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Pursuit of My Abilities

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I've been playing with some alternatives to regular old LED. Two alternarives that are showing promise for me are:
  1. Zone 2 Swings
    • 2H Swings @ 32kg x4 [30"] x80
  2. Swing Fartlek
    1. 2H Swing @32kg x5 [30"]
    2. 3-5-7min @ Zone 2 Elliptical (jog/row/swim/etc)
    3. repeat (ends up being 6 rounds total ~45min)
The zone 2 swings I only do on the first LED day and not the day before or after a deadlift day.
Hey Bro Mo, the Swing fartlek looks interesting!

Did I misread it or is it 5 swings @32kg followed by the zone 2 work repeated?
 
@kiwipete Yes.

5min zone 2 warm-up
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
3min zone 2
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
5min zone 2
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
7min zone 2
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
3min zone 2
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
5min zone 2
5x 2H swings every 30 seconds for 5 sets (2:30)
7min zone 2

(50min Total)
 
The timed singles I did last week really made an impression on me. Enough so that I did them again yesterday with a little different loading but the concept was the same. The training was so dense, it's hard to neglect. For example, when I go to the shooting range, rather than shoot a full 10 round magazine worth on a target, I load 2 rounds each in 2 magazines and practice. In comparison the training results in:
  1. (10 rounds) Draw, acquire, fire, follow-up (FU), FU, FU, FU, FU, FU, FU, FU, FU
  2. (2+2 Rounds) Draw, acquire, fire, follow-up, reload, acquire, fire, follow-up
The second method results in many more iterations of critical skills for each round fired. If I only have so many rounds in my magazine, I want to spend them getting as much learning packed in that I can. Same for my training; I only have so many reps in the tank and I want each one to contribute to learning rather than fatigue. Instead of 10x10 swings, 20x5 swings, etc. Instead of ladders to 4, 3 sets of 2, etc.

I'm still very happy with my current macro, meso, and micro cycles but I'm going to experiment a little more with these high-density clusters to get the load volume dialed in for each mesocycle (block).
 
I've been using a variety day to experiment with the cluster sets a little more. What I like the most is the extremely structured progression it allows and promotes. It is very easy to alter the rest periods, the reps, the duration, the load, power output, etc. I started looking at the intensity number of lifts (INOL) for a few different variations and think I have a good enough starting place to begin replacing the individual training sessions for my annual cycle with these clusters.

I've also been experimenting with some alternatives to the tempo runs I had been doing with shorter faster intervals and the LED with the swing fartleks. Here are some of the polar readouts.

Swing Fartlek:
Aerobic_20190122.JPG
I have become a huge fan of these. These have become my favorite for aerobic day. Each of the rounds is 25min and the longer session is 3 rounds.

Split Intervals (600m at date pace, [1' rest], 300m at goal pace, [5' rest])
Strength_Anaerobic_20190119.JPG The second part of the split is almost difficult to go slow after the short rest. I like these a lot for pace training. It's quarter and eighth of the target race distance in my case.

Split Intervals (300m at >goal pace, [1'], 200m @ >GP, [1'], 100m @ >GP [3'])
Endurance_Anaerobic_20190123.JPG
These faster intervals are for peaking and attempting to target buffering hydrogen, or whatever else causes fatigue a few weeks out from a race.
 
In a short peaking phase right now but will start my next 12 weeks in a few weeks. This is what that is starting to look like.
Program.JPG
 
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Strained my hamstring a little yesterday. Haven't had any issues for some time. Only significant training change has been adding swings during my aerobic days . Perhaps it's too much and I'll revert back to plain old LED for aerobic days. I'm also considering doing the meso cycle as weeks instead of months. I feel that it might be too long between phases that im doing the hard ones too long and too far between.
 
