To be great at anything, one must dedicate time and focused effort towards constant improvement. Everyone has heard of the 10,000 hour rule, and the idea is applicable to training as well. Recently, my gym formed a more organized powerlifting team with a required four-day training week. However, many of the lifters in this group need (and want) more training sessions to reach their goals. So I recently gave them guidelines for extra workouts. We define extra workouts as any dedicated time towards focused improvement of one’s fitness. These extra workouts can fall into one of the four following categories.
1. Recovery
Oftentimes, the fatigue from one of our four main training sessions can take a heavy toll on our lifters' bodies. So much so that it can detrimentally affect them in the sequential training sessions. Obviously we do not want this to happen—we want all of our lifters to be ready to give their all in each of the main training session because that is where the greatest amount of work is done. Therefore, we will use recovery workouts to help accelerate the recovery process and get the lifters back to “even.”
Recovery workouts can and should target both the musculature involved in the previous workout as well as the nervous system. Typically, we are trying to reduce the soreness in the muscles and reduce the overall fatigue of the nervous system. Methods that we use include massage, self-massage (foam rolling), dynamic and static stretching, sled work, medball work, banded movements, low intensity cardio, and contrast showers/baths. The idea is to stimulate the neuro-muscular system on a relatively low level.
Just like any other training stimulus, the body will adapt to recovery workouts as well, so we try to limit the amount of recovery workouts we use during non-competition times and increase them as we get closer to, and immediately following, a competition. Also, it is important to cycle your recovery methods often and save the activities that work best for you during times when you are really beating yourself into the ground.
2. Preparatory
Another extra workout we will do is a preparatory workout. The purpose of these workouts is to prepare you for the main training session to follow. These are typically done the morning before a major session, but can sometimes be done the day before as well. During preparatory workouts, the idea is to prepare the neuro-muscular system for the main activity and movement that is coming up. The focus of these workouts is on improving both mobility and flexibility, activating specific muscles, and technique work to enhance motor patterns. Every person has individual needs, so the focus will be different for everyone.
For mobility and flexibility improvement, some type of tissue work followed by 20 minutes of mobility/flexibility work can greatly reduce the amount of time needed to warm up and get into the right ranges of motion later in the day. Banded movements can do a great job of putting a lot of blood into a muscle and activating it without causing too much detrimental fatigue (i.e., band pressdowns before a bench workout, band abductions before a squat workout). If a lifter is having some technique issues, we suggest that he come in and do several sets with a very light weight to focus on form and to better prepare himself for the workout later in the day. This allows him to jump into the workout quicker and easier without having to correct a bunch of technique problems before he can start increasing weight. Usually 8-10 sets of 3-5 reps with the bar or 95 pounds is the recommended dose.
3. Technique Work
If a lifter is having major technique problems, he needs to spend more time under the bar working on these issues. These workouts are different than the preparatory workouts because their only focus is technique improvement and can be done at any point, even immediately following a major training session. Technique workouts need to be done with an extra set of eyes to watch for technique breakdown and to cue the correct movements. Our beginning lifters are encouraged to do this often so that they can better develop the “groove” for the major lifts. Again, a lighter weight is used and the typical sets and reps is 8-10 sets of 3-5 reps. A long warm-up is not needed for these types of workouts, and usually some general movements and a few extra sets with the bar will do the trick.
4. Addressing Weak Points
In order to progress on your main lifts, you must continue to address your weak points. These are the muscles, movements, and/or positions that are keeping you from putting more weight on the bar. All of our accessory work is geared towards improving these weak points, but one or two days a week might not be enough for some needs. Extra workouts can also be used as a chance to hammer these issues. When addressing weak points in our extra workouts, we make sure not to negatively affect our major training sessions. For example, if we are doing some type of pulling exercise on Friday afternoon, we will refrain from training hamstrings on Thursday or Friday morning. Any other day is fair game. If an exercise makes you extremely sore, try to do it three days out from your major training movements, as the soreness can usually hang around for at least 48 hours.
Some muscles and movements can be trained more often than others, and the best guide for this is to listen to your body and let it tell you when you’re doing too much. If you find that you’re still sore and fatigued from the extra work you did earlier, and it is negatively impacting your major movement, take the extra work back a notch. If you feel as though you need more, turn it up intelligently.
You can hit multiple weak points in a single training session and use rep ranges that are conducive to the type of results you are trying to get. Oftentimes, I will use the same movements from my main training session and use more volume and a lower intensity than I used in the major session. Play around with varying methods to see what works best for you.
Conclusion
Extra workouts can make a major difference in the effects of your training. You can use them to target recovery, preparation, technique, and weak points, or even combine several into one workout. Whichever you decide, be smart with your programming and listen to your body. Train hard, train smart, and train often, and reap the benefits that extra workouts can bring to you.
