Barbell Club – January 2018
January brings the grand finale of the dynamic and maximal effort inspired by the Westside Barbell Club.
Since this method could not be replicated verbatim in a class setting, the first month focussed on dynamic movement, the second on maximum load, and the third now concludes with three weeks of dynamic – adding chains – and one week of max effort to test how far you have come.
How to plan for the next four weeks:
Weeks 1 – 3 return to explosive reps. This month aim to do the main lifts slightly heavier than the last dynamic phase. That said, your movement should remain explosive on the concentric, so if you cease to maintain speed then reduce the weight to that with which you can move fast. Speed is more important than load if you are to benefit from the programme in these first few weeks.
If you completed the previous dynamic phase then, where appropriate, add chains to the bar for this final phase. (If you share one bar between four people this should be possible re timing give or take a few seconds). If you did not attend the last phase either consistently or at all then focus on speed without adding the chains.
Week 4 will switch to maximum effort to do a final test with heavy loads to see how much strength you have hopefully built (bearing in mind that absences over the Christmas period may have had a somewhat negative impact).
Planning for the return of upper/lower splits in the next mesocycle:
The three months thereafter will switch back to some sweaty higher volume sessions to see the winter out. The main lifts (deadlift/squat/bench/OHP/upper pull) will follow these repetition formats:
February: 15, 8, 15, 8, 15
March: 12, 6, 12, 6, 12, 6
April: 8, 4, 8, 4, 8, 4
There will be upper and lower supersets in all sessions.
This outline is being posted now so that you have time to think about how to approach these coming months. The 8 reps in month three should be heavier than the 8 reps in month one, for example. Keep a log of what you lift each month to ensure that you progress.
Most of all, enjoy. This should be fun 🙂
Jenna x