Snowed in so no regular Saturday track day. Instead, used the elliptical for an interval session. 20 repeats of 40sec on, 20sec off. Mentally tougher than a hard track day. Heart rate was all over the place during the warm-up. It was like my body wasn't sure if I was serious or not about asking it to work. I showed it I meant business though and who was the boss.
Stamina_Anaerobic_20190209.JPG
 
Strained my hamstring a little yesterday. Haven't had any issues for some time. Only significant training change has been adding swings during my aerobic days . Perhaps it's too much and I'll revert back to plain old LED for aerobic days. I'm also considering doing the meso cycle as weeks instead of months. I feel that it might be too long between phases that im doing the hard ones too long and too far between.

Interesting to say the least.
 
Peaking was set up for Feb 15 but got delayed to yesterday. I was doing FPP applied to pushups and sit-ups which I find works very well. The higher volume when using pushups instead of pullups is only sustainable for 3 weeks for me which is just another observation of the same result.

Overall, what I've been doing the last 6 months has been very good and the peaking was able to be maintained a couple weeks with minimal decline.

I have decided to make the 12 period cycle as weeks instead of months. I'll take a short light period before getting back to it.

My training plan is heavily influenced by:
  1. Training for the New Alpinism; Steve House
  2. 5/3/1; Jim Wendler
  3. Reload; Fabio Zonin
  4. Running Formula; Jack Daniels
 
Checking off the sessions one by one. The best program is the one you do. This program accounts for nearly every constraint and goal I have so...
Ability.JPG
 

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Previous week:
Monday

Squat [V-Grip Pull Down]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Bench Press [Ab Roll Out]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Tuesday
Massage​
Wednesday
45min Run @ Zone 2​
Thursday
Press [Romanian DL]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Deadlift [Pull-Up]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Friday
20min Row @ Zone 2
20min Bike @ Zone 2​
Saturday
5x 5'[1'] Run @ Tempo Pace (Zone 4)​

I really like cluster sets. Every rep is more explosive. On the last set of the session (16th set) I am doing as many reps as possible like in 5/3/1. Doing it this way, I feel I'm getting 15x high quality singles followed by a set with significant time under tension. The rep max set really builds confidence at the following weeks weight and provides the volume for growth without enough sets of it to cause fatigue. The variety/accessory lifts are not very structured other than just trying to get some quality reps in during the long rest of the main lifts.
 
Week of March 10
Monday

Squat @ 65% [V-Grip Pull Down]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Bench Press @ 65% [Ab Roll Out]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Tuesday
45min Row @ Zone 2​
Wednesday
45min Run @ Zone 2​
Thursday
Press @ 65% [Romanian DL]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Deadlift @ 65% [Pull-Up]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Friday
45min Bike @ Zone 2​
Saturday
5x 5'[1'] Run @ Tempo Pace (Zone 4)
On the final max rep sets, achieved 18 reps (compared to 20 the week before that) on final set for presses and 15 reps (compared to only 12 the week before) for the lower body lifts. That max rep set really gets me huffing and puffing at these lower percentages because I'm able to get such high reps. I really like using a timer, it helps me reduce the performance variable of rest time. It also helps me get in and get out and home to the family.

The week before (March 4 to 8), I was a little sore; perhaps due to starting the program but I think it had a lot to do with the deep tissue massage. This week there wasn't any soreness. I think keeping most of the sets at singles or at least small percentage of max reps really reduces fatigue.

Really trying to focus on increasing my cadence for my running which feels a little weird and raises the heart rate a little. I am led to believe that many running injuries are caused from too long of strides.
 
Week of March 17
Monday

Squat @ 50% [Chin Up]
4-4-4+/3 [30"/2']​
Bench Press @ 50% [Hanging Leg Raise]
4-4-4+/3 [30"/2']​
Tuesday
60min Row @ Zone 2​
Wednesday
60min Run @ Zone 2​
Thursday
Press @ 50% [Front Squat]
4-4-4+/3 [30"/2']​
Deadlift @ 50% [Incline Dumbbell Press]
4-4-4+/3 [30"/2']​
Friday
60min Bike @ Zone 2​
Saturday
3x 10' [2'] Run @ Tempo Pace (Zone 4)
The endurance week went well. The cluster sets of 4 were really easy at 50% but I was still a little sore the next day. The last max rep set really gets a burn going but it's only one set at the end so the DOMS was pretty manageable. The longer 10 minute tempo intervals were a nice change of pace.

