Programs that Work 2
44 More PR Breaking Training Programs
Intro from Dave Tate
Josh Bryant—Three days a Week Strength Routine
Clint Darden—Speed Deadlift Program
Chad Walker—Squat Cycle
Chase Karnes—Strongman Nationals
David Allen—4 Weeks to Bigger Arms
Jo Jordan—Six Week Squat Program
Adam Driggers—12 Week Meet Cycle
Mike Robertson—Save Your Ball and Sockets!
Craig Rasmussen—Fat Loss for Dudes
Al Caslow—Hang On
John Meadows—Mountain Dog Training
Christopher Smith—Ten Commandments
Matt Rhodes—8 Week Athlete Training Template
Josh McMillan—12 Week Cycle
Molly Gallbraith—6 Exercises Young Athletes Must Master
Dave Kirschen—The Enes Project
Todd Hammer—Triphasic for the Gear Powerlifter
Mick Manley—12 Week Training
Joe Giandonato—225 Program
Clint Darden—Floor Press Program
Jen Petrosino—Raw Meet Prep
Alexander Cortes—12 Week Mixed Martial Arts Strength Program
Dave Tate—Bust a Bunch PR by the End of the Year
Julia Ladewski—Sample CBL Weekly Meal Plan
Marshall Johnson—My Use of Bands and Chains
Table of Contents
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Clint Smith—Deadlift Training Cycle
Bill Wallers—A 12 Week Quicky for the Older Gentleman
Jason Pegg—Block Periodization
JL Holdsworth—Bigify Diet
Brian Schwab—12 Week Raw Bench Routine
Doug Beringer—Comeback Training
CJ Murphy—DL Emphasis SMT Training
Vincent Dizenzo—Triples, Doubles, Singles
David Allen—4 Weeks to Bigger Arms
Steve Goggins—Off Season DL Routine
Clint Darden—Westside and 5/3/1 Mix
Brad Kelly—The One-Two Punch
Brian Carroll— 8-Week Strength Peaking Program
Zane Geeting— 8-Week Off-Season Squat Cycle for the injured Lifter
Adam Plagens—Training the Tactical Athlete
Scott Yard—A Meet Cycle for Success
Steven Diel—Former Weekender Program
Brandon Patterson—Deadlift Cycle for Average Joes
Dave Tate—Complete 31-week S4 Program
a.
Reflections on the S-4 Program by Steve Colescott
b.
Reflections on the S-4 Program by Steve Gabrielsen
c.
Reflections on the S-4 Program by Ted Toalston
BONUS PROGRAMS
Mike Wunsch-
T
Training for Busy Joes and Janes
Dianne Sykes-Scope-A Runner’s Guide to the Galaxy
Ryan Jobs-Creating a Champion: The Complete Off-Season Approach for Volleyball
Table of Contents
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Three-Day Week Strength Routine
By JOSh BRyANT
Can you build impressive strength on a three-days a week program? Damn straight… if done right. This eight-week plan will bring about big increases in the three power lifts. If it doesn’t, you just didn’t train hard enough!
• All core movements should be performed with maximal force/speed while maintaining good technique (Compensa-tory Acceleration Training).
• If rest periods are not specified, use 2-5 min. on compound movements and 1-2 minutes for single-joint exercises. • Keep exercises in the specified order.
• Follow this routine for eight weeks. After you have completed the eight weeks, retest your maxes on week nine. • Weights are based off of the percentage of your current one-repetition max. It is very important that you
start this program with an accurate max.
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE FIRST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
(Deload)1 Barbell Squats 6/3 (75%; rest 60 sec.) 6/3 (80%; rest 90 sec.) 6/3 (85%; rest 120 sec.) 3/3 (60%; rest 60 sec.)
1 Barbell Front Squats 3/3 3/3 3/3
3/3 (70% of weight used on week 3)
1 One Leg Deadlifts Dumb-bells 3/5 3/4 3/3
3/6 (70% of weight used on week 3)
1 Glute Ham Raises 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6
1 Land Mines 3/8 3/8 3/8
2/8 (70% of weight used on week 3)
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE FIRST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
(Deload)1 Standing Weighted Crunches 3/10 3/12 3/12
2/8 (70% of weight used on
week 3)
1 Barbell Bench Press 3/10 3/12 3/12
2/8 (70% of weight used on week 3)
2 Standing Overhead Barbell Press
6/1 (75%; rest 60 seconds) 6/1 (80%; rest 60 seconds) 6/1 (85%; rest 90 seconds) 6/1 (60%; rest 60 seconds)
2 Dead Bench Press (Barbell)
8/1 (65%; rest 30 seconds) 8/1 (70%; rest 40 seconds) 7/1 (75%; rest 50 seconds) 6/1 (60%; rest 60 seconds)
2 Dicks Press (Barbell) 3/8 3/8 3/8
2/8 (70% of weight used on week 3) 2 Pull-ups 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6 (70% of weight used on week 3) 2 Zottman Curls 3/10 3/8 3/6 2/15 (70% of weight used on week 3) 2 Planks (30 seconds) 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE FIRST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
(Deload)2 Deadlift (Barbell) 15/1 (75%; rest 30 seconds) 12/1 (80%; rest 45 seconds) 10/1 (85%; rest 75 seconds) 6/1 (75%; rest 60 seconds) 3 Sumo deadlifts (Barbell) (55%)2/5 (60%)2/5 (65%)2/5 (55%)2/3
3 Barbell Bent Over Rows 3/8 3/8 3/6
2/6 (70% of weight used on week 3) 3 Barbell Shrugs 3/12 3/12 3/12 2/12 (70% of weight used on week 3)
3 Neutral Grip Pull Ups 3/10 3/8 3/6 3/6
3 Glute Ham Raises 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6
3 Close-Grip Bench Press w/resistance bands
6/3 (60%; rest 60 seconds) 6/3 (65%; rest 60 seconds) 6/3 (70%; rest 60 seconds) OFF
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE LAST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
(Deload)1 Barbell Squats 5/2 (90%; rest two minutes) 4/2 (95%; rest two minutes) 2/1 (105%; rest two minutes) 3/3 (65%; rest 60 seconds)
1 Pause Squats (Barbell) (70%)3/3 (75%)3/3 (80%)3/3 3/3 (55%)
1 Dead Squats (Barbell)
6/1 (65%; rest 45 seconds) 6/1 (70%; rest 60 seconds) 4/1 (75%; rest 90 seconds) OFF
1 Bulgarian DB Split Squats 3/8 3/8 3/6
3/3 (70% of weight used on week 7)
1 Glute Ham Raises 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6
1 Land Mines 3/8 3/8 3/8
2/8 (70% of weight used on week 7)
1 Standing Weighted Crunches 3/12 3/10 3/10
2/10 (70% of weight used on week 7)
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE LAST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
(Deload)2 Barbell Bench Press w/resistance bands OFF 3/1 (1RM) OFF OFF
2 Dead Bench Press OFF OFF 3/1 (1RM) OFF
2 Barbell Bench Press
6/3 (85%; rest 120 seconds) 6/4 (75%; rest 60 seconds) 6/4 (80%; rest 60 seconds) 6/3 (60%; rest 60 seconds)
2 Standing Overhead Barbell Press
6/2 (85%; rest 90 seconds) 6/2 (85%; rest 90 seconds) 6/3 (85%; rest 90 seconds) 3/3 (55%; rest 60 seconds)
2 Dead Bench Press
5/1 (80%; rest 60 seconds) 4/1 (85%; rest 75 seconds) OFF OFF
2 Floor Press Close Grips (Barbell) 3/6 3/6 3/6
2/6 (70% of weight used on week 7) 2 Pull-ups 3/6 3/6 3/6 2/6 (70% of weight used on week 7)
2 Reverse Curls to failure/Bar-bell curls to failure superset
3/12 rep approximate reverse curl weight 3/15 approxi-mate reverse curl weight 3/15 Approximate reverse curl weight 2/15 (70% of weight used on week 7) 2 Planks (30 seconds) 3/1 3/1 3/1 3/1
YOUR 8-WEEK PLAN:
THE LAST FOUR
DAy
EXERCISE
SETS/
REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
SETS/REPS
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
(Deload)3 Deadlifts 6/1 (80%; rest 120 seconds) 4/1 (95%; rest 150 seconds) 2/1 (105%; rest 180 seconds) 6/1 (60%; rest 60 seconds)
3 Deficit Deadlifts OFF
10/1; (60%; rest 45 seconds) 10/1; (70%; rest 45 seconds) OFF
3 One-Arm Dumbbell Rows 3/8 3/8 3/8
2/8 (70% of weight used on week 7) 3 Dumbbell Shrugs 3/12 3/12 3/12 2/12 (70% of weight used on week 7)
3 Neutral Grip Pull ups 3/6 (max) 3/5 (max) 3/5 (max)
3/5 (70% of weight used on week 7)
3 One Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts 3/6 3/5 3/5
3/5 (70% of weight used on week 7)
3 Close-Grip Incline Press
6/3 (70%; rest 60 seconds) 6/3 (75%; rest 60 seconds) 6/3 (80%; rest 60 seconds) 3/3 (50%) For the last set of Close-Grip Incline Bench Presses, you will perform as many reps as possible, stopping one repetition shy of failure.
