Workout of the Week #53

Welcome to Workout of the Week, number 53. This time we have a three-day-a-week workout focused on strength and anatomical adaptation.

The training goals: I just said—we want to maintain strength, and we want to work on anatomical adaptation. The problem with anatomical adaptation, as it is done most often, is that it is done as exclusive training within a training week, and then for two, three, or four weeks. Within this time, if you don’t set any strength maintenance stimuli, you might lose strength. And that is not ideal—a lot of sports cannot afford this. Therefore, here is an approach to bridge both things in one training program, in one workout. Anyway.

Training variables: Training intensity—so 60 to 70% of the one-rep max for the anatomical adaptation, and 85% to 95% for the strength. The rep ranges: 8 to 12 for the anatomical adaptation, and 1 to 3 for the strength. The exertion: moderate for the anatomical adaptation; hard to near maximum for the strength. Training effort: repeated effort for the anatomical adaptation, and maximum effort for the strength.

If we look at the exercises, for our strength development, it’s based on fundamental movements: hinging, squatting—double-legged, single-legged—pushing, pulling. For our anatomical adaptation, if you have seen any of the previous workouts, you know it’s multi-joint, it is combined movement, it’s multi-planar in all three movement planes.

If we look at more variables, it’s a three-day-a-week training program, but two alternating sessions. We’ll have a look at that when we jump into the program. The organization is a station training, including some complexes. The training split is a full body split. And as I alluded to, how does it look? Here’s the program, and we’ll jump right into it.

Here we are inside our program. You download that PDF, you get an overview of the training program, the workout, the table of contents. And this is what I meant: so we have two sessions—two workouts—and we alternate that. So in week number one and week number three, we do on the first day Workout One, on the second day Workout Two, on the third day Workout One. Third day refers to training day. Yeah, so if we choose a Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Monday Workout One, Wednesday Workout Two, Friday Workout One. If we then go to week number two and week number four, it’s reversed. So Monday Workout Two, Wednesday Workout One, Friday Workout Two. Yeah, so this way we just have two training programs—two workouts, two sessions—but they alternate over the course of the four weeks.

Workout Number One: the strength. Fairly simple approach. So you see we do complexes. We do the front squat with a bench row, the deadlift with a bench press, and the split squat with a shoulder press. Yeah, so we have basically a squatting movement, a hinging movement, we have a vertical pull, we have a horizontal pull and a horizontal push, we have a single-leg variation, and the shoulder press as a vertical push. Yeah. And then for all exercises, you see the set and rep structure in the first week—this is the first week: three sets of three at 87.5%—and then it increases through week two, week three, and so on.

Let’s have a look at the second one: the anatomical adaptation. If you have seen any of the videos before, you know it’s a bit difficult to provide the RPE for one of these exercises because they are combined movements. Yeah, so what do you base your RPE on? Which part of the movement? So that can vary a little bit. What do I mean? Dumbbell deficit split squat to shoulder press. Obviously, it’s much easier if you have a weight—if you have a dumbbell—for the shoulder press. It’s much easier to do a split squat with that weight than to push it over your head. But the goal is anatomical adaptation, so multi-joint, multi-planar, plus combined movements. Anyway.

We do a snatch pull, muscle snatch, and an overhead squat. Then we do the deficit split squat to shoulder press. Then we do the RDL to bent-over row. Same here, yeah—you are probably much stronger in the RDL than in the bent-over row. So if you would base the weight on the RDL, the RPE would be much lower than if you base it on the bent-over row. Then the dumbbell bench press alternating. And then we have the chin-up to handstand or the typewriter. So for most people, they probably need some band assistance to execute that exercise. Yeah.

Three sets of nine for the first exercise: so snatch pull is first rep, muscle snatch second rep, overhead squat third rep. Repeat that three times—you get nine repetitions. And then three sets of six for the split squat to shoulder press on each side, obviously. Then the RDL to bent-over row: three sets of eight. Then we have our bench press alternating—we also do three sets of eight. And then for our typewriter: four repetitions. Four repetitions refers to four to the right side, four to the left side—so also eight repetitions.

Download this PDF. You can get the glossary. You get to read about myself—from me or whoever wrote that text about me. But you can also read what others have to say about me—my former athletes, my mentees, former colleagues. And last but certainly not least, at the end there is a chance to get to the membership and subscribe, where you get the four-week program.

So let’s move back. What are the next steps?

Number one: you download that PDF and follow it.

You join the membership. Inside the membership, you get the four-week training program. That was just the first week. In the membership, you get another 52 four-week programs.

And last but certainly not least, you like and subscribe to the channel. And then you can grab all the workouts here. You can see the previous video, and you can like and subscribe if you haven’t already.

I’ll see you next week with Workout of the Week, number 54