Hello!
I have been working hard at this new routine, trying to get my weight up each week. With the exception of a couple of minor setbacks (e.g. pulling a glut muscle) it has gone well for me:

Workout Day #1:
Rom Deadlift (4x2)
Bench Press (5x3)
Weighted Dips (3x10)
Leg Curls (3x10)

Workout Day #2:
Bent-Over Row (4x2)
Military Press (3x8-10)
Chinups (3xAMAP up to 10)


Workout Day #3:
Front Squats (4x2)
Jump Shrugs (5x3)
Leg Press (3x10)
Rear Flyes (3x10)

None of the compound lifts are to failure. The goal of every lift is maximum concentric force (=maximum velocity for the weight).

Here are my 4 questions:

1) I would like to incorporate some sort of 20-30 min cardio 2-3 times a week just to keep my heart in good shape. However I don't want to burn out my CNS, so pure sprinting (which would be ideal for my goal of getting more explosive) isn't going to work. I would like to eventually work up to pure HIIT. How should I start?
2)Should I run or swim? I would prefer swimming but I don't know how to make it HIIT; plus swimming drains me a lot more (I am a lot more tired long after)
3) Are there any glaring deficiencies in my routine?
4) Is it normal that:
a) whenever I don't eat at least within an hour of a workout I crash and burn
b) whenever I don't sleep well the night before I crash and burn
c) I am more hungry now with this routine?

thanks for any input.
-Dwade

1) I would like to incorporate some sort of 20-30 min cardio 2-3 times a week just to keep my heart in good shape. However I don't want to burn out my CNS, so pure sprinting (which would be ideal for my goal of getting more explosive) isn't going to work. I would like to eventually work up to pure HIIT. How should I start?
I'm a bit confused. You said pure sprinting is out, but you want to work up to HIIT. Well, HIIT can certainly be done sprinting (well, sprinting then walking, repeat, or whatever).

Sorry about my confusion, can you help me understand?

I think 1-2 HIIT sessions per week would fit in fantastic with your schedule and goals. I can see some hill sprints fitting in nicely on off days, for example.

But, again, I'm a bit confused, so help me understand. :)

EDIT: Do you mean sprints/HIIT is out FOR NOW, but you'd eventually like to do it, and you want to work into it? If so, that should be easy. Next week add a simple 9 minute HIIT session on your off days. Get on the treadmill and walk briskly for 1 minute. Then jog for 1 minute. (So, those first 2 minutes were just warmups.) Now jump into intervals for 5 minutes. You could do it many different ways, but an easy way to break into it might be something like this: jog hard for 20 seconds, then walk for 40 seconds. Repeat for a total of 5 times each (5 minutes total). Finally, cool down for 2 minutes by just walking on the treadmill.

That's just one of 100,000,001 examples. :) You could of course sprint for 10 seconds and walk for 30, or break it up further (walk/walk fast/jog/sprint), or, whatever. Go ahead and make it creative and make it fun. :)

2)Should I run or swim? I would prefer swimming but I don't know how to make it HIIT; plus swimming drains me a lot more (I am a lot more tired long after)
I would prefer running, but I would prefer it just because I am better at it and I'm too lazy to drive to anywhere that has a pool. :) I don't have any real experience with swimming for cardio/physique reasons, so I can't really help you here, sorry.

3) Are there any glaring deficiencies in my routine?
Not glaring. It's different, and along the lines of something chicanerous, mastover, or zen should be critiquing because I'm not familiar with it as much as they would be. I personally would like to see a pullthrough in there, and possibly some calf work though I'm not sure if you necessarily need it.

How often are you changing exercises?

Can you explain your temp / "maximum force" a bit more? I'm interested in hearing more about it. I like to use dynamic reps lately but only on a few exercises per week.

4) Is it normal that:
a) whenever I don't eat at least within an hour of a workout I crash and burn
b) whenever I don't sleep well the night before I crash and burn
c) I am more hungry now with this routine?
a) It might be. What does the rest of your diet look like? Besides that, remember that everyone is different. A close friend of mine trains on empty stomach and looks incredible. I on the other hand, like you, prefer to have some food in me at least within about 1.5 hours preworkout.

b) Yes. :) Sleep is important. :)

c) Yes. :) But what do you have to compare it to? You say "with this routine" but were you less hungry with a previous routine? If so, what did it look like, or what are some differences between it and what you do now?

