Making a Strength Training Program

Winter is right around the corner and so are the holidays.  That means a lot of food, shorter days, cooler temperatures and vacations.  It is for these very reasons that I often put a block of strength training at the end of the year...that way I can enjoy all the food and have a legitimate excuse!  Remember, if you want to build muscle, you need calories!  I am not going to re-invent the wheel here since I already wrote an article that lays everything out on how to make a strength training program.  So since it is that time of year again, I felt the "Making a Strength Training Program" article would be appropriate and have the link below...enjoy and happy holidays!

 This is a topic I have talked about before and some of the info below is from previous posts, but I think it is important enough to keep sending the message: Keep Strength Training in Your Life!

Strength training builds muscle (which burns fat), increases bone density, improves hormone balance, and prevents injuries..it keeps us young.

For those who follow this blog, quite a bit of the info below will sound familiar but I will be adding a few more bits of knowledge in this article. The focus is strength training which is a little different then body building.  They are similar in that they both build muscle/structure, they both require a calorie surplus but differ in a few other ways. Strength training develops neuromuscular pathways to a greater degree thus allowing for a greater ability to generate power.  Bodybuilding allows for more sarcoplasmic growth allowing the muscles to store more glucose thus more fluid and size.  Strength training utilizes much heavier weight, less sets and lower reps.  Bodybuilding utilizes greater volume with moderate weight, more sets and higher reps.  The programs in this article are strength programs. Now lets get started…get some coffee and get comfortable.

First let’s talk about types of adaptations.  This may be a refresher for some and new to others.  The types of adaptations that I am talking about are physical changes that can be measured.  Thinks like strength, speed, muscle mass or improved performance in timed or scored events.  Some changes or improvements, once attained, stay with us longer than others.  This is important because it helps us prioritize how we program our training. The following list shows how adaptations are gained starting with the ones that take the most time to gain to the least time to gain:

1.      Muscle growth

2.      Strength

3.      Muscular Endurance/Lactic acid threshold

4.      Power-speed related movements that improve neuro-muscular relationships

5.      Technique or skill based movements

6.      Cardio-respiratory endurance

Likewise, the following shows the reverse of this…adaptations that are lost the quickest to the slowest:

1.      Cardio

2.      Technique

3.      Power

4.      Muscular Endurance/Lactic acid threshold

5.      Strength

6.      Muscle growth

This means many things.  First gain muscle and strength because that stays with us for a long time before diminishing and as an event approaches begin adding conditioning and skill work then cardio.  It also means that as far as cardio and technique or skill based movements go, we gain them pretty quick and lose them pretty quick.

When I hear folks talk about wanting to get “ripped” or “shredded” and then jump into some high intensity training program or do tons of cardio, I really want to choke them…for just few seconds.  What most people fail to realize is that folks who are “ripped” or “shredded” got strong and had a lot of muscle first.  Gain the muscle and then lean out.  And yes, when a person focuses on gaining muscle mass, they will gain some fat…don’t panic, it’s easy to lose and when its gone, that’s when the “ripped” look appears.

Some may argue that due to health or medical reasons that strength and building muscle shouldn’t be a priority.  I would agree.  If someone has some type of metabolic derangement, severe obesity issues, mobility limitations or cardio vascular risk factors then focusing on diet and simply improving activity level and mobility would be the priority.

A good guideline is get strong and gain muscle which stays with us longer and makes us more durable and injury resistant…and harder to kill as Mark Rippetoe would say.   Then incorporate metabolic conditioning (metcon) or interval or Cross Fit style training.  Then throw in some occasional cardio.  And finally, since skill deteriorates relatively quickly, incorporate your specific skill set, i.e. firearms, control tactics, entry, ground control and keep it in your program.  Once you have attained a good level of GPP (general physical preparedness) that you are happy with, then you are in your maintenance phase.  Once there, strength/power training can be done less frequently (1-2 times per week), metcon training (1-2 times per week), and technique/cardio (1-2 times per week).  This can be adjusted based on any new goals you have or areas you want to improve but you get the idea.

Ok, that was a fast, quick overview of programming and prioritization.   We didn’t even talk about the level of the athlete…novice, intermediate, advanced and elite….which would change training and recovery periods.  A novice will experience gains and progress quicker with less recovery time. An intermediate will not progress as quickly, and will have to allow more recovery time or program in some lighter intensity workouts. An advanced or Elite athlete requires even greater periods of high intensity followed by equally or longer periods of recovery…and so on and so on.

