Sorry this is a late post, as you all will be starting your second 4 week training blocks tomorrow! I have been unbelievably busy as of late trying to get all of my individualized programs finished for the first 4 week block of my summer program. Hopefully this helps you out in time. This first video is an explanation of your new Day One in Weeks 5 - 8.
As I explained in the video, the only real progressions we made were to your anti extension exercise, your hip dominant lift (Deadlifts), and your calf raises. Your Day Two will not change. I explain a couple of times in my videos why. I am only comfortable using so many upper extremity exercises with over head athletes without me being in the gym with you. Therefore, we won't be getting too crazy on your upper body days. Simple presses and rows coupled with your shoulder care program is all we really need to get into for now. That being said, here is the video explaining your progressions for your Day Three. I had to move the camera after explaining the core exercises and front squats so it is split into two different videos.
Your Day Four (Second upper body day) does not change either. These are really the only changes that I was comfortable making to your programs after 4 weeks. You can see how slowly some this stuff progresses. Trust me, it's a good thing. I want you to master the basics before we move ahead too quickly. Hopefully it is enough to keep your interest sparked. Once we get into the weight room together we will be able to get into a few more complex movements. I hope the first four weeks went well for everyone and I hope everyone is looking forward to another four weeks of hard work. Please let me know if you have any questions about anything. I am more than willing to answer phone calls, emails, or texts almost any time of the day.
Good Luck!
Caleb Heilman
"The only thing I know is I'll never know everything." - Jason Green
I’ve wanted to start this series for quite some time now.
Little thoughts and ideas run through my head all day as I train and program
for clients. Most often it’s about what I can do better and what I can
recommend the athlete do better in order to achieve the results we both desire.
Sometimes it’s a matter of changing exercise selection, tweaking a set and rep
scheme, progressing or regressing certain exercises, or simply just giving them
an extrinsic “kick in the ass.”
There are a lot of reasons people don’t achieve desired
results in their strength and conditioning programs. It can most often be
attributed to a lack of work ethic and consistency. There are a few cases,
however, where people get to the gym on a regular basis, work hard, and just
can’t seem to achieve continued progress. Just as it does in economics, the law
of diminishing returns exists in human performance. The stronger you get, the
harder it becomes to get stronger. The faster you get, the harder it becomes to
get faster. That’s why it’s so nice to work with detrained individuals. 7th
and 8th graders can get results so fast they think you’re a wizard!
But on a serious note, if you’re struggling to progress,
this might be a good read for you. There are so many theories and modalities out
there that you may not be taking advantage of. Just applying one or two of them
may be exactly what you need to get over the hump. Here’s my first installment
to Tips for Getting Bigger, Faster and Stronger.
1.Surprise
Yourself More Often
This one seems simple, but you’d be amazed how little people
who are running their own strength and conditioning programs come out of a set
with this look on their face:
It should happen more often. Most people just enter a set
with a weight and a rep scheme that they know might challenge them, but also
that they’ll easily be able to easily finish with. I’m not recommending that
you take your core lifts to the limit every day. In fact, in that respect I
think a strict set and repetition scheme is always best. But I always tell my
athletes; the best way to get strong is to get curious. Picking out a weight
that you’re not absolutely positive will have a “sunshine and rainbows” ending
can be a good thing. If you don’t challenge yourself with curiosity, you may
never figure out what you’re capable of. If you do, you might find yourself
finishing sets like this more often:
This again is subjective. You shouldn’t be taking your
Olympic lifts and power lifting exercises to the limit without a plan in order
to do so. Very rarely do I hover over a heavy deadlift or power clean unless
I’ve planned it. And the plan is NEVER “I’ll just go until I feel like dying.”
I usually schedule what I call hypertrophy weeks every 4 weeks. That means I
have a coordinated set and rep scheme that I follow for my deadlifts, power
cleans, squats, presses, etc. 3 weeks prior. This usually gives me a good
baseline to come in and move heavy shit on the fourth week. On that same token,
however, you’ll rarely set yourself back by pushing yourself through some
accessory exercises. I recommend you pick one exercise per day. It could be
pull-ups, push-ups, rows, bicep curls, triceps extensions, etc. Just pick one,
and train only to effect. By that I mean don’t count your reps, just work hard
and train until you achieve a desired stimulus.
3. Take Your Warm Up Seriously
Even though this is #3 on my list, this may be the one thing
that is holding people back the most. At my gym I have 8 foam rollers, 8 tennis
balls, dowels, and a 60-foot strip of turf. All of which would allow for a very
thorough and effective warm up. I also have a foam roll routine and a dynamic
warm up written on a white board that would be applicable to everyone. And
guess what I still see out of about 90% of my members? This:
A warm up should reinforce proper movement mechanics prior
to entering the weight room, help work out kinks from workouts earlier in the
week, and help establish an intensity to take with you to the weight room. Find
a few movements that work for you, make you feel better, and get you sweaty.
4.Use
Single Leg Exercises
Single leg exercises are the bee’s knees, cat’s pajamas, and
the bag of potato chips. During a bilateral (two legged) exercise, it’s easy to
compensate for one side with the other. Put yourself in a single leg exercise
and you don’t have a choice but to use your weaker side. You’ll almost always
notice a difference from one side to the other. In this sense, they can help
iron out muscle imbalances and are generally much more applicable to athletic
performance. When competing athletically we’re rarely doing anything important
with both of our feet in contact with the ground. Take my word for it and add
some single leg lifts to your program. You’ll learn to love them. Here are a
few of my favorites.
That concludes my first installment of Tips to Bigger,
Faster, and Stronger. I hope it gives you a few ideas as to what you can do to
achieve big results with your training. I look forward to making more
installments to the series in the future. I would love to hear some feedback as
to what you might want to hear more about. As I grow and learn more and more
each day, I’d love to share and help as much as I can. Please feel free to hit
me with any questions. I’ll do my best to give you an answer, or find the best
possible answer for you. Thanks for reading.
Caleb Heilman
“The only thing I know is I’ll never know everything.” –
Jason Green
