Template for Rotating Shifts?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
1

Jim, I need some help setting up a template for my current situation. I work rotating shifts, 4 days on/4 days off. So I work 4 days, then I have 4 days off. Then I work 4 nights, then have 4 days off. My work days are 14-15 hrs days, so I just have time to do some easy conditioning on those days. My question is how can I set up my lifting for only my non-working days since I have 4 days in a row to train? On my work days eating isn’t a problem, I will use the Airdyne for 30 minutes, and do the Agile 8 two times a day. What would be the smartest way to setup my training on my 4 off days to still get bigger and stronger? I was thinking something like this:

Day 1
Squat - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Abs/Low back - 50 reps each
Neck - 50 reps

Day 2
Bench - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Chins - 50 reps
Dips - 50 reps
Rear delts - 3x20

Day 3
TBDL - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Abs/Low Back - 50 reps each
Neck - 50 reps

Day 4
Press - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Rows - 50 reps
Curls - 50 reps
Shrugs - 50 reps

Is this a good plan to get bigger and stronger? Is it too much for 4 days in a row? Thanks in advance for any ideas you have.

2

[quote]DanF1228 wrote:
Jim, I need some help setting up a template for my current situation. I work rotating shifts, 4 days on/4 days off. So I work 4 days, then I have 4 days off. Then I work 4 nights, then have 4 days off. My work days are 14-15 hrs days, so I just have time to do some easy conditioning on those days. My question is how can I set up my lifting for only my non-working days since I have 4 days in a row to train? On my work days eating isn’t a problem, I will use the Airdyne for 30 minutes, and do the Agile 8 two times a day. What would be the smartest way to setup my training on my 4 off days to still get bigger and stronger? I was thinking something like this:

Day 1
Squat - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Abs/Low back - 50 reps each
Neck - 50 reps

Day 2
Bench - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Chins - 50 reps
Dips - 50 reps
Rear delts - 3x20

Day 3
TBDL - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Abs/Low Back - 50 reps each
Neck - 50 reps

Day 4
Press - 5’s PRO, FSL 3x5
Rows - 50 reps
Curls - 50 reps
Shrugs - 50 reps

Is this a good plan to get bigger and stronger? Is it too much for 4 days in a row? Thanks in advance for any ideas you have. [/quote]

Why not make things a little easier and make it 2x a week lifting? It would allow you to recover from day 1 to day 4 and then still be able to hit conditioning on you work days.

day 1
Squat
press
assistance work

Day 4
Deadlift
Bench
Assistance

You could then rotate which lifts you hit for 5/3/1, and probably hit sets of 5 in the 70-80% range for the other lift. This way you can recover and make progress without pounding yourself with 4 days in a row.

Week 1
day 1
squat 5/3/1
Press 5x5 @ 70%
assistance

day 2
Deadlift 5x5 or 5x3 @ 70%
Bench 5/3/1
assistance

Week 2
Day 1
Squat 5x5 @ 70%
Press 5/3/1
assistance

Day 2
deadlift 5/3/1
Bench 5x5 @70%
assistance

3

Ya a 2 day template would be easier… I just thought I’d see different opinions on how I could set things up. Thanks for the advice!

4

My schedule will always be the same (4 on/4 off) so I just want to get a few different options so I can switch things up every 6 weeks.

5

I think you should stick to something very basic until you see how you recover - what that is is going to be up to you. But I wouldn’t plan too much right off the bat if you are not in great shape now.

In other words, start light, progress slow. High volume work sounds great on forums and is awesome for those that like to wave the “NO PAIN NO GAIN” flag. The real world, with real people and real jobs and family have to live in what i like to call ‘reality’.

The key to any training program is recovery and it sounds like you are on the right track. Constant mobility work and getting the heart rate down will do wonders for your training days. The best advice I can give is use common sense, don’t use bravado.

6

Will do, thank you