[easy tiger]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking the S&P forums for a good while now, but have never decided to post and just made a user name. Anyways, I am a grappler that is currently training off-season (Minimal on-mat work at the moment due to availability - 3 days currently as opposed to the in-season 6). My goal is to maximize "functional" strength for lack of a better word, as well as explosiveness. Mass is not an issue at all. This is the current workout a grappling partner and I compiled and are using. I believe it is generally geared towards our goals, but I was wondering if anything should be added/removed/changed.

The ab/oblique/hip workouts I did not put in but they are all weighted or plyometric (medicine ball decline throws, dragon flags, etc.).

We do grip work 3x a week (Farmer's Walks, CoC Overcrushes, Towel Pullups, Plate Pinches, 2'' PVC Roller)

We occasionally throw in oly lifts on leg days as well.

On non-lifting days, we either grapple or do 6 3-minute rounds of sandbag GPP.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Day 1 - Upper Body Push/Ab Work
Flat Bench Press - 4 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 1 alternate with DB
Incline Bench Press - 5 x 5
Military Press - 5 x 5
Close Grip Bench Press - 3 x 8 alternate with Skull Crushers - 3 x 8
Plyo Pushups - 3 x 10
Medicine Ball Chest Passes - 2 x 10

Day 2 - Lower Body Push/Oblique Work

Back Squats - 4 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 1
Explosive Box Squats - 10 x 2 (60% 1RM)
Weighted Lunges - 2 x 12
Pistols - 3 x 12
Jump Squats - 3 x 10
Rock Climbers - 3 x 10

Day 3 - Upper Body Pull/Hip Flexor Work

Weighted Chinups - 5 x 5
Bent Over Row - 4 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2
One Arm Pulls - 3 x 5/Side
Weighted Wide Grip Pullups - 2 x 6
Seated Row - 5 x 5
Powershrugs - 5 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 1


Day 4 - Lower Body Pull/Grip work

Deadlift - 5 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2, 1 x 1
Romanian Deadlift - 10 x 3 (60% 1 RM)
One Hand Snatches - 10 x 1
Goodmornings - 3 x 8
Band Hypers - 3 x 6

[Monger]

Not to bad in my opinion. The volume is a bit higher than I like but if you can recover from it ok I guess its fine.

One comment that I will make is that your DE work and plyo's might not be that effective after heavy sets of similar movements. The goal with that type of training is maintaining the speed and explosiveness. When you do them already tired as hell I think it defeats its purpose. I'd try to hit your DE and Plyo work on different days, weeks, or at least make them first in your workout. Just my thoughts.

[easy tiger]

Would you say that the DE/Plyo work would work well with a GPP type workout 6 to 8 hours (or alone without the GPP in the same time frame) before the heavy weight workout? Is it beneficial to alternate weeks of ME and DE? What do you believe is most efficient to maximize both explosiveness and strength while gaining minimal mass? Thanks for the quick reply.

[Monger]

Ya, you could do your DE/plyo and then go into your GPP. I'm a little confused on your 6-8 hour thing. Are you saying that you want to do DE/Plyo and then 6-8 hours later do your strength routine? If so, ya, that's probably ok.

I think the norm (and someone will correct me if I'm wrong) is to alternate between ME/RM and DE/RM. I think the main issue with DE/Plyo work is that you need to be fresh so you can put 100% effort into it... speed is king for that stuff.

I like this article for reference.

http://www.elitefitnesssystems.com/d...ate_system.htm

[easy tiger]

Yeah, you understood the 6-8 hour thing correctly. I assume I'd be fresh enough to lift again after doing one first and then the other 6-8 hours later. On another note, is it worth putting olympic lifts into the program? Lastly, would strongman training ( carrying implements, flipping tires, etc.) further condition me or strengthen me? I don't know much about the field but I'd like to delve into it a bit because I believe it'd have a great carryover to grappling. I'd appreciate it if you or anyone else had any useful stuff concerning anything that'd have maximum carryover to grappling/wrestling. Thank you.

[BabyPhenom]

not bad!

[easy tiger]

Thanks for the reply. Is the general concensus that the program is decent if I changed around the plyometrics to a time when I am fresh? An acquaintance suggested doing 3 3-minute rounds of sandbag training before lifting. Personally, I didn't think that would help during the offseason since I'm trying to get stronger and I'm already doing GPP on off-days. Is it possible to make strength gains from sandbag training, or is it solely a conditioning activity?

[infamy]

good stuff, gets my approval

[easy tiger]

Thanks infamy. Any takers on my last question? Also, someone suggested there is too much pushing and not enough pulling. They also said that I should be doing more olympic lifts and pulls, and my military press should be my main activity as opposed to bench press on Day 1. Any truth to this?

[Monger]

Originally Posted by easy tiger

Thanks infamy. Any takers on my last question? Also, someone suggested there is too much pushing and not enough pulling. They also said that I should be doing more olympic lifts and pulls, and my military press should be my main activity as opposed to bench press on Day 1. Any truth to this?

I wouldn't do the sand bag routine directly before your lifting routine, especially if you are in a phase of making strength training a priority. It will take away from your lifts. It's preferred to do your GPP on separate days if possible. If that's not possible try to at least do it a few hours after lifting.

Your push/pull ratio looks fairly even to me. As I mentioned in my initial post, its more volume than I'd like. As long as you can recover between training sessions, you're fine. If you feel burned out, simply eliminate one push and one pull exercise until you reach a good balance.

Prioritizing an OHP movement over Bench Press is completely up to you. Many argue that OHP is more important and many will argue the opposite. Many feel that OHP has more athletic carry over and I tend to agree with this, mainly because you are on your feet and it involves much more stabilization. Also, if you keep your elbows in front of your shoulders on the OHP I believe it's easier on the shoulders than bench press.

I won't comment on Olympic lifts because I don't have experience with them. The downside is that they require a higher learning curve and skill in comparison to other lifts. The advantage is that they could add a good degree of explosiveness if performed correctly.