Rapid Wave Sets for Size and Strength
Tis’ bulking season for most trainees and that means a constant search for methods of stimulating new muscle growth for strength and size. Today’s post is just that, and at no better time than a week before the Christmas Feast gainz.
What you Need to Know:
-Wave Sets are easily manipulated for whatever goal you have.
-Rapid Wave Sets with controlled rest periods are a great way to put on some size while still working towards your strength goals by capitalizing on PAP.
-Rapid Wave Sets are a great way to break plateaus for experienced lifters who no longer respond to traditional rep schemes.
-For optimum mass gain, you need high volume at a relatively high intensity with limited rest, which is something you can achieve when manipulating the waves correctly.
How they work:
A Rapid Wave Set is typically used for your main strength movement. The, “wave” indicates that there will be a high and low number of reps done depending on the set and as you guessed, rapid wave sets indicate that those numbers have a fairly steep jump/drop.
By first doing lower reps at a higher intensity it ramps up your CNS to elicit more high-threshold motor units for subsequent sets due to a potentiation affect. By doing a heavy double and then following up with a set of 6, you are recruiting more fibers than if you had just started with the set of 6. This allows you to hit a higher weight for the higher-volumed set than you usually would get.
Through manipulating the rest periods between sets, you can help to elicit more of the training effect you want. For those of you looking to put on some meat, lowering the rest between the heavy double and the set of 6 to about 30-45 seconds may be optimal. I’d also suggest keeping the rest between the set of 6 and the doubles to 90-120 seconds. So in short, an example for an experienced trainee who is looking to put on some muscle may look like this:
2 @ 85%
:30 rest
6@ 75%
:90 rest
2 @ 87.5%
:30 rest
6 @ 77.5%
:90 rest
2 @ 87.5%
:30 rest
6 @ 77.5-80%
The heavy set is mainly there to help improve the volume set and thus does not need a lot of rest. Keeping the rest to 90 seconds between waves and 30 seconds between low and high volume bouts should help to provide a large amount of work in a short time period without sacrificing much else. Of course you can choose different rest for different rep scheme choices, but the ultimate goal is to capitalize on the PAP with minimal affects from fatigue. Typically this type of effect is used for improving rate of force development within athletes, but as I said before, this article is looking more into its use for putting on mass. By capitalizing on window 1 below, we prime the PAP, but rather than using the hightened state for overall force development, we use it more for its affects on power endurance. By doing so, we are able to recruit more motor units(primarily of our fast twitch fibers, which have more potential for growth) to be stressed in the subsequent higher rep scheme that they would not normally be present in. This gives a rare time-under-tension stimulus for these motor units that yields a huge potential for growth.
You’ll also notice how the percentages increase steadily, but the heavy sets start to level off. That’s because for the desired training stimulus, there is no reason to go heavier on the doubles. You actually run the risk of over-exerting yourself and pulling away from the sets of 6(which are going to be fairly hard). So even though the amount of weight being lifted SHOULD be higher, the RPE(rate of perceived exertion) should remain somewhere between a 7 and 8(moves with good speed but still feels heavy) while the higher sets are closer to 9. I use the percentages above just as an example, in reality since this method relies heavily upon an immediate response of the CNS, it's much more appropriate to go off of RPE and feel. Some days you will respond much more positively than others. After the first wave you will have an accurate idea of how much you can increase you volume sets.
Give these a try on your next program, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Just keep in mind what movements may or may not be appropriate for it. I mainly use it when programming for the big 3, but have even had success when using them for pullups. Also remember that this method can be very taxing to the system, so be mindful of when to deload. Enjoy!
Part 9: In-Season Template
The Triathlete Strength Training PrimerPart 9: In-Season Strength Training, Continued.
After another brief hiatus, we’re back with Part 9 of this series! In part 8, we discussed what the goals of a triathlete’s in-season strength training program should be. It’s important to understand that the time to focus on gaining strength, power, and endurance was in the off-season. Now that competition has begun, we need to structure our strength work in a way that allows us to maintain the gains made in the off-season, and negate any of the repetitive, tissue-stressing forces that result from sport training.
