Favorite weightlifting programs

[stv117]

well my work has to do with a lot of lifting and walking so am thinking that counts.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

How exactly do these 2 lifts achieve that?

I would argue that the best Olympic weightlifters are individuals with the genetic advantage of fast twitch muscle fibers who have developed strength through squatting, deadlifting and pressing, had excellent coaching on technique and then display their power (rate of force + speed) through the snatch and clean.

Agree with the fast twitch statement. However, IME, Oly lifters can compete successfully in powerlifting, but the opposite is rarely true. My daughter lifts in college and there are several power lifters and football players that have tried to transition to the Oly team. However, they have an extremely difficult time learning to execute the Oly lifts efficiently, and this is especially true in the snatch. We’ve seen this time and time again in our local gym as well.

Even with great coaching and cues, the mind/body very often tries to apply strength to overcome physics, which simply does not work. Moreover, IME, with preteen and teen boys and girls, a lack of flexibility is a key limiting factor that causes many to abandon Oly lifting before they ever learn the lifts.

When girls can clean and jerk and snatch more than older “stud” athlete boys, the boys’ egos rarely suffer the disappointment long enough for them to return.

You’re also 100% right on why our men’s Oly team isn’t competitive on the world stage. The best athletes are sucked up by other sports that pay more. Plus other countries have abused PEDs for decades. The one exception we have this year is Hampton Morris. He is a phenom and holds all the American records for his class. He can snatch/CJ more than double his body weight. However, I’m not sure he’ll even make the top 10 in Paris.

Olivia, Jordan, and Mary are all contenders for medals on the women’s’ side, and Olivia could sweep gold.

 

[ScottP76]

Did 5/3/1 for a few years and after built a good base I added in other routines/sets from Wendler’s Beyond 5/3/1 and 1 day a week of Strongman comp implements to get ready for Comps.

If you follow his advice on taking the EGO out of lifting it’s a great program

 

[3325]

I’ve not tried this much, so I admit I’m talking about an idea that I haven’t applied for any length of time to evaluate the results.

The old Delorme physical therapy protocol was 3x10. It was done 1x10 at 50%, 1x10 at 75%, and 1x10 at 100%. The final set should take you to exhaustion, if not actual muscle failure. So it’s actually not too different from the old Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer approach, you’re just warming up good before going all out.

It’s a simple approach, and I wonder if it wouldn’t take 90% of the population to 90% of their potential. Seems to me like people might be too quick to jump into more advanced programming.

I’ve not spent much time using it except with some supplementary things like lateral raises. It seems like it would translate well to barbell movements, but I usually do pushups and dips instead of the bench press, so that’s why I haven’t done it extensively.

 

[LostArra]

Now that I’m old (45)

45? Old? Haha! Hold my beer.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

45? Old? Haha! Hold my beer.

The other evening I fell asleep in my chair and when I woke up my neck was strained. I’m getting to the point where I get hurt from sleeping.

 

[Poser]

Agree with the fast twitch statement. However, IME, Oly lifters can compete successfully in powerlifting, but the opposite is rarely true. My daughter lifts in college and there are several power lifters and football players that have tried to transition to the Oly team. However, they have an extremely difficult time learning to execute the Oly lifts efficiently, and this is especially true in the snatch. We’ve seen this time and time again in our local gym as well.

Even with great coaching and cues, the mind/body very often tries to apply strength to overcome physics, which simply does not work. Moreover, IME, with preteen and teen boys and girls, a lack of flexibility is a key limiting factor that causes many to abandon Oly lifting before they ever learn the lifts.

When girls can clean and jerk and snatch more than older “stud” athlete boys, the boys’ egos rarely suffer the disappointment long enough for them to return.

You’re also 100% right on why our men’s Oly team isn’t competitive on the world stage. The best athletes are sucked up by other sports that pay more. Plus other countries have abused PEDs for decades. The one exception we have this year is Hampton Morris. He is a phenom and holds all the American records for his class. He can snatch/CJ more than double his body weight. However, I’m not sure he’ll even make the top 10 in Paris.

Olivia, Jordan, and Mary are all contenders for medals on the women’s’ side, and Olivia could sweep gold.

Hey, we've all seen (American) Oly lifters attempt to bench press... with their skinny-ass arms. Its a laughable sight to behold.

If anyone in the Oly world were to ask my advice on coaching for some crazy, it would be that you lifters would totally benefit from some heavy bench pressing about once every 10-14 days. I'm sure any American oly coach would laugh at that advice, but everybody else in the world seems to understand that heavy bench pressing = tremendous upper body strength.

