David W, can i get some personal help from you?

lebeau · June 7, 2003, 11:25am

David, i`m starting my gym sessions again tomorrow, as i have three weeks off of rugby until we start training again, and i was reading through your posts etc, and was wondering if you could tweak my gym routine a bit?

Day 1

Incline Benchpress 8 x 6 x 4 x 4
Bench Climb 4 x 6
Situps 3 x 15
Back 3 x 15
Snatch 4 x 4
I then do a 5 minute HIIT run on the treadmill.

Day 3
The same, although i want to change it to

Snatch deadlift
Power Clean
Power Snatch
Hanging Power Snatch

I dont know how to do them, but i`ll check on exrx.net.

Could you give me some advice on what i should do / change?
In between days i do fartleks to improve my fitness, also do pyramids.

If you get a chance could you help?
If anyone else wants to comment, please do! I also have CFTS manual if you want to point something out to me, as i am basically just a dumb rugby player:D

Thanks!

lebeau · June 7, 2003, 1:22pm

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/training/gridiron_1.htm

any comments?

Pioneer · June 7, 2003, 11:21pm

Berardi makes some good points but his exercise choice leaves a lot to be desired. Way too many useless isolation exercises(imho).

David · June 8, 2003, 2:40am

I’m not David W, but here is my view anyway.

Looks like a pretty good hypertrophy program if you need the mass.

Although personally, I don’t really use bodybuilding techniques to put on mass for rugby. Recently, when I needed to bulk to about 85kg (from about 78kg) I basically just upped the volume of strength work and also split into a lower-body day and an upper-body day. I managed to get to 84kg this way.

eg.

a1) Incline DB Press 4x5
a2) Seated Rows 4x5
b1) Bench Press 4x5
b2) Lat pulldowns 4x5

This is about 40 reps for compound push and 40 reps for compound pull.
Most of the year I normally only do 10 to 12 reps total per push/pull/squat/cleans. I found that the intensity had to be lowered slightly at the start in order to complete 4 sets of each exercise, but I soon adapted and was able to increase strength each week.

Also, I started off with some isolation exercises at the end (eg. curls, tricep extensions, shrugs, etc) but I found I was too tired toward the end of my workout and these just induced more fatigue, so I cut them out.

David · June 8, 2003, 3:01am

Originally posted by lebeau
If anyone else wants to comment, please do! I also have CFTS manual if you want to point something out to me, as i am basically just a dumb rugby player:D

lebeau, you know there is no such thing as a dumb rugby player.

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 5:04am

yeah, sorry, we`re all just “misunderstood” hehe

David, i dont need the mass, i need the strength & speed this guy talks about!
Would you mind posting your workout in full for me? I need to start ASAP but i`m getting lost in what to do, as i want to do it PROPERLY this time!

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 5:08am

Pioneer, would you mind telling what you`d rip out / add to the program?

David_W · June 8, 2003, 9:00am

Mon, Wed: Squat, Bench, Pull ups (weighted). All 5rx5 at -10k 5RM
Fri: 5rx3 @ -5k 5RM

Repeat, then:

Mon Tues: 5rx3s @ -5k 5RM
Fri: 5r @ +2k (5k!) 5RM

Then ‘unloading’ week

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 10:14am

David W, thanks for the reply,

Just to translate your message into one i can understand!

Monday & Wednesday
Sqaut, Bench, Weighted Pull us
5 reps x 5 sets at (-10k 5reps max??? I dont understand that part at all

Friday
5 reps x 3 sets (-5k 5RM) (The 5RM does stand for 5 reps max? what does the -5k stand for?)

Repeat for the first two weeks right?
Then last week
Monday & Tuesday
5reps x 3 sets @ (-5k 5 rep max ???)

Friday
5 Reps @ +2k (5k!) 5RM ???

See i can understand some of it, its the K thing i dont catch, i think alot of newbies get thrown out by it!

Mind helping me out again ??

Thanks again!

