Essentially a slightly-modified HST program that I'm trying for the sake of increasing my anaerobic endurance, which has diminished over time due to an exclusive emphasis on low-repetition training. Muscular growth would be nice, but I was drawn to this program on the basis of its well-rounded focus on promoting both myofibril growth and intracellular energy-storage and metabolic capacity.
For the first two weeks I'll be performing 15s, according to the standard plan.
For the next two weeks it'll be the 10s.
After that I'll do four weeks with a weekly cycle between 15s (Monday), 10s (Wednesday), and 5s (Friday). Because I've specialized in the 5-rep range for months now, I feel that cycling the repetition ranges would benefit me more than returning to an exclusive focus on 5-repetition sets.
Across the entire eight weeks I'll retain three full-body power exercises with the intent of maintaining the neurological conditioning associated with effective power generation and, hopefully, maximal-effort strength.
The specific exercises I'll be using for this cycle are:
- Power Clean (barbell), Circuit A - 3 reps per set
- Sumo Deadlift (barbell), Circuit A
- Standing Calf (lever), Circuit A
- Bench Press (dumbbells), Circuits A and B
- Seated Row (cable), Circuits A and B
- Military Press (barbell), Circuits A and B
- Gymnast's Cross (cable), Circuits A and B
- Upright Row (barbell), Circuits A and B
- Boxer's Cross (cable), Circuit B - 5 reps per set
- Start Mower (cable), Circuit B - 5 reps per set
- Seated Calf (lever), Circuit B
Each circuit involves two sets of each of the exercises within that circuit. The lower-body and power exercises appear in only one of the two circuits, while the upper body exercises appear in both circuits. I've chosen this setup to account for the fact that my lower-body muscles seem to respond better to very low volumes while my (smaller) upper-body muscles can recover more quickly from and benefit more from greater volume.
Since a few of these exercises are a little odd, I'll explain them:
The Gymnast's Cross is a stretch-point isolation exercise targeting the latissimus dorsi, inspired by the "Iron Cross" hold performed by gymnasts on the rings. Using a functional trainer, I position the cable wheels directly over my outstretched hands, take hold of the handles, and pull them in an arc down to my sides. Resistance is greatest at the top of the movement, but continues to be significant until my hands are very near my sides.
I like this exercise because it has such a wide range of effective motion and because my arms (already fatigued from rows, which I give first priority) give out long before my back when performing pull-ups, so it's one of the few isolation movements I ever incorporate into my workout (the others being calf and forearm exercises, which are isolated by default). I also use a static hold at the end of my final set, which seems to have helped with improving starting strength on both this movement and standard pull-ups.
The Boxer's Cross is a core-oriented exercise modeled after the execution of a western boxer's cross punch. The exercise is performed at a speed where a successful repetition is one that throws the stack well beyond the point of full extension, and where the arm pulls back immediately - slowing about half-way to smoothly absorb the momentum of the weight as it returns. The next repetition is begun immediately upon the hand's return to starting position, which is only really possible if I've regained full control of the weight by that point.
Unlike most attempts at loading a sport-specific movement this exercise has not only strengthened the relevant muscles, but given me a greater kinesthetic understanding of how to coordinate the movement for optimal speed (which means power) and end-point leverage (which improves force transmission). It correlates even more closely to a one-arm push such as would be used in taiji, complete with the sensitivity training involved in smoothly neutralizing and returning a significant incoming force.
As to its muscular benefits, it's one of the few exercises that involves the gluteus medius and external rotators of the leg in anything even remotely resembling real-world movement. It heavily involves the obliques, anterior deltoid, and serratus anterior. It moderately involves the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, lateral deltoid, rectus abdominus, triceps, gastrocnemius, and gluteus maximus.
