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Thougts on S&C Training: A halfway report

I'm on my train to Linz. Some time ago, I went through the [instructor] course for "general body education" there – simply said, it's a fitness instructor course. The course took four weeks spread over one semester, with exams being held at the beginning of each week. This time, it'll be a total time of three semesters. I'm not totally sure right now, but I believe it's the same thing as before, i.e. four weeks per semester for a total of 12 weeks. The neat thing with this course is that, unlike private certifications, most of the cost is covered by the state. Of course, this also means harsh examinations…

Anyhow, as much as I'm looking forward to the course, I'm facing an additional challenge. Since I just had my deload week, I need to find time to schedule three heavy S&C sessions somewhere in between classes. That won't be trivial, considering we start at 08:00am and usually don't end before 08:00pm… Guess I'll have to sacrifice my lunch breaks. Tough luck.

So training-wise, my last three weeks were pretty much limited to heavy lifting. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, I'm suffering from a shoulder impingement. By hitting the gym while avoiding the mat I can concentrate on really rehabilitating that shoulder. Things already got significantly better, i.e. less painful. Secondly, my academic program is consuming vast amounts of time at the moment. Just a last couple of milestones left, so I decided to make this priority and get that degree as soon as possible. Finally, I'm going to China on June 29th. Obviously, there I want to spend as much time on martial arts practice as possible. Due to the above two points, though, my stamina isn't exactly where it's supposed to be – also, technique probably isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be. Hence, I'll rely on the great equalizer, strength, to make things easier.

As explained in [this post], I'm following a compressed 5/3/1 program, packing the original three weeks into just two. Everything was covered in the article linked above, so I won't bother going into greater detail here. Instead, I'll provide you with some tables illustrating the process (guess that's the IT-dude in me showing  after all…)

So the first week – let's call it week 0 – was test week. Nothing out of the ordinary here, just work up to 1Rm loads on the deadlift, front squat, barbell press and weighted pull-up. Also, I already did (almost) all the assistance work I planned on doing during the actual program. For reference, I weighed in at 80.0kg on the first test day, so for bodyweight exercise (pull-ups and suspended rows) I'll just use that number.

Week 0, Test Week
Workout 1
Warmup
TGU 16.0 x 5/5
Test
Front Squat 100.0 x 1
Press 62.5 x 1
Assistance
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
DB Rows 15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
DB Rows 15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
DB Rows 15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
DB Rows 15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
Workout 2
Warmup
TGU 16 x 5/5
Test
Deadlift, Test 155.0 x 1
Pull-Up, Test 80.0 + 35.0 = 115.0 x 1
Assistance
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 6

Week 1 was A-B-A, i.e. I deadlifted heavy twice. Since I've been following something of an [easy strength] program for quite a while, I decided not to go after AMRAP sets for the time being.
Week 1, A-B-A
Workout 1
Warmup
TGU 16 x 5/5
5/3/1
Deadlift 100.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Deadlift 115.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 + 7.5 x 5
Deadlift 130.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 + 15.0 x 5
Assistance
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8
Workout 2
Warmup
TGU 16.0 x 5/5
Power
Power Clean from hang 40.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 50.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 3
5/3/1
Front Squat 65.0 x 5
Press 40.0 x 5
Front Squat 75.0 x 5
Press 47.5 x 5
Front Squat 85.0 x 5
Press 52.5 x 3
Assistance
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 120.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 4 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 6 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 5
Workout 3
Warmup
TGU 24.0 x 3/3
Power Clean from hang 40.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 50.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 3
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 3
5/3/1
Deadlift 110.0 x 3
Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
Deadlift 125.0 x 3
Pull-Up 80.0 + 12.5 x 3
Deadlift 140.0 x 4
Pull-Up 80.0 + 20.0 x 4
Assistance
Overhead Squat 50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 4 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
DB Rows 22.5/22.5 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
DB Rows 20.0/20.0 x 8

So after the first week, I was pretty stiff. However, I felt my shoulder getting better. Also, somewhere around the end of that week I got my MRT results, which indicated a dysbalance in my shoulder muscles. After speaking with [Dominik] who's pretty much the chief S&C guy at [Ronny]'s gym, I decided to do [staggered] shoulder rehab, i.e., do a set of typical shoulder-rehab exercise in between my regular sets. Although these are not high-intensity by any means, they still increased my total working volume. Another step that indirectly increased volume was the decision to overcome soreness and stiffness with better (and more) warmup. Moreover, I decided to go above the prescribed rep minimum if possible (although I still wouldn't call my efforts AMRAP).

