Be Strong

Know exactly what you want, expect greatness from yourself, work hard and be confident. Never believe all the negativity and mediocrity society feeds you. Take risks and be who you are- take the first step to constant self improvement. Engage your body and your mind, train your bones to be strong and everything in life will become simpler. Every small gain will make the world so much more purposeful and understandable. Work hard, be strong and do the best you can.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Training Template for New Blood

I am writing this on someone's request. This is a basic training plan meant for someone who has never engaged in serious training. It covers a year of training.

Before I lay out the basic template, I want to clear a few concepts.
1. This template is based on training all basic movement patterns. If you have specific problems, please clear this and personalize it with an experienced trainee/ trainer.
2. While there is no such thing as a one size fits all training template, this one will give all fresh trainees who have no debilitating physical problems good scope to progress. It is very hard to mess up.
3. Confidence is key to this program. Every set that you perform, must be done only until technical failure i.e when your technique begins to deteriorate significantly. Do not push beyond this point.
4. Gains in this system are dependent on how well you perform every rep. Your mind must be clear, your focus on both the movement and the muscle and on full contraction and relaxation.
5. Reps= Number of repetitions performed. Sets= Number of time the exercise is attempted. Therefore 3 sets of 5 means you will perform the movement for 5 repetitions 3 times.
6. There are 4 elements to the system. Strength training, which will take care of your muscular strength and size, you neural efficiency and your connective tissue strength. Tissue work (massage, ball and foam rolling), which will remove all adhesions and scar tissue and will rejuvenate the entire muscular and skeletal system. Stretching and mobility work, and cardiovascular work.

Let us now first define the template:

Phase I

In this phase the emphasis is on tissue work and flexibility and mobility work. This will last 4 weeks.

You will perform 3 workouts a week on non-consecutive days. There are 2 workouts given below (A and B). You will alternate between them. Thus, you will perform each workout 3 times in a 2 week period.

Exercise descriptions will be given at the end of the post.

Workout A
Tissue Work:
Thoracic Mobility Drill With Ball- 1 Set
Foam rolling of I.T band- 2 Sets each side
Foam Rolling of Lats and Upper Back- 1 set
Foam Rolling of Pectorals and Deltoids- 1 Set
Foam Rolling of Glutes and Hamstrings- 1 Set
Foam Rolling Of Hip Flexors and Rectus Femoris- 2 sets
Foam Rolling Of Quadriceps- 2 Sets
Foam Rolling Of Calves- 2 Sets
Foam Rolling of Lower Back- 1 Set

Flexibility:
Standing Toe Touch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Half Kneeling Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 reps
Rear Foot Elevated Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Seated Toe Touch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Standing Groin Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Side Bends- 3 sets of 3 Reps per side
Camel Hold- 3 Sets of 1 rep
Twist Hold- 3 Sets of 1 Rep per side
Kneeling Overhead Stretch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Overhead Stretch Against Wall- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Wall Slide- 1 set of 3 reps
Ankle Mobility Drill- 2 sets of 5 reps

The entire Workout up till now should not take more than 10 mins. While it may appear like a lot of movements, you will be able to do them fairly rapidly. Do not waste time.

Strength Training-

High Incline Push Ups- 3 Sets of 20-40 (Depending of when you reach Technical Failure)
Knee Tucks- 3 Sets of 15-40

Remember to Synchronize your breathing. Exhale while contracting your muscles, hold at the top and bottom and inhale while relaxing/lengthening them.

Workout B

The Tissue and Flexibility work is the same as Workout A except instead of a foam roller you will use a lacrosse ball.

Strength Training
High Incline Rows- 3 Sets of 15-40
Jack knife Squats- 3 sets of 15-40
Short Bridges- 3 Sets of 20-40

Phase 2
This phase will focus on strength training. It will last 12 weeks.

