XTrainer's Summer Goals/Routine, input appreciated.

[XTrainer]

Here's my summer goals and plans, I really appreciate any input you can give me. Thanks.

Goals:
*Push Press 225lbs: That's a 30lb improvement on my current PR. I think it's doable.
*Bench Press 250lbs: 25lb improvement
*Press Bodyweight: This is probably the toughest one. 15lbs on my strict press.
*Get My Shoulders Flexible: I want to be able to do overhead squats, barbell snatches, and all the other wonderful exercises that require you to hold the bar back, at or past the ears.
*Chins: 20+ reps. At 19 now.
*Pull Ups: 20 reps. I should be within a rep or two of this now, but as I found on my chins, one rep improvement can take a long time.
*Sprint Times: As long as they keep getting faster as I get stronger, I'm happy.
*Weight: For the past few months, I've restricted my weight gain to 1lb per month. I think gaining this slowly is necessary for an easygainer like me. I'll keep this pace.

I'd be happy if my squats, power cleans, and deads chugged along steadily as they have done lately.

How I plan to Do It:

Daily:(As recovery and prudence permits)
QMGPP: I've yakked about this enough, suffice to say, it works for me.
Stretching: Mostly shoulder and upper-body stuff, lower body is fine flexibility-wise.
Mobility/Soft Tissue Work: So I can keep lifting for years to come.
Overhead Squatting: Yep, at least 5 days per week. This is really more for stretching.

Sunday:
Heavy Squats, some kind of lighter variation every few weeks.
Glute/ham Assistance, 3-5 sets across, 5-10 reps. (SLDLs, hyperextensions, GM

 

[brian80]

Do you have a plan for your core work (different movements and the like), r just sorta adding it at the end of a workout?

 

[Donut62]

Looks well thought out to me. The only thing that really doesn't seem to "fit" is the power cleans on Saturday. I feel you might be better served moving those to your deadlift day. I like consolidating high intensity things, that way you only have one less day of hip extension work to recover from. I know Andy Bolton, for one, will start out deadlifting sessions by cleaning or high pulling the weight until it gets too heavy and then start working up in deadlifts.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Revok]

x2 on moving the powercleans. I wonder at the necessity of them having their own day when they could work just as well in place of your DL warmup sets. Why not have Saturday as your unilateral day - 1-arm snatches, 1-arm OHP & OHS, windmills, etc. Good fun, and not too CNS-taxing due to the relatively light weights moved.

Also yeah, detail on core work. I'm working something out to schedule heavy (i.e. wtd inverted situps), endurance (high rep crunches, planks) and hanging movements (levers, ring work) on different days. If I don't define it beforehand I end up doing the same barely productive random stuff for my core and not really improving.

Oh and you've got a broomstick or pipe to practice your overhead squatting, right?

Also: GRIP WORK?

 

[XTrainer]

Thanks, guys.

Hmmm, yeah, I might move the cleans. I've certainly thought of that before, but cleans are so mentally taxing for me I like them on their own. I do like the idea of freeing up a day for unilateral stuff, though.

Revok, you probably just missed my grip work. It's on Saturday. Yes, broomstick ftw.

I'll post on core work a little later when I have some time.

 

[DEVILsSON]

i would ease up a bit on deadlifts/cleans/squats and even sprints....all that stuff collectively destroys your cns....if you're squatting heavy one week then other stuff has to be quite light....like 60-70%....where you're just doing it to grease the groove more so than to push the heavy weight...and then vice versa....you're young but I still wonder if your recovery can sustain this...

I would also add more repitition effort to your training......lots of people get great improvements especially from in upper body movements....hence the success of defranco/cosgrove programs..

 

[Brad Morris]

I have to agree with DEVILsSON, sound advice as usual.

Revok I disagree with you regarding some unilateral movements being easy on your CNS, and especailly with OHS. While I agree the weights moved are far from heavy the balance and coordination required to perfom an OHS is at an advanced level. The CNS is not just taxed from heavy lifting, mental effort plays a role as well.

 

[mettalhead]

I have to agree with DEVILsSON, sound advice as usual.

Revok I disagree with you regarding some unilateral movements being easy on your CNS, and especailly with OHS. While I agree the weights moved are far from heavy the balance and coordination required to perfom an OHS is at an advanced level. The CNS is not just taxed from heavy lifting, mental effort plays a role as well.

