Need guidance - I don't think my current plan is working

[JasonE]

I am a newbie and am trying to get used to ClubBells with a set of 10 lb-ers before moving up to the bigger boys. I have been working with them for about 2 weeks with days off between and have a feeling that I have adopted the wrong approach.

My concept was to get a basic grasp of form on all the basics, then choose those most appropriate for me and work on volume. My current goals are fat loss and strength endurance. I also practice MMA but that is secondary until I can wield CBs with some confidence.

I have 2 routines I alternate between. Group I is all about high movements, which I can only do indoors at a few places, as opposed to Group II which I can do indoors almost anywhere. (This is Minnesota, so it matters, folks!) The breakdown is as follows:

Group I:
Snatch
Bottom-Up Press
Inward Pendulum
Outward Pendulum
F/B Pendulum
Swings (high)

Group II:
Shield Cast
Armpit Cast
Pre-Swing Cleans (to Order or Chest Park)
Cleans (to Order or Chest Park)
F/B Pendulum
Swings (low to head height)
Wrist Cast

As of last night I now have a place I can go to work Group I movements more frequently, so am less dependent on the current technique groupings.

I've been keeping volume low, doing only 2x8s, but my grip still fries even when I am choking up on the CBs. I don't know if this is because I am over-reaching myself with the demands of the particular movements I am trying to incorporate or if I am just that weak, or what. I am feeling some improvement, but after last night's session I am wondering what I could be doing better in terms of program structure.

I have a fairly detailed program log on these forums if you want to see how I have been incorporating the CBs into my overall regimen.

Thanks for reading all this. I am going to go rewatch the first part of the CST tape for more tips on proper form, and I really look forward to your helpful suggestions.

Thanks again in advance.

[Coach Jones]

Jason,
It's important to remember that your body needs to recover in order to grow stronger. You have to allow time for your body to "shore up" after training sessions. You might want to think about slimming down your program and focusing on a more specific goal rather than trying to do everything at once.

Just a thought,
-Brandon Jones, CST

[Scott Sonnon]

What Brandon said. For instance, I only "work" once every four days now, because of the impending OCS prep - and recovery is everything. Today's my final "precreation" work day before competing.

[JasonE]

Do you mean that I am overtraining in general, or that I am simply trying to bite off too much with the CBs?

For recovery, I've been taking a half day here and a whole day there when I feel my body needs it or if I get really busy.

I only have one week of HIIT training left, and once I've completed the protocol it can fall by the wayside, as it was just there for GPP. I don't have Warrior Wellness, so I expect to keep SJ & PNF until I do, and the Pilates and weekly Swing Dancing don't seem like they'd have much impact on my recovery.

Since I am starting to get back into light MMA training before I go heavy, do you think I need to scale back or eliminate my AAMRC calisthenic routine too? I feel like it is helping and would like to meet my goal of doing 5x20s through the whole routine. I am only planning on 1 or 2 sessions of MMA practice per week while I acclimate to the CBs.

Should I ease off on the CBs for a bit altogether, reduce the variety of the movements I use, change the set/rep structure, or increase the rest time between CB workouts... or all of the above?

Thanks!

[Coach Jones]

Basically, you've got a lot of things on your plate. Take another look at your program, look at what you hope to gain from each "section" and slim it down to allow for the needed recovery time. Shoot for quality of training over quantity, give yourself enough time to recover and you'll start seeing results.

[JasonE]

Okay, here's what I've been working with:


Have classified my various workouts into a table so I can try to organize some sort of weekly routine:
1. AAMRC Warmup / HIIT / SJ & PNF
2. AAMRC 5 x reps / SJ & PNF
3. Pilates - 20 min or 60 min session with GF
4. GTB / Body-Flow™ - no structure yet, just playing with it all so far
5. Martial Arts - Warmups, Grappling, Striking, Weapons, for 1-4 hours.
6. CST - Group I or II, 2 x 8 reps, will up this very soon
7. SJ & PNF - General or specific, depending on what body says
8. Swing Dancing with GF - got to strut it, ya know.