Speed Deadlifts to Build The Deadlift
By ClINT DARDEN
Watching people deadlift is often like watching a train wreck for me. Painful to watch, but I just can’t take my eyes off of the screen. Most of the time what I see when people deadlift is wrong technique, and the fact that they just lack the attitude to pull big. There are a few “Beauties’ about the deadlift:
1. It is the only lift I know of where you can crank it up to an eleven, and you don’t have to dial it back to lift big weights. I have to dial the squat back to about a nine on the stupid level of intensity and the bench press back to about an eight. The deadlift is just a matter of me stepping on the gas, hitting the nose torque, and riding it like it is a roller coaster.
2. It is technical… but not much. 3. I’m good at it!
When I see people who are having deadlift issues, and they either fall into the category of having wrong technique or lacking attitude, speed deadlifts is the direction that I like to tell them to take.
I’m sure that people are going to argue with me until the cows come home, but I’ll say it anyway. It is not a speed pull unless band and/or chains are on the bar. I’m really not sure how anyone can call any lift a Speed/ Dynamic lift unless there are bands and/or chains on the bar…but that is better left for another time and another website—noob argument!
Deadlifts with chains are awesome! They feel very similar to straight weight and have a great carryover to your full pull. The downside is that they are often very expensive, won’t make your weaknesses stick out like a sore thumb, and TSA gets upset when you try to put them in the overhead compartment of the guy sitting in front of you. This leaves us deadlifting with bands. Now, a few years ago the “powers that be” came out with about 42 different short pro bands, and I just had to have them all. So far, I haven’t found a use for the Freaky Deaky Strong Yellow Bands, except for keeping my snorkel in place when I’m doing cardio… but I bought them anyway. Okay, I bought every single band that they had, and this is what I learned…
The bands that seem to be the most useful for deadlifting are the Short Pro Monster Mini (thin black), Short Pro Light (orange), and Short Pro Average (grey). Much less than this and I don’t think that they are really giving you much to pull against, and anything more… well, you had better be a Freak Show of a puller to make use of them.
A lot of people complain to me that using bands for their deadlifts ends up changing their technique and really throwing things off for them. Why is this, they ask? They really have no idea until they get it on video and send it to me. If you have a technical weakness or a weakness in your deadlift, pulling against bands will make them stick out like a sore thumb! Most often, I see people locking out their knees FAST and then using all lower back to pull the weight up. Rather than fixing this issue (let us call it a weakness), they just choose to go back to what was not working for them in their previous comfort zone and avoid the bands.
So, why use the bands? Tons of reasons!
1. They WILL make your weaknesses stick out like crazy. I call this an OPPORTUNITY rather than a bad thing. It is an opportunity to discover a weakness, fix it, and then watch everything else skyrocket up! 2. They will give you a choice: either pull with attitude or enjoy not making any of your lifts.
3. If technique is your major issue, you can use bands to train the deadlift with intensity and purpose… and not get beat up.
5. Okay, so I only came up with four reasons off the top of my head…
So how do we set up a proper speed deadlift session? We don’t… we program a full week!
I train in the gym three days per week, and I’ve had great success with a three-day-a-week program. What? Deadlifting three days a week is crazy? Everyone knows that deadlifting beats up your CNS more than any of the other three exercises combined. Louie even said that “the Russians said it back in the 50s and 60s…” (OK, that was funny right there…). Over time, the best deadlifters have all had one thing in common: A huge work capacity, especially in the entire posterior chain (traps to ankles). So, you want to be a big deadlifter? You had better increase your work capacity A LOT! You need to be CAPABLE of pulling three times a week at least!
Day 1:
For me this would be Sunday, Another Fun Sunday, where I will normally deadlift, overhead press, and finish off with two to five Strongman Events, GHR, and ABS.
My deadlift program will look like:
65% of my 1RM + Short Pro Average Bands (220 pounds at the top) 5 singles with 30 seconds of rest between
This will be an extremely tough pull and should basically end up being Max Effort. Your eyes might bleed, and this is optimal.
Day 2:
For me this is Tuesday, my Bench Press Day, and I’ll do this near the end of the training session. 40% of my 1RM + Short Pro Monster Mini Bands (90 pounds)
4-6 singles with 30 seconds of rest between
I will normally stop around the sixth set—as long as they are feeling good, fast, and have a lot of attitude. NO GRINDERS! This is what I call an “easy” day.
Day 3:
This is my Box Squat Day, no matter if I’m doing a DE Lower or 5/3/1 Variation. After my box squats and Good Mornings I will do:
45% of my 1RM + Short Pro Light Bands (145 pounds)
4-6 singles (MINIMUM) with 15-30 seconds of rest between sets. I will often push these towards the 8-10 set range to be honest, as this is a really productive weight/band/percentage to build the deadlift. The goal
is to pull until I have pulled TWO CONSECUTIVE sets in a row that are getting slightly slower… then I’ll stop. Whatever that takes! Sometimes you have a bad set, and it just ends up slow. So that doesn’t count unless you have two bad sets in a row… then you are done, and you need to go sit in a corner and think about what you have done for a while.