Before we dive in, let me state that what is provided below is strictly an EXAMPLE template. It’s a snapshot of one day of training, crafted from the templates that have been created during the last 8 articles in this series. Your training may look slightly different, and should be tailored to your own individual strengths, weaknesses, and whatever chronic issues that you personally deal with. However, when all is said and done, your training should follow the principles and concepts that have been laid out in this series. These include, but are not limited to, specificity, progressive overload, reversibility and the periodized goals of the current season.
With that being said, let’s take a look at an example template and break it down into something a little more digestible…
- Volume and Frequency
You’ll notice that the session’s total volume is much lower then any given pre-season or off-season session. Sport-training should be at it’s highest during the competitive season, and due to this, we need to compromise by decreasing our time in the weight room. Our focus has shifted to maintaining performance elements, and this requires less total volume then if we were looking to build strength or endurance. In this case, we have decreased the number of sets that we’re performing of each exercise in order to decrease our volume.
Since the in-season involves a much higher volume of running, cycling, and swimming, we’ll transition to programming only one or two strength sessions per week. This is really all we need in-season, and scheduling any more will simply be taking up time that could be spent refining your running technique, or recovering from your last long-distance ride. I would suggest getting in the gym twice a week on lower-volume weeks, and maybe only once a week during high-volume periods or in the week leading up to a race.
- Exercise Selection
Looking at exercise selection, you’ll notice that the movements have all been performed previously in this athlete’s training. The competitive season is not the time to introduce new movements. Programming a new movement will stress the body in a way that it has not previously been exposed to, and, oftentimes, you’ll experience unwanted soreness as a result. On top of that, adding a new movement and then performing it with a challenging load is a recipe for disaster, and your sport-training will most likely suffer. Your sport-training should be a priority during this time of the year, and trying new things in the weight room will only undermine from this approach.
On top of that, you’ll notice the exercises are very specific. The main movement is a safety squat bar split squat. This was chosen because this split stance more closely mimics gait than a traditional bilateral back or front squat, and it doesn’t contain the element of absorbing force the way a barbell lunge does. With all the running volume, I would personally steer away from using a lunge variation in-season, as we’re getting plenty of deceleration and impact-absorption during our sport training. We could cycle in lunge variations throughout the competitive season, but I would be mindful to use them during times when your running volume is lower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plb8z9oBoG4&list=UU5TxLuwpeMisc6vJuPAmZ2w&index=6
- Exercise Intensity
Now let’s talk exercise intensity. We shouldn’t be trying to move the heaviest weights we possibly can during these movements. The safety squat bar split squat is programmed at 8 reps/leg, but I would coach this athlete to use a weight that he can hit for about 12 reps. This way we’re not overloading the body too much, but the intensity isn’t so low that our muscles are not being stressed. You can certainly vary the number of reps you are programming. Early on in the competitive season may provide a good opportunity to bring back sets of three or four in order to train strength, but as the more important competitions approach, the athlete should be working in the rep range that is the most specific to their event which, in this case, is higher repetitions in order to train local muscular endurance.
- Cycling in isometric work/removing the eccentric portion of the lifts.
The eccentric portion of any given exercise is where most of the muscle tissue damage occurs. By removing this portion from our program (as in the chin-ups in the template above) we’re removing the portion of the lift that is going to cause soreness, but still working the desired musculature. Looking at this template, it might be a good idea to cycle between safety squat bar split squats, and safety squat bar ISO holds. A savy program designer could up the intensity on the ISO hold weeks (while still being mindful not to over-do it), and lower it during the split squat weeks. This way, we’re varying the intensity of our main movement and maintaining several performance attributes throughout the season.
- Piggy-back off of your Off-Season plan.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that the early off-season and competitive season share a couple of similarities. Specifically, the goals of both include preventing or reversing injury caused by the sport. Last time, we talked about triathlon landing on the far left of the “Speed-Strength Continuum,” and the inherent lack of stability that this can cause at our joints. Due to this, we want to ensure that we are programming in a way that minimizes this effect. The Turkish Get-Ups, TRX rows, and lateral lunges are in this program for that very reason. The get-ups are a fantastic “catch-all” stability exercise. Using a suspension trainer for the rows will shift the focus more toward scapular stability, while also pulling the athlete out of the kyphotic posture that they are sure to develop on the bike. Finally, programming lateral lunges will help stretch out our adductors in a dynamic movement, demand stability at our hip joints, and get us out of the sagittal plane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ6BT0X4nJQ
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this article has caused you to think about your in-season training a little more methodically. The past two articles have laid out exactly what a triathlete should be focusing on in-season, and then provided examples with detailed explanations and more. As always, please reach out and leave a comment if you liked the content, or have any questions or concerns. I'd love to be a resource for all your endurance athletes out there, and help you make the most out of your gym time. Next week, in what should be the final post of this series, we'll discuss what to do immediately after the competitive season ends.