Will work with this table to figure out a decent schedule to accommodate my needs. Will take 1/2 day or full day off as needed. I figure the variety will help prevent overtraining and keep things interesting while I evolve. My main concerns now are Fat Loss, Mobility, Strength Endurance, Wind Endurance, Injury Prevention, Coordination, and Skill Development.


This week I will finish my HIIT protocol and put that aside in favor of CBs.

Here's what I have in mind now:
1. CST with CBs
2. AAMRC 5 x reps / SJ & PNF
3. Martial Arts - Warmups, Grappling, Striking, Weapons, for 1-4 hours.
4. SJ & PNF / Bodyflow / GTB on off-days or as body dictates.
5. Pilates (20 or 60 mins) or Swing Dancing as GF dictates.

For my CST workouts, I feel that mastering fewer movements and ignoring the rest for a little while will make it easier to progress. I was thinking of using a Ratchet plan 3x weekly with the following movements for the next 6 weeks as follows:

Shield Cast
Armpit Cast
Cleans (to Order or to Chest Park)
Swings
Wrist Cast

5x3, 5x4, 5x5, 5x4, 5x5, 5x6, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7, 5x6, 5x7, 5x8, 5x7, 5x8, 5x9, 5x8, 5x9, 5x10 - and then move on to a new protocol and some new moves.

Diet-wise, I am increasing my protein a bit but otherwise hitting the books to figure out what I'm going to need. My simplified goal is fat loss, but I wouldn't mind putting on a bit of muscle if I can do that at the same time.

Please post your comments and suggestions. Thanks!

[Doug Szolek]

For my CST workouts, I feel that mastering fewer movements and ignoring the rest for a little while will make it easier to progress.

I agree with this whole heartedly Jason. By deeply practicing only a handful of exercises at a time you can more easily become aware of the nuances of form and technique within the movement and yourself. This way you will increase the efficiency of your use and have a better platform from which to build current and future training.

And to take it a step farther I'd suggest you pick a whole body combination routine and break it down to it's components. Practice the strength of the components for two to three weeks using the ratchet protocol if you like then put them together into the Combination Routine and hit a density cycle. For your goal of losing fat while building muscle I've found nothing better than density training to accomplish both ends and so much more. What this will also do is give you direct acess to one of the most innovative features of CST, Complex Training, whereby you gain a greater training effect by practicing combination routines than the sum of the parts could stimulate on their own.

If your curious about this option then take a look at the Swipe, Warrior Be Strong, or Moulinet as good candidates for such practice.

Let me know if this helps,

[JasonE]

Doug - Thanks for the suggestion!

I haven't really looked at the combination routines yet. In fact, I stopped the CST tape at that point because I was already getting information overload.

You think that focusing on a combination would be more advisable than working a series of basics? I hadn't thought of that, but I really like the idea of working full-body reps once I get the pieces figured out.

I will take a look at the combinations you mentioned and post additional questions here.

[JasonE]

Here's the plan I have now:

Jason's Fat Burner and Swipe Builder:

1. CST with Clubbells / SJ & PNF - 3x weekly
2. AAMRC 5 x reps / SJ & PNF - 2-3x weekly
3. MMA - Grappling, Striking, Weapons, for 1-4 hours - 2x weekly
4. SJ & PNF / Body-Flow™ / GTB on off-days or as body dictates.
5. Pilates (20 or 60 mins) or Swing Dancing as GF dictates.

My CST protocol will run for 3 weeks, following a Ratchet plan. My goal is to keep burning off the fat and master the movements I will need to develop Beginner Swipes as my first Combination. I have included 2 extra grinds because I like them a lot and will need them later.

Movements:
Jerk
Armpit Cast
Swing
Shield Cast
Wrist Cast

Ratchets: 5x3, 5x4, 5x5, 5x4, 5x5, 5x6, 5x5, 5x6, 5x7

Diet-wise, I have eliminated most empty calories, increased protein a bit, and reduced both carbs and portion sizes a bit.

Please give me your comments, I really appreciate feedback :!: