Steady State Training Cycle

Coach,

Can you or anyone else explain how to develop a Steady State Training Cycle. I am getting burned out and feel that it is perhaps due to a lack in proper under-load training. I have read and re-read the BtGB and am having trouble. I thought by asking here it might help some others also!

Thanks!

What you have to do is work out a volume and intensity that is fairly doable (if there is such a word) now and stick with that for at least 4 weeks, no increases in intensity or volume, even if you feel like it, this lets the tendons catch up in strength with the muscles and lets the whole body adjust, this is the workout that you use as a steady state cycle and if adhered to properly should all but eliminate injuries and overtraining. Only increase the intensity or volume by a small dose every 4 to 8 weeks and even then only if the previous level is really becoming too easy. The only trouble for you is working out what this level is, one word of caution, always err on the side of making it slightly easier rather than pushing yourself over the edge, when in doubt, i'm sure that impatience and trying to push your body too quickly before it's ready has ruined many potential champions in many sports. Injuries and burnout usually result when you constantly try to up the intensity every workout when you are not properly prepared for that increase in intensity or workload. Hope this helps you, this is the reason that a lot of athletes have coaches who keep an eye on workload and also the athletes mental state which can also be a good indicator of things going awry.

I have a question about steady state cycle for both fsp and fbe exercises. I have been in and out of training for a long time now with weights and gymnastics. Training hard and to failure or avoiding pushing sets to failure type training. Now i have been on steady state cycle for few weeks and aiming for 8 weeks (and i like this type of training when you do not go to failure (if i train very hard i start to feel bad), then i would test the max holds/repetitions in exercises in the cycle. But there i have the problem: how i should test all the exercises (10 of them)? I mean if I test on monday on week 9, like 10 exercises with plenty of rest between attempts it will last many hours/forever/all day. Should i split it in half and test 5 exercises on monday and 5 on friday? And if i have more exercises like 20+ should i split it to four test days and can they be done in 1 week or in 2 weeks? So How should i test maximim repetitions/holds(or more difficult variation of a exercise) for the exercises on the end of a cycle for the next steady state cycle?

To put it simply; no.

The intricacies of your proposed testing method are unnecessary and there is no need to spread your testing out over several days. When it is time to test, perform a short warm-up and then simply test to establish your new max static holds and new FBE strength. Remember that this is a test; NOT a workout.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

So i test all the exercises on one day (even if there are 20 exercises?)? but how the test should be done? should i test the exercises back-to-back (i test the first exercise then i go straight on to next one and then the next..)?

If you are performing 20 exercises that require testing, then your training program is flawed and lacks focus.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I mean if i do four fsp and four (different) fbe exercises per training day and i have four training days a week. Then i do 20 exercises. This is too much? Should i do less fbe exercises per cycle? Is Four fsp and four fbe exercises better?

It is not reasonable, practical nor effective for you to be training four different FSP each day. My recommendation is to choose the main four and focus on those.

For the FBE, choose a specific FBE from a particular category (pulling, pressing etc) that you would most like to improve during the SSC and focus your primary efforts there. You may still train the other FBE from that particular category, but your testing will be focused on that particular movement.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

So i test 4 fbe exercises and other fbe exercises will be done maintenance style in the cycle?

When your pressing strength improves for one pressing FBE, it will also generally improve for all of them to an extent.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

So i increase reps in every fbe not just in the ones i tested? couple of reps maybe?

thanks for the replyes i am learning so much

ok. I think i know what you mean, i should alternate or rotate what for example pressing exercise i concentrate on in cycle like dip. in The next cycle i shall try to put other exrcise up like hspu, and then again dip. or something like that. not to try to put all the pressing exercises up in same cycle. Again thanks for the replyes/answers i learned a lot and now i put the wisdom in good use.

I do not understand, for example: if I am weak chins (pull) and dips (push), so then I should I do during my SSTC only these exercises? :?

No, you may do other FBEs as well. However those two movements would be your primary focus for testing purposes at the end of the training cycle.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

ah of course, thanks coach!

Should the test day done like this: pick few (3-5? or can i test 8?) exercises that you want to test.

Then do multiple attempts, meaning multiple sets with chosen exercises. For example planche hold how long i can hold if too long then i try the next more difficult variation for time and then do that on coming training cycle. So At least 2 sets would be done for planche. Then the rest of the exercises tested with same rules.

Do i have to rest between attempts 3-5 min or is less like 1 min appropriate?

I think it would be easier to just do 5 exercises max in a cycle 2-3 fsp and 2-3 fbe exercises and do that program for a cycle then test everything (5 exercises) then continue to next cycle etc. But if it is possible to do more exercises but not to test everything then how i should proceed with the fpe/fsp exercises that i dount test? should the reps of those exercises kept constant, not increasing reps for cycles to come?

Sorry asking so much.. :oops:

I would recommend the following guidelines:

1) Test your main 3 or 4 FSP. You only get one attempt to set a new max on each FSP.

2) Test only your main push, pull and leg FBE. You only get one attempt to either show mastery and moving up to the next progression or staying with that FBE and increasing the reps during the next SSC to further stabilize the exercise.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks. I was not sure how to do the testing, but now I know what you mean.

Coach Sommer said:

I would recommend the following guidelines:

1) Test your main 3 or 4 FSP. You only get one attempt to set a new max on each FSP.

2) Test only your main push, pull and leg FBE. You only get one attempt to either show mastery and moving up to the next progression or staying with that FBE and increasing the reps during the next SSC to further stabilize the exercise.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Ah! finally cleared a bit. Sticky please

Coach - The Starter Frog position largely varies for me based on how well I balance myself. Some attempts are better than others. What to do in such scenarios? What then? One shot & fail.. = fail ?

crashnburn said:

Coach - The Starter Frog position largely varies for me based on how well I balance myself. Some attempts are better than others. What to do in such scenarios? What then? One shot & fail.. = fail ?

If this is the case, then your FS is not yet stable enough to test.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Are you working these on the floor? That's really important. These are where you build the basic hand and wrist strength that you'll need for a lot of other things here, at least that is what I am finding. Hell, even my strength on hand grippers is going up !!!

Just keep working them until you're consistently steady. That's what I'm doing and it's working great for me.

slizzardman said:

Are you working these on the floor? That's really important. These are where you build the basic hand and wrist strength that you'll need for a lot of other things here, at least that is what I am finding. Hell, even my strength on hand grippers is going up !!!

Just keep working them until you're consistently steady. That's what I'm doing and it's working great for me.

Doing on the floor (with a very thin yoga mat since my bedroom floor is slippery tiled).

When you say hand grippers.. what do you mean?

Captains of Crush are what I use for hand grippers. I bought a #2 a while ago and I play with it occasionally. I can close it nearly twice the number of times with both hands as I could before I started floor frogstand work. As a side note, I can tell that I will be in the frogstand for a long time.

Slizzardman, saw your video on YOU TUBE yesterday for Pseudo Planche Pushups, great video, lot's of ideas for improving there.

Lets see if i understand the steady state cycle

I can hold the tuck planche for 30 sec so i have to move on to the next harder version but i can hold the new version only for 5 sec.

So i do 12 set of 5s = 60s?

But never go to failure!