These are in no particular order. If you fancy giving them a go, please do. DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and basically how long I was in pain in the following days.
6-12-24- Legs
I have learnt many wonderful from strength Sensei Charles Poliquin. One of these delights was a workout popularized by Charles and one I used regularly when it was time to take the intensity to the next level. The first time I did it I was unable to walk downstairs for 6 days...idiot.
The idea is that you do one heavy lift first (more strength focused to hit fast twitch muscle fibers), then you do another exercise on the same muscle that is a touch lighter, that allows you to do 12 reps. The cherry on the cake is the finisher which is 24 reps of another exercise on the same body part that is lighter and allows you to just get 24 reps out. These are all aback to back with no more than 10 seconds rest. Oh and Charles loves Tempo, which means that not only have you got to get these reps done, but slowly and with control throughout. (Read my article on Tempo if you want to know more).
An example workout may look like this
A1 BB Front Squat, 4 sets, 6 reps, 3010, rest 10 seconds
A2 BB Back Squat, 4 sets, 12 reps, 4010, rest 10 seconds
A3 Seated Leg Press, 4 sets, 24 reps, 3010, rest 120 seconds and repeat 4 times
Rest 4 minutes
B1 Glute Ham Raise, 4 sets, 6 reps, 3010, rest 10 seconds
B2 BB Romanian Deadlift, 4 sets, 12 reps, 3011, rest 10 seconds
B3 Seated Leg Curl, 4 sets, 24 reps, 3010, rest 120 seconds and repeat 4 times
Note- The tempo looks good, but I can assure you that you will just smash out the 24 as fast as possible to get it done... I would be lying if I said I didn't... You will get through this quite quickly, but should be dead at the end.
Pain Factor- 4/5
Monotony Factor- 2/5
DOMS Factor- 4/5
2- 30-15-15
Another Charles Poliquin Favorite. this is an interesting one as it does not seem as hard as it should be, but mentally is really tough as it gets so boring.
An example of a workout may look like this
A1 Chin ups, 4 reps, 4010, straight into
A2 BB Chest Press, 4 reps, 4010, straight into A1
Repeat for 30 minutes, make note of how many sets you get in. The weight should be roughly what you could lift 6 reps for. Use a resistance band if you suck at chin ups.
B1 KB Prone Rows, 12 reps, 4010, straight into
B2 Incline DB chest Press, 12 reps, 4010, straight into B1
Repeat for 15 minutes
C1 Cable seated row, 25 reps, 2010, straight into
C2 Cable chest flys, 25 reps, 2010 straight into C1
Repeat for 15 minutes
Pain Factor- 3/5
Monotony Factor- 5/5
DOMS Factor- 4/5
3- Milos Sarcev Giant Sets
I attended a bodybuilding bootcamp at M10 Fitness in Nottingham a couple of years ago and loved it. Milos Sarcev was a very famous body builder i the 90' who competed at the Mr Olympia level. (The best). He is a very bright man and hosted the workshop. He popularized "Giant Sets" and worked with Charles Poliquin too. Giant Sets are effectively 5+ exercises on the same body part back to back. Milos Favorite is actually 10 exercises, with different tempos.
On this bootcamp we actually trained 2x a day with sessions lasting 90 minutes- 120 minutes.
I had Milos personally take me through legs on the last day for one set... it was a religious experience...
I have attached one of our workouts of the 3 days at the bottom of the newsletter
Pain Factor- 5/5
Monotony Factor- 4/5
DOMS Factor- 5/5
4- Adam Jones's W10 Cardio Ladder
I have had Welsh strength and conditioning coaches take me to the cleaners before. They are a special breed of coach and since starting my own training at W10 performance I have had the honour of Coach Adam Jones killing me with this beauty. I would call this one a "character builder".
I recently buggered my knee so it was "cardio" for me... "Pat, get familiar with rower and that kettlebell as you will on them for a while today"
What was on the menu for me
The Ladder- Concept 2 Rowing sprints and 32kg Kettlebell
500m- 4 swings
400m- 8 swings
300m- 12 swings
200m- 16 swings
100m- 20 swings
100m- 20 swings
200m- 16 swings
300m- 12 swings
400m- 8 swings
500m- 4 swings
No rest and flat out
Next- 8 sets
10 push ups
10 gymnastic ring rows
10 36kg KB swings
Finished
Pain Factor- 3/5
Monotony Factor- 5/5
DOMS Factor- 2/5
5- Wave Intervals
I did this one back training with Cardiff MCCU at university. We had some tough coaches and I will never forget how hard David Watts was on us. There were some big personalities and ego's in that team. Good bunch of guys, but everyone was very competitive. We were set to do short sprints, but with a twist.
We were not told how long this would be. The rules were simple, run from this end to the next. If you beat the person on your left, swap with him. The idea being that as people fatigued there would be a natural wave that formed with fastest and fittest to slowest and unfit. You can imagine that no one wanted to be down at the end. The first 10 minutes were hard, but the next 20 were brutal, as people competed hard for the top four. I was very fortunate that I finished 2nd. The guy came first ended up playing rugby for Wales and was an absolute beast. (Aaron Shingler if you are interested).
30 minutes of non stop 15-20 meter sprints
Pain Factor- 4/5
Monotony Factor- 5/5
DOMS Factor- 3/5
Anyway I hope you enjoyed some of those and if you feel you want a challenge, give them a go. If you are not sure how to do them either ask a coach or send me a quick email. Good luck!
Your in Health
Patrick Fallis
PS Giant sets are below here
