Issue 104
August 2013
Instead of pummeling away at the iron, take a run at your PB and smash it into submission
I am a huge fan of discussing the benefits of glute activation drills and lamenting the shoulder and neck fate of those lacking in thoracic spine mobility, but this time out I’m going to keep it simple. I’m going to show you one of the simplest ways to pick up the largest pieces of metal you have ever lifted.
PAUL MCVEIGH
Sports scientist, TUF 14 cast member and full-time coach – each issue he presents his best conditioning tips
Let’s have a look at how the typical gym goer gets their swell on. They have probably been doing the same program for a while and after a few weeks of progressively lifting heavier weights they get stuck on the same weight for a few weeks. Then for a few months.
This number becomes a constant torment as it cannot be surpassed, yet the athlete can’t bring themselves to back off in case they lose strength in the lift. Eventually, after many months of stagnation and over training with constant near maximal loads, the athletes arms and legs fall off and they die cold and alone in their own garage. It’s a pitiful, timeless tale.
Load Cycling
So, let’s look at another way of doing things. Say we have an athlete who has a five-rep max in the bench press of 100kg. To improve this, our athlete backs off to a less challenging weight and gradually builds up to a new personal best (PB) of 105kg over several weeks.
Here is how this cycle may look:
Week 1: 80kg for five reps
Week 2: 85kg for five reps
Week 3: 90kg for five reps
Week 4: 95kg for five reps
Week 5: 100kg for five reps
Week 6: 105kg for five reps & a new PB
With this method the athlete has a few weeks of lighter work and can recover well enough to begin a solid run at a personal best. Even though the loading is greatly reduced it is still high enough to ensure strength is maintained.
After this new PB is achieved the athlete can take a week off from heavy benching then begin another cycle with a slightly higher week one load, building up to another higher PB. Or, they could simply still be trying to push 100kg as they have for the previous 13 weeks.
With this simple strength load cycling model the aim is to achieve your top set for the session. Anything that interferes with this aim is to be addressed. Get your warm-up sets in but stay away from anything that causes real fatigue and could mess with your aim. Doing multiple work sets is great but get your biggest set in early and then go to town on your back-off sets afterwards. Here’s an example:
Week 4: 95kg for 5 reps
Warm-up sets
Empty bar for eight reps
60kg for five reps
70kg for three reps
80kg for one rep
90kg for one rep
Working set
95kg for five reps
Back off sets
70-75kg for 10 reps and five sets
As with many things within strength training, the effectiveness of these systems is multi-factoral and requires a degree of experimentation to find out what works for you. But the common factors are:
Take 4–12 weeks for each cycle with longer cycles more appropriate for more advanced lifters.
Start with a moderate load and then build up to a new personal best.
Take small incremental steps towards your new PB. 2.5–10kg increases in load week to week are fine for most people.
After achieving a new PB take a week off then begin another cycle.
Trouble shooting
No matter how good your programming is, life can get in the way. If you happen to have had no sleep and drank a bottle of whiskey for breakfast there’s a good chance you won’t be hitting those targets you set out.
If you struggle or fail to make the weight or rep range set out you have a few options. You could take a week off and try again. Personally, this is my favorite and tends to work with mixed martial artists really well. You could also move back a few steps. If week five made you feel like you were going to crap out a spleen, go back to week two and come at it again.
Alternatively, a plateau might indicate you have spent a little too long in love with a particular lift. If you have stalled out on the conventional dead lift, plan out a cycle to hit a new PB on the trap bar dead lift or sumo dead lift before coming back to conventional pulling.
Hopefully, this article has given you some new ideas that will help you smash your personal records and become a better athlete. It’s not complicated, but it is definitely effective.
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