Blending HEMA + Bodybuilding in a normal working week
This post puts the steel into the name "Steel & Sorcery". Balancing hard HEMA training and gym is tough. Currently, I am doing this split and can recommend something similar for anyone with the same goals. Recovery is good provided you eat and hydrate well.
- Reasonable HEMA training frequency to build the skills needed.
- Gaining muscle mass to supplement the non-technical aspects of fencing. I've found this really helps by being able to compensate lacking technique by just being fast or forceful enough.
The gym training is mostly upper body focused. It follows this program by Natural Hypertrophy. While I can only make the gym 3x per week, we can still use a program with a higher per week schedule. If we keep limited to making a holistic program fit within 3 days you begin to cut a lot of corners and make things much more minimalist than would be optimal in my opinion. At this point I have built a decent base of strength, with a deadlift PR of 255kg, a 75kg OHP, 180kg squat and a measly 115kg bench. While those numbers are obviously peaks, I think it has helped a ton to be able to do this more volume focused approach. I think for novice lifters the goal should be to get a foundation first - but in good news, most novice programs are 3x week and will fit into a HEMA training schedule well too.
Day 1: Chest, Back, Shoulders & Triceps
- Bench press (DB or BB) 4x6-12 + Straight arm pulldown 4x10-15
- Barbell row 4x8-12 + DB shoulder press 4x6-10
- Skull-crushers 4x8-10 + Lateral raises 4x12-15 + Decline bench sit-ups 4x10-20
Day 2: Legs & Arms
- Barbell squats 4x4-8
- RDLs 4x8-12 + EZ bar curls 4x6-10
- Leg extensions 4x15-18 + Hammer curls 4x8-12
Strong legs allow for deep lunges.
Day 3: Chest, Back, Shoulders & Triceps
- Incline DB or BB press 4x6-10 + Close grip pulldowns 4x8-15
- Seated cable rows 4x10-15 + Flat DB fly 4x12-15
- DB Skull-crushers 4x10-12 + Upright rows 4x8-10 + V sit-ups 4xAMRAP
Day 4: Legs & Arms
- Deadlifts 3x3 or 3x5
- Leg press 4x10-15 + Weighted chin-ups 4x4-8
- Pinwheel curls 4x6-12 + Leg curls 4x10-15
Deadlifts are fantastic for building strength that is really functional when grappling. Minor modifications have been done. Neck exercises are done in off-time, and calf work has been removed.
Putting it all together
Monday
HEMA Longsword + sparring at the end
Tuesday
Gym. Probably the hardest session, coming off of a two day prior exercise.
Wednesday
Rapier. Lesson only, no sparring. Being a technical-only day there is not really any strain beyond being tired after the lesson. This acts as a nice mid-week bit of downtime on the previous and following day, before training increases in intensity on the weekend.
Thursday
Off day. Relax.
Friday
Gym
Saturday
Off day. Open to 100% leisure time.
Sunday
Gym