The Start Mower exercise is an exact reproduction of the motion one would use when starting a lawnmower's engine with a pull-chord, except with a heavier load. It is also performed with great speed (about the same as you'd need to start an aging lawnmower), and is also primarily core-oriented - with a muscle-activation profile complementary to the Boxer's Cross. Aside from targeting the obliques, this one brings in more of the lateral and rear heads of the deltoid, the latissimus and rhomboids, erector spinae, hip flexors, biceps, and brachioradialis. The gluteus medius is still somewhat involved, though to a lesser extent.
Aside from this list of exercises, I also use a wrist roller a couple times a day for my forearms (and as something to do if I'm feeling a bit bored or restless). Eccentric and isometric hand-resisted four-directional neck exercises come into play to improve my neck's shock-absorbing capacity.
~~~
Since one of my roommates (a complete newcomer to weightlifting) is accompanying me to the gym, I'll report on his progress as well.
Where he doesn't really have enough strength, skill, or coordination to perform most free-weight exercises correctly, and is concerned almost entirely with appearance rather than functional strength, I've written up a machine-based program for him.
I'm hoping that this will at least give him something to work with if he later decides to switch to or incorporate free weights (I'm not a fan of using machines exclusively except as a way for someone to test the waters without being immediately bombarded with several relatively subtle details of proper technique). If nothing else, he'll put on some lean mass.
He'll be doing an unmodified HST program, using the following exercises:
- Leg Press, Circuit A
- Leg Curl, Circuit A
- Standing Calf, Circuit A
- Chest Press, Circuits A and B
- Seated Row, Circuits A and B
- Overhead Press, Circuits A and B
- Lat Pull-down, Circuits A and B
- Preacher's Curl, Circuits A and B
- Seated Crunch, Circuit B
- Back Extension, Circuit B
- Seated Calf, Circuit B
~~~
I'm also in the process of gradually losing weight (well, fat - my total weight has remained pretty stable). My final goal is 8% bodyfat. Assuming I'm at 12% (my abs, serratus, and deltoid are all discernible but certainly not defined), and that I'll continue to shed about 0.5 pounds of bodyfat each week, it'll be about one cycle before I'm at 10% and another nine weeks before I reach 8%. Thus far, I've been able to simultaneously increase my strength and lean mass (albeit slowly), so I'm interested in seeing whether that'll continue.
For the first two weeks I'll be performing 15s, according to the standard plan.
For the next two weeks it'll be the 10s.
After that I'll do four weeks with a weekly cycle between 15s (Monday), 10s (Wednesday), and 5s (Friday). Because I've specialized in the 5-rep range for months now, I feel that cycling the repetition ranges would benefit me more than returning to an exclusive focus on 5-repetition sets.
Across the entire eight weeks I'll retain three full-body power exercises with the intent of maintaining the neurological conditioning associated with effective power generation and, hopefully, maximal-effort strength.
The specific exercises I'll be using for this cycle are:
- Power Clean (barbell), Circuit A - 3 reps per set
- Sumo Deadlift (barbell), Circuit A
- Standing Calf (lever), Circuit A
- Bench Press (dumbbells), Circuits A and B
- Seated Row (cable), Circuits A and B
- Military Press (barbell), Circuits A and B
- Gymnast's Cross (cable), Circuits A and B
- Upright Row (barbell), Circuits A and B
- Boxer's Cross (cable), Circuit B - 5 reps per set
- Start Mower (cable), Circuit B - 5 reps per set
- Seated Calf (lever), Circuit B
Each circuit involves two sets of each of the exercises within that circuit. The lower-body and power exercises appear in only one of the two circuits, while the upper body exercises appear in both circuits. I've chosen this setup to account for the fact that my lower-body muscles seem to respond better to very low volumes while my (smaller) upper-body muscles can recover more quickly from and benefit more from greater volume.
Since a few of these exercises are a little odd, I'll explain them:
The Gymnast's Cross is a stretch-point isolation exercise targeting the latissimus dorsi, inspired by the "Iron Cross" hold performed by gymnasts on the rings. Using a functional trainer, I position the cable wheels directly over my outstretched hands, take hold of the handles, and pull them in an arc down to my sides. Resistance is greatest at the top of the movement, but continues to be significant until my hands are very near my sides.
