January Powerlifting Split

January Powerlifting Split & Understanding the Law of Accommodation

Hey crew,

It's been a while since we've had a post. Our team took two months - January and February - to depart on a strictly powerlifting split. I wanted to create a post afterwards with thoughts, comments, and overall reflections after we had finished the split. It was a fun two months. Here is a breakdown of what we did for January:

Methodology

• Days of Lifts
• Squat performed Tuesday
• Bench performed Thursday
• Deadlift performed Saturday 
•  Main Lifts
•  Each day of the week, we will perform the main lift at the beginning of the session - back squat, bench press, conventional deadlift. For the first cycle, we are doing five sets of each exercise, with varying repetitions over the weeks - 5 sets of 5 reps the first week, 5 sets of 3 reps the second week, and 5 sets of 1 rep the last. 
• For January, we are doing 5 sets of each lift because we are aiming to hit a high volume of lifts - training with this much volume is meant to familiarize lifters with heavy demand on your body while helping lifters learn a bit more about themselves in a powerlifting atmosphere. 
• Each set is to be done to an 8 or 9 out of 10 on an effort level (rate of perceived exertion - RPE). This lower intensity level is due to the high volume of sets we have.
•  Accessory Lifts & the Law of Accommodation
•  The accessory lifts are variations of the regular lift that are meant to work a certain position, speed, or weakness of the main lift. 
• For example, in a band resisted squat, bands are placed at the ends of the barbell, providing tension on the way up from a squat after the lifter reaches parallel; it helps the lockout portion of the lift. In a pause bench, the lifter pauses for 3 seconds when the barbell is at his/her ribcage, focusing on keeping a tight upper back, staying on tension, and working explosivity out of the bottom position.
• The Law of Accommodation
•   The reason we work these lifts from different angles, tensions, speeds, etc. is to avoid accommodation - a plateau or a stagnation in progress and performance. According to Zatsiorsky, the response of a biological object to a given constant stimulus decreases over time.
•  For the first three weeks, we work these accessory lifts and then for the next split in February, the lifters implemented a whole new slew of accessory movements, focusing on different points of performance. We implement three weeks for these lifts in order for members to be able to learn the lift and become proficient at it, and then move on once their body has learned and accommodated to it.
•  Variations in lifts can be achieved with altering resistance: bands and chains -- bars: safety squat bars, cambered bars -- equipment: GHD machines, kettlebells, prowlers, sleds -- speed & position: dimmel deadlifts, stiff legged deadlifts, deficit deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, good mornings, high bar backsquat, low bar backsquat, zercher squats, box squats, pause squats, band resisted squats, pause bench, stability bench, board press, floor press, incline/decline bench,  -- and much  more.

Training Intensity

•  For all of my members, this was their first powerlifting cycle. They all worked extremely hard and progressed in lifts which were entirely new to them - many of them have never benched before. However, in hindsight, it is important to understand the relevance of intensity vs. accuracy. When acquiring this new powerlifting skill set, it is important to understand that doing a repetition out of position can be a teaching tool, yet simultaneously a detriment if too rampant. If a lifter's movement is on point for 4/5 reps, that 1 rep in which they may have come forward on a backsquat will teach them to stay on their midfoot/heels. However, if a lifter is progressing too quickly with weight and 2/5 or 3/5 of the reps of the set are good, then those 2-3 reps performed not to standard are actually proving to be a detriment to training. It is important to push yourself for a harder weight (intensity), but not when it causes a large skew in accuracy. Bottom line: when acquiring a new skill set, be patient and be mindful with weight jumps. There is beauty in acquiring the position and movement of a lift, not only in achieving higher weight.

Stay tuned for our next post: February Powerlifting Split & The Intensity Cycle