The Triathlete Strength Training Primer
Part 1: An Intro to Periodization - Seeing the Bigger Picture Part 2: The Repetition Maximum Continuum Part 3: The Preparatory Period a.ka. the Off-Season Part 4: Off-Season Periodization Part 5: Off-Season Periodization, cont. Part 6: The First Transition Period Part 7: The First Transition Period, cont. Part 8: The Competition Period - In-Season Strength Training Part 9: In-Season Template Part 10: Post- Season Training
A Gift Guide For The Athlete in Your Life
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again so let’s take a look at some of the gifts for the athlete in your life that they may be craving but forgot to mention on their holiday wish list. The athletes of today require diverse gear and fabrics that can take a beating and keep them jolly. To save you time I combed the internet and spent hours researching and collecting data on products to make you the best gift giver of the year. Discussed below are twelve products, in no particular order, guaranteed to put a smile on the face of the athlete in your life come December 25th.
Trigger Point Grid Foam Roller
Muscles need work but they also need help recovering and recuperating to be strong and healthy. Give the gift of mobility with the foam roller that is just the right size to haul around. It comes in multiple sizes as well as some pretty slick colors.
Epic Bison Bacon & Cranberry All Natural Meat Bar
These awesome bars are a combination of trail mix and jerky. . . . Yum
The North Face ETip Gloves
There aren’t many things more annoying than having to take off your glove on a frigid day just to answer a text message. Etip gloves eliminate that experience by having a technical fabric on the fingertip that is recognized by touchscreen phones and devices so you can keep your digits warm and cozy.
"Mind Gym" by Gary Mack and Dave Casstevens
This is a great read for athletes of all ages to learn about the effects the mind has in reaching excellence.
Nike Epic Lux Printed Women’s Running Tights
Tights are very universal. They can be worn alone in multiple settings. They can also be worn as a base layer under jeans or sweats when it really gets cold outside. This functionality combined with an awesome snake skin print makes these pants a win win deal for a sporty lady.
Taylormade Lethal Pack
Perfect for the golfer who consistently runs out of golf balls. Taylormade now has tour caliber balls available in 20, 50, and 144 packs.
The Myobottle
If your favorite water bottle and foam roller had a child it would look something like this. This awesome bottle holds 1.5 liters of your favorite sports drink and has a eye catching four ball shape that can be used to release tacked down muscles fibers.
Re-Stringit Drawstring Re-Threader
If you've ever had to figure out how to restring a hoodie or your favorite sweatpants you know how tough and infuriating it can be. In comes this handy gadget to save the day.
Trail Mix of The Month Club Membership
One thing someone with an adventurous lifestyle doesn't want to forget is a snack. With a membership here, the athlete in your life won’t get caught hungry again with a new mixture of high quality trail mix delivered every month.
Tory Birch Gold Fitbit Bracelet
If the standard rubber Fitbit bracelet isn’t stylish enough for your loved one then spice it up a bit with this gold or silver bracelet that’s ready to transition from sweaty to chic when they are.
Endless Pool Spa with Underwater Treadmill Option
For those who like to go all in, the newest Endless pool spa may be just the gift you've been looking for. This spa has a current that allows you to swim in place plus a built in treadmill so you can knock out a nice run. The spa also has ample seating space so friends can have a seat and watch you train.
Experia by Thorlo Socks
These aren’t the socks grandma used to give out. This super light socks breath very well to let moisture escape. They also have reinforced cushioning in the strike zones of your foot to ensure your 14,000th step of the day is just as comfortable as your 1st.
Hopefully this list has given you some great ideas as Christmas day gets closer. If not, there is still plenty of time and remember if all else fails go with a Starbucks gift card.
