Our Longpoint Periodization Scheme

Longpoint 2016 Training has begun. There are lots of components to this training regime on the technical skills side as well but here, obviously, I'm going to focus on our strength training program.

With a clear end date for the program it is possible for us have a clear outline. We are looking to peak our training in mid-July next year. The program started at the beginning of November. We've got about 9 months to go.

I've broken this down into 5 phases. The first four are two months each and the last is the remaining weeks before the event.

The periodization is a simple linear progression. We start at (relatively) low intensities and high volume of training and progress to higher intensities while cutting back on volume.

Each phase has a three day a week workout plan:

• The first day is the heavy day, with Clean, Deadlift and Bench Pres, plus a small number of accessory exercises covering the lunge, pull and anti-rotation movement patterns.
• The second day is the lighter day, with Jerk and Squat as the big lifts and more of the accessory type exercises covering the lunge, pull, lift and anti-rotation movements.
• The third day is optional and consists entirely of accessory style exercises. It is intended to be done at home or at a typical commercial gym and so focuses on dumbbell exercises.

Each month has a low-intensity, sub-max week for more complete recovery. Otherwise the numbers listed below are all Repetition Maximums (RM).

Unless otherwise stated each exercise is done for 3 sets.

Phase I

Heavy day

1. Power - 5 (Clean and Box jumps)
2. Primary - 8
3. Accessory - 10

Light day

1. Power - 5 (DB Jerk and Medball throws)
2. Primary - 12
3. Accessory - 12 

Power exercises are pairs of Olympic lifts and another simpler power exercise.
Main exercises are paired with a complementary exercise.
Accessory exercises are circuits of three exercises.

Phase II

Heavy day

1. Power - 5
2. Primary - 8
3. Accessory - 10

Light day

1. Power - 5 (Barbell Jerk)
2. Primary - 12
3. Accessory - 12 

Power exercises are paired with fewer sets of the alternate exercise as their load goes up.

Phase III

Heavy day

1. Power - 5
2. Primary -6
3. Accessory -8

Light day

1. Power - 5
2. Primary -10
3. Accessory - 12 

Power exercises are no longer paired with an alternate exercise. The load should be fairly high at this point and the athletes sufficiently experienced with the exercises to get true max effort sets.
Main exercises are no longer paired with a complementary exercise.
Accessory exercises are now only pairs of exercises. Specificity increases with lateral leg exercises and upper body exercises with torso rotation.
A small circuit of lower intensity exercises fills out the program. Examples include: carries, single-leg squats, planks & variations and band exercises.

Phase IV

Heavy day

1. Power - 5/4/4
2. Primary - 5 Complex
3. Accessory -8

Light day

1. Power - 5
2. Primary -8
3. Accessory - 10

Main exercises are now either complex sets or with resistance bands added. 
Accessory exercises dialed back to just two sets.

Phase V

Heavy day

1. Power - 5/4/3
2. Primary - 5 Complex
3. Accessory - 8

Light day

1. Power - 5
2. Primary - 6
3. Accessory - 8

Accessory exercises will increase in specificity while decreasing in load.

Rep Max Testing 

Rep Max testing is done at the end of each phase to recalibrate numbers for the main exercises. At the end of Phase I it will be just 3-5RM testing since they have not been moving high intensity loads for this phase.

For the remainder of the program 1RM testing will be used.

Conclusion

This is a simple linear periodization scheme appropriate for beginning and intermediate lifters. Even for advanced lifters this type of program works well when there is a single most important event on the calendar. Other, more complex, schemes are more appropriate for a fuller competition schedule and advanced athletes.

The Value of Fun

In reply to a comment on another post I brought up the idea of the value of fun in training. And I think it's important to expand on this, in large part because I think a lot of people have the wrong idea from me.

Fun can be incredibly important in exercise and training.
It's preferable to enjoy what you do.
It helps generate and maintain motivation.

My blog is not generally geared towards finding something for everybody though. And I realize that it often comes across as: there is one correct way to do things.

To be more clear though, the blog is about best practices for HEMA and fencing specific training. It's about what methods produce optimal results. There are plenty of different ways to produce results and improvements. But they aren't all the same, especially in terms of safety, efficiency and maximum results.

But from a public health standpoint anything is better than nothing. And if there is stuff you just don't like doing then that shouldn't be a reason to avoid the training approaches you do prefer.

That being said, I will keep emphasizing the value of a complete program that includes strength training. Specifically because of the value of such an approach.

Cheers,

Shopping Trip!

Who doesn't like going shopping?

I don't.

