. For now though I already got a plan for February 23rd so got to plan out the following 21 weeks and the almost 30 weeks after that.

So where do I stand at the moment?
Squat Raw 496
Bench Raw 300 in the gym 290 in competition
Dead lift 562
Total 1344

6 week Pre-Meet program for my first equipped powerlifting meet. I am using Brandon Lillyâ??s Cube method as my main template for it and it is just an extended undulating periodization program which is about the same as Louie Simmons Westside Barbell program.

Now I have combined that with high frequency training and the heavy, light, and medium scheme. I have done that to trigger synaptic facilitation of my nervous system and in common words â??greasing the grooveâ??.

Max Effort â?? 1
Dynamic Effort â?? 2
Repetition Effort â?? 3
Meet â?? M
Deload - D
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Deadlift 1 2 3 1 2 3 M D
Bench Press 2 3 1 2 3 1 M D
Squat 3 1 2 3 1 2 M D
Primary Exercises for each week
Deadlift

Week 1 Max Effort Max triple off of a 3 inch block or rack pull with weights 3-4 inches off the ground; straps down on suit
Week 2 Dynamic Effort Reverse Average Bands waving 60, 65, and 70% on the floor for 12 sets of 1 rep; with full gear on
Week 3 Repetition Effort 3 inch block pull for 3 sets of 5 reps with a snatch grip
Week 4 Max Effort Max Double off of a 1.5 inch block; with straps down
Week 5 Dynamic Effort Reverse Average Band waving 60, 65, and 70% on the floor for 9 sets of 1 rep
Week 6 Repetition Effort 1.5 inch block pulls for 3 sets of 5 reps with snatch grip

Bench Press
Week 1 Dynamic Effort Reverse band for 9 sets of 3 reps waving 60, 65, & 70% on chest
Week 2 Repetition Effort Bench Press with sling shot on for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 3 Max Effort Shirted bench press off of a two board with all three planned attempts for triples
Week 4 Dynamic Effort Reverse Band for 6 sets of 3 reps waving 60, 65, & 70% off of the chest
Week 5 Repetition Effort Bench press with the sling shot for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 6 Max Effort Shirted bench press off of a one board with all three planned attempts for doubles

Squat
Week 1 Repetition Effort 16 inch box squat with suit on with straps down for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 2 Max Effort Reverse band squats with full gear on suit with 97.5% and 102.5% of max
Week 3 Dynamic Effort Box squats with straps down waving 60, 65, & 70% of planned third attempt and average bands added
Week 4 Repetition Effort 14 inch box squat with suit on and straps down for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 5 Max Effort Reverse band squats with full gear on up to 107.5% of max
Week 6 Dynamic Effort Box squats with suit on and straps down for 9 sets of 2 reps waving 60, 65,& 70% of planned third attempt

Secondary Barbell exercise
Deadlift Day
Snatch Grip Deadlift with pause for 2-3 second 2 inches below the knees for 2 sets of 3-5 reps
Bench Press Day
Close Grip Bench Press with 2-3 second pause on chest for 2 sets of 3-5 reps
Squat Day
Good mornings off of the racks from around belly button height for 3 sets of 6-8 reps

Accessory Exercise
Deadlift Day
Incline Bench Press with fat grips for 3 sets of 10 reps
Olympic Squats with 2-3 second pause in bottom for 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Bench Press
Barbell Rows with fat grips for 3 sets of 10 reps
Front Squats for 3 sets of 10 reps
Squat Day
Military Press for 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Barbell Shrugs with a snatch grip for 3 sets of 6-8 reps

General Physical Preparedness
Sled dragging every day forward and backwards; also upper body drags
Pull-ups on training days only with various grips and band assistance when needed
Dips and pushups on training days only with various grips
Walking lunge with just body weight for distance
Various band exercises on training days or when felt like it
Hanging leg raise
Abe pull downs
February 23rd 2013 Alabama State Championship
My first equipped meet and I will be using a Inzer Champion squat suit and a Inzer Standard Blast Shirt along with Elitefts normal knee wraps and wrist wraps. I will be also wearing a 4x4 Toro training belt and dead lift slippers.

So where do I stand at the moment?
Squat Raw 496
Bench Raw 300 in the gym 290 in competition
Dead lift 562
Total 1344

Well following the meet I will need to recover and reload to get ready for some hard training to get ready for July.
Reload 1 week
Rest Periods: 30-45 seconds
Training Split
Full body workouts three times a week
Exercises
Workout A
Front Squat
Military Press
Barbell Rows
Workout Sets x Reps @ Weight %
1A 3 x 15 @ 20%
2A 3 x 12 @ 30%
3A 3 x 10 @ 40%

Now that my muscles and nervous system are reloaded itâ??s time to start moving some heavy weights! Input 5x5 training; which is probably the worldâ??s most known program for obtaining strength and size.

