Heavy Weight/Low reps AND Lower Weight/High Reps....Problem? page

[goneprimal]

About Me: Beginner Powerlifter: training for Strength gains + Mountain bike control/stamina + general physical preparedness for my work which can involve intensive manual labour.

BW 168. 5 rep max DL 325 SQ 260 B 165... Yes the squats are below parallel

I generally lift once every 4-5 days.

Warmup: 500m row, foam roller, burpees

Exercises: Squat 5x5, Deadlift 5x3 +1x1x1x1x1@ 95%, Bench 5x5, Chins, Dumbbell OH press, Bent over rows, grip work. Weighted myotatic sit-ups on bosu ball.

This takes a good 1.5 hours, I rest between sets for a good minute.

Since I'm interested in muscular endurance esp. for mtn biking...Are there any good reasons I shouldn't blast out a couple sets of 20 reps at say, 115 for squats and deadlifts? After the heavy work is done?

As I understand it, this would cause some growth of the intra-muscular blood vessels, which should be very functional for anything cardio related? Apart from some extra soreness, are there any drawbacks to this? I generally have lots of energy in the tank at the end of these workouts despite going all out, nearly blacking out on the heavy squats and deads.

Unrelated: Anyone else doing tabata skipping? Double unders???

Thanks for reading! Here, have some fresh beats whilst you type up your replies.

http://8tracks.com/danwall/eclectro

[Neckhammer]

Thats pretty brutal for one workout. Why not split it?

Also I would assume you get enough endurance work via the actual cycling and don't need extra work on it in the gym.

Basically I'd take what your doing and split it into two workouts then add in a HIIT day and keep up the cycling.

[goneprimal]

Thats pretty brutal for one workout. Why not split it?

Also I would assume you get enough endurance work via the actual cycling and don't need extra work on it in the gym.

Basically I'd take what your doing and split it into two workouts then add in a HIIT day and keep up the cycling.

Thanks for your reply!

So far I haven't felt the need to split it as I don't feel like my intensity is dropping until the end...by the time I finish the grip work and sit-ups.

I am under the impression that specific muscular endurance is different than general aerobic endurance, so I hypothesize some high-rep squats would help with issues such as muscle cramping on longer bike races/rides.

The mountain biking is very HIIT - esque, lots of steep sections and hard charges in between flat/recovery sections or rests.

Do you suggest a split routine to lessen DOMS or soreness?

[Neckhammer]

Do you suggest a split routine to lessen DOMS or soreness?

More because you listed so many compound exercises I cant see how your able to give 100% on each one. Squat, Deads, Chins, Rows, then you need more grip work? Does not compute for me .

Its a bit about your CNS ability to recover along with the muscles, but I see you put 4-5 days between workouts too. That probably works well with how your set up.

Personally I do all compounds but only one I would consider "full body" in a workout. So if I'm doing Deadlifts I'm not doing squats too, but I may do dips and chins....just for instance.

Far as muscular endurance why not work in a bodyweight day for that? Nothing really beats some old school PT for muscular endurance. Convict conditioning and YAYOG have quite a following if your looking for some ideas....

[Ripped]

First of all, my experience with combining a manual labor job + strength training doesn't really mix so well if you want to workout several times per week. You'd be much better off doing a 2 day per week workout program.

As for your biking, I actually have a few comments on that. First of all, don't expect to be able to excel at two sports that are completely opposite in muscular function. Pure strength training sports and pure long distance sports simply don't mix. I'm not going to discourage you from trying. But I'd pick one as the main sport and the other for leisure.

Also realize that endurance has much more do with skill than you'd think. So for example, training for a marathon run wouldn't necessarily transfer so well to endurance cycling and visa versa. In regards to your situation, I'd say the only thing that's going to make you better at biking is biking. Anything else on top of what you're already doing will be a waste of time.

Also realize that you're already getting plenty of physical activity at work. It's definitely a good thing. But too much physical activity will hinder your strength gains. It is good for you. But too much will be no good.

PS.
If you really think you need 5 workouts per week in order to get strong, think twice and read up about a fellow by the name of Arthur Saxon. He was the worlds strongest man about a century ago, before they had steroids and supplements and all that. And he only did 2 workouts per week with his brothers.

[goneprimal]

Thanks for the input but you misread my OP. So to clarify,

-I lift once every 4-5 days;
-Mountain biking (in BC) is steep and technical and certainly not a "pure distance" sport;
-No need to infer too much about my work, as it is seasonally labour-intensive, lots of time off.

***I intended the thread to consider the effects of adding high rep sets after heavy lifts.***

Also realize that endurance has much more do with skill than you'd think. So for example, training for a marathon run wouldn't necessarily transfer so well to endurance cycling and visa versa. In regards to your situation, I'd say the only thing that's going to make you better at biking is biking. Anything else on top of what you're already doing will be a waste of time.

I agree with this part; it seems V02 max doesn't transfer well across different activities; mountain biking is way more of a skill than jogging or swimming so technical skills(time in the saddle) is def. most important.

[Ghâshûl]

In Wendler's 5/3/1 program, one of the assistance programs you can choose has 5x10 of the main workout. So first do low rep strength routine squats, and then five sets of 10 at lower weight. So, it can definitely be done.
That is done with the idea of getting some hypertrophy along with the strength gains, but in case it's not unheard of.

[goneprimal]

Right on, I'll check out Wendler's program. Thanks!