You will exercise 4 days a week. The pattern is-
Workout A
Workout B
Rest Day
Workout A
Workout B
Rest Day
Rest Day

For strength Training-
Every Exercise has a rep Range Given (ex. 15-30). When you begin exercising, use the hardest variation of the movement (progressions/variations are given at the end of the post) that you can manage for the given number of sets for the minimum number of repetitions in that rep range. For example 3 sets of 10-20 means that you use the hardest variation that you can use for at least 3 sets of 10 reps.

When you can complete all the sets with the maximum reps, move on to the next and harder variation. Start over with the minimum reps with the new variation.

I advise that all trainees exercise caution when selecting the starting variation and select a variation which the can comfortably handle for the given minimum reps. Completing the minimum reps should not feel more than a 70% effort. This way you will progress faster and smoother over time.

Resist the temptation to add sets in this phase. We want a lot of quality work done and we are still building a base of good movement habits. Pushing too much volume will only jeopardize your efforts. We are not yet going all out.

Do not rest more than 4 mins between sets. A 2 min break should be the minimum. You need to be able to complete every rep and set with perfect technique.

Keep a log book and attempt to beat you numbers every workout. If you did 3 sets of 5 for a certain movement last time, this time do 5,6, 5. If you are feeling really strong try 6, 6, 6. In the initial few months of your training, you will be able to advance forward and beat the log book every workout. Take full advantage of this phase, but never push beyond technical failure. In this phase, relatively higher reps will yield better results.

Put your heart and soul into every repetition. Think of it as a way to explore your body and understand yourself. The greater the concentration and mental effort you put into every rep, the faster your progress will be and the smoother your progress will feel.

Just because you are not going beyond technical failure, does not mean you are not working hard. As you approach technical failure in every set, tighten every muscle in your body and try to perfect every repetition and tighten up your form even more. This will get harder to do as the set progresses, but stay at it. Do not demonstrate blind endurance by just pushing yourself to do more reps to the point of failure. Instead seek to perfect every rep even more as you fatigue. This will be much harder to do than to just churn out reps. But do not let technical failure just set in- fight it and use every inch of your concentration to maintain perfect technique. This is the way to push yourself. When even with your best efforts you cannot maintain good form, stop.

Workout A
Tissue Work
Thoracic Mobility Drill With Ball- 1 Set
Foam rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of I.T band- 1 Set each side with each (Foam roller and ball)
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massageof Lats and Upper Back- 1 set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Pectorals and Deltoids- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Glutes and Hamstrings- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Hip Flexors and Rectus Femoris- 2 sets with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Quadriceps- 2 Sets with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Calves- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Lower Back- 1 Set with each

All tissue work drills should not take more than 10 mins.

Strength Training-
Warm up with 1 to 2 sets of 8- 10 of a variation that is at least 2 steps easier than the one you are working with.
Push Ups- 3 Sets (not including warm up sets) of 8-30
Squats- 3 Sets of 15-40
Leg Raises- 3 Sets of 8-25

Workout B
Flexibility and Mobility Training
Standing Toe Touch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Half Kneeling Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 reps
Rear Foot Elevated Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Seated Toe Touch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Standing Groin Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Side Bends- 3 sets of 3 Reps per side
Camel Hold- 3 Sets of 1 rep
Twist Hold- 3 Sets of 1 Rep per side
Kneeling Overhead Stretch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Overhead Stretch Against Wall- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Wall Slide- 1 set of 3 reps
Stool Bridge Hold- 3 Sets of 1 Reps
Ankle Mobility Drill- 2 sets of 5 reps

Strength Training
Warm up with 1 to 2 sets of 8- 10 of a variation that is at least 2 steps easier than the one you are working with.
Horizontal Rows- 3 Sets of 8-25
Pull Ups- 3 Sets of 4-15
Bridges- 3 Sets of 8-20

By the end of this phase you should be able to perform 10 perfect push ups, 20 perfect standard squats, 15 perfect straight legged lying leg raises, 5 perfect  head bridges, 2 chin ups, and 15 perfect bodyweight rows from waist height.

Phase III
In this phase, the priority is on basic strength training and we also introduce cardiovascular conditioning.

This phase will last 8 weeks.

We will raise the intensity and increase the sets and reduce the reps.

