There are seasons to training (or should be). You define your own seasons to match your life.
I’m a three season guy
Strength in late Fall through the mid-Winter
Aerobic conditioning and starting to lean out in the Spring
Fat Loss through the Summer
I lift all year long, just changing my focus and workouts to match my goals.
December is the beginning of Strength Season.
I’m starting with a new workout, not surprisingly it comes from Dan John. I’ve never done it before either.
It’s 8-6-4 (3 sets total, 8 reps, 6 reps and then 4 reps) of
4 exercises
Power Clean
Overhead Press
Front Squat and
Bench Press
Here’s the guidelines:
You can pick any order for the exercises
Do 8 reps, minimal rest then 6 reps, short rest again and then 4 reps
Next exercise
Clean the weight off the ground for the Overhead Press and the Front Squat
So clean and 8 presses, clean and 6 presses, clean and 4 presses. Same for the Front Squat
So you get 24 Power Cleans each workout.
If you get all the reps (8-6-4) for an exercise, add weight the next workout
Train 3 times a week
I’m adding a little arm work (like dips and drag curls in superset format) and some abs (probably Ab Wheel).
I am planning on doing just 4 weeks of this (December) and then making minor changes like:
Go to 5 x 5 format (5 sets of 5 reps)
Sames exercises but add Deadlifts except only do 4 exercises per workout
Don’t Deadlift and Power Clean in the Same Workout
Probably a month or so of this format too.
Then change to another Strength workout. TBD.
Why I like it
First, Power Cleans are awesome!
Maybe the king of strength builders.
And I can’t remember when I did them last.
Yes, they’re a bit technical but I’ll work on my form over the first 4 weeks at lighter weights and then go a bit heavier in the 5 x 5’s.
Power Cleans add speed and power to your routine and this recruits the fast twitch muscle fiber. This is one way to build muscle fast.
Second, barbell military presses (with a clean off the ground) are awesome too.
Most of my overhead pressing throughout the year is single handed with dumbbells and kettlebells.
Pressing heavy weight overhead makes you strong.
Third, squatting heavier makes your whole body stronger
And I don’t normally squat very heavy. You don’t either (I’ll bet).
I primarily do single leg squatting like Bulgarian Split Squats and Lunges. I also do Goblet Squats but the load isn’t very heavy.
Now overall, my legs get a lot of work between lifting, trailing running, hiking and just walking around. But I get very little loaded leg work. So these front squats are going to be good for me and my overall strength development.
And Last, benching just feels good and keeps the Moobs at bay
You may have noticed how quickly your strength wanes when you stop lifting for even a short period. It must have something to do with age.
I’m always hitting the pecs with some exercise ‘cause there may be nothing worse than saggy pecs. You can see the tata’s right through your shirt. As the Cambodian machinist who used to work for me way back (William) would say:
That’s not so pretty good!
I like benching and push ups and dips. You can just feel them directly pumping the pecs. Boobs look great on girls, not dudes.
What do you think?
What do you have planned for your winter workouts?
Let me know. Comment below.
Looks good ,have never done power cleans before but will try them. I will add a short hiit session at the end, Assault bike,rower or jump rope.
Thanks Mark! I got everything back. On the road until Dec 14 and will change over. Thanks for all your work😀