But that's not the point. Normally, when I run a one-off training session with a group they ask me for a shopping list of the equipment I brought with me. I bring a lot of toys to these sorts of training sessions.

None of the equipment I'm about to list replaces having a basic weightlifting set-up and program. And some of the material I present is best used and safest when done in conjunction with a complete strength training plan - it's not all basic material.

Also, feel free to shop around but keep in mind the reasons for why I recommend the products that I do.

Power

Medicine Balls - I recommend these particular medicine balls because they bounce and the bounce is helpful for a variety of drills. For HEMA I suggest 4 or 6 pound balls. For smallsword and later period fencing, including modern fencing, a 2 pound ball is best. Our objective is for the ball to be no more than double the weight of the sword - this allows us to train velocity of action.

Sandbells - No one else makes a version that is as durable, though you can usually get a better price on Amazon than on their website. Great for a wide variety of throwing drills. The appropriate weight is going to be around 30-70% of bench press max. This is quite a wide range and so you have to get a number of different sizes to work best.

Sandbells only go up to 50 pounds but there are good reason to keep going higher. To do that I put multiple sandbells into these sandbag trainers. Again, the product I pick is based on our durability needs, we are going to be throwing these as hard as we can at the wall and floor etc. However, you can usually get a better price on Amazon for these as well.

Everyone starts at 10 pounds so that they can get the form right before they go up in weight.

At beginner levels these can be replaced with Dynamax balls.

Hurdles - Adjustable hurdles and other variations exist and each is a trade-off between flexibility, durability and cost. Individual choices are going to depend in large part on expected use. But start small, big hurdles are hard on the joints.

Plyo boxes - I'm not going to recommend a specific product here, because their are so many facility specific factors that go into a purchasing decision here - mostly space concerns. Plyo boxes are an important tool though. They are much safer on the joints than doing other jumping exercises.

Everyone should have plyo boxes.

Agility

Agility Ladders - basic tool, so basic that a lot of folks already have them. There are spiffy versions that do niftier things and cost more, but those are really only going to matter for high-end athletes and even then only after they have mastered all the lower intensity stuff. Probably not worth spending extra money on fancy ones.

Rings - another basic level tool. The advantage of items like ladders and rings is that they force the athlete to pay attention to their footwork - you can't just put your foot anywhere with these drills. Which is why I recommend rings, even though you could do the associated drills without anything special.

Dots - These are a minor tool that are all about forcing accuracy in footwork. 

Reflex ball - aka Z-ball (which is the brand I originally got). These are for proving to your athletes that you wish to torture them. It's fun. But not a lot of tools actually allow you to create random stimuli for training reflexes, so these are pretty unique in their utility.

Core Training

Heavy Bar - Functionally similar to various sledgehammer workouts except safer. Safer than swinging a hammer head past your legs at speed. Not only are they safer for the user, they are also safer for the floor and walls. These are also similar to Indian clubs in terms of the workouts that you can do, but they are cheaper and more versatile. I start adults off at 6 pounds.

Mini-bands - Primarily for hip strengthening exercises. Color coded for resistance level. Adults can usually start with the green bands and work their way up. Adolescents and smaller folks should start with yellow.

Sandbags - these are useful for a variety of core training exercises as well, which makes them a nice multi-purpose tool. Plus it means that you don't need to buy conventional weights as well.

Conclusion

Everything I've shown here is usually also available at Perform Better, with minor variations existing. Check their before purchasing to see if they have a better deal or suit your needs better. Or it's available in a prettier color.

My  start-up level kit would include the following as a minimum:

1. Medicine ball
2. Agility ladder
3. Mini-bands
4. Z-ball

The next most important component is plyo boxes, but they are expensive, heavy and take up a lot of space. Which makes them not easy for a lot of clubs. They really can't be beat for utility though. And they are still safer than the alternatives.

I would love for all the useful things to be free. However, a well designed program will have overload and progression, both of which are hard to do without tools. 

Programming Core Workouts - Part 1

I think "core" workouts are one the grayest areas of program design for any kind of exercise plan. I'm going to start off by describing what I think are the two key elements:

1. Defining a complete program
2. Establishing objectives

Complete Program

Our trunk muscles are arranged into three primary groups: front, back and oblique. While there is clearly more going on than just this, it is a good, functional starting point for understanding them.

Front - (rectus abdominis, iliopsoas, rectus femoris) These muscles produce forward flexion and prevent extension of the spine. In fencing we will hardly need to flex forward at the waist, but we do require good anti-extension. Anti-extension will help us form overhead guards with good posture, strike with good structure and resist grappling. Forward flexion will occasionally be used to duck especially in unarmed fighting.

