Cycling training intensity for greater gains!

One of the main problems with training with maximum intensity is burnout and increased opportunity for injuries. One of the ways to avoid this problem is to stager your workouts during a training week by varying the level of intensity. This gives you the most opportunity to build muscle during intense training sessions and back off and to let your body recover during less intense training sessions.
 
Pavel touches upon this in “Enter the Kettlebell” by structuring the training sessions weekly as easy, medium and hard. His use of “ladders is also a mini cycle in that you do not pyramid your reps like 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 but start at 1 again : 1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5 etc.
 
My current training takes all of this into account and inserts kettlebell circuit training once or twice a week to stay lean while incorporating bodyweight only training and core training with kettlebells like windmills and turkish get-ups as an active recovery session.
 
My week might look like this:

Monday – ETK easy/light
C & P ladders
 Pull-up ladders
Snatches at 60% intensity
 
Tuesday – Providence DVD or Firepower DVD

Wednesday - ETK medium/moderate
 C & P ladders
Pull-up ladders
Swings at 80% intensity
 
Thursday – Bodyweight Exercises like:
 Super-plank
 Deck Squat
 Hanging Leg Raises
Burpees
Dive Bomber Pushups Etc

And some core kettlebell exercises like:
 Windmills and Turkish Get-Ups

 Friday – Off (Although I admit I tend to skip off days)


Saturday - ETK hard/heavy
 C & P ladders
Pull-up ladders
 Swings at max intensity
 
Sunday – Off or a another bodyweight/core day or maybe a short training session using a “shot” that is available through www.tacticalathlete.com

This routine seems to work for me. It incorporates 3 muscle building “lifting” days, and a mix of kettlebell circuits, bodyweight only training and shot training for active recovery.

There are a multitude of ways that you can make your training easy, medium or hard in terms of intensity. It could be you are doing few reps, using a lighter kettlebell or just the opposite to make your training harder. You could start your snatch at a hang before each rep and so on. The beauty of cycling intensity is that you have an active recovery during your training every week while gearing up for an intense heavy day that might push you to a new personal record. All while making sure that you are making progress and not getting injured.

As a 38 year old father of four, I sometimes forget that I am not 21 anymore and can not train like a 21 year old. Having a system that maximizes my gains while keeping me healthy enough to train another day only makes sense in the long run.