So what makes 5x5 special and WHY? Well most people understand that submaximal training is the most productive way to develop strength and size but is there more to it? Well I believe the volume it provides along with the limiting factory to obtain all 5 sets of 5 keeps the lifter from having to worry about how much of both weight and volume and the proper balance of it by doing all on its own. So one could say itâ??s the balance of enough volume with the right amount of intensity to put the proper stress on your body to produce a response of strength. So can this be achieved in another path?

Oh yea but not without over complication; 5x5 seems to just take care of all that for us. Sure you could do 3x8 which would be a total volume of 24 reps but you would have to use lighter weights and what about 8x3; now you can handle heavier weights but for how long without breaking you down and slowing your progress. So what about the genetic freaks that can go longer without slowing progress? Well they are just predetermined physically to have the capabilities to do so but even they run into a wall eventually; just a little bit further down the road. So 5x5 is popular because it hasnâ??t only worked for the genetic elite but for the masses!

5x5
4 weeks
Rest Periods: 60-90 seconds
Training Split
Two workouts split between Squat and Bench Press; since they are my weaker two of the big three and I seem to do better with less dead lifting than more. I am also not keeping 5 x 5 through the entire four weeks; after 3 workouts for each I will go to 5 x 3 to start using heavier weights. I ainâ??t using a long 5 x 5 program due to the fact of the short period between meets of 21 weeks and I am competing geared; needing the last 6 weeks to get in some practice with my gear.

Primary Exercises
Workout A
Squat
Workout B
Bench Press
Workout Sets x Reps @ Weight%
1A 5 x 5 @ 60%
2B 5 x 5 @ 60%
3A 5 x 5 @ 60% + 15 lbs
4B 5 x 5 @ 60% + 15 lbs
5A 5 x 5 @ 60% + 25 lbs
6B 5 x 5 @ 60% + 25 lbs
7A 5 x 3 @ 70%
8B 5 x 3 @ 70%
9A 5 x 3 @ 70% + 15 lbs
10B 5 x 3 @ 70% + 15 lbs
11A 5 x 3 @ 70% + 25 lbs
12B 5 x 3 @ 70% + 25 lbs

With the accessory exercise I will use Doug Hepburnâ??s pump workout progression. This style of progression you use a certain amount of weight for 3 sets of 6 reps and the next workout you do 1 set of 7 reps and 2 sets of 6 reps and each week you add a set of 7 and take away a set of 6 until you got 3 sets of 7 then you go for 8 reps then add weight once you achieve 3 sets of 8 with that weight.

Accessory Exercises: Sets x Reps
Workout A
Front Squat 3 x 6 to 8
Snatch Grip Dead lift 3 x 4 to 6
Workout B
Military Press 3 x 6 to 8
Barbell Rows 3 x 6 to 8

Every workout will be general conditioning with bodyweight exercises, kettle bell swings, band pull a part, and High Intensity Interval Training with sprints or doing some swimming. Do abs every workout with light Olympic lift drills.

Now that we are done with all this submaximal repetition work its time to do singles! I bet you are saying â??What?â?? are you crazy singles donâ??t work you donâ??t get enough time under tension and all of that other science jazz right. Well think about it in a meet you perform singles, not triples, five reps maxes, or doubles but singles and what is the best way at getting better at something is by doing it! Also it worked for Doug Hepburn with his power and pump program and from what I have read Bill Starrâ??s program originally had singles but eventually took that off and just used 5 x 5 because they realized both in one workout was a bit much. Mr. Hepburn said later on in his life that he would have done that differently to; by doing either power or pump in a workout but not both like he originally did. Oh yea if you want to check out some crazy singles work look up Steve Justa; now that guy was crazy about them!

Power!
9 weeks
Rest Periods: 90-120 seconds
Training Split

The training split will be three separate workouts in a week emphasizing on one of the big three in each workout.
Workout A Dead lift, Workout B Bench Press, and Workout C Squat
Primary Exercises
Week Sets x Reps @ Weights %
1 4 x 1 @ 85%
2 5 x 1 @ 85%
3 6 x 1 @ 85%
4 4 x 1 @ 85% + 15lbs
5 5 x 1 @ 85% + 15lbs
6 6 x 1 @ 85% + 15lbs
7 4 x 1 @ 85% + 25lbs
8 5 x 1 @ 85% + 25lbs
9 6 x 1 @85% + 25lbs