So, what does this do? If technique is your limiting factor, then you need to be getting in the reps on the exercise, and deadlifts are no exception. I’m a firm believer that the point where the deadlift “beats you up” is at the starting position. A couple of great ways to unload that portion is to buy a METAL KING PRO Deadlift Suit (shameless I am), or pull with bands so that the weight is less at the bottom but gets heavy fast. If you are on a standard Westside or 5/3/1 Program, AND you are deadlifting every week, you only get to deadlift once a week and just for a few reps. THIS IS KEY! You need a chance to not only correct things (shin posi-tion, get your shoulders behind the bar), but also you also (and this is a huge thing that people often forget) need a time to try new things! Like what? Are you wondering if you need to look at slightly changing your foot position? Maybe they should be a ½ inch wider or closer? Closer or farther from the bar (depending if you pull raw or geared)? Would a slightly wider stance with your toes turned out help you after you’ve lodged one too many Bid Mac’s into your mid section? You don’t want to waste an “IMPORTANT” day like your ME or 5/3/1 Deadlift day finding out! Speed deadlifts give you a great opportunity to do so, as I’ve often pulled as many as 30 working reps in a week… that is something that most people would not dare dream of doing. Why not just pull a set of 4-10 reps and call it a day? Because pulling for reps does very little to build your 1RM deadlift technique. For starters, I don’t care what bearded tattooed guy tells you that you can bounce your deadlifts—you shouldn’t. Have you ever noticed how many people have a horrible looking first rep, yet their second and third and tenth look easy? Yeah, that’s because they don’t know how to pull a single. They don’t know how to get into proper position (physically and mentally) to pull a good 1RM. So, making every “rep” into a “single” is a great way to learn! Get used to going from a full standing position, pulling the rep, and back again. The benefit of chains is that you can even take one step away from the bar and back to the bar just as you would when pulling a 1RM, where as the bands require you to keep your feet stationary.
So why are the bands important? Can’t I just pull straight weight? No… it isn’t the same. If you ever wonder why, then I encourage you to put 65% of your 1RM on the bar, and then add in the Short Pro Average Bands and give a nice good pull. If you are not in the right frame of mind, you will not make the lift. Is it hard? Not really (okay, so I’m not mentally normal and deadlifts are the highlight of my week), but you will be required to give some serious effort on your first couple of reps. If you haven’t made up your mind that you are going to pull hard, fast, and that you WILL FINISH THIS REP, then that REP will quickly turn into R.I.P.
How long should one follow this program? Isn’t that just the million Peso question? I have varying answers to all kinds of situations. For people that need to really increase their work capacity and have technical issues, I’d say to do it at least a month before looking to take it down to two days per week (Day 1 and Day 3). Is this a good program to peak the deadlift? Probably not unless you have time, and you can take another two to four weeks at the end to refine your full pull, work in your gear, and make sure that you are ready. Saying that, I’ve followed this up with a new 1RM pull directly at the end, but I also know my strengths and weaknesses fairly well. Normally, I’d have a client go in after four to six weeks off of this and pull straight weight up to 88-90% x 3, THEN add another 10% in chains and pull a single. The next week would either be a similar repeat… or taking a trip to PR City! Of course, it would all depend on how the training sessions were going, how he felt, and if any adjustments needed to be made.
So, if you are having issues with the deadlift, especially if you are one of those guys who like to tell me that “deadlifting every week just beats me up,” then I encourage you to give this an honest shot for four to eight weeks. Build something. Get video. Review it! Have others review it! Send it to me, and if I don’t poke my eyeballs out watching it… I’ll get you some feedback. Gain perspective on what real attitude and work ethic means when it comes to deadlifting. Learn something!
But hey, who knows… I just love to deadlift, and I’ve always been decent at it. I’m also more than a little psycho in the head (even though I look like a banker), but I’m also one of the few that have trained through two decades AND STILL added 100 pounds to his deadlift through training intelligently.
Get To Work!
This is the squat cycle I used for the XPC meet last March where I hit a 1,100-pound squat.
My goal for this cycle was to overload weight on my back so that when meet day came, I didn’t feel like I was getting crushed on the platform. I am a believer in using reverse resistance bands and feel they play an im-portant role in all three lifts. The following cycle was a mix of some reverse band work I learned from reading and watching BIG IRON videos. I learned the percents from my training partner Don Daubert. He has a ton of experience and ever since I started using percents, I have consistently gotten stronger.
SQUAT CYCLE
WEEK 1: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw
Add briefs and work up to a heavy set of 5 reps. I base my set of 5 off of my 1-rep max (1RM). I do this by multiplying my 1RM in briefs and knee wraps by .82%. If your 1 RM is 1,000 pounds, then you would use 820 pounds for your set of 5.
On this day I use a mini band for Ab/Adductors. I also work abs every week. I very my ab exercises between hanging leg raises, decline, and cable abs.
WEEK 2: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw
Add briefs and work up to a heavy single in just briefs and knee wraps. I don’t add my knee wraps until I am over 800 pounds. After you have hit your 1RM, add average reverse bands and throw on 100 pounds over your last set. If your 1RM is 1,000 pounds, then you would add average rev bands and put 1,100 pounds on the bar.
On this day I like to do high rep leg extensions and hamstring curls. I also work my abs again. I work my Ab/ Adductors, too.
WEEK 3: Warm up raw to 500 pounds
Add briefs and work up to a heavy set of 3 reps. I base my set of 3 reps off my 1Rm. I do this by multiplying my 1RM by .88%. If your 1RM is 1,000 pounds, then you will use 880 pounds for 3 reps.
My accessories are the same this week as they are for WEEK 1. WEEK 4: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw
Add briefs and work up to a 1RM. The goal is to go heavier then you did during WEEK 2. After establishing your new 1RM, add 100 pounds and the average reverse bands for a single rep.
Accessory work is the same as WEEK 2.
XPC Meet Squat Cycle
WEEK 5: I don’t squat this week.
I know this is against popular belief, but it works well for me. Taking a week off of squats will not make you weaker, and you will not forget how to squat. If you want to do something on this day, just hit high rep acces-sory movements. A day off from squats keeps my brain and body fresh.
After this rest week, you will be adding your suit on top of your briefs. Your weights may vary, but to keep the math simple, I went with basic numbers and jumps. The theory is still the same, so whatever you handle for a 1RM, the percents still apply. I usually put my suit on just before 800 pounds.
WEEK 6: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw.
Add briefs and your suit and work up to a 1RM. You should be shooting to go heavier than you did in WEEK 4. After setting a new 1RM, add 100 pounds to the bar and average reverse bands and do that for 1 rep. Keep the accessory work the same as WEEK 4.
WEEK 7: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw.
Add briefs and your suit and work up to your set of 5 reps. This will be a personal record for you since your 1RM is growing. If your new 1RM is 1,050 pounds, then you will multiply that by .82%. That will be your set of 5: 860 pounds. Keep the accessory work the same.
WEEK 8: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw.
Add briefs and your suit and work up to a new 1RM. Again, go for a personal record (PR). After setting your new PR, add the average reverse bands and add 100 pounds. Keep the accessory work the same as the previous heavy weeks. However, if you feel something specific needs more work, add it in. If you feel that your hamstrings are weak, hit some high rep sets with the heaviest weight you can handle for 15-20 reps and knock out a few sets. If you do not have a hamstring/leg curl machine, you can always choke a resistance band around a fixed object and do seated hamstring curls with it. Just hook it around the back of your heels, walk out to a box, sit down, and start working your hamstrings.
WEEK 9: Warm up to 500 pounds, raw.
Add briefs and work up to your new set of 3 reps using 88% of your previous 1RM. So if things are going great, then you are around 1,075 pounds for a new 1RM. So multiply 1,075 by .88% and your new set of 3 reps is with 946 pounds. Keep the accessory the same and keep the reps high.
WEEK 10: This is your last squat day before your meet.
WEEK 11: I take this as a rest week.
If anything, just hit your accessory work then take it easy. WEEK 12: MEET DAY!
NOTE: Remember that this is what has worked very well for me in the past. Everyone responds differently to heavy training, so listen to your body. If you are feeling beat up and need some rest, take it easy. Also remember that since I have been following these percents, they have never let me down. What I mean by that is percents never lie. So even if your 1RM seemed easy, still follow the planned percents. Your body and mind will appreciate it. Most importantly, have fun and train hard!
