Post Your Strength Training Routines

These guys kind of agree with you

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Hello Neuro,

Full ROM, per my post on TR about strength training for pedaling power (which is where my comments about using safety arms to ensure ROM), means parallel or just beyond (maybe an inch). A to G is extreme, not only would I not do it (and never have), many people cannot since they have neither the flexibility nor the ideal bone lengths (tibia vs femur) to do it. That said, it is important to get your form correct from the start, so you should definitely go to parallel or slightly beyond, otherwise you develop poor habits like doing partial squats and, as time goes by, you get used to using heavier weights that you will not be able to use with full ROM and proper form.

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There was a study - that I’m too lazy to find - where they had folk doing partial squats and folk doing full ROM (breaking parallel).

The full ROM group made the greater gains in full ROM but also in partials.

Specificity isn’t always king, I guess. Load under stretch ftw! :blush:

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So actually just finished the leg portion of my 6 set workout.

Oddly…somehow it got easier the farther I got through it. Added 20 lbs to the squat, and 15 pounds to the leg curl of the latter sets.

I’m still a tad terrified of how I’ll feel tomorrow. I’ve done a 3 week ramp up phase…but this is by far more lifting i’ve done in one day than I have previously. Going to add weight conservatively and see how I feel.

If I’m not broken tomorrow…I’ll try another 20lbs on the squat.

Currently working with:
155lb squat
150lb leg press
120lb leg curl

Progress the squat conservatively. If you want to go heavy, do it on the leg press. Less systemic fatigue and lower mishap risk.

Most people can leg press a lot more weight than they can squat.

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Probably should note…the leg press is a machine where I lift my body upwards, and weight on the machine is going directly upwards. It’s not the ine where my body is stationary pushing weight at a 45 degree angle.

I think i’m good with the weights for now. It started out a tad on the easy side…I think 155 lbs is a good weight for this week. I’m a bit sore today, but not horribly so. Ready to go back and do it all over again this evening, but it’s going to be a challenge haha.

Lol. I failed to do any back squats last week because of life, riding and sloth and this morning’s session was ROUGH :smile:

It’s interesting how the squats seem to be getting easier. The other person above I think hit on something…where the limiter was more being afraid/uncomfortable with the weight than actually having a strength limitation.

We’ll see tonight though…trying to do them while not fresh…

Well. I think i’ve got the weight right. I’m pretty wrecked.

120 squats, 120 leg press, 120 leg curl in 2 days. Absolutely cooked…but havent passed out or not been able to finish a set. Barely…:joy:

I mix a 5-3-1 concept with bycling / cardio / kickboxing

Intensity in general during exercises/sets: very high, in the key set focus to failure, keeping in mind form at all times.

If in deficit, strength parts of the workouts are done with less intensity and lower weight, volume parts less sets but always high intensity/focus.

The concept is to give the max rest possible to each muscle group/exercise type. So, shoulder is done in day 1 in strength, and we don’t touch it anymore until day 4, but in volume. We take in strength again a week after. Same applies for every main exercise, save some exceptions like dragon flags.

All heavy sessions of cycling/kickb/4by4 require 3 days to recover, so they are spaced out twice a week +1 light session.

typically about 20-60 minutes of bycling throughout the day every day, in general.

adding anywhere between 20-120 pushups throughout the day, spaced hours away from other workout

  • (warmup first, dumbell devils every str day+specific to training)
  • end of every workout: 1-3 sets of facepulls, done as instructed on athleanx (proper form is paramount here)

day 1-
shoulder press strength (week 1: to 5 rep max, week 2 to 3, etc)
example of how str is performed in 5-3-1 setups:
2-3minute break: 5x 25kg, 5x 30kg, 3x40kg, 5x45kg, amrap 50kg, if it’s well over 5 reps wait 5 mins and take a 52.5kg
Downset: Amrap with 2/3 of the last set, 37.5kg probably.

Chest Volume - crossoversx 8±amrap (2 sets) 1-1.5 min break. Amrap-2 on first set
Chest Volume - dumbells x 8+amrap focus on eccentric (3 sets) 1-1.5 min break Amrap -2 first set, -1 mid set

Pullups: 3x Amrap

Bicep type 1 (3 different angles, 1 angle per week of each)

  • Dragon flags- 3-5 x AMRAP sets imbetween exercises

day 2-
Same setup, volumes are all 1-1.5min break, changed exercises:
Squats strength 3-5min break
deadlifts volume x 8-10 (3 sets)
hamstrings x 8-12 (3-5 sets)
Triceps type 1 (3 different angles, 1 angle per week of each)

  • Dragon flags- 3-5 x AMRAP sets imbetween exercises

day 3-
NO strength/volume
except Bicep type 2
-abs varied type 5-10 minutes non stop (no dragonflags)
Heavy session Bicycle/kickbox/ or4by4 on ellips(10min warmup, 4x[4min push max, 2min break], 10min cooldown)
40min stretching

day 4-
Chest strength (3min breaks)
Shoulder volume- standing shoulder press 3x10-12 (55-65% of 1rep max)
Shoulder volume- sideways pulls? not sure what they’re called, 2x10 on each side
Seated Row x 8-amrap x 4-5 sets
Triceps type 2