Accessory Exercises (Pump)
Workout A Dead lifts
The dead lift work out is much different than the other two because I will do power cleans first from 40-60% of my dead lift then do high pulls from 65-75% before doing my dead lifts.
Power Cleans 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps
High pulls 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps
Snatch Grip Dead lifts 3 sets of 10 reps
Workout B Bench Press
In this bench press work out I will be doing close grip bench with a pause with 40-60% of my bench then do military press or push press with 65-75% of my bench press max.
Close Grip bench 7 second pause 3 sets of 3-5 reps
Military Press or Push Press 5 sets of 3-5 reps
Barbell Rows 3-5 sets of 10 reps
Workout C Squat

This workout I will do several sets of jumps before doing my heavy squats and then I will do speed squats with 65-75% followed by pause squats with 40-60% of my squat max.
Jumps 4-8 set of 2-5 reps
Speed Squat 3 to 5 sets of 3 reps
7 second pause Squats 3 sets of 5 reps
Snatch Grip Power shrugs 3 sets of 10 reps

Every work out I will perform 3-5 rounds of ½:1 minute ratio sprints to walk along with some a exercise for my abs. I also might do some calisthenics and throws with a medicine ball and I will always do at least one set of kettle bell swings.

Phase 3 Realization (Pre-Meet)
6 weeks
Rest periods: Depending on the intent of the day. On dynamic effort days it will be around 30-45 seconds, repetition effort method days it will be 60-90 seconds, and on max effort days will be 90-120 seconds.

Training split: This will be the same as the previous cycle with three separate training days one each for dead lift, bench press, and squat.
Each day will be a max effort, dynamic effort, or repetition effort method day in one week and rotated for each work out.
1 Max Effort
2 Dynamic Effort
3 Repetition Effort

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6
Dead lift 1 2 3 1 2 3
Bench Press 2 3 1 2 3 1
Squat 3 1 2 3 1 2

Dead lift
Week 1 Max Effort 3 inch block dead lift for a max triple
Week 2 Dynamic Effort Reverse band dead lifts with 60-70% on the floor waved for 9 sets of 1 rep in full gear
Week 3 Repetition Effort Snatch grip 3 inch block pull for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 4 Max Effort 1.5 inch block pull dead lift for a max double
Week 5 Dynamic Effort Reverse band dead lifts with 65-75% on the floor waved for 6 sets of 1 rep in full gear
Week 6 Repetition Effort Snatch grip 1.5 inch block pull for 3 sets of 5 reps

Bench Press
Week 1 Dynamic Effort Reverse band bench press with 60-70% off of the chest waved for 9 sets of 3 reps
Week 2 Repetition Effort Sling shot bench press for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 3 Max Effort Shirted bench press off of a 3 board for a max single
Week 4 Dynamic Effort Reverse band bench press with 65-75% off of the chest waved for 6 sets of 3 reps
Week 5 Repetition Effort Sling shot bench press for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 6 Max Effort Shirted bench press to a two board for a max single

Squat
Week 1 Repetition Effort 16 inch high box squat with suit on and straps down for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 2 Max Effort Reverse band squat with suit on and straps down with my planned opener and second attempts after going up to 85% for 3 sets of 1 rep
Week 3 Dynamic Effort Raw box squats with 60-70% waved for 9 sets of 2 reps
Week 4 Repetition Effort 14 inch high box squat with suit on and straps down for 3 sets of 5 reps
Week 5 Max Effort Reverse band squats with suit on and straps down for all three of my planned attempts after working up to 90% for 3 singles
Week 6 Dynamic Effort Raw box squats with 65-75% waved for 6 sets of 2 reps

Accessory Exercises
Dead lift
Pause Dead lifts 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-7 second pauses
Olympic or Front Squats 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Hang High Pull 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 reps

Bench Press
Paused close grip bench press 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-7 second pauses
Military or Push press 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Barbell or Dumbbell Rows 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Lying Triceps Extension 3 sets of 10 reps

Squat
Pause squat 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps with 3-7 second pauses
Good mornings 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Floor or Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 10 reps
Pull downs or Pull ups 3 sets of 10-20 reps

Every training day I will do abs with band pull downs, side bends, or hanging leg raises and planks. I will also do kettle bell swings along with various jumps and throws and some High Intensity Interval Training.

July 20th 2013 USAPL Mississippi State Championship and Regional IX Championship
The plan is to compete geared but that could change if I canâ??t get a new bench shirt.

Part 2: The Off Season!!!

Now at this point I have competed in two meets either gear or raw and now I have over 6 months until the next plan meet so in essence this is my off season! The off season is a time to just get stronger and not worrying about peaking or tapering just hard training just to get strong overall and prepare for the season.

This means evaluating my performance in my last two meets and making new goals for the next coming year.
For the first we are getting Russian by using Pavel Tsatsoulineâ??s version of the Smolov program along with a few Olympic lifts mixed in there!
I will take one week off from serious training before starting on a new program and then it will be time to get serious again and get ready to reach and break personal records and goals.

