Mixing it up after novice

[Greg C]

So,

I went on a modified linear progression (1-3 conditioning workouts each week, depending on how I feel) in January, and am pretty happy with my progress. I would guess that I will probably switch to advanced novice here in a few weeks to keep milking it as long as possible (3 days a week heavy lifts is hard to recover from as I approach 40, and I have a military requirement to keep some level of conditioning).

When linear progression ends late this spring/early summer (estimate), I will go back into doing more GPP-style stuff (yes, I @fit, no apologies - I find it fun), but will keep working strength regularly - I like this stuff too! Also, the inclusion of the fast lifts is kind of a desire of mine.

So, here's what I've been thinking - kind of a TM blend with some fast lifts thrown in on the "light" days. Recovery could be tough, but I managed 5 days per week of CFSB before I started linear for about 4 months without any serious issues, so I figure it's possible. General format below.

Sunday (Light lifts) - rotating SN/OHS with BP/SP (one pull/sq with a press) or C&J (pull/Squat and press) and an affiliate WOD - lifts to depend on cycle and programmed WOD for the day.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday (Heavy day) - typical TM rotation each week here of A/B plus a <10min GPP (maybe)
A: BS/SP
B: PC/DL and BP

Weds: <20 min GPP (selected according to upcoming volume day)

Thu (Volume): A/B rotation each week like Tuesday. NO WOD.

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Longish WOD at affiliate (we never lift on Saturday, and it's usually 20-30 minute or high impact WOD, like Fran)

Obviously, this will be hard, with 4 MetCons per week on top of the lift schedule. I know I can manage the 2 MetCons per week, and probably three. I suspect the Tuesday MetCon is the first to get cut if I am tired.

Would love constructive comments and advice, as I am trying to come up with a decent plan ahead of time instead of just "winging" it.

[TomC]

Are you squatting on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, too? I think you might find the long WOD on Saturday might be tough after the volume day , however.

[Greg C]

Tom:

No, I was planning on dropping down to two days a week to allow for recovery. I know this will slow down any gains, and I expect I will need to tweak volume somewhere to continue to make gains. That's kind of the input I was looking for. I might take a closer look at Justin's previous programming to see if I think that might work better. I really wanted to work in more dedicated Oly time - hence the look of this.

If I were to supplement a straight TM with some GPP work, how would you recommend it? (keeping the Sun/Tue/Thu rotation I have above - light/heavy/volume). Thanks.

[TomC]

I looked more closely at the A/B thing. I understand now. Since you won't be squatting three times a week, you have some more leeway. Be warned, however, that a 5x5 squat session on the TM is very taxing. That will probably be the biggest hurdle to deal with. I will be interested to hear how this works for you.

[william jackson]

. Be warned, however, that a 5x5 squat session on the TM is very taxing.

for reals.
5x5 before a long metcon with squats soon after is a bad idea in my opinion. my experience is that volume messes me up far worse than intensity, so i would prefer singles or doubles or triples if you are convinced on using TM.
but i would warn to never underestimate how far your linear gains could be made. a light second day or an extra hour of sleep between training days can truly make a huge difference in strength gains. (being MIL this might not be the most important aspect)

[Greg C]

Thanks guys:

I had some time to ponder this over vacation, and refined to the following for my "intermediate" plan following end of linear progression (I will be transitioning to advanced novice in about 2 weeks (I think) after I reset from vacation time. Since I will be heavy in school for a bit, I have taken some time out from going to my local affiliate, so I will be programming conditioning for myself for a while (this will be a interesting, since I hope to be a little more educated in how I program for conditioning work than the sort of randomness found in generic CF). As you'll see, it's a blend of TM with some conditioning thrown in. I'm trying to capture some differing types of conditioning here as well, since I hope to run a triathlon (mid-length) this summer (for fun). Constructive comments welcome of course:

Conditioning (programmed with some level of intelligence - these are examples only to get a feel for what I am talking about):

Short: 5-7 minutes. Sprint stuff style. Maybe a couplet like Fran
Medium: 10-20 minute duration. Intervals, swim, AMRAP 20 stuff (like Cindy) depending on what I am looking at to work.
Long: Hero-style WOD, Longer Girl, mid-distance run or row at a moderate pace.

Week A
Su (Volume): BS/SP/DL(PC)
Mon: Rest
Tue (Light): BS/BP/Short Conditioning
Wed: Rest
Th (Heavy): BS/SP/PC (DL)
Fri: Long or Medium (week and recovery dependent)
Sat: Rest

Week B
Su (Volume): BS/BP/Short Conditioning
Mon: Rest
Tue (Light): BS/SP/DL(PC)
Wed: Rest
Th (Heavy): BS/BP/Medium or Short
Fri: Medium (week and recovery dependent)
Sat: Rest