The Plan - After One Week

It's been a good week - last Saturday, I figured out, with help from Master RKC Mark Reifkind, the outlines of a training plan that will let me focus on powerlifting while still keeping my RKC skill level high.

I owe you, dear readers, the past week's training plus "The Plan", and I'll start with the plan and then get into what I did this week just finished. I have been analytical here, and I'm going to give The Plan in brief, medium and detailed versions.

The Plan in 1 sentence: Surovetsky DL for FSQ, BP & DL plus twice a week kb press/pu and kb snatch. (If you want to read more about the Surovetsky DL cycle, look in your copy of "Power To The People Professional"


The Plan in 4 sentences:

1. For FSQ, BP, and DL, follow the Surovetsky model of a low-volume, heavy day and a high-volume, lighter day - FSQ Heavy/Light on Wed/Sat; BP Heavy/Light on Mon/Wed; DL Heavy/Light on Sat/Mon. (Put another way, Mon = Heavy BP and Volume DL; Wed = Heavy FSQ and Volume BP; Sat = Heavy DL and volume FSQ. It's Heavy, Light, off for my 3-day rotation on each lift.)

2. Keep some KB press/pu work in there w/ a 28 kg twice a week, just a few on Wed and aim for 5 sets and/or 10 total reps on Sat - don't like going lighter on these, will simply vary the volume.

3. Keep KB snatch work - 100 reps @ 20 kg on Mon, swings @ 28 kg on Tue, 100+ reps @ 20 kg on Thu.

4. Keep skill work, low volume and mostly light to moderate weight, on Tue/Fri - getups, windmills, bent presses, jerks.


The Plan in Detail - The Schedule:

Mon = easy KB FSQ, heavy BP, volume DL, KB snatch test

Tue = KB getup, windmill, bent press, jerk for skill, KB swing w/ heavier weight

Wed = heavy SQ, volume BP, easy 1-leg KB DL or other DL variation

Thu = volume KB snatch

Fri = getup, windmill, bent press, jerk

Sat = heavy kb press/pu , volume SQ, easy BP, easy KB FSQ, heavy DL

Sun = off

NB: I am doing all of my deadlifts off a 3-1/2" (8 cm) platform for now - it feels right, and I'm weak off the floor. I know from past experience that this will help.


The Week That Was:

Monday

Planned Heavy Bench - since we don't know a 1RM, we'll go 54321 - and Volume DL

AAU apparently doesn't allow thumbless BP, so switched back to normal grip

BP: 135 x 5, 145 x 4, 155 x 3, 165 x 2, 175 x 2 - second rep @ 175 was slow but didn't stop, bodes well for a bit more weight next Monday when we'll have another heavy BP day

No kb pressing or pullups today - with all we're doing, I think these are going to go on a Wed and Sat rotation.

FSQ: with a 28 kg kb, 3L + 3R, set on floor briefly between - just didn't feel like another barbell lift today with 5 x 5 DL's coming up

DL: 225 x 5 reps x 5 sets

1 hour later:

20 kg snatch - 100 reps in 11:00 as 20/15/10/5 with about 2:00 rests

Not great, but not bad after all those DL's, either.


Tuesday:

Start with short walk, qigong on the front porch, rolling

16 kg getups and windmills

20/20: jerk, 3

28: swing, 20L+20R - need to keep right shoulder down more but overall, not bad.


Wednesday:


Planned Heavy FSQ + Volume BP

Again, took 54321 approach to FSQ just to see where we're at in 1RM terms

FSQ: franken x bar x 3, bar x 3

FSQ: 100 x 5, 110 x 4, 120 x 3, 130 x 2, 140 x 3 - too light for heavy day but this was our first try at heavy squat day.

BP: 140 x 5, 5, 5, 5 - too heavy, didn't do planned 5th set, did a new set about every 2:30 or on about 1:30 rest

28: mil press/pu superset: 1 - that's it, too tired, have to figure out where to get in more of these.

20: 1-leg DL, rf, 1, 2 - already feeling it in glutes, left leg works better than right, as expected.


Thursday:

20 kg snatch: 108 reps in 10:45, a bit better than Monday


Friday:

getups w/ 16 and 24 kg, bw-only windmills


Saturday:

Planned Heavy DL and Volume FSQ

28: kb press/pu x 1, 2, 2, 2, 1

* a week ago, I did (1,2) x 2, 6 reps total. Decided that the singles are a waste of time in my current program and will stick with mostly doubles except as today, warmup and cooldown. 8 reps total is an improvement in 28kg press/pu volume in a single workout and that's what I want, will aim for about 10 lifts each saturday.

FSQ - bar x franken x 3, 135 (damned if I'm going to FSQ less than 135 today) x (reps below)

1 - feels heavy

1 - narrower grip, sink it even deeper, feel same as previous rep but deeper so good

2 - keeping narrower grip, really driving elbows forward, really opening at hips, starting to feel lighter, crunches near broken rib on 1st rep only

3 - finding form, still crunches near broken rib on 1st rep only

3 - deep, paused, still slightly different form on every rep but improving overall, and no crunch on the way down this time.

3 - about the same as the last set, up to 13 reps total, videotaped

3 - about the same again, videotaped at a different angle but camera was slightly mispointed. 16 reps total, not the 25 we'd hope for but not bad after the way it started.

BP: 135 x 4, 5 - just to do it a little today

KB FSQ: 20/20 x 5 - just to do this a little today, too.


DL: 3.5" platform
This week's plan
245 x 3, 255 x 2, 265 x 2, 2, 2

* Misread and did
245 x 2 (oops), 255 x 4 (gotta make up for it but misread again and ended up doing 2 extra instead of 1 ), 265 x 2, 2, 2


Onward and Upward!