kettle ball and chain
Want to know a sure way to burn out? Train all out all the time. Not just every session but also throught out the year cycles. See how long you last without a decline in performance or injury. You do not need to be a slave to your training.
Every thing goes in cycles. Seasons are cycles. Women have their cycles, and men do also, although we hardly notice the signals. But everybody is affected by such cycles. Remember those inexplicable off days even though you had plenty of rest and the ones where you feel in top of Everest?
It is called “physical biorythm”.
Many athletes and coaches know this from experience. They follow a basic structure of 3 weeks on, 1 week of deload. It happens that physical biorythm cycles lasts 23 days, roughly divided like this:
- 3-4 days of medium capacity
- 7-8 days of high capacity
- 3-4 days of medium capacity
- 7-8 days of low capacity
But what about varying your training according to seasons?
Since winter is upon us, I thought I’d share some training and eating wisdom.
Look at nature, some animals go into a hole to hibernate, plants go dormant, and so on. However in our society, because of the luxuries we have readily available, we tend to ignore this harmonious relationship with nature and carry on. Traditional Chinese Medicine still advises people to take it easy during winter. It might all sound like a new age flower eating hippy bunch of crap, but maybe if you gave up your daily stimulants you’d be able to find the truth in yourself.
Winter is not the time to focus on grueling strength and conditioning programs unless you’ll be competing in Winter sport competitions.
Those who train with auto regulation principles understand this phenomenon, they know how to listen to their bodies. However, not many people follow that path.
When you feel good, train harder, when not feeling so good train less. Simple, no? You may have been indoctrined and believe you’re a machine, but you’re not. Eventually the machine breaks down. And then what?
According to sport science textbooks, volume rather than intensity is the biggest factor to account for systemic fatigue. Winter is the perfect time to give your body a slight break and recharge fully for the following Spring, the mating season 
How do you shorten and yet maximize your training?
- Have a good look at your program and cut most if not all the extra assistance exercises you may be doing. Is all the extra stuff really helping you right now?
- Pick 1-3 basic compound exercises each session and train heavy, without going to failure on any set, and keeping overall volume low. (2-3 sets of 4-6 reps, without going all out)
- Reduce your HIIT sessions to 1-2 times a week, and limit duration to 10-15 minutes at most.
- Replace HIIT by low intensity cardio as active recovery to improve restitution, 20 minutes at most.
- Use time on stretching and self massage techniques.
- Wear extra clothes to stay warm and raise temperature faster. A wooly kidney warmer is great to wear, so are full tights under your track pants. Or at least wear some elbow and knee sleves.
- Do not use your warm up as a cardio session. Keep it brief. (Example below)
- Keep all you warm up sets with the bar to 3 reps up to 70% 1RM, and switch to singles until you hit your work weight.
- If possible train in the late afternoon. ”research suggests that late afternoon weight training produces a more favourable post-exercise anabolic hormone profile, with higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol” http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/chronobiology-and-the-internal-clock-35845
- Take at least 2 full days off from training per week, and up to 4 days if you need it.
- Up you vitamin D levels to 100 mcg/ 4000 IU per day, considering ALL sources of vitamin D in your diet (such as egg yolks, butter, lard, Wild caught oily such as fish mackerel and herring ). Your body has no way of making vitamin D in the winter months unless you’re planing a short weekly visit to the solarium.
- While vitamin D plays a role in regulation of both the “infectious” immune system and the “inflammatory” immune system, it can also help improve physical performance.
- More about vitamin D in this article from the Weston Price Foundation
- And watch this video if you have the time
- Finally, reduce the amount of raw foods during the winter. Increase warm drinks and stew like dishes.
Sample warm up:
- 3 min rope skipping
- 2×10 kettlebell swings and goblet squats
- 10 pull aparts, to the chest and to the neck
- 10 medicine ball throws
- 5 x 2-3 box jumps
- Move to your specific lift warm up as per above recommendations
For my own winter training, I chose Pavel’s “Power to the people” format, with a few personal tweaks.
The volume on the compound lifts is so low that it makes it possible to train everyday without problem, or feeling of fatigue.
Right now, this is what this cycle looks like, more or less:
- Warm up 5-10 min
- Deadlift 2 sets of 5
- Bench press 2 sets of 5
- Battling ropes or prowler push 10min (alternated each session)
- Face pulls 1 high rep set
- Stretch 10 min
- Walk home 15 min
Personally, I train 4-5 times a week, and listen to my body for the loads. The actual training time is very short, and leaves me invigorated.
The great thing about the battling ropes system and prowler work is that the eccentric component is very low in these 2 activities, therefore this kind of work enhances recovery instead of taxing my body ( even though it feels like hell while doing it!).
Stay fit and injury free this Winter. Upcoming videos about joint mobility and post training stretching in a week or so.