I had planned on doing 75 minutes for the zone 2 days but decided to reduce this first endurance week of the cycle to be 60 and go up to 75 the second time in the cycle and then to 90 for the final one.

I am liking changing my assistance stuff throughout the cycle. I don't feel like anything is getting neglected and it's still structured enough that it's not completely random volume and progression.
 
Week of March 24
Monday

Squat @ 90% [Pendlay Row]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Bench Press @ 90% [Front Squat]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Tuesday
Off​
Wednesday
6x 1' [2'] Run @ Repetition Pace (Zone 5)​
Thursday
Off​
Friday
Deadlift @ 90% [Dragon Flag]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Press @ 90% [Sumo Deadlift]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Saturday
6x 1' [2'] Run @ Repetition Pace (Zone 5)​

Hadn't intended to take Tuesday and Thursday off but had prior engagements that took precedence. The singles at 90% felt better than I was expecting. The accessory lifts between sets were a little different in that this week the second accessory was a variation of the first main lift. Also, I did not do max rep sets on the last set this week.

The repetition runs were really easy. My HRM registered those days as recovery days even. The volume was really low this week but the intensity was high and I think it made a nice follow up to the higher volume week the week prior.
 
Week of March 31
Monday

Squat @ 70% [V-Grip Pull Down]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Bench Press @ 70% [Ab Roll Out]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Tuesday
40min Ruck @ Zone 2​
Wednesday
40min Run @ Zone 2​
Thursday
Press @ 70% [Romanian DL]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Deadlift @ 70% [Pull-Up]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Friday
Off​
Saturday
Off​

A little bummed about missing some sessions the end of the week but a little spring break vacation will make it worth it! Back to the max rep sets this week, I hit some of the same numbers as a few weeks ago with 5% lower weights. The DOMS I get is about perfect. I know that I did a little damage but no more than necessary. The clusters with final max rep set is the best auto regulating scheme I've done. My hormones are all improving evidenced by my wife's annoyance with me chasing her around like a deer in rut (y).
 
Week of April 7
Monday

Squat @ 50% [Chin-Up]
5-5-5+/3 [30"/2']​
Bench Press @ 50% [Hanging Leg Raise]
5-5-5+/3 [30"/2']​
Tuesday
Off​
Wednesday
75min Run @ Easy Pace​
Thursday
Press @ 50% [Front Squat]
5-5-5+/3 [30"/2']​
Deadlift @ 50% [Incline Dumbbell Press]
5-5-5+/3 [30"/2']​
Friday
SkyZone Trampoline Play​
Saturday
Off
Only hit 50% attendance for this weeks training. The DOMs is a bit more significant from the Monday squats. Clusters of 15 with sets of 5 were a bit more volume than clusters of 12 with sets of 4 a few weeks ago. Last set of the last cluster hit 25x which was a gasser. The 2 minute rest periods between clusters is pretty different from the 4 minute rest during other weeks.

Tried using Jack Daniels Run Formula vDOT easy pace for my long run. Felt strong and that I was holding back but was in zone 3 heart rate which has me wondering if I should ease up and maintain zone 2 or follow easy pacing if it's in zone 3.

Friday: took my daughter on a daddy-daughter date to SkyZone Indoor Trampoline facility. Fun but a weird landing tweaked my knee so I'm not sure what that is. Not enough to get me to stop playing but enough to have weakness and instability if jumping too hard/high. Due to the knee, I skipped my Saturday tempo intervals in the event it's a legit injury of some kind. Scheduled an apt to have it checked this week.
 
