Sign in to follow this  
kdsmith27

The Russian Routine Conditioning Program!

Recommended Posts

The Russian Routine Conditioning Program!

The Russian Routine I first learned of this training program from Ed Coan, The World's Greatest Powerlifter. Ed is to powerlifting as Dan Gable is to wrestling. This routine is probably from Bulgaria, but when Ed told me how to do it, I couldn't remember where it was from when I told my training partners about it. We called it the Russian Routine, because it was something that we could all remember.

The Russian Routine is great for wrestlers who are looking to improve anaerobic conditioning. It will also get your cardiovascular system going like you won't believe. The workout is designed for only the squat and bench press. I'd like to see wrestlers use it for the deadlift as well.

Here's how it goes:

1. You train on 4 week mini-cycles.

2. You establish a 1 repetition maximum on each lift.

3. You train at a percentage of each maximum, increasing the percentage over 4 weeks. 4. You re-establish your maximum on each lift after the

4 week cycle. You then repeat the cycle, using percentages of the new maximum.

5. ** If you don't want to train with maximum singles due to the possibility of injuries, check out my "How To Find Out How Strong You Are!" article. You can view it on the www.wrestlingperformance site.

Week 1 -- 8 Sets of 3 repetitions @ 70% of maximum

Week 2 -- 8 Sets of 3 repetitions @ 75% of maximum

Week 3 -- 5 Sets of 3 repetitions @ 80% of maximum

Week 4 -- 5 Sets of 2 repetitions @ 85% of maximum

• Perform 1 or two warm-up sets before you begin.

• You take ONLY 60 seconds between sets. That is the key. You are going to be huffing and puffing by the time it's over. The first couple of sets are easy, and it gets harder.

• Perform each lift only one time per week. Perform this routine before the season for a great way to get your anaerobic conditioning and cardio on the right track.

A typical week might look like:

Monday -- Squat (Russian Routine) followed by leg assistance, and ab work

Wednesday -- Bench Press (Russian Routine) followed by chest, shoulders, triceps work.

Friday -- Deadlift (Russian Routine) followed by upper back, lower back, biceps, forearms, grip and neck work.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sign in to follow this