Week 2, B-A-B
Workout 1
Warmup
KB Clean & Press 16.0 x 5/5
KB two hand swing 16.0 x 5/5
KB Goblet Squat 16.0 x 10
TGU 16.0 x 5/5
Windmill 16.0 x 5/5
Power
Power Snatch from hang 40.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 45.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 45.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 45.0 x 3
5/3/1
Front Squat 70.0 x 3
Press 45.0 x 3
Front Squat 80.0 x 3
Press 50.0 x 3
Front Squat 90.0 x 5
Press 55.0 x 3
Assistance
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130 x 3
Ring Pull-Up BW x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 5 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 4 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 2
Suspended Rows BW x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows BW x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows BW x 6 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows BW x 5
Workout 2
Warmup
KB Goblet Squat 16.0 x 10
KB two hand swing 16.0 x 5/5
KB Clean & Press 16.0 x 5/5
TGU 16.0 x 5/5
Windmill 16.0 x 5/5
Power
Power Snatch from hang 40.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 50.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 50.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 50.0 x 3
5/3/1
Deadlift 120.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 + 7.5 x 5
Deadlift 130.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 + 17.5 x 3
Deadlift 150.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 + 30.0 x 2
Assistance
Ring Pull-Up BW x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 3 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up BW x 3
Barbell Rows 50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Barbell Rows 50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Barbell Rows 50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Barbell Rows 50.0 x 8
Workout 3
Warmup
KB Goblet Squat 16.0 x 10
KB two hand swing 16.0 x 5/5
KB Clean & Press 16.0 x 5/5
TGU 16.0 x 5/5
Power
Power Snatch from hang 40.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 50.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 55.0 x 3
Power Snatch from hang 55.0 x 3
5/3/1
Front Squat 75.0 x 5
Press 45.0 x 5
Front Squat 85.0 x 3
Press 55.0 x 3
Front Squat 95.0 x 4
Press 60.0 x 2
Front Squat 95.0 x 5
Assistance
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift 130.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 4 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3 (25'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 6 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 7

At the end of week 2, my joints were aching. Badly. Form suffered, motivation levels dropped, sleep quality decreased… so, I decided to deload. This will leave me with another two weeks (10.06 – 16.06 and 17.06 – 23.06) for another 5/3/1 cycle plus a couple days of deload before going to China. On the assistance deadlifts, I went for [dynamic effort]. Louie Simmons argues that DE training can be even more taxing on the nervous system than [max effort training]… I absolutely believe in that but still, I don't think my CNS suffered from this. On the contrary, it feel awkward for me to slowly grind out light deadlifts… I'm always trying to move the bar as fast as possible.

Week 3, A-B-A, Deload
Workout 1
Warmup
/
Power
Power Clean from hang 40.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 50.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 2
5/3/1
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Assistance
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
Overhead Squat 20.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 1
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (45'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (45'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (45'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8
Workout 2
Warmup
/
Power
Power Clean from hang 40.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 50.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
5/3/1
Front Squat 50.0 x 5
Press 32.5 x 5
Front Squat 50.0 x 5
Press 32.5 x 5
Front Squat 50.0 x 5
Press 32.5 x 5
Assistance
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 5 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 2
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
Suspended Rows 80.0 x 8
Workout 3
Warmup
/
Power
Power Clean from hang 40.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 50.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 60.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
Power Clean from hang 70.0 x 2
5/3/1
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Deadlift, DE 80.0 x 5
Pull-Up 80.0 x 5
Assistance
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
Overhead Squat 40.0 x 3
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 3 (20'' rest)
Ring Pull-Up 80.0 x 2
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (30'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (30'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8 (30'' rest)
Cable Rows 6 x 8


For the next two weeks, I'll change a couple of things. First, I'll go AMRAP on everything but the presses. When it comes to that, Dominik advised me to switch over to DB presses to spare and stabilize the shoulders. AS fate would have it, I stumbled across [this] a few days after that… When it comes to my new 1RM, I followed [Wendler's recommendations] and up-regulated to the following:

Deadlift
Squat
DB Press
Pull-Up
160.0
110.0
35.0
80.0 + 40.0 = 120.0


I'll keep you posted on my experiences in Linz as well as the progress of my S&C program.

So long,

take care

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