I train for decathlons & pentathlons.

Actually, for the decathlon, I need to train for strength & power, for the pentathlon I need to focus on speed/power. It is very difficult to find an all-inclusive workout routine for multi-event athletes. There is not much literature as we are not many. If it comes to masters athletes, you might as well forget it. You will not find a thing, nothing.

Well, I researched countless routines from all kind of sports, power lifters, Olympic lifters, martial artists, runners, jumpers, throwers… I went everywhere. For myself, I settled on three workout routines. The first one is highly structured with one goal, maximum strength. This MAX WEIGTH workout is short, brutal, effective. The second workout is similar as it concentrates and is built around my three primary exercises, deadlift, bench press & squat. But the second workout (my CARD GAME) is free-wheeling, whacky, wild and unique. The third workout routine takes the weights to the track. Weights that cannot do damage to an expensive surface, I have to add. My SANDBAG workout takes you back to the days of old as it concentrates on old fashioned whole body work. All workout routines concentrate on compound basic exercises, multi-joint exercises. I do not use machines, I don’t include isolation exercises. All my workout routines are designed to build and strengthen the 600 plus muscles of the human body.

All primary exercises force muscles to work together in synchronous fashion. Even when laying down for the bench presses, the weight should be so heavy that your whole upper body is engaged. All exercises need to demand side-to-side resistance control. That dimension is missing when using all those one dimensional machines. No machines for me!

Depending on the periodization schedule for my training year, I selected three different training schedules. As explained above, the first is strictly a MAXIMUM WEIGHT workout, the second is a TOTAL BODY WORKOUT and the SANDBAG WORKOUT is also a total body workout with a strong emphasis on conditioning training based on carry-over values for throwing events.

Please, click on the corresponding image to bring up the different workout schedules.