So,
Its April 6th…Its the beginning of the month… And there’s only 6 Days until gyms reopen… So now seems as good a time as any to start this blog properly.
I’ll not recap the past 12 weeks or so of training too much as circumstance meant training varied for everyone…
Although a big highlight was Jen making huge gains in her back squat setting an all time PB of 80kg (3kg increase) all while improving her body composition.
Wor resident now 17 year old Jo also made some great gains hitting plenty of PB’s overhead both strict and on push press and both with the barbell and the log. We’re still looking to clean up that deadlift though and are currently using Box deadlifts to cue driving the knees back and out the way of the bar. Jo’s one of many people who don’t fit that ideal text book of vertical shins in the Deadlift start position and has often struggled with the bar having to travel around the knees and the Box deadlift with the cue of driving the calfs into the box is ideal to fix it.
They’re the really privileged ones though who basically have a full gym set up.
On the other hand, a lot of my guys don’t have a full gym set up, but they do have enough kit to get by well enough that, while they don’t own enough weight or have the facilities to PB some movements, we shouldn’t have to work them back into barbell training too much and should be pretty much set to pick up where we left off in January bar a few minor changes.
Finally, the real problem, what are we going to do for those that have barely any kit?.. Or those who’ve struggled to train at all through lockdown?
Well that’s different for everyone dependant upon goal. You can almost guarantee that maxes and neural capacity will be down though.
My personal approach would be to focus on building the volume over the coming weeks using CURRENT estimated max’s as a guideline for picking some conservative numbers while also giving an RPE range to stay within.
The progression will look different for everyone but as a baseline I might as someone to hit a single at 7RPE so that we can estimate a max and then start someone at 3x5 @60% of their estimated max while asking them to adjust the numbers if necessary to stay within a 6 to 8RPE.
I would probably use a variation that would naturally limit the weight its possible to lift too to keep the overall intensity and subsequent fatigue down while still having the athlete work hard.
From their everyones progression after will be different and would be taken week on week, recalibrating estimated maxes when needed and as we go.
Thats about it. Hopefully you feel like this is a good start to this blog and I’ll see you all in the gym on the 12th!
Cheers
Adam
