Well, I guess, first off, I think I'm edging more towards a 65/35 or 60/40 split, as I diagrammed above. I think also for running, if I run six days a week, then ideally one run should be tempo/hills/intervals and one LSD, or, alternatively, one tempo and the other one hills/intervals, so that's about a 65/35 split as well.See that's the confusing part for me when I try to apply the 80/20 to lifting.
Su: rest
M: easy 5K
Tu: Tempo/Hills/Intervals
W: easy 5K
Th: easy 5K
F: easy 5K
Sa: LSD
Su: rest
M: easy 5K
Tu: Tempo
W: easy 5K
Th: Hills/Intervals
F: easy 5K
Sa: easy 5K
With your two-runs-per-week plan, you're essentially getting rid of the 60% easy and just doing the 40% hard, right? Or I guess the bike rides could be considered the easy portion.
If you apply the 65:35 ratio to entire ST workouts, then that means one out of three weekly workouts should be heavy, the other two light, or medium and light. I think a lot of people would agree with that.
As the volume goes up, I would think the ratio of easy:hard would go up too. So maybe 80:20 for guys who work out 4-5 days a week? Just as elite runners who log 100 mpw would be doing about 80 miles easy. But for someone like me doing 25-30 mpw, I think 65/35 would still be reasonable (once I attain good running fitness again).
Yah, the analogies can never be exact, but I would say lactate threshold in lifting terms would be more like 80-85% 1RM for me. 75% would be closer to aerobic pace I think, getting up in the 8-10 rep range. When I look at a lot of other people's rep schemes, not just bodybuilders but also powerflifters, they do a fair amount of work with higher reps, so you're probably doing the right thing, it's just that for me, it's mental agony to do a lot of reps. I find it mentally easier to do higher intensities at lower repsOut of 10 workouts 2 should be at high intensity levels. But what it doesnt't factor is do you treat the lifts as individual programs or is it all inclusive? And if you transpose the lactate threshold to lifting its probably what sub 75% max? Autoreg is working somewhat but the problem is in 10 reps its hard to judge how you are going to feel that day.
The autoreg comes in more with extending sets and/or adding in assistance. On a hard bench day, for example, I'm pretty committed to doing 5x2, but where I might autoreg that is by adding 5-10 pounds if I'm feeling especially good, or taking off 5-10 if I'm feeling lousy. If I'm feeling good, and have the time, I'll also add in some 2-DB Bench Press, and pullover/dips. If I'm feeling low energy, I just do the bench press and that's it.
Another way to do the hard day might still be 2 x 5, but add 20 pounds, and/or add a third set, or do 3/3/4 just 10 pounds below your doubles. I have a chart as a guide, but in practice, I tend to vary the rep schemes based on feel.
One nice thing about the everyday running is I'm finding my energy levels are more consistent now. That early morning metabolic boost sets everything up nicely the rest of the day.
Well, I guess my plan feels pretty simple to me now, although it's taken a few weeks of messing around to see how the 6x10 plan might work in practice, and I'll continue to mess with it. But basically, it's two lifts done heavy--5x2, 3x3, or 2x5+extra weight (in boldface in the chart)--then four lifts done light--2-3x5--then 2-3 assistance for the two heavy lifts if I have time and energy (also in boldface in the chart). If I have a lot of time and energy, I have several more assistance lifts listed per workout that I try to get in.I'm really trying to simplify the plan a bit so I don't have to think about it as frequently. We kind of simplified the exercises althoug they tend to be more complicated lifts, but then there is the inherent complexity of the rep ranges and weights, and also whats the right max to use etc... So maybe everything at 75% 2 x 5? Then once a week or every two weeks do singles on the DL, and on the other days just use the trap bar at 75%? At this point I know I really only have one hard day a week in me on the deadlift, and within that day I can really only go close to max on it. This is why I think I am beginning to see the squat interference issue.
One thing to consider is that your lifts are pretty well-matched, it seems to me (OH Press:Bench:Squat: Deadlift = 2:3:4:5, Bench=Row=Pullup), whereas for me, five lifts lag behind the bench, and my pulldowns lag really far behind everything else, so I don't know if it makes sense for me to concentrate on bringing up one lift in particular, as I had been doing with the deadlift this last summer. I've concluded that there's so much carryover between lifts, that it makes the most sense to bring everything up concurrently. But the main focus overall is getting a stronger back, and each of the five non-Bench lifts seems to contribute.
I still intend to get my deadlift up to 400 of course, but it's also just as important to get a 320 squat and about a 170 OH press and do 10 unassisted pullups and do a 250-pound Pendlay row. I'm convinced all those lifts will help bring up the deadlift, and the bench will improve without even trying if I can get stronger on all those other lifts.
So yah, I guess I'm agreeing with you that doing the deadlifts heavy should only be once every week or once every two weeks, but maybe for slightly different reasons. We, and many others, agree that deadlifts are the most taxing and require the most recovery time, but I'm also spacing out the heavy DLs so that I can do other lifts heavy too, which, the theory goes, will ultimately help my DL more than just doing heavy DLs more frequently and letting everything else just coast.
Perhaps for your sensibility, it might be best to do the same lifts every time, and just do them heavy once a week?Thoughts? Am I making this too complex? I think the variability is affectinng my sense of consistency.
For me, just doing the same lifts every time is consistency enough. I don't feel like I lose that by adding set/rep/selection variability within that basic paramenter. I love the idea that, minimally, all I have to do is six lifts 2 x 5, and be done in 20-30 minutes, but, if I want, I can expand that out to an hour with more sets and fewer reps, and assistance exercises. It's the perfect blend of discipline and flexibility, so far . . .
I guess it would help to know what your goals are, besides the 400 deadlift. Your Bench Press, OH Press, and chinups are proportional, your deadlift is slightly weak in comparison, and your squat is bad, but that's probably because you're not making the effort. I don't have a clear sense of what your rows are like, since you do those 32kg rows. Seems to me that if your goal is becoming a better ultra runner, then you could probably lift in a fairly steady-state pattern, letting the gains come to you, while minimizing interference with your running, right? So just do 6 lifts 2 x 5 and slowly add weight as five reps gets easier? That would be very consistent. Then just add a little variation when it gets boring, like sub DB presses for BB presses, or a different kind of row, etc.
PS, couldn't open that Facebook link.
P.S.P.S., here's some vids of the sweeping deadlift.
P.S.P.S.P.S. Really liking my workout log book: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0968707505/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
P.S.P.S.P.S.P.S. Got a Low Row Foot Plate from Yukon Fitness (http://www.yukon-fitness.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?page=yukon/PROD/ACC/LRP-176), helps extend the cable for a full stretch.
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- I think the home gym is pretty much complete now.