ViCore Bench

Well gang, in case you missed it, the fitness entreprenuers of America are finding ways to make you weaker and more prone to injuries during your workout.  Introducing the Bosu ball/bench thingie.  So the goal here is to have you use much lighter weights because you are unstable.  Somehow, light weight has become a good thing and being unstable is preferred.  Guess we need to work our "stabilizers."  News flash: no one that squats 500lbs has weak "stabilizers."  I must have missed the revolution...

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

Article Review: Use it or Lose it: the Rule of Two, EliteFTS

http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/use-it-or-lose-it-the-rule-of-two/

I'm not sure I can agree with the bulk of this article.  The principle of detraining is indeed a legitimate concern for lifters, but the studies cited here are taken out of context and applied incorrectly.  The author is making false correlations and using data improperly.

First, the chart indicating that Olympic weightlifters lose 20% of their squatting strength in 4 weeks is problematic.  After a 24 week training cycle, most lifters would take 5-10 off prior to a competition in order to achieve > 100% 1RM lifts.  If they lost strength (detrained)  as quickly as the author suggests, this tapering technique would be counterproductive.  I don't have access to the full article, but I'd be interested to see their exact protocols.

Second, the third chart contradicts the first one.  It shows that physically active males actually increase their 1RM after a 2 week layoff and that weight lifters show a ~5% decrease in 1RM after the two week layoff.  Another major problem with this study is that it measures isometric strength, which may not correlate with full range of motion lifting, especially when studying detraining specifically.

Third, the study on VO2max was conducted on individuals that were tested then placed on bed rest.  Is it really necessary to point out that physical performance declines in a bed ridden person?  This, in my opinion, is deliberately misleading the readers.

Last, the article just doesn't pass the common sense test.  Strength is a persistent adaptation.  It requires the body to change the architecture and physiology of numerous systems, and these systems are likely to retain most of the adaptations for a significant length of time.  Most research I've studied shows that strength, once gained, stays for a while.  Again, I have to point out that most lifters take a 5-10 off period prior to competing in order to display maximum strength.  This article seems to convey that taking a week off from training can lead to an immediate decrease in strength.

Adaptation: Period, Persistence, and Prioritization

“The recent surge in the quest for a “well-rounded” and/or “functional” training program (and visible abs) has become the greatest inhibitor to effective training programming. The current trend in “fitness” training involves a complex array of what most perceive as balance of fitness parameters: strength, flexibility, skill specific, and high or low intensity endurance training. Becoming proficient in many skills or modalities is an attractive proposition and has become the fashionable gold standard for flashy, trendy workouts. Often, these techniques are applied haphazardly or in a method that emphasizes variety over consistency and progress. Terms like “muscle confusion” and “broad time and modal domains” are common and many will tell you that these are sound exercise principles. In fact, they are useless techniques that are the opposite of progress and are often gimmicks promoted by greedy
entrepreneurs.”

           
FULL ARTICLE: 
http://startingstrength.com/articles/adaptation_prioritization_wells.pdf

Strength Camp Coming

December 12, 2010
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM 

 

The Program:
Open to the public but specifically designed to teach the basics about building an effective strength program for military, police, fire fighters, and other tactical athletes.  We will discuss basic physiology and biomechanics, strength and conditioning concepts, and programming.  Learn the Starting Strength method pioneered by Mark Rippetoe for the squat, bench press, and deadlift.  Participants will leave with ability to teach the basic lifts and program strength protocols for units/departments.  Limited to 12 attendees.

 

Schedule:

9:00 - 9:30 Registration and Warm-up  

9:30 - 10:30   Introduction; Basic Physiology/Biomechanics  

10:30 - 11:30   The Squat  

11:30 - 12:30   The Bench Press  

12:30 - 1:00   Lunch  

1:00 - 2:00  The Deadlift  

2:00 - 3:00  Programming  

3:00 - 4:00  Q&A

Cost:  $125

Payable through the Starting Strength website:  http://www.startingstrength.com/

Must be paid prior to attending seminar.

Location:  Maximus Fitness and Wellness, Leavenworth, KS

Coached by MAJ Damon Wells

Is the APFT relevant any more?

There is a very interesting article in this month's NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning Report.

Click here to read the article.


From the article...

"The United States Army is planning to

overhaul the 30-year-old Army Physical

Fitness Test (APFT) in the near future.

The consensus seems to be that soldiers

agree more. There were many soldiers

that responded to a recent Army Times

request for opinions on how and

what they would like to see changed on

the current APFT. The responses showed

that soldiers want to see a combination

of task-specifi c movements implemented

into the new combat-relevant physical

fitness test. The survey completed by

Army Times suggests that soldiers want

to add pull-ups and crunches, eliminate

sit-ups, and also implement shuttle runs

or a road march. They also suggest that

they would like to work out in combat

gear instead of PT uniforms."

Movember

http://us.movember.com/