Old Forum ROP based OAP/OAC strength program with one cardio day

[GreenSoup]

After reading the "Total Package" article at SF I was rethinking my current training.  In the comments section Pavel said having the conditioning days immediately after the strength days would hamper hypertrophy but not strength gains.  I wouldn't mind having strength AND hypertrophy AND conditioning as much as possible.  Or in that order, anyway.   Is that possible?

My program idea is VERY similar to the classic Rite of Passage program.  Heavy, Medium, and Light days are programmed the same (working up to 5 sets of 5 rung ladders on the heavy day, light and medium are each one rung lower) except that they are One Armed Pushup and One Armed Chinup progressions instead of doing the C&P with Pullups. I also would do two sets of pistols and mobility on these days.

This is the most likely schedule I had in mind:

M:  Medium OAC/OAP
T:  Variety (gymnastic static holds)
W: Light OAC/OAP
Th:  60 minutes of cardio including a variety circuit
F: Rest
Sat:  Heavy OAC/OAP
Sun: Rest

At least that is how the schedule best fits my life.  Assuming that Saturday is best time for my heavy day, how would I rearrange the other days to get maximum strength, hypertrophy, and cardiovascular benefits?  Preferably in that order, since this is the Strongfirst forum.  Thank you very much for your consideration.

 

[Steve Freides]

My experience has been that one cannot make much conditioning progress on one day per week; two days per week has allowed me to maintain conditioning but hasn't allowed progress, while three days per week has allowed progress.  On only one day per week, my conditioning has always gotten worse, not better.

The ROP recommends swings or snatches after strength training, three times per week - it is a solid plan, and if your focus is more on strength, do fewer swings or snatches, e.g., consider, rather than the rest/pause protocol usually done with the ROP, do a single, intense set for perhaps 1-3 minutes and then you're finished with swings for the day.   Another option would be a Tabata like protocol - intense swings or snatches for very short periods of time with about a 2:1 rest:work ratio.

-S-

 

[GreenSoup]

Thank you Mr. Friedes for the evaluation.  I definitely will institute the shorter cardio sessions to ensure progress.

In addition I would like an opinion on where a 60 minute cardio block would work.  Perhaps I should have said this earlier, but I wanted to have the benefits of the Cardiac Output Method (as described here http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/long-duration-low-intensity-cardio/ )  It essentially requires 30-90min for the 120-150bpm benefits to work for cardiac flexibility improvements, and I can comfortably set up a 60 minute block.

What would be the best day to arrange the single weekly 60min Cardiac Output Method session in this framework?  The shorter supplementary cardio sound like they would not impact strength much at all, but this session might so I'd like to minimize that.