Training Program of the 2012 North
America’s Strongest Man Runner-Up
By ChASE KARNES, CSCS
I used the following program to prepare for the 2012 North American Strongman National
Champion-ships—a competition in which I took 2nd place in the Lightweight 200-pound class.
This was designed with my strengths and weaknesses in mind. I have been weight training consistently for fourteen years, but I have only been training and competing in strongman for three years.
The events for my weight class for 2012 Nationals were: DAy 1:
• Axle Clean & Press for reps with 250 pounds in 60 seconds
• Yoke Walk/Frame Carry Medley (50 feet each): 600-pound Yoke/590-pound Frame • Car Deadlift for reps in 60 seconds
• Atlas Stone over Bar (54 inches): 330-pound Stone in 60 seconds DAy 2:
• Circus Dumbbell Clean & Press for reps with 175 pounds in 60 seconds • Husafell Stone Carry for max distance – 350 pounds
• Suicide Medley (50 feet each): 225-pound Sandbag, 230-pound Keg, 360-pound Duck Walk, 650-pound Sled Drag (90 second time limit)
This training program was designed with the following factors in mind.
• The overhead press is one of my stronger events. The competition weight is about 75% of my 1RM.
• My best on Yoke before beginning this program was 750 pounds for 80 feet. This is also one of my weaker events.
• The frame carry is one of my better events. I have a solid grip and can move well carrying weight. At 590-pound grip won’t be an issue.
• My car deadlift is pretty strong. Last year the car deadlift was unbelievably heavy. I’m expecting it to be the same this year.
• Stones are another one of my stronger events. The weight of the stone shouldn’t be an issue. The height is pretty tall, but as long as I perfect the technique of getting the stone high on my chest, this shouldn’t be an issue either.
• The circus dumbbell is heavy. Previously, my best on this is 170 pounds. I’ll need some tech nique work here and some shoulder stability. I’ve got the strength, but I don’t have much practice on the dumbbell.
• I’m decent at the Husafell stone.
• The suicide medley is just going to be brutal.
The program is divided into two 6-week training phases with a deload after the first six weeks and before the competition. The training split is 14 days total, alternating workouts for the entire six weeks. In regards to gym lifts, weeks one, three, and five are the same and weeks two, four, and six are the same. This is in terms of exercises performed, but other variables change. Event days rotate on the same schedule, but there is a bit more variation.
Block 1 began before events had been posted for Nationals. However, based off of the past two years of Nationals, I had some ideas as to what they may be. Once events were announced during Block 1, I made the appropriate changes to gym lifts and events so that they would be more specific to the events for Nationals.
Block 1 – Week 1
MONDAy A. Overhead Press – 3x3+ B1. Bench Press – 3x3+ B2. Chin Ups – 4x10 C1. Z-Press – 8,8,6C2. Cross Body Hammer Curl – 3x10 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20 D2. SLSU – 3x10 WEDNESDAy A. Power Clean – 3x3 @ 85% B. Deadlift – 3x3 C. Good Mornings – 8,8,6 D. Walking Lunges – 2x15 E. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 3x18 SATURDAy
A. Log Clean & Press – Work up to a 4RM B. Yoke – 1 run for 80 feet @ 83%
C. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set for max distance D1. GHR – 3x8
D2. SLSU – 3x10
Week 2
MondayA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a 5RM B1. Incline Bench Press – 3x3+
B2. Suspension Rows – 5x10 C1. Barbell Curl – 5x10 C2. Close Grip Bench – 8,8,6 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
WEDNESDAy
A. Speed Deadlifts – 50% 6x1 with a 45-second rest B. Front Squats – 3x3+
C. Walking Lunges – 2x15 D. Reverse Hypers – 2x10 E. Suitcase Carries – 2x50 ft.
SATURDAy (*Events have been posted) A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a 3RM B. Axle Press from Rack – 2x1 @ 90-95%
C. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 80% Yoke/530-pound Frame D. Atlas Stone Over Bar – 1 set AMAP in 1 minute @ 80%
E. Prowler Backwards Drag – 2 runs of 80 feet F1. GHR – 3x10
F2. SLSU – 3x12
Week 3
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a 5RM B1. Overhead Press – 3x5+
B2. Chin Ups – 4x10 C1. Z-Press – 3x10
C2. Cross Body Hammer Curl – 3x10 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20 D2. SLSU – 4x8 WEDNESDAy A. Power Clean – 3x3 @ 80% B. Deadlift – 3x5+ C. Good Mornings – 3x10 D. Walking Lunges – 2x15 E. BLSU – 3x10 SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – 250 pounds x AMAP in 1 minute
B. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 88% Yoke/580-pound Frame C. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set for max distance
D. GHR – 2x5, 1x10
Week 4
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a 5RM B1. Incline Bench Press – 3x5+
B2. Suspension Rows – 5x10 C1. Barbell Curl – 3x10 C2. Close Grip Bench – 3x10 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
D2. Hanging Leg Raises – 3x12 WEDNESDAy
A. Speed Deadlifts – 40% 6x1 with a 45-second rest B. Front Squats – 3x5+
C. Walking Lunges – 2x15 D. Reverse Hypers – 3x10 E. BKSU – 3x12 SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a 5RM
*This day was programmed to include the following:
B. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 83% Yoke/530-pound Frame
C. Keg/Sandbag/Stone/Prowler Drag Medley – 225/150/150/Heavy (50 feet each) D. Atlas Stone to 54 inch Platform – 340 pounds for reps
I shut it down after axle clean & press. I felt like crap and my axle performance sucked bad. I had no “pop” on the cleans or press. My body was achy and I was feeling beat up. I’ve been training long enough to know my body and when I need to stop training. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. This was just one of those days. I knew after axle that nothing positive was going to come of training, so I went home to recover.
Week 5
*Quick note on this week: With Nationals being a two-day event, I start to program some back-to-back event days. This does two things: (1) It allows my body to get accustomed to training with some accumu-lated fatigue. (2) It allows me to experiment with different recovery methods to see what seems to help the most.MONDAy
A. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a true 1RM and shoot for a PR B1. Overhead Press – 5/3/1+
B2. Chin Ups – 4x10 C1. Z-Press – 3x5
C2. Cross Body Hammer Curl – 3x12 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
D2. BLSU – 4x6 WEDNESDAy
A. Power Clean – 3x3 @ 90% B. Deadlift – 5/3/1+ (min reps) C. Suited Deadlift – 1x1 @ 90% C. Good Mornings – 3x5 D. Walking Lunges – 2x15 E. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 3x20 FRIDAy
A. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 88% Yoke/580-pound Frame B. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set for max distance
C. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy single B. Atlas Stone over 54 Inch Bar – 340 x AMAP in 1 minute C. GHR – 3x6, 1xAMAP
Week 6
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a double at 90% of 1RM B1. Incline Bench Press – 5/3/1+
B2. Suspension Rows – 5x10 C1. Barbell Curl – 3x10 C2. Close Grip Bench – 3x5 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
WEDNESDAy
A. Speed Deadlifts – 60% 6x1 with a 45-second rest B. Front Squats – Work up to a true 1RM. Shoot for new PR C. Walking Lunges – 2x15
D. Reverse Hypers – 3x10 E. BKSU – 3x12 FRIDAy
A. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set for max distance
B. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – 250 pounds x AMAP in 1 minute.
B. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 95% Yoke/530-pound Frame C. Stone Over 54 inch bar – 340 x AMAP in 1 minute
D. GHR – 3x10
Week 7
Typically this would be a deload or off week. I decided to take the week off from gym lifts as planned; how-ever, I didn’t like the idea of also taking off from events this week since I had already taken a day off from events three weeks prior (the day I left after axle). So I decided to see how I felt that Friday and then make the decision. I felt rested and recovered, so I went ahead and hit back-to-back event days.FRIDAy
A. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set for max distance.
B. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy single B. Axle Press form Rack – 1x1 at 92%
C. Yoke – 50 ft. – 100% x 1
D. Atlas Stone over 54 inch bar – 300 x AMAP in 1 minute E. GHR – 3x15
Block 2 – Week 1
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to 3RM B1. Overhead Press – 3x3+ B2. Chin Ups – 3x10 C1. Z-Press – 8,8,6 C2. Barbell Curl – 3x20 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20 D2. BLSU – 4x6 WEDNESDAy
A. Deadlift – 3x3+ (min reps) B. Suited Deadlift – 1x1@90%
C. Car Deadlift – Work up to heavy triple D. Good Mornings – 8,8,6
E. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 3x15 FRIDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – 250 pounds x AMAP in 1 minute B. Atlas Stone over 54-inch Bar – 340 x AMAP in 1 minute C. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy SATURDAy
A. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 95% Yoke/580-pound Frame
Week 2
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a 3RM B1. Incline Bench Press – 3x3+
B2. Suspension Rows – 5x10 C1. Barbell Curl – 5x10 C2. Close Grip Bench – 8,8,6 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
WEDNESDAy
A. Front Squats – 3x3+
B. Car Deadlift – Work up to a heavy double C. Walking Lunges – 2x15
D. BLSU – 4x7 FRIDAy
A. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set max distance
B. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy double B. Axle Press from Rack – 1x1 @ 94%
C. Yoke Walk – 810 x pick, 810 x as far as possible until drop x 1 C. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 88% Yoke/580-pound Frame D. GHR – 5x10
Week 3
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy single B1. Overhead Press – 3x5+ B2. Chin Ups – 3x10 C1. Z-Press – 3x10 C2. Barbell Curl – 3x20 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20 D2. BLSU – 4x7 WEDNESDAy A. Deadlift – 3x5+
B. Car Deadlift – Work up to heavy single D. Good Mornings – 3x10
FRIDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – 250 poundsxAMAP in 1 minute B. Axle Cleans – 230 poundsxAMAP in 1 minute
B. Atlas Stone over 54-inch Bar – 340xAMAP in 1 minute SATURDAy
A. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 95% Yoke/530-pound Frame B. Husafell Stone Carry – 1 set max distance
C. Sandbag/Keg/Duck Walk/Prowler Drag – 215/230/300/Heavy D. GHR – 3x8
SUNDAy
Prowler Pushes – 90 seconds work: 2 minutes rest x 3 rounds
Week 4
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a 5RM, back off sets 3x1 holding lockout B1. Incline Bench Press – 3x5+
B2. Suspension Rows – 5x10 C1. Barbell Curl – 3x20 C2. Close Grip Bench – 3x10 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20
D2. Hanging Leg Raises – 3x12 WEDNESDAy
A. Speed Deadlifts – 50% 6x1 w/45-second rest B. Front Squats – 3x5+
B. Car Deadlift – Work up to a heavy triple FRIDAy
SATURDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy double B. Axle Press from Rack – 1x1 @ 90%
C. Frame Carry – 2x50 feet with 580 C. Atlas stone over 54 inch bar – 1x3, 1x2 D. GHR – 4x8
SUNDAy
A. Prowler Push/Prowler Drag – 45 seconds push/45 seconds drag : rest 2 minutes x 4 rounds
Week 5
MONDAyA. Circus DB Clean & Press – Work up to a heavy double B1. Overhead Press – 5/3/1+ B2. Chin Ups – 3x10 C1. Z-Press – 3x5 C2. Barbell Curl – 3x20 D1. Face Pulls – 2x20 D2. BLSU – 4x8 WEDNESDAy
A. Deadlift – 5/3/1+ (min reps) B. Suited Deadlift – 1x1@90%
C. Car Deadlift – Work up to heavy set of 5 D. SLSU – 4x8
FRIDAy
A. Axle Clean & Press – 255 pounds x AMAP in 1 minute
B. Yoke/Frame Medley (80 feet): 1 run – 88% Yoke/530-pound Frame C. Atlas Stone over 54-inch Bar – 340 x AMAP in 1 minute
Week 6
TUESDAyA1. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 2x15 A2. GHR – 2x15
WEDNESDAy-SUNDAy
Foam Rolling, Mobility Drills, Massage, Light Walking
Week 7 – coMpetition Week
Foam Rolling, Mobility Drills, Light Walk (early in the week)*Exercises with pairings are done as alternating sets. (Example: A1 and A2) A set of A1 is performed fol-lowed by a short rest. Then A2 is performed folfol-lowed by a short rest. This is repeated until all sets/reps are completed.
*Where percentages are listed, this is a percentage of my current 1RM (rep max) for the particular lift. * A modified version of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 percentages and sets/reps are used where you see (3x5+, 3x3+, 5/3/1+), but as you can see, it’s not a traditional 5/3/1 set up – it’s 3/5/1. Instead of the 90% that Jim recommends, all numbers are based off of 95% for the first training block. Ten pounds is then added to the lower body lifts and five pounds to the upper body lifts for the second training block. Max reps are done unless otherwise noted by an abbreviation for minimal reps – (min reps).
*When working up to a RM – Such as a 5RM – I worked up to the heaviest weight I could handle with good form for the target rep max.
*SLSU – Straight Leg Sit Up *GHR – Glute Ham Raise *BKSU – Bent Knee Sit Up
Four Weeks to Bigger Arms
By DAvID AllEN
If there are any constants across the board among all who engage in weight training, the desire for bigger arms is one of them. Combined with a huge yoke and a wide chest, sleeve-stretching arms are the best way to show the world you work out. In addition to their aesthetically pleasing attributes, large guns also aid the lifter in strength-based activities. Total cross sectional area of a muscle group is a major determinant of multiple strength categories for that muscle group as well. Due to changes in lever arm length, larger arms can also provide better leverage in certain lifts. In the end, bigger arms are always better than smaller arms. So how do we make them grow?
First, we must analyze the three mechanisms through which hypertrophy occurs. These three mechanisms are 1) maximal mechanical tension, 2) muscular damage, and 3) metabolic stress. In short, this means that in order to induce the greatest hypertrophy in a muscle, you must maximize the amount of weight lifted, the amount of protein degradation you cause within the muscle, and the amount of metabolic stress you put upon the muscle group.
Another aspect of muscle growth to consider is fiber type. It is known that fast twitch muscle fibers have more potential for growth than slower twitch fibers, although they have growth potential as well. In order to maximally tax all of our fast twitch muscle fibers, we have to engage our highest threshold motor units. This can be achieved with varying methods that cause the greatest mechanical tension within the muscle. Vladimir Zatsiorsky defined three methods for achieving this: 1) max effort method, 2) repetition effort method, and 3) the dynamic effort method.
