My Bulgarian Routine

I've decided Coach Sheiko isn't hardcore enough and am building my new routine around a Bulgarian OL routine.

So basically between 5 and 13 workouts per week, loading based on a idea similiar to what I'm used to. But less sets and reps per squat bench and deadlift workout and more squat, bench and deadlift workouts.

This program has much more flexibility. I sit down Sunday and plan the weeks work based on a goal of a certain poundage for the week. For example this week my goal is 72,000 lbs lifted.

Every rep over 50% counts towards poundage.

50% of my pounds should be done in the big three over the course of a year. I work up every workout to a max and then drop down for a workset. The max in my case will be where I feel I'm starting to slow down in some area of the rep. The big three can be done with or without gear, but my goal is to take more reps in competition type of gear.

50% of my pounds are done in basic strength exercises. I have two for each of the lifts.

Squat - box squat and olympic squat Bench - 3 board NG press and dips Deadlift - good morning and conventional deadlift off a plate.

As well I have 4 remedial exercises which are done regularly, but don't count towards poundage.

Power snatch (or 1 arm db or bb snatch) Pull-up (normally weighted - I've been going up to a 75 lb dumbbell) Glute-ham-gastroc raise Dragondrops

Today was a typical type of day.

In the morning I did a two band very low box squat. Worked up to 365 plus bands and then dropped down to 315 and did 4 sets of 2. Followed by

Followed by working up to 4 sets of 1 at 405 in the conventional deadlift standing on thick plates. Came back at noon and worked up to

workouts I added in several sets of my 4 remedial exercises.

I liked it. Very fast paced and fun workout.

Them thar Bulgarians make Sheiko look like a wuss.

:^)

Just kidding. The overall poundage is very similiar to what I've been doing on the Sheiko routine, just more frequency workouts with less volume in each. And instead of going on a percentage of contest max I go by how I feel that day.

One other different concept for me. At certain points in the year you do rep maxes to 'refusal'. Basically going till you don't feel you can get another good rep. Almost like failure, but isn't 'refusal' a much more descriptive term?

<snip coolness>

Thanks Keith. Interesting stuff.

Just think, with your background and the addition of Olympic squats soon you'll be unable to bare-arse squat the Sunday paper.

Heh!

<snip>

I frankly like the sound of this approach better than the Sheiko approach. It has the cybernetic periodization thing going, which is good, the flexibility any experienced trainee would probably prefer, and the lower per-workout volume that I think will be easier to live with.

'Refusal' is a good word. I think it's just been added to the MFW lexicon.

-Wayne

[1] Although I recall you wimping out on occasion on Sheiko when the pop wasn't there.

Keith never had any trouble squating the sunday paper. His problem was doing it while keeping his bottom out of public view.

Cool. Any chance you'll be posting logs again, or at least something like weekly summaries of what lifts you did? I know I'd be interested in seeing them.

No offense, but is that 72,000 lbs figure a typo?* I just finished a run through the Korte 3x3 (I liked the Sheiko much better but the two workouts a day was really tough on my schedule, so I thought I'd give Korte a try) and my last week of the volume phase I lifted 96,000 lbs, and my maxes are a lot lower than yours. So it seems like given your lifts this is a fairly low-volume routine (especially by your standards), or at least this week was.

*I only dare say this because you wrote:

careful. this aint no candy-ass powerlifting shite. probably not a good idea for some nancy-boy powerlifter to try a real workout. like ones designed for OL'ers.

hth

Yeah, weeks run from 72,000 to 196,000.

Keith are your ideas based upon the article Chris Thibaudeau posted at t-mag on Bulgarian training.

I gave that program a try but found it damn near impossible for two reasons.

1. My daily maxes were too close to a true 1rm.]

2. I don't know how the sets done after the daily max can be based on absolute load, e.g. set daily max then subtract 40lbs for 2 triples, then add 15lbs (25 less than max) for 3 doubles. When my max in 1/2 deadlift is 550, to do 2 triples at 510, followed by 3 doubles at 530 was impossible. Of course, my max may have been too high but still...This apporach only worked for exercises like snatches where even though the absolute load drops after the daily maxes were the same, the percentage drops were far bigger making the program doable.

Wouldn't it make more sense to subtract from the max based on percentage, say set the max then subtract 10% or 5% or whatever. This would then allow for bigger drops in exercises where a lot of weight can be shifted. What are your thoughts?

I'm still waiting to hear you 'decide' that you're going to train for PL'ing by actually training like a PL'er instead of jumping around from goofy non-relevant training routine to goofy non-relevant training routine.

Next I figure you'll decide that training like Jeff Galloway is the best way to improve your totals. Or maybe see what the Kenyans can bring to the table...

The differences between OL and Pl are monstrous and I think you're setting yourself up for disaster by (mis)applying those methods.

but I think we did this dance before so...

Out of curiosity, how do you get in 13 workouts per week? Do you have to do three workouts per day sometimes, or is a 'rest day' when you 'only' workout once that day?

Is an Olympic Squat and Overhead Squat? If not, what is an 'olympic' squat?

No question, just a gawk. Can't imagine snatches or pullups being 'remedial' - but I guess we're just different <g>.

How low is 'very low'?

Like Wayne, I think 'refusal' is a very good term - avoids confusion on the whole concept of 'failure.'

Selene refuses to train to failure