  • Dragon flags 3-5 x AMRAP sets imbetween exercises

day 5-
Deadlift strength
Squat volume
hanging leg raises
Biceps type 3

day 6-
NO strength/volume
except Triceps type 3
-abs varied type 5-10 minutes non stop (no dragonflags)
Heavy or Light session cycle/kick/4by4
40min stretching

day 7-
NO strenght/volume
Heavy if day 6 was light, and viceversa
light stretching/whats most needed

After about 3 months of “Level 0” kettlebell conditioning, I’ve created my new baseline conditioning/strength routine that is 30 minutes long:

Kettlebell Level 1
Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 1:57 PM

Halo (Kettlebell)
Set 1: 35 lb × 5
Set 2: 35 lb × 5

Around The World (Kettlebell)
Set 1: 44 lb × 20
Set 2: 44 lb × 20

Prying Kettlebell Goblet Squat
Set 1: 25 lb × 5
Set 2: 25 lb × 5
Set 3: 25 lb × 5
Set 4: 25 lb × 5

Kettlebell Swing
Set 1: 44 lb × 10
Set 2: 44 lb × 10
Set 3: 44 lb × 10
Set 4: 44 lb × 10
Set 5: 44 lb × 10
Set 6: 44 lb × 10
Set 7: 44 lb × 10
Set 8: 44 lb × 10
Set 9: 53 lb × 10
Set 10: 53 lb × 10
Set 11: 53 lb × 10
Set 12: 53 lb × 10

Romanian Deadlift (kettlebell)
Set 1: 53 lb × 10
Set 2: 53 lb × 10
Set 3: 53 lb × 10

4 bells: 12kg, 16kg, 20kg, and 24kg. The last one I do variations with 2 bells.

The previous level 0 routine I focused on consistently training 2-4 times a week, and perfect technique. I figure in about 3-6 months I’ll buy an adjustable bell to increase weight on swings and start doing some double bell routines.

Already seeing improvements on the bike and in body comp. This will become a year round routine to avoid losing muscle mass while navigating my sixties. Still doing hard workouts on the bike.

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Wow that’s interesting. You’ve noticed a difference in power already on the bike just from strength training?

I’m hoping lifting weights…combined with more volume this year, will help me out of a plateau.

Difference in strength endurance, go harder for longer at different durations. The short stuff I haven’t worked on because my volume dropped the last few months and I’ve found pushing 1100W sprints for 5+ seconds are easier when I’ve got more miles/volume in my legs.

Oh wow. That is actually the opposite of what I would have expected…I can hit 1100 watts without really training…but threshold type power seems to evaporate if I’m not riding a lot

I’m not formally training any short sprints, my best 1-sec power over the last couple years tops out around 1180-1230W, but thats 1-sec :man_shrugging: who cares. At 5-sec I can routinely push out 1000-1050W and accelerate fast, but its mostly from the fastest energy system (PCr) and declines fast… by 10-sec I’m down in the 900-950W range and hitting 28-33mph from low endurance, say 15-21mph (wind dependent). Last night was playing around and hit 875-ish for 10-sec without trying, on tired legs, which I’m going to (right or wrong) credit to the kettlebell work (earlier on the ride I did a 6-minute pull at low threshold ~92% and only felt my breathing and HR pick up, the legs were fine). FWIW.

Anecdotally I’ve found after a year of doing classic leg strength exercises like squats etc, my seated force development going up hills is much improved.

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Windwarrior. Thats a nicely laid out kettlebell routine. I’m tempted to dip my toe in the water.

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Pavel and Mark Wildman are both giving their thumbs up (almost typed ‘smiling’ but that’s out of character for both😉). And the focus on each rep individually is right on; I recall a quote something like " in search of the perfect rep" on one of the podcasts to which I regularly listen – might have even been TR.?

Curious on your swing sets. Are you doing EMOM or some other rest interval? And are you doing single leg for Romanians?

I have a similar routine with some days swapping clean and overhead press, and more recently snatches, for the swings. I like doing those as descending ladders 5/4/3/2/1 alternating sides at each count for sets of 15. Also mix in some single side loaded carries (waiter or suitcase).

Love the simplicity of KBs yet the almost infinite variations possible.

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What I most appreciate about this is kettlebell weights in kg, but lift weights in lbs - I can relate. :laughing:

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EMOM for swing sets, or “anti-glycolytic” as they say :wink:

Deadlifts and squats - in general I have issues with range of motion. So I’ve been slowly working on that, plus I don’t have heavier kettlebells. So I do a lot of two handed stuff which is 20kg + 24kg and then switch sides on the second set. Haven’t returned to single leg RDLs yet. And Farmers carries, I prefer to do those two sided 20kg + 24kg and switch sides on the 2nd set.

@Mdavidford logging with Strong app and have done a lot of barbell and dumbbell work in the past, so the app is tracking in pounds. I’ve got a couple Amazon basics 15 and 25 pound bells, as marked, and then 16kg (35lbs), 20kg (44lbs), and 24kg (53lbs) bells.