One of the biggest enemies of progress in athletes is overtraining, a.k.a adrenal fatigue. To understand this we must first understand the three basic things we need in order to make adaptation or improved performance, whatever the goal may be (it’s actually the same thing):

1.      Training/Stimulus

2.      Nutrition

3.      Rest/Recovery

 If one of these is out of balance, progress will halt and, quite often, reverse or deteriorate. Can a person train for a couple of hours a day 6 or 7 days a week and improve? Sure, as long as the nutrition and recovery are in balance…they may have to sleep 12 hours a day and triple their caloric intake…but it could be done.

Our bodies respond to stress by making adaptations. They need adequate rest and building material (food) to do this. The trick is stressing it just long enough and with enough intensity to signal a hormonal response and then give it the rest and nutrition it needs to support the change.

There is no “one size fits all”. It requires some experience, planning and common sense (which is usually the ingredient that is missing most often ) or simply knowing someone or a coach who is smarter than you and getting them to help. If the stress is not intense enough, we are just spinning our wheels. If it is too much, progress stalls or reverses, injuries occur and we feel like crap.

The human body has adapted very well to dealing with acute stress (short-term) but is not good at dealing with chronic stress. Acute stress can be things like training and emergency or life threatening situations. This is the primary type of stress that we, as humans, have been exposed to for most of our existence. Chronic stress is relatively new to humans, maybe within the last 150 years, not enough time for our physiology to adapt. This type of stress comes from busy lifestyles, anxiety, not enough sleep, too many stimulants or over training.

Unfortunately, most of us are exposed to chronic stress quite regularly. It is important to recognize and understand this so we can identify sources of chronic stress and work to reduce them.

So what is the problem with chronic stress??? In a word…cortisol. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid produced by our adrenal gland. Simply put, it’s a hormone released in response to stress that is responsible for the release of stored glucose. The problem is when we have too much cortisol too frequently, we “burn out” our adrenal gland, burn muscle, impair cognitive function and impair our immune system. Cortisol also inhibits sleep and not enough sleep increases cortisol production. Ugly cycle huh? That is why it is so important to get cortisol under control…because if you don’t, you will not get enough rest.

Far too often, I see folks with good intentions, that already have chronic stress issues, take too many “energy” supplements or drinks, which also release cortisol, and decide they are going to start working out to make some improvements and then wonder why it doesn’t work and wonder why they feel like crap. Usually, they fix it by training more, eating less and taking more energy boosters. See a problem here?

Folks, its not the training that will make you better, it’s the recovery that will. If you fall into this category, exercise should not be the priority, managing sources of chronic stress should be. Now some may argue that exercise can be a way to manage or control stress. In general, I would agree if the intensity is low enough…like a slow walk or jog. But if we are talking about exercise that elicits a physiological change, then that exercise is going to require a high degree of intensity and will not be successful at reducing stress.

I tell the folks I teach and train to remember two simple questions to ask themselves to help determine if they are overtraining:

1. How is your performance? 
2.  How do you feel?

If your performance is stalling or on reversing, then you are overtraining and need to take a break. Maybe for a couple of days or maybe for a couple of weeks. If you feel like crap, yep you guessed it, you are overtraining. The cure for overtraining is really that simple: rest and good nutrition. Any good training program will have recovery or “off” periods programmed in.

The message here guys is to first identify sources of chronic stress and try to get them under control before embarking on a performance based training program. These sources may be:

• Not enough sleep….big one in law enforcement
• Too many stimulants…especially the energy drinks
• Anxiety…worrying about things you can’t change is a biggie
• Poor diet…too many high glycemic index carbs keep insulin up which, in turn, elevate cortisol
• Too much exercise
  
  

Know the signs of overtraining, recognize sources of chronic stress, be responsible enough to make fixing them a priority, train just enough to send the right signals to the body, provide the appropriate nutrition and give your body the time and rest it needs to make the changes. Yes, this requires planning, preparation and a little practice…and sometimes taking a vacation!

