(Note: This post has turned out to be the most viewed post on my blog. I strongly testify to the routine I suggest here, and it is a definite ball-buster. I am curious to know how many people actually implement the routine I suggest. I am a little suspicious that a lot of people read this post only in
hope of finding some tweak or short-cut, and do not actually go for such a
non-orthodox routine. So, please drop a comment if you have implemented this routine, or a variation, along with your gains. )
Plateaus are very common in Weightlifting. I have only been training for about 4.5 years, so I'm not sure if I can label my no-gain periods as plateaus. Most of the time, I wasn't focusing on any single lift and hence it hadn't improved. Especially my squats- I squat throughout the year with a frequency of about twice a week. And yet my gains did not reflect my training- I have been improving about 10-12kg per year. The slow improvement is quite frustrating. What I write now is the routine I used to speed up my gains. Although I haven't used it to break through a plateau, I believe the same can be used to break plateaus. First, I'll briefly mention the gains I'm talking about.
In 2009, my max squat was 100kg. In 2010, my max squat was 110kg, in 2011 it was 117.5kg. In April 2012, I hit a max of 127.5kg in a Powerlifting competition.
In my 9th semester (Aug-Nov 2012), I was focused on Olympic lifting. I did not hit a max squat during the summer. The improvement in my lifts from August 15 to November 5 was:
Back squat: 130kg to 150kg
Front squat: 115kg to 132.5kg
Push press: 70kg to 87kg
Power snatch: 70kg to 77kg
Power clean: 90kg to 97kg
Snatch: 80kg to 92kg
Clean: 105kg to 117kg
Jerk: 105kg to 117kg
Even after these significant gains, I was hungry for more improvement. Instead of going easy on the intensity, I maintained it through November. Around December 10, I injured a knee (still recovering from it) and a rhomboid (recovered at the end of January)
During this time, my bodyweight went from 73kg to 77kg, which is kind of inevitable.
My bench press max was 80kg in 2010, 85kg in 2011, and 82.5kg in 2012. I do bench press only from January to mid-April. The rest of the year, I never do bench press, except some close grip bench press 2-3 times a month. On January 10th this year, I benched 80kg. But in the first week of March, I benched 95kg for 2 reps and 99kg for 1 rep.
During both periods, my improvements were quite significant for me. In 2.5 months, I improved more than what I would usually improve in an year.
Please keep in mind that I have been training for 4 years when I tried my new routine. Such routines may not be suited for beginners and must be used only in times of desperation.
I once read this somewhere (not the exact lines, but with the same gist)-
"How much would you usually improve on your squat in a month? 5 lb? 10 lb? What if someone came along and kidnapped your family and said that they would be released only if you improved 50lb on your squat in 1 month, or else they will kill your family? Would you still squat only once a week? F**k that, you'll be squatting every freaking day. You would either gain 50lb in that month, or kill your legs trying to do that."
"A lot of people talk about why its not good to squat more than once or twice a week. But look at factory workers, or workers in construction and in mines. They lift some serious weights. In the first few months, they may find it very taxing on themselves. But later on, they get used to it. They get used not only to lifting heavy loads, but also to lifting them everyday. You can do the same to your squat or your bench press. If you start squatting everyday, your body will get used to squatting everyday."
So, between August and November 2012, I started squatting 4 times a week instead of my usual 2 times a week. I cycled the intensity and reps. One day I would do 105kg for 3 reps, one day I'd do 100kg for 5 reps, one day I'd do 115kg for 2 reps, or 120kg for 1 rep. Sometimes front squat, sometimes back squat. But I kept squatting in every training session. I did good mornings and push presses on alternate days, with the same approach - varying intensity and reps. I did the same on my pulls. Usually I'd do snatch or clean pulls only once or twice a week, I started doing pulls 4 days a week. I trained for about 15-20 days like this. The following week, I dropped down on the volume- only singles upto 120kg, and squatting only twice a week. I took 3-4 days of rest after my previous squat session, and boom, I hit a max after that. 2 cycles of this routine, and I hit 150kg back squat and 87kg push press.
