Before I spell out my exact plan for the first 6 months of 2020, it’s important you know my goals for 2020 (I’m sorry. I’m a nerd- a big whiteboard in the office with the word GOAL written across the top nerd). Once I fill you in on that little secret my tweaks and changes will make sense (or not).
So, I’ve been bitten by the obstacle course racing bug. I did a Tough Mudder in May 2019 and a Spartan Stadion at Wrigley Field in November 2019. I loved both races, which was quite the shock because I have absolutely zero interest in running (5k’s, half-marathons, full marathons, etc.). The combination of the competitiveness, the balanced need for strength and endurance, and the camaraderie of the races really appealed to me. Plus, those races fooled me into actually doing cardio (instead of skipping it) and keeping my body fat low (you don’t see too many guys 40lbs overweight climbing up a rope or across monkey bars). .
For 2020, I have 3 obstacle races planned – a Spartan Sprint & Super in Nashville, a half-marathon at U of I, and a Spartan Beast in Indiana.
What was evident after my first two races was that I have two major weaknesses: 1) my cardio 2) my lat/core/grip strength for monkey bars, etc.
So, my goal for the first six months of 2020 is to increase my aerobic base with LSD and improve my grip strength. My hopes are that I can hit a 22 minute 5k in April and hopefully improve my Ageless indoor triathlon time from 31:40 last year to under 30 minutes this year.
But, what if you just want to lose the beer gut and get back in your high school basketball playing weight?
You have a few options:
Keep everything the same. The extra running not only improves cardio, but it should also help you shed a little winter weight.
Reduce the cardio by anywhere from ¼ to ½ depending on your current shape, schedule, previous injuries, Netflix playlist, etc.
So here it is:
Sunday – Off
Monday – Resistance training 45 minutes
- Trap Bar Deadlift working up to 1 x20 reps
- A1) Bench Press 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
- A2) Dumbbell Row 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Rack Pull at knee height 2 sets of 8-10 reps
- Seated Cable Flyes 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
Tuesday – LSD cardio – strides
Running 40 minutes at heart rate of 135-145bpm (marathon pace), with 5k pace stride progressions built in.
Wednesday – HIIT/OCR training Session
Crosstraining class focusing on grip strength, sprints, and quad endurance
Thursday – LSD cardio – recovery run
Running 30 minutes at heart rate of 135-145bpm.
Friday – Resistance training 45 minutes
- Belt Squat/squat/hack squat working up to 1 set of 20 reps
- A1) Seated Shoulder Rack Press 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
- A2) Chins 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Flyes 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Seated Chest Supported Incline Lateral Raises 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps
Saturday – LSD – long run
Running 60 minutes at heart rate of 135-145bpm, adding 5 minutes every 2 weeks until hitting 120 minutes (eventually adding a 5-10 minute surge at the end at 5k pace).
That’s it… Pretty simple right?
A few tips/tricks
- If you don’t like running, walk at an incline, row, spin, or hop on the elliptical.
- Remember, keep the cardio at a low intensity. If you want to progress, add minutes. Don’t increase the speed/intensity.
- Because the volume of our resistance training is low, the intensity has to be high. That means you’re working to failure on every final set of every exercise. Those 20 rep sets should be miserable, to the point that you have to take a few breaths between reps 10-20. If you coast during your lifting sessions, you won’t see the progress you hoped for. (See Stuart McRobert’s breathing 20 rep sets)
- Get that protein intake to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass.
That’s it. Plan. Show up. Track. Adjust.
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