For an obvious example, I notice I'm much less hungry during times when I exercise less often and/or less intense. When I'm in there really pounding the iron 3-5 days a week, and especially when cardio is added to the mix, I notice I am hungry more often.

[QUOTE]I'm a bit confused. You said pure sprinting is out, but you want to work up to HIIT. Well, HIIT can certainly be done sprinting (well, sprinting then walking, repeat, or whatever).

Sorry about my confusion, can you help me understand?

Sorry for being vague. I guess what I was trying to say is that as of right now I am really not ready for sprinting; I have tried it and I just get too burnt out and tired. I would like to work up to a point where I am going like 80-90% of my max consistently but I would like to avoid going all-out-I am going to die-OMG-Ihave4setsofthisleft.

I think 1-2 HIIT sessions per week would fit in fantastic with your schedule and goals. I can see some hill sprints fitting in nicely on off days, for example.
:eek: Hill sprints? Man that would be an awesome goal. I don't know if there are any hills in Miami; unless I just sprint on a treadmill incline.



EDIT: Do you mean sprints/HIIT is out FOR NOW, but you'd eventually like to do it, and you want to work into it? If so, that should be easy. Next week add a simple 9 minute HIIT session on your off days. Get on the treadmill and walk briskly for 1 minute. Then jog for 1 minute. (So, those first 2 minutes were just warmups.) Now jump into intervals for 5 minutes. You could do it many different ways, but an easy way to break into it might be something like this: jog hard for 20 seconds, then walk for 40 seconds. Repeat for a total of 5 times each (5 minutes total). Finally, cool down for 2 minutes by just walking on the treadmill.

This is what I meant. By sprints I meant 100% all-out sprinting is out; from experience I know that I can't maintain that intensity.
I am not completely out of shape but I want to get to the point where I can sprint up and down a bball court or a tennis court and recover my wind quickly. I will try what you recommend and see how it works

That's just one of 100,000,001 examples. :) You could of course sprint for 10 seconds and walk for 30, or break it up further (walk/walk fast/jog/sprint), or, whatever. Go ahead and make it creative and make it fun. :)

Do you have any good links for other examples? I like to really understand things before I jump into them.


I would prefer running, but I would prefer it just because I am better at it and I'm too lazy to drive to anywhere that has a pool. :) I don't have any real experience with swimming for cardio/physique reasons, so I can't really help you here, sorry.
That's cool. Hopefully someone with swimming experience can chime in


How often are you changing exercises?
I wasn't sure about this. I am approaching my 8th week of training which initially was designed to be my last week before taking a week off and going on a short vacation out of town. After I come back I am not sure whether to stick to this routine (because it has given me results) and/or to either alternate the exercises or add new ones. It will feel weird; these exercises have become like second-nature to me.

Can you explain your temp / "maximum force" a bit more? I'm interested in hearing more about it. I like to use dynamic reps lately but only on a few exercises per week.

I got the idea from chicanerous. Basically I try to use a weight that I can move explosively (under control with good form). I move this weight as fast as I can in the concentric and then slow the eccentric. I try to increase the weight every week and maintain the bar speed.


a) It might be. What does the rest of your diet look like? Besides that, remember that everyone is different. A close friend of mine trains on empty stomach and looks incredible. I on the other hand, like you, prefer to have some food in me at least within about 1.5 hours preworkout.
It might just be me. The rest of my diet is solid, I eat 6-7 meals a day at about 500 calories a pop (not including PWO). This is just something I've noticed lately; no matter how big a meal I eat 2-3 hours beforehand I start getting crampy early in my workout (e.g. arms start getting super pumped and weak).

b) Yes. :) Sleep is important. :)
Yeah I guess. It's just hard to really be social at all and still get that 7-8 hours..

c) Yes. :) But what do you have to compare it to? You say "with this routine" but were you less hungry with a previous routine? If so, what did it look like, or what are some differences between it and what you do now?

For an obvious example, I notice I'm much less hungry during times when I exercise less often and/or less intense. When I'm in there really pounding the iron 3-5 days a week, and especially when cardio is added to the mix, I notice I am hungry more often.


I've noticed the past few weeks during this routine (and along with playing IM basketball 2-3 times a week) I have not been satisfied with the caloric intake (about 3200 on average) that I had been using for the past couple of months (my other routine was a more conventional 4-day split with higher volume but less weight and explosive element). I guess it may be that my BMR is increasing; my weight has increased only 2-3 lbs since I started this routine though.