Taking all this into consideration, we can come to the conclusion that a program that uses multiple training methods and incorporates varying movements, varying tensions, and varying sets and rep ranges is the best method to induce the greatest possible arm growth. Also, it is important to prioritize our arm growth while maintaining other muscle groups and fitness characteristics. Therefore, we will use a four-week training block that has two training days dedicated specifically to arm growth and two days dedicated to the maintenance of our other body parts. Since the arms are smaller muscle groups, I do not think it is necessary to have—nor do I believe that they can handle—training blocks longer than four weeks when they are being trained with such high intensity, volume, and frequency. Here is the general template for our arm training:
Arm HypertropHy templAte:
EXERCISE 1: Explosive lift using accommodating resistance, 3X1 tempo (3-second eccentric, explode up at the bottom of the lift, 1-second contraction at the top), 5 sets of 5-7 reps
EXERCISE 2: Isolation lift with constant tension, 3 sets of 8-12 reps
EXERCISE 3: Major lift with extended intensity using accommodating resistance, 2 sets of 10 reps, 1 set of max reps followed immediately by 1 or 2 drop sets.
EXERCISE 4: Pump exercise with full range of motion and a focused contraction at the top, 3 sets of 15+ reps
Weekly trAining templAte:
MONDAy: Arms TUESDAy: Rest
Wednesday: Lower Body Maintenance ThURSDAy: Arms
FRIDAy: Rest
SATURDAy: Upper body Maintenance SUNDAy: Rest
Weeks 1-4 trAining
MONDAy
Standing Swiss Bar Curls against bands, 3X1 tempo, 5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____ Cable EZ Bar Curls, 8-12____8-12____8-12____
Barbell Curls w/chains, 10____10____Max____Drop____Drop____ Single Arm DB Preacher Curls, 15+____15+____15+____
Close Grip Bench Press against bands, 3X1 tempo, 5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____ Single Arm Overhead DB Extension, 8-12____8-12____8-12____
Dips w/ chains from belt, 10____10____Max____Drop____Drop____ Rope Pressdowns, 15+____15+____15+____
WEDNESDAy
Squats (or box squats), 5____5____5____5____5____ Leg Press, 10____10____10____
Glute Ham Raises or Russian Leans, 5____5____5____5____5____ RDL or Reverse Hypers, 10____10____10____10____
Standing Calf Raises, 50 total reps Any Abdominal Exercise, 100 total reps ThURSDAy
EZ Bar Skull Crushers w/ chains, 3X1 tempo, 5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____ Single Arm Grenade Ball Cable Side Triceps Extension, 8-12____8-12____8-12____ JM Press against Bands, 10____10____Max____Drop____Drop____
Both Arm Overhead Kettlebell/DB Extension, 15+____15+____15+____
Seated Both Arm Chain Curls, 3X1 tempo, 5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____5-7____ Cable Rope Hammer Curls, 8-12____8-12____8-12____
Alternating DB Curls against bands, 10____10____Max____Drop____Drop____ EZ Bar Preacher Curls, 15+____15+____15+____
SATURDAy
Incline Bench Press, 5____5____5____5____5____ Pull-ups/Pull-downs, 10____10____10____10____ Face Pulls, 15____15____15____
Any Abdominal Exercise, 100 total reps Stretch
There you go—a very simple four-week training block to put some size on your arms. Make sure your nutrition is in check and you are taking in the requisite amount of nutrients necessary for growth. DO NOT try to do any extra work on top of this or max out on your maintenance days. I know the maintenance days do not seem like much, but that is the point. The training block only lasts four-weeks, so you can suck it up and tone it down a notch on those days. If grip becomes a problem on some of the exercises, you can use chalk or lifting straps. Your forearms will get plenty of work in so there is no need to do any extra. After you finish the four weeks, take your arm training back down to one day a week or as accessories on your other days. You could do an arm prioritizing block like this probably three or four times a year. Be smart, train hard, and make sure you’ve got plenty of short sleeve shirts to show off your new guns.
This is a short squat template that I put together with the help of Jeremy Frey. It’s short because it was the result of a last minute decision to enter a meet, and I had been training randomly in briefs but hadn’t been in full gear yet. It’s designed to help me handle weight but to also work around back pain that I had been dealing with—which later turned out to be the herniated disk that I had repaired. This cycle allowed me to move an adequate amount of weight with slightly more reps than I’m used to, but still accomplish the intensity and load I needed to make gains in my squat. All of the percentages were based off the estimated max in both briefs and full gear that are listed at the top of the template. As you will see, I started with a deload week due to the training intensity and time period of my previous training regimen, which required a deload period to be fresh for what was ahead of me.
As you look at the template, you will also see that I also reduced the number of accessory movements I was doing. This was so I could focus on the main movement since it was an abbreviated training cycle.
Full Gear 950 pounds Brief 785 pounds Week Box/Full % Weight
(lbs)
Reps Accessory Set
Range Gear Bar
Deload full 70% 550 2x2 2 8-20 reps Briefs Texas bar
5 full 85% 810 2x3 2 8-20 reps Straps-up Texas bar
88% 835 2x2
4 full 88% 835 2x2 1 8-12 reps Straps-up Texas Bar
92% 875 2x1
3 full 95% 905 x1 1 8-12 reps Straps-up Texas Bar
97% 920 x1
2 Opener 90% 855 x1 8-20 reps Straps-up Texas Bar
95% 905 x1
Sunday Tuesday
1 Deload
raw
Squat bar x10 Bench bar x15
135 x7 95 x10
225 x4 135 x8
315 2x1 225 2x1
Six-Week Squat Program
Notes:
• You might have to Deload for Week 2—you will have to see how you feel before we go there. • Only be lifting three days a week: one squat, one bench, one dead.
The following is a “12-Week Meet Training Program” aimed at those who have competed for a long time or those of us who are aging. Regardless of age, if you fit into either of these groups, you most likely experience all of the same aches and pains that I do. Shoulders, low back, and elbows always creep up and sideline the gains we were hoping to make. I’ve talked about this program before, but it’s a little different now. Before it was an idea—something I thought, was even sure, would work, but it wasn’t proven. Now it has been proven. It has seen me through two meets. It has given me two PRs on my deadlift and a near PR on my bench. My old bench PR was set in 2007.
Let me first give you an update on my last two meets and a little history leading up to those meets. I needed to qualify for the XPC Semi-Finals and was determined to do only what was needed to do to get there. In spite of a conservative strategy, I would need to get a shirted bench in. If successful on the bench, it would be the first time in two years that I hit a shirted bench in a meet. I had been bombing or backing out of meets because of my elbows for two years… and getting lucky before that. I truly believed that I was done. If the program I’m giving you here didn’t work, I was putting aside all desires to compete. I would concede. The plan was to hit a conservative squat to open and put away the squat suit. The squat is what beats up my shoulders and elbows. (My elbows, remember, are what makes me bomb on the bench). So, I wanted to hit a squat and save everything I had for the bench. That went well with an 850-pound squat, but I didn’t expect anything different. I put on my shirt to open with 605 pounds. My shirt blew on the attempt, but it was successful… my first real bench in a meet in over two years and it was successful. It was a huge relief. I was able to pull a small PR at 710 pounds.
Qualifying for the Semi-Finals made me realize that I would need to step it up. Not knowing what the lineup would look like, I figured that I would need two or three squats and two or three benches to advance. I had to truly test the program to see if it would carry me back to serious competition. Having now competed in the Semi-Finals, I didn’t need to worry. I was the only 220-pound competitor left at the end, but I still needed to test my elbows. Thankfully, it proved very successful. I successfully squatted my first and second attempts, and I made a go with a third. On the bench I did the same—successful on the first and second attempts, and a really close ride with a PR third. After all of that, I was still able to make three successful attempts with the pull, ending with a PR. That gave me a PR total at 220 pounds and left me only seven pounds short of an all-time PR for me in any weight class. More importantly, I finished the day with only a slight discomfort in my elbows.