To summarize the routine:
1) First 15 days: Perform the exercise more often- 4 or 5 times a week. Cycle the load and the reps between 5 reps at 80%, 3 reps at 85%, and singles at 92%, all of them for multiple sets. Maintain a sufficiently high volume. Expect to feel like shit after the two sessions.
2) Next 7 days: Reduce the frequency of the exercise to twice a week. Reduce the volume drastically. Hit heavy singles- around 90% -95% for 3 to 5 sets.
3) Next 5 days: The second or third day after the previous session, do the exercise with very light weights for very low volume- 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps each at 50% should do. Two more days after this, attempt your max.
For a week after your max attempt, train with light weights- 50-60%. Go for another cycle if you dare.
Do not start on this routine right after a break from training. I have left out a lot of details such as warm-up, rest periods, assistance works, diet, etc.. This routine is not intended for beginners, and I expect anyone with a few years of training experience to fill out the details depending on their goals, conditioning and weaknesses.
Notes of caution:
1) There is a strong reason for not training like this through out the year- there is an increased chance of injury, and you'll hate going to the gym. So attempt this only in times of desperation.
2) When training with a team, it'll be very hard to use an exclusive routine. Adapt it accordingly.
3) In routines like this, weights must be properly chosen. They must be light enough to allow you to train continuously for 8-10 sessions, but heavy enough to stimulate growth.
4) Its very easy to give up with these kinda routines- after 3-4 sessions you may not even want to set foot in the gym. You must go through that phase and keep training.
5) Attempt this only if you can listen to your body. There is a fine line between massive gains and serious injury, ensure that you can differentiate them.
I did get injured, but about a month after the gains I mentioned. I was preparing for a competition due to be held on December 20. My training from November 25 to December 10 was unforgiving. My body was already screwed up, and I was doing 110kg cleans and 80kg snatches everyday (and training 3 times in 2 days, as opposed to 4 times in 7 days). It was just bad management on my part. But the routine I mentioned was very good.
The above is all about my routine from Aug-Nov 2012. During Jan-March 2013 I used a similar routine, plus one addition, to add 15kg to my bench press. I benched 4-6 days a week. I alternated heavy sessions (80kg for singles or 70kg for 3 reps, multiple sets) with dynamic sessions (40kg or 45kg for 10 sets of 3 reps). I hit 95kg for 2 reps and 99kg for a single during the routine itself. The difference between this routine and the one I used for squats was the dynamic work- sets of 3 fast-reps at 50%.
I didn't build up to a max as I'd usually do for a competition or as I did for my squat. The basic idea for this routine is based on what Louie Simmons uses at Westside Barbell (google it up), and the one I explained earlier (of squatting everyday).
I didn't try anything new. I took principles of periodization, high frequency training and westside barbell's conjugate training and mixed them all up. I was training with a team and hence couldn't try any particular training routine exclusively. I had to adapt, and I experimented with this routine. Fortunately, it was a great success for me.
Plateaus are very common in Weightlifting. I have only been training for about 4.5 years, so I'm not sure if I can label my no-gain periods as plateaus. Most of the time, I wasn't focusing on any single lift and hence it hadn't improved. Especially my squats- I squat throughout the year with a frequency of about twice a week. And yet my gains did not reflect my training- I have been improving about 10-12kg per year. The slow improvement is quite frustrating. What I write now is the routine I used to speed up my gains. Although I haven't used it to break through a plateau, I believe the same can be used to break plateaus. First, I'll briefly mention the gains I'm talking about.
In 2009, my max squat was 100kg. In 2010, my max squat was 110kg, in 2011 it was 117.5kg. In April 2012, I hit a max of 127.5kg in a Powerlifting competition.
In my 9th semester (Aug-Nov 2012), I was focused on Olympic lifting. I did not hit a max squat during the summer. The improvement in my lifts from August 15 to November 5 was:
Back squat: 130kg to 150kg
Front squat: 115kg to 132.5kg
Push press: 70kg to 87kg
Power snatch: 70kg to 77kg
Power clean: 90kg to 97kg
Snatch: 80kg to 92kg
Clean: 105kg to 117kg
Jerk: 105kg to 117kg
Even after these significant gains, I was hungry for more improvement. Instead of going easy on the intensity, I maintained it through November. Around December 10, I injured a knee (still recovering from it) and a rhomboid (recovered at the end of January)
During this time, my bodyweight went from 73kg to 77kg, which is kind of inevitable.
