3-Day Training Split to Improve Absolute Strength, Speed Strength, and Hypertrophy

I love training. I love experimenting, exploring, tinkering, and creating. When I program, I imagine being a type of athlete and creating a program that I’d want if I were a particular type of athlete. What attributes would an individual need to be elite and durable over a successful career?

This is a 3-day training split that focuses on external-based training as a means to improve absolute strength, speed strength, and hypertrophy. While this training is done in a three-week wave and will produce results, it should also be noted that training effects compound from daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly training plans. 

I would also like to mention that joint and connective tissue-specific training was done concurrently with this training via A.C.C.E.S. and the Joint-Specific Training Library.

I typically train a 3-day split focusing more on the repeated effort method but wanted to improve these three strengths together and play around with a program. I'd also like to mention, I am not a powerlifter, so rather than 2 to 3 maximal lifts on a max-effort day, I tried a smaller dose of just one lift but made sure to hit my 1RM for that day.

For this program, I used the maximal effort method, the dynamic effort method, and both repeated effort methods (efforts not to failure and efforts to failure). These are the only methods for which to train strength.

Day 1: Maximal Effort Lower Body + Repeated Efforts

Day 2: Maximal Effort Upper Body+ Repeated Efforts

Day 3: Dynamic Effort Lower + Upper + Repeated Efforts

I used a three-week pendulum wave for speed strength using accommodating resistance in the form of bands. My speed work consisted of 10x2, 9x3, or 8x3 using 60-70% of my 1RM.

For example, if your 1RM sumo deadlift is 500 lbs. 60% of that is 300lbs. So on week 1, put 225 lbs of straight weight on the bar along with 75 lbs of band tension (25% of 300 lbs) to get around 300 lbs. If you don’t have bands then you can certainly just use straight weight, just make sure you’re moving at the optimal velocity of .8m/s.

Each week I added a little extra weight while keeping 25% band tension.

Lower Body

Week 1: 60%

Week 2: 65%

Week 3: 70%

Upper Body

Week 1: 50%

Week 2: 55%

Week 3: 60%

I also didn’t do the traditional lifts for upper and lower body strength and speed work. Rather, I used special exercises or variations of the classical lifts that directly aid in their improvement without directly training that specific lift. So my weeks looked as such:

ME Lower + Upper & Lower Leg REM

•  WK1: Rack Pull @ Pin 3 — SUMO
•  WK2: Rack Pull @ Pin 3 — CONVENTIONAL
•  WK3: Rack Pull @ Pin 3 — CONV/Snatch grip

ME Upper + Chest & Back REM

•  WK1: Barbell Floor Press @ Pin 4
•  WK2: Barbell Floor Press @ Pin 3
•  WK3: Cadillac Bar Floor Press @ Pin 3

I used different bars, pin heights, bands, and chains as a form of weight resistance for my special exercises.

SAMPLE WEEK

[Day 1]

•  Max effort Rack Pull @ Pin #3 (build up to a 1RM in 4-6 sets)
•  Safety Squat Bar Step Ups 2x4 (heavy) not to failure
•  Safety Squat Bar  1x19-25 + 50lbs
•  Continuous Tension set to failure [hamstrings]

[Day 2]

•  Max effort Barbell Floor Press + chains
•  T-bar Chest Supported Row - Continuous Tension 2x65sec
•  Ring Pull-ups 2x4-7 to failure

[Day 3]

•  Speed Squat to Parallel Box w Safety Squat Bar 10x2 @ 60%
•  Bench Press + Band Tension (3 grips) 9x3
•  High Pulls 2x12 at 3 grips
•  Skull Crushers w bands 3x25-30

After the first week, I had data and my own subjective feedback from notes to make adjustments. I added more accessories and adjusted my joint training to better suit my needs. In between the three days of training, I did small workouts which consisted of 20-30 minutes of training things that may need work or extra attention. I would do things like more joint training, arms, calves, sled work, cardio, abs, etc.

I also noticed that I was able to compress my training to last NO MORE than 75 minutes whilst still being able to get all the stimulating work I needed and not accumulating an obnoxious or unnecessary amount of volume, thus allowing for more time to recover. This has also improved my overall conditioning. 

My intent for this training was to train the neurological-based capacities of the nervous system. I wanted to improve my ability to coordinate, ie, stimulate, recruit, and organize the largest and fastest motor units by using the max effort method and the dynamic effort method. These are the two best ways to train the nervous system’s capability to coordinate.

Although I am not a specific type of athlete, I enjoy training as such. Training for absolute strength, speed strength, having healthy joints, having general physical preparedness, and having connective tissue strengths that would allow me to be mostly ready to play a breadth of sports if I so chose.