Ok back to strength training, now we should understand every athlete is different and to gain muscle we need intensity, a lot of food and a lot of rest.  As far as food goes, in regards to Paleo nutrition, an athlete can make great gains eating Paleo...it just might take a little longer though.  When gaining weight, our need for carbs will increase.  I have seen some suggestions like drinking a gallon of milk a day or eating 2-3 sweet potatoes a day…whatever works for you, just understand that this is short term in order to gain the muscle.  Whatever you decide to do, I would strongly encourage avoiding grains, processed foods and sugary foods.

Onto types of strength training programs…here are some good general guidelines for gaining mass:

• Keep squats, deadlifts, press, cleans, bench as the “meat and potatoes”
• Train 3-4 times per week…strength training only
• Train heavy (this may vary from athlete to athlete)
• Eat…a lot
• Get plenty of sleep
• For gaining mass, usually higher volume work (more sets at 8-12 reps) is better…usually
• For power/strength, usually lower volume higher weight (less sets 3-5 reps at high intensity) is better…usually
  Not too complicated.  Here are few strength training programs to choose from:

• Mark Rippetoe’s 5x5 Method for beginners
• Jim Wendlers 5/3/1 Method for intermediate to advanced lifters
• Prilipen Method…this is more for intermediate to advanced lifters and is based on the principle that some folks respond better to different intensities and rep ranges
• Louie Simmons Conjugate Method from Westside Barbell...for advanced athletes
  Either way, you should pick a template based on your experience level and what you feel will work for you and stick with it for atleast 4-6 months to allow the adaptations to take place and stick.
  Here is one that I came up with based on what works for me, which is more geared for the experienced/advanced athlete:

		Workout Combos
Workout A		Workout B		Workout C
Squat		Squat		Deadlift
Bench		Clean		Press
Secondary lift		Secondary lift		Secondary lift
Workout D		Workout E		Workout F
Deadlift		Press		O-Lifts
Bench		Clean		heavy doubles
Secondary lift		Secondary lift		or triples
		Workout G
		Speed/Interval/MC

The Pattern

	First  Cycle			Next Cycle
Week	Weekly Cycle	Advanced	Intermdiate	Advanced	Intermediate
1	A,C,B	65% @ 8-10 REPS	65% AND 70%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
2	C,B,D	70% @ 8-10 REPS	70% AND 75%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
3	A,E,D	75% @ 8-10 REPS	75% AND 80%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
4	F,G	MAX EFFORTS	MAX EFFORTS	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
5	A,C,B	80% @ 4-5 REPS	80% AND 85%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
6	C,B,D	85% @-4-5 REPS	85% AND 90%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
7	A,E,D	90% @ 3-5 REPS	90% AND 95%	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
8	F,G	MAX EFFORTS	MAX EFFORTS	ADD 2-3%	ADD 3-5%
9	Can be used as recovery week or beginning of next cycle

The Workouts

Primary lifts	O-Lifts	Secondary Lifts
Squat	Clean and Jerk	Front squat
Deadlift	Snatch	Overhead squat
Power Clean		Push ups
Press	(these lifts may not apply	Pull ups
Bench	to intermediate athletes)	Kettlebells
		Turkish get ups
		Ring work
		Handstand push ups
		Single Joint
		Cable work
	Interval/Speed/MetCon
	Sprints (200m or less)
	Tabata Drills
	Box Jumps
	Clapping push ups, Handspeed Drills
	10 min or less MetCon

If this confuses you, then you shouldn’t follow it.  This is a very specialized program that works well for me and took me years to refine.  It follows a similar style often that Mark Rippetoe uses for his advanced athletes of “Two Steps Forward One Step Back” where there is a ramp up week, high intensity week, and recovery week.  Is it obvious I am a Rippetoe fan?

I will be giving some lectures and seminars soon on exercise physiology and programming so keep following the posts for future announcements.  The first one should is planned for sometime in September. 

I know this was a lengthy article but to sum everything up remember:

• To gain muscle: train heavy, eat, sleep…not much else

• Do more sets and higher reps for gaining mass
• Do less sets, lower reps and high intensity for power/strength

• Gain muscle/strength first then lean out or condition unless there are health issues
• Every athlete is different
• There is no “one size fits all” program out there
• Take the time to educate yourself or hire someone smarter than you to teach you
• Ovoid overtraining

That’s a lot to chew on.  Remember, keep it simple, understand general principles, use the major lifts and have some sort of plan before ya start.  Until next time, pick up something heavy and get some sprints in.