Ego Over Matter: Week 1: Powerlifting Periodization Routine

It’s the first full week of 2009, and thus it’s the first week of my Periodization routine. This has been a shake-up to the system; only two days into it and my body is totally sore and I’m aching in places I haven’t ached in years (LOL!). This is a good thing; it means I’m getting away from being complacent and I’m taking a targeted approach to training.

This first week I’m working through the exercises and determining what my abilities actually are, with an emphasis on around 85% of maximum weight and doing 3-4 sets of 10 reps each. My routine is as follows:

Monday/Thursday:

Bent Legged Deadlifts
Powerlifting Style Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Seated Leg Curls
Crunches

Tuesday/Friday:

Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
Lat Pulldowns or Chins (though the latter will take awhile to get to, to be honest)
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Biceps Curls
Crunches
Reverse Crunches

Weeks 1 through 4 will be marching up with lower weight and more reps until I determine what my peak level with 10 rep sets is. Wednesday is my day of rest… which doesn’t mean I don’t work out, I just don’t train with weights. Elliptical trainer or other cardio exercise will fill the time.