Lembas Bread For Muscle Building Outside Middle Earth
Admit it, when you either read or saw lembas bread in Lord of the Rings, you really wanted some.
There’s several recipes out there for it, but I made up a protein and fiber-rich version for the nerdy-lifter that I am. *Disclaimer* I’m still tweaking the amounts, so this may not be perfect but it’ll at least be a platform in which to launch your own version of lembas.
I used coconut flour as my base. Say wha? Yep, coconut flour is merely dried coconut meat ground up into a flour-like consistency. What’s so good about coconut flour? I’m so glad you asked!
Coconut Flour Fantastic-ness:
1. Very high in fiber, about 9 grams for 2 tablespoons, which is terrific for, well, the whole poop thing. Compare that to the fiber content of wheat flour, which is a dismal 1-2 grams… ick. Perfect for keeping you regular while traipsing through Middle Earth.
2. It’s gluten free which is helpful for those who have a gluten intolerance or allergy and still want to eat lembas. Or, even if you don’t, it’s nice to give your system a break from the gluten of bread and other gluten filled treats. (it’s everywhere…).
3. Contains the healthy fats of the glorious coconut. However, I’m not sure how much of it is actually retained in the flour version since it goes through a defatting process. Some of that fat is better than none though. This helps fuel long treks across Mordor. How else do you think Sam and Frodo made it? Not on fat-free Snackwell’s cookies!
4. Does not have the power to raise glucose levels like other flours (wheat, oat, etc) so those watching their blood sugar… rejoice! Steady blood sugar bodes well for sustained battles with orcs.
Now, onto the recipe. Sorry I don’t have pictures. I didn’t think to take any during the baking process.
- 1-1.5 cups coconut flour (depending on how big of a batch you want to make)
- 1-2 scoops protein powder-o-choice
- 1 somewhat-heaped tablespoon of coconut oil, melted
- Roughly 1 cup of almond milk (or regular milk). The amount will vary depending on the consistency of the batter you desire.
- 1 egg or 1 heaping tablespoon of nut butter. Coconut flour can be very dry, so the addition of either one will help cut that down a bit. Just know that the peanut butter will take away from the lembas-y taste. I doubt the real lembas had peanut butter in it.
- 1-2 tablespoons of agave or honey
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 275 and grease a cookie sheet.
2. Combine the dry ingredients, flour and protein powder, and break up any lumps with a spoon.
3. Add the coconut oil, egg (or PB), vanilla, and agave/honey and combine well.
4. Slowly add the milk until the consistency no longer resembles wet sand. It should be more clay-like or maybe slightly watery clay.
5. Spread evenly in pan and bake from 15-25 minutes or until lightly brown on top.
6. Allow it to cool before either gobbling it up or wrapping it in nice big leaves.
There we have it. A LOTR-inspired protein bar for the athlete or hobbit on the go!
Athlete Spotlight: Amanda, the Unassuming Ironmaiden
Meet Amanda:
She is awesome, and not in the over-used sense of the word, but she truly is awesome. She started training at SAPT last September. When she first showed up, she was familiar with the barbell but was looking for further instruction in the iron game. Her words were, "I just can't figure out the squat. It's just a mess." But she wanted to improve at barbell lifts, specifically the squat, bench, and deadlift.
Her first pushup was on a barbell elevated up to her waist and she really struggled with any sort of single-leg movement. Lunges and split squats were tough and she hated how she wobbled. Not only that, but we started her goblet squatting with 25lbs to groove her mechanics.
Amanda trained, with intensity, three times per week consistently for months and months (and still does!). She was the perfect client: she was consistent, she focused during her training sessions, and she did exactly what we told her to do. Lo and behold! She accomplished her goal of losing 55lbs AND increased her total body strength by enormous levels. Here is a video of some pushups:
I don't know if you, dear reader, can grasp HOW MUCH WORK that took for her to get there. She trained pushups- and their variations- almost every session for MONTHS. Some days she felt as if her arms would fall off and would be sore for days afterwards. Guys, you have no idea how hard it can be for women to accomplish pushups (with great form, by the way) on the floor. It does not come naturally for us and it takes twice as long (if not more) to gain any sort of strength. The above video is a testament to Amanda's tenacity and overall strength gains.
