Originally Posted by
Will Knowland
Thanks mate. Yeah, probably expecting more of a bounce back. My squat and deadlift e1rm has spiked by 5-10% before, but it didn't happen this time. Reduced volume due to injury throughout the developmental block leading into the meet was probably a factor.
My e1rm total has dropped by about 70kg over the last couple of months...SI joint flare up...hurt rib...tough spell at work. But strength doesn't care. And at least Mean Ol' Mr Gravity got a bloody nose from the bench.
The programming strategy is being changed now. In the developmental blocks, each training week will look very much like (or even identical to) the other training weeks in terms of exercises, volumes, andintensities. This is to create a highly focused dose of a stimulus for adaptation. How long it takes for the improvements to slow/stop will determine my time to peak (usually 3-8 weeks).
A restoration block of about 2 weeks will then be used to prepare for the next developmental cycle. The intensity of the development blocks will vary quite a bit, but the volume is always going to be high. 3 x week squats and deadlifts, 6 x week bench.
Because the time to peak can be predicted reliably, there'll be a more muted taper - just 1-2 days of rest before a meet. I think this will suit me well. I've always hit my biggest lifts riding a wave of pretty recent volume at moderate intensity. Sport form blocks of high intensity seem to just fatigue me, annoy my lower back, and use up the strength that should be left for the platform.
It sounds good, but I'm sure 3 x week deadlifting is going to be horrible, and I might have to use flats for squats to tolerate long doses of 3 x week squats.