Russian cycle
6 weeks
The training split would look like this:
Monday: Military Press, and Arms
Tuesday: Squat
Wednesday: Bench, and Rows
Thursday: Off
Friday: Squat
Saturday: Military Press, and Arms
Sunday: Off
Squats
Set x Reps @ Weight %
The weights used will be based off of a training max that is 90% of my raw max.
Week Day 1 Day 2
1 4 x 9 @ 70% 5 x 7 @ 75%
2 7 x 5 @ 80% 10 x 3 @85%
3 4 x 9 @ 70% + 10lbs 5 x 7 @ 75% + 10lbs
4 7 x 5 @ 80% + 10lbs 10 x 3 @ 85% + 10lbs
5 4 x 9 @ 70$ + 15lbs 5 x 7 @ 75% + 15lbs
6 7 x 5 @ 80% + 15lbs 10 x 3 @ 85% + 15lbs

Accessory Exercises: Sets x Reps
Snatch Grip Dead lift 3 sets of 4-6 reps
Various Snatch Drills 3-5 sets of 1-5 reps each
Abs One or two ab movements for 2 sets of 15 reps
Jumps 2-4 sets of 3-5 reps of various different jumps
Sprints 3-5 rounds of ½:2 minute ratio sprint to walk

Military Press workout A: Sets x Reps
Standing Military Press 5 sets for 5/4/3/2/1 then 1-3 additional singles at same weight with a drop set to 80-85% of that single for reps
60 Degree Incline Bench Press 3 sets of 4-6 reps
Behind the Neck Shoulder Press 3 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 reps
Lying Triceps Extension 3 sets of 10 reps

Workout B: Sets x Reps
Push Press 5 sets of 3-5 reps
Seated Behind the Neck Press 3 sets of 4-6 reps
60 Degree Incline Dumbbell Bench press 3 sets of 10 reps
Reverse Grip Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 reps
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Ext. 3 sets of 10 reps

Bench Press: Sets x Reps
Close Grip or Floor Press 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps
Underhand Grip Pull ups or downs 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps
Dips or Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Barbell or Dumbbell Rows 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Seated Arnold Presses 3 sets of 10 reps
Upright Rows or Face Pulls 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Pull overs 3 sets of 20 reps
Cuban Presses or Front Raises 3 sets of 10 reps

Old School cycle
12 weeks
Now letâ??s get old school! In this cycle I will be using old school linear periodization with full body Heavy, Light, and Medium training routine. This will include a higher frequency of the power lifts to engage synaptic facilitation of neurons and with linear periodization used carefully trying to progress slowly with a plan in case I stale and it will only be for a few months during the fall semester to prevent burning out.
I will be using a Doug Hepburn style of progression by adding a set instead of weight each workout until I achieve the desired number of sets for said reps and weight before increasing that weight and starting over with an added 5-10 pounds and more suitable.

Workout A Heavy: Sets x Reps @ Starting Weight%
Squat 4-6 sets of 1 rep @ 90%
Bench Press 4-6 sets of 1 rep @ 90%
Dead lift 2-4 sets of 1 rep @ 90%

Workout B Light: Sets x Reps @ Starting Weight%
Squat 3-5 sets of 5 reps @ 70%
Close Grip Bench Press 3-5 sets of 5 reps @ 70%
Power Clean 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps @ 70% of power clean or 20-30% of dead lift

Workout C Medium: Sets x Reps @ Starting Weight%
Squat 3-5 sets of 3 reps @ 80%
Bench Press 3-5 sets of 3 reps @ 80%
Snatch Grip Dead lift 3-5 sets of 3 reps @ 70%

Accessory Exercise Workouts A & C
Military Press 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Pull ups or Pull downs 3 sets of 6-8 or 15-25 reps
Triceps Extensions 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Workout B
Incline Dumbbell Presses 3 sets of 10 reps
Barbell Rows 3 sets of 6-8 reps
Bicep Curls 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Every training day I will do some type of ab or core stuff along with grip work if needed and with time permitting various jumps and throws and possible some high intensity interval training.

By the end of this training cycle it should be the end of November and time for the holidays and getting ready for a new year of competition to prove myself and set some personal records!!

I also at this point plan on adopting more of a 4 day split like a body builder training each lift once a week and also using the cube method approach by rotating between max, dynamic, and repetition effort methods on my main lifts and all the accessory lifts will be body building style.
Well thatâ??s a whole year of training down on paper and ready to be done and ready to work hard. Time to accomplish some goals and set some personal records! This will fuel my training so let the experiment begin!

Well never mind guys I guess the document didn’t get attached to it! That really sucks!