Below is what I am currently getting up to on the training front.
I’ve decided I would like to get a bit leaner because we live in a brick terrace that’s more like a pizza oven than a house at this time of year. Moreover, my left shoulder still isn’t quite right and my golfer’s elbow has flared up, so I needed a routine that left space for these to heal.
That’s the context. Here’s the schedule:
Sunday
A) 50 total reps of barbell overhead press (using between 40 and 60kg)
B) 75 total reps of barbell curls with an empty Olympic bar
C) 75 total reps of French presses with an empty Olympic bar
D) 30-50 total reps of barbell back squats (80-100kg, sets of 12-20 reps)
E) 30 total reps of pullups using a variety of grips
Monday
A) ⅓ mile run
B) 120-150 total reps of squats (blend of air, sissy, and jump squats)
C) 50 total reps of inverted row
D) 6 x 60 metre sprints supersetted with a pushup ladder (10,11,12,13,14 reps then one “as many reps as possible set to finish)
E) 25 total reps of something abs
F) ⅓ mile run
(All but the sprints, pushups, and abs are done in a weighted vest)
Tuesday
AM
Same as Monday AM
PM
A) 5 minutes stationary bike
B) 150-200 total reps of squats (blend of air, sissy, and jump squats) supersetted with band pull aparts
C) 50 total reps of pushups
D) 10-20 minutes stationary bike
(All done in a weighted vest)
Wednesday
A) 5-8 mile run
Thursday
As per Sunday except the barbell squats are swapped for stiff-leg deadlifts.
Friday
As per Monday plus a 4 mile run in the afternoon
Saturday
Off
Notes:
* There’s obviously a lot of work here in terms of sessions, but the actual workouts themselves seldom take more than half an hour, apart from the runs which take about 40 minutes.
* No longer doing pushups in a weighted vest and limiting pullups to just the two gym sessions (whereas before I was doing them 6-8 times per week) will please my wounded shoulder and elbows greatly.
* It’s basically impossible to not get leaner using an approach such as this due to the sheer volume of work involved (hence why I called it “Operation: Winnow”)
* I will also take a walk every day for at least 30 minutes over lunch. Everybody who can should be doing this anyway but it’s doubly important when you’re hammering away at a high-frequency routine such as this.
* I must stress I am not suggesting you follow what I have shared with you today. It’s MY workout based on MY needs, aspirations, work ethic, recovery capacity, time available to train, etc, etc, etc.
So it certainly won’t “work” for you in the way it does for me, and there’s a non-zero chance that if you try it unthinkingly you’ll not only go nowhere but wind up burned out and injured if you try to ape it.
Instead, I recommend analysing what I am doing and adding your findings to your training toolbox to integrate into your own programming as and when the time is right.
* Lastly, if you’d like to work with me personally and privately to come up with something balanced and sustainable that grows as you do, I first recommend consulting my 13-page PDF “The Systematic Method of Training”.
For the avoidance of all doubt: The PDF is first and foremost a pitch for my Private Coaching services (stressing the point because I’ve had a few freeloaders get butthurt about this over the last week or so).
So while there is teaching inside (some might say too much), it is NOT primarily an educational document and I am going to ask you for money at the end. You don’t have to buy my coaching if you don’t want to. In fact, if there is any doubt in your mind then you absolutely shouldn’t. But still, if you are the sort of person who finds the idea of paying for assistance on the fitness front offensive, give it a miss.
Otherwise, email me the word INFO (phil at philtyreman dot co dot uk), and I’ll send the document over personally and promptly.
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman