I’ll be at the beach for three months this summer, and up on return I will start in a varsity fencing program. My goal is to gain as much functional strength (and any mass I can get) as possible while keeping fat gains to an absolute minimum. I will be at the beach without a shirt on, after all.
I’ve been doing the Max-OT system (4-6 reps, heavy weight) for a while now and want to change it up.
I would like to do some power lifting first, including squats, deadlifts, cleans, and presses for a month or so. I can lift five days a week, so split up however is best. I can’t figure out how to make a workout including these since so many of the lifts work multiple muscle groups.
I’d like to do the Waterbury Method for the next month. I’ll use the split I’ve used so far because it works for me and I enjoy it.
The last month, I want to really focus on speed and power. I plan on doing plyometrics, sprints, jumps, etc. Where’s a good place to find a good workout program for building speed?
Does this seem like a decent plan? I’ll be lifting with a friend who hasn’t lifting much, but is in decent shape. Any constructive advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
If you’re primarily interested in strength, I think most people would recommend the Westside template. It’s not usually touted for its mass gains, but any good strength program should toss on some size as well. However, if your training partner is really inexperienced, Westside may not be a great idea.
I also plan to use the Waterbury Method for my next workout. Like you, I will probably adapt it to my preferred split. Also, I’m thinking about switching the 4x6 lifts to 5x5 since I can handle a lot of volume. However, if Chad says 4x6 works just as well, I’m sure I can trust him. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just try it again using my way.
I think I did pretty well. In about two months I’ve put on about 10 lbs of body mass and lost a bit of fat. My bench has gone up about 30 lbs, and all my other exercises have been keeping up with it. I’m near buying a new fencing uniform because my old one doesn’t fit anymore, and it fit great two or three months ago.
I really liked it and think it went fairly well. If I can keep up that progess rate, I’d be thrilled.