MAX EFFORT UPPER BODY CIRCUIT 

-*Upper Body Main Movement
-Row (Presently Karowski rows)
-Pushdown
-Pulldown to sternum (standing reverse bench)
-Dumbell curls

HOW THE CIRCUITS WORK

This is pretty much a repeat of last week with a few exceptions.

I start with no more than a five-minute general warmup. I’d tell you mine, but first I'd have to kill you. In other words, it should be individualized based on the rehab/prehab movements you need to train.

While setting up each exercise for the circuit I do a few reps of each movement with little or no weight as part of warming up.

Once the circuit is set up, I start cruising. The only stop I really make is to add weight to the main movement. Those sets in the circuit serve as part of the warmup for the Max Effort sets to follow.

WEEKLY PROGRESSION

Week 1 - 3 circuits 10 reps per exercise **5 reps for upper body main movement
Week 2 - 3 circuits 12 reps per exercise **5 reps for upper body main movement
Week 3 - 3 circuits 15 reps per exercise **5 reps for upper body main movement
Week 4 - Deload 

With the exception of the Max Effort movement, the assistance exercises are done with the same weight for all sets. 

*Upon completion of the 3 circuits, I continue with warm-up sets on the Max Effort exercise of 2-3 reps each by feel. Once the weight feels like an RPE of 8 I drop to singles.

**After completing a Max Effort Single, I drop the weight 10% for one set of 2-3 reps

For my upper body, I use the football bar with a MacGyver'd shoulder saver. Most are the range the bar allows, but I do throw in a rack lockout setup usually once a month. I also change things by adding a variety of straight weight, bands, or chains.

Like I said last week, nothing revolutionary. For those who might not have caught last week's blog, the purpose is to help me work on my conditioning a little through training.

My Conjugate Conditioning Max Effort Lower Body Circuit

I get to have a little fun by keeping in max effort singles. By pre-exhausting the muscles I am not chasing after strength because I know I can't be as strong doing circuits first. I'm recovering well and it's allowing me to run three days a week.