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Week of April 14
Monday

Squat @ 50% [V-Grip Pull Down]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Bench Press @ 75% [Ab Roll Out]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Tuesday
Off​
Wednesday
45min Treadmill @ Easy Pace​
Thursday
Press @ 75% [Romanian DL]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Deadlift @ 75% [Pull-Up]
1-1-1-1+/4 [20"/4']​
Friday
Off​
Saturday
Off​

Tried squatting light with low volume just to keep the mobility up in my knee and it didn't hurt or have any problems. Took Tuesday off due to knee uncertainty until hearing back from the Dr. though. Physician thought it would be ok to run on my knee since I didn't really have any pain or inflammation so I tested it on the treadmill. Even though it felt ok, I still scheduled an MRI which revealed a lateral meniscus tear. I will talk to the PT about training but for the most part, from past meniscus tears, the damage is done and the meniscus won't really heal so there isn't anything really keeping me from continuing on as long as there isn't pain or gross inflammation.

Was on a mini vacation and didn't train Friday or Saturday.

Overall, I still really like this program. I am seeing steady progress in both strength and endurance activities. The volume is adequate for improvement but easy to recover from. I have heard that many concurrent training programs that mix multiple programs together often suffer from too much volume. I use the rule of thumb that the total training load cannot exceed 150%. In this case, I'm working on two programs so am doing ~2/3 (66%) of each. If I were to do three programs I would probably do 50% of each, etc.

After doing a little more easy pace work in lieu of zone 2 work, I think it would be good to replace a small portion of zone 2 work with easy pace work. Each week I have 4 days of endurance work:
  • (1) Saturdays are always dedicated to tempo, interval or repeat training;
  • (1) Wednesday will remain either be a second interval or repeat day but shift to pace instead of zone for a long easy pace run (perhaps a fartlek);
  • (2) the other two days each week will be for zone 2 training only and likely low impact work like swimming, rowing or cycling.
 
Week of April 21
Monday

Off​
Tuesday
Squat @ 90% [Pendlay Row]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Bench Press @ 90% [Zercher Squat]
1-1-1/3 [40"/4']​
Wednesday
6x 1' [2'] Run @ Repetition Pace (Zone 5)​
Thursday
Off​
Friday
Physical Therapy Consult​
Saturday
Off​

Missed a bunch of training this week due to a very busy schedule. Trying to assist coaching some middle school track athletes and another youth track club so my training time is diminished but it's very worth it. I really like to see where different level of athletes start to have obstacles to improvement. I like to see the recurring phases of development in order to identify drills and methods to help improve different things at different times.
 
Week of April 28
Sunday

Run 5k​
Monday
Run
500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m [4']​
Bench Press
5,4,3,2,1 [GTG]​
Tuesday
Run
500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 200m [4']​
Bench Press
5,4,3,2,2 [GTG]​
Wednesday
Run
500m, 400m, 300m, 300m, 200m [4']​
Bench Press
5,4,3,3,2 [GTG]​
Thursday
Run
500m, 400m, 400m, 300m, 200m [1']​
Bench Press
5,4,4,3,2 [1']​
Friday
Run
500m, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m [3']​
Bench Press
5,5,4,3,2 [1']​
Saturday

Ran a 5k with my wife and two of my kids. We ran at my 8 year olds pace and finished in 32:12 which was a good enough time for me(all of us) to place 3rd in the 34-39 men group. I am confident I would have placed 1st if running at my pace. I don't know if my 8 year old finishing 3rd in the 34-39 age group says something about the other 34-39 men or if it says something about her at 8.

Spending this and the next two weeks in a short peaking phase for a test. I really like using the FPP as the template for peaking. I find it really good to get a lot of volume in while avoiding fatigue; I think daily drop sets really does a good job of it. I am experimenting a little with the rest between sets though. I normally like long rest and even GTG if it works logistically. However, I am considering the benefit of shorter rests, perhaps on the last day before a rest day(s).
 
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