Military Max Workout

Here is a great workout for those of use that need both strength and cardio.  This workout establishes a base of strength and volume and phases into a high intensity cardio program.  By the end of 12 weeks, you'll be strong and fast.  Gains like these are impossible on a typical hybrid, circuit, or low intensity workout regimen.

The workout is based around squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and sprints.  During the strength ramps, you will increase your weights and decrease your reps (intensity goes up and volume goes down). One day per week  you will conduct enough cardio to maintain some level of general fitness.  Each 3 week strength ramp is followed by a deload week (week 4/8) in which lighter weights are used for more reps, and more cardio is conducted.

The last 3 weeks are cardio intensive.  The cardio ramp is based around 400 and 800 meter intervals. Each workout begins with a 1/2 mile jog and some will end with one, as well.   Ensure that you decrease your lap time at each workout.  This is an essential point that forces the body to become faster.  While the 2 mile time should be done for time, the 3 mile run should be easy.

Prior to beginning the routine, test your strength and speed to see how effective the program was.

Week 1 (and 5)- Primary lifts are the back squat, bench press, and deadlift.  If you don't know how to properly perform these, spend a month or so learning them first.  This routine requires that you have some training background.  Each primary exercise is performed for 8 sets of 5, which is alot.  This means that the weight you choose should be easy on the first couple of sets, challenging for the middle few sets, and hard for the last couple of sets.  If you miss the last repk or two of the last set, you have picked the weight perfectly.  This is a strength/volume week.  The ancillary exercises should be performed for 3 sets of 8-10 reps with little difficulty.  Focus on form for these.

Week 2 (and 6)- Same primary lifts.  This week we are going heavier, using 3 rep work sets.  You should get all reps on these sets, but the last couple should be hard.  You will need to use more weight for these than you did in week 1.  Perform the ancillary lifts for 5 sets of 5, a little heavier than last week.

Week 3 (and 7)- Same primary lifts.  Heavier again.  This week, perform 5 sets of 3, then perform 3 sets of max doubles (2 reps).  This should be a gut busting effort, and obviously heavier than the prior week.  The 5 sets of 3 are considered somewhat of a "hard" warmup.  Heavy enough to prepare you for the max doubles, but not so heavy that you are exhausted.  Ancillary exercises are performed for 3 sets of 8-10.

Week 4 (and 8)- This is a transition week.  Weights are lighter and performed for 4 sets of 10.  The cardio portion is slightly increased, as well.

17 JAN 2011 - I've added a spreadsheet that allows you to calculate weights based on your 5RM.  Send me an email and I will send it to you...  damon@findingfitwithin.com