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This is the Deload/Reset week between the second and third mesocycle of the Spring Hypertrophy cycle.
The next 5-week mesocycle will be the final block of the cycle.
Please read the Lengthened ROM Blog, as the philosophy for this current training cycle will reflect all of the principles discussed in this post.
In this cycle design, we have progressed effort each week over the last five weeks. After the prior week, which was subjectively the “hardest” training week, this reset should be quite well timed to facilitate recovery and allow the adaptations to occur before beginning the next mesocycle.
DURING THIS WEEK OF TRAINING…
We can expect the highly fatiguing lengthened compound movements to be around 4-5 reps from failure, while the lower fatiguing “short” movements will be around 2-3 reps from failure.
Since total volume of work performed has the highest correlation to fatigue, we will DELOAD by reducing volume (total number of HARD sets) across the program, in general.
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Monday
Lower Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Barbell RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
2-3 Warm-up sets, then;
2 work sets x 5-8 Reps (~4-5 then 3-4 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min between work sets
Alternative Movement you can swap (stay consistent week to week):
–DB RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
–Trap Bar RDL (1 and 1/2 Reps)
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B. Front Foot Elevated Split Squat (Quad Dominant)
1-2 Warm-up sets per leg, then;
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~4-5 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min between legs
1 set x 10-15 Reps (lighter; ~3-4 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min between legs
Alternative Movement you can swap (stay consistent week to week):
– Flat Foot Split Squats (quad dominant)
–DB Split Squat (quad dominant)
*flat ground
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C. Leg Curls (see below)
3 sets x 10-20 Reps (~4-3-2 RIR across the 3 sets)
Rest 1-2 min between sets
“At Home” Leg Curl Options:
Hamstring Walkouts (scaled option)
Gliding Leg Curls (with Rings/TRX)
Gliding Leg Curls (with barbell)
Hamstring Curls on Rower
Slider Leg Curls (Slider = skateboard, towel, socks, etc…)
DB Leg Curls
Stability Ball Leg Curls
Rings/TRX Leg Curls
Banded Leg Curls
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D. Heels Elevated DB Squats (suitcase hold)
DB’s are held like a Deadlift, but the torso remains vertical with minimal contribution from the hips (ensure the quads drive the entire movement up and down)
1 x 12-15 (super light “feel it out”)
2 x 12-15 (~4-5 RIR each)
Rest ~2 min between sets
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E. AMRAP 6 Min:
As Many Rounds as Possible
Kipping Toes to Bar x Reps 3-6-9-12 etc… (add 3 reps each round)
Box Jumps (scale: Step-ups) x 12 Reps (after each set of TTB)
Alternative Movement you can swap for Kipping TTB:
–Hanging Knee Raises
–Strict Toes to Bar
–Lying Leg Raise (with Hip Thrust at top)
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Tuesday
Upper Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Flat DB Bench Press
2-3 Warm-up sets, then:
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~3-4 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 set x 10-15 Reps (lighter; ~2-3 RIR)
+ Superset the FINAL SET:
Flat DB Flies (Bottom 60% ROM) x 8-12 Reps (~3-4 RIR)
Alternate movements you can swap for Flat DB Bench Press (stay consistent week to week):
–Flat Barbell Bench Press
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B. Alternate Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
3 work sets (see reps and RIR below for each)
Strict Pull-ups x 6-10 Reps (~2-3 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min
DB Lateral Raise x 10-15 Reps (~1-2 RIR)
Rest 1-2 min
Alternative Movement you can swap for Pull-ups (stay consistent week to week):
(weighted) Pull-ups
Weighted Rack Pull-ups
Unweighted Rack Pull-ups
Leg in front Rack Pull-ups (no elevation)
Foot-Assisted Pull-ups
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C. Bentover DB Row
Reps 15-12-10 (increasing/weight effort each round)
Target ~6-4-2 RIR across the 3 sets
Rest 1-2 min between sets
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D. 4 Rounds:
Reps 12-10-8-6 for each movement
Use ~15 rep max weight for each
Barbell Hang Muscle Snatch
Alternating DB Curls (reps are “per arm”; so 24-20-16-12 total)
Lying DB Tricep Extensions
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Thursday:
Lower Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
A. Heels Elevated Back Squat
Each rep should have a PAUSE at the deepest stretch position at the bottom of each rep.
