Workout of the Week #36 – Corrected Transcript

Welcome to Workout of the Week number 36. So this time we have reached our special preparatory period for mountain biking. In the previous video, we looked at the general preparatory period. Now we’re in the special preparatory period.

Training Goal

Maximizing strength and power through a heavy-light approach.

Training Variables

Heavy: We work with 75% to 85% of the 1RM. Light: We use body weight or a light implement.

Rep Ranges:

• Heavy days or heavy loading: 2 to 4 reps
• Light loading: 3 to 6 reps

Exertion:

• Heavy: Medium to hard
• Light: Light

Training Effort:

• Heavy days/heavy loading: Maximum effort. It can be debated whether it’s a true maximum effort because maximum effort is defined by working at maximum intensity or max against maximum resistance. Whether 75% to 85% of the 1RM fulfills that criteria… anyway, I used maximum effort since our intention was to work on maximum strength. Yeah, okay, we can debate that anyway.
• Light loading: Dynamic effort

Exercise Selection

Heavy loading: Mainly Olympic lifts and fundamental movements Light loading: Medicine ball throws and jumps

Exercise order: Goes from most complex to least complex

Additional Training Variables

Frequency: 3 days a week, organized in circuit training. Also here we can debate – when we look at the program, was it true circuit training? But we’ll look at that.

Training split: Full body split

Program Overview

So how does that look? If we have here our program, we jump right into it.

Here we are inside of the program. Yeah, you get an overview of the program – three training sessions a week on non-consecutive days. If we look at workout number one, you can see what I mean. Here we have 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D. The definition of circuit training is not that clear, but normally it’s 5 to 8, 5 to 12 exercises. So four exercises are not really a circuit, but anyway, let’s call it a circuit, right? Yeah, that’s semantics.

Then we have 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D. So we combined:

• The power snatch with a medicine ball slam
• The bench press with a counter-movement box jump
• The back squat with a medicine ball power drop
• The inverted row with a step-up jump

Yeah, so if you see here, this is a bit different to what I’ve presented in earlier workouts. We are not using a contrast training approach looking at similar movement patterns, similar biomechanical movement patterns. We now use different movement patterns.

Movement Pattern Analysis

What does that mean? So if we look at the power snatch, that could be classified as a total body pull, and the medicine ball slam would be an upper body pull, but then it’s opposing movements, right? So for the snatch, if you look at the upper body, you bring the bar over your head. With the slam, you bring the medicine ball from overhead down. Yeah, so opposing movements.

Then we have a bench press, which is an upper body push, and that is combined with a lower body push – if you would want to – the jump. Then we have a back squat being a lower body push and combined with an upper body push. And then we have our upper body pull, the inverted row, combined with a step-up jump. So again, if you would look at the push-pull definition, that would probably be a single-legged lower body push.

Workout Details

Workout 1

Setup: 1A, 1B, 1C – intensity is three sets of four at 75%. For the light loading, just four repetitions. There was no mention of intensities. We used light intensity, so meaning a medicine ball would probably be a 1 kilo or 2 kilo medicine ball. And for the body weight, well, it’s body weight.

Workout 2

If we look at workout number two, we see a similar setup here: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and then 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D. And again, we do:

• Split jerk for the heavy loading and the medicine ball scoop for the light loading
• Bench row and the non-counter-movement box jump
• Front squat and the medicine ball push press
• Pull-up and then single-legged non-counter-movement box jump

The same here is true: three sets of four at 75% for the heavy loading, and then three sets of four for the light loading, which was either body weight or a light implement – a light medicine ball.

Workout 3

If we look at workout number three, simple thing here. So four exercises being:

• The power clean and the medicine ball lateral throw
• The bent-over row and the non-counter-movement box jump
• The box squat and the medicine ball power drop
• The shoulder press and the dumbbell box jumps

Augmented Eccentric Loading

What is it called? Augmented eccentric loading. Essentially, it means, for example, if you picture yourself doing a jump in the start position, you hold dumbbells in your hand and you drop down with the dumbbells into the lowest position. In the lowest position, you release the dumbbells and you jump up.

Why is that done? Well, in very simple terms, the idea is to trick the nervous system. If you’re holding dumbbells in your hands, you are lowering into the bottom position with a heavier system mass. System mass being the external load plus the body weight. And then you’re jumping out of that position with a lower system mass.

Yeah, so imagine you would weigh 70 kilos – I just make it easy for myself – 70 kilos, and you hold two dumbbells of 15 kilos in each hand. That makes it 70 + 30. You drop down, so your body thinks you’re going to jump up with 100 kilos. Yeah, 70 plus 30. You release the dumbbells, so you’re jumping up with 70 kilos. Yeah, that’s the entire idea behind it.

Set and Rep Scheme

The set and rep scheme: three sets of four at 75% for heavy loading, and then three sets of four… three sets of six, excuse me, three sets of six for the lateral throw, and then three sets of four for the jumps. And then for the power drop, also three sets of six, and for the jumps, three sets of three.

Additional Resources

If we finish that, we go to the glossary where you can see the terms that are used in that workout. You get a chance to read about Ana. Yeah, Ana has followed that program in her season 2011 and 2012. You can also read a little bit about me if you probably seen that, and then you can see testimonials from my former athletes, from former colleagues and me.

Last but certainly not least, you get a chance to subscribe to the membership. In the membership, considering we are at week number 36 or workout of the week 36, you get another 35 workouts – training programs four weeks in length, periodized.

Next Steps

Let’s move back and finish that presentation. So what are the next steps? You download that PDF, you follow it, you join the membership. As I outlined, in the membership you get the 4-week program. This was just the first week, so…

And you can like, push the like button, you can subscribe, and you can grab all previous workouts. Here you can see the previous workout, and if you haven’t already, you get a chance to subscribe here.

I see you next week where we look at the pre-competition program.