With all of that being said, I’m very excited about clearly writing out this program to share with the elitefts™ readers. It works. It works better than I expected. This is the exact program I will be following as I prepare for the XPC Finals. It is a twelve-week program. It can be longer, but I don’t recommend shorter since you are limited as to the number of times you are able to get into your gear (if you are a geared lifter). Although I will write this for a geared lifter, you can also follow it to save your elbows if you are a raw lifter. You will simply follow it exactly as written, but geared days will be heavy raw days.
Let’s get to it. You will read this calendar from the start of my cycle to the end, but I prepare my schedule backwards. Start at your meet day and work back twelve weeks.
Twelve-Week Meet Training Program
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
Shirted Bench
550x1 Light Pulls 550x1, 3 sets Suited Squat 800x1Rev Band 850x1 Light Bench acc.
work SSB GMs Cambered bar Box Squats in briefs
Shirted Bench
600x1 Light suited Pulls 500x1, 3 sets Suited Squat 850x1Rev Band 900x1 Light Bench acc.
work Cambered Bar GMs SSB in briefs
Shirted bench
625x1 Suited Pull 650x1 (opener) Suited Squat 900x1 Rev Band 950x1 Light Bench acc.
work Heavy Pin Pulls Cambered bar Box Squats in briefs Shirted bench
650x1 Suited Pull 700x1 (second attempt) Suited Squat 925x1 Rev Band 975x1 Light Bench acc.
work Light Pin PullsSSB GMs SSB in briefs
Last shirt 675x1
to a half-board Light Suited Pull 550x1 3 sets
Last Suited Squat 950x1 Rev Band 1025x1 Light Bench acc.
work Cambered Bar GMs Cambered bar Box Squats in briefs Last shirt 700x1
off a 1-board Light Suited Pull 500x1 3 sets
Light Squat Straight bar This week: Rest,
no lifting, stay mobile, watch
weight
MEET DAY
lET ME EXPlAIN Why ThIS WORKS.
Remember that this is designed for those of us who are beat up by age, years of lifting, or both. What this program does is offer an adequate amount of time for a lifter’s shoulders and elbows to heal between lifts. My specific issue was my elbows. Shoulders were secondary. Squatting with a straight bar kills my elbows— it literally makes it impossible to bench heavy. Notice what this program does.
This program utilizes specialty bars to give your elbows adequate recovery time while allowing you to maintain heavy- to moderate-squat training. Using this program, you will squat with a straight bar followed by a very light bench session two days later. That shouldn’t be an issue. The following squat day, which is a week later, is performed with a specialty bar that will take the elbows completely out of the lift. On the following bench day, which is exactly nine days after your last heavy straight bar squat, is your heavy shirted bench day. If you have done everything correctly, your elbows and shoulders should be completely recovered and ready for the carnage of a heavy shirted day.
Let me address back day here. A straight bar shouldn’t be on your shoulders at all for any work done on your back day. All good mornings are done with specialty bars. Pulling tractions the elbows, and personally makes mine feel better, so that shouldn’t cause an issue.
After your heavy shirted bench day, you have four (plus) days of recovery before you squat heavy with a straight bar again. For me, that is plenty of recovery. The squat is what really does work on my elbows, so I usually come out of my bench sessions feeling okay. This is especially true after this program kicked in. In the past, I had elbow pain constantly. Now I rarely have it.
SOME NOTES:
I did not add accessory work to this program. Your accessory work should target your weak areas. Those are impossible for me to know and address here.
Arm Training! This is extremely important. If you are experiencing pain in your shoulders and elbows, start training your arms lightly but with tons of volume. You will find that, in a short period of time, you can begin adding weight and cutting volume. However, while you are hurting, stay light and utilize quantity. This type of work moves blood, and blood brings healing. Flush those joints. Once the pain is retreating, add weight so that you can strengthen the areas that have become weak. Believe me, they are weak since you have backed off due to pain.
I truly hope this program helps you like it has helped me. For two years I was on the edge of retiring. Currently, I feel like I have several years of competitive lifting left in me. What a relief, considering my desire to compete is still as strong as ever.
Good luck.
You push your body to the limits each and every workout.
And when all of your time and energy is focused on getting stronger, sometimes little things like mobility, flexibility and joint health become after-thoughts.
While I’m not the strongest guy you’re ever going to meet, I’ve worked with, evaluated, and coached the strongest of the strong. The freakazoids that routinely squat, bench press, and deadlift more than most mere mortals can comprehend.
Why do they come to me? Or why would they ask someone such as myself for advice?
Because I know that if I can find that little weakness or limitation that’s holding them back, I can effortlessly help them add pounds to their total.
I have a very specific belief:
You already know how to get strong. If you follow time-honored and proven principles, we can all get far stronger than we’ve ever imagined.
If we can stay healthy.
My goal with this article is simple: To give you some basic tools to help you preserve the ball-and-socket joints in your body—namely, your hips and shoulders.
These ball and-socket-joints are vital for your long-term health, mobility, and quality of life.
If you can keep these four joints moving and shaking well, you’ll not only be rewarded by less pain, but bigger totals to boot.
Let’s do this!
A Brief Overview of the Ball-and-Socket Joints
In the first anatomy class I ever took, the professor took a fair amount of time covering the different types of joints in the body.
Regardless, I think even as a young buck I realized that ball-and-socket joints were pretty cool!
Your hips and shoulders are unique, not only in their structure, but also in their function. Ball-and-socket joints have incredible ranges of motion and mobility. For instance, while you have large ranges of motion around the knee or elbow joints, you only have that motion in one direction.
In contrast, the hips and shoulders have a fair degree of movement in all planes of motion.
Save Your Ball and Sockets!
However, while there are many similarities between the hips and shoulders, there are a few fundamental differences as well.
Without getting too geeky here, the biggest difference is in the passive (non-muscular) stability provided by each joint. The ball sits much deeper in the socket of the hip, versus that of the shoulder.
In fact, many biomechanists would describe the ball of the shoulder as something similar to a golf-ball sitting on a tee!
So while both need tons of range of motion, the shoulder will always inherently have more motion than the hip, just due to its structure.
your Joint-health Arsenal
I’ve actually covered the “how to” section of this extensively before on elitefts.com. If you missed it, please make sure to check out the link below:
The Keys to Upper Body Injury Prevention and Strength
What I want to focus on are a handful of joint health measures, and get you focused on doing them religiously to keep yourself healthy over the long haul.
Joint Traction
Traction is awesome because it helps “open up” the joint at hand.
Think of it like this : every time you squat, bench press, or deadlift, you’re compressing your joints together. And if you’re out of alignment or move poorly, this will increase the wear-and-tear on specific sections of those joints.
To counteract this, joint traction (also known as “distraction”) can help open that joint space back up. Not to mention the fact that it just feels good!
For the big guys I’ve worked with, I like to throw in a quick traction session both pre- and post-workout. Pre-workout is beneficial because it helps open up that joint space, improves mobility, and just gets you feeling good.
Post-workout, you’ve just spent the last one to two hours beating the hell out of your joints with heavy weights. I don’t want my clients walking out of the gym feeling like shit, so a few minutes of traction helps open that joint back up and gets it feeling immediately better.
Dynamic mobility exercises are critical as well. In this case, I also like to do them at two times: 1. Pre-workout (after your traction and self-myosfascial release work), and
2. On off-days as an active recovery session.
Dynamic mobility exercises/stretches are fantastic pre-workout because they not only work on the flexibility/ extensibility of a muscle, but they also use the nervous system to help control that motion and provide stability.
