Secrets of Strength.pdf

Secrets of Strength

15 TO TAKE Y 1

S T N E M U C O D T R EXPE

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By Team elitefts™ www.elitefts.com

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Buddy Morris Interview (pt1)- November 2007 59 Buddy Morris Interview (pt2)- November 2007 63 Things I Have Learned in My First Year of Exploring Conjugate Training 67

Four main workouts a week: Two Maximum effort workouts (one for bench and one for squat/deadlift) and Two Dynamic effort (speed) workouts one for bench and one for squat/deadlift).

The Periodization Bible

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When it comes to setting up a strength-training program, I feel it’s important to understand all aspects of the program, including how it all fits together. The organization of training can be defined as periodization. There are several periodization models being used today for the development of strength.

The Eight Keys, A Complete Guide to Maximal Strength Development 94

Remind us not to bug Dave Tate about submitting articles to T-mag. See, here’s what happened. Dave got a little busy with life in general and didn’t send us any articles for a while. We kept nagging him and finally he must’ve snapped.

The Development of the Russian Conjugate Sequence System 5

A significantly unique method of developing the strength of a nation through its population ignited the era of potent physical education program in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Victories were a reflection on the country, not on the individual. However, the demise of the Union in 1991 foreshadowed the end of the reign of athleticism.

Throughout the years, the deadlift has been our ”national sport” here in Finland, and world records have been broken since the early ’70s. But what makes Finns pull so much?

The Basic Workout Template and FAQ

What I Learned From Lou

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Training for Mass

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I have had the opportunity to train at Westside for the past 10 years. What I discovered when I first arrived was that all the members had incredible muscle thickness.

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What is the Basic Template for Bench Press Workouts? Wednesday: Max effort bench press training When I put a post about needing article ideas, I got some real good ideas from a bunch of guys.

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Several months ago I sat in front of a nurse at my place of work after she received my report on my cholesterol, triglyceride levels and blood pressure. I work at a Bank, and it’s pretty cool that they offer free cholesterol screening and all kinds of other nice benefits.

Louie Simmons’ influence on powerlifting and on strength training does not need to be mentioned. All you have to do is talk to any strength

elitefts™ Classic: Finnish Deadlift Secrets 30

Things I Would Do Differently

The Mountain Dog Diet—A Healthier Way to Get Lean/Add Muscle…or Both! 144

Gear vs. Raw Training Minus Bro-Science 168

Powerlifting gear was first introduced into the sport in the early 1970s. Prior to the use and advancement of gear, the use of tight jean shorts,

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ThingsIHaveLearned Four main workouts a week: Two Maximum effort workouts (one for bench and one for squat/deadlift) and Two Dynamic effort (speed) workouts one for bench and one for squat/deadlift).

Club Sports Condundrum

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The current climate of club sport, in combination with school sport, in Southern California is one in which the majority of athletes are being placed under a degree of physical stress that their bodies are unsuited to handle.

The 14 Day Program: An Interview with John Bott 180

What did your training look like before you began this training? Give us a sample week/template that would be fairly typical of what you did.

The Rise of the Internet Icons

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[Billy Mimnaugh is known for speaking his mind, whether it’s about politics or powerlifting. If you are easily offended, read no further. Billy has a loud voice, and we want to give him the opportunity to speak. —Jim Wendler, EFS]

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Introduction I have followed elitefts™ for 15 years. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of articles. I’ve seen even more of them since I started handling the social media of elitefts™ three years ago. Many days I am the Indiana Jones of elitefts™, searching for the lost articles buried and hidden on the site, in places where few readers look. Digging through the articles, training logs, and Q&As each day has taught me one thing: there’s a lot of amazing content. So when Dave came to me and asked me to compile a list of the best 15 articles I’ve ever seen on the site, I knew it was a great opportunity. But I also knew that the pressure was on. With 5,000 total articles posted on the site over the past 15 years, I had my work cut out for me. I immediately knew the first five articles that had to be on the list. These are articles from as far back as 2000; I still have many of them in binders that I printed out so that I could read them. These are articles I re-read at least once a year. Outside of these five articles, though, I had to make some tough decisions on which ones to include and which ones to leave out. Each article that made the cut has played a huge role in the development of my training or nutrition philosophies. They share information that I continue to use to this day. If you only read the newest articles on the site, you’re missing the gold buried deep within the archives of elitefts™. Here, we have compiled these hidden gems. In no particular order, this is a collection of the fifteen best articles ever published on elitefts.com. Read them, apply their information, and read them again. You’ll learn something new each time. Matt Ladewski Social Media Manager at elitefts.com 4

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The Development of the Russian Conjugate Sequence System by Tom Myslinski

