Periodization

[quote]mertdawg wrote:
Weighted pullups can mess up your shoulder as well. Roughly half of the population was just not meant to extend their arms directly overhead. I got impingement from close grip pullups! [/quote]

I think Charles Poliquin has said shoulder problems arise when you relax the shoulders when hanging from a pull-up bar, especially if you are heavy or are doing a heavy weighted pull-up. If you don’t relax your shoulder this usually doesn’t happen.

Took a two week vacation, and now I can answer some recent questions.

I have found that doing JOBE movements, overhead presses, and regular grip weighted pull ups all make my shoulders feel better, mostly because I find that I have less tenderness in the areas I have hurt before. I also do a shoulder stretch on the DoggCrapp website that I found to work for me as well.

But going back to the topic, should I just keep my routine based on deads, squats, pulls, chins, press variations, med. ball work, and sport specific work? It seems like there should be more, but at the same time I realize that simplicity works wonders.

My plan:

Workout A:
Med Ball Warmup
Overhead pressing movement: 5x5
Squat: 5x5
Deadlift: 5x5
Hitting Practice

Workout B:
Med Ball Warmup
Speed Work
Weighted Pullups: 5RM
Squats: 4x5
Overhead Lunges: 3x5

  • JOBE done every other day
  • Squatting uses the Bill Starr’s system
  • Long Toss one on M,W,F split

Any criticism is great.

All the baseball minds left?

[quote]WildcatBaseball wrote:
My plan:

Workout A:
Med Ball Warmup
Overhead pressing movement: 5x5
Squat: 5x5
Deadlift: 5x5
Hitting Practice

Workout B:
Med Ball Warmup
Speed Work
Weighted Pullups: 5RM
Squats: 4x5
Overhead Lunges: 3x5

  • JOBE done every other day
  • Squatting uses the Bill Starr’s system
  • Long Toss one on M,W,F split

Any criticism is great. [/quote]

hey its me again. what is JOBE? Don’t squat and DL on the same day. Squats should come first, and stick to reverse, walking, or regular lunges for now. I forget what you said earlier about the assistance exercises…?

I will change the lunge variation, but is the squatting and deadlifting on different days necessary? I did both on the same day with Starr’s 5x5 and I was able to maintain proper form with heavy weights throughout all my workouts, and I also saw great gains with both lifts.

JOBE is a series of rotator cuff exercises by Dr. Frank Jobe, the first person to ever perform Tommy John surgery. These have really helped in shoulder prehab and when I long toss.

[quote]WildcatBaseball wrote:
I will change the lunge variation, but is the squatting and deadlifting on different days necessary? I did both on the same day with Starr’s 5x5 and I was able to maintain proper form with heavy weights throughout all my workouts, and I also saw great gains with both lifts.

JOBE is a series of rotator cuff exercises by Dr. Frank Jobe, the first person to ever perform Tommy John surgery. These have really helped in shoulder prehab and when I long toss.[/quote]

If you have had success squatting and deadlifting on the same day, then more power to you. However, doing both of those for 5x5 is pretty draining on the CNS. Also remember that most of life (especially in sports) takes place on ONE LEG. I’m glad those rotator cuff exercises are helpful.

[quote]WildcatBaseball wrote:
My plan:

Workout A:
Med Ball Warmup
Overhead pressing movement: 5x5
Squat: 5x5
Deadlift: 5x5
Hitting Practice

Workout B:
Med Ball Warmup
Speed Work
Weighted Pullups: 5RM
Squats: 4x5
Overhead Lunges: 3x5

  • JOBE done every other day
  • Squatting uses the Bill Starr’s system
  • Long Toss one on M,W,F split

Any criticism is great. [/quote]

Hi thought I might throw in a few ideas.

Firstly I would perform some variation of the olympic lifts (this needs to be your first exercise once you are warm). My second point would be that whilst you have selected some great exercises (e.g. pulls ups and squats) you need to train opposing muscle groups as well. So throw the bench press back in and a exercise that trains the posterior chain (i love RDLs/SLDLs).

I will presume you are able to train twice a week, as your workout suggests. You have some training experience so i will presume your technique is good for all the major lifts.
As i see it you require a solid strength development program. At the moment your strength isn’t great, and is the limiting factor in you becoming more powerful (which is why your clean is low, whereas you speed good). However i would continue to clean and snatch (progress with technique) also.

