My Preparatory Phase began in September with three one month mesocycles that consisted of four one week microcycles, three of which build from one week to the next and the forth for recovery and adaptation. Each microcycle included three days of weight lifting, three days of low intensity / moderate mileage cycling with some muscle tension and/or steady state intervals and one day off. Each mesocycle also built from one month to another as my schedule shows below.
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| 3 month Hypertrophy Weight Lifting Phase and 3 of 4 month Foundation Cycling Phase |
Key Components of My Program
Unlike more traditional forms of weight lifting where specific body parts are targeted such as Chest & Back, Legs & Abs and Arms & Shoulders, my program involved compound exercises that consisted of single push, pull and squat/deadlift exercises. This allowed me to accomplish more in less time with less fatigue and soreness. With compound exercises, you recruit more muscles into every exercise. The squat for example recruits the gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, spinal erectors, calves and every stabilizing muscle from your neck to your feet. I also attempt to recruit more muscle fibres by lifting heavy, lifting fast or a combination of lifting heavy and fast where possible.
I did not follow traditional sets of reps such as 3 sets of 10 reps. Rather given the targeted workout load such as super heavy, heavy, medium or light, I completed a targeted number of reps. How I got there did not matter. For a heavy day, my target number of reps would be 25, so I might get there by doing 5 sets of 5 reps or 1 set of 6 reps plus 3 sets of 5 reps plus 1 set of 4 reps. What mattered was ensuring I completed each rep as fast as possible with proper form and with a good range of motion. If any of those three conditions were not met, I stopped the set, rested and continued until all targeted reps were complete. Of course, this all did not come without challenges.
The Workouts
Twelve different exercises were completed over three days with varying degrees of load during each mesocycle. Each workout consisted of one upper body pull exercise, one upper body push exercise, a variation of a squat or deadlift and one accessory type exercise. For both the upper body push and pull, different angles were incorporated in each workout. For instance upper body pulls on day one I would do a chin-up (vertical pull down), day two a seated row (horizontal pull) and day three a high pull (vertical pull up). This ensured more muscles were recruited overall in the course of the week. Likewise for lower body exercises, each day I would do a variation of a squat or deadlift. So day one I would do a deadlift, day two a Bugarian split squat and day three a front squat. Not all exercises were completed with both arms and both legs. Single arm and single leg exercises were incorporated to facilitate recruitment of stabilizing muscles such as the Bulgarian split squat, one-arm cable pulley row and one-arm dumbbell bench press. And finally, accessory type exercises were included to isolate a specific muscle group and / or assist in the development of grip strength that would aid in lifting heavier weights as I progressed. Examples of those exercises included dumbbell standing single leg calf raises, dumbbell standing triceps extensions or hammer curls.
Due to the challenges that I outline below, I did incorporate some additional leg exercises such as box squats, hamstring curls and utilized leg machines such as the leg press and hack squat. No more that one additional leg exercise was included in any given workout.
The Challenges
Since following this program approach, the two most compelling challenges that I faced have been range of motion and the ability to lift heavy. A good range of motion allows you to go deeper on your lifts and decreases the chances of injury. My upper body range of motion is limited by the effects of my separated shoulder. Although I can go relatively deep on a bench press, there is considerable discomfort if not pain and I have to be very careful and mindful of the weight. For lower body, the flexibility in my hamstrings and ankles limit my range of motion in the traditional squat and deadlifts. With the limited range of motion, the effectiveness of the move is limited as to the benefit.
Lifting heavy is relative to the one repetition maximum weight that can be lifted and is obviously different for each person. Certain exercises limit the weight that can be lifted safely and without a spotter and is likely far less than the maximum you could otherwise lift. The bench press for instance requires a spotter to assist with heavy and super heavy weight. To compensate for this, I would use either the Smith Machine or use dumbbells. For exercises such as deadlifts, grip strength is necessary to lift heavy and super heavy. Without adequate grip strength (or the use of straps), the maximum weight that can be lifted is limited. To increase my grip strength, I would do single leg calf rises as I would use extremely heavy dumbbells. Additionally, I would do single leg Romanian Deadlifts, again with heavy dumbbells. Still with inadequate grip strength, I was limited to the maximum weight I could lift on the deadlift. To compensate for this and to ensure I built the most leg strength possible, I would incorporate the machine leg press and hack squat to lift maximal weight while using the deadlift and squat as much as possible but at a much lesser weight.
The Results
As I mentioned above, I neglected to take any before measurements or pictures so there is little I can share to demonstrate the results. Over the three months, my weight has increased approximately 6lbs while maintaining more or less my hydration and fat levels. There are definitely noticeable changes in my physique but nothing too startling.
Next Steps
I’m moving on to a three month strength focused period. This period will consist of similar workouts but the weight will remain medium (8-10 rep max) to super heavy (2-3 rep max) and up to 30 minutes of cardio primarily on the stepmill or elliptical. Again, each cycle will build from one to the next. The cycling portion during the first month will remain the same, muscle tension with steady state intervals where possible and where fatigue allows. The last two months I will start incorporating on the bike resistance training and sprints. The duration for my cycling workouts will max out at approximately 2hrs to 2.5hrs as my riding at this time is anticipated to be indoors due to snow.
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| 3 month Strength Weight Lifting Phase, 4th month of Foundation Cycling Phase and 2 of 4 month Preparation Cycling Phase |
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