Gym/workouts

Does anyone use Block Programming? I'm thinking of using this system as a base to come up with a routine for my home gym. I'm kind of bored with my basic routine now and want to step it up a bit and add more variety. Any suggestions on what I should include?

Equipment I have:
- Tread mill
- Rack with bar bell
- Bench
- 300lbs of plates
- Pull up bar
- Punching bag
- Agility ladder
- Jump rope
- Tac-X bike trainer (once the snow melts, I'll be pulling my bike out)
- Buying kettle bells this weekend.


Heres a vid on Block Programming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deafbKEHMQs&t=0s&list=WL&index=7

 

As far as the Meso/Micro block portion of it. I would say a bunch if not all Powerlifting programs are set up around this style. For the time broken down per day in a workout I haven't seen that but it wouldn't surprise me if there are some coaches out there using it.

For equipment that I would put as a next purchase whenever available would be a full set of bands. I have Elite FTS for my long ones and Rogue for the short bands. You can find cheap ones on Amazon but I wouldn't go to cheap... watch a couple fail videos and see if thats something you want to happen. Elite has sales just about every month sometimes more often.

Next I would get some rubber coated hex dumbbells. Maybe not a full set but if you are going to do Metcon stuff or crossfit then probably at least the weights around RX.

If your still going to expand your equipment crossfit wise a Sandbag(Brute Force Sandbag for example) or some Slam Balls or D Balls.

If you are more into powerlifting/strongman check out Spudinc. They have tons of awesome equipment and straps to do just about anything. I have just about all of them. They are super handy.

 

Good stuff, thanks! I'll look into bands and maybe some slam balls. I think both would be perfect for my home gym and the program I want to set up. I'm not really into Crossfit or powerlifting though. I don't have the room to be doing most of the Crossfit stuff unfortunately and powerlifting isn't my thing. My main goal is to burn fat and develop a high level of overall functional fitness in order to ace fire fighter fitness tests. As such, I'm working alot of aerobic conditioning and HIIT into my program.

 

I haven’t done any block training to answer your original post on this subject, but I’ve recently started some conditioning myself to supplement the days between my lift days.
Do you have a weighted vest? I’ve found sprinting, burpees and doing various functional exercises HITT style with a weighted vest will smoke the hell out of you and keep that engine running for a couple days after, increasing fat loss.

Now if I could just find a spot to hang up a heavy bag and push/pull a prowler, I’d be set!

 

I used to lift heavy too until I got into motorcycle accident. I now lift in moderation

 

I do acually have a weighted vest. It'll go up to 70lbs. I bought it to combine with my treadmill so I can train for fire dept testing. It's as close to a step mill as I can get at home.

I'll have to try it for HIIT stuff. Sounds like it would be perfect for that!

I also have a GoRuck Bullet pack that I made a pair of 20lb plates for. I'm looking forward to doing some rucking this summer on local trails.

 

There is a lot of stuff you can do with bands. Since your not into powerlifting you could probably just get by with a few single long bands. For example a Red, Orange, and Grey from Elite or similar from Rogue. There is a company on Amazon called Wodfitters that sells individually and a few for a set. I have never used them but they seem to be popular.

Being as you are trying to do the fire fighter test I would check out the Brute Force guys website too. They have workouts for their sand bag designed for LEO and Fire Fighters along with military. I don't have a sand bag in my home gym due to running out of room but it would be one of my next purchases.

I don't mean to try and sell you on something but it seems like a good fit if you didn't want to try and run/write your own programming would be StreetParking. I am a member there and I know there is at least one more member here that is a member there as well. It is a monthly subscription for programming(crossfit) but you have 99% of the equipment you would want for that program. They have three different main workouts 5 days a week. Barbell,dumbbell, and sand bag/slamball. Some of the members there do the workouts in stairways, laundry rooms wherever they can get it done...those are usually the moms trying not to wake up sleeping babies though. Along with the daily ones they post weekly Power, Oly,"Suns Out Guns Out" and "Butts and Gutts" if you want more then the daily workout.

Sales pitch over.


EDIT: I just saw that the crossfit thing isn't what your into...I apologize about that. I missed it the first time.

70# is heavy for a weighted vest for working out. For your treadmill that makes sense...but trying to do a HIIT workout with that would be death or not much more then a single round....unless your in insane shape.

Also i forgot to mention a plyo box. Find a "Games" one. It is three different heights. 20",24" and 30" depending how you have it sitting. You can find DIY plans on the internet or get a cheap kit from like Titan that you just put together when it gets to your house. If your not good at box jumps maybe a Soft plyo box...but make sure if you go that route for that same size that it is the one that weighs like 70 pounds so its sturdy.

 

Nice. The Street Parking stuff actually looks pretty doable in my space and although it's something I'd do daily, it could be a good supplement to add in. I know The Woman would probably love it, so I'll pass it on to her. Thanks for the heads on up that one.

A plyo box is defintely on my list. I have a sheet of plywood kicking around that I could easily use to make one, just need to actually do it. LOL.

I'll look at the Brute Force stuff as well. Sand bag training has been recommended to me by others as well, so I'm certainly interested in it.

Here's what I have for my plan so far. It's still very much a work in progress and is a mish mash of other programs I've done in the past (Starting Strength, Navy SEAL etc). I've kind of followed the block programming method and broken down my plan that way. I've also focused on running and aerobic training as those are my weak points right now.

Naturally, this will change as I progress, try different things and get input from people.

- 5 focal points; Strength, MetCon, GenFit, SpecFit (fire dept specific) and Daily.

- Each "X" is 10 minutes. Total of 50 minutes per day + 10 minutes to swap plates out etc = 1 hour workout

- For SpecFit I've actually rigged up a hose drag "simulator" and will be using sand filled 5 gallon buckets for equipment carry simulation. About as good as I can do in my basement but if I keep the pace up, it turns into a smoke show pretty quick.