Back - (erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, glutes) These muscles produce back extension and prevent flexion of the spine. For swordfighting we will normally use these muscles to resist flexion. Example actions include maintaining good posture with forward extended guards and retaining an upright posture as you lunge. Extension is used in dodging backwards, such as against a thrust to the face, and in some grappling techniques.

Oblique - (external obliques, internal obliques, quadratus) These muscles are involved in two movement patterns.

• Lateral Flexion i.e. bending to the side and preventing the same. Used primarily for lateral stability while moving explosively and occasionally for slipping an attack.
• Rotation and anti-rotation. Anti-rotation is used primarily to keep the torso aligned correctly for good structure with attacks and defenses.

These three elements define a complete program and three exercises to target each aspect is enough for a single day's core workout.

Objectives

Our primary use for these muscles is to hold our core still while our limbs move around it. To maintain good posture and structure as we fight. The largest demand on these objectives is created during very intense moments such as lunge or passing attacks, and defenses against powerful blows.

The demand is high force production for a brief moment in time.

As such our exercises should be geared towards keeping the core stiff and motionless at high-intensity, with a secondary aspect of moving the rest of the body while doing the same. Long duration and high rep exercise programs do not achieve these objectives.

Programming

Let's start with a really basic approach. Subsequent posts will expand on this topic, but this is a good starting point. For each of these 30 seconds is sufficient for a set. Add weight when you can easily to 45-60 seconds to bring the time back down to 30.

Plank
Side Plank
Hip Bridge

Conclusion

Programming for the core need not be complex nor does it need to be a time consuming part of the workout. But this only makes sense in the situation where you are doing a complete strength training program, as I've described before. For instance, one arm dumbbell rows are an anti-rotation exercise, so a day with those and side planks is a complete workout for the oblique muscle groups.

(Parts II, III, IV and conclusion about programming)

How Much Weight to Lift

This is an excellent piece from over at Nerd Fitness.

When many Rebels first get into weight lifting, the process of figuring out what weight to start with can be daunting and even cause some to not bother starting at all.

We often hear questions like:

• What weight should I start with? How much should I be lifting?
• If my program wants me to be doing 5 sets of 5 at 80% of my 1 rep max, how do I figure out my 1 rep max?
• And what if it doesn’t give any percentages at all?  How do I know what weights I should be doing?

Today we’re going to take a look at how exactly to get started with your program and make sure you have picked the right amount of weight.

The rest of the article is here. If you're just getting started please read the article.

Getting Started: Conditioning

Two minutes.

Start with two minutes. At a pace that is fast for you. Not the fastest you can possibly go - that would be a pace you can only do for 15-20 seconds. But reasonably fast.

After that two minutes, walk for two minutes.

Alternate blocks of two minutes fast and two minutes slow for as many blocks as you can. Maybe you start at 2 or 3 blocks. Maybe you start at 5. That's not what matters. What matters is the improvement that you will make as you keep training.

This is interval training. Interval training is the best approach for HEMA.
Interval training is the best approach for getting started with conditioning training if you are unfit, overweight, out of shape or whatever.

What Not to Do

Don't start off trying to run for 30 minutes. Don't let yourself be convinced that brutal endurance runs are "true" conditioning. Long runs are not a good starting point. Long runs are not HEMA specific.

Don't beat yourself up over a slow start.
Don't beat about not being able to run long distances.
Don't feel like running is the only option.

This is why I don't actually recommend Couch-to-5K. It's objective isn't HEMA specific. Though it does start off well by using intervals to get you used to running. In the long term it's a plan for developing Long, Slow Distance (LSD)

What to Do

Intervals give us an energy use pattern similar to actual fighting. They do this by mixing periods of high intensity with period of low intensity - just like a fight.

So a basic program look like this:

• 3 days a week of 20 to 30 minutes. With no two days in a row.
• Start with a warm-up. Maybe a fast walk, maybe some dynamic stretching.
• Finish with a cool-down. A gradually slowed walking pace, some static stretches. Water.
• In the 10 to 20 minutes that you are "running" alternate between fast and slow - whether you are running, on a bike, swimming etc.

Fast and slow here are defined by your own capabilities. Not any arbitrary outside standard.

Progression

We need progression. That's what getting better is all about. There are two basic variable to manipulate for progression: time and speed. Start working on making progress after the first two weeks. The first two weeks are about getting used to the new exercise.

A good indicator is when you can do 20 minutes of intervals you can start playing with the variables.

