Thougts on S&C Training: A halfway report

I'm on my train to Linz. Some time ago, I went through the [instructor] course for "general body education" there – simply said, it's a fitness instructor course. The course took four weeks spread over one semester, with exams being held at the beginning of each week. This time, it'll be a total time of three semesters. I'm not totally sure right now, but I believe it's the same thing as before, i.e. four weeks per semester for a total of 12 weeks. The neat thing with this course is that, unlike private certifications, most of the cost is covered by the state. Of course, this also means harsh examinations…

Anyhow, as much as I'm looking forward to the course, I'm facing an additional challenge. Since I just had my deload week, I need to find time to schedule three heavy S&C sessions somewhere in between classes. That won't be trivial, considering we start at 08:00am and usually don't end before 08:00pm… Guess I'll have to sacrifice my lunch breaks. Tough luck.

So training-wise, my last three weeks were pretty much limited to heavy lifting. This is due to a couple of reasons. First, I'm suffering from a shoulder impingement. By hitting the gym while avoiding the mat I can concentrate on really rehabilitating that shoulder. Things already got significantly better, i.e. less painful. Secondly, my academic program is consuming vast amounts of time at the moment. Just a last couple of milestones left, so I decided to make this priority and get that degree as soon as possible. Finally, I'm going to China on June 29th. Obviously, there I want to spend as much time on martial arts practice as possible. Due to the above two points, though, my stamina isn't exactly where it's supposed to be – also, technique probably isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be. Hence, I'll rely on the great equalizer, strength, to make things easier.

As explained in [this post], I'm following a compressed 5/3/1 program, packing the original three weeks into just two. Everything was covered in the article linked above, so I won't bother going into greater detail here. Instead, I'll provide you with some tables illustrating the process (guess that's the IT-dude in me showing  after all…)

So the first week – let's call it week 0 – was test week. Nothing out of the ordinary here, just work up to 1Rm loads on the deadlift, front squat, barbell press and weighted pull-up. Also, I already did (almost) all the assistance work I planned on doing during the actual program. For reference, I weighed in at 80.0kg on the first test day, so for bodyweight exercise (pull-ups and suspended rows) I'll just use that number.

Week 0, Test Week
	Workout 1
		Warmup
			TGU	16.0 x 5/5
		Test
			Front Squat	100.0 x 1
			Press	62.5 x 1
		Assistance
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			DB Rows	15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
			DB Rows	15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
			DB Rows	15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
			DB Rows	15.0/15.0 x 10 (60'' rest)
	Workout 2
		Warmup
			TGU	16 x 5/5
		Test
			Deadlift, Test	155.0 x 1
			Pull-Up, Test	80.0 + 35.0 = 115.0 x 1
		Assistance
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (60'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 6

Week 1 was A-B-A, i.e. I deadlifted heavy twice. Since I've been following something of an [easy strength] program for quite a while, I decided not to go after AMRAP sets for the time being.

Week 1, A-B-A
	Workout 1
		Warmup
			TGU	16 x 5/5
		5/3/1
			Deadlift	100.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			Deadlift	115.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 7.5 x 5
			Deadlift	130.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 15.0 x 5
		Assistance
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8
	Workout 2
		Warmup
			TGU	16.0 x 5/5
		Power
			Power Clean from hang	40.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	50.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 3
		5/3/1
			Front Squat	65.0 x 5
			Press	40.0 x 5
			Front Squat	75.0 x 5
			Press	47.5 x 5
			Front Squat	85.0 x 5
			Press	52.5 x 3
		Assistance
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	120.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 4 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 6 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 5
	Workout 3
		Warmup
			TGU	24.0 x 3/3
			Power Clean from hang	40.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	50.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 3
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 3
		5/3/1
			Deadlift	110.0 x 3
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			Deadlift	125.0 x 3
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 12.5 x 3
			Deadlift	140.0 x 4
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 20.0 x 4
		Assistance
			Overhead Squat	50.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 4 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			DB Rows	22.5/22.5 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			DB Rows	20.0/20.0 x 8

So after the first week, I was pretty stiff. However, I felt my shoulder getting better. Also, somewhere around the end of that week I got my MRT results, which indicated a dysbalance in my shoulder muscles. After speaking with [Dominik] who's pretty much the chief S&C guy at [Ronny]'s gym, I decided to do [staggered] shoulder rehab, i.e., do a set of typical shoulder-rehab exercise in between my regular sets. Although these are not high-intensity by any means, they still increased my total working volume. Another step that indirectly increased volume was the decision to overcome soreness and stiffness with better (and more) warmup. Moreover, I decided to go above the prescribed rep minimum if possible (although I still wouldn't call my efforts AMRAP).