- Weekends are lighter training. Depening on my work schedule it'll either be a swim on Saturday morning or a weighted treadmill walk with the 70lb vest after work. Sunday is just a 10 min Daily and then rest/recovery.

 

The board is looking good. I couldn't do my own programming right now. Well I could but I know it wouldn't be what I have become used to. I tried to make up some HIIT workouts before the Street Parking got added in with my powerlifting program. That didn't go so well. I was only planning on doing the conditioning maybe 1 or 2 days a week. That has turned into 3 to 5 now depending on how the SP lines up with my big lift days.

 

You won’t be disappointed!

My vest goes up to 70-80 lbs also, loaded it up since I’m used to lifting heavy weights and am in pretty good shape......yeah, that gave me a nice slice of humble pie! I ended up going down to 30 lbs just to survive a few 1 min circuits of push burpees with a 10 lb slam ball. I felt like I was gonna die after the third circuit. LOL

Doc came in ten minutes after I started and asked if I needed a barf bucket or an ambulance LOL

 

my gym routine is pretty simple
Monday: Squat, Deadlift, Bench press, then accessory lifts for legs and ass
Wednesday: BEnch press, Squat, Overhead Press, then accessory for arms
Friday: Deadlift, Squat, bench press, then accessory for back

 

DUP training?

 

Just looked DUP up. Basically, that is what I'm doing, didn't know it had a fancy acronym. I keep it simple.

 

That’s the way to do it.

I’ve always followed the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid)
Acronym well known in my family

 

Jumped on the scale yesterday. Down 15lbs since january. Been focusing mainly on cardio stuff and tweaking my eating habits. I think i've almost figured out what works for me. Now to incorporate more strength stuff. I picked up kettle bells and a slam ball thanks to a fitness spending program work offers. Looking forward to getting those into my program.

 

That’s awesome! Good job. I wish I could get my work to do some kind of fitness spending. What size slam ball did you get? I haven’t used mine in a couple months. Just due to them not being programmed.

 

I got a 25 pound one. Having work give us this cash was awesome. We all got $500 to spend on fitness/wellness equipment.

 

Jumped on the scale December 2018 and weighed 234. I have been doing cardio, mostly treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike. Usually 5 one hour workouts a week burning 500-600 calories. Checked this morning and I'm at 203. Hard some days to work out but it's definitely paying off.

Once I'm down to 180 I'll probably work on strength. I do have a question for everyone that works out. At the end of the 5 day wotkout I'm exhausted. Not during the workout but later that day and actually the next few days. I usually eat something small before I workout. I've never worked out till I started in December. Should I be taking something to help?

 

Being tired is normal, especially if you're relatively new to working out. Your body needs to recover. Instead of supplements, I'd focus on your overall diet. Lots of protein, fruits and veggies with some carbs mixed in. Do that for a month and see how you feel.

 

Thanks for the advice!

I was hoping the answer wasn't supplements. Changing what I eat it is.

 

@Outbound hit the nail on the head.

Like he said, protein, fruits and veggies. With your carbs, make sure they’re complex carbs (sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc)
I like to eat a banana or apple 15 mins before a workout along with about 30g of whey protein.

A big thing most people overlook is rest. I like to get 8 - 9 hours of sleep when workouts are especially taxing. If for some reason I can’t get the sleep i need in, I’ll take a power nap before I workout. Rest your eyes (and if possible elevate your feet higher than your heart) for 10-15 mins, it helps more than you would think.
A multivitamin in the AM would help a good bit also. Can’t neglect those micros!

 

Also, anyone telling you to simply take supps is an idiot. There are VERY FEW supps that will actually help. Whey protein is at the top for convenience (but not all brands are created equal)

You can’t out supplement a diet filled with pizza, beer, donuts, etc.

 

Thanks!

Doesn't help that I work 12 hour shift work schedule but I'm working my ass off to drop weight. Thanks for the advice!

 

Hate when life and work commitments interfere, but that’s life! Just gotta make time and find what works best.

I’ve even done 3 day full body workouts a week when work is especially busy with respectable gains/losses.

Lack of time is why I bought a TRX ($80 on Craigslist) and weight vest. Some circuits with the vest and you’ll be swallowing air like it was water in the Sahara.

 

Nice those things can be killer even in the lower weights. I am trying to remember this WOD we had a while back. It only used a KB (45-55# I think) 20# wall ball and a box to jump over. You could do it with your bench. I wanna say it was
12 min AMRAP
-20 box jump up and overs(guys 24" box)
-15 KB Swings
-10 Wall balls....you could just throw your slam ball directly above you...but be careful!!!! It Sucked with a wall ball...slam balls aren't as forgiving.

I can try and locate it if you want the exact number of reps and the goal for rounds.


Maybe try that with or without the weight vest then the next week or later try it the other way and see how you do.

The heavier weight slam balls like 70'ish pounds and above are good for over the shoulders. Those are my favorite!

 

Those rep numbers sound like a good place to start. I like that kind of work out. Pretty much exactly what I'm looking to work into my strength conditioning days.

 

Ok forgive me that was two months ago. Not that those numbers wouldn’t work but after checking my history the actual workout was
20 min amrap
-6 box jumps(I accidentally did box jump overs)
-12 wall balls(if you have access to a wall that is 9ft otherwise throw straight up and catch)
-15 KB swings
Goal is 9+ rounds.

 

Awesome, thanks! I know what tomorrow's ass kicking will involve...

 

Gonna be trying out a free week at this boot camp thing my twin sister’s been going to.

Figure it’ll give me a nice reprieve from hard and heavy, let me focus on conditioning for a change.