Hello,
I am currently 5’8 150lbs and am looking to add some final strength to my physique before wrestling season. I just finished a classic 5x5 program using compounds lifts and I was wondering what I should do from here. I am looking to gain 0mass - very little mass if that is even possible as I plan on competing lower then 150 as it is.
Advice?
The Strength-Focused Mesocycle by CW is a great program for maximum strength gains provided you keep your nutrition in check.
I made some, good gains with this 8 week program.
Week 1- 4
Day 1: Monday
Bench Press (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Deadlifts (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Chins (4 sets 8-12)
Incline Dumbbell Fly (4 sets 8-12)
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Day 2: Wednesday
Squats (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Leg Curls (4 sets 8-12)
Leg Extensions (4 sets 8-12)
4 sets calves
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Day 3: Friday
Cleans (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Push Press (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Close Grip Bench Press (4 sets 8-12)
Dumbbell Curls (4 sets 8-12 reps)
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Week 4-8
Day 1: Monday
Inclined Press (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Deadlifts (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Chins ? behind neck (4 sets 8-12)
Dumbbell Bench Press (4 sets 8-12)
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Day 2: Wednesday:
Leg Press (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Leg Curls (4 sets 8-12)
Leg Extensions (4 sets 8-12)
4 sets calves
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Day 3: Friday:
Cleans (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Push Press (5,5,3,3,1,1)
Close Grip Bench Press (4 sets 8-12)
Dumbbell Curls (4 sets 8-12 reps)
20 min low intensity cardio
Legendary Abs
Write your own program with the basic Strenght without mass guidelines. Keep the reps between 1-6 and aim for a volume of less than or at most 25.
Wave loading is also a great way to boost your Max Strenght. Acending pyramid schemes and wave loading prepare the nervous system for heavier lifts.
You know more than anyone here what your movement patterns are in your sport, so you are the best person to determine the exercise selection.
(ex; for stronger punches I like to do unilateral cable press/pull with a twist, I essentially mimic a punch movement with a weighted cable. I am sure you can think of other appropriate exercises for yourself)
Good luck
[quote]T-Richard wrote:
(ex; for stronger punches I like to do unilateral cable press/pull with a twist, I essentially mimic a punch movement with a weighted cable. I am sure you can think of other appropriate exercises for yourself)[/quote]
Skill training is skill training, and strength training is strength training, and never the twain shall meet.
Performing your exact sport’s skill against resistance is a great way to get lousy at it. Many coaches have commented on this same concept; most recently Alwyn Cosgrove, in his interview with Shugart:
"A baseball pitcher doesn’t need to do more internal rotation work in the gym. In fact, the best thing you can do from a performance standpoint is to have him do the exact opposite movement pattern (external shoulder rotation).
Make sure the roles of strength and conditioning and skill training are separate. The role of conditioning training is not skill training. Loading a technique tends to affect the mechanics of the technique negatively."
Get your body stronger and faster with strength training, and then practice your skills, to teach your body how to use that strength.
[quote]T-Richard wrote:
Write your own program with the basic Strenght without mass guidelines. Keep the reps between 1-6 and aim for a volume of less than or at most 25.
[/quote]
I recently just did that. I was doing a 5x5 rountine with 80-85% of my max. It worked well and My bench/squat/dead all went up 20lbs in about 6weeks. My program was
Day 1
Bench, Chest Press, Dips, Military Press
Day 2
Squats, Cleans, Leg Extensions, Hamstring Curls
Day 3
Deadlifts, Barbell Rows, Back Extensions, Barbell Curls
Whatever rountine I plan on using I will be doing 2short (10-20minutes) cardio sessions of 15seconds sprinting, 45seconds jogging.
It’s definetly true that mimicing exact motions will eventually prove unhelpfull but only to a certain point.
For example the pitcher uses his internal rotators ALL the time and so It is very important to train his External rotators not to developpe a muscular imbalance. The shoulder girdle complex is one of the most sensitive place to have muscular imbalances. this can cause injury (bursitis, shoulder impingement etc.)
That being said I’d like to specify that I wrote Unilateral Press AND Pull.
These are not exact sport movement exercises, they are exercises commonly seen in the weight room and prove to be very usefull. A movement patern that works well as a weighted exercise.
If the athlete is serious about strenght conditioning for a sport he will perform periodization. Usually the first mesocycle being a reconditioning one where the focus is on exact opposite movements and muscle as to bring back good mucle balance. After everything is back in balance a strenghtening/endurance/power/whatever program will be performed that will target the muscles and movement used in said sport as well as the exact OPPOSITE so as to not imbalance the body.