I pushed training pretty heavy coming into the holidays before the NOV meet. After that was the holidays and my move. I have also had a decent amount of stress at work. I continued to train, but my body did not feel great.
Now my plan is to compete in the 198's in June. So I needed to get my butt back in gear. I didn't want to return right back to heavy work. Plus I still need to shave more weight off. I figured the best idea was to keep the weights light and to move through the workouts fast.
Wendler gave me the bones to this program back in the spring and I loved it. However, I put a different twist on it this time around. I wear a weight vest for the entire session. I am only wearing a 22 lb vest which is just about 10% of my bodweight. That alone is not tough, but coupling that with the main exercise of the day along with the assistance in a circuit, it's tough.
With wearing the weight vest I lowered my percentages. Instead of the top set progression of the usual training max of 85%, 90%, and 95%, week One's top set is 60%, Two is 65%, and Three is 70%. I only gave week one of the program, you just have to plug in the percentages for weeks Two and Three for yourself.
Don't get crazy worrying about numbers for main exercises or assistance for that matter. Close enough is good enough. It's about getting the work done quickly. Also, you can exchange the exercises for the main movement or the assistance. I only use a regular barbell for my bench. For the other's, I safety bar box squat, trap bar deadlift, and viking press for ohp.
The setup of your equipment is important to move things at a rapid pace. So if you only have one barbell, then you'll have to do dumbbell shrugs. You can't use the same bar for multiple exercises, changing the weight back and forth. It just slows things down too much. If you don't have a dip setup, just do pushups. If you don't have a pulllup bar, do inverted rows. Now if you are using the barbell for something else, you won't be able to do inverted rows with the barbell. However, you could use blast straps. I mean you do need some modicum of equipment.
Don't friggin' sweat this stuff too much. It's basic enough where you shouldn't need to change too much. The exercises that I use are chosen for specific purposes though. Split squats for example are hugely beneficial for my hips and back with the stretch they provide. Getting up and down off the ground with pushups and inverted rows add in a little mobility work. There is a method to this madness.
Regarding assistance reps, don't get stupid there either. If you can't do 6 pull-ups with the vest, just do what you think you can get for the required sets. If you can get more, do more. You don't have to stick to the reps I gave, just be consistent. If you want to do 15 reps of shrugs, go for it. You get where I'm going with this right?
With the lower percentages there is no real need for supportive gear like wraps and a belt. Plus, it's a pain to wear that stuff with the vest on. Is this a hard and fast rule? Of course not. If you need 'em, wear 'em.
With this I am still conditioning on my off days. Sometimes it's hard work and sometimes it's just steady state treadmill or airdyne work. Let your body tell you. The weights aren't so heavy where you can't push your conditioning on the off days. I'm using this for more of a gpp block before I get into the next phase of training. So my feeling is, the extra work will reap benefits down the road.
Make sure to time these sessions. They should be done in under 45 minutes. If you run this for multiple blocks, definitely try to beat your previous times. Also, regarding running it multiple blocks, I don't deload after the first three weeks. I can run it twice for six weeks before I feel a need to deload, if at all.
That's it. The program is as hard as you want to push the pace. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below. Now get after it and SFW!
OHP DAY
OHP 25%x5
Face pulls w/mini band x25
OHP 30%x5
Split Squat x10 each
OHP 40%x5
Face pulls w/mini band x25
OHP 50%x5
Split Squat x10 each
OHP 55%x5
Pull-ups x6
OHP 60%x5
Pull-ups x6
OHP 50%x5
Pull-ups x6
OHP 50%x5
Pull-ups x6
OHP 50%x5
Shrug x12
OHP 50%x5
Shrug x12
OHP 50%x5
Back raise x10
SQUAT DAY
Squat 25%x5
Ab Rollouts x10
Squat 30%x5
Ab Rollouts x10
Squat 40%x5
Ab Rollouts x10
Squat 50%x5
Dips x10
Squat 55%x5
Dbl row x10
Squat 60%x5
Dips x10
Squat 50%x5
Dbl row x10
Squat 50%x5
Dips x10
Squat 50%x5
Curls x12
Squat 50%x5
Dips x10
Squat 50%x5
Curls x10
BENCH DAY
Bench 25%x5
Face pulls w/mini band x25
Bench 30%x5
Split Squat x10 each
Bench 40%x5
Face pulls w/mini band x25
Bench 50%x5
Split Squat x10 each
Bench 55%x5
Inverted row x10
Bench 60%x5
Inverted row x10
Bench 50%x5
Inverted row x10
Bench 50%x5
Inverted row x10
Bench 50%x5
Shrug x12
Bench 50%x5
Shrug x12
Bench 50%x5
Kettle bell swing x15
DEADLIFT DAY
Deadlift 25%x5
Hanging leg raises x10
Deadlift 30%x5
Hanging leg raises x10
Deadlift 40%x5
Hanging leg raises x10
Deadlift 50%x5
Pushups x10
Deadlift 55%x5
Pull-ups x6
Deadlift 60%x5
Pushups x10
Deadlift 50%x5
Pull-ups x6
Deadlift 50%x5
Pushups x10
Deadlift 50%x5
Pull-ups x6
Deadlift 50%x5
Pushups x10
Deadlift 50%x5
Pull-ups x6
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