Programming

Combat Sports Strength and Conditioning - Microcycle & Within-Session Programming [Part 2 of Programming Layers Series]

Combat Sports Strength and Conditioning - Microcycle & Within-Session Programming [Part 2 of Programming Layers Series]

In part 2 of this article series, we’ll discuss principles and training methodologies that can be used to optimize combat sports training within-session and within the week.

Combat Sports Strength and Conditioning : Macrocycle & Mesocycle Planning [PART 1 of Programming Layers Series]

Combat Sports Strength and Conditioning : Macrocycle & Mesocycle Planning [PART 1 of Programming Layers Series]

In this article, we’ll discuss several strategies and philosophies I use when preparing combat sport athletes, which layers they can be utilized in and how a better understanding of programming can help us more effectively coach high-performance combat sport athletes.

Alternatives to Olympic Weightlifting For Power Development

Alternatives to Olympic Weightlifting For Power Development

Olympic weightlifting movements in the S&C environment is a controversial topic because some coaches are quite dogmatic about it’s use in power development. There are pros and cons to using them, depending on the context. Coach Jason lays out reasons to use alternatives and in what situations they would be best utilized.

Exercise Order - Principles For Sequencing A Training Session

Exercise Order - Principles For Sequencing A Training Session

The main goal of exercise sequencing when training athletic qualities concurrently (plyometric ability, rate of force development, maximum force output, muscular endurance, etc ) is to optimize the training adaptations from each single modality and reduce the detrimental effects of neuromuscular fatigue.

Optimizing exercise order is driven by two interrelated principles: fatigability and priority.

[Published on SimpliFaster.com] Individualizing and Optimizing Performance Training For Basketball

[Published on SimpliFaster.com] Individualizing and Optimizing Performance Training For Basketball

In the world of performance training, a needs analysis of the sport is mandatory—but this only represents the first step to a fully optimized training program. Not all athletes of the same position will have the same playing style, and understanding this is important for designing and coaching a training program to optimize performance and injury mitigation.

[Published on SimpliFaster.com] Plyometric Push-Ups and Progressions for Power Development

Push-ups are one of the most commonly used exercises among fitness buffs and elite-level athletes. As a closed-chained exercise that targets the chest and upper body musculature, push-ups are highly effective for improving upper body pushing strength and endurance, and can be done with no equipment.

Hypertrophy vs. Strength Periodization: Thoughts on Linear vs. DUP Programming

Hypertrophy vs. Strength Periodization: Thoughts on Linear vs. DUP Programming

Recently, there's been some discussion about the differences in periodization for hypertrophy/muscle gain vs. strength and I just wanted to clear the air and give my take on it.

Periodization of Skill Acquisition & Performance

Periodization of Skill Acquisition & Performance

Much of periodization has been focused around physical training, and how micro, meso, and macrocycles can be set up to aid in the improvement of strength, power and endurance. The periodization of skill acquisition and practice however, has yet to be examined to the same degree. In this article, I review a research paper by Farrow & Robertson (2016) and breakdown the "SPORT" framework of skill periodiation.

Tapering & Peaking: How To Design A Taper and Peak For Sports Performance [Part 2 of Peaking Series]

Tapering & Peaking: How To Design A Taper and Peak For Sports Performance [Part 2 of Peaking Series]

Part 2 will cover the details of a proper taper/peaking protocol. The manipulation of training variables will be discussed as well as the performance improvements that are expected from a taper.

Overreaching and Overtraining [Part 1 of Peaking Series]

Overreaching and Overtraining [Part 1 of Peaking Series]

Before we dive into the specifics of a deloading or tapering protocol, we must better understand why they're needed in the first place. Part 1 will go over the concept of overreaching, overtraining, and what type of stressors and symptoms an athlete might experience as a result of hard training.

Concurrent Training: Science and Practical Application

Concurrent Training: Science and Practical Application

Concurrent Training is the combination of resistance and endurance training in a periodized program to maximize all aspects of physical performance. This article will review the science behind concurrent training and help you get the most out of your training sessions.

Periodization 401: The Complexities and Problems of Periodization Theory

Periodization 401: The Complexities and Problems of Periodization Theory

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Periodization 301: Review Of Periodization Models

Periodization 301: Review Of Periodization Models

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Nutritional Periodization: Diet Periodization for Better Performance

Nutritional Periodization: Diet Periodization for Better Performance

Nutritional periodization or periodized nutrition is the planning and structuring of a diet based on the goals and demands of a trainee or athlete. Since training variables like intensity, volume, competition schedule and practices change from season to season and one training cycle to the next, nutritional periodization must be used and adapted according to the demands of practice, training and competition.

