Random Training Stuff

[Merryprankster]

So, I've been lifting consistently now for about 8 or 9 months and it's paying dividends. I'm in a weight class sport (BJJ), so I can't put on too much weight and that really isn't my goal anyhow. Right now, I'm about 208, which I'm dropping to 200 or so for a tournament in December (for those of you who remember, I used to compete at 187, but I got tired of cutting that much weight, so I started hitting the weights.

Getting into the above 205 realm for competition would really require a LOT of muscle gain... it's a 20-25 lbs weight class spread I think, so hanging out at 210-215 wouldn't cut it!!!

Anyway, I have to say I've settled into a routine that's really going well for me.

I lift three times a week, circuit routine twice a week (High intensity cardio training w/ HR around 85-90% max). BJJ 4-6 times a week.

Day one: Bench and Squat
Day two: Power Clean and Press (the press isn't terribly strict. I want the weight overhead, strict military press form isn't the goal here), Bent over row, lat pull downs, close grip, using a towel to simulate a gi
Day three: Bench and Squat

The next week, I do Bench and squat once and double up on the other workout. Where I only have the one day of lifts in a week, I use that to add weight.

5x5 seems to work best for me. I was trying 3x10s for a bit, but I was CONSTANTLY sore and tired, even eating a lot. I switched back to 5x5's and it's much better for me. I'm not working even close to failure. Consistency and continued lifting is my goal, not failure and studies have shown that failure is not the only way to get strong. I have so many other activities, blowing myself out isn't a good idea anyway

Weights for the curious, as of right now

Bench: 235
Squat: 285 (I don't go ankles to ass, but I do break parallel by quite a bit - half squats are for pussies)
Clean and Press: 150
Bent Over Row: 150 (I could probably do significantly more, but I'm too lazy to change the weight after the cleans and besides I do SOOOOOO much pulling anyway with my sport)
Lat pulldowns: 120 on my particular machine (not bad for a guy with a bad shoulder - I can't do pullups very well because of it so I started doing these).

Anyway, regardless of what the optimal weight training philosophy might be, weights are just a means to an end for me, and this seems to be working pretty darn well, and I'm not straining or hurting anything. I can't ask for much more than that.

What have I learned from this?

Consistency on program suitable for your schedule (I'm in and out of the weight room in about 30-45 minutes) and built around your other demanding activities prevents injury and is maintainable. I'm not in a race so looking towards the long term, I'm pretty happy with this.

[bodhitree]

Looks like a rather good routine, and as long as it makes you happy.

[Chief Fox]

Just an observation. You can out bench and out squat me by a lot but our clean and press are about the same. Mine is actually a bit higher. 155lbs.

Not saying you should change your routine but the clean and press is a full body lift and relies on your whole body working together with good form to put the weight up. I would think that this woud translate better over to BJJ for you than bench and squats.

I'm training right now to do a full body weight clean and press. That would be 175lbs for me. I'm hoping to get there by the new year.

I like how you switch things up from week to week.

Good luck with your training goals. :)

[fa_jing]

very nice, I assume that's all for 5 x 5? I knew you could do better than 3 x 10. Try some 5 x 4 and 7 x 5 for variety, if you need it. Or you can wave the weights between sets.

The best part is that you were able to make gains while continuing to train your sport. In the same time period I've gone from significantly weaker than you in the squat to about the same level of strength. Thing is, I've been completely focused on the squat, do little to no non-weight training, and my bench and OH press have gone nowhere. Upper back is doing good though.

If you use a close stance when squatting, I don't find much difference in the difficulty of a just-below-parallel (JBP) squat vs. a ATG (ass-to-ground) squat. I do both, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. The JBP is a bit easier to keep the low back from curving, but the bounce that one uses in the ATG squat makes up for the extra distance moved. I haven't tried this, but I think they'd be about the same for a 1RM. The ATG is more demanding over a number of reps to keep good form though. I think the JBP is better for more people.

[Merryprankster]

I would think that this woud translate better over to BJJ for you than bench and squats.

