Mini Cycle

[Totentanz]

For various reasons, my current cycle was screwed up a little while ago, due to life and such. It's a long story, but basically, I can't finish my current cycle right now.
I'm also moving in a month, and I have three weeks that I can workout. After these three weeks, I'm going to have to take at least two weeks off, so I figure I'll just count those two weeks as SD and then restart my current cycle after that.

So... for the next three weeks, since I can't do a proper HST cycle, I'm trying to come up with a miniature cycle to keep me occupied. I want to do it all in the 5 rep range, and I'd prefer to keep workouts at a reasonable length. Unfortunately, I can only workout 3 times a week, or maybe every other day at most...

I'd also like to make some good gains in strength and hopefully some decent gains in size. I'm not very strong compared to a lot of the guys here, and I'd really like to bring my lifts up as much as I can.
So, what I'm hoping to do, is take my 5 rep maxes that I tested for my other cycle and use those, but keep really close to my 5 RM, incrementing up to my 5 RM over the 3 weeks. I'm thinking probably about 10 sets of various exercises, then a few sets of 15s for the metabolic work.
Some stuff I'd like to try adding in is possibly loaded stretching, pulsing and all that stuff.

Any suggestions on which exercises I should choose? Simplicity is important... I'm thinking of Deadlifts, Bentover BB Rows, Incline bench, Good Morning, Shrugs and Military Press. If any of you have any ideas of exercises that would be better than those, by all means, let me know.

Also, would starting closer to my 5 RM, say around 90%, be alright?

Any other suggestions on what I can do to optimize strength gains during this short cycle would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jester]

Here's what I'd do:

1 week of working on the second half of my 5s, and 2 weeks of 5RM, clusters and negs, working up to 1-2RM for the last 2 workouts.

If you want to keep the exercises simple, here's what I'd choose, assuming you're at a gym not home:

Deadlifts
Incline Bench (low incline), Incline Flies if possible
Dips
Bent Over Rows
W. Grip Chins
Sm. machine military press - great for doing negs
Rear raises
Skullcrushers
Incline Curls
Calf raises

Don't use metabolic work or LS for the first workout or two, the DOMs will be pretty strong.

Loaded Stretches:

Chest - dumbell fly hold, is what you'd call it I guess. I use a weight about 50% of my max incline fly weight (though up to 65% work prob be ok depending on how heavy your max is), and just hold it in the arms out position for about 15 seconds.

Back - Hanging chins......usually use the widest grip I can, with a dumbell in b/t my legs. Sometimes use the supinated grip, just to vary it up. Can normally make about 30seconds on this.

Shoulders - grab a barbell on the rack at about shoulder height, only you're grabbing it behind you, palms facing upwards. Walk outwards and roll your shoulders a lil. Walk until you feel the stretch (and you'll know when you do

), and hold it for 15seconds or so.

Biceps - I just hold the weight in the incline position, this LS is the one I feel the most actual stretch on. The 'burning' sensation will be pretty severe after 12-15 seconds.

 

[Totentanz]

Unfortunately, I'm stuck at home still right now, though the nice thing about where I am moving is that a pretty decent gym is about five minutes from my new house... so I'll be hitting the gym at least 3 times a week once I'm moved in. I'll still have the equipment at home to do extra work or whatever.

I can do chins, not at home, but at someone else's house. It'll have to be on the days I don't work out though. I'll definitely try throwing that in.

I'm trying out the trick where you use two chairs to do dips. Seems to be working out okay, though I'm a little worried about how it will work out once I'm using more weight for them...


Anyway, thanks for the info about LS. I'll try that out.

What is the best thing to do for metabolic work? A short set of 15s with a low weight for each exercise, after the heavy set? Or should I just wait until the end of my workout, and do a few sets of 15s using a few of my exercises instead?

 

[imported_dkm1987]

A good high rep set for each major group will do. To lessen time you could use pulsed reps, where they apply. Too many muscles in the back (for example) for pulsing to work effectively IMO. Isolation type movements seem to work better.