Bodyweight GTG One Good Rep + regular training sessions

[somanaut]

I have been critical of GTG in the past on these forums. But I think, that I have made it work for in tandem with regular practice sessions. So now on my off days, or at least the days where a specific move isn't practised in "clusters" (5x5) I will GTG One Good Rep of said move. Very enjoyable! I like the mix of regular sessions and then GTG of singles. Because you only have 1 shot of getting it right, it encreases the demand on focus and proper technique. I wish such a mix of training modalities had been given more clearly as an option in Naked Warrior.

 

[somanaut]

A couple of clients have cancelled today, so hanging out on the forums and musing on my training:
I decided to leave the girya alone for a while as per "The Steve"'s advice, and have switched back to bodyweight training, which is where 2018 started. My recent "overtraining" incident got me thinking, if S&S was the right fit for me right now. I still believe that S&S is a good GPP, but I don't think that it (or my approach to it) is plugging the strength leaks that I have properly. I basically have a background in (and is naturally geared towards) endurance, and coupled with decent isometric strength from yoga, I could pretty much "cheat" myself to the Simple Goal. What I am lacking is max strength (push&pull), which got me thinking about OAOLPU and Pistol Squats, which Pavel T. describes as the powerlifts of bodyweight. Now I know, that is not 100% true. But I get his point. So I have switched to the two "lifts" from NW. Now before I returned to the girya earlier this year, I had followed a program by Karen Smith, that resulted in a OAOLPU (only one side and with horrible form), and Pistol Squats have allways been relative easy for me, so I am not starting from scratch. However, given that I have aquired some minor injuries from my recent press adventure (my fault), I wanted to approach this training with some reservations. Hence I made a 5 week plan to get back to 5x5 of elevated OAOLPU and perhaps a loaded Pistol Squat. So I planned my training around an upper and lower body push:

A: SLDL 16kg+ OAOLPU (50 cm elevation)
B: SLDL 16kg + Pistol Squat (unloaded)

Monday: A
Tueday: B
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Off
Friday: A
Saturday: B
Sunday: Off

I didn't want to rush to 5x5, so I deviced this rep scheme:

Session 1: 1 1 1 1 1
Session 2: 1 2 2 2 2
Session 3: 1 2 3 3 3
Session 4: 1 2 3 4 4
Session 5: 1 2 3 4 5
Session 6: 2 3 4 5 5
Session 7: 3 4 5 5 5
Session 8: 4 5 5 5 5
Session 9: 5 5 5 5 5

And with 2 training sessions per week, this will take 5 weeks.

GTG: I will stick to One Good Rep, so 1x1 and simply add +1 set each week. So by week 5 it's 5x1 as max GTG. Second rule is to only GTG the move that is not done in regular session, so on off days, I can GTG both moves.

I will take a few days off after session 9, and then test both moves. I am shooting for +1 reps at 20-25 cm elevation of the OAOLPU and +1 reps of 16kg of the Pistol Squat.

Thoughts?

 

[JonS]

I truly enjoyed mixing naked warrior with A+A snatches. You could do swings instead.

Why don't you run your program, add the "big pull" that Pavel recommended in the book, and report back on how it went?

 

[somanaut]

I truly enjoyed mixing naked warrior with A+A snatches. You could do swings instead.

Why don't you run your program, add the "big pull" that Pavel recommended in the book, and report back on how it went?

I added the SLDL for a pull. Will probably soon switch it to swings. I wanted to take it easy with explosive moves until my back spasm had cleared up.

 

[JonS]

I wanted to take it easy with explosive moves until my back spasm had cleared up.

Good call.

 

[somanaut]

Update:

1) My right-back-spasm is gone, so I have started to introduce 2h swings (24kg) instead of SLDL (24kg), and it feels really good. I can see why snatches or swings are a very good addendum to a bodyweight focused session. But then again snatches or swings are good with any strength training modality. I will slowly work up to 10x10 2h then start switching in 1h. Would it be best to do swings before or after OAOLPU and Pistol Squats?

2) I am past the halfway point in my DIY reps/sets scheme, and it feels really good. I know, that waving the load is a principle of S1, but i prefer steady progressive increase in either weight or volume. In a private discussion about bodyweight training, it was suggested to me, that waving the load is a tool for mostly intermediate to advanced lifters, but beginners-intermediate do better on a steady progressive scheme. Mentally I prefer the steady progressive one like S&S, but I am willing to accept if waving the load is more effective.

3) I have changed my training to doing both OAOLPU and Pistol Squats on the same day:
Monday: GTG
Tuesday: Regular
Wednesday: GTG
Thursday: GTG
Friday: Regular
Saturday: GTG
Sunday: Regular

Which means, that next week I have test day friday.

 

[JonS]

Which means, that next week I have test day friday.

Let's hear how it goes!

 

[somanaut]

Tested OAOLPU at 20 cm, at was hard but not brutal.

I will switch to a plan inspired by Pavel's
The Cost of Adaptation | StrongFirst

In which he writes:
"Become a student of bodyweight strength Learn the basics of tension and linkage at a one-day StrongFirst Bodyweight Course. Master the basics. Reach the “simple” goals like the one-arm-one-leg push-up. Then set your sights a little higher, e.g. the front lever and free handstands.

Almost every day do the S&S swing regimen to give power and conditioning to your lower body and back. Do get-ups twice a week. Get serious about stretching and slowly work your way to full splits.

As with the other two options, outdoor activities are not negotiable."

My plan is:
Swings and TGU a la S&S twice a week
OAOLPU at 35 cm + Swings 3 tree times a week

GTG OAOLPU is too hard for my back at the moment, so will do them standard 5x5 (starting at 5-4-3-2-1 at each decreased elevation). I am also putting the Pistol Squat on hold, since I want to focus on the OAOLPU.