My bench press max was 80kg in 2010, 85kg in 2011, and 82.5kg in 2012. I do bench press only from January to mid-April. The rest of the year, I never do bench press, except some close grip bench press 2-3 times a month. On January 10th this year, I benched 80kg. But in the first week of March, I benched 95kg for 2 reps and 99kg for 1 rep.
During both periods, my improvements were quite significant for me. In 2.5 months, I improved more than what I would usually improve in an year.
Please keep in mind that I have been training for 4 years when I tried my new routine. Such routines may not be suited for beginners and must be used only in times of desperation.
I once read this somewhere (not the exact lines, but with the same gist)-
"How much would you usually improve on your squat in a month? 5 lb? 10 lb? What if someone came along and kidnapped your family and said that they would be released only if you improved 50lb on your squat in 1 month, or else they will kill your family? Would you still squat only once a week? F**k that, you'll be squatting every freaking day. You would either gain 50lb in that month, or kill your legs trying to do that."
"A lot of people talk about why its not good to squat more than once or twice a week. But look at factory workers, or workers in construction and in mines. They lift some serious weights. In the first few months, they may find it very taxing on themselves. But later on, they get used to it. They get used not only to lifting heavy loads, but also to lifting them everyday. You can do the same to your squat or your bench press. If you start squatting everyday, your body will get used to squatting everyday."
So, between August and November 2012, I started squatting 4 times a week instead of my usual 2 times a week. I cycled the intensity and reps. One day I would do 105kg for 3 reps, one day I'd do 100kg for 5 reps, one day I'd do 115kg for 2 reps, or 120kg for 1 rep. Sometimes front squat, sometimes back squat. But I kept squatting in every training session. I did good mornings and push presses on alternate days, with the same approach - varying intensity and reps. I did the same on my pulls. Usually I'd do snatch or clean pulls only once or twice a week, I started doing pulls 4 days a week. I trained for about 15-20 days like this. The following week, I dropped down on the volume- only singles upto 120kg, and squatting only twice a week. I took 3-4 days of rest after my previous squat session, and boom, I hit a max after that. 2 cycles of this routine, and I hit 150kg back squat and 87kg push press.
To summarize the routine:
1) First 15 days: Perform the exercise more often- 4 or 5 times a week. Cycle the load and the reps between 5 reps at 80%, 3 reps at 85%, and singles at 92%, all of them for multiple sets. Maintain a sufficiently high volume. Expect to feel like shit after the two sessions.
2) Next 7 days: Reduce the frequency of the exercise to twice a week. Reduce the volume drastically. Hit heavy singles- around 90% -95% for 3 to 5 sets.
3) Next 5 days: The second or third day after the previous session, do the exercise with very light weights for very low volume- 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps each at 50% should do. Two more days after this, attempt your max.
For a week after your max attempt, train with light weights- 50-60%. Go for another cycle if you dare.
Do not start on this routine right after a break from training. I have left out a lot of details such as warm-up, rest periods, assistance works, diet, etc.. This routine is not intended for beginners, and I expect anyone with a few years of training experience to fill out the details depending on their goals, conditioning and weaknesses.
Notes of caution:
1) There is a strong reason for not training like this through out the year- there is an increased chance of injury, and you'll hate going to the gym. So attempt this only in times of desperation.
2) When training with a team, it'll be very hard to use an exclusive routine. Adapt it accordingly.
3) In routines like this, weights must be properly chosen. They must be light enough to allow you to train continuously for 8-10 sessions, but heavy enough to stimulate growth.
4) Its very easy to give up with these kinda routines- after 3-4 sessions you may not even want to set foot in the gym. You must go through that phase and keep training.
