P13 Overview

Q4 Themes: Peak for Holiday Hotness & Get Winter Sports Ready!

P13 Theme: Peaking Phase!

Suggested DB Loads:

• A1/B1: 25-45%BW (medium strong)

• A2/B2: 35-55%BW (very strong)

• A3/B3: 15-35%BW (very light)

• A4/B4: 35-55%BW (very strong)

• A5/B5: 20-40%BW (medium or light)

• A6/B6: 15-35%BW (very light)

Another way of looking at this would be:

• A1/B1: 3-5 lbs per hand less than last phase

• A2/B2: same as last phase; heaviest you can lift and/or highest skill level you can do;

• A3/B3: light & fast

• A4/B4: same as last phase; heaviest you can lift and/or highest skill level you can do;

• A5/B5: 3-5 lbs. per hand heavier than light & fast

• A6/B6: light & fast

As Sarah Preis summed up, we are now in over-scheduled territory. As I say, "when life stress goes up, training stress goes down".

HIIT

Nobody wants to lose the progress they've made, so we'll keep the loads we used all quarter in this phase AND we'll address what's coming, by introducing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which will be challenging, yet energizing.

You'll focus less on hitting the reps goal for the set and building strength, no matter how long it takes to complete the reps (within your 5min density circuit) and instead focus on doing the most reps you can within the 20 seconds you'll have, followed by a short rest.

Technically and mathematically it's possible to match or beat what you did last phase for total volume (weights x sets x reps), because you'll be doing a 3 set straight set of 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest (20:10). 3 sets for most of your exercises may actually be more than you did last phase, but I hypothesize you'll do less reps on a very strong day like A2/B2 and A4/B4, compared to strong days last phase when you had 5 minutes to hit the rep goal because of the challenge to balance, hold the weights and/or recover between reps and/or sets.

Reduced Volume = More Energy

If you're tired during a set or taking longer resting between sets this phase, then you'll lose time for working and you'll get less total reps, thereby reducing your total volume. This is what I expect will happen for most of you, most of the time and why I think this programming is a great compliment to life stress up, training stress down AND for peaking you for holiday hotness and getting winter sports ready.

Just like October's Phase 11 (Hypertrophy), which was high volume (and tiring) vs. November's Phase 12 (Strength), which was lower volume, but more energizing and more hungry, December's, Phase 13 (Peaking), can be lower volume again, while touching on strength (you'll use the same loads again as last phase) and hypertrophy (you'll get 3 sets, so your total reps, might be high), but focused on producing bursts of effort anaerobically, which is energizing.

The reason HIIT is so popular besides being fun, is it's very effective at using muscle glycogen (stored glucose or sugars) as fuel and elevating your metabolism at rest longer, thereby using more body fat as fuel.

So using HIIT during the Holidays (nice tagline), I hypothesize will help you to peak aesthetically for photos by tightening everything up and help you to recover from consumption participation by reducing bloat. The bursts are short in duration so if you're under-rested or under recovered and you go at your own pace, it's less intimidating and challenging and the time flies, and if you're rested and in a good place, you'll really maximize the aesthetic benefits and the peaking for winter sports because you'll be training your bursts or explosive effort abilities.

In Summary

You'll peak for Holiday Hotness using High Intensity Interval Training which is very fun, energizing and metabolizes stored sugars during workouts and stored body fat after workouts. This will help you to look better for photos and recover faster from participation. Because their short intervals (20 seconds on), if you're under rested or under recovered and going at your own pace, the time will go fast and you'll be done before you know it and this will make you feel good. If show up rested and ready to go, you'll get the same aesthetic benefits above, but they'll be magnified even more so.

Performance wise you'll practice anaerobic endurance, strength endurance, power endurance and the highest skill levels possible. The volume will probably be lower, so you'll recover more from the last 2 phases, while getting in better shape, maintaining your strength and applying it in more sport related ways. It should be a lot of fun to train and a lot of fun to participate in winter sports.

Phase 13 Warm Up & Cool Down