Let me just put it out there that I love max effort days. Testing your physical wit, pushing yourself to the very limits all to move the biggest numbers—awesome! Now don’t get me wrong—I can put up with being beat up every now and then. But the amount of stress you put yourself under week after week, especially in a team environment, can be grueling. I’m proud to say that I don’t have one of those jobs where I come to work and sit at a desk for a shift. I’m up on my feet all day with a 10-lb gun belt and ballistic vest to weigh me down, a situation which many EliteFTS.com readers can relate. What I’m getting to is that I can’t train the same as the guy who has the luxury of recovery unless I want to get myself hurt. So I’m going to lay down the principals of what I’ve been doing. It’s been working for me, and hopefully it can work for you, too.
I’ve been a powerlifter for seven years, and I’ve done a few Strongman competitions for fun, but all in all, I train to be strong, athletic, and healthy, as should most law enforcement professionals. I got out of the Police Academy last year, and all of you who have been through an academy of some sort know what that means—lean, mean, fighting machines (but weak as a 12-year-old girl)! Due to my seven-month hiatus from the iron, I wanted to hit the ground running right away. So like all good iron warriors would do, I began traditional Westside, as everyone knows and loves, only to realize by week three that I was on a crash course for disaster. So after two weeks of rest, adjustment to the new job, and rotating shifts, I decided to start again…
Enter 5/3/1. I frequent EliteFTS.com and love reading about the troll and how to tweak the little things to make the big difference. But then I came across the 5/3/1 and instantly it clicked—military press, deadlift, bench, and squat all worked out to the percentage with a deload built in along with assistance work plus how to structure training and get in your cardio! Now we’re talking!
My two ‘cycles’ were broken down with the ‘boring but big’ assistance work just to get some basic mass back on my bones. The beauty of this program is that it’s very simple and to the point, no fluff (or foam pads) involved. The workouts were simple and fun. Here’s a sample from my cycle in the second month:
Week 2: Deadlift day
Warm up: Static stretching, jump rope for 300 reps using assorted jumps, Versiclimber for 1 minute.
Deadlift: Bar X 5, 135 X 5, 200 X 5, 255 X 5, work sets 315 (70%) X 3, 365 (80%) X 3, 405 (90%) X 6 (max)
Assistance:
Deadlift, 315 for 5 X 10
Hanging leg raise, 3 X 20
Prowler, 10 X 25 yard push with one plate
Workout completed in 58 minutes.
Over the next two months, I switched the accessory work and covered all the basics—dips, pull-ups, good mornings, dumbbell bench presses, barbell shrugs, leg presses, and glute ham raises. Workouts were getting faster and faster, and I was gaining muscle and staying lean.
When you chart your workouts down to the very rep, it’s easier to evaluate your strong and weak points. One point I needed to address with my training (a suggestion from my chiropractor) was the implementation of more cardio, low back training, and abdominal training. All of that was added accordingly. The gun belt and the awkward angle your vest pushes you into can really wreck havoc to your spine. Another point I’m proud to make is that all of my workouts end with some sort of cardio. Now I’m not going to lie to you. Some days I come in and hit my main lift and I’m gone like the wind. But lately I’ve been enjoying the Prowler. I plan on switching over to the Versiclimber and the treadmill when it gets too cold.
Being a law enforcement professional and staying fit and strong really isn’t rocket science. Many guys will try to sell you some BS like, “Oh squatting will give you back trouble when you’re older,” and, “Oh…I follow the Ronnie Coleman workout.” My absolute favorite is, “My tap out t-shirt is in the washer.” Well, forget that crap. In the six months since I’ve been using 5/3/1, my lifts have progressed, I’ve gained 16 lbs of muscle, and I’ve dropped body fat. So much for coffee and doughnuts, huh?