heavy day/light day plan (% of 1RM)

composite

I'm putting together a winter (off season) training plan for mountain biking. This plan will start in November. I'm scheduling in a 4 week "hypertrophy period". This essentially involves 4 sessions a week 2 heavy 2 light. This is based on the "Morris Plan" which was pointed out to me by EvgeniZyntx.

I will be doing a 2 week preparation period to build into this and use this time to calculate my 1 rep max.

I'm totally new to calculating stuff using a % of 1 rep max so I have no idea if the plan below is sensible. I have read around a few google searches but I'm not really satisfied at the minute that I know what I doing.

My plan at the moment is:

Heavy day - 6 sets
1/2 @ 65% 1RM 8-10 reps
3/4 @ 70% 1RM 8-10 reps
5/6 @ 75% 1RM 8-10 reps

Light day - 4 sets
1/2 @ 55% 1RM 12-15 reps
3/4 @ 60% 1RM 12-15 reps


I'm sure there will need to be some tweaking once I'm into it but as a starting place does this sound reasonable?

__delete

I'm sure SS and Sara will be here shortly to sort out your actual lifts.


But what lifts are you planning on doing with this? Are you biking/on the trainer while doing this?


Have you looked into: The Mountain Biker's Training Bible, Joe Friel at all? I got it last year, but then ended up taking this race year off. He has a write up in there for weight/gym work as well to compliment the training plans you setup through the book. Not to give more useless information, but just as an alternative if you weren't familiar with it.

composite

My routine is:
Rack squat
Ham string curl
Leg press

Plank

Dumbbell incline bench press (I may change this to Dumbbell chest press and add in Dumbbell shoulder press)
Seated cable rows
Lat pull down

Dead lift (I will be managing the weight separately for dead lift for various reasons.)

These tend to be the lifts that most biking weight routines tell you to do, there appears to be very little variation from the stuff I have read. The exercises I'm happy with, that isn't really the issue. It's more the % of 1RM and what equates to a heavy day and a light day.

During this period I won't be doing any riding other than my commuting. I'm treating this as a hard weight lifting period and it's just about building a little extra muscle. I will be doing work on strength and then turning the raw power into speed in the months afterwards. I have written up more about my plan here: http://www.composite-projects.co.uk/2013/07/plan-for-racing-in-2014-part1/ if you are interested to see the timetable. I'm writing up the detail of each period of the plan as I go.
Currently writing the hypertrophy stage as mentioned.

Hendrix7

Heavy day - 6 sets
1/2 @ 65% 1RM 8-10 reps
3/4 @ 70% 1RM 8-10 reps
5/6 @ 75% 1RM 8-10 reps

I'm sure SS and Sara will chime in but this Seems a bit bizarre to me, 65% of 1rep max isn't really heavy.

You are also either assuming a very fast rate of progression, or starting far too light if you can progress from 8 reps @ 65% to 8 reps at 75% over a 3 week period.

I would just go back to basics

heavy day is 5 sets of 5, light day is 4 sets of 8-10 and focus on increasing the weight /getting a few more extra reps each session. this seems overly complicated.

composite

So firstly just an explanation that's 6 sets in a session. Sets 1&2 65% 1RM 8-10reps, Sets 3&4 70% 1RM 8-10reps, Sets 5&6 75% 1RM 8-10reps. Does that make any difference to your point?

The point of this period of training is about increasing muscle mass most importantly on the legs but all over would be OK. I'm only talking 4 weeks here though I'm not trying to be Arnold.
I will go on to a pure strength period after this. (heavier, lower reps).

OK so a question at this point.

1. As a very general rule of thumb would people be in agreement with the following about rep ranges?

1-5 reps is strength.
8-12 reps is hypertrophy
15+ is endurance

Sarauk2sf

Re rep ranges - copying from one of my threads:



Different rep ranges cause a different type of stress on the body and it reacts differently to each.

The lower rep range (1 – 5) causes neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically it makes you stronger but does has a lesser impact to your muscle mass.

The mid rep range (6 – 12) the impact is more on the metabolic and cellular level where you gain muscle mass but strength gains are not as significant as you would get in the lower rep ranges. This is the general rep range for hypertrophy, or mass gains.

The higher rep ranges (13+) stimulate muscle endurance primarily with only a small amount of hypertrophy and very little strength and as such is not considered strength training in the strict sense of the word.

