Nick's Krank'd Training Split

by Nick Hickey

This is Nick Hickey coming at you with a progress report on my strongman training. At this point, I am about 5 weeks out from my first strongman competition: Krank'd 7 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. As promised, here is an update of my training leading up to competition. Hopefully you can gain some insight from my plan and apply it to your own training.

Following is the split I used from the beginning of my training cycle at 12 weeks out through about 1 month out. Each training week has 3 days in the gym and 1 event day on the weekend. After every 3 weeks of training, I take a planned "deload" or light week with about 60% intensity. This training cycle is 12 weeks long, so the deloads occur during weeks 4, 8 and 12. The 12th week will be the week before the contest. A deload week is a strategically planned week that will allow maximum recovery. After 3 weeks of training with increased intensity, light training and active resting during the 4th week will allow your body to overcompensate, recover quickly and add muscle mass. Here's how my training is structured for the first 8 weeks:

DAY 1: UPPER BODY

Overhead Barbell Press: 5/3/1 (For those of you not familiar with 5/3/1, it is a rep range that is based off a percentage of your one rep max. The reps for week 1 are 3 sets of 5 at 65, 75 and 85% of your one rep max for that lift. Week 2 is 3 sets of 3 at 70, 80 and 90% of your one rep max. The third week is 1 set of 5, 1 set of 3 and 1 set of 1 reps at 75, 85 and 95% respectively. The 4th week is a deload, and then you repeat with the first week set and reps to start the cycle over again, while adjusting your max weight.)

Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10-15

Pull-ups Superset with Face Pulls: 3 x 5 / 3 x 20 (Supersets are going from the first exercise to the second, without resting between. After completing one set of pull-ups and immediately doing a set of face pulls, you have completed one set of the superset and can rest until set number 2.)

Z-Press: 3 x 8 (Z-Press is simply a seated barbell shoulder press while sitting on the floor with no back support and your legs out in front of you.)

3 Way Shoulder Raises: 3 x 10-15 (Each rep of 3 way shoulder raises is one rep of a front raise, one of a lateral raise and one of a rear deltoid raise.)

Hammer Curls superset with Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 3 x 6-8 /3 x 10-15

DAY 2: LOWER BODY

Deadlift: 5/3/1

Trap Bar Deadlift: 1 x 10 (every other week)

Front Squat: 5/3/1

Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift: 3 x 8

Barbell Step Ups: 3 x 8

Kettlebell Swings: 3 x 15

DAY 3: UPPER BODY

Incline Bench Press: 5/3/1

1-Arm Standing Dumbbell Press: 3 x 6-8

Dumbbell Fly: 3 x 10-15

Chest Supported Dumbbell Row: 3 x 10-15

Hammer Curls Superset with Band Tricep Pushdowns: 3 x 20/ 3 x 20

DAY 4: EVENTS

Sandbag Carry: 100' x 2 runs

Keg Carry: 100' x 2 runs

Sandbag/Keg Carry Medley: Sandbag x 100', Keg x 100'

Atlas Stone work

After my deload during week 8, I am tweaking my workout to ramp up for competition, entering a short peaking phase. The main idea here will be to reduce volume (total amount of sets/exercises) and increase the intensity (amount of weight used). For the final 4 weeks, the main priority is improving technique with heavy weights as well as minimizing fatigue and reducing any chance of injury. The weights and rep schemes on the main lifts will go more by feel than in the previous 8 weeks.

DAY 1: UPPER BODY

Overhead Barbell Press: Sets of 3 with extra heavy singles, going by feel.

Lat Pulldowns superset with Rear Delt Fly:3 x 10-15/ 3 x 10-15

3 Way Shoulder Raises: 3 x 10-15

Hammer Curls superset with Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 3 x 6-8/ 3 x 10-15

The main changes here will be removing the incline dumbbell press and z-press from day 1, while continuing to work towards heavier weight in the main lift of the day, which is the overhead press. I have also swapped out some of the secondary lifts, such as pull-ups and face pulls for some variety.

DAY 2: LOWER BODY

Trap Bar Deadlift: 1 x 10

Front Squat: Sets of 3 with some heavier singles, going by feel.

Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift: 2 x 8

Zercher Squat Holds: 2 x 30 seconds (This is what I am trying out to mimic holding the bar in the Conan's Wheel, which will be an event in my upcoming contest. This exercise consists of picking a barbell up from the bottom position of the squat and holding it there for time. The main difference here is the Zercher positioning. The bar is to be held in the crook of your elbows with your arms crossed in front. This lift is easier with a thick bar, if you have access to one.)

For day 2, I will take out the regular deadlift and only train trap bar deadlift on this day. The reason for this is that one of the contest events is trap bar deadlift for max reps in one minute, so I am specializing in that lift for a short period of time. I will work up to one heavy set of 10 reps for weeks 9 and 10, and week 11 will be a timed 60 second set with the contest weight.

DAY 3: UPPER BODY

Incline Bench Press: Sets of 3-5 going by feel 2-Arm Standing Dumbbell Press: 2 x 10

Decline Dumbbell Fly: 2 x 8

Seated Cable Row: 2 x 10-15

Hammer Curls superset with Band Tricep Pushdowns: 2 x 20/ 2 x 20

On day 3, the amount of sets has been reduced and the rep ranges have been decreased to allow for heavier training with less soreness as the competition approaches. Some of the exercises have been swapped out as well.

DAY 4: EVENTS

Sandbag Carry: 75' run (50' each week after)

Keg Carry: 75' run (50' each week after)

Sandbag/Keg Carry Medley: 2 runs of Sandbag x 75', Keg x 75' (50' each week after)

Atlas Stone work

For the event day, during week 4, the carry and medley distance will be 75'. However, the competition distance is 50'. Just as we did with the gym lifts, we will reduce the distance (or reps) and increase the weight for these event days. Now the training will be done at the competition weight and distance for a few weeks before the contest. Stone training will continue to go by feel with the focus on continual improvement.

So, that's the plan going forward. I am continuing to train hard, eat right and take my House Of Muscle supplements. As I gain more strongman experience, I am improving. The other day in training, I loaded our 300 lb stone for 2 sets of 4 reps. I also lapped and loaded our big 330 lb stone. My goal was to load that before the contest, and I am a month ahead of schedule on that which feels pretty good.

I will continue to keep you updated on my training via the Strongman Nick page on our website and through the HouseOfMuscle.com email newsletter. Also look for updates on our Facebook page and our Twitter page. I will also keep the videos coming on our YouTube channel. If you have any comments or feedback, I would be happy to hear them. Just click on the Contact link in the black bar at the very top of this page. Thank you for reading.