Here are some ideas:

WORKOUT 1
Hang power clean x3
Squat x3
RDL x3
Calf raise x3
Bench press x3
Bent row x3
Shoulder press x3
Swiss ball ramp (push up position, hands on ball)
Swiss ball reverse ramp (heels on ball, shoulders floor, raise hips)
Swiss ball torso twists
Swiss ball pikes

WORKOUT 2
Hang snatch (do what you can do, start with a jump & shrug, then high pull, then catch) x3
Front squat x3
Deadlift x3
Glute ham lowers x3
Pull ups (palms points away from you)x3
DB incline bench press x3
Alternate DB shoulder press x3
Cable woodchop (start on 1 knee, progress to standing)
Cable diagonal lift (opposite to woodchop) (start on 1 knee, progress to stanging)

Weeks 1&2- 5 reps (olympic lifts), 8-10 (rest)

weeks 3&4- 4 reps (olys), 6-8 (rest)

weeks 5&6 - 3 reps, 4-6

week 7 - unload

Overhead squats are great, so include them in your warm up (use a brromstick or unloaded bar). I would try and do you speed training in a separate session if you can.

The above workout is pritty basic (the best often are). But is appropriate for your level of training. It should give you a good strength base, allowing for more advance techniques to be incorporated as your training progresses.

I hope it all makes sense.

Good luck.

Coach Pete, after reading what you said I have a few questions left as well as a few concerns. I’ll start with my two concerns being the bench press and shoulder raise.

I don’t think I’m ready to bench press heavy yet, I made a post earlier about my injury history and I’m still making progress very slowly, and I think benching would send me back a few steps instead of forward.

As for shoulder raises, if I did these with any considerable weight slight heavier than 5-10 lbs I can seriously hurt myself, and I know that from doing them. As for the questions, I’d like to know why there is so much isolation in it. The compound lifts look solid beside my concern with bench press.

My other question is your motive behind the set/rep scheme. Why should I bench/squat/dead/pull for 8-10 reps? I don’t mean this in a smug or agressive way, but I would just like to know.

Since I just learned the set/rep scheme, disregard my quesion about doing 8-10 reps as I just learned this is only for weeks 1-2.

[quote]WildcatBaseball wrote:
Coach Pete, after reading what you said I have a few questions left as well as a few concerns. I’ll start with my two concerns being the bench press and shoulder raise.

I don’t think I’m ready to bench press heavy yet, I made a post earlier about my injury history and I’m still making progress very slowly, and I think benching would send me back a few steps instead of forward.

As for shoulder raises, if I did these with any considerable weight slight heavier than 5-10 lbs I can seriously hurt myself, and I know that from doing them. As for the questions, I’d like to know why there is so much isolation in it. The compound lifts look solid beside my concern with bench press.

My other question is your motive behind the set/rep scheme. Why should I bench/squat/dead/pull for 8-10 reps? I don’t mean this in a smug or agressive way, but I would just like to know.[/quote]

Hi WildcatBaseball

Let me try answer some of your questions.

Firstly regarding your past shoulder problems. I presumed you were ok to press overhead (i think your workout said you performed 5x5 overhead?). Is this is not the case then no problems at all. How about replacing the shoulder press with a prone shoulder curcuit. if you haven’t heard of this before (or refer to it by a different name), its simple a series of scaplar retraction exercises, the arms held in the shape of different letters (T, W, L, Y) as you pull the shoulder blades togather.

As for benching, i don’t claim to be a AT/PT and don’t want to tell you to do a exercise that will cause discomfort. However to avoid future imbalances and possible future injuries, you did to find some pushing exercise that you are able to perform. Im presuming DB bench is out also. How about push ups?

As for sets/rep scheme. You spotted the variance over 6 weeks. By stiking to this you are getting a good hypertrophy/strength base, that avoids overtraining with a unload in the 7th week. The problem with 5x5 all the time is that it will result in neutral fatigue unless you vary it a bit.

Not sure if i agree with there being that much isolation. The only exercises that i would regard as isolation are the shoulder press and calf raise. The shoulder press we have discussed. Calf raises are included to ensure there is no weak link in the posterior chain. Whether they are completely necessary, at the moment 'm not really sure. Many would argue that they are and others that they aren’t. At present i am unware of any research (other than some anecdotal) looking at their imact on performance. Due to the large forces they encounter, do we want them to be weak? I suppose their inclusion is a personal choice.

I think you are working along the right lines with the multijoint exercises that you have included. These other couple of exercises just help a little in developing a well balanced stronger body that is less likely to incur injury.

On a separate note remember as i’m sure you are aware, you are training for increased sports performance (in your case baseball) not necassary to be a powerlifter (the same holds true of weightlifting and bodybilding). i sense a heavy powerlifting influence in you current program design, which is no problem. As with olys and bb powerlifters incorporate some awesome ideas that really work. Just remeber their goals are slightly different to yours. Take the best from each.

I think i’ve covered about everything. Please get back to me if you have any more questions.

Pete, I think you’re suggested program has too much volume.

[quote]bruinsdmb wrote:
Pete, I think you’re suggested program has too much volume. [/quote]

That brings up a point I haven’t mentioned yet. Whenever I train with programs that have high volume I typically overtrain within a month of consistent lifting. I thought this might make a difference.

Also, I’m considering putting/replacing something with hang snatches and power cleans. I’l be sure to post when I’ve made up my mind.