I don't know. Squat and Bench both use quite a bit of your body as long as you aren't doing them with machines... Of course, the clean and press uses more. Just being strong, without using machines - that's plenty good since I'm not shooting for anything special. Plus, BJJ doesn't really do much overhead or even mimic that motion too much. The coordination required might carry over, certainly. There is a lot of "pushing" movement that mimics the Bench though, and the Squat's just a **** good, vital core exercise that everybody should do IMO.

I really like the clean and press, but I have to be careful not to advance too quickly. I might be being over cautious, but I don't have the same range of motion in my left shoulder as I did before injury/surgery. I'm extremely careful of cranking the weight up there and I have to pay special attention to the groove. Like the bent-over-row, I'm sure I can clean and press/push press significantly more than I am doing now (5x5 isn't especially taxing), but I want to be very, very careful to make sure that all my stabilizers are strong enough to handle the load. So when I say I'm not too strict with my form, I should clarify and say that I am not afraid or ashamed of turning the movement into a push press to avoid hurting my shoulder.

Even now, when I make a mistake, sometimes, I can feel "squeeking" in my shoulder like things rubbing together and it's a touch sore for a day after. I am moving up 5 lbs this week. I'm guessing that by March I'll be up around 170 or more. Maybe more. For a lark the other day I was doing hang cleans with 185 (not the press) for 5x5.

BTW, 155 is a hell of a lot of weight for 175!

Footnote - it seems I was off in my terminology - I don't do power cleans after all according to the images. I do hang cleans. I called them power cleans because that's what we called them when I was throwing shot in college...I do hang cleans because I really want to focus on my back's ability to pull a dead/resisting weight (lot of pulling in BJJ, where the legs can't assist you as much), and build my back after my shoulder surgery, partly to compensate for a shorter ROM and partly to prevent injury.

Fa_jing - yes, all those weights are for 5x5. I haven't attempted a 1RM. On just about every exercise, I could probably slap an extra 5 or 10 lbs and still get my 5x5, but not going to failure keeps me from being sore and exhausted, so I'm happy. The 3 x 10 scheme was just to get me started and used to everything again - I hadn't intended to stay on that, but was switching back just to shake things up. Bad idea, ultimately, as it turned out.


The best part is that you were able to make gains while continuing to train your sport.

Yeah, that was key for me. I really had to sit down and plan and think about it. I came up with a routine that worked everything I wanted, but got me in and out of the weight room in 30 minutes or so. Even now, I sometimes just take a day off if I'm achy or tired or stressed (in a bad 'exercise won't help this' way). Once I stopped looking at it as a race, doing it because you HAVE to seems silly.

Of course, I still get to have a good laugh at the guys who spend an hour on their biceps...

[fa_jing]

Those guys usually have ripped biceps though, don't they? I just don't care enough to do mine. :p

5 x 5 in the hang clean with 185 is major. You and I are about the same size, but your fat% is surely lower. I've done a couple sets of 5 at 175 but haven't done 185 for more than 3 reps. I haven't had a chance to try straps, which are commonly and beneficially used for hang cleans, so I hear. I do cleans from the floor with a bit more weight.

My shoulder snap, crackle and pop all the time. I try to avoid it of course. I've never had serious problems, though I have had some tweaks. Kettlebells are great for strengthening the shoulder and girdle, and will expose weaknesses as well as help you to surpass them.

[Chief Fox]

You're smarter than I am. Taking care of your shoulder is a good thing. Sometimes I get so caught up is weight that I forget that I also have a weak shoulder.

BTW - I was also off in my terminology. I do a Clean and Jerk or a Clean and Push Press, not a Clean and Press. Not sure if I've ever done a clean and press. I'm guessing that you squat clean, power clean or hang clean the weight to the racked position and then do a standing military press from there. Is that right? If so, 155lbs. is great. Nice work. :)

[Merryprankster]

Chief Fox,

I do some of them strict, some of them not so strict :D Like I said, I'm more concerned with getting the weight overhead. I don't do a jerk though at all - it's definitely a press or a push press.

From an isolative perspective, I'm cheating. For my (and ours I would assume) purpose, I think it's just fine.

I don't think I could clean and jerk more than about 180 or so with my bad shoulder.... I can't get "under" the weight properly...so it would wind up being a really leg-assisted push press.