When it comes to weightlifting, I find that the things that work best have to be done in a system which includes 4 key areas

1. The classic lifts
2. Dynamic power lifts
3. Volume
4. Mobility
5. Rest

Doing 4 of those 5 will get you general results, but once I committed to completing all of these as a regimen did I really see improvement.

To understand how this works I really have to break down my training regimen and explain how it all fits together.

I structure my training around 6 week blocks.

 In general I follow the Russian philosophy of wave loading and exercise selection for my lifts. This means that on week 1 my average training load will be somewhere around 68%-73% of the classic lift maxes, so for example:

• Snatch – 16 Minute EMOM in 2 Waves – Average Training load = 72%
• Power Clean and 2 Push Jerks – 5×1+2/65%
• Jerk from Blocks – 8×1/75%
• Front Squat – 8×8/55%

That’s a pretty good Monday workout for me. Using this template, increase weight 2.5kg-5kg each week for the next 5 weeks leading up to a Max Day.

If you look long term this is similar to what Wendler preaches. You have your 6 week block, then at the end of it, depending on how your Max Day goes, increase training max, stay the same, or even decrease 2.5kg-5kg. Start your new 6 week block.

I like to view these blocks as a lifetime pursuit instead of a short term one.

With that out of the way, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

How to Create a Training Week

 For me I have a workout planned every single day but I generally follow the same format to the training week

Weightlifting

• Monday – Volume Day
  • On my Mondays I pick either the snatch or the clean and jerk for an EMOM between 12 and 30 minutes. It’s hard but there to work on technique and not to break records. Of course the aim here is to miss exactly 0 times. If I miss 3 times, it’s over, move on the next item
  • The whichever lift is not the EMOM lift is broken down into its complimentary parts for positional work

• Tuesday – Squat Day
  • Go hard, Go Heavy, Go for volume
  • I do very light versions (60%-70%) on the classic lifts for doubles and triples
  • Then I follow that up with my squats. Here, no bones about it, I go Wendler with the BBB assistance work for squats. I also do both back and front on the same day right after the other. The 5/3/1 format works best for me because it fits into the way I program, completing 2 full cycles before increasing the TM.
• Wednesday – Heavy Variation
  • This will require an excellent knowledge of your power and partial maxes
  • I go for 90%+ on these days these include but are not limited to classic lifts:
    • Off blocks
    • From Hang
    • Pulls
    • Muscle
    • Positional
  • Thursday – Complex Day
    • These workouts are always the most fun. Try out a TOR Complex, a Klokov Complex or just a complex of your weak points. For example one that I work on a lot is the following
      • Power Snatch + Hang Snatch
      • Power Clean + 2 Front Squat + Plus Jerk
    • The other purpose is to use the light weight to address individual needs or try something fun and see how you stack up.
  • Friday
    • Go Full Max
    • On anything really. Classic lifts or partials. Fridays are set aside for heavy singles. I don’t normally try to push past 100% until max week but regardless of what happens your TM remains the same, and is always dictated by Max Day
  • Saturday & Sunday
    • I do crossfit, don’t fuckin shoot me. Nothing else combines repetition with cardio better, and you know what, it’s helped me with my training.

Strength

 The other half of my programming includes dynamic strength work. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I add a morning workout that focuses on two areas, pressing and pulling.

Again here I follow Wendler progressions for the Press, Push Press, and Jerks/Pull-ups, Pendlay Rows, and Snatch or Clean Pulls. Ill provide an example of a workout:

• Long Jump – 15
• Push Press – 5/45% 5/55% 3/65% 5/75% 3/85% 1+/95%
• Front Squat – 8×8/65%
• Chin Up – 50
• Parallel Bar Dips – 50

Squats are always light and always for volume. Gymnastic is always for reps. The primary lifts are always dynamic (no strict powerlifts). The workouts are always less than an hour

Mobility

 When I started I did yoga 2 times a week, now that I have improved, I do it every damn day. I wish ROMWOD existed when I started but now that I have it I don’t even need to leave my house. BTW, fucking do it. Do as much mobility as you can stand.

I do ROMWOD when I wake up in the morning. I roll my feet over a lax ball at work. I do postural exercises at my desk when it’s slow. I got a standing desk so I don’t have to sit anymore. I even do ROMWOD a second time if I’m feeling tight.

If you want to be good at weightlifting you MUST stretch.

Rest

 When I am programming training I have two distinct schedules that I work off of. I first have my scheduled program which if done straight equals 10 workouts a week.

Let me be the first to tell you that that is an insane workload and I don’t recommend it to anyone. I’m also a little crazy but that’s another story…

The second biggest variable to my training program is my rest cycles.

I follow a strict 3 days on, 1 day off protocol that is independent of of my training.

What does this mean? I have a workout programmed for every single day of the week, with two-a-days set for three of those days. So as it stands Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday, now, through the next six weeks.

Now lets look at this through the lens of three days on and one day off. So 3 weeks of programming now looks like this: Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Rest-Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Rest-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Rest-Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Rest-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Rest-Sunday, and so on through the 6 week cycle.

This does a number of things for me.

1. It cuts my weekly workouts from ten down to 6-7, a much more manageable number
2. It forces me to take recovery more seriously knowing that that is what these cycles are for.
3. It keeps my mind fresh. This rotating work/rest cycle has no scruples, some weeks it cuts my two-a-days, other weeks it cuts the easiest workouts, but knowing I get a day off keeps me actively involved with it.
4. It gives me time for my second great love which is golf.
5. Working every day is retarded. Working Smart is better for you and your state of mind.

Conclusion

This is our my plan. It doesn’t change much week to week. It is a constant whether I am going to a meet or training for the sake of training. It’s simple and has proven itself to me.

Try it. My experience says it’ll work for you.