[Espo]

Hey Entropy, I am just curious because your a pretty knowledgeable fellow to say the least. I was just wondering what your training regimen is including all mma activities, cardio, and weighttraining. I know you are a firm believer in the individual knowing what is right for them but I thought it would be cool if everyone on the forum got a peek at your routine.

[jrocc]

come on man!!!

[ENTROPY]

You wouldn’t believe the amount of times I’ve been PM’s with requests for my magic routine that doesn’t even exist.

The fact is that routines don’t make people strong. Lifting heavy weights with low reps does. I have seen countless lifters with utterly deplorable routines who have gotten quite strong by simply lifting heavy weights for low reps. This is not to say that all routines can potentially achieve the same result, because it’s not the case. Even so, my experience has been that with most lifters, their primary obstacle to getting strong is rarely their routine.

Do the following if you want to get strong:

* Assess and identify your exact weak points and then address each weakness individually.

* Increase your external rotator strength.

* Attack you upper back and rear delts more than you have in the past. This will do wonders!

*Learn how to arch your back. You will not bench to your potential if you don’t master this!

* Get the heck out of your mental comfort zone! Lifting heavier weights than ever before is all in your head!

* Exhibit the stubbornness of a wild donkey AND DON’T GIVE IN!!!

* Eat like a starving hoss.

* Perform all your work with a higher level of mental intensity than you have before.

I don’t care if you’ve got AIDS; when you strictly adhere to each area that I’ve outlined above, you will get much stronger and this is even before making a single routine change.
You’ve heard it before, but strength is a function of the CNS and not only of musculature. Therefore IT MUST be an important component of your training if getting stronger is your legitimate goal.

An ideal way to train the CNS is to train with maximal weights for low reps and by performing sports specific exercises with approximately 50% of your single max using an almost ballistic execution of the movement. This level of speed causes the brain to fire a maximal number of muscle fibers simultaneously thus stressing your CNS without overtraining. In order for your speed day to stress your CNS maximally, you must apply 100 percent effort to the bar, ie: If you bench press 400 pounds and are training with 200 pounds then you simply must apply 400 pounds of force to the bar.

Also, never train max lifts on back to back days and allow at least 72 hours between max lifting days. Rotate your max lifts every 1 to 3 weeks thus enabling you to adapt to a high work load without compromising the heavy weights required to increase you CNS tolerance. Also, it is necessary to reduce the percentage you lift ever 4 to 6 weeks for one or more weeks so as to allow a positive healing and adaptation period. Start over with week 1 at roughly 77% of your single max and progressively add weight each week until you’ve arrived at your max weight and continue the process for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

In order to increase your CNS without overtraining do the following:

* Cycle your single rep max percentage every 4 to 6 weeks, where you begin at 70% and work your way up to your max and repeat 6 weeks later.

* Change the movements you perform along with the set/rep routine you employ every 4 to 6 weeks in order to avoid burnout and staleness.

* Never perform max lifts back to back, and allow at least two days between max lifts in order to allow your CNS sufficient time to recover.

* In order to avoid frying your CNS, perform only one type of special strength training movement per session, with the other movements being assistance movements.

* In order to increase CNS efficiency and response, perform at least two days a week of a speed movement (bench, squat) where you use literally 50% of your single rep max and perform 2 to 3 reps extremely fast for about 8 to 12 sets.

* Also, when doing speed work, use only one given weight in order that your CNS can properly accommodate the task that it’s asked to perform.

* Perform some kind of GPP movement at least once a week so as to allow for positive increases in your overall work capacity. For example, you could perform sled pulls, sand bag throws/lifts, farmer walks, tire flips, etc…

With regard to routines, there are countless routine variations that one can employ, and ultimately the only thing that you can do is to find out what works best for your specific body type, fiber type, time availability, recovery ability, etc, and then make small, yet constant adjustments to your chosen routine until you're in the zone; and even then you’ll have to make changes based on other factors.

In terms of justifying a particular weight training workout, one must first have a specific training goal and keep in mind that if the goal is specific, the training should be specific. Once that goal has been established, a program should be constructed which utilizes specific training methods that develop the motor qualities specific to the athletic action. As such, one should not follow my routine expecting that it will address their needs if their goals differ to mine.