Well said, I'd say it's a balance between what you and Revok both stated. Although I just maybe blowing smoke out my ass. Unilateral excercises are certainly not easy by any means but I wouldn't be quick to say they even really come close to the level of CNS strain for lack of a better word than heavy ass deadlifts of squats put on you.

 

[Revok]

Yeah but Brad, you're not as weak as me. So my point stands.

 

[XTrainer]

i would ease up a bit on deadlifts/cleans/squats and even sprints....all that stuff collectively destroys your cns....if you're squatting heavy one week then other stuff has to be quite light....like 60-70%....where you're just doing it to grease the groove more so than to push the heavy weight...and then vice versa....you're young but I still wonder if your recovery can sustain this...

I would also add more repitition effort to your training......lots of people get great improvements especially from in upper body movements....hence the success of defranco/cosgrove programs..

Sound advice. Right now most of the improvement in my squat is technical rather than pure strength-based, but as that changes, this advice will become even more important.

I'll definately set up my routine so my heavy squats come on the same week as my lighter, unconventional DL variants or rack pulls rather than max conventionals.

I already try to limit the volume of my sprints. Yesterday it was only 40mx10, even at max effort, I don't think that will be too destructive.

And you're right, I should do more RE, especially on presses.

 

[DEVILsSON]

here's a suggestion:

Day1: Heavy Squats/Lower body day
Day2: Light RE upper body
Day3: Off/light conditioning
Day4: Conditioning
Day5: Heavy ME Upper body
Day6: Light Cleans/Deadlifts
Day7: Off/light conditioning

I understand you're a conditioning freak so throw some conditioning here and there but also dont over do it...because sprints and other high intensity conditioning like tabatas are very taxing on cns...

on week2 you flip everything

Day1: Light Squats/Lower body day
Day2: Heavy RE upper body
Day3: Off/light conditioning
Day4: Conditioning
Day5: Light ME Upper body
Day6: Heavy Cleans/Deadlifts
Day7: Off/light conditioning

I would only have 1 super intense conditioning workout a week and have maybe 2-3 lighter conditioning workouts at other times during the week...some light GPP....ofcourse only you know what that means for you...but just keep it in mind...

also try alternating sets of heavy chins/presses with high rep chins/presses....see if that can help you get passed plateaus...like 20 reps on chins or however many reps at 185 for presses...

 

[XTrainer]

185x0

I'll have to take some time to review that before I can figure out how well it suits me and my life, goals, etc.

 

[DEVILsSON]

i didnt type up ^split as something to take and use but only as an example of what I was talking about....you can take it and modify it a million ways to suit you....

oh yea i confused your puh press with strict...and i thought it was 225 for some reason....meh....

also what are your thoughts on a light conditioning circuit couple hours before sleep....similar to morning gpp...? every time i did it....i slept like a baby....

 

[XTrainer]

I do it all the time. I don't usually log those. Dumbbell swings (full body extension)+Ab wheel roll outs (full body flexion) is one of my favorite combos.

 

[takeahnase]

Just a note: If you use high frequency such as squatting a couple of times a week you need to reduce the volume, but you don't have to reduce, say, squatting to once a week. I squat 3 times per week (2 times front and 1 times back) and essentially every exercise I do has a lower body component. I rarely do singles at 95%+ but I will do a couple of singles and doubles at 80%-90% and work up to really heavy singles every 4 weeks or so. However, I base the percentages on what I feel like on a given day. If my program says 90% I do not base that on my all time max, which may have been 3 months ago at a higher bodyweight after two weeks off, when I am in the gym at 7 in the morning after a couple of beers and 4 hours of sleep.

 

[XTrainer]

Once again, solid advice.

 

[XTrainer]

What would be considered "light ME?"

 

[DEVILsSON]

light ME is really SE...I would work in the 60-80% of 1rm and keep reps low and volume low to moderate.

 

[DEVILsSON]

e.g.

5-10 singles at 70-80% of 1rm of Cleans
5-10 triples at 60-80% of 1rm of Squats

 

[CelebritySexist]

My CNS is retreating inside my scrotum just looking at that.

Heavy DLs, squats and sprints in the same week just doesn't look too productive over the long term for me. Do you have a desk job?

I'd make Saturday a rest day, and instead alternate the DL/powercleans weekly; even easygainers hit recovery walls some times.