Btw for anyone reading this thread I am 18 years old, 6 foot 3 inches, 175 lbs, and about 12-13% BF.

Sorry for being vague. I guess what I was trying to say is that as of right now I am really not ready for sprinting; I have tried it and I just get too burnt out and tired. I would like to work up to a point where I am going like 80-90% of my max consistently but I would like to avoid going all-out-I am going to die-OMG-Ihave4setsofthisleft.
:lol: More on this in a sec...

:eek: Hill sprints? Man that would be an awesome goal. I don't know if there are any hills in Miami; unless I just sprint on a treadmill incline.
There might be some but I don't know. We have a couple around here where you can just sprint up and then walk back down slowly, then repeat.

This is what I meant. By sprints I meant 100% all-out sprinting is out; from experience I know that I can't maintain that intensity.
I am not completely out of shape but I want to get to the point where I can sprint up and down a bball court or a tennis court and recover my wind quickly. I will try what you recommend and see how it works
Got it. :) Well I don't think anyone can maintain 100% speed for very long. I guess that's why you'll see sprinters doing 100 meters and not 5 miles. :) Intervals work good not only as a "for now" solution but also as something you can do for a long time (for years). You might change up the interval durations or intensities or whatever, but you can use the general guidelines of "go fast for a while and then go slow for a while" for a long time. I wouldn't expect anyone to try to maintain a 100% sprint/intensity for very long.

You could do it on a basketball court easily. More in a sec...

Do you have any good links for other examples? I like to really understand things before I jump into them.
Well look on a few other fitness websites, such as www.bodybuilding.com (http://www.bodybuilding.com), www.bodyforlife.com (http://www.bodyforlife.com), www.defrancostraining.com (http://www.defrancostraining.com), www.wannabebig.com (http://www.wannabebig.com), and of course www.google.com (http://www.google.com). But if you think about it and generally understand the concept of interval training, you really can just get creative and build your own routine pretty easily.

So back to the court idea, we used to do several things like "gassers" back during my football and wrestling days that were basically HIIT sessions. You could use a basketball court, tennis court, football field, or track very easily.

EXAMPLE 1:
Sprint up the court one way, walk back slowly, repeat. (Simple example.)

EXAMPLE 2:
Mark off 5 or 10 yards (easy if a football field is available and already marked for a previous game). Sprint 5 yards up and back, immediately sprint 10 yards up and back, immediately sprint 15 yards up and back. Now rest for 30-60 seconds (depends on your condition and preference I suppose). Repeat.

You could do this thousands of ways. You could sprint up 20 yards and walk back and repeat, for example. You could sprint 50 (or heck even 100) yards and then walk back slowly.

EXAMPLE 3:
I like to do this one. You'll need a track but you could easily do this in your neighborhood around the block. It's simple: "sprint the straights, walk the curves." What you will do is simply sprint the straight part of the track, then walk along the curved part of the track. If you're sprinting hard then 4 trips around the track (1 mile) is an excellent distance and would really wipe you out.

"What if I want to start out less intense than this?" Easy! How about you think about it in terms of laps, and one lap around the track is one interval. For now do just a total of 4 laps. One interval could include sprinting the first straight and then walking the entire way around the rest of the track. Repeat 3 more times. By the time you get done walking all the around the track you should be pretty recovered and have caught your breath and ready to sprint again.

Sorry for rambling. There are so many ways to do it. Really you should just get creative and try to make it fun and enjoyable.

I wasn't sure about this. I am approaching my 8th week of training which initially was designed to be my last week before taking a week off and going on a short vacation out of town. After I come back I am not sure whether to stick to this routine (because it has given me results) and/or to either alternate the exercises or add new ones. It will feel weird; these exercises have become like second-nature to me.
Hard to say what to do here. I would probably go for your week off as planned of course. When you come back, eh I don't know. On one hand I want to say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but on the other hand I can see how swapping out a few exercises would be useful. I'll have to think about it.

I got the idea from chicanerous. Basically I try to use a weight that I can move explosively (under control with good form). I move this weight as fast as I can in the concentric and then slow the eccentric. I try to increase the weight every week and maintain the bar speed.
Got it. :) A little different than I was thinking of. I was thinking of very fast reps.