 

Time

Increase time. Or decrease it.
Increase time - do intervals of 3-5 minutes instead of 2. That is 3 minutes fast followed by 3 minutes slow. Go at a slower pace for the fast part - you want to be winded at the end of each interval, but able to continue.

If you are going slower, with longer intervals, then you can shorten the slow interval. You can make the slow interval one-half to one-third of the fast interval. But be careful in introducing this - it makes the workout harder. So only start shortening the slow interval when you feel ready.

Decrease time - And run faster. Do intervals of 30 seconds to 1 minute or 90 seconds. Initially these should be alternated with longer slow periods The slow period should be at least double the fast period at this intensity. But as you shorten the fast period and run faster you should have a longer rest interval. At only 30 seconds of fast, you should rest for at least 4 times as long (remembering that rest = walking, not standing around).

Speed

Keep the intervals the same: two minutes fast, two minutes slow, but run faster during these periods. This can be a good way to build up to the faster, shorter intervals described above.

Duration

You can also increase the duration of your conditioning sessions. But above 20-30 minutes we get a diminishing return. More than 40 minutes for our sport is just inefficient.

Progamming

Keep the program around 3 times per week. We aren't training for a marathon and you need time for technical training and strength training.

Keep the conditioning sessions to 40 minutes or less. You just don't need more. And the high-intensity sessions can be plenty short, like 10-15 minutes. 

When you've reached the point where you can do longer durations and faster then you can start mixing it up. Have a short-fast day, a long day and a medium day.

Why I Prefer Running for HEMA

HEMA is on your feet.
HEMA is a contact activity.
HEMA is a whole body activity.

Running is also all of these things.

But, you know what? If you don't like running then don't. Just get out there and do something. Something is way better than doing nothing because you don't like running.

Use an Interval Timer and Listen to Music

These are readily available as apps for your phone. You'll simply have beeps at specified intervals that sound over your music.

Music makes people go faster and exercise more productively. If you pick a fast-paced music. I just don't get people who run without headphones.

Now get out there and get started!

Where to Start

So a few folks have asked me about getting started with strength training. Unlike my normal material the following is not sport-specific.

This is just about getting started with strength training. For those who have little or no experience with the topic.

First of all: Strength training is exercises hard enough that you can only do 12 in a row or fewer. Or, with isometric exercises, something you can only hold for less than 30 seconds.
Otherwise what you are doing is endurance training. Which is not the same thing.

Primarily, it's not about which exercises you do, it's about the intensity at which you do them. Bodyweight squats are an endurance activity for most folks because they can do 15 or 20 or more. But if you did the exact same exercise while holding weights - enough weight that you could not do more than 12 - then the exercise would be strength training instead.

If I were to recommend a set of dumbbell exercises (since adjustable dumbbells are cheap, readily available and useable at home) I'd suggest the following:
1. Squats
2. Split squats
3. Straight leg deadlifts
4. Hip thrust/bridge with weight (you can start this with dumbbells in your lap. You need to put your back up against something sturdy. I push a chair up against the wall).
5. Bench press (can be done on the floor, a bench isn't necessary)
6. Bent-over row
7. Shoulder/overhead press (do this standing not seated)
8. Pull-ups (a pull-up bar can be gotten that works in almost any apartment and doesn't require tools to install). Here's a primer on doing pull-ups if you can't yet.
9. Crunches with weight (I prefer to hold the weight by my shoulders)
10. Side bends


This set of ten covers every major muscle group in the body and works them in all the major planes of motion. So it is very nearly complete.

The amount of weight you are looking for is something that will develop strength, which means higher weights and lower reps.

Start at 12-15 RM - Repetition Maximum - the number that you can do before you cannot do another with good form.

Start easy on the exercises to develop your form. In the long run good form is much more important that increasing weight quickly.

For each week pick an intensity level. Do all of your exercises at that level. Every 2-4 weeks you can increase the intensity level.

Intensity levels:
12-15 RM
10-12 RM
8-10 RM
6-8 RM

I wouldn't go higher than that without a spotter though.

Do the workout at least twice a week and each session has a rest day in-between another session. So not more than three times per week.

Aim for multiple sets of each exercise. 2-3 sets is a reasonable workout.
But if you only have time to do one of each then start there.

You need to rest between each set to get the most out of it.
12-15RM - rest 60+ sec.
8-12RM - rest 90+ sec.
7 RM and heavier - rest 2-4 minutes

You can shorten the rest periods if you alternate exercises between different muscle groups e.g. push/pull or upper/lower. But you'll still need rest between sets. This sort of plan can be done on "light" days.

For strength training you should also have a "heavy" day where you don't alternate like this and you take appropriate rest periods.