Could you guys please critique this hyperthrophy and maximum strength setup I am currently experimenting with. I draw most of it from the old school Eastern Europeans like Bompa, Sheiko and Smolov. The program is for 400m/400mH athletes who all lack strength.
The athletes all have between 2 and 4 years strength training experience.
The setup looks like this:
7 Jul - Hyperthrophy
14 Jul - Hyperthrophy
21 Jul - Hyperthrophy
28 Jul - Hyperthrophy
4 Aug - Hyperthrophy
11 Aug - Max Strength
18 Aug - Max Strength
25 Aug - Max Strength
1 Sep - Max Strength
Since your hitting everything twice in a week, why don’t you go Max Strength the first workout and Hypertrophy the second? This way, your hitting both strength and hypertropy the entire period.
I am trying to get them stonger, as a lack of stenght/power over shorter distances seems to me to be most of their problem. Seeing that we are slap bang in the middle of our winter, I though this the best time to do it. The hyperthrophy I see as prep for the 4 week max stength phase. Followed by the power convertion phase where the olympic lifts and variations of it will be the primary lifts. This will last 6 weeks, followed by two weeks maintenance and one week cessation. The Bompa literature I follow precribes a 30-50% load with a rep/set range of 4-10 reps and 4-6 sets during the power phase.
For the 400, after the MxS phase, you need to maintain the MxS and start developing power along with some power endurance. Microcycle by microcycle you substitute the power work completely with power endurance by increasing reps/foot contacts/distances.
If you want to devote 6 weeks to convertion, either do a 3(L)+1(U)+2(L) then go into maintenance or 2(L)+1(U)+2(L)+1(U) then go into maintenance.
Personally, I don’t handle well more than 2 power endurance strength workouts a week (which makes three P-E workouts if we include the lactic power session on the track) for more than 2 weeks, so I would use the latter option.
The second option is also better manageable in a period of highly specific track work, and allows you to “realize” the power gains more easily, having two unload weeks in the 6 total weeks of the convertion phase.
Followed by the power convertion phase where the olympic lifts and variations of it will be the primary lifts. […] The Bompa literature I follow precribes a 30-50% load with a rep/set range of 4-10 reps and 4-6 sets during the power phase.
Those parameters are not for the OLs. For OLs you should use higher percentages and lower reps (OLs maximal mechanical power is at around 85% of their 1RM vs 50+/-5% of the strength lifts). But… how good are your athletes at OLing?
I like this setup as I think the Bompa teory is a bit simplistic. How do you differentiate between a load and a unload week? Volume or intensity or both or something else?
After the MxS the plan was to drop to twice a week.
They are technically ok, but not very strong. That was why I considered the Bompa figures as they seem good for an athlete that are not very strong. 50% would be a weight at which my athletes would be able to do the lifts properly.
I like this setup as I think the Bompa teory is a bit simplistic. How do you differentiate between a load and a unload week? Volume or intensity or both or something else?
This is straight Bompa stuff.
Unload week, -40% volume (cut sets), - 5 to 10% intensity (keep reps, increase buffer).
They are technically ok, but not very strong. That was why I considered the Bompa figures as they seem good for an athlete that are not very strong. 50% would be a weight at which my athletes would be able to do the lifts properly.
OL were not meant for reps higher than 3, the technical component is too high.
What lifts do you perform?
1/4 Squat and Lunge for MxS maintenance and Jump Squats (2x15, I use 120 to 140Kg) and reps of 50-80m bounds for P-E.
Upper body is bench (MxS), lat machine (MxS and P-E) and military press (MxS and P-E) with MxS and P-E specific parameters.
One session is MxS with some P-E, the other is P-E with some MxS.
Yesterday, for istance, I did 3x3 up to 220Kg (487lbs) of 1/4 Squat at 168lb of bw, next session will be 1x3@180kg (400lbs) then Jump Squat 2x15@120Kg (265lbs).
