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TIME TO CHANGE IT UP…

Well, I noticed that in the last week or two I had been subtly and gradually doing something that was going to be in the works anyway…changing the nature of my weightlifting routine. Quite often, the received wisdom is something along the lines of six weeks of a given training program, then possibly a week of recovery, and then a new training program – the goal being to stress the muscles in a different manner and “shocking” them into continued growth.

It has been less than six weeks of my return to serious weight training, but this return followed an extended period where I was focused primarily on other physical aspects of training…plus when I returned to the weights from a bodybuilding perspective, I essentially returned to my old routine. So I have no qualms whatsoever about changing up the system this far into my return. As mentioned, it has already been happening on its own anyway.

THE PHILOSOPHY FOR THIS PHASE…

The focus on this new chapter of the workout regimen is going to be a complete avoidance of complacency, a strict focus on form and timing, and essentially a 5-0-5 or 5-1-5 tempo, depending on the exercise in question. This contrasts against something in the neighborhood of a 2-1-2 tempo in the previous regime.

In other words, there will now be a mental five count during both the concentric and eccentric phases of the exercise, with a zero or one count at beginning and finishing positions. If anything, my five count is slower than the typical gymrat, so each rep may be a little more painful than 5-0-5 would normally dictate. At the same time, I expect each rep and each set to be grueling and productive.

Another focus of this chapter will be shoring up some weak areas that developed during my distance running excursions. Yes, it was somewhat antithetical to the bodybuilding training but it was an interesting, fun and rewarding chapter – and one that I do intend to revisit. But back to the basics for now. My running workouts often left my legs so tired that I began skipping leg workouts frequently. You can imagine what the result was there. Cluck, cluck.

I also just lost a great deal of size overall, but back and shoulders suffered in particular, far more so than chest, biceps and triceps. As a result, the two former areas will also receive the “special treatment” with high intensity and breadth of exercise variety. I am predicting a fairly rapid and effective return to ideal proportions. Gone are the days of going through the motions and satisfaction with either holding ground or losing ground too slowly to really notice as it happens.

For this chapter, I will be using two-minute rests between sets. Historically, I have used shorter rests most of the time, and there is nothing to stop me from shortening it again in the next phase or workout program if I feel the need to return to those ways. With the increased intensity and strain involved in sets and reps, the additional rest should be welcome not only for plateau-preventing variety but for mental preparation and focus.

Finally, in the last month or two, I have also noticed myself taking abs (one of my traditional strong areas) for granted, and slacking off on their training. It always seems like when you up the intensity in one area, something else inevitably suffers unless you are supremely vigilant. Starting today with the Anvil of Crom, the abs are going to receive the attention they deserve. Otherwise, the next time I change up the routine, I’ll be writing about shoring them up as a weak point.

EXPLAINING THE NAMESAKE…

And just so that you have a bit of an idea what I’m talking about with the whole Conan / Crom thing, here is the audio track of Anvil of Crom, from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. The YouTube uploader in this case has set the track to some footage from a Conan video game. It isn’t quite the movie, but it does the trick.

And hey, if you’re bringing your iPod to help you time your breaks between sets, Anvil just happens to hit a distinctive and fast-paced segment at about the 1:55 mark, making it a good candidate for a two-minute rest marker. It has also become the entrance music of choice for fan-favorite MMA fighter Tim “the Barbarian” Boetsch of the UFC.