Week 2, B-A-B
	Workout 1
		Warmup
			KB Clean & Press	16.0 x 5/5
			KB two hand swing	16.0 x 5/5
			KB Goblet Squat	16.0 x 10
			TGU	16.0 x 5/5
			Windmill	16.0 x 5/5
		Power
			Power Snatch from hang	40.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	45.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	45.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	45.0 x 3
		5/3/1
			Front Squat	70.0 x 3
			Press	45.0 x 3
			Front Squat	80.0 x 3
			Press	50.0 x 3
			Front Squat	90.0 x 5
			Press	55.0 x 3
		Assistance
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 5 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 4 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 2
			Suspended Rows	BW x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	BW x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	BW x 6 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	BW x 5
	Workout 2
		Warmup
			KB Goblet Squat	16.0 x 10
			KB two hand swing	16.0 x 5/5
			KB Clean & Press	16.0 x 5/5
			TGU	16.0 x 5/5
			Windmill	16.0 x 5/5
		Power
			Power Snatch from hang	40.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	50.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	50.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	50.0 x 3
		5/3/1
			Deadlift	120.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 7.5 x 5
			Deadlift	130.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 17.5 x 3
			Deadlift	150.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 + 30.0 x 2
		Assistance
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 3 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	BW x 3
			Barbell Rows	50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Barbell Rows	50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Barbell Rows	50.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Barbell Rows	50.0 x 8
	Workout 3
		Warmup
			KB Goblet Squat	16.0 x 10
			KB two hand swing	16.0 x 5/5
			KB Clean & Press	16.0 x 5/5
			TGU	16.0 x 5/5
		Power
			Power Snatch from hang	40.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	50.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	55.0 x 3
			Power Snatch from hang	55.0 x 3
		5/3/1
			Front Squat	75.0 x 5
			Press	45.0 x 5
			Front Squat	85.0 x 3
			Press	55.0 x 3
			Front Squat	95.0 x 4
			Press	60.0 x 2
			Front Squat	95.0 x 5
		Assistance
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift	130.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 4 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3 (25'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 6 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 7

At the end of week 2, my joints were aching. Badly. Form suffered, motivation levels dropped, sleep quality decreased… so, I decided to deload. This will leave me with another two weeks (10.06 – 16.06 and 17.06 – 23.06) for another 5/3/1 cycle plus a couple days of deload before going to China. On the assistance deadlifts, I went for [dynamic effort]. Louie Simmons argues that DE training can be even more taxing on the nervous system than [max effort training]… I absolutely believe in that but still, I don't think my CNS suffered from this. On the contrary, it feel awkward for me to slowly grind out light deadlifts… I'm always trying to move the bar as fast as possible.

Week 3, A-B-A, Deload
	Workout 1
		Warmup
			/
		Power
			Power Clean from hang	40.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	50.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 2
		5/3/1
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
		Assistance
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3 (45'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	20.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 1
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8
	Workout 2
		Warmup
			/
		Power
			Power Clean from hang	40.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	50.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
		5/3/1
			Front Squat	50.0 x 5
			Press	32.5 x 5
			Front Squat	50.0 x 5
			Press	32.5 x 5
			Front Squat	50.0 x 5
			Press	32.5 x 5
		Assistance
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3 (60'' rest)
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 5 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 2
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8 (45'' rest)
			Suspended Rows	80.0 x 8
	Workout 3
		Warmup
			/
		Power
			Power Clean from hang	40.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	50.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	60.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
			Power Clean from hang	70.0 x 2
		5/3/1
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
			Deadlift, DE	80.0 x 5
			Pull-Up	80.0 x 5
		Assistance
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3 (30'' rest)
			Overhead Squat	40.0 x 3
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 6 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 3 (20'' rest)
			Ring Pull-Up	80.0 x 2
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (30'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (30'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8 (30'' rest)
			Cable Rows	6 x 8

For the next two weeks, I'll change a couple of things. First, I'll go AMRAP on everything but the presses. When it comes to that, Dominik advised me to switch over to DB presses to spare and stabilize the shoulders. AS fate would have it, I stumbled across [this] a few days after that… When it comes to my new 1RM, I followed [Wendler's recommendations] and up-regulated to the following:

Deadlift	Squat	DB Press	Pull-Up
160.0	110.0	35.0	80.0 + 40.0 = 120.0

I'll keep you posted on my experiences in Linz as well as the progress of my S&C program.

So long,

take care