LoneRider
Level 6 Valued Member
Being in the military means sometimes one has to deal with mandatory unit physical training. I'm in a position now where I can do my own physical training, but I will not always have that luxury. If at some point I move to a different unit or echelon of staff I would have to likely do PT with whatever formation I'm assigned to in the mornings with my own strength work being done during my lunch hour or right after work.
I've face this quandry before, training for strength where traditional military fitness programming tends not to encourage it. In that time (about three years ago) I dusted off an old copy of Power to the People that was sitting on my book shelf and 3x a week I followed a 2x5 (later 2x3 when I got to heavier weights) scheme of sets and reps for an A/B split (with session A being bench press and squat, and session B being press and deadlift).
I've been looking through my old notebooks and training logs and with having read (and reread) such great reads as Beyond Bodybuilding, Easy Strength and Simple and Sinister I devised yet another strength training workaround.
I re-read Variety for Minimalists from Beyond Bodybuilding and came up with three strength programs (to be done 2-3x week) that will be alternated every twelve weeks (allowing for complete cycles of rising and dropping back).
Simple and Sinister will continue to be done 3x/week (Tu/Th/Sat) with my barbell based work being done on M/W/F.
The three strength programs (each being allocated a 12 week cycle) are as follows:
Strength Program One:
Session A: Press (power cleaned from floor)/Bench Press/Front Squat
Session B: Press (power cleaned from floor)/Bench Press/Deadlift
Strength Program Two:
Session A: Front Squat/Bench Press/Snatch Grip Deadlift
Session B: Weighted Pullup/Press
Strength Program Three:
Session A: Kettlebell Clean and Press (or military press)/Pullups
Session B: Pistol Progressions (Close squats for me then working to pistols)
For this particular program (copied from Viking Warrior Conditioning) the base strength exercises will rotate, for instance pullups and pistols will switch places the next week and on the third work military press switches places with pullups, This allows for a natural backing off every third week for each of the three base strength lifts.
When I thought this minimalist programming out I focused on very basic exercises (or variants of) and heavy weights, without training to failure to allow recovery to take place. The Rule of Ten (or even rule of six if I have to reduce volume for recovery's sake) allows me to still work (albeit slowly) towards respectable levels of strength even with traditionally endurance and conditioning focused mandatory unit physical training.
I just thought I'd share my creation with the forum to ensure I covered all bases.
I've face this quandry before, training for strength where traditional military fitness programming tends not to encourage it. In that time (about three years ago) I dusted off an old copy of Power to the People that was sitting on my book shelf and 3x a week I followed a 2x5 (later 2x3 when I got to heavier weights) scheme of sets and reps for an A/B split (with session A being bench press and squat, and session B being press and deadlift).
I've been looking through my old notebooks and training logs and with having read (and reread) such great reads as Beyond Bodybuilding, Easy Strength and Simple and Sinister I devised yet another strength training workaround.
I re-read Variety for Minimalists from Beyond Bodybuilding and came up with three strength programs (to be done 2-3x week) that will be alternated every twelve weeks (allowing for complete cycles of rising and dropping back).
Simple and Sinister will continue to be done 3x/week (Tu/Th/Sat) with my barbell based work being done on M/W/F.
The three strength programs (each being allocated a 12 week cycle) are as follows:
Strength Program One:
Session A: Press (power cleaned from floor)/Bench Press/Front Squat
Session B: Press (power cleaned from floor)/Bench Press/Deadlift
Strength Program Two:
Session A: Front Squat/Bench Press/Snatch Grip Deadlift
Session B: Weighted Pullup/Press
Strength Program Three:
Session A: Kettlebell Clean and Press (or military press)/Pullups
Session B: Pistol Progressions (Close squats for me then working to pistols)
For this particular program (copied from Viking Warrior Conditioning) the base strength exercises will rotate, for instance pullups and pistols will switch places the next week and on the third work military press switches places with pullups, This allows for a natural backing off every third week for each of the three base strength lifts.
When I thought this minimalist programming out I focused on very basic exercises (or variants of) and heavy weights, without training to failure to allow recovery to take place. The Rule of Ten (or even rule of six if I have to reduce volume for recovery's sake) allows me to still work (albeit slowly) towards respectable levels of strength even with traditionally endurance and conditioning focused mandatory unit physical training.
I just thought I'd share my creation with the forum to ensure I covered all bases.
