So far I have written blogs on different types of workouts – The Warm Up, Sprinting and Women and Weights. This month, I thought it would be helpful for people to see how I put it all together. My workouts are influenced by my experience playing football and over the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to train with a few NFL players at Defranco’s gym in North Jersey. I’ve also trained with ordinary men and women just looking to stay in shape or meet a goal.
For the most part, people train for one of 3 things – to improve performance, to improve their health or to improve their appearance. I believe if you train for performance, the other 2 will take care of themselves.
Here is how I structure my workouts:
- Monday – Track Workout (submaximal, work capacity)
- Tuesday – Speed Training / Lower Body
- Wednesday – Upper Body
- Thursday – Off
- Friday – Track Workout (submaximal, work capacity)
- Saturday - Speed Training / Lower Body
- Sunday – Upper Body
Monday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- Distance 150-300m @ 75-85% reps dependent on distance and %
- Core*
- Foam roll + stretch
Tuesday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- Ladder Drills
- Sprints (either hill or flat) – 100% about 20-30yds
- Jumps (triple broad, box jumps, hurdles, etc.) about 20-30 total jumps
- Med Ball Throws - 10 to 15 throws (keg toss, scoops, chest pass)
- Single Leg training – 2 to 5 reps for 5 sets (can do isometric, eccentric, etc.)
- Posterior Chain – 8 to 15 reps for 2-3 sets (hyperextension, glute/ham raises, single leg RDLs)
- Core training*
- Foam roll + stretch
Wednesday
- Warm Up
- Ladder Drills
- Med ball throws 8-10
- 100 push-ups / 50 chin ups – as fast as possible
1. Speed bench – 50 to 60% of max for 6 sets of 3 reps (reps are as fast as possible)
2. Rowing Variation (inverted row, seated row, 1-arm DB Row) 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3a. Shoulder Press Variation – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
3b. Rear Delts – 2 sets of 20-30 reps
4a. Triceps – 2 sets of 15-20 reps (or timed for 30 secs)
4b. Biceps – 2 sets of 8-40 reps
5. Core*
6. Battling Ropes – 3-4 sets of 50 reps – 15 sec rest
Thursday
- Off!
Friday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- 200m – 75-90% reps dependent on distance and %
- Core*
- Stretch + Foam Roll
Saturday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
1. Sprints – 55-100m 85-95% for about 5-7 sprints
2. Jumps – hurdles (set up 5 hurdles and do 5 in a row, limited ground contact) – 4 to 5 sets
3. Med Ball Throws - 10 to 15 throws (keg toss, scoops, chest pass)
4. Squat Variation (normal, box squat, +chains or band)s** - dependent on percentage of % see chart below
5. Glute/Ham raise – 3 sets of 15 reps
6. Core training*
7. Foam roll + stretch
Sunday
- Warm Up
- Ladders
1. Bench Press**
2. DB Press variation – 2 to 3 sets of 8-20 reps
3. Rowing Variation – 3 sets of 8-40 reps
4a. Chin Up Variation – 3 sets of 8-15 reps
4b. Rear Delts – 3 sets of 15-30 reps
5a. Triceps – 2 sets of 15-20 reps (or timed for 30 secs)
5b. Biceps – 2 sets of 8-40 reps
6. Core*
7. Conditioning (2 sets of 4-5 reps; 30 secs between reps and 2 mins between sets):
8. Sled Push – 30 yards + 50 Battling Ropes
* Most core work are done with anti-rotation focus and done for supersets. I will take 3 core exercises and superset them for 3 sets with about a minute rest per set.
** Below is the Prileipin’s Chart (developed by Russian researchers for Olympic weightlifters). It depicts the optimum number and range of reps, given a certain percentage, to increase strength. I use it as a guideline for squats, bench presses and weighted chin ups. These are for the “max effort days”. The key is never go to failure – leave 1 or 2 in the tank.
For the most part, people train for one of 3 things – to improve performance, to improve their health or to improve their appearance. I believe if you train for performance, the other 2 will take care of themselves.