Note, that there is no hard and fast line between the effects of the above, but rather a continuum. Also, the number of sets plays into how much is strength v hypertrophy v endurance. For example, you can do 5 sets of 6 reps for a total of 30 lifts, or you can do 10 sets of 3 lifts for a total of 30 lifts. If you do them to an equivalent level of failure, the time under tension will be the same. The number of sets does not automatically turn it from strength to hypertrophy due to the rest periods between sets, but it does have a bearing on where in the continuum the routine lies.

So, in summary:
1 – 5 reps = strength
6 – 12 reps = hypertrophy
12+ = endurance

So, the appropriate rep ranges really depend on your goals as well as your overall lifting program. Most ‘standard’ programs focus on the upper end of the strength range so benefits of both strength and some hypertrophy are gained.

composite

Great that's how I understood it, thanks.

Think I'm just going to experiment in terms of what % of 1 RM I use.

EvgeniZyntx

The "hypertrophy" periodisation in the Morris Plan is based on a mid rep range for hypertrophy and a high rep range to maintain endurance for what is basically prep for strength and enudrance work.

It aligns nicely with what Sara is pointing out as those ranges.

Two comments - (1) it is followed later by specific strength work - and (2) while it is called hypertrophy by Morris, it really is an initial part of the muscular and neural adaptation as the first few weeks are just not enough for that. If anything, stretch the first two weeks adaptation to 3 or even 4 if you have the time in your schedule.

Now a general of weight lifting for BB vs sports focused. We are talking about periodized training which is oriented to specific performance goals - the following oversimplifies the goals of BB but it does clarify a bit:

Different Types of Strength Training
Unlike bodybuilding, where the only aim is to increase the size and appearance of muscles, strength training programs for sport ultimately must develop either explosive power or muscular endurance (2). However, rather than immediately embarking on a program to improve either or both of these fitness components, a more effective approach is to first build a solid foundation...

Basic Strength
Basic strength training programs adapt the body for more strenuous resistance training later on. It's objective is to prepare the body by targeting all of the major muscle groups, tendons, ligaments and joints helping to prevent injury (2).

The less experienced an athlete is, the more time they will need to spend developing foundational strength before progressing onto more advanced forms of resistance training. But even experienced athletes should set aside some time during the year to complete a phase of basic strength training. It can help to redress some of the muscle imbalances that inherently occur with competitive sport.

Hypertrophy
Some athletes will benefit from increasing their lean body mass by adding extra muscle bulk. However, the number of athletes that require hypertrophy training or a phase of bodybuilding is far fewer than most would expect. Larger muscles are not necessarily stronger and more weight - even lean, active weight - can be a hindrance in many sports.

Maximal Strength
Bodybuilders have exceptional muscle mass but they are typically bigger than they are strong. Maximal strength training programs do not necessarily increase the size of a muscle (hypertrophy) but they do lead to neuromuscular adaptations that are favourable to most athletes. Even endurance athletes can benefit from maximal strength training (5,6).

Explosive Power
Just as an athlete can be extremely muscular and lack an associated level of strength, they can also be exceptionally strong but lack significant power. Most athletic movements occur much more rapidly and demand significantly more power than lifting maximal loads. If maximal strength is not converted into sport-specific power, athletic performance will not improve - certainly not to the extent that it could.

Muscular Endurance
While many sports are dominated by powerful, explosive actions some athletes are required to overcome a relatively low resistance but for a prolonged period of time. Just as power athletes should convert maximal strength into explosive power, endurance athletes should aim to convert maximal strength into muscular endurance.

Of course, many team sports require a combination of the two - power and strength endurance - and developing both simultaneously without one negating the other requires careful consideration.

This outlines a bit what the Morris Plan is based on -- http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/strengthtrainingprograms.html

Just as important as making sure you do your workouts are -

The duration of each phase, don't short yourself by making the phases short. Given that you have a lot of time until the season next year, feel free to extend each section by a week.
Rest, rest, rest - you will have a tendancy to overtrain - especially in the end of the aerobic endurance and MSP phases, get your time off to assure recovery.

For those interested in the MP:

http://ashwinearl.blogspot.de/2005/11/off-season-training-index-and.html

And ...

Have you looked into: The Mountain Biker's Training Bible, Joe Friel at all? I got it last year, but then ended up taking this race year off. He has a write up in there for weight/gym work as well to compliment the training plans you setup through the book. Not to give more useless information, but just as an alternative if you weren't familiar with it.

