- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
- Messages
- 2,186
This is something that takes place in almost every thread in this section. I've taken the last three weeks off from working out and am dreading the restart DOMs. In that time, I've been assessing all of the programs I've used and the pros and cons of each. I was doing my own brand of Westside/Crossfit up until my break, but wasn't as happy with that as I thought I'd be. I've read just about every piece of open source info from Crossfit sources, Louie Simmons, EliteFTS, James Fitzgerald, and Mark Twight- I think they are all awesome, and that there is something to be gained from each. I'm going to continue programming my own workouts and see what I come up with as far as scheduling, protocols, etc. I figured I would put some of my thoughts down in bullet format and that others would probably want to do the same.
- IMO, Louie Simmons is the end all authority for strength. He knows more than anyone else on the matter and has decades of research on hundreds of athletes to prove it. I think the repetition method and max effort method are the two most relevant strength approaches for us. The dynamic method, I feel, has more application to sport and powerlifting itself- and that there's just not enough room in a schedule to include it and still work in the other necessarily aspects.
- An interesting point Louie harps on is to not use barbells for condition. He disagrees with high rep barbell exercises in the name of metabolic conditioning, arguing that for pro athletes and powerlifters it's just too risky- time is money and no one wants to deal with the minor back/hip/hamstring strains. He argues that conditioning implements like sleds, battling ropes, jump ropes, weighted carries, etc should be used.
- I used to discount the quarterly low back strain or shoulder pain as part of the game, but I'm starting to realize that the forced deload I'm put through isn't something I should have to deal with. I'm never severely injured, just enough to make me work around said injury for a week or so.
- An interesting point Louie harps on is to not use barbells for condition. He disagrees with high rep barbell exercises in the name of metabolic conditioning, arguing that for pro athletes and powerlifters it's just too risky- time is money and no one wants to deal with the minor back/hip/hamstring strains. He argues that conditioning implements like sleds, battling ropes, jump ropes, weighted carries, etc should be used.
- Frequency/Schedule- Something I like about Westside is that it's a weekly split. I think Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri would be ideal. It keeps the weekends open, and gives you the option of active recovery or a complete rest day on Wednesday.
- Weekly single mode conditioning- The thing you hear most from folks is that their program lacks running or swimming. Planning for a weekly long swim, run, or ruck wouldn't be a bad idea- especially if you're training for selection or a school. If you want extra endurance work, you could do one long event, and one multi modal conditioning event of Crossfit variety.
- Weekly workout with body armor or ruck- It could be a ruck, a body armor, run, or just a conditioning workout in body armor or with a ruck on. Flipping a tire, swinging a hammer, or doing pull ups with a ruck or body armor on isn't too far off from things you'll have to do on a deployment or in selection.