Training log May 31st - All time bench PR, the interference principle and tabatas

I finally benched 3 plates a side! Last Monday my spotter touched the bar, but this week it was a clean rep. Unfortunately, I didn't film it but idgaf, I did it and I'm happy.

The rest of the week was smooth. My day off for strength training on Thursday seems to work quite well and I was able to get some more cardio in.

Monday Bench, paused deadlifts and single arm rows

Bench: 4 x 4 2, after the PR attempt

Paused Deadlifts: 3 x 3

Single arm dumbbell rows 3 x 8

Here is how I worked up to my PR attempt:

• 1 warm up set of 3 reps 60kg

• 1 rep at 100kg

• 1 rep at 120kg

• 1 rep at 130kg

• 1 rep at 140kg

The paused deadlifts and single arm rows felt good again. Overall, it was an awesome workout to start the week with.

Tuesday: Olympic weightlifting

Hang snatch: 3 x 5

Overhead squats: 3 x 5

Barbell snatch: 3 x 5

Hang cleans: 2 x 5

Barbell clean: 3 x 3

Back squat: 2 sets of 3, one set of 1

I finally went lighter on my cleans, and yes, it felt great. I focused on speed and power.

I went heavier on the over head squats, putting a plate on each side.

My legs always feel sore when I get to the squats. They are not my main focus this cycle, which is why I schedule this workout this way. It'll be interesting to see how much I can push when I put them up first.

Wednesday: Bench and back

Bench press: 3 x 2

Weighted chin ups: 4 x 4

Seated row: 2 x amrap

AMRAP stands for As Many Reps As Possible. It's an intense set, designed to burn out the muscles completely. I used it in the following situations:

• When I don't have a lot of time. One or two AMRAP is usually enough to stimulate muscle growth

• When I want to push my limits

• When I want to check my progress: if I can do more reps at a given weight, that means I got stronger.

Cardio intervals

I did this workout on the spin bike and really liked it.

• 10 min warm up

• 2 x 10 seconds sprints with 1 min break in between

• 4 x 4 minutes on, 4 minutes off. I'm slightly above my FTP during those 4 minutes of hard work

• 2 x 10 seconds sprints with 1 min break in between. Much tougher than the first two sprints

• 10 min cool down

Thursday: Cardio

Thursdays are now a rest day for my strength training. I decided to do the same cardio workout as Tuesday, switching the last two sprints for a Tabata.

A Tabata is a gruelling interval workout that consists of:

• 8 rounds

• 20 seconds of hard work

• 10 seconds rest

• It lasts 4 minutes

This day had me thinking of two things.

The interference principle

When we train two separate modalities, like strength and cardio, they can interfere with each other.

Apart from the fact that you now have to split your training time between the two, you need to schedule your workouts in a way that minimizes this interference.

If I do my cardio workout before a strength workout, I won't have as much energy to lift heavy weights.

Vice versa, if I do heavy squats before an interval workout on the bike, I probably won't be able to push as hard on the pedal.

Having my Thursdays as a rest day for my strength training seems like a good way to limit this interference. I can focus 100% on cardio that day and let my nervous system rest from the heavy strength training.

Tabata Intervals

The claim to fame of Tabatas is that they increase both aerobic and anaerobic systems. They are very time efficient, only four minutes.

In order for them to work, you need to work very hard during those 20 seconds intervals. That's why I love doing them on the bike:

• I can truly go as hard as I possibly can. It's better than burpees or squat presses for example, because these two moves have some minimal breaks in them. Think about when you jump up during the burpee or throw the weights up during the squat presses.
  

• It's safe. When we reach exhaustion, we want to make sure our bodies are safe from harm. That's why I'm not a huge fan of handling dumbbells for Tabatas.

Friday: Deadlifts

Deadlift: 3 x 3

I had a very busy day at the gym and only had 30 minutes to workout. A short workout is better than no workout and I focused on my favourite lift.

Saturday: Weightlifting

Same as Tuesday.

I also went for an easy run, 30 minutes. I'm starting to run without headphones, mainly because I don't want to haul my phone with me the whole time. It was surprisingly peaceful and enjoyable.

Hope you're all crushing your training!

Clem