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| It's as awesome as this statue. |
Since my partner author of Beastio Theorio put up an article detailing his current routine, I figure I'd do the same with my own programming. I'm a fan of playing things by feel and I dislike having prescribed sets and reps week in and week out so my program is just a general template that sets some boundaries which I attempt to stay within. Without said boundaries I have a tendency to either lift with such ferocity that I have to keep crutches at the gym just to walk out on or I have serious bouts of ADHD-like frenzy and do way too many exercises. Both of these extremes of intensity and volume make it very difficult to recover for the next session and would have me burn out much quicker than if I were to keep my workload under control. This program is mainly for strength with a little bit of hypertrophy work to bring up weaknesses. And now onto the template:
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Z-Strength
Routine
Monday
– Volume Bench, Intensity Squat, 2-3 bench accessories
Tuesday
– Back (1 horizontal, 1 up, and 1 down pull), rear delts, 1 core exercise
Wednesday
– Moderate Front Squat*, 1-2 squat accessories, 1 core exercise
Thursday
– Intensity Bench, 2-3 bench accessories, 1 core exercise
Friday
– Volume Squat, Deadlifts**, 2-3 deadlift accessories
Saturday & Sunday – Off
Volume
= total reps in the 15-30 range with moderate weight, minimum of 3 sets, avoid failure.
Intensity
= total reps in the 3-6 range with heavy weight, 1 set of balls-out effort
Bench
accessories = shoulder, triceps, or chest exercises
Squat
accessories*** = GMs, leg curls, any plyometric exercises
Deadlift
accessories*** = SLDLs, rack pulls, squat lockouts, any back exercises
*Front
Squats and most accessories will be 2-3 sets of anywhere from 5 to
20 reps. NO GOING TO FAILURE.
**Deadlifts
will follow a 3 week cycle, alternating conventional and semi-sumo, week
1 being 5-8x1 @~80%1RM and short rests, week 3 being 1-3x1
@95%, and week 2 falling somewhere in between
***Squat
and Deadlift accessories obviously overlap but I labeled them as such to
specify which day they fall on.
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So now that I've listed the template, I'll give an example of what a typical week would look like. Although it should be obvious, I feel obligated to note that I spend about 5 minutes before each workout raising my core temperature, loosening any tight areas, and waking up the muscles I'm about to use and before main lifts I have anywhere from 3-6 warm-up/ramp-up sets before I get to my working sets.
Once again, this is an example week. The sets/reps and number of exercises are in constant flux based on how well I'm recovered, my motivation levels, and time constraints due to real life getting in the way.
Monday
6x4 paused bench. Shouldn't be much grinding of reps if any.1x5 heavy squat. This should be (close to) a PR.
3x8 decline skullcrushers
2x15 standing 1 arm db press.
This takes about an hour and 10 minutes and the bench and squat take the majority of the workout. The 2 accessories take about 10-12 minutes. I definitely have to stretch out my chest after benching in order to get my arms in a proper squat position.
Tuesday
4x5 moderately heavy rows off the ground.
2x6 heavy shrugs
3x12 double-d handle pull-downs
2x15 rear delt flies on the pec deck
3x10 ab wheel rollouts
This day is very malleable and depends on how recovered I am from deadlifts the week before. I basically squeeze as much back work as I can into a 25-30 minute window and then do a core exercise. Biceps usually get hit on this day as well. Sometimes I do static barbell holds as I shed plates off the bar after shrugs for some extra grip work.
Wednesday
3x3 front squats w/ a pause at the bottom.
2x20 db swings (like kettlebell swings) to get blood into the glutes and lower back
2x15 standing single leg curls to get blood into the hammies
3x8 weighted decline sit-ups
Just some lower body work to get blood flowing. I sometimes throw power snatches or overhead squats in before front squats to keep things interesting. This will take 30-45 minutes.
Thursday
1x3 heavy bench.
2x6 close grip bench
1x20 wide grip incline bb press
3x15 cable pushdowns to get blood flowing in the triceps/elbows
A few sets of cable twists with the d-handle for core
Again, the first 2 exercises take the majority of the time and the rest is done with fairly short rest. This takes a little over an hour.
Friday
4x7 squats
5x1 deadlifts
1x5 stiff leg deadlift
2x20 explosive pull-ups (not crossfit style kipping but not strict)
Suitcase barbell holds for time
This is a tough session. Usually takes 1 hour 30 minutes and leaves me completely exhausted.
As for cardio, I don't worry much about it. I try to get some activity in a couple times a week (mainly to keep my lungs working well) in the form of some basketball, running around with my dog, or light jogging.
Coming soon: An blog on recovery and the mobility article you've been waiting so long to read. Until then, cheeks:
A much better candidate for an Olympic sport than synchronized swimming.
Questions? Complaints? Thoughts? Accusations? Post a comment below.
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