I like this exercise because it has such a wide range of effective motion and because my arms (already fatigued from rows, which I give first priority) give out long before my back when performing pull-ups, so it's one of the few isolation movements I ever incorporate into my workout (the others being calf and forearm exercises, which are isolated by default). I also use a static hold at the end of my final set, which seems to have helped with improving starting strength on both this movement and standard pull-ups.
The Boxer's Cross is a core-oriented exercise modeled after the execution of a western boxer's cross punch. The exercise is performed at a speed where a successful repetition is one that throws the stack well beyond the point of full extension, and where the arm pulls back immediately - slowing about half-way to smoothly absorb the momentum of the weight as it returns. The next repetition is begun immediately upon the hand's return to starting position, which is only really possible if I've regained full control of the weight by that point.
Unlike most attempts at loading a sport-specific movement this exercise has not only strengthened the relevant muscles, but given me a greater kinesthetic understanding of how to coordinate the movement for optimal speed (which means power) and end-point leverage (which improves force transmission). It correlates even more closely to a one-arm push such as would be used in taiji, complete with the sensitivity training involved in smoothly neutralizing and returning a significant incoming force.
As to its muscular benefits, it's one of the few exercises that involves the gluteus medius and external rotators of the leg in anything even remotely resembling real-world movement. It heavily involves the obliques, anterior deltoid, and serratus anterior. It moderately involves the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, lateral deltoid, rectus abdominus, triceps, gastrocnemius, and gluteus maximus.
The Start Mower exercise is an exact reproduction of the motion one would use when starting a lawnmower's engine with a pull-chord, except with a heavier load. It is also performed with great speed (about the same as you'd need to start an aging lawnmower), and is also primarily core-oriented - with a muscle-activation profile complementary to the Boxer's Cross. Aside from targeting the obliques, this one brings in more of the lateral and rear heads of the deltoid, the latissimus and rhomboids, erector spinae, hip flexors, biceps, and brachioradialis. The gluteus medius is still somewhat involved, though to a lesser extent.
Aside from this list of exercises, I also use a wrist roller a couple times a day for my forearms (and as something to do if I'm feeling a bit bored or restless). Eccentric and isometric hand-resisted four-directional neck exercises come into play to improve my neck's shock-absorbing capacity.
~~~
Since one of my roommates (a complete newcomer to weightlifting) is accompanying me to the gym, I'll report on his progress as well.
Where he doesn't really have enough strength, skill, or coordination to perform most free-weight exercises correctly, and is concerned almost entirely with appearance rather than functional strength, I've written up a machine-based program for him.
I'm hoping that this will at least give him something to work with if he later decides to switch to or incorporate free weights (I'm not a fan of using machines exclusively except as a way for someone to test the waters without being immediately bombarded with several relatively subtle details of proper technique). If nothing else, he'll put on some lean mass.
He'll be doing an unmodified HST program, using the following exercises:
- Leg Press, Circuit A
- Leg Curl, Circuit A
- Standing Calf, Circuit A
- Chest Press, Circuits A and B
- Seated Row, Circuits A and B
- Overhead Press, Circuits A and B
- Lat Pull-down, Circuits A and B
- Preacher's Curl, Circuits A and B
- Seated Crunch, Circuit B
- Back Extension, Circuit B
- Seated Calf, Circuit B
~~~
I'm also in the process of gradually losing weight (well, fat - my total weight has remained pretty stable). My final goal is 8% bodyfat. Assuming I'm at 12% (my abs, serratus, and deltoid are all discernible but certainly not defined), and that I'll continue to shed about 0.5 pounds of bodyfat each week, it'll be about one cycle before I'm at 10% and another nine weeks before I reach 8%. Thus far, I've been able to simultaneously increase my strength and lean mass (albeit slowly), so I'm interested in seeing whether that'll continue.