Here is how I structure my workouts:
- Monday – Track Workout (submaximal, work capacity)
- Tuesday – Speed Training / Lower Body
- Wednesday – Upper Body
- Thursday – Off
- Friday – Track Workout (submaximal, work capacity)
- Saturday - Speed Training / Lower Body
- Sunday – Upper Body
Monday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- Distance 150-300m @ 75-85% reps dependent on distance and %
- Core*
- Foam roll + stretch
Tuesday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- Ladder Drills
- Sprints (either hill or flat) – 100% about 20-30yds
- Jumps (triple broad, box jumps, hurdles, etc.) about 20-30 total jumps
- Med Ball Throws - 10 to 15 throws (keg toss, scoops, chest pass)
- Single Leg training – 2 to 5 reps for 5 sets (can do isometric, eccentric, etc.)
- Posterior Chain – 8 to 15 reps for 2-3 sets (hyperextension, glute/ham raises, single leg RDLs)
- Core training*
- Foam roll + stretch
Wednesday
- Warm Up
- Ladder Drills
- Med ball throws 8-10
- 100 push-ups / 50 chin ups – as fast as possible
1. Speed bench – 50 to 60% of max for 6 sets of 3 reps (reps are as fast as possible)
2. Rowing Variation (inverted row, seated row, 1-arm DB Row) 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3a. Shoulder Press Variation – 2 sets of 8-12 reps
3b. Rear Delts – 2 sets of 20-30 reps
4a. Triceps – 2 sets of 15-20 reps (or timed for 30 secs)
4b. Biceps – 2 sets of 8-40 reps
5. Core*
6. Battling Ropes – 3-4 sets of 50 reps – 15 sec rest
Thursday
- Off!
Friday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
- 200m – 75-90% reps dependent on distance and %
- Core*
- Stretch + Foam Roll
Saturday
- Warm Up + Power Drills
1. Sprints – 55-100m 85-95% for about 5-7 sprints
2. Jumps – hurdles (set up 5 hurdles and do 5 in a row, limited ground contact) – 4 to 5 sets
3. Med Ball Throws - 10 to 15 throws (keg toss, scoops, chest pass)
4. Squat Variation (normal, box squat, +chains or band)s** - dependent on percentage of % see chart below
5. Glute/Ham raise – 3 sets of 15 reps
6. Core training*
7. Foam roll + stretch
Sunday
- Warm Up
- Ladders
1. Bench Press**
2. DB Press variation – 2 to 3 sets of 8-20 reps
3. Rowing Variation – 3 sets of 8-40 reps
4a. Chin Up Variation – 3 sets of 8-15 reps
4b. Rear Delts – 3 sets of 15-30 reps
5a. Triceps – 2 sets of 15-20 reps (or timed for 30 secs)
5b. Biceps – 2 sets of 8-40 reps
6. Core*
7. Conditioning (2 sets of 4-5 reps; 30 secs between reps and 2 mins between sets):
8. Sled Push – 30 yards + 50 Battling Ropes
* Most core work are done with anti-rotation focus and done for supersets. I will take 3 core exercises and superset them for 3 sets with about a minute rest per set.
** Below is the Prileipin’s Chart (developed by Russian researchers for Olympic weightlifters). It depicts the optimum number and range of reps, given a certain percentage, to increase strength. I use it as a guideline for squats, bench presses and weighted chin ups. These are for the “max effort days”. The key is never go to failure – leave 1 or 2 in the tank.
My workouts last about 1.5 hours on average. Saturday is the longest workout because of the recovery time in between sprints (speed days you want close to full recovery) – that is about 2 hours. From an eating stand point – I probably eat anywhere from 3,000- 4,500 calories per day depending on the workout. I take in most carbs at night – it helps your body recover while you sleep. If you train hard and eat clean you won’t have to worry about when or how much you eat. Lastly, while the workout above is for someone in the advanced stages of training, those just starting out or just looking to stay healthy can use a sub-set of the exercises listed. Remember, always do what feel best for you.