Periodization 202: Training Phases, Residual & Cumulative Training Effects

Periodization 202: Training Phases, Residual & Cumulative Training Effects

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Periodization 201: Training variation

Periodization 201: Training variation

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Periodization 101

Periodization 101

Periodization, the systematic planning of exercise and athletic training. It is one of the cornerstones of high level sports and physical performance and without it, training has no context and no direction.

This series will cover the big picture as well as dive into the small nuances of what makes periodization such an important topic to learn for any aspiring strength & conditioning coach or high performance trainer. 

Off-Season Program for Size and Athleticism

 

 I wanted to create a program for myself that incorporated Olympic weightlifting exercises once or twice a week without sacrificing time on bodybuilding and powerlifting movements. What initially started as a simple training split, developed into a well-rounded program for general strength, hypertrophy and athleticism. This program is by no means beginner-friendly; it requires you to have at least some experience with compound exercises (bench press, squats, deadlift, dips, overhead press etc) and Olympic weightlifting movements (power snatches, power cleans). In this blog post, I will do an overview of the whole program and highlight the details and nuances of each training mesocycle.

Program Overview

Training-Split Layout

  • MONDAY (Full body): Olympic Lifts w/ Front squats, Abs

  • TUESDAY (Upper body): Chest, Back, Biceps

  • WEDNESDAY: ACTIVE REST

  • THURSDAY (Lower body): Lower body with quadricep/squat focus

  • FRIDAY (Upper body): Shoulders, Chest, triceps

  • SATURDAY (Lower body): Lower body with posterior chain focus, Back

  • SUNDAY: Rest

3 Mesocycles

  • Weeks 1-3 is considered a high-volume hypertrophy block

  • Week 4 is an active rest/deload

  • Weeks 5-9 is considered a strength block (with Week 9 being a back off on volume (not a full deload)

  • Weeks 10-12 is a power and conditioning block

Frequency

  • Unlike a typical bodybuilding bro-split, frequency is moderate - high to ensure muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is kept above baseline for each body part throughout the whole week

  • The moderate-high frequency done in this program is also good for motor learning/technique-acquisition and improvement, as well as neuromuscular efficiency (with the exception of the Olympic lifts, which I will address in the final section of this post)

  • Quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings are all being hit 2-3 times a week throughout the whole program

  • Chest and triceps are being hit at least twice a week

  • Back and pulling movements are being done at least twice a week

  • Shoulders (specifically the lateral head of the deltoid) are only being hit once a week, but it should be noted that the anterior (front) and posterior (back) delts are stimulated on other days via pulling and pushing exercises anwyays

  • Ab exercises are included in the program at least once a week

Placement of Rest Days

  • Rest days are placed strategically to mitigate muscle soreness (delayed onset muscle soreness - DOMs) and ensure adequate muscle recovery

  • Wednesday's rest day is to ensure the lifter is recovered before 3 back-to-back sessions (Thursday, Friday, Saturday).

  • Monday is definitely the most technique-intensive day out of the whole program, therefore adequate muscle recovery (reducing DOMs) must be made during Sunday's rest day in order to reduce injuries and increase skill acquisition.

  • Adequate rest in between 2 sessions that stimulate the same muscles (eg: Chest is being stimulated on Tuesday, then again on Friday. Wednesday and Thursday gives a chance for the chest to recover; right when MPS of the chest drops back to baseline on Thursday, Friday's session will increase it once again up until Sunday/Monday)

  • Lower volume works requires less time to recover from (Thursday's posterior chain work is pretty low volume, therefore the posterior chain can be worked again on Saturday without any decreases in performance)

  • Spacing muscle groups out evenly throughout the week is essentially taking advantage of the Stimulus-Recovery-Adaptation curves of each muscle (concept taken from NSCA, Dr. Yuri Verkhoshanksy and Dr. Mike Israetel).

 


Weeks 1-3

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

  • Week 1 starts off easy; volume ramps up every week, adding a set to most exercises will keeping the weights the same

  • Volume peaks at Week 3 (Week 3 should be brutal, you should be sore)

  • Since Week 1 is fairly easy, Wednesday will be an active rest.

  • Weeks 2-3 will be much harder and more taxing, therefore Wednesday will be a full rest (no lifting/little to no physical activity, but do stretch and foam roll)

Exercise Selection

  • More unilateral work (1 legged RDLs, Bulg. Split Squats, 1 Arm Pulling etc) in order to eliminate muscle imbalances and improve balance/coordination

  • There is more isolation and arm exercises (Biceps, leg extensions, rear delts etc) compared to Weeks 5-9

  • Muscle snatches and muscle cleans are used for the first 3 weeks to build up the shoulder musculature and to practice technique (bar acceleration, triple extension) in preparation for power snatches and cleans.

