Ashley Jones
Fitness Trainer
Crusaders – Super 12
Canterbury – NPC (New Zealand Domestic Competition)
“WARRIOR PRINCESS”
It annoys me when I see personal trainers telling female trainees to do 15-25 reps to “shape” and “tone” the buttocks or other body parts. Having them use broomsticks for bars and tooth picks with olives for dumbbells is an insult to their strength potential.
I train a woman, Cathy, who has developed great strength by applying time honoured principles of intensity, hard work and dedication to the cause of physical superiority. Her training attitude leaves most men I have trained for dead, she is truly a “Warrior Princess”.
Let me share with you her program. She is a 36 year old mother of three and a more than useful sprinter in her high school days. She currently lifts three days per week and does interval work on the cardio equipment on two other days leaving the weekend free for fun and family.
Her strength program consists of alternating two week blocks of volume and intensity. During a volume block she will perform four work sets to failure with a 60 second rest between sets for four to six exercises. During an intensity block she will perform five to six sets of less than five reps and rest about two to three minutes between sets.
We will choose from a core selection of “Big Bang” exercises from the following groups:
1. Squat: front, back, split, overhead.
2. Hamstring/Lower Back: deadlift, RDL, glute-ham reverse hyper, good morning.
3. Upper Body Pull: chins, rows, pulldowns.
4. Upper Body Push: military, incline, flat bench.
We will use a combination of free weights and Hammer Strength equipment. For abdominal work, Cathy does 20-30 minutes each morning before her children get up.
Her interval training consists of 20-30 minutes of either treadmill or rowing with longer more aerobic intervals during the weights volume phase and shorter more anaerobic intervals during the intensity phase.
An example of each phase would be as follows:
Treadmill:
Volume Phase: 4 x 5 minute efforts @ 12 km/hr with a work:relief ratio of 1:0.5, or
Intensity Phase: 20 x 15 seconds on, 45 seconds off @ 15-20 km/hr.
Concept II Rower:
Volume Phase: 4 x 5 minute efforts @ 2:10 per 500 metres with a work:relief ratio of 1:0.5, or
Intensity Phase: 20 x 15 seconds on, 45 seconds off @ < 1:50 per 500 mtrs.
These are work sets and are preceded by a 5 minute warm up at a reduced intensity.
A workout of each of her strength/weight training phases would look like the following:
Volume: Monday
Back squat 72.5/20,10,8,8
Romanian Deadlift 60/4×8 (sore lower back)
Bench Press 40/10 35/8 30/8 27.5/8
Hammer Iso. Row 37.5/12,8 35/9 32.5/8
Hammer Shoulder Press 20/9 17.5/7 15/7 12.5/8
Hammer Pulldown 40/12,10,8,6
Total Tonnage 9667.5kg
Total Reps 216 reps
Average Weight per Rep 44.8 kg/rep
Intensity: Wednesday
Back Squat 70/5 80/4 90/3 97.5/2 102.5/1 105/1
Romanian Deadlift 50/5 60/4 70/3 80/2 90/2 95/1
Incline 30/5 37.4/4 45/3 50/2 52.5/1 55/1
Hammer Iso. Row 40/5 50/4 55/3 60/2 67.5/1 72.5/1
Hammer Shoulder 20/5 27.5/4 32.5/3 40/2 50/2 52.5/1
Chins BW/5 +2.5/4 +4/3 +6.25/2 t/o/1
Total Tonnage 5787kg
Total Reps 100 reps
Average Weight Per Rep 57.9 kg/rep
Cathy is 5ft 7in tall, weights 70kg and is about 15% body fat.
The lure of competition now beckons and I know whatever she sets her sights on she will achieve.
Training Options for Cathy
Delts
Option 1
Standing Military Press 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Snatch Grip Upright Upright Row 4 x 8 – 12 reps
DB Lateral Raises 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 2
Handstand Push ups with feet against wall 4 x maximal reps to failure
Rollover Press 4 x 6 – 8 reps
3 Way DB Raise 4 x 6 – 8
Option 3
Cuban Press
Snatch Grip Upright
Snatch Grip Shrugs
increase weight each set and move to the next exercise in sequence when you can’t get the required number of reps.