Stability really is the name of the game if you want to be big and strong. If you’re floppy and unstable, you’re not going to be able to turn on those big prime movers (pecs, lats, quads, hamstrings, glutes, etc.) the way you’d like.
On off-days, rather than sitting on our duff and doing absolutely nothing, why not perform a quick-and-dirty foam rolling routine/dynamic stretching routine to loosen up and get ourselves feeling a bit better? Guys and gals who are consistent about this report less soreness between workouts, better mobility, and fewer injuries. Quite simply, why wouldn’t you start doing this?
Static Stretching
While dynamic stretching/mobility work is all the rage, I’m still a fan of the old school static stretching. When your goal is to move 1000-pound squats, or to break into the 308-pound or superheavyweight class, you get bigger and stronger.
Big and strong is cool, but big and strong also means stiffer. Stiffness can help you move bigger weights, but ultimately, you need to have enough flexibility/mobility to get into the right positions to compete in your sport.
When it takes you that same 1,000 pounds to break parallel? Houston, we have a problem.
I like to recommend five to ten minutes of foam rolling, followed immediately by 15-20 minutes of static stretching right before bed. This helps you unwind and relax, which has another additional benefit: better sleep and recovery.
If you want the quick and dirty static stretching session, focus on these critical areas: • Pecs, • Lats, • Hip Flexors, • Quads, • Calves, • Hips, • Hamstrings, and • Lower Back.
If you do nothing else in this guide, try stretching three to four times per week for 15-20 minutes. I guarantee you’ll see and feel a noticeable difference in your body.
Summary
Powerlifting is an amazing sport. I always enjoyed training, but it wasn’t until I started competed in powerlifting that I realized how much I loved it.
I meet powerlifters all the time that are every bit as passionate, and it always hurts me to see them have to quit the sport they love due to injury.
By following the basic guidelines I’ve provided here, you can add pounds to your total and years to your career.
What do you have to lose?
It may not be ingrained in our male DNA, but when most of us started lifting weights, it sure seemed like all of our workouts (no matter what the goal) were genetically predestined to be bench press, biceps curl, and
triceps pushdown marathons four to five times per week… and not much else. I know that my own workouts sure looked like this when I first started weight training way back in the late 80s. I don’t get to visit the typical commercial gym too often these days, but each time I do, I feel like I have time warped back to the 80s—as I see most guys doing the same stuff I did over twenty-something years ago. For whatever reason, not much has changed, and it’s not their fault. They just don’t know any better. So, what’s a dude to do? I am going to show you how to do better based on several things that we have learned over the years.
First, let’s be honest, dudes: you could probably stand to lose some “L-B’s” of body fat (I should note that back in the 80s and 90s, we referred to guys most often as “dudes” in our vernacular instead of the currently in vogue term of “bros”). Many guys, myself most definitely included, tend to find ourselves in a perpetual “bulking” or mass-gaining mode. Why is this? Interestingly, for a lot of us dudes, the mirror often lies, and we will see a much leaner version of ourselves staring back at us. However, if we were to take an honest self-evaluation, such as a body composition test or to take some simple photos with only trunks on, many may be very surprised and/or shocked with the results. It can be a real eye-opener when you learn that you are not nearly as lean as you think you are. In other words, that 14-15% body fat that you think you are sporting… it’s probably much closer to 21-22%. If you have taken this evaluation and have decided that it is time to get leaner, it is also time that you overhaul your training program and make it more suited to the task at hand. I write training programs at one of the leading fat loss gyms in the world, and we have quite a few males who have come from the same place that you and I have. These guys are now typically middle aged and looking to shed some fat, stay strong, and still feel a bit athletic while holding on to their inner “dude.”
I am going to share with you what I feel are some of the biggest mistakes that I see most guys make—when left to their own devices—in regards to formatting their weight training programs for fat loss. Fixing these mistakes immediately will fast track your progress and get you to your fat loss goals. I am then going to share a snapshot of an eight-week training program that we have used with great success for dudes just like us. 1. DUDES ORGANIzE ThEIR TRAINING lIKE A “BODyBUIlDER.”
I certainly mean no disrespect to the competitive bodybuilding community by the above statement, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with bodybuilding as a competitive pursuit—I am a fan. There is certainly a lot to learn from bodybuilders. In fact, most dudes get our first exposure to weight training through bodybuilders via muscle magazines and the Internet. The problem is that most guys think that following the routines of competitive bodybuilders is the best way for the average person to train for fat loss. They will typically organize their training sessions in terms of the body parts or muscles trained. This is actually not very logical and not as productive as it could be since, in reality, your body works as an integrated unit—not as individual parts or muscles. By the way, have you ever wondered how it was decided that certain muscles get their own day while others don’t? It doesn’t really make sense to base how we allocate exercises to our training days simply by using muscle groups as the main organizing factor. It makes much more sense to base the allocation in regards to what the body does as it relates to basic human movements. If you think more in terms of training basic movements and the body as a whole (the way it actually works), you will actually train muscles as a by-product and get the results you desire. I really like a quote that I originally heard from strength coach Nick Winkleman of Athletes’ Performance who stated, “When we just train
muscles, we forget movements, when we train movements, we never forget muscles.”
The other big problem with this approach is that time is a major limiting factor for most typical dudes. We all have extremely busy lives with jobs and families. Do you really have the time to dedicate to training that a
Fat Loss for Dummies
professional bodybuilder (whose job is usually his training) would have? I don’t think so. In our experience at Results Fitness (as we are currently working with well over 300 clients multiple times per week on individualized programs), full body weight training routines done three times a week—based on a split of basic human movements—will work far better for most dudes in terms of fat loss training. This allows you to train with a higher frequency (you will actually hit muscle groups more often than typical body part split routines) and get better results. At Results Fitness, instead of classifying our exercises by muscle group or body part, we classify them simply based on what they are: basic movements. The classification that we use is as follows:
• Squat • Bend • Push • Pull
• Single Leg Stance • Lunge
• Core
We will then allocate these movements to training days, as you will see in the following sample program. 2. DUDES ThINK MORE IS BETTER.
More than likely, because of the heavy mainstream bodybuilding influence on general training as mentioned above, most dudes usually think that to get results, they must train on that good ol’ five to six times per week body part split routine with extremely high volume.
They also often think that they must use multiple exercises for each body part with tons of sets. You must realize that you make gains while you are recovering from training, not during the actual training itself. There is usually no need for exercises that are redundant. Think about it, what the heck is the leg extension going to do for you that the squat doesn’t? The key is to focus on quality and not so much on quantity. As fitness expert Paul Chek has stated, “exercise is like a drug.” With the correct dose and the correct drug, you will get the desired response, and it all works. If you overdose or take the wrong drug, you can do more harm than good and not get the desired response. One of the reasons why a three times per week full body routine works so well is that you get a high frequency of training without overdoing it in terms of volume. 3. DUDES DO TOO MANy SINGlE JOINT EXERCISES.
Is it a federal crime to do some biceps curls and triceps pushdowns? Nope, but when the volume/number of these types of exercises dominate your program, you will greatly diminish the effectiveness of your workouts, particularly when it comes to fat loss. If you focus your training on heavy, multi-joint (compound) exercises— such as squats, deadlifts, various presses, push ups, rows, chins/pull-ups, etc.—you will train much greater amounts of muscle overall, and this will lead to more calories burned during and after your workouts. As a general rule, the more muscle involved in an exercise the better.
