058 How to Maximize your Offseason

Vital with Paul Weber

Start with the lowest hanging fruit
Look at your results from the Open and/or Quarterfinals.
This Quarterfinals was great because the programming prioritized distinct attributes in each test.
And there was good separation in each test. So it wasn’t about execution, there were real limiters in every test.
Look at your scores.
1. Your scores are pretty balanced.
Time to get strong.
2. You have one score that was significantly lower than the rest.
Find your lowest score.
If 2 was your lowest score – time to get conditioned
If 1, 3 or 4 was your lowest score – time to get strong
How to get strong:
SBD
2-3-1 squat-bench-deadlift weekly training frequency
~3–6 working sets of 1–5 repetitions each week per lift
Use loads above 80% 1RM at an RPE of 7.5–9.5
Accessory Work
6-20 sets per muscle group per week
5-30 reps per set
2-8 seconds per rep (some kind of tempo, control the eccentric)
Within proximity of failure – 0-2 RIR
Conditioning
High Intensity Conditioning
10 minutes or less
2-6 times per week
Low Intensity Conditioning
45 minutes or less
3-6 times per week (depending on non-exercise activity)
I prefer low intensity conditioning.
Bias machines.
Train strength fed and fresh.
The more advanced you get, the more you need to get accurate with dosages.
How to get conditioned:
As much time as possible in HR Zones 1 and 2.
If limited on time, you’ll do more high intensity in the off-season.
How to do high intensity
Use intervals more often than not – time trials are fine but for me intervals are superior because:
More time at competition-relevant paces
More time at those paces with lower RPEs
Long >> Short Working Interval
5:00 >> :30
Aerobic work:rest ratios
1:1 or more
Cyclical >> Mixed
Test and Retest
10 Minute Assault Bike
Just pick one and be consistent with it
Retest every macrocycle (3 mesocycles)
Frequency – as high as you can recover from
How to know you’re recovering:
-your performance in the sessions is improving
-your desire to train is still present
-your sleep quality is stable
Frequency could be:
-every other day
-daily
-anything above that – prioritize more low intensity conditioning
Big Picture
Off
20 days
Competition Prep
70-100 days
Base Training
245-275 days
This divides into macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles, which are divided into your training split.
There are tons of training splits to choose from, the point is to progress in each training day week after week.
This is where a lot of CFers train with too much variety and don’t know if they’re progressing.
Then at the end of a mesocycle (3-6 weeks) take a deload week, during which you do half the volume of the last week of the mesocycle.
Then repeat.
Stick to your priority for a macrocycle (3 mesocycles) then retest and reevaluate.