Aside from her pushup accomplishment, Amanda decided to compete in her very first powerlifting meet. This past weekend, actually, was the date. Below are some videos from the meet. (I apologize, Amanda, they're not the most flattering angles, but I was behind the platform.)
Squat- 137.5 lbs (A far cry from that 25lb kettlebell!)
Bench- 81 lbs
Deadlift- 181lbs
I am beyond proud of Amanda and all her hard work!! What you can't see from these videos is that this meet was enormous and there was so much confusion and frustration behind the scenes. But Amanda handled it with a cool, determined attitude and she did fabulously well!!
Amanda has rocked all her workouts and has improved in so, so many areas and it's been a privilege and a blessing to work with her and I'm looking forward to the next meet!
6 Christmas Gift Ideas for the Athlete in Your Life
Let's be real, Christmas shopping sucks, especially when you have no clue what to get your close ones. It's expensive, crowded and often ends in a gift-return regardless of how much thought you've put into it. So to protect you from the experience of mindlessly drifting through the crowded, animatronic-filled wastelands we call, "malls," I wanted to give you a list of items that may help you to develop a strategy for finding the perfect gift for the athlete in your life.
The following list is filled with items that I commonly recommend to our clients and things that anyone who likes the feel of sweat shouldn't go without. They're useful, relatively inexpensive and best of all, can be bought online. Here ya go:
6. Cleatskins
I didn't know what these were at first, either. But, if you've ever worn metal cleats, you know how much of a pain it can be to be anywhere but the playing field. They also could prove handy for the wrestlers in the crowd, enabling you to not have to worry about dirtying your shoes during those long tournaments. Starting at 15.00, they would make great stocking stuffers.
5. Flipbelt
We've all run into the problem of where to leave our keys, how to hold our iPods, and what to do with our wallets while training. Rather than constantly checking your pockets to ensure you haven't dropped anything during a workout, you can now store it in your Flipbelt and not worry about it. They also have many different colors, so you can get one to match you shorts so that people won't realize you're wearing the sporty version of a fanny-pack.
4. Easy Strength by Dan John and Pavel
This book is the definition of simple, yet gives so many gems of knowledge that you seem to never hear anywhere else. It's an easy read and anyone will be able to decipher its training philosophy. If I could recommend one book to get someone started on the right path to training intelligently and appropriately, this would be it. The world would be a much better place if more gyms and weight rooms were filled with the words of Dan and Pavel.
3. VooDoo Floss Bands
VooDoo Floss bands are inexpensive, durable, compact and extremely effective. They're used almost daily in our facility to help athletes flush inflammation from certain tissues or to even aid in mobility work. These bands are slowly becoming a must-have for athletes whilst in-season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnTs8XCc9WY
2. Training Apparel
There's nothing better than having a nice hoodie and sweats to train in or to just wear around. It's become a necessity for me to wear sweatpants and a sweat shirt when I train, otherwise it'll seem take me 30 minutes just to warm up. They're comfortable, and when you're an athlete, appropriate for all occasions. You can find apparel for powerlifters, crossfitters, and tons more for traditional athletes.
2. The Jawbone UP24 Tracker
We've come a long way from the clip-at-the-side pedometer. Jawbone's UP24 stays with you as a wrist band, even as you sleep, to help provide you with invaluable data about your daily habits and how they're affecting your bodily functions. It tracks your sleep patterns(giving you the option of working you at optimal times in your sleep cycles), counts calories, helps you track your diet and helps you set goals. This gift may be more appropriate for your fitness enthusiast friend, but could also aid with athletes who are constantly battling poor recovery habits. For $50 more, you can get the version with a heart-rate monitor so that you can more efficiently monitor your conditioning. There are several similar trackers on the market, but I've heard nothing but good about Jawbone's products
1. Training at SAPT
Is this a shameless self-plug? Maybe. But there's nowhere else in the DMV that has a more thorough initial evaluation to pick apart the athletes' movements and put together a comprehensive and affordable program to ensure continual athletic development. I've had countless parents tell me that training with us was one of the best decisions they ever made for their kids. So bring 'em in and lets get better!
