My Winter Training-- Thoughts?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
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For the interested::

I’m back home from school now and I just made a dragging sled and a sandbag (inner bags: 2 50#'s, 4 small 25#'s) today… I might go get a large tire and a 10-12lb sledge hammer.

I figure if you build it they (muscle) will come. hehe so tommorrow I ring in the winter training season :slight_smile:

I’ll have time to train twice a day and do nothing but sleep eat and help keep the house clean. This is about to be the happiest time of my LIFE haha.

Tell me what you think of the following:

Workout 1:
Various Sprints and/or Agility drills
1 arm snatches (5x3)
Prisoner* Squats
Various Dragging

Workout 2:
Various Sprints and/or agility drills
One arm pushups/pistols (3x5)(superset)
“Cheerleaders” **
Prisoner Dbell Swings
Various Dragging

Workout 3:
Various Sprints and/or Agility drills
OH Squats (Barbell)(3x8)
Prisoner Sandbag Shouldering
Various Dragging

Workout 4:
Various sprints and/or agility drills
Full ROM Handstand pushups (5x3)
Prisoner Cleans
Various dragging

(rep ranges courtesy of Waterbury)

*Prisoner: a term I picked up from zach even-esh meaning to do something high rep. In other words I load it up as much as possible but still do a couple sets of between 30-50 reps.

**Cheerleader: exercise I got from bryce lane. front squat or back squat style…you squat with your implement (barbell, sandbag whatever)…and as you explode upward in your squat your push press the weight overhead.

Morning workout loading:: Tough but not near failure. These are standard iron plates I can’t drop them and I dont want to bust my sandbag :slight_smile:

Dragging:: between 25-200lbs emphasis on posterior chain development for speed. Dragging between 20-60yds for repeated bouts.

Sprinting:: between 10-40yd, sometimes hills, sometimes with sled (minimal loading to only effect sprinting speed by 10%), some plyo drills such as 1 leg hops, jump lunges, etc. Some stair running for foot speed. work on improving stride as well.

Agility drills:: cone work to learn to cut fast and shuffle feet, possibly agility ladder work.

Sledgehammer:: If i get one, I’ll use that two days instead of dragging every workout. I have 1 light one (around 6lbs) and I would get a heavier one. Great for gpp and overall development…tire creates plyometric effect as well.

Lifting at Night:: would constitute a westside conjugate based schedule.
The only thing that I know I’m doing for sure are my ME and DE exercises as well as unilateral work (step ups, dumbbell work)… I know the westside format well enough that I can wing it from there.

I’m also doing enough overhead work in the morning that I wont be doing any during the night time lifting will look something like:

ME Bench
Dbbell bench (5x10)
Lat/Upper back superset (5x6-8)
Dips or Shrugs (5x6-8)

DE Squat
OH Squats (heavy, 4x3-5)
Pull- sumo dl or rdl for example (5x8)
Unilateral work (optional)(3x10-12)
SHITLOAD of torso work

DE Bench
Heavy Chins (5x6-8)
Close grip bench (3x5)
bicep crap/shrugs superset(5x6-8)

ME Squat/DL movement
Unilateral movement (4x6-8)
Good Morning(5x6-8)
Pullthroughs Or Dimel dl(3x15-20)
SHITLOAD of torso work

You’ll notice an absence of a lot of back work. This is only true because I already have a pretty strong and developed back. I can bent barbell row more than I can bench, and do 2 chinups with my bodyweight attached so I’m really trying to work on bringing up my weakpoints. I dont have access to a reverse hyper or a GHR (which SUCKS) so i have to make due with whats available.

I’m really not going to be doing shit else other than training eating and sleeping for 3 weeks or so, I’m definitely not worried about over training

Recovery::
Epsom Salt baths (every other night)
Self Massager
10hrs of sleep, plus nap
4 meals + 2-3protien shakes daily
Vitamin C (2grams)
B vitamins
Calcium
magnesium
Zinc
Multivitamin
Greens Plus
Dynamic warmup + light static stretching

K that should be it… anything im missing here…?

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Nice routine. Are you still a full-time student?

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That looks sick dude, you are definitly going to get in serious shape (although judging from the stuff you’re doing, you already are). The only thing I would do differently is a little less “slow” assistance work on your DE day. But that’s just me, if that works for you, by all means, go ahead.

I do have two questions, regarding your recovery shtick.
1.) Self-massager- what do you use for that and how? I think I’m getting one for myself and was just curious what others were doing.
2.) Zinc/Magnesium- What effect did these have on your recovery and what brands do you use?
I see you have already discovered the wonders of vitamin C. I take 2 grams in the morning and 2 at night and it is definitly a noticeable difference in my opinion. Probably the most cost efficient supp out there.

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Xen-
I assume that you are only doing this for the next two weeks? Jan. 1st marks the first day of your year-long Olympic liftng regimen doesn’t it. I would hate to think I read through that giant ass program from QWA just for practice! j/k

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Yes, I’m still a full-time student but thank god for Christmas break.

I reccomend using ZMA, i purchased zinc and magnesium seperately so i’m using that stuff till I run out.

Ideally I would say supplement zinc and magnesium post workout and have zma before bedtime. (Be sure to watch your dosage so that you’re not overdoing it).