Option 4
Push Press with 6 – 10 sec eccentric, 6 sets x 6 reps
Snatch Grip Upright Row 4 x 6 – 8 reps
super set with
Super Slow DB Lateral Raises, 5:5 speed 4 x 6 – 8 reps
1 minute rest between supersets
Pectorals
Option 1
Incline DB Bench Press 4 – 6 reps (failure then decrease angle, triple drop style start at 45 degrees, then 30 degrees, then 15 degrees. No rest between drops other than changing the angle of the bench, 1 minute rest in between sets, 4 sets.
Dips 4 x 30 sec E + 30 sec C
Option 2
DB Flat Bench Flys 3:3 speed super set with Dips, BW to failure 3:3 speed for 4 sets
Option 3
Incline Bench Press 6 x 2 – 6 reps
DB Flat Bench Flys 4 x 8 – 12
Pullovers 2 x 15 – 20
Option 4
Bench Press 6 x 2 – 6 reps
DB Incline Bench Flys 4 x 8 – 12
Dips 2 x 15 – 20
Lats/Rhomboids/Traps
Option 1
Chin Ups 4 x 30 sec E: 30 sec C
Bentover Row 4 x 8 – 12
Power Shrugs 4 x 6 – 8
Option 2
Chin to touch bar with lower sternum 4 x maimum # of reps
Seated Row 4 x 6 – 8
Pulldown behind neck 4 x 8 – 12
DB super slow shrugs 5:5 speed for 6 – 8 reps x 4
Option 3
Weighted Chins 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Seated Row 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Standing straight arm pulldowns 2 x 15 – 20
Option 4
Hang Cleans 6 x 2 – 6 reps
50 Chin ups in as few sets as possible with 1 minutes rest between sets as possible and each set taken to positive failure
Hamstrings/Glutes/Erectors
Option 1
Eccentric Leg Curls 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Good morning 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Lying Leg Curl 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 2
Single leg sprinters squat 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Romanian Deadlift 4 x 6 – 8 super setted with Lying Leg Curls 4 x 8 – 12
Option 3
Romanian Deadlift 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Good morning 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Reverse Hypers 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 4
warm up jogging then 10 x 22m sprints from a sprint start position
DB or barbell walking lunges 4 x 100m
Quads
Option 1
Back Squat 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Leg Press 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Leg Extension 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 2
Front Squat 6 x 2 – 6 reps
Low Step Ups 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Split Squat 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 3
Tri Set of Leg Press/Leg Extension/ Back Squat to failure on each exercise between 8 – 15 reps for 5 sets
Calves
Standing Calf Raises 2 days per week 6 sets x 2 – 10 reps
Seated Calf Raises 5 days per week 4 x 30 – 50 reps change the exercise speed each day as follows:
Mon – 1:1, Tues – 5:5, Wed – 3:3, Thurs – 10:10, Fri – 1:1
Biceps/Triceps
Option 1
Antagonistic super set
Barbell Curl/Close Grip Bench Press 6 x 2 – 6 reps
DB Incline Curl/Lying Tricep Extension 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Preacher Curl/Rope Pushdown 2 x 15 – 20 reps
Option 2
Standing DB Twist Curls 4 x 8 – 12 repsSeated Hammer Curls 4 x 8 – 12 repsStanding Zottman Curls 4 x 8 – 12 reps Lying Triceps Extension 4 x 8 – 12 repsDB Overhead Extension 4 x 8 – 12 repsDips 4 x 8 – 12 reps
Option 3
Barbell Reverse Curl 4 x 8 -12 Close Grip Bar Curl 4 x 8 – 12Incline Hammer Curl 4 x 8 – 12 Pullover & Press 4 x 8 – 12Decline Lying Triceps Extension 4 x 8 – 12One arm reverse grip pushdown 4 x 8 – 12
Training Schedule
First 6 weeks
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Delts/Hamstrings Quads/Back Delts/Hamstrings Chest/Arms Delts/Hamstrings
Transverse Abdominis(TA) Obliques (O) Rectus Abdominis (RA) Transverse Abdominis (TA) Obliques (O)
Next 6 weeks
3 times per day/3 days per week/45 minutes per workout
Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Workout 1 7:00am Delts Chest Quads
Workout212:00 noon Hamstrings Back Delts
Workout 3 5:00pm Triceps/Calves/TA YOGA Biceps/Calves/O YOGA Hamstrings/RA/Calves
Alternate each option for each body part each workout, feel free to modify the sets and reps depending on how you feel, intensity is the number one quality.