In my opinion - Friels book is excellent - I tried it for a few months but found it more complicate than Morris. In the cycling community I think either is seen as a reasonable approach - i just had more experience with the Morris Plan.

composite

Two comments - (1) it is followed later by specific strength work - and (2) while it is called hypertrophy by Morris, it really is an initial part of the muscular and neural adaptation as the first few weeks are just not enough for that. If anything, stretch the first two weeks adaptation to 3 or even 4 if you have the time in your schedule.

I will be doing some weight work up until the 2 weeks specific prep so I will not be going from nothing straight into the prep phase. I'm using the "prep phase" to step it up some (with minimal riding) before the bigger lifting of the hypertrophy phase which in my current schedule is 4 weeks; so 6 in total before getting to the maximal strength part. Do you think that's enough or would you still suggest trying to fit in an extra week of "prep"?

Basic Strength
Basic strength training programs adapt the body for more strenuous resistance training later on. It's objective is to prepare the body by targeting all of the major muscle groups, tendons, ligaments and joints helping to prevent injury (2).

The less experienced an athlete is, the more time they will need to spend developing foundational strength before progressing onto more advanced forms of resistance training. But even experienced athletes should set aside some time during the year to complete a phase of basic strength training. It can help to redress some of the muscle imbalances that inherently occur with competitive sport.

Hypertrophy
Some athletes will benefit from increasing their lean body mass by adding extra muscle bulk. However, the number of athletes that require hypertrophy training or a phase of bodybuilding is far fewer than most would expect. Larger muscles are not necessarily stronger and more weight - even lean, active weight - can be a hindrance in many sports.

So this is the 6 weeks bit yeah?

Maximal Strength
Bodybuilders have exceptional muscle mass but they are typically bigger than they are strong. Maximal strength training programs do not necessarily increase the size of a muscle (hypertrophy) but they do lead to neuromuscular adaptations that are favourable to most athletes. Even endurance athletes can benefit from maximal strength training (5,6).

2 weeks is what I have scheduled. (High weight low reps)

I'm thinking possibly reducing the hypertrphoy phase by 1 week and increasing the maximal by 1 week.

Explosive Power
Just as an athlete can be extremely muscular and lack an associated level of strength, they can also be exceptionally strong but lack significant power. Most athletic movements occur much more rapidly and demand significantly more power than lifting maximal loads. If maximal strength is not converted into sport-specific power, athletic performance will not improve - certainly not to the extent that it could.

Muscular Endurance
While many sports are dominated by powerful, explosive actions some athletes are required to overcome a relatively low resistance but for a prolonged period of time. Just as power athletes should convert maximal strength into explosive power, endurance athletes should aim to convert maximal strength into muscular endurance.

Of course, many team sports require a combination of the two - power and strength endurance - and developing both simultaneously without one negating the other requires careful consideration.

Timetabled 2 weeks of low weight high reps and intervals (power phase).

The duration of each phase, don't short yourself by making the phases short. Given that you have a lot of time until the season next year, feel free to extend each section by a week.

My last race for this year is in October (doing an unsupported over nighter. This is mostly to check I can handle the suffering - 200km in the Welsh mountains off road in October is likely to be challenging :sick: :laugh: ) so the off season plan was going to start after that.

As currently planned it takes me up until the end of March (last week of March is rest). First event of 2014 I want to do is April and then there is at least something once a month for most of the year (12 hour/24 hour/unsupported multi day).

Rest, rest, rest - you will have a tendancy to overtrain - especially in the end of the aerobic endurance and MSP phases, get your time off to assure recovery.

I have specifically timetabled rest weeks in for this. I'm totally on board with the idea that the adaptation happens during rest not during training. :happy:

In my opinion - Friels book is excellent - I tried it for a few months but found it more complicate than Morris. In the cycling community I think either is seen as a reasonable approach - i just had more experience with the Morris Plan.

I just decided to stick with Morris as generally speaking it made sense to me and that was the info I had.

composite

Hmmm just realised something about what I said.

I first ask if you still think I should increase the prep/hypertrophy period from 6 to 7 weeks, then in the next question I suggest I might reduce the hypertrophy period by 1 week to make maximal strength longer. Clearly that makes no sense. Haha. Hmmm maybe I could reduce the intervals at the end by a week.

Hmm I thought starting the end of October would give me plenty of time but maybe not....