I don't really see the validity of judging the superiority of what powerlifters or football players can and cannot do in regards to the Olympic lifts. They are highly specific and specialized lufts requiring quite a bit of technique development. Also, if you consider the 4 basic barbell lifts to be the squat, bench press, press (overhead press) and deadlift, Oly lifters perform 3/4 (all except the bench press) of the same basic lifts in order to improve their strength to improve the snatch and clean. The basic barbell lifts are still the fundamentals providing improvement in the "rate of force" portion of the Olympic lifts. The inverse relationship, however, is marginal.

 

[Kramerica3]

Whatever you pick, don’t skip leg day, mix in cardio. And don’t forget to stretch.

 

[mobohunter]

the unit I am heading to is said to be pretty steep. I run and lift already but wanting to potentially put stairs into my workout to better prepare... Would doing 1000ft on the stairs per day going to help? Is that to much, to little, should I incorporate my pack as well?

 

[jofes]

the unit I am heading to is said to be pretty steep. I run and lift already but wanting to potentially put stairs into my workout to better prepare... Would doing 1000ft on the stairs per day going to help? Is that to much, to little, should I incorporate my pack as well?

Are you going up and down stadium style stairs? A stair machine or a hill? All three are very different and time consuming in different ways. Also weight will change how much you do.

I personally go up and down stairs for 30 min working up to 1 hour with 40 Lbls then drop back to 30 min at 60 lbs, working back up to an hour, and attempt it as many times a week as I feel recovered for.

Others do different things that work for them.

 

[Poser]

the unit I am heading to is said to be pretty steep. I run and lift already but wanting to potentially put stairs into my workout to better prepare... Would doing 1000ft on the stairs per day going to help? Is that to much, to little, should I incorporate my pack as well?

The closer you get to the hunt, less running, more rucking. It will probably make the most sense to drop running altogether in your final stage of prep in favor of more time rucking. The purpose of running in a non-running specific program is to build your aerobic base. You presumably already have that base. What you likely need to convert your focus to is building the muscular endurance for specific for rucking.

 

[mobohunter]

Are you going up and down stadium style stairs? A stair machine or a hill? All three are very different and time consuming in different ways. Also weight will change how much you do.

I personally go up and down stairs for 30 min working up to 1 hour with 40 Lbls then drop back to 30 min at 60 lbs, working back up to an hour, and attempt it as many times a week as I feel recovered for.

Others do different things that work for them.

I'm leaning toward hitting a 10 floor parking garage as my gym doesn't have a stair stepper. I like the idea of adding weight as thats what I'll be doing anyway while hunting. So maybe do the stairs for an hour every other day. And as I get closer to the end of September swapping out my every other day runs for stairs like @Poser mentioned.

 

[HDwild]

Your experience in lifting and exercise will make a big difference in program selection as well as your actual goals. Recommendations will (and should) vary greatly depending on these factors.

Bread and butter or beginner strength: Wendler 5-3-1, 5x5 stronglifts, etc.
Been consistently lifting and now plateau-ing?: German Volume Training
Hypertrophy: PPL split with reps between 8-15 per exercise, 2-3 exercises per muscle group for 3-5 working sets

 

[mtnbound]

I follow a Conjugate style program with aerobic conditioning days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wy_will]

I weightlift 5 days a week. Mostly bodybuilding/hypertrophy. I make up and adjust my own programming as I go. I bulk after hunting season and through the winter and cut during the spring and summer. I do tend to add some more calories during the hunting season, but nothing too extensive.

I typically do:
M = Back, rear delts, 1-2 sets of biceps.
T = Chest, front delts, 1-2 sets of triceps.
W = Legs (mostly quad dominant)
T= Shoulders and what needs additional work
F = Arms

I adjust depending on what needs more work. I mix in abs on Thursdays or Fridays typically.

My cardio is typically mixed. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes post workout, sometimes in the evening. I also go on hikes throughout the year.

Diet can help make the biggest difference. Maintain good controlled form and have good mind muscle connection.

I’m not a small guy and have used trial and error my whole life to find out what works for me. I’m almost 40, so I have had years of figuring it out. For reference I am 5’ 11” and currently at 212lbs, a lean 212. When I bulk up, I get around 230 lbs.

 

[hoosierhunter11]

I've grown to really like Moutain Tough programming. On the pre season prep right now. Looking forward to a long fall/winter of strength training with their post season stuff.

