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Stepping up to Four Workouts a Week, Pt 2
December 20, 2011
By Chris White
In part 1 of this series we discussed the advantages of increasing training frequency (i.e. the number of training sessions in a week). Our data suggests that going from 3x/week to 4x/week can accelerate progress in the gym by as much as 50%. In simplified terms, the more you train the more body fat you lose and the faster you lose it.
On the surface this theory makes sense. More work = more results. However, this is not always the case, as one’s ability to make progress is directly related to their ability to take on and adapt to stress. If more stress is added (i.e. training) yet the athlete’s ability to take on that stress is diminished or less than optimal than positive adaptation will not happen. Adding four training sessions a month does not guarantee anything but more work. How you handle and ultimately adapt to the given stressor determines whether or not you make progress.
As a general rule, if you’re not making a 2-5% improvement in your benchmark lifts/workouts every month then you’re spinning your wheels, as a 2-5% increase in performance means the stimulus is not only adequate but that you’re successfully adapting to it. As your benchmark lifts/workouts improve so too will your body image and composition. I firmly believe the best way to get leaner is to get stronger, more powerful, and improve your work capacity.
Training the mind and the body are critical. A physical task absent the mind is fruitless and counter-productive.
There are a few key points to consider before making the jump to four times a week that will make your transition smoother and more productive. Part 2 of this blog entry will focus on how we organize training at Go Primal to allow our athletes to train six days a week without breaking down.
Complimentary Training Schedule
All of the training at Go Primal is organized into one month blocks. At the beginning of every month I write four weeks of training designed to focus collectively on a very specific aspect of fitness (i.e. strength, power, power endurance, etc.). That means 70-80% of all the workouts that month are written to address either maximal strength, power, power endurance, or endurance, depending on the phase we’re in. Each week is set up to allow for six consecutive days of training, should an individual choose to do so. Because I never know who is coming in or when, I find it very useful to structure training volume, intensity/load, and movement-emphasis as if everyone in the gym were training every day of the week. Thus, in the event an athlete is training six days that week they’ll be able to adapt and recover to each training session without breaking down.
Keys to Increasing Training Frequency (a guideline for athletes):
1.) Rarely if ever train to failure, especially during high volume workouts. Failure is too imposing on the soft-tissue structures, produces soreness, and makes it very difficult to recover from workout to workout.
2.) It is very difficult to train “hard” more than twice a week. Commit to pushing yourself to the edge only twice a week. A big effort is a 10 out of 10, meaning you are giving it 110%. On other days down shift a bit. There is still much to be gained from less intense efforts. Going hard all the time is great for short term gains, but my experience suggests that modulating intensity from training session to training session is the best way to make long term, sustainable progress. In other words, keep your hard days hard and your light days light.
3.) Double up inside-the-gym training with outside-the-gym training to maximize recovery. Resistance training in the morning, run/practice in the evening, or vice versa. That way you can have “true” recovery days. If you did this four days a week you could accumulate eight training sessions and three full recovery days every week!
Below is a sample training week written to accommodate an athlete training six days a week. Even if an athlete gave 110% every workout there would still be little chance of over-training on this plan. Each variable (volume, load, movement) is adjusted from day to day to accommodate the 6-days-a-week athlete.
Sample Training Week
Phase: Power Endurance (4 out of 6 training sessions are P.E. sessions)
Monday – Strength: Overhead Pressing (>90% 1RM), High Volume (>40 reps)*
Tuesday – Power Endurance: Low Volume (<150 reps)
Wednesday – Power Endurance: High Volume (>250 reps)*
Thursday - Strength: Pulling, DL (>90% 1RM), Low Volume (<15 reps)
Friday/Sat – Power Endurance, High Volume (>250 reps)*
*Indicates “hard days.” The athlete should give 110% on these days. Other days could technically be categorized as recovery and should be performed at less than 100%.
In part 3 of this blog I will outline a supplement plan guaranteed to knock your socks of. I’ll also introduce Go Primal’s Performance Package, a three month all-inclusive program for fast gains in strength, power, training drive, and fat loss. Stay tuned…
- Turn your fitness over to someone you trust. The worst mistake you can make is to design your own programs. We do what we’re good at. We avoid what we’re not. Be humble. Be honest. Be open to challenges. True character is developed in the face of hardship, pain, and suffering. And if the gym is to mimic real life it should be organized to capture the harsh realities of our external environment, even if those realities no longer exist.
