It’s been a while since I posted what I’m working on, physically. Honestly, I’m playing with different programs and lifts every 8 weeks or so, so it’s hard to stay current.
Workout Structure
It’s Summer, which means I’m outside more, adding in more sprinting and aerobic work. Combined with my usual resistance (weight lifting) work, I keep a five-day exercise schedule that looks something like this:
- Monday, Thursday, Friday = Resistance training
- Tuesday = Low, slow, cardio
- Wednesday = Sprint (HIIT) work (in the form of touch rugby)
Program Specifics
Low, Slow, Cardio
At least one day a week I want to do some “cardio”. My definition of cardio is about 20-30 minutes of exercise at a sustained heart rate of around 130 beats per minute (BPM). Where does 130 come from? I adhere to Phil Maffetone’s “MAF 180” formula, which is 180-your age, in years. (I highly recommend taking the time to read Phil’s method and reasoning). For me, then, my target heart rate is 180-54=126. I’m in pretty good shape, so I can add a few beats to my target rate, so I try to keep myself between 125-130 BPM. Using my Fitbit and Strava, I can tell you that my heart rate has been steadily decreasing the last three weeks (from 121 to 114), even though my mile time has decreased. This is exactly what we’d expect from the MAF method. However, you may have noticed that I need to bump that heart rate up in order to get to my target. That means I’ll have to add both distance, and speed to keep my heart rate up, while holding my target time (20-30 minutes).
Sprints
During the Winter and Spring my sprint work generally consists of a brief warm-up run to the local high school, then five 100 meter hill sprints. (100 meters uphill takes me about 20 seconds of all-out work). I rest two minutes between each round, then jog home. The whole thing takes me about 20 minutes.
During the summer, the boys in town play touch rugby at least once a week. I’d much prefer running with a ball in my hand, or chasing someone, to running by myself. And although playing rugby for an hour isn’t strictly speaking “HIIT” work, there are lots of all-out sprints with plenty of “active rest” in-between. And it’s fun.
Resistance Training
Finally, there’s resistance training. I do a two week, upper/lower body split, three days a week. It looks something like this:
- Week A – Mon=upper body, Thu=legs Fri=upper body
- Week B – Mon=legs, Thu=upper body, Fri=legs
I’ve tried to do four days, with two upper/lower body resistance workouts per week, but at my age I just can’t recover. (Ah, the days when I did two-a-day workouts every, single, day!)
My workouts are built around the big compound lifts: squat, bench, deadlift. I then add in lots of accessory work to isolate back, shoulders, hamstrings and arms. (Yes, I curl). Gone are the days when I would stay in the gym for hours; I want to get out of the gym in 45 minutes, and do most days.
In all the big lifts I’ll crank out 5-8 reps of heavy weight for upwards of 4-5 sets, with 2-3 minutes of rest in between sets. My goal is to be able to fully recover after each set so that I can attack each rep with everything I’ve got. In accessory lifts I’ll add more reps, fewer sets, and less time in between. So curls might be 3 sets of 10-12 with 90 seconds rest between sets.
Wrap Up
Even though I experiment a lot and cycle between different targets for my resistance training, this schedule works really well for me, and I tend to come back to it. Combined with my diet, it keeps me lean, fast, and strong. I’m sure it will change once Fall arrives. But I love this Summer schedule!