We will continue strength training 4 days a week. We will add 2 cardio workouts a week.

Workout A
Workout B
Cardio Workout
Workout A
Workout B
Cardio Workout
Rest

Workout A
Tissue Work
Thoracic Mobility Drill With Ball- 1 Set
Foam rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of I.T band- 1 Set each side with each (Foam roller and ball)
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massageof Lats and Upper Back- 1 set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Pectorals and Deltoids- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Glutes and Hamstrings- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Hip Flexors and Rectus Femoris- 2 sets with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Quadriceps- 2 Sets with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage Of Calves- 1 Set with each
Foam Rolling and Lacrosse ball massage of Lower Back- 1 Set with each

All tissue work drills should not take more than 10 mins.

Strength Training-
Warm up with 1 to 2 sets of 8- 10 of a variation that is at least 2 steps easier than the one you are working with.
Push Ups- 5 Sets (not including warm up sets) of 5-20
Squats- 5 Sets of 8-30
Leg Raises- 3 Sets of 5-20

Workout B
Flexibility and Mobility Training
Standing Toe Touch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Half Kneeling Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 reps
Rear Foot Elevated Lunge Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Seated Toe Touch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Standing Groin Stretch- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Side Bends- 3 sets of 3 Reps per side
Camel Hold- 3 Sets of 1 rep
Twist Hold- 3 Sets of 1 Rep per side
Kneeling Overhead Stretch- 3 sets of 3 reps
Overhead Stretch Against Wall- 3 Sets of 3 Reps
Wall Slide- 1 set of 3 reps
Stool Bridge Hold- 3 Sets of 1 Reps
Ankle Mobility Drill- 2 sets of 5 reps

Strength Training
Warm up with 1 to 2 sets of 8- 10 of a variation that is at least 2 steps easier than the one you are working with.
Horizontal Rows- 5 Sets of 4-15
Pull Ups- 5 Sets of 3-12
Bridges- 5 Sets of 5-20

Cardio Workout-

Jogging for 40-45 mins. Focus on good running technique. Do not run very fast. You are not trying to get tired you are trying to develop good running habits and build basic conditioning.

By the end of this phase, you should be able to perform a set of 25 standard push ups, 50 standard squats, 10 hanging knee raises, 8 pull ups, 15 head bridges and 20 feet elevated horizontal rows.

By this time you would have completed close to 5 and a half months of training.

Phase IV and V will be covered in the Next Post.

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Exercise Progressions-

Push Ups- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2012/12/the-push-up.html
If kneeling Push ups are too hard begin with incline push ups. Simply find a stable object about waist height and place you hands on it at shoulder width. Follow the standard instructions for push ups given in the link. Be sure that at the starting position your body is close to 45 degrees to the floor.
High incline pushups in Phase one are the same thing, except using an object at least sternum high.

Squats-
The first few steps are given in the post- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2013/01/flexibility-training-preventing-and.html
After full squats refer to- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2012/12/the-squat.html

Bridges-
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2013/03/the-ultimate-exercise-bridge.html

Horizontal Rows and Pull Ups-
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2012/12/the-pull-up.html
Horizontal Rows can be made harder by lowering the base and easier by using a higher base. You will not be able to keep lowering the base as after a point, your back will touch the floor. To increase difficulty further, you can elevate the feet.

All the pull up exercises are given in the post. The progression is,
Underhand Grip Medium Pull Up negatives
Top Half Medium Grip Underhand Chin Ups
Pull Up Negatives
Full ROM Medium Grip Chin Ups
From Here the post is clear about the progression.

For advanced variations- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2012/12/the-one-arm-chin-up.html

Leg Raises-
In all variations of lying leg raises, it is important to keep your lower back in contact with/presses into the ground throughout each rep.
Seated Knee Tucks
Lying Knee Raises
Lying Bent Leg raises
Lying Frog Raises
Lying Straight Leg Raises
Hanging Knee Raises
Hanging Bent Leg Raises
Hanging Frog Raises
Hanging Leg Raises

I will add exercise descriptions shortly.



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