 

[H'n'F]

Take a look at Mind Pump and the MAPS programs. I use them with great results. Not cheap, but effective. Also, give Phillip Pape at Wits & Weights a listen. He has it figured out!

 

[JustinNC]

Favorite would imply that I have done more than one. I'm 39, never lifted/gym. My bluecollar fitness and strength faded when supervisory roles shifted my collar color from blue to white.

I lurk on Rokslide from time to time to read stories and look at pictures. I don't hunt in the west, and pretty much stopped hunting here where I live in the east. No mountain fitness here.

That said, when I turned 39, I wanted all my numbers from biometric screenings and physicals to trend better after trending worse the last 6 years. I turned the tables on that, dropped 30ish lbs so far, and started to look for a gym routine to take it to the next level.

After a TON of research and over thinking, and seeing @Poser endorse Wendler's 5/3/1, with supporting reasons why, and not just rag tag opinions, I started 5/3/1.

It's probably pretty easy for someone that knows what everything means and how to do the stuff, and even someone with a decent base fitness level. I'm only on week 3, but I love how simple it is to follow, how safe it is, and how it's a "get in, do it, get out" kind of thing. Maybe they all are? The hardest part has been familiarizing myself with the lifts, making sure I try to follow good sources of info on HOW to do the lifts (right vs wrong), and putting the accessory work together. Wendler recommends a lot of stuff accessory wise, that my fitness level isn't up to yet. I've made it work, although week one, I overdid the accessory stuff, and put an absolute hurting, in the most literal sense, on my arms. Not the hurt's so good, feels like we did something, kind of hurt, but making sure I reloaded Tylenol/Ibuprofen, to the max, as soon as it was safe. I've realized a good workout is like a good days work. Maybe sore a little the next day, and a little more the next, but not overly painful, and quickly disipates. Got that reeled in and dialed back.

I've gotten to where I enjoy it, and crave it on the weekends when I'm not doing it.

 

[mtnbound]

Favorite would imply that I have done more than one. I'm 39, never lifted/gym. My bluecollar fitness and strength faded when supervisory roles shifted my collar color from blue to white.

I lurk on Rokslide from time to time to read stories and look at pictures. I don't hunt in the west, and pretty much stopped hunting here where I live in the east. No mountain fitness here.

That said, when I turned 39, I wanted all my numbers from biometric screenings and physicals to trend better after trending worse the last 6 years. I turned the tables on that, dropped 30ish lbs so far, and started to look for a gym routine to take it to the next level.

After a TON of research and over thinking, and seeing @Poser endorse Wendler's 5/3/1, with supporting reasons why, and not just rag tag opinions, I started 5/3/1.

It's probably pretty easy for someone that knows what everything means and how to do the stuff, and even someone with a decent base fitness level. I'm only on week 3, but I love how simple it is to follow, how safe it is, and how it's a "get in, do it, get out" kind of thing. Maybe they all are? The hardest part has been familiarizing myself with the lifts, making sure I try to follow good sources of info on HOW to do the lifts (right vs wrong), and putting the accessory work together. Wendler recommends a lot of stuff accessory wise, that my fitness level isn't up to yet. I've made it work, although week one, I overdid the accessory stuff, and put an absolute hurting, in the most literal sense, on my arms. Not the hurt's so good, feels like we did something, kind of hurt, but making sure I reloaded Tylenol/Ibuprofen, to the max, as soon as it was safe. I've realized a good workout is like a good days work. Maybe sore a little the next day, and a little more the next, but not overly painful, and quickly disipates. Got that reeled in and dialed back.

I've gotten to where I enjoy it, and crave it on the weekends when I'm not doing it.

Delayed onset muscle soreness 2 days after the workout indicates you probably did too much volume and or intensity. I believe doing submax effort where you stop 1-2 reps from failure is the best for long term benefits including reduced injuries. Also doing some type of Zone 2 work the following day helps with recovery.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JustinNC]

Delayed onset muscle soreness 2 days after the workout indicates you probably did too much volume and or intensity. I believe doing submax effort where you stop 1-2 reps from failure is the best for long term benefits including reduced injuries. Also doing some type of Zone 2 work the following day helps with recovery.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've since adjusted. Nothing from the main lifts has hurt or made me truly sore. However the accessory work was pretty much to failure, as I couldn't get the amount of reps for the last accessory work I set out to do that day.

With the main lifts, the last set is AMRAP, but not to the point of failure. I quit when I feel like my form is going to suffer rather than poorly muscling my way through.