I’m a firm believer in Westside protocol; however I modify things often so as to fit into my schedule, injury recovery time, etc. Since strength and power gain are among my primary goals, as stated earlier, I strive to keep my CNS fresh by choosing an assistance lift for the relevant ME lifts for 4 weeks; then rotate it with the next movement in line, thus allowing consistent strength gains without plateauing.

Below is one of my recent routine examples that I’ve got written down, which I follow to a fair degree (most of the time):

MONDAY * ME SQUAT
For the ME squat / deadlift movement I alternate between box squats, full squats, front squats, deadlifts and rack pulls with 4 weeks devoted to each. I typically warm up with 3 reps and continue to add weight until I can no longer perform 3 reps. At this point I drop the reps to a single and continuing working up to a single max.
High pulls: 3 sets of 6 reps
Weighted hyperextentions: 4 sets of 6 reps
Weighted incline sit ups: 4 sets of 8 (pausing at midpoint for 2 seconds)
Twisted hanging leg raises: 4 sets to failure
Reverse and forward sled dragging

TUESDAY * ME BENCH
For the ME bench I alternate between close grip bench, floor presses, rack presses, dumbbell presses and incline barbell presses with 4 weeks devoted to each.
I typically warm up with 3 reps and continue to add weight until I can no longer perform 3 reps. At this point I drop the reps to a single and continuing working up to a single max.
Decline French press: 4 sets of 5 reps
Single arm reverse pushdowns: 3 sets of 10reps
Dumbbell military presses: 3 sets of 8 reps
Rear delt raises: 4 sets of 10 reps
Grip work

WEDNESDAY * MUAY THAI Shadowboxing Combination drills Heavy bag work Light stretching Sparring Rotational ab movement with an upper and lower cable pully - akin to a sword chopping movement: 5 sets of 10 reps Stretching

THURSDAY * DE SQUAT
Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM (45 to 60 sec rest between sets)
Good Mornings: 4 sets of 3 reps
Pull throughs: 4 sets of 6 reps
Pull down ab crunches: 5 sets of 10 reps
Ab wheel: 4 sets of 10 reps
400 meter jog
Sprints: 10 x 100 meters with 30 seconds rest

FRIDAY * DE BENCH & GRAPPLING / MAT WORK
Bench: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; using three different grips; (45 to 60 sec rest between sets)
French press on decline bench: 4 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell side raises: 3 sets of 12 reps
Single arm dumbbell snatches: 5 sets of 1 rep
Hyperextentions: 2 sets of 15 reps
Submission and escape drills
Stand up only grappling
All out grappling

SATURDAY * GPP / ODD LIFTS
Farmer walks
Turkish get ups
Keg lifts/throws
Shot put
Rock carry
Weighted Run - barbell on back

[Foulsmeller]

Hey, ENT!

Good shit. Long time man, hope you're doing well.

I'm on my way to the big sandbox..I'll send you some of the extra sand

[ENTROPY]

Bro, I'm glad to see you around also!

If you manage to get some internet access while nobly defending our freedoms against the death cult, come by and give us an update every so often.

[Foulsmeller]

Originally Posted by ENTROPY

Bro, I'm glad to see you around also!

If you manage to get some internet access while nobly defending our freedoms against the death cult, come by and give us an update every so often.

IF? Dude, I'll be living like a king....

[Monger]

Thanks for taking the time to post this, Entropy. Do you attend a school for Muay Thai and Grappling or are you working out on your own?

[Vagrant]

Hey Entropy,

Really informative post. I have a couple questions that I was wondering if you could address (or Carnal, Urban, Keith, or anyone else can chime in)

Can you give what you consider the pros and cons of your routine vs. the pros/cons of something like what Carnal suggests in his "treatise on heavy iron"? Whereas he recommends lifting 3x a week, with a day devoted to Squats, Push, and Pulls each, and primarily focuses on ME work, you opt for the 4x a week, where you combine Squats/Pulls and place (seemingly) equal emphasis on ME/DE work. Are there advantages and disadvantages to each style, and if so, what are they?

On a DE day, what rep range do you prefer for your assistance exercises? and are your main DE exercises always different from the ones you would do on your ME day?

Also, a less important, and probably less intelligent question (forgive my ignorance here): why the high reps on exercises like the single-arm reverse pushdowns, rear delt raises, dumbbell side raises, and french press decline?

Thanks for any info

[Lusst]

Thanks for the post Ent.

[bacon]

Originally Posted by Lusst

Thanks for the post Ent.

Plus juan. Thanks man.