Best Routine for Strength/Athletiscm

[jumpshot903]

Ok ive been doing a Push/Pull/Legs routine for the past month or so but im at a point where im questioning if it is geared towards what i want. Overall my goal is to become stronger, more athletic, etc. I already run 4x a week and do either yoga or extended stretching 3x a week to increase cooridination, balance, flexibility, etc. But as far as the lifting side of things go would it be best to do full body workouts with a lot of compound lifts or for more of a 5 day split. If im geared towards strength, endurance, etc i feel like i should do high intensity full body workouts.

[Rosie Chee]

Ok ive been doing a Push/Pull/Legs routine for the past month or so but im at a point where im questioning if it is geared towards what i want. Overall my goal is to become stronger, more athletic, etc. I already run 4x a week and do either yoga or extended stretching 3x a week to increase cooridination, balance, flexibility, etc. But as far as the lifting side of things go would it be best to do full body workouts with a lot of compound lifts or for more of a 5 day split. If im geared towards strength, endurance, etc i feel like i should do high intensity full body workouts.

It really depends on the individual and if they are training specifically for a sport. If you ARE training specifically for a sport, then you should have a coach who does all of this for you - if you don't, then I recommend that you get yourself one pronto. If you're not training specifically for a sport and just want general overall improvements in fitness, then anything can work, as long as it is individualized to you for your specific goals and needs - if you cannot do this yourself, then I recommend that you get yourself a trainer who can and will.

~Rosie~

[Rodja]

DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards v3.

[SweetLou321]

DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards v3.

This

[drvinnybombat]

Also check out Crossfit if you're unaware of it. That's my personal favorite.

[ZiR RED]

I'll bite my lip about cross fit and save that for another thread.

The vast majority of strength coaches do not split their programs by muscles, but rather my movements. This, after all, is what athleticism is all about - the generation of movement.
There are several components of athleticism: strength and power, endurance/conditioning, agility, coordination and balance, and even how quickly the brain can process and respond to information from the ocular (eye sight) and vestibular (hearing) systems.

What I'm getting at is a few things.

First, the training should be tailored toward the current objective.
Second, full body or split isn't as important as which exercises are prescribed, and even more importantly - what are the expected adaptations of such exercises. We can just be randomly pulling exercised cards from a deck to create a program **cough, crossfff, cough***

Lastly, I think its important to set some objectives and short and long term goals. To do so, you'll need some tests to measure certain aspects of your performance. Agility, speed, conditioning, strength, power, balance, etc. By running this battery of tests we can compare your results against norms for your sport, and see where the most work is needed, and then construct the training program appropriately.

Br

ps: I live in CT too.

[adamlau]

jumpshot903: Per your username, basketball I presume? I have seen Shaq doing power cleans, Kobe focusing on Westside-style speed movements and MJ performing seated barbell shoulder presses.

[Steelwolf]

I advise training by movement

[Gutterpump]

Also check out Crossfit if you're unaware of it. That's my personal favorite.

Crossfit is great for all-around conditioning, but alone - not the best for pure strength. A combination of Crossfit and powerlifting would be more ideal for the OP's purposes (athleticism + strength).

But if you're training for a specific sport, I would look for a program geared directly for that sport.

My main issue with crossfit, is the ongoing quest for recovery, but no time for gains/building. You're always trying to recover from the previous workout - depending on intensity and how often you go. The randomness doesn't do much for me either.

I've met some really strong athletic people in CF, but it's not going to train you properly for say football (unless taking Crossfit Football) or hockey, etc. Great as an all-around conditioning program though, at least better than most gyms offer in terms of class-driven training.

[drvinnybombat]

Just so I make myself clear on the Crossfit thing, cuz i see some backlash here...

For the people who look at Crossfit workouts and methodology and say it's a jumbled stupid mess; you're right. For the people who say that Crossfitters are delusional cult followers of the manson family; you're right. Crossfit is not a sport and I'm not going to pretend it is.

You do Crossfit along with another REAL sport. Like basketball players would do the website workout of the day, then some sprints, suicides, lay-up drills, take jump shots, etc. Crossfit football is a website that specifically lays out strength biased training specific to football, and reduces the intensity during practice season.

I haven't been on it long enough to say this for sure, but I think Crossfit Football may be the best program I've ever done.

[Gutterpump]

I wish there was crossfit football in my area. I like that program, and I think it works for people who want to be big, fast, strong and powerful while also very conditioned. I workout at a crossfit box (a pretty large one) but I only go to the open lifting sessions 3 times per week instead of their classes.

What I am starting to do now, for conditioning, is continuing to lift (doing all my normal lifts), but adding sprints in-between my first exercise's sets (with no rest) and for time... lowering the weight and doing 15 rep sets for this portion. I take a small break after this circuit and then continue on with the rest of my workout. It exposes many weaknesses. Try doing 15 rep squats while sprinting 400 meters between sets... brutal, and guaranteed it will help in the long run when it comes to lifting fresh again.