So I've read the book. Read a couple of topics here in the forum, and I'm pretty sure I will start RTS training next week.
I've pretty much decided which exercises to use for my first mesocycle, but I just wanted to post them here so that I'm sure this is a good selection of exercises. Also the cyclic rep schemes I will cycle from week to week but the other rep schemes will be constant for the cycle. I will do 3 weeks of volume and 3 weeks of intensity as suggested in the manual.
Day 1 Squat 6x2 @8-9 Reverse band deadlifts 5x5 @9-10 Paused squat 5x5 @7-8 Ab pulldown 5x8 @8-9 + Back raises (only bodyweight 3x10)
The reason I want to squat two times each week is because I want the squatting technique to be solid, and I'm also used to squatting at least twice each week from Sheiko and Dietmar-training (Dietmar is the norwegian powerlifting coach). Also in this cycle I've added some new exercises that I haven't done that much before. And so if I add even more it might be harder to evaluate what is good and what is not.
My squatting technique isn't bad but it could always be better, and I fear it will suffer a bit if I don't squat a lot. But I can't be sure, it might not.
The reason I want to squat two times each week is because I want the squatting technique to be solid, and I'm also used to squatting at least twice each week from Sheiko and Dietmar-training (Dietmar is the norwegian powerlifting coach). Also in this cycle I've added some new exercises that I haven't done that much before. And so if I add even more it might be harder to evaluate what is good and what is not.
-- Edited by Geir M at 16:30, 2009-02-02
Sorry this question is a bit off subject, but most of the Norwegian lifters have squats which are proportionately better than their other lifts - what does Dietmar suggest re squatting?
Off subject is fine. It's pretty hard to generalize an answer for that. For the squat I think Dietmar recommends a high bar placement. Asbjørn Randen made this change, and he got slightly weaker in the raw squat, but his equipped squat went up after he started training only with a high bar placement.
There's a lot of Dietmar programs out there. The best powerlifters in Norway gets customized programs from Dietmar Wolf, or a regional coach trained in the Dietmar philosophy of training.
In general the programs are pretty frequency based, usually training some variation of the squat, bench and deadlift in every workout. For instance Olaf Dahl (Winner of Worlds SHW deadlift this year, 5th Total) trains and squats 5 times each week. However the programs available to everyone on www.styrkeloft.no is only training 3 days per weeks. Curiously Wicklund of Sweden came over to Dietmar Wolf and thanked him for his medal at the last worlds. He had downloaded and trained the simple Dietmar 3 days per week program and made some solid PR's. The Dietmar philosophy also emphasizes that you don't need to be to impatient to make gains. As long as the gains keeps coming steady and surely, you will be strong in the end. This I think, has a lot to do with preventing injuries.
There's two main types of Dietmar programs. One is made for getting as good a peak as possible for a competition and one is made for after competitions and before the peaking programs. The peaking programs has all of the equipment training pre-programmed into them. The other programs are there to get a stronger raw base, and to have a period where you train with more reps and less intensity. Also emphasizing more support exercises. The Dietmar philosophy seems to be leaning towards more volume and less intensity, not really going really heavy before reaching the end of training cycles, and rarely going extremely heavy raw, but usually quite heavy with the gear towards the end of peaking cycles.
At first glance the periodization method used in Dietmars peaking programs might seem like linear periodization. But examined more thoroughly it's obviously not the case. I'm not really sure about what exactly it is he does. But often the weights are changed from high intensity to slightly lower the next week, only to be higher again then lower etc. At least towards the end of the cycle this often is the case. There is a steady progression towards heavier weights, but week 10 might not be heavier than week 9, if you understand what I mean. I think this might be done to keep more volume in the training towards the end of the cycle instead of just intensity, but I cannot be sure.
This turned out to be an answer about much more than the squat, but maybe you might find some of it interesting. Take into consideration that I haven't got any formal education in Dietmar training, so some of this info might be inaccurate.
