Draft Routine for Back Home- Scrutinize Please

[liero]

So, If you've been following my inconsistant blog, you would know that I have been training in Spain for the past month. When I leave I'm back to my own devices unfortunately.

I have decided to follow a similar conditioning routine to that which I have been doing here. When I've been fighting, fitness has been good. We do strength training 2x per week, and a plyo circut or more strength on the other gym day- Depending on how close a competition is. The good thing about planning my own training is I can go back to doing compound lifts instead of totally focussing on machine isolation exercises.

I do need some advice on the weight side of things. Here's the routine.

Day 1

Deadllift
Bench
Pull Up
Leg Curl
Leg Extension
Bicep Curl
Tricep On cable machine
Glute-ham Raise

Day 2

Plyo Circut

Day 3

Squat
Overhead Press
Barbell Row
Leg Curl
Leg Ext
Biceps curl
Triceps on cable machine
Glute-ham Raise

It's 4 upper body and 4 lower body exercises per session.

The list goes from more intense to less intense, so that I'm fresh when doing the compound lifts like the bench, squat, dead lift and overhead press. The lower exercises are supplementary strength exercises and can be moderated on weight/reps/sets depending on fatigue or time available to train.

The goal is to lift for strength. So I was thinking about the following routine.

1st Cycle- 4 weeks. 3-4 sets x 10 reps each exercise. Work on technique and mind/muscle connection. Gradual increase in weight but not over exerting.

2nd Cycle- 8-12 weeks. 4-6 sets x 5 reps each exercise. Rather than lifting with the ideal to increase the weight every session, I want to calculate my 5RM and work on/just under it with the same weight then re-test every 3 weeks or so. Noting the improvement, Is this the best way?

After this length training I will be much closer to regular competitions, likely every month or so. With this in mind I may have to reduce the amount of weight training, that being the no. of exercises, but the same amount of training, as the frequency and intensity of skills sessions increases.

At this stage, the training will be Monday, Wednesday, Friday AM sessions. Tuesday and Thursday AM will be either running, light technical sessions or speed kicking drills depending on competition schedule. Technical training will be on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and maybe an additional light session on Tuesday or Friday every odd week.

Thoughts and advice? Particularly RE: the rep scheme and choice of exercises.

Also: If wondering about the plyo circuts, check out the later posts in my log

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104046

[seiken steve]

Wondering why the leg extension/curl are in there, if you want a leg machine that's worth using a leg press or hack squat would be a better choice. I'd primarily use those with rest pause and drop set techniques, which would be more for size than anything.

Realisically I'd just stick with barbell compound movements, squat, front squat, RDL and GHR.

[liero]

Honestly- The main reason I'm keeping them in, is because the the athletes here do them.
I know it's a bit of fallacious thinking but these are some of the best TKD'ers in the world, if its working for them then why rock the boat?

The justifiable reasons are the following.

The leg extension is a very similar movement to the extension of the leg at the end of the TKD roundhouse. Which makes me think that working this machine will improve movement of this type. The curl is to balance out the isolation work between Hams and Quads.

I'm doing squats, deadlift and GHR already- this is just supplementary strength stuff. Both are relatively low intensity and is a little more volume without bringing in another taxing full body lift on each day. I have a lot of workouts planned and dont want to be overtraining/very sore where the strength work is negatively impacting the skills training.

Isn't leg press effectively just a squat?

Also, I normally do back squat with barbell over front squat. There seems to be a great deal of debate over which to do. Does it make a difference in the long term?

[liero]

Double post :(

[slipthejab]

Also, I normally do back squat with barbell over front squat. There seems to be a great deal of debate over which to do. Does it make a difference in the long term?

Neither here nor there really but I thought I'd chuck this in... I used to work with lots of Rugby players who do quit well in international rankings and to a man they all preferred the front squats over the back squats so I got a healthy dose of them for a year or so. I found that they really hit the quads more than do back squats - which seems to me more focused on glutes for drive. Anecdotal I know... but there you have it.

[Chadderz]

Neither here nor there really but I thought I'd chuck this in... I used to work with lots of Rugby players who do quit well in international rankings and to a man they all preferred the front squats over the back squats so I got a healthy dose of them for a year or so. I found that they really hit the quads more than do back squats - which seems to me more focused on glutes for drive. Anecdotal I know... but there you have it.

I've been thinking this ever since I first tried a proper squat (about a week ago :p). Should I do front squats next time? No harm in alteration is there?

[slipthejab]

I'd say just get your basic back squat down first. No point in trying too much variation right off. Plenty of time to try variations on the squat as time goes by. But get a good foundation in a back squat.

[seiken steve]

I've been thinking this ever since I first tried a proper squat (about a week ago :p). Should I do front squats next time? No harm in alteration is there?

If your only learning to squat stick with the squat.

Liro, some of the strongmen I train with smoke dope to get their appetite up, they're pretty well rated lifters (obviously not saying anything about rankings and Feds) but I'm not about to pick up a spliff, see where I'm going?

Leg press is a similar movement pattern to squat but all the weight is stressing the legs not the core, back etc. Allows way more stress to hit the actual leg muscles.

Is it needed to train on machines? No. But they can be a good way to work in some hypertrophy work, hit weak points and safely utilise things like rest pause, drop sets and working 'beyond failure'
But same rules apply as to free weights, go for bigger compound movements before you hit iso stuff.

[liero]

Leg press is a similar movement pattern to squat but all the weight is stressing the legs not the core, back etc. Allows way more stress to hit the actual leg muscles.

Is it needed to train on machines? No. But they can be a good way to work in some hypertrophy work, hit weak points and safely utilise things like rest pause, drop sets and working 'beyond failure'
But same rules apply as to free weights, go for bigger compound movements before you hit iso stuff.

Ok, so assuming that I take out the iso leg exercises what will I add in instead? I dont want to overtrain the legs when I'll be doing TKD stuff 5 days a week, but I dont want to neglect possible gains.

Also, I only have about 1-1.5 hours to lift in the morning before I have to rush of to work.

Edit- What does the progression of reps/sets look like as well. Is this the best way to develop strength?