When putting
together a workout for the day I generally go off a basic template that I have
taken from the Westside/Conjugate method of training. A general training
session would look like:
1) Main lift
2) Supplemental lift
3) Accessory 1
4) Accessory 2
5) Etc.
After an ample warm up you start with the main lift, which
consists of either a bench, a squat, or a deadlift variation. These variations
can include different bar types, bands, chains, and a variety of other gadgets
to challenge these motions in different ways. For this I generally stick with
lower reps and higher intensity to focus on maximal strength.
Following the main lift comes the supplemental lift. This lift
should be very similar to and have almost a direct carryover from the main
lift. This lift can be used to add more volume, practice technique, or shorten
the range of motion using boards in order to get more weight on the bar. The
main point is, the supplemental lift should have a large carryover from the
main lift. The uses of the supplemental lift are not limited to the ones I
listed above; those are just a few that I have found to be helpful.
The remainder of the session should consist of accessory
exercises. These can be used for technique, hypertrophy of lacking muscles,
working on your beach body (if you’re into that sort of thing), and so many
other possibilities. Simply put, accessory exercises should be used to help
build muscle, grow your foundation, and keep you healthy. For example, I like
to hit up individual muscles, following the main and supplemental lifts, with
some hypertrophy or high rep work. Then I may do some core work combined with
some prehab exercise to keep me healthy and hit some weak points that I know
are problem areas that need some specialized attention. On lower body days I
like to include some work capacity, which consists of heavy carries, and on
upper days scapular muscle work for time.
The possibilities are almost endless with ways to manipulate
this template, depending on your facility, what works for you, and what kinds
of toys and gadgets you can bring into your training. This versatility is one
of the reasons I like training with this program. No matter where I am,
especially if I’m on a physical therapy clinical or traveling and don’t have
access to my familiar gym, I can scale and adjust it accordingly. I’ve also
seen this program work extremely well for athletes in combination with their
sport-specific training. The lifts may vary depending on your preferences and
resources, but the principles stay the same. Feel free to leave comments below
with what main and accessory lifts work well for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment