Long PLing Question(s)

[SAD]

Alright, I've had success in the past with the 5x5 programs, but with my jobs now (I've got 3), I have a crazy fucked schedule and don't have the ability to hit the gym on a set schedule. I am about to cycle on and would like some advice from the PL guru's and whoever else feels like they can offer some assistance.

Basically, I'd like to have a heavy/low-rep day and a speed day for each of the Big 3, each week. The problem is, I won't have much time and some of the workouts will be on back-to-back days and other times I'll have to go 3-4 days without hitting the gym. I'd give you a sample schedule, but it is so crazy that it wouldn't help. I work everyday, some days two jobs, others one long one, others one short(er) one. I hit the gym on my short(er) one job days, and sometimes on my long one job days.

Any advice on how to stack the workouts for maximum PLing benefit would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure that I won't have a set plan, but I'd like to at least have an idea for what could work, such as what I could do the day after a heavy bench day, or how to get at least one heavy day in per week on the weeks that I have 5 days to hit the gym. Here's what I'm thinking.

Monday - Heavy deads.
Tuesday - Speed bench.
Wedn - OFF
Thursday - OFF
Friday - Heavy squats.
Saturday - Speed deads.
Sunday - Heavy bench.
Monday - Speed squats.
Tuesday - OFF
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - OFF
Friday - Heavy deads.
Saturday - Speed bench.
Sunday - Heavy squats.


I know it's not ideal, but I gotta work around work. This is just a sample of what I'm looking at. Any and all help is appreciated in advance.

 

[porky little keg]

The rotation you posted sounds fine to me.... the one thing I want to offer is that you can look at the total volume of work for the week and not just the number of days in the gym to adjust your schedule.

For example.... in the off season I get in the gym 5 days a week and do a similar routine to what you posted plus, of course, all of the auxiliary stuff for each lift which I'm sure you plan to include. The workouts are an hour and a half tops and generally pretty light. It's the off season and I just want my body to recover without losing any strength.
During the other 10 months of the year I only lift 3 days a week.
Saturday we train heavy squats and deads and it takes from 10am to around 3pm.
Sunday I do light speed work or reps, prowler work, strongman training, lower body auxiliary, and conditioning work.
Monday night the team benches from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Some weeks it's light raw work other weeks heavy shirted or board work.
Then I have Tuesday through Friday just to rest, do light cardio or maybe some ab wheel work at home.

I work a very demanding job and have several other commitments outside of work that take up a lot of my time, so I adjusted my schedule accordingly. After a few months I realized that I was making way better progression with the extra rest days. I'd go the the gym much more fresh, hit the weights a lot harder, and then just rest all week.
Most of my team does a similar split, the only change being what I do on Sunday some guys do on Tuesday or Wednesday.


So don't sweat not being able to get to the gym 6 days a week. Make the 3 or 4 days really count and you'll probably grow from it.

Good Luck.

 

[SAD]

Thanks PLK. I was hoping you'd reply. It makes sense that the extra rest days help, but it's a mental fuck-fuck game that makes me feel lazy and behind the curve. I'll try to keep up with a decent log when I start later this week and would truly appreciate any future advice. Thanks again.

 

[PillarofBalance]

Back when I used to have a lot more contracted work on the side (corner of 14th and Ashe ) I got around the hectic schedule by simply assigning each workout a number in order rather than a day of the week. That way if I had to miss Tuesday's workout, I'd just resume my schedule Wednesday and wasn't feeling like I was behind or anything.

Might just be semantics but it was good for my mind.

If PLK says the split is good, then its good. I'm in for the log of course Lets post-whore it up!

 

[Halo]

Me too SAD, looking forward to seeing you excel brother! I am trying to get the steam going on my log again.

As for what PLK was talking about with time off. Since joining the team I'm on it's 3 days a week and the work is brutal when it comes and the time off is more necessary than I could have imagined. Many times I come home from the gym and feel like the Jack Nicholson character in One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest sitting staring into space.

 

[jandj0821]

Looking forward to your log SAD

 

[porky little keg]

Looking forward to the log and seeing how you do with the new split.

Halo.... I know that feeling well man! The combination of adrenalin dump, stimulant crash, food coma, and exhaustion.... I sat through a whole movie with my wife last week and don't remember any of it.