The Plan

So I have now finalised exactly HOW I will get my ass back into shape when I recover fully from my current injury (broken left fibula, probably another 4 weeks from now).

Currently, I’m in a bad way (aside from the ankle) I haven’t trained properly in around 12 months and have only just realised how bad it’s gotten.

So, starting when I’m healed, I shall embark upon an 18 week Macrocycle, comprised of the following phases;

1. Anatomical Adaptation (weeks 1 – 4)

The goal here is to use light weights/ high reps to prepare the tendons, ligaments and connective tissue (which have not had a great deal of work for around 12 months) for the upcoming stresses of the following phases, mainly to prevent injury and, thus, further setbacks.

2. Hypertrophy (Weeks 5 – 10)

Here the aim is primarily to increase the mass and cross sectional area (size) of the muscle, using moderate weights, for the purposes of increasing muscle fiber count (and thus potential for strength gain) and, plain and simple; vanity

3. Maximal Strength (Weeks 11 – 14)

Here’s where the real gains come in, after increasing the size of the muscles for 6 weeks, it’s not time to fill them up with strength!. Using high weight, low reps, the aim is to teach the brain to activate maximum muscle fibers when lifting, in order to increase absolute strength. This is done without necessarily increasing muscle size and, thus, weight.

4. Conversion (Weeks 15 – 18)

In the last phase of this cycle, we take all the strength we’ve built and convert it into explosive, dynamic strength (ie; POWER!) using plyometric exercises and power lifts. This is the ultimate goal, as this makes the strength sport specific.

~ by Dan Bradley on July 24, 2010.