Hey,
I’m attempting to marry my 3rd-year BSc Kinesiology knowledge with my T-Nation reading to create a beginner program for my friend who’s never touched a weight in his life. Would very much appreciate some feedback from the T-Citizenry.
Subject is a 5’ 3", 43kg/95lbs male, Hong Kong chinese.
Goals: ideal bodyweight for relative strength (~60kg), high relative strength, gymnast-like flexibility, and maximum “functional” power w/o going over ideal Rel.Strength body mass.
Available days to train are Weds, Fri, Sat, Sun. So far his week looks like this:
Wed - Full Body
Thur - Off
Fri - Full Body
Sat - Light “cardio” (40-50% VO2max) and flexibility work. Recovery day, basically.
Sun - Full Body
Mon - Off
Tue - Off
However, after re-reading “Big Boy Basics”, I’m considering doing an upper-body/lower-body split, working each twice per week.
His total-body workouts are done in an alternating “A/B/A/B/A/…” fashion and are as such:
Total Body Workout A:
Box Squat
Walking Lunge
Bent-over Row
Bench Press
Upright Row
Pullovers
Various plank positions 30s each
Calf Raise
Ball Crunch
Hypers
Total Body Workout B:
Box Deadlift
Step-out Lunge
Machine-assisted Chinups
Military Press
Bent-over R. Delt Flye
Incline Chest Flye
Var. Planks 30s each
Calf Raise
Ball Crunch
Hypers
Exercises grouped together are done in a supersetted fashion to bring about ideal central (blood-stream mediated) endocrine response while allowing ideal peripheral (local muscular) recovery allowing to use of higher loads and more muscle fiber recruitment: first exercise, rest 60s, second exercise, rest 60s, first exercise…
Sets and reps for first 4 weeks are 2 x 12-15, weeks 5-12 are 3 x 8-12, weeks 13-24 are 3 x 6-10. From there we’ll get into the heavy strength & power work. Why wait six months? A random comment made by my exercise physiology professor that connective tissue strength isn’t strong enough for loads greater than 6RM until 6 months of regular strength training has elapsed. Is this wrong? Anyone?
For flexibility, every day I’ll have him do dynamic stretching: pendulum leg swings for to the front, side, and back, as well as a myriad of upper body dynamic stretches.
On strength days, as part of his cool down, he’ll do isometric/PNF stretching. 15s antagonist contraction: 15s agonist contraction continued until no further gain in ROM, then 30s isometric contraction and 30s passive stretch in greatest acheived ROM. 1 set per stretch.
T-Nation, do your worst!
Thanks!
Beef