David_W · June 8, 2003, 11:09am

‘-10k 5RM’

Ten kilograms below your 5 repetition maximum.

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 11:17am

Thanks David,

so on

Friday
5 Reps @ +2k (5k!) 5RM
I add 2kg to my 5 rep max?
or do i add 5kg ? Suppose it depends on me?

David_W · June 8, 2003, 11:20am

Yes - aim to add 2k to your best at the end of the cycle. If you improve 2k per month, that’s 30k a year!!

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 11:33am

So this is a 3 week cycle! Great
I think i`ll be able to add 5kg at the end of every cycle, i do pick up strength quite fast.

Can i do this as a winter programme, or does this fall more into the “in season” type of training?

Also what about abs / back?

Doing 5 minute interval running after this gym session would be fine?

The days in between then i can do my fartleks & pyramids?

sprint_coach · June 8, 2003, 11:34am

Another question to David and others - For sprinters at this stage of the season (with Paris in mind) - will it be enough to do squats, cleans and bench only? 2 x 5? 2 x per week? (After speed sessions)

What % of 3RM … or rather 5RM? What is best?

How do you determine 3RM/5RM?

Will the % stay the same throughout the rest of this season (for maintaining) or do you recommend 4 week cycles (3 + 1) regarding WT as well?

What are “hypers”? (Charlie)

Thank you!

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 11:43am

also would this would be flat bench right?
Not incline?

Also is it with olympic bar or dumbbells?

David_W · June 8, 2003, 12:29pm

So many questions…

lebeau: Flat bench with barbell.

Exercises and muscle groups activated:

Squat: Gastroc (if deep), quads, hams, gleuts, erectus spinae, abs (some adductor depending on stance)
Bench: Triceps, delts, pecs
Pull ups: Biceps, lats, traps

I personally am not a big fan of ‘core’ work. Keep it simple and short. Be disciplined and keep to the program.

P.S. With weighted pull ups use -5 and -2 (rather than 10 and 5)

Sprint Coach: Yes!

lebeau · June 8, 2003, 1:22pm

thanks for all the help David, my sports agent is taking us to newcastle end of this year for trials at the Falcons, remind me when i`m out there to buy you a round of beers, or protein shakes!

btw this is the weighted pull up im going to be doing, i dont see where the -5 and -2 K 5RM comes in though as my body is the weight! also i`ll be doing full squats as i see your a an of them!

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/WtPullup.html

aln · June 8, 2003, 7:17pm

Originally posted by lebeau
thanks for all the help David, my sports agent is taking us to newcastle end of this year for trials at the Falcons, remind me when i`m out there to buy you a round of beers, or protein shakes!

btw this is the weighted pull up im going to be doing, i dont see where the -5 and -2 K 5RM comes in though as my body is the weight! also i`ll be doing full squats as i see your a an of them!

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/WtPullup.html

See that belt around the guys’ waist, it has weights attached/hanging on to it. As in any exercise, in pullups you go increasing the weight as you get stronger … if you’re doing with only your body weight you can’t take any off lol.

David · June 8, 2003, 7:48pm

lebeau, the program I’m using (in the gym) is very similar to what David W described except that I used less volume and progressed weight differently.

My workout was

Power Cleans 2x4-6
Bench Press 2x4-6
Weighted Chinups 2x4-6
Squats 2x4-6

on Monday, Wednesday, Friday following speed workouts.

I chose a weight that I could use for at least 2 sets of 4 reps. I keep using this weight, trying to do more reps in the following workouts (without ever going to failure), until I was able to do 2x6 for that exercise. Then I added 2.5kg total to to the weight and started at 2x4 again.

This workout was followed by a huge volume of low intensity core work.

eg. Swissball Crunches x 9999999999…
(ok, not really)

btw, are you playing professionally in South Africa? if you’re looking to get a contract, you might consider playing in NZ’s domestic season first (I know SA’s Justin Swart came and played for Otago a while back). I work with the trainers of the Blues and Auckland NPC - great team and awesome standard of rugby.