Vitamin C is amazing shit… I dont think there have been any studies that proved it to have an substantial performance enhancing effect, but if that’s the case it’s one hell of a placebo. Someone told me recently that anymore than 250mg will kill you hahaha there are so much disinformation running about it’s amazing what people will believe. Why the HELL would they even make 1gram vitamin c pills then?

I’m fairly used to training 2x a day (though thats usually only 2-3x a week not 4, but I’ll be getting more recovery time this 3-4wk cycle), I like to take 500mg before and after each workout… during school time I keep a little contingency pack with me at all times so if I feel sluggish during the day I have b vitamins, vitamin c, some water & granola crap to keep me energized. So sometimes I get more than 2grams of vitamin C… truthfully the more I sleep the less I need.

Sorry, I guess you did read the QWA program for nothing :-p

I emailed back and forth with a few strength coaches and I decided that while it is a GREAT program and will cause significant athletic improvements… I am not an olympic lifter, nor am I a recreational lifter either.

I have specific athletic goals and it is best to tune my programming to those goals and not something that is for the most part generic.

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[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
The only thing I would do differently is a little less “slow” assistance work on your DE day.

1.) Self-massager- what do you use for that and how? I think I’m getting one for myself and was just curious what others were doing.
[/quote]

Massager, just some vibrating doo-hickey with two big ass knobs that I got from brookstone. It has interchangeable knobs, I like the super tough ones with heat.

It would be great if I could get to a chiropractor, or a hot nymph girlfriend that also specialized in shiatsu massage or something… alas we’ll see what santa brings me. For the meanwhile this will do and at least I’m paying attention to my recovery.

I forgot to mention I also have access to a hottub so that’ll be great for recovery. Any tips on that??? I heard that if you stay in too long you risk sluggishness the next day. Is that from losing too much water? Any truth behind that?

What do you mean by less “slow” assistance::

DE Squat

OH Squats (heavy, 4x3-5)
—>are naturally explosive if you do them slow (or at least myself) you’ll fuck yourself.

Pull- sumo dl or rdl for example (5x8)
—> Since I’m using a fairly light rep load these are going to be done at pretty fast clip

Unilateral work (optional)(3x10-12)
SHITLOAD of torso work

DE Bench
Heavy Chins (5x6-8)

Close grip bench (3x5)
----> Changing to Push-Press

bicep crap/shrugs superset(5x6-8)

Here’s an open question that I just really thought about. When I’m lifting, lets say bench press. If I’m not moving the weight fairly fast, it’s not going at all. I rarely “grind out” a rep. Part of this is because I often times train alone, so when I do grind out a rep it’s actually a life or death situation, hahaha!

Does this mean that I need more ME work? Or to start lifting heavier?
Anything below my 1rm max (even 90%) will FLY up, but come anything closer than 90% and im slow as molasses

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Hey Xen, check your PM box - I’m anxiously awaiting your reply! :slight_smile:

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Xen,

Hottubs can be badass for restoration, however I believe you want to keep the total immersion time at around 20 mins and never exceed 30 or you will risk taxing your CNS. I’m not sure why this is, it could be due to loss of water as it is the natural nootropic, so the excess loss of it combined with the heat could somehow cause a fatiguing effect on your nervous system.

As for your DE day, I guess I misunderstood. I looked at the sets and reps and figured you would be straining on your assistance work. If you are keeping that shit sub-max and moving it well you probably won’t have a problem.

As for your question on speeds with lifts, that probably relates to your “neuro-dynamic lean” if I might borrow from Mr. Buchenholz for a bit. If you can complete submax lifts very quickly, it probably means you put out peak power at a high percentage of your strength output. As an athlete, this is usually a good thing. There is very little “grinding it out” on the field.

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[quote]zdrax wrote:
Hey Xen, check your PM box - I’m anxiously awaiting your reply! :)[/quote]

Yea, buddy!

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[quote]cap’nsalty wrote:
zdrax wrote:
Hey Xen, check your PM box - I’m anxiously awaiting your reply! :slight_smile:

Yea, buddy![/quote]

Zdrax::Replied, and sent…enjoy

Cap’nSalty:: You haven’t PM’d me :-p

By the way do you ever tell girls, “would you like a little bit of the captain in you…how about 10inches?”

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What are your “specific athletic” goals?

I thought that you had mma aspirations? If so you are losing time failing to train for that.

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Xen, I like your training.
You’re a crossfit enthousiast, I presume ?
One thing though :
4 days of sprinting while also having 2 lower body lifting days could cause some overtrained posterior chain.

My schedule is mostly the same, although I don’t train twice a day(usually).
I usually have my lifting during the week, sprinting/gymnastics in between and strongman on the weekend.

I noticed that more sprinting did not make me faster, actually quite the contrary.
Once or twice is what I keep it at now. Flexibility and strength in your legs is pretty much what gives you speed.

I’d sub one or 2 sprinting workouts for more sled dragging, or some lower-impact technique drills.
If you have a hill near, use that. Nothing makes me faster than hill running.

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Good shit. I’m assuming Winter break is about three weeks? You should make some nice gains - let us know how it goes.

Reminds me of my winter break days… two 30-min weight training sessions a day (morning and mid-afternoon) with a sprint/agility workout at night in the snow (Buffalo where the snow was almost waist high). Did this two-on/one-off for three weeks and made nice progress.