In the morning strength is lower than in the afternoon or early evening, so I am not sure why Geoff chose to schedule it this way.
Van Der Merve,
Great "question." And you are right.
(Not sure you know this, but the Soviets found TWO periods when there were rises in strength (by 10-30%) - 11am - 2pm and 6pm - 9pm. (see
Managing The Training of Weightlifters, by Laputin & Oleshko)
However, there are several reasons I chose to set up the training split for that program that way:
(1) Research has shown that the lower spine's annuli is more hydrated in the morning, and so those structures are more prone to injury (tearing). Therefore heavy weight / high velocity training involving the lower back
can be problematic and lead to injury.
(2) Testosterone, generally speaking (in men under 45) has been shown to be higher in the morning than during the afternoon. In weightlifting circles, there used to be (can't find the reference right now - think it's either in the Soviet literature or the old USA Weightlifting literature) the thought that lower skill, higher strength exercises like the squat, could be performed in the morning, to take advantage of the higher levels of T, and therefore make faster gains in strength and muscle. The explosive, more coordinated lifts - the snatch, clean & jerk, were saved for the afternoon once coordination and body temps (and therefore mobility & flexibility) increased.
(3) The GU/SW template (like S&S) is the bread & butter or entry point into the SF system. I have personally found it "easier" to do GU's in the morning than swings. (It has a "tonic" effect and loosens up and parts that may be stiff.) I like "power" workouts, so, to your point, and point #2, I like to save the power exercises to the evening when I can do more work and get more "bang for my buck."
(4) There has been some research that indicates that although the general trend is that one is stronger towards the latter half of the day, the body is highly adaptable and you will adapt to whatever time(s) of day you train.
(5) Ultimately, it comes down to the trainee's preference and mindset: Big Rocks/Frogs or Dessert first?
In other words: Do you find in order to stay consistent, you need to do the thing you hate first, then the "fun" stuff? Or do you need do the "sweet" stuff first and use that momentum in order to do the "sour?"
We're all different and our motivations for doing things vary.
At the end of the day, each individual needs to set up his or her program in such a way that he or she will do what's necessary to get the results he or she wants. So do whatever you need to do to stay consistent and keep making progress. Therefore, if someone wants to do ballistics first thing in the morning and grinds in the evening and that's what they "need to do" to stay engaged in the training process, so be it. As an aside, when I was younger I tended to be more dogmatic about such things, but now that I'm - well - not as young anymore, I'm more flexible in my approach.
Hope that helps.