It is possible that some of you who are reading this are speed responsive lifters. If you are, you will respond well to brief sets consisting of three to five explosive reps and minimal fatigue. Many people think of explosive lifting as something that pertains mostly to the Olympic lifts which include the Clean and Jerk, and the Snatch, but some lifters respond well to explosive lifting within the context of building strength for squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Not everyone is a speed responsive lifter, but some people are. The only way to know is to incorporate some forceful lifting with maximum rep speed into your workouts.
The 4 x 4 x 4 Workout
One of my favorite training plans to assess whether or not you are responsive to explosive lifting is to do what I refer to as the 4 x 4 x 4 workout. The workout is to be done as follows:
Do four sets of four reps for each exercise, and perform each exercise four days per week.
Lift with Maximum Force and Rep Speed
When doing the 4 x 4 x 4 workout, each rep must be performed with maximum force and rep speed. You should include squats, deadlifts, and bench presses into each workout, and you can add overhead presses and pulldowns if you think it is beneficial to do so. The training plan consists of four total weeks, and each week consists of one training wave. A training wave consists of four workouts in which the weight is increased from workout to workout throughout the same week. The training wave is repeated with an additional 2% to 3% of your single rep max each week for a total of four weeks.
The four-week training plan consists of the sets, reps, and percentages listed below, which should be used for each exercise when using the 4 x 4 x 4 workout.
Week 1
Workout 1: 4 sets x 4 reps with 65% of your single rep max
Workout 2: 4 sets x 4 reps with 67.5%
Workout 3: 4 sets x 4 reps with 70%
Workout 4: 4 sets x 4 reps with 72.5%
Week 2
Workout 1: 4 sets x 4 reps with 67.5% of your single rep max
Workout 2: 4 sets x 4 reps with 70%
Workout 3: 4 sets x 4 reps with 72.5%
Workout 4: 4 sets x 4 reps with 75%
Week 3
Workout 1: 4 sets x 4 reps with 70% of your single rep max
Workout 2: 4 sets x 4 reps with 72.5%
Workout 3: 4 sets x 4 reps with 75%
Workout 4: 4 sets x 4 reps with 77.5%
Week 4
Workout 1: 4 sets x 4 reps with 72.5% of your single rep max
Workout 2: 4 sets x 4 reps with 75%
Workout 3: 4 sets x 4 reps with 77.5%
Workout 4: 4 sets x 4 reps with 80%
When To Stop Your Training Cycle
If you are truly responsive to explosive lifting, you will probably want to stop the cycle after the fourth week when you reach 80% of your max because the weights will become so heavy that you can no longer lift in a forceful manner with a significant amount of rep speed. A speed responsive lifter may find that they stop responding to an increased in weight after week four. Such lifters should start a new four week cycle by repeating the same cycle with weights that are five to ten pounds heavier than the previous four week cycle.
When To Continue Loading Beyond 4 Weeks
I recommend that you test your strength with either a single rep max, a three rep max, or a four rep max before the cycle and after the cycle in order to evaluate how you respond to a speed dominant training plan. If speed based training proves to be beneficial, you can keep doing it, or at least include speed training with other types of lifting. It may also be that you notice your strength starts to surge right when the cycle is about to end, and you feel that you would benefit if you keep loading 2% to 3% to the four week cycle for two to three more weeks. If this is the case, you should allow yourself to continue the cycle with heavier weights each week to see how many weeks it takes before your strength peaks.
Option: Alternate Between Squats and Deadlifts from Workout to Workout
Some lifters may also find that doing squats and deadlifts in the same workout four times per week is too much. If this is the case, alternate between squats and deadlifts from workout to workout.
Not All Exercises are Created Equal
Not all exercises are created equal in terms of how well they respond to speed work. You may find that you are speed responsive to some exercises, but not all exercises. If this is the case, include speed work for the exercises that benefit from explosive lifting, and use other forms of strength training according to what works for each exercise.
Always stick with what you are doing if what you are doing is working. However, if your current training plan has stopped working, you have the option of trying the speed-based training plan outlined in this article as it will help you determine the extent to which you are responsive to workouts based on speed training. May God bless you and grant you the best of training.