ynvg.nick
Level 5 Valued Member
Hi everyone! This is my first post to SF and wouldn't normally start a post unless I really needed some answers. I am a junior in high school and recently started lifting (past four months) consistently in an attempt to become better at the two sports that I do. Soccer as well as track and field(800m and pole vault). When I first started lifting I just picked some random fitness program, the Greyskull Lp which is basically two alternating days Bench/Squat and Overhead Press/Deadlift with an increment of 2.5lbs for upper body and 5lbs lower body each time. I did this for a bit and have seen modest gains. I did this program because I understood it and was able to complete it relatively quickly after a track or soccer practice without much thought, but now because of the Coronavirus, canceling school and all athletic activities, I have had much more time to research strength and the optimal ways to increase it.
With all of this downtime, it is essentially like a 6-month off-season until soccer and a 12-month off-season to track and I have several hours per day to train. Because these upcoming seasons are going to be my senior seasons, I want them to be the best they can be and that means training efficiently and maximizing my time to perform at my highest level. This caused me to start researching for the best programs and I came across Pavel's two podcasts on youtube and am convinced of his scientific, empirical-based training protocols. This is where I started being confused I am paralyzed as there are so many choices to consider and ways of training that the more hours I spend researching the less time I actually train and improve myself. I have taken countless notes and I just need an honest recommendation of what programs to use in order to become as athletic as possible within 6 and 12 months. In short-
My demographics - 6'3" 170lbs, My current lifts are pretty low and also want to get them up. Bench: 120lbs Squat: 180lbs(restarted as I wasn't going low enough) Overhead Press: 80lbs Deadlift: 160lbs(focusing on technique as it is very hard for me to keep a straight back) Relatively slow runner, Very inflexible - always been like this, always been skinny and weight is harder for me to gain but I am eating more.
Goals - Become as athletic as possible within the 6 months for soccer and 12 months for track season
-Increase stamina and endurance as there is a lot of repetitive sprints and rests within a 90 min match of soccer
-Increase total body strength across all lifts
-Increase speed for middle-distance runs (soccer and 800m dash)
-Increase upper body and ab strength (pole vault)
-Increase flexibility (be able to do basic gymnastic moves, pole vault)
I am fortunate enough to have a squat rack, bench, pull up bar, and a kettlebell so I am capable of doing most programs at home along with pretty much most of the day to do nothing but train. Basically a pro athlete, thanks Covid-19!
I am also willing and probably capable of doing several programs at once because I am much younger than the average person here and can probably recover faster. I am also aware that a bit hypertrophy will be needed because I am skinny but I see that as a positive as long as it comes with the strength.
Each day I will probably be able to do some kettlebell training (S & S?), cardio (treadmill running), do some barbell work(programs for this is what I mainly need a recommendation on), sport-specific training(soccer drills), then end the day with flexibility stretching. This might be too ambitious but it is worth trying as I am focusing on becoming more disciplined during my days. During the week I am also willing to try and train the "slow-twitch" fibers or what Pavel described in his podcast with Tim Ferris as slow, no momentum, no support from bones, burn inducing, 30-60 sec set exercises. He explained the great success this protocol had on athletes but am unsure on how to implement it. Finally, training abs as all I have ever known until Pavel is countless reps and minute-long planks of ab exercises.
I know I may not be the typical SF member or have different goals than most but I am a fan of the SF philosophy and Pavel's work on strength and training. Thank you to everyone that reads this post and responds!
With all of this downtime, it is essentially like a 6-month off-season until soccer and a 12-month off-season to track and I have several hours per day to train. Because these upcoming seasons are going to be my senior seasons, I want them to be the best they can be and that means training efficiently and maximizing my time to perform at my highest level. This caused me to start researching for the best programs and I came across Pavel's two podcasts on youtube and am convinced of his scientific, empirical-based training protocols. This is where I started being confused I am paralyzed as there are so many choices to consider and ways of training that the more hours I spend researching the less time I actually train and improve myself. I have taken countless notes and I just need an honest recommendation of what programs to use in order to become as athletic as possible within 6 and 12 months. In short-
My demographics - 6'3" 170lbs, My current lifts are pretty low and also want to get them up. Bench: 120lbs Squat: 180lbs(restarted as I wasn't going low enough) Overhead Press: 80lbs Deadlift: 160lbs(focusing on technique as it is very hard for me to keep a straight back) Relatively slow runner, Very inflexible - always been like this, always been skinny and weight is harder for me to gain but I am eating more.
Goals - Become as athletic as possible within the 6 months for soccer and 12 months for track season
-Increase stamina and endurance as there is a lot of repetitive sprints and rests within a 90 min match of soccer
-Increase total body strength across all lifts
-Increase speed for middle-distance runs (soccer and 800m dash)
-Increase upper body and ab strength (pole vault)
-Increase flexibility (be able to do basic gymnastic moves, pole vault)
I am fortunate enough to have a squat rack, bench, pull up bar, and a kettlebell so I am capable of doing most programs at home along with pretty much most of the day to do nothing but train. Basically a pro athlete, thanks Covid-19!
I am also willing and probably capable of doing several programs at once because I am much younger than the average person here and can probably recover faster. I am also aware that a bit hypertrophy will be needed because I am skinny but I see that as a positive as long as it comes with the strength.
Each day I will probably be able to do some kettlebell training (S & S?), cardio (treadmill running), do some barbell work(programs for this is what I mainly need a recommendation on), sport-specific training(soccer drills), then end the day with flexibility stretching. This might be too ambitious but it is worth trying as I am focusing on becoming more disciplined during my days. During the week I am also willing to try and train the "slow-twitch" fibers or what Pavel described in his podcast with Tim Ferris as slow, no momentum, no support from bones, burn inducing, 30-60 sec set exercises. He explained the great success this protocol had on athletes but am unsure on how to implement it. Finally, training abs as all I have ever known until Pavel is countless reps and minute-long planks of ab exercises.
I know I may not be the typical SF member or have different goals than most but I am a fan of the SF philosophy and Pavel's work on strength and training. Thank you to everyone that reads this post and responds!