  • Snatch grip deadlifts with slow eccentrics are used to practice lat activation and increase hamstring hypertrophy in preparation for the conventional deadlifts in Weeks 5-9 (strength phase)

Main Focus

  • Weeks 1-3 are important for dialing in technique and setting a good base for the strength and power phases of the 12-week program

  • The focus should be on work capacity, and volume. Do not worry TOO much on weight progression, stay within 8-8.5 RPE (What is RPE? This is covered in the FAQs at the end of this overview) for most compound movements. Feel free to go to failure and apply a supersets/dropsets to isolation/accessory exercises.

  • Again, Week 3 should be very high volume. It should feel brutal and you should feel beat up.


Weeks 5-9

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

  • Overall all weekly volume is decreased in the strength phase because the intensity is increased

  • Squat frequency goes up from 2x/week to 3x/week (Monday - Front Squat, Thursday - Back Squat, Saturday - Pause Back Squat)

  • Deadlift frequency stays at 1x/week, but stiff legged deadlifts are introduced in Thursday workouts

  • Focus on weight progressions through the weeks (eg: Week 8's 4x5 should be heavier than Week 5's 5x5 sets)

  • Volume drops on Week 9 in preparation for the power and conditioning phase in Weeks 10-12

  • Frequency of Power cleans increases from 1x/week to 2x/week (more practice!)

Exercise Selection

  • The focus shifts from dumbbell work into barbell work so you can handle more weight (Dumbbell RDL's into Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press turns into Incline Barbell Bench Press)

  • A switch from muscle snatch and cleans to power snatch and power cleans

  • If you cannot get a hold of a glute-ham raise machine, do weighted lower back extensions

  • Conventional deadlifts replace snatch grip deadlifts (again, so you can handle more weight)

  • For triceps on Fridays, I recommend any of the following compound movements: 1) Close-grip bench press 2) JM Press 3) Dips 4) Lying Tricep Extensions (Rippetoe variation)

Main Focus

  • The main focus for Weeks 5-9 is to move heavy weight while still maintaining proper form (however, one should always seek technique improvement)

  • Stay within 8-9 RPE for compound exercises in Weeks 5-8. Stay within 7-8 RPE for Week 9.


Weeks 10-12

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

  • Volume is very low to keep fatigue low. Low fatigue is the best environment to express and practice athletic characteristics such as power, speed and strength

  • Intensity should be high, you should be moving very heavy weight (>85% of your 1 rep max) for a few reps and sets

  • Frequency of the main lifts do not change

  • Conditioning exercises can be done by feel, the sets and reps written down are very rough, do what feels good. Stop when you notice a large decrease in your speed and effort

Exercise Selection

  • This power and conditioning block focuses on a lot on heavy lifting, mixed with explosive power movements

  • Introduction of medicine ball exercises are good for working on rotational power (transverse plane of motion)

  • Box jumps can include any variation of your liking, normal box jumps, rotation box jumps, depth jumps etc.

  • Snatchs and/or cleans can be substituted by power snatches and power cleans if your snatch and clean technique is not yet up to par

Main Focus

  • The main focus of Weeks 10-12 is lifting close to your one rep max (stay within 9-9.5 RPE), being explosive in your power movements (medicine ball slams, jumps, sprints) and anaerobic conditioning


Final Points

  • Because there is at least one day of Olympic weightlifting exercises in each week of the program, athletes do not have to worry much about losing their athletic ability while trying to build muscle

  • The periodization (sets x reps over the span of the 12 weeks) provided in the program is rough and very general. Feel free to change training variables to fit your priorities/goals.

  • The main focus of this program is the training split and phases.

  • Exercises can be substituted in but try to stick with the main themes of each day (training-split)

  • Again this program is not intended for beginner-lifters. Some experience with barbell and resistance training is recommended.

  • A high volume block transitioning to a higher frequency block is a concept I've taken from block periodization an a concept I've used from Greg Nuckol's newest hypertrophy article "Grow Like a New Lifter Again"

PROS 

  • Lots of variation in exercise selection, useful for program adherence and training many different movement patterns

  • Higher frequency of compound lifts will be beneficial for muscle hypertrophy and strengthening of the nervous system

  • Speed of exercise execution varies, wide variety of exercise tempo (Eccentrics, pauses, explosive/power movements)

  • Rest days are strategically placed to improve performance and to fit the stimulus-recovery curves of each movement/muscles

CONS

Be mindful of comments added to exercises (indicated by a red triangle in the top right of an excel block). They contain useful information about the particular exercise.

Be mindful of comments added to exercises (indicated by a red triangle in the top right of an excel block). They contain useful information about the particular exercise.

GOT ANY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM? GOT ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENT BELOW OR EMAIL ME AT geoffrey@gcperformancetraining.com