Moderate intensity with Session A today.
Another great benefit of having the waving intensities in your training and the Moderate Intensity day specifically, is not only physical, but mental as well. Because with the moderate day, the focus is not to push it to the very edge. We are purposefully holding ourselves back a bit. By doing so, we have an end point that is achievable, which by the very nature of not pushing to the limit, is within the scope of what we know with certainty, we can accomplish.
This provides us the experience of training to success, rather than “training to failure”. Having this positive re-enforcement, of feeling strong, the ability to maintain solid form throughout and feeling fresher as we get on with the rest of our day, has significant impact on not only our high intensity training sessions where we are pushing it, but in our successfully seeing the program through to the end. So many of us experience nothing but a sense of failure, collapse, weakness and pain within the first couple weeks alone, to such a degree, that mentally (not physically) we become defeated and no longer motivated to continue.
Interweaving days where we feel strong, capable and successful with days where we challenge our edge and face our weakness, provides a potent mix for long term sustainability and growth.
Revel in your moderate days. You are not doing less. You are giving yourself more.
Dare To Evolve,
Shane.
Hi Shane,
so it seems like you do a 4-day wave protocol, instead of the 4×7 how it’s outlined in your manual (that would skip the second low intensity day to keep an identical weekly schedule).
I think 4-day wave is the best choice, so I try to fall back in sync. Only that due to my having to substitute the moderate Cycle B in the last round. I’m doing Cycle B today.
Here’s a pic proving completion of my “extended” warmup routine (see previous posts):
https://skitch.com/wintanclan/e8cn7/warmup-complete
So now on to the clubs (red arrows). RPT and RPE were just fine, until a not so elegantly carried out dragon squat got me a tightening up back muscle.
So after 6 good rounds: on to cool-down + some foam roll. Let’s see if that muscle can be coaxed to relax.
Winfried, I’m doing the 4×7 proper actually. But you are right, there is also the modification I included that takes advantage of the 4 day wave benefits, while keeping the consistent weekly schedule. That seems to be much easier for alot of people to be able to do so.
Good adjustment you made upon your return. As a rule, always pick up where you left off (syncing up with the standard schedule you are using), and then re-shuffle everything down the line from there.
“Here’s a pic proving completion of my “extended” warmup routine”
Haha!! That’s awesome. Love that. Looks like you’re taking care of business.
Saw the Clubbells in there. So you DO have a TACFIT clubbell if my eyes are seeing that right. What are your thoughts on it?
This happens to us all in training from time to time. It can be a little frustrating. What’s most important is to not just completely stop (which I know you don’t intend to) or ignore and work around it or ignore it and drive through it, living with the pain as you do. Just becomes about attending to it and releasing the tension the tweak caused. Allowing the body to relax back into working order. You seem to be very good about your mobility and compensations. Keep that going. If you can afford a little extra time at the end of each day, take 15 min (doesn’t have to be super long) and perform the foam rolling and a couple focused poses to help release it. Don’t push into the poses. Just go to the edge and allow it to release from there, giving it a good 1.5 – 2 min holds. If it doesn’t feel like it’s improving or if it’s effecting your workout session, take an additional recovery (Lo) day. And if your RPD is able to stay down, keeping the RPE down, then do that for now as well.
When we attend in this manner, recovery is usually only a few days, rather than lingering for weeks.
Hi Shane,
thank you for all the effort and thought you are putting into our online training project!
Yes, I got one 10 kg and a pair of 7 kg of the new TACFIT clubbells right when came out. CST clubbells were never really available in Europe. I posted some thoughts on the new design in the comments over at John’s blog:
http://physicalliving.com/new-tacfit-clubbells/
Hi Wintanclan – the 4×7 is 4 days repeated for 7 rounds. So it’s med, high, no, low, repeat.
My medium day was tiring, it was really hot and I was running on my fifth day of 4-5 hrs of sleep. I went through 6 rounds, and my shirt was soaked in sweat as though I was on a high day. Bleh.
I’ll be happy when the shoulder casts don’t feel like such a weak point.
Brent, I’d like to make a recommendation. For the next 3 (clubbell) sessions coming up, keep it moderate for all of them. Go no higher than 5 sets. Even if you know you can do more. 5 sets max. Finish strong and energized each session. After the next 3 sessions, then start increasing, but only on your Hi day and only by one set, per Hi intensity workout. Keep your Mods to 5 sets.
I know this may feel difficult to do, especially as the energy starts returning and you are feeling like “No Shane, it’s okay, I’m ready to go now!!!” It’s not that you can’t or that you are doing anything wrong right now. We’re just adjusting a tad to where things are at now and avoid what could creep up down the line if we don’t.
Lets take that “Bleh” and turn it into “Booyah Baby!!” 😀
Hi Brent,
yeah, you are right, and that’s how it’s intended.
I was just thrown off by how the first month 4×7 schedule is presented in the CBME manual:
https://skitch.com/wintanclan/e8i2j/cbmemanual.pdf-page-6-of-18
I guess it would become clear if day 8 was shown as well.
“I guess it would become clear if day 8 was shown as well.”
Very good suggestion Winfried! I felt the same, which was why I’d made that adjustment to show that 8th day in the other programs. Which is why that adjustment will be there in the new, updated CBME manual coming soon (WHAAATT???!!!) ; )