5) Attempt this only if you can listen to your body. There is a fine line between massive gains and serious injury, ensure that you can differentiate them.
I did get injured, but about a month after the gains I mentioned. I was preparing for a competition due to be held on December 20. My training from November 25 to December 10 was unforgiving. My body was already screwed up, and I was doing 110kg cleans and 80kg snatches everyday (and training 3 times in 2 days, as opposed to 4 times in 7 days). It was just bad management on my part. But the routine I mentioned was very good.
The above is all about my routine from Aug-Nov 2012. During Jan-March 2013 I used a similar routine, plus one addition, to add 15kg to my bench press. I benched 4-6 days a week. I alternated heavy sessions (80kg for singles or 70kg for 3 reps, multiple sets) with dynamic sessions (40kg or 45kg for 10 sets of 3 reps). I hit 95kg for 2 reps and 99kg for a single during the routine itself. The difference between this routine and the one I used for squats was the dynamic work- sets of 3 fast-reps at 50%.
I didn't build up to a max as I'd usually do for a competition or as I did for my squat. The basic idea for this routine is based on what Louie Simmons uses at Westside Barbell (google it up), and the one I explained earlier (of squatting everyday).
I didn't try anything new. I took principles of periodization, high frequency training and westside barbell's conjugate training and mixed them all up. I was training with a team and hence couldn't try any particular training routine exclusively. I had to adapt, and I experimented with this routine. Fortunately, it was a great success for me.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteNice post Sabarish. I would also like to add and share a few points on things which are related to weightlifting and can help others.
ReplyDeleteDoing squats is one of the best workout a human can do to build strength not only for the legs but to the whole body because our body acts as one unit while doing squats. Most of the so called 'gym gurus' would advice against squating everyday because it is not good for the knee they say. I wonder what would happen if a novice in the iron sport imprints those misconceptions early in his/her mind !! The human body is such a beautiful piece of complex engineering ( God's creation) it would surely not degrade simply by squating everyday. And believe it or not olympic weightlifting is the safest sports in terms of injuries occuring according to a study and Olympic lifters squat everyday at their 80-90% max and they don't get any weaker but they get stronger .!!
Now when we talk about breaking plateaus we all have different views on it. Breaking plateaus is one of the most difficult physically but also mentally. You always fear that unknown number which you have never squated, bench or clean and it is really difficult to overcome that fear rather than the physical one. Personally my best back squat is 170kg, front squat is 130kg for a double. I can still remember, to get to that numbers, however small it may look to some professionals, it was a daunting task on the mental side. Body says yes but the mind says no. What i woud do was alternate between back and front squat and squat upto 70-75% of my max. For Example, 90kgs (3sets for 5 reps), 110kg (3sets for 5 reps) & 130kg (3sets for 3 reps). I would always put more volume in the 70-75% range if I wanted to break plateaus. Occassionally i go to the 85-90% range to see how does the body feel towards those numbers and if it feels good you increase from doing 70-75% to 80-85% of your max and so on. It have worked with me. And i would always advice that when you break plateaus always do it in the off season (although there is no specific time to break plateaus). For example, if the inter-iit event is held in the odd semester during dec' 13, break plateaus in the off season which is the even sem from Jan-July '13. The only work you are to do in the odd sem is to maintain your new max by squating about 85-90% of your max for doubles or triples and refine your technique at the heavier range since it is where most of us lose our sense of technique. Same applies with snatch, C&J and bench press.
Lastly, our nutrition. Whatever you do, whichever routine you follow, always and always take care of your nutrition and what you eat. You eat shit then you get shitty results. Minimize fast food, depend on real food, real source of protein, carbs, vitamins and if you have the money to buy a good whey protein pack, DO IT!!. Personally i take protein shakes only after workout. It helps you to recover like anything. There are also some people who advice others from taking 'unnatural' source of nutrition like whey protein. Bullshit!! whey is natural and it is a refine source of protein taken out from cow's milk. Take multivitamins (for Rs26 you get a small bottle of multivitamins from GlaxoSmith) tablets because the kind of mess food we get in hostels contains zero vitamins and mineal sources. But DEPEND ON NATURAL FOOD AND FRESH FOOD SOURCES AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!!. Eat Big to Lift Big!!
