Ott Kiivikas’s training program: contest prep plan

Ott Kiivikas’s training program for the final three weeks before EMV2003 comes straight from Ott himself: six strength workouts a week, one rest day with a massage, cardio after every workout and meals timed to the minute. Below is the full program, including quantities and set counts, exactly as Ott followed it to get into contest shape.

The background to Ott Kiivikas’s training program

This program covers the dieting phase — the final three weeks before the 2003 Estonian Championships. Training follows a six-day cycle, with the seventh day devoted to recovery. Intensity increases right up to the competition: the training load is more moderate in the early stages of competition-specific training, while in the final weeks every set is taken to failure, until another repetition is simply impossible.

Sets are performed as supersets — either 3 x 2 supersets, 2 x 3 supersets or 6 supersets with decreasing weight. Rest is minimal, just long enough to change the weight. Ott alternates between Planet Sport (Tulika põik 3) and Reval Sport (Aia tn. 20), switching gyms each Monday to keep things from becoming routine. He unwinds with swimming, sauna sessions and massages at Club 26 in the Olümpia Hotel.

The weekly split in Ott Kiivikas’s training program

Day 1 — chest, shoulders, triceps, abs

Barbell bench press or incline barbell press — 6 x 5–6
Incline dumbbell press or flat dumbbell bench press — 6 x 5–6
Flat dumbbell fly or incline dumbbell fly — 6 x 5–6
Dumbbell pullover — 6 x 8–10
Seated dumbbell shoulder press or seated barbell shoulder press to the front — 6 x 6–8
Seated dumbbell lateral raise — 6 x 6–8
One-arm incline lateral raise or upright row — 6 x 5–6
Lying French press or overhead dumbbell triceps extension — 6 x 6–7
Standing cable triceps pushdown or one-arm dumbbell triceps kickback — 6 x 6–8
3–4 different abdominal exercises for maximum repetitions; 3–4 sets for the obliques every other workout

Day 2 — quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back

Machine leg extension — 6 x 6–10
Full-depth barbell back squat or front squat — 6 x 6–8
Leg press or split squat — 6 x 5–6
Machine hip adduction — 6 x 6–10
Machine hip abduction — 6 x 6–10
Lying machine leg curl — 6 x 6–8
Back extension on a back extension bench or seated leg curl — 6 x 6–8
Standing machine calf raise — 6 x 6–8
Seated machine calf raise — 6 x 6–8
Back extension on a Roman chair — 5 x 6–10

Day 3 — back, biceps, rear delts, abs

Bent-over barbell row to the abdomen — 6 x 6–8
Weighted pull-up or wide-grip machine pulldown — 6 x 6–8
Dumbbell row or chest-supported machine row — 6 x 6–8
Close-grip lat pulldown or seated cable row to the abdomen — 6 x 6–8
Behind-the-back Smith machine barbell shrug or standing cable shrug — 6 x 6–8
Prone incline dumbbell reverse fly for the rear delts — 6 x 6–8
Standing barbell biceps curl — 6 x 5–6
One-arm dumbbell concentration curl or two-arm cable curl — 6 x 6–8
3–4 different abdominal exercises; 3–4 sets for the obliques every other workout

Days 4–6: repeat days 1, 2 and 3. Day 7: rest day, with a 1-hour massage from physiotherapist Üllari Ots. In the final weeks before the competition, Ott has a massage twice a week.

He does 50–90 min of cardio after strength training, 6 x a week, depending on his condition. His heart rate is 120–135 beats per minute. Each workout starts with a 10 min warm-up on a bike or stepper and ends with 15 min of stretching.

Nutrition: six meals a day plus a nighttime shake

1. Breakfast at 07.00. 100 gr Nordic four-grain flakes, 300–400 ml water, 150 gr diet yogurt, 4 tbsp honey, a handful of raisins and nuts. Bring the water to a boil, add the flakes and cook for 2–3 min. Top the porridge with honey, then yogurt, followed by the raisins and nuts. Serve with 5 boiled egg whites, 175 gr fat-free cottage cheese, one medium tomato, one pickled cucumber, 100 gr plain yogurt, 4 large crispbreads, 4 slices of turkey breast ham, 4 slices of low-fat 5 % cheese and a cup of black coffee with 1 tbsp honey. Mash the egg whites in a bowl with a fork, add the cottage cheese, tomato, pickled cucumber and yogurt, and mix into a salad. Top the crispbreads with cheese and ham and microwave for 1 min. Finish with the coffee.

2. Lunch at 11.00. 250 gr ground beef fillet (stewed), 250 gr boiled frozen vegetables, 1 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil. Put the meat in a pan to cook in its own juices, add a little oil and simmer until the water has evaporated. Put the vegetables in water, bring to a boil and drain. Combine the meat and vegetables in a bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and pack into a container to take with you.

3. Pre-workout at 13.00. 2 scoops of Whey Drink Glutamine Peptide (1 scoop > 30 gr) and 1 scoop of Protein No 1 (1 scoop > 20 gr). Pour 400–500 ml water into a shaker, add WDGP and Protein No 1, mix, leave to stand for 10 min and drink.

4. Post-workout at 18.00. 3 scoops of Whey Drink Glutamine Peptide (1 scoop > 30 gr) and 2 scoops of creatine citrate (1 scoop > 15 gr). Pour 500 ml water into a shaker, add WDGP and creatine citrate, mix, leave to stand for 10 min and drink.

5. Evening snack at 19.00. The same as lunch: 250 gr ground beef fillet, 250 gr boiled vegetables, 1 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil. Prepare in the same way.

6. Dinner at 21.30. 5 boiled egg whites, 175 gr fat-free cottage cheese, 150 gr fresh cucumber, 3–4 cloves of garlic, a medium tomato, a pickled cucumber, 100 gr plain yogurt, 2 crispbreads, 2 slices of turkey breast ham, 2 slices of 5 % cheese and a cup of tea with 1 tbsp honey. Mash the egg whites in a bowl, add the cottage cheese, tomato, pickled cucumber, fresh cucumber, crushed garlic and yogurt, and mix into a salad. Top the crispbreads with cheese and ham and microwave for 1 min. Finish with the tea.

7. During the night, at around 01.00–02.00. 2 scoops of Protein No 1 (1 scoop > 20 gr) and 1 scoop of Glutamine Peptide (1 scoop > 22 gr). Pour 400–500 ml water into a shaker, add GP and Protein No 1, mix and leave in the fridge. Drink it when you get up during the night, then go back to sleep.

Note! Ott substitutes chicken or turkey breast for the beef fillet, varies the flavors of his diet yogurt and eats vegetables both as mixes and individually (for example, cauliflower and broccoli). He drinks approximately 5 liters of water throughout the day.

FAQs about Ott Kiivikas’s training program

Is this program suitable for beginners? No. This is an elite athlete’s contest prep plan: six strength workouts, daily cardio and a strict meal schedule require several years of training experience and a capacity for recovery that beginners simply do not yet have.

Why supersets and minimal rest? During the dieting phase, the aim is to keep the training load on your muscle mass as high as possible while keeping workout duration reasonable. Short rest periods also increase metabolic demand, which suits the fat-burning phase.

Why six precisely timed meals plus a nighttime shake? On a contest prep diet, each meal is planned to provide protein at regular intervals so that muscle tissue can recover. The nighttime shake bridges the long overnight fast, during which some muscle mass would otherwise be lost along with fat.

Author: Ott Kiivikas

Source: WHO – physical activity.

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