The most recent program was what I would consider a resounding success. I introduced a new exercise (namely overhead pressing) and was able to add some volume with everything without having any increase in my neck/shoulder/upper back pain symptoms. Strength continued to rise, and I gained about 5 pounds of muscle.
However, and it's a BIG however, a 5x5 program is not something I can do indefinitely, and my body was showing the signs of fatigue. By the end of the program, energy on a day to day basis was lower, my motivation to exercise was starting to dwindle, and my strength gains were beginning to plateau. The amount of CNS fatigue brought on by so much volume is probably the biggest reason for all of the above. I never took more than 2 days off in the 4 weeks I did the program.
On to a new program. This is a variant of Easy Strength again, meaning I am sticking to the "rule of 10" and only doing 10 total reps of a given exercise in an entire workout, in the form of a set of 5, set of 3, and set of 2 reps.
The awesome part of this is I will be able to play with some heavy weights, break out of my plateau, and reduce the toll on my CNS.
The downside is that 5 pounds of muscle I just gained in four weeks will disappear quickly if I don't do something to help maintain it! Multiple sets of 5 reps is enough to gain lean muscle (as evidenced by my 5x5 program). But a single set of 5 followed by a set of 3 and 2 is not. I've learned through reading, and my own experience, that anything below sets of 5 reps develops neuromuscular strength, not pure muscular strength. By this I mean that it makes my nerves and muscle able to generate more tension, thus giving me more strength. If I do higher reps, fatigue sets in and it is physically impossible to maintain the tension and the movement quality! In essence, if I were to do 5,3,2 alone would continue to gain strength, but with the possibility of losing muscle mass, which in the long run would cause me to plateau once again...
In order to combat this fact, I am just throwing in a 3x8 workout every 3 workouts. This will obviously be a lighter day, but I have a feeling it's going to be challenging in a way I'm not used to because I haven't gone above 5 reps in a set for quite a while! The 3x8 will by my "muscle mass preservation" day, in theory!
I'm very curious how this program will pan out, and I'm documenting it so I can use the knowledge I gain for designing programs in the future!
So far I have completed five workouts, two of 5,3,2 for my "A" and "B" days, and one 3x8 day for "A". I can honestly say that taking a few days off from my last program and starting this one kickstarted my strength. Everything has gone up! ALSO, I am adding in Barbell Bench Press. Pretty nervous!!!! We will see how my T-spine likes this...I haven't been able to horizontally press weight, or my bodyweight in pushups for over a year without pain.
Just a review of my goals before I start the program: 2x bodyweight in squatting and deadlifting, safely press horizontally and overhead without pain, do a pull up without pain again, keep my general strength and conditioning at a level where I can jump into sprint training easily when the weather gets nice!
Monday, 11/25/13 "A" 5,3,2
Core work:
-Crawling X Lift w/hand slap (rotational stability)
-Cat Dogs (my upper back seems to love these, so whatever!)
Power:
-Kettlebell Snatches/Swings (leaving this up to how I feel. Swinging the 80lb bell, or snatching 35-40lb)
Strength:
-Barbell Front Squat: 170, 175, 175
-Chin Ups: 20, 25, 25
-Rocking+Sidelying Shoulder External Rotation: 5lb DB for ext. rot. to failure
-Rest 1 min.
-Barbell Deadlift: 215, 220, 220
-BB Bench Press: 115, 120, 120 (I can tell how much upper body strength I've lost. Although my 1 rep max of 215 in college was nothing to brag about, it seems monstrous compared to how difficult pressing 115 was! I still had 1 rep left in the tank, but I used to be able to press my body weight 5 times no problem!)
-1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch+T-Spine Extension
-Rest 1 min
Finisher:
Sled Sprints: 6x20m @90lbs
Wednesday, 11/27/13 "B" 5,3,2
Core work:
-Crawling X Lift w/hand slap
-Cat Dogs
Power/Combination work:
-Turkish Get Up (TGU): 25x3ea
-KB Swings: 80
Strength:
-Barbell Back Squat: 215, 220, 225
-Chin Ups: 20, 25, 25
-Rocking+Sidelying Shoulder External Rotation: 5lb
-Rest 1 min.
-Barbell Single Leg Deadlift (Ispilateral): 105, 110, 110
-KB Overhead Press: 35, 40, 40
-1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch+T-Spine Extension
-Rest 1 min.
Finisher:
Sled Sprints: 4x20m @95lbs
Saturday, 11/30/13 "A" 5,3,2
Core work:
-Crawling X Lift w/hand slap
-Cat Dogs
Power/Combination work:
-KB Swings: 80
Strength:
-Barbell Front Squat: 170, 175, 175
-Pull Ups: 25, 25, 30
-Rocking+Sidelying Shoulder External Rotation: 5lb
-Barbell Deadlifts: 220, 225, 225
-Bench Press: 120, 125, 125
-1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch+T-Spine Extension
Monday, 12/2/13 "B" 5,3,2
Core Work:
-Crawling X Lifts (ball on back)
-Cat Dogs
Power/Combination Work:
-Turkish Get Ups: 25, 30, 35
-KB Swings: 80
Strength:
-Back Squats: 220, 225, 225
-Chin Ups: 25, 30, 30
-Rocking+External Rotations
-Ipsilateral Single Leg Deadlifts: 105, 110, 110
-KB Overhead Press: 40, 40, 40
-1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch+T-spine Extensions
Finisher: Sled Sprints 5x20m@100lbs
Pretty straightforward, steady progress. Next up is 3x8. We will see how that goes after so much low rep work. I have a feeling finding the right load may be tricky. Until next time.
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