@ Ratholu
ReplyDeleteNice man.. The approach you take is the more conventional way to break plateaus. We're all advanced beginners now, we have 4 years of training behind us. I think this is the right time to try out different routines and see which ones work the best for us.
But about whey shakes, I'm a little critical. Not because they're unnatural or anything, but because they're way too expensive. Chicken, beef and eggs have a better cost per gram than whey. Whey protein became popular only in the last 20-25 years, before that Weightlifters and Bodybuilders relied only on meat and milk and they did pretty well. For extreme performance, when very fast protein absorption is required, protein shakes are an absolute necessity. But for amateurs, I think half a dozen eggs before workout and a lot of meat after workout should be enough. Also, if you rely on only meat, your body will slowly get better at processing meat.
I agree @ Sabarish. What i wrote was what i was doing in my amateur stage while trying to break plateaus. One realizes that when we started doing weightlifting, our results kept on increasing in the first few months. For instance, if i snatch 50kgs in the first month I am snatching around 60-65kg at the end of the second month. The real deal comes when you reach a ceiling from which even increasing your maximum by 2.5kg seemed impossible :) I wouldn't agree that we are in the advanced stage. I would rather believe we are in the intermediate stage right now. At this stage, training at 90-100% is the best and sure way of breaking plateaus. I tried it during my inter iit season the last time. Bulgarian and Russian routines are pretty much concentrated at this range although i used my own version of their routine the last time. The start of the routine is pretty much hard but once you get used to it you know your strength are increasing and it shows. While those routines would recommend squatting at 90% (6sets of 5 reps each) i knew it was too much for me frankly. lol. So i would squat at 90% for 6 sets but the repetition depended on how my legs felt that particular day but i would do atleast 3. :) "The Training of a Weightlifter" by R.A.Roman is one book i would recommend for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAs far as whey is concern, i agree when you said whey is for advanced athletes and people in the intermediate stage. I would also recommend my junior at the initial stage the same thing. No matter what, fresh food sources is the best no doubt.
The problem with all available routines - Bulgarian, Russian, Westside or Wendler's... They're all meant for pros, or atleast people who can commit enough time for their training... Most routines are based on 6-8 week cycles. In training especially in our institutes, it's extremely hard to stick to a single routine for that long. You get exams or competitions coming at you all the time, and you also have to train with the team. Atleast for me, training alone was not an option. I always needed partners.
ReplyDeleteIt was my 5th year in the team, so I could train differently from the rest for 4-6 weeks, but the juniors can't do that. Best thing for them would be to use tougher routines to power through individual plateaus- pick one particular exercise: squat or clean or push press, and hit it really hard for 1 or 2 weeks and max out at the end. That's the only thing that can be done when training with a team.
I wouldn’t say the different routines available like Russian, Bulgarian, Smolov, Chinese, Westside barbell etc are for the advanced level only. It can also be incorporated into the routines of athletes in the beginner or the intermediate stage. Advanced level athletes have reach the limit of their strength level and their routines are basically aimed at keeping that strength level and focus more on techniques to make the best use of that strength. It takes atleast 8-10 years of consistent training to reach our maximum strength level. If we observe properly we will find that these routines are aimed at gaining new maximums. But like you said at our institute level it is difficult to follow such routines and i totally agree. Since these routines are based on 6-14 weeks cycle it is difficult to maintain that level of consistency with our curriculum and academics.
ReplyDeleteAnd training alone is really boring. It just doesn’t motivate you. All my maximums were achieved only when i trained with the team although many a times i trained alone too. When you have your coach and team shouting at you from the corner it is the mental part which benefits the most. Mistakes pointed out when training with the team is a very awesome learning experience. And I am really proud the road Inter IIT weightlifting has taken. Every year the total keeps increasing in every category and the environment in the practice hall and the platform is second to known. I wouldn’t be surprised if next year or a few years down the line a player in inter iit is lifting clean & jerking more than 2 times his bodyweight:)