2-3 Warm-up sets, then;
1 set x 6-10 Reps (heavier; ~4-5 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 set x 10-12 Reps (lighter; ~3-4 RIR)
Alternate movements you can swap for Back Squats (stay consistent week to week):
–Foam Roller DB Hack Squats
–Landmine Hack Squat
–Heels Elevated Safety Bar Squat
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B. Superset Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
2 work supersets (see reps and RIR below)
*Bring DB’s over to the Hip Extension with you
Weighted Hip Extensions (45-degree) x 8-12 Reps (~2-3 RIR)
Walking DB Lunges (Glute focus) x 8-12 steps (4-6 per leg) (~4-5 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min
Alternative Movement you can swap for Hip Ext (stay consistent week to week):
–Horizontal/GHD
–Home Hack (with barbell and box)
–Home Hack (Hips over barbell)
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C. Hang Squat Cleans
Warm-up sets as needed, then:
3 work sets x Reps 3-6-9
Decreasing weight each set
Rest as needed for optimal recovery/performance/execution between sets
Note that this is “DELOAD” week, so all the sets should be ~RPE 5-6
(~5 reps from failure)
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D. Garhammer Crunch
3 sets of 6-12 Reps
Rest ~1 min b/w each
+ Superset the FINAL set with:
Decline/GHD Sit-ups x 6-15 Reps
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E. Double-Unders OR Single-unders
Tabata Protocol
This means 8 Rounds of:
20 seconds on
10 seconds off
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Friday
Upper Body
Part A and B Repeat week to week
2-3 Warm-up sets, then:
1 work set x 6-9 Reps (heavier; ~3 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 work set x 9-12 Reps (moderate; ~2-3 RIR)
Rest 2 min
1 work set x 12-15 Reps (lighter; ~2 RIR)
Alternative Movement you can swap for DB Row (stay consistent week to week):
–Head Supported DB Row
–Chest Supported Cable Row
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B. Superset Movements:
1-2 warm-up sets each, then:
2 work supersets each (see reps and RIR for each below)
Incline DB Lateral Raise (Behind back) x 10-15 Reps (~2-3 RIR)
DB Front Raise x 8-12 Reps (~1-2 RIR)
Rest 2-3 min
The Incline DB Lateral focuses more on the lengthened range-of-motion by placing the arms behind the body. The Front Raise will therefore be much lighter, given the fatigue carried into the second exercise.
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C. 24 Minutes:
As Many Rounds As Possible
(note mandatory rest periods throughout)
20 Devils Press
20 Cal Row (~90 sec cardio)
Rest 2 min
20 Burpee Box Step-ups (DB in each hand)
20 Cal Row (~90 sec cardio)
Rest 2 min
20 Burpee DB Power Cleans
20 Cal Row (~90 sec cardio)
Rest 2 min
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Saturday – OPTIONAL Conditioning
45-60 Minutes of ZONE 2 Cardio
This can be performed with whatever modality you can do with EFFICIENCY.
For most people, this would likely be optimized with a bike, elliptical, or steep incline walking.
Zone 2 can be completed by rowing OR running (or other modality) however most people are inefficient rowers and runners, and therefore will often find it difficult to stay within the target heart rate zone for ZONE 2.
My views on finding this zone have changed a bit.
In the past, I’ve veered towards relatively crude formulas based on HEART RATE.
Now I tend to simply use RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE) as the BEST way to assess ZONE 2.
Take a 12-15 word sentence that you have memorized with a normal speaking cadence (not rushed).
When you believe you are in ZONE 2, speak this sentence. If you can complete it in one breath without having to stop to get air, and without feeling like that sentence caused you to go into a breathing deficit (i.e. you aren’t gasping for air at the end of the sentence), then you are likely in ZONE 2.
Another RPE based assessment of effort is the duration component.
We are performing ZONE 2 workouts for 45-60 min, but we want to select a pace / effort level in which we *COULD* continue at the SAME PACE for 2-3 hours.
This means that when complete your ZONE 2 workout, you are glad it’s over, strictly due to monotony/repetition, and not due to accumulated fatigue.
In fact, you should feel like the session never actually gets harder. The first 10 minutes should feel the most taxing, as you move from doing nothing into Zone 2.
Once you’ve established yourself into Zone 2, each 10-minute period should be exactly as difficult as the prior 10-minute period.
At no point should you think that the workout has increased in difficulty. It just a steady and consistent effort could be repeatable for multiple hours (if needed).
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OTHER FORMULAS:
Well-trained aerobic athlete:
180 minus age = approx. Zone 2 (~75% of Max Heart Rate)
Lifter or non-trained aerobic athlete:
170 minus age = approx. Zone 2 (~65-72% of Max Heart Rate)
*Max Heart Rate can be determined generally with 220 minus age
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