This article is going to highlight my current training split. I believe there are a number of ways to program (both for yourself and for your athletes). I have always tried to write my own programs. This is because I like to try different things for myself in order to filter out what may or may not be applicable to a larger group of athletes. When we moved to Phoenix I told myself that it would take me a solid six months to get my feet under me (new job, new colleagues, new house to move into, etc.). During that time I was mostly free-styling my training – I had a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish each week, and I documented all the training, but very little thought or planning went into a weekly template. After I hit the six-month mark, I started programming again for myself. My current split is below:

For Strength Training

I am currently running a “Lower Push / Upper Pull + Lower Pull / Upper Push” split. On Monday and Thursday I do “Lower Pull / Upper Push”. On Tuesday and Friday I do “Lower Push / Upper Pull”. Additionally I alternate between a “Heavy” and “Light” emphasis (this is completely subjective and can be based on: actual exercise selection, overall volume, intensity and execution, focus of the session). Essentially, one of the two exercises is “Heavy” (aka the primary focus) and the other is “Light” (aka the secondary focus). I then add in a core exercise and make the whole thing a tri-set.

For example, Monday is “Lower Pull (Light) / Upper Push (Heavy)” and Thursday is “Lower Pull (Heavy) / Upper Push (Light)”. The same applies for the Tuesday and Friday sessions. On Wednesdays I mostly focus on regen/recovery, and tend to put most of my eggs in the basket of “miscellaneous things that I don’t hit throughout the week”. I will also do a little bit of training (usually just pushing exercises) prior to climbing sessions (more on that below).

For Conditioning

My conditioning is either Zone 2 work (mostly through weight vest walking – HERE, HERE, or from riding the bike) or shorter burst, higher intensity intervals.

For Zone 2 work, my only two rules here are: I have to accumulate 100 minutes or more of Zone 2 work per week, and each session has to be a minimum of 20 minutes.

My intervals are typically either :10/:20 or :30/:30 for 5-10 minutes. I usually do these on the fan bike (Assault Bike) because that’s what is accessible at the climbing gym, and I like it the most (however, I will occasionally jump on the rower for these as well).

All in all, I will do intervals 2-3 times per week and do my Zone 2 work 5-7 times per week.

For Sprinting

My goal here is to put my cleats on twice per week. I will typically do four exercises in a session: 1) a sled-based exercise 2) a plyo/jump exercise 3) a medicine ball exercise 4) a sprint or agility exercise. I don’t really dive into this much deeper than that, but I will occasionally switch the focus from either being “linear” or “multi-directional”. I typically complete 2-3 sets of this block on the days I don’t plan to go climbing. All in all I’m just looking to keep myself being “athletic” (meaning if I decided to play in a pick-up game of some sport I would be less likely to blow a hamstring).

Miscellaneous

In addition to all the work mentioned above, I have some other things I will try to hit as much as possible:

-Jump Rope – I try to jump rope a minimum of five times per week (basically before my morning strength training/sprinting sessions). 100-200 jumps per day.

-Mobility – I start each morning with a mobility routine and end each day with a mobility routine (or at least I try my best to). I have been dealing with some lower-back issues, and being consistent with these routines has been enormous for me. I will also stretch at random times throughout the day.

-Meditation – I try to use the Shiftwave Chair at least once per week.

-Climbing – I will typically boulder 2-3 times per week. I usually do intervals, shoulder program, some form of pressing, and my 3D Strap routine prior to getting on the walls. After 60-90 minutes of time training routes, I will then finish the session with specific hand and grip training.

In Conclusion

This is typically what a training week looks like for me. Depending on your definition of “training”, I am typically training twice per day Monday – Friday (weekends are for Zone 2 only or for making up missed sessions). My overall strength training volume is probably much lower than you think, but I have been seeing solid progress in terms of body composition and strength since switching to this split about 8 weeks ago. Additionally, it allows me to strength train AND boulder multiple times per week. When you look at the total picture, I have: 4 strength training sessions per week, 3 climbing sessions per week, 5-7 “cardio” sessions per week, 2-3 “conditioning” sessions per week, and a ton of random mobility work. It may seem like a lot, but overall it has helped me to feel strong and healthy again. You can find a sample week in the PDF below.