Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Strength Training On Limited Time

For whatever reason if you've got limited time to get your workouts in, don't despair, there's still ways to get stronger and build more muscle.

Key Points

1. Limit the number of exercises

2. Every other day training with upper/lower split

3. Ensure you get soft tissue work for a couple areas as well as some dynamic stretching and activation prior to your strength work

4. Pick one main exercise, one supplemental, and one accessory.


Example:

Monday - Day 1 - Lower Body

Foam Roller: Quads/IT Bands/ T-Spine

Dynamic stretching: Quads, Hip Flexors

Activation: Glute Bridges

Squats 5x5

RDL 4x8

Weighted Plank 3x60 sec


Wednesday - Day 2 - Upper Body

Foam Roller: T-Spine/Pecs/Lats

Dynamic Stretching: Pecs/Lats


Bench Press 5x5

Chin - ups 4xmax

Barbell Curls 3x10


Friday - Day 3 - Lower Body

Foam Roller: T-Spine/Quads/IT Bands/Hams

Dynamic Stretching: Hamstrings/Squat-to-stand

Activation: Glute Bridge variations

Deadlifts 5x3

Split Squats 4x12

Hanging Leg Raises 3x15


Monday - Day 4 - Upper Body

Foam Roller: Pecs/Lats/T-Spine

Dynamic Stretching: PNF Patterns for shoulders

Activation: Wall Slides, Scapular retractions

1- DB Push Press 5x6

Seated Cable Rows 4x10

EZ-Bar Skull Crushers 3x10



Volume Considerations

Progressive volume manipulations will also keep you from plateauing.

Using squats as an example:

Starting week 1 with an 80% 1RM load (225 lbs), volume progressions might map out as follows. Weeks 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16 use the same manipulations as weeks 1-4.


Week 1: 5x5x225 Moderate volume moderate load
Week 2: 4x5x225 Reduced volume, moderate load
Week 3: 8x3x245 Increased volume, increased load
Week 4: 3x6x205 Significant volume and load reduction (deload week)

Week 5: 5x5x230
Week 6: 4x5x230
Week 7: 7x3x255
Week 8: 3x6x215

Week 9: 5x5x235
Week 10: 4x5x235
Week 11: 6x2x260
Week 12: 3x6x220

Week 13: 5x5x240
Week 14: 3x5x240
Week 15: 5x2x265
Week 16: 2x6x225

Such volume manipulations allow increased for strength increases that you wouldn't otherwise get from simple linear progression.

The same types of variations can be done with all main exercises, and some supplemental exercises such as chin-ups, and weighted pushups.

If you're a beginner, you can probably keep the same main exercises throughout the 16 week period, intermediate and advanced lifters need to switch out the main exercises after each 4 week block.

Example substitutions include but are not limited to:

Main Upper Body
Bench Press
Board Presses
Floor Press
Military Press
Fat Bar Press
Swiss Bar Press
Weighted Pushups
Dynamic Effort work with bands/chains

Main Lower Body
Squats
Box Squats
Giant Cambered Bar Squats
Safety Squat Bar Squats
Zercher Squats
Front Squats
Deadlifts
Trap Bar Deadlifts
BTR (Beyond The Range) Deadlifts
Sumo Deadlifts
Rack Pull (Partials) Deadlifts
Dynamic effort work with bands/chains

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