If you are interested in fitness science and some new thoughts on what actually causes muscular fatigue, check out out the new article I wrote for my other blog, “My brain is making me tired”.

This week’s schedule is going to contain a mixture of lifting and circuit training. You “can” mix the two if you’re smart about it, but don’t do all of it. If you are doing the barbell training, stick with the conditioning circuits for cardio. Any other cardio work needs to be done much later in the day or on another day entirely.

As a side note of explanation on the barbell training, we’ve been experimenting with a format where we increase weight until we reach a 5RM, perform as many sets as we can at the 5RM (should be no more than 1-3 for a true 5RM), and then do one or two back-off sets. This is not for the novice lifter, this is for someone who gone past the novice stage and is handling heavier weights. Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 program is another more advanced program that works for some folks, but at this stage of the game, its all about finding an individualized program that works for you. Keep track of your weights and how you feel. If you don’t feel good and/or you are not getting stronger, you need to tweak the program.

If you are performing a lift more than once a week, undulate your intensity and volume so that you are not maxing out too often.

Examples:

Back Squat
45-5 reps, 95-5 reps, 135-5 reps, 185-5 reps, 235-5 reps, 235-3 reps (failed to complete 5), 185-5 reps (back-off sets)
7 sets total

Other reps schemes you can use:
20-20-12, include warm-ups to your 20RM (A favorite of my fellow weightlifting coach, Jason Davidson)
12-10-8-6-6-6 (more reps on the lower weights, find a 6RM working weight)
3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 (increase weight as you go, when you reach a max, stay there and try to complete at least 6 total sets, if you can’t, decrease the weight)
Be sure to include 1-2 minutes rest between sets.

Monday
Front or Back Squat, 3×10
Bench Press, max to 5 and backoff

Conditioning/Assistance:
Bulgarian Split squats, 15 each leg (use dumbbells)
Hanging knee raises, 15
3 rounds

Circuit
Jump rope 50 reps
Bulgarian split squat, 15 each leg
Hanging knee raises, 15
See-saw dumbbell or kettlebell press, 15
Kettelbell swing, 15
4-5 rounds

Tuesday

Box Jumps or weighted Step-ups (12”-18” box), 20
Sandbag or dumbbell cleans, 15
Walking lunges, 20
5 rounds

Wednesday

Deadlift, max or 5×5
Overhead Press, max and backoff

Conditioning/assistance:
One armed kettlebell swing, 15 each arm
Oblique situps, 10 each side (as you come up to sitting position, rotate torso to one side, alternate sides)
3 rounds

http://web1.nyc.youtube.com/v/NbLUxserEds&hl=en_US&fs=1

HIIT Circuit:
*This is high intensity so make sure you warm up sufficiently, 15-30 minutes cardio or light calisthenics
10 dumbbell thrusters
10 burpees
50 meter sprint
Rest as much as needed between rounds
3 rounds, then run 400 meters

Thursday

Rest Day

Friday

Back Squat, increase to 5RM and backoff
Pullups, 3 rounds max reps. If you can do more than 10-15, try adding weight

Conditioning/assistance:

Medicine ball slams, 20
Medicine ball wood chops, 15 each side
Medicine ball “tap and press”, 15
*For this exercise, hold ball in front of you like a basketball. Quickly squat down and tap the floor with the ball and then fully extend your body and press the ball overhead. As your conditioning improves, you can jump with the press making it more like you are shooting a basketball, but don’t let go.

Circuit:
Goblet squat/Pushup/Run ladder
Perform 1 goblet squat, 1 pushup, and run 200-400 meters
Perform 2 goblet squats, 2 pushups, and run 200-400 meters
Repeat until you reach 8-10 total reps.