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TheDevelopmentofthe RUSSIANCONJUGATE SEQUENCE SYSTEM by Tom Myslinski Abstract A significantly unique method of developing the strength of a nation through its population ignited the era of potent physical education program in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Victories were a reflection on the country, not on the individual. However, the demise of the Union in 1991 foreshadowed the end of the reign of athleticism. Prior to this, their hold on athletic supremacy was undeniable and can be best explained by the following comparison. At the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in which the USSR and its Eastern Bloc allies boycotted, the American athletes captured 174 total medals. A few weeks later, the boycotting countries staged the 1984 Friendship Games in Moscow and the following results were humiliatingly noteworthy. In track and field, of the forty-one gold medals in Los Angeles, twenty-eight of those final results were surpassed at the Friendship Games. In addition, in the swimming competition, five world records and a total of forty swimmers exceeded the time of their American competitors (74). The difference was a superior methodology of training. Known as the Conjugate Sequence System, the Soviets were able to develop it so thoroughly that results as above were commonplace. Initially, the System involves a concurrent training of several motor abilities (means) or a wide multi-lateral skill developmental approach. This provides the base framework for the neurological construction of all subsequently developed motor skills. As the athlete passes through maturation and is able to functionally specialize, a foundational motor skill pool exists from which the athlete is able to pull. Future adaptive restructuring is highly specific and is dependent upon the ability to maintain strength and skill qualities already gained while raising limiting motor qualities. The Conjugate approach is employed to control and consistently redirect the desired specific training-effect. This is preservation procedure and is accomplished by simultaneously training all necessary motor abilities with a constant renewal and reestablishing process, promoting a steady, permanent adaptation while securing the desired training-effect, thus elevating the athlete’s functional potential.

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Origins The concept of the conjugate sequential system is translated from the Russian coupled successive system. This system evolved from the concurrent system, or the multi-lateral skill developmental approach found in the sport schools of the old Eastern Bloc countries, and most recently in China (7) (16)(18)(21)(27)(40). As an objective, these schools’ goals were to identify, select, and train, young athletes with the potential to succeed in regional, national, or international arenas. They believed that if children were encouraged to develop a variety of skills, they would quite possibly experience success in several sporting activities. As the developing young athlete displayed further interest, and demonstrated and displayed potential, they were nurtured along the path of athletics. Through systematic identification and recruitment, priority was given to the selection of those young athletes thought most likely to benefit from intensive sports training and to produce championship results in top-class competition (8)(9)(10). The schools’ selection was based upon the assumption that the requisites for a sport can be identified at a youthful age and subsequently perfected through general to eventual specific training. As the child biologically develops, their ability becomes much more dynamic. This allows the coaches to identify the pre-pubescent athlete’s developing traits and place him/her properly within the sport that meets their individual qualifications. Further selection, assessment, and evaluation were a continual process, each time resulting in a greater refinement of direction and level of training for the young athlete. This process was the first step in the development of the Process of Achieving Sports Mastery (PASM, based on the Russian abbreviation of PSSM)(48)(59). The foundation of the Russian PASM is rooted in the research of A. Novikov, “the father of Russian physical education,” and N. G. Ozolin’s research on the concurrent system of long- term training (32) (34). This systematic type of application is valid only for athletes of lower qualification and “involves the parallel training of several means or motor abilities, such as strength, speed, and endurance, over the same period, with the intention of producing multi-faceted development of physical fitness. This method is based on experimental evidence that adaptation elicited by the separate components of the complex training work is not simply a summation of the separate training effects, but the synergistic result of the interaction of the effects of each stage of training. This interaction produces a new physical state with a significantly greater work potential than would have resulted from the non-systematic use of the same means, even at increased volume” (49). Simplified, this multilateral approach consists of the utilization of many different methods by many different means in order to foster and develop the young sportsman’s adaptation level. The rationale underlying this system was as the pre-adolescent athlete developed a well-rounded athletic base rooted in general physical preparation (GPP); his overall motor potential would correspondingly rise. Over time, this stimulus would trigger a response of adaptation, so that the demanding training loads that eventually occur during specialized physical preparation (SPP) would not distress the body. This direct relation between the central nervous system (CNS) and physical training plays a paramount role in the athlete’s adaptation to the stimulus because new training loads create new coordination’s. This neurological supercompensation forms the basis for the developing motor skills and perfects the cooperation among the various systems of the body including the athlete’s metabolic mechanisms. As the young sportsman matures and attains higher stages in the PASM, the foundation of all subsequent motor systems evolves from the solid establishment of GPP, thus the concurrent system (9)

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GPP – The Growth of Trainability At an early school age (approximately 6.5-9 years old ± 1 year), the initial preparation stage begins. This stage is the cornerstone in the pursuit of PASM and is characterized by the progressive development of motor skills through a traditional multi-faceted motor preparedness and the creation of a functional groundwork for specialized perfecting of motor abilities. Its exclusive goal is to expose young athletes to a wide variety of physical fitness skills, thus stimulating a healthy development and increasing their functional capacities, motor abilities, and knowledge base. Additionally, exposing the pre-adolescent sportsman to a well-rounded curriculum negates the effects of early specialization and elevates their overall adaptation level. For example, an extensive range of calisthenics, exercises from many different sports, and children’s games are introduced at this stage. Particularly, preference is given to the elementary movements that provide low neurological resistance, but serve a foundational role, such as running, jumping, climbing, tumbling, swimming, and throwing. The amount of sport-specific exercise is limited and constitutes only a 5-10% of the total training volume. Within this percentage, the objective is on education and the gradual introduction of the sport specific basic fundamentals and techniques (24). Harre, from the former East Germany, conducted an experimental longitudinal study, while Nagorni, from the former USSR, carried out a descriptive longitudinal survey regarding youth developmental programs. Their results yielded similar, significant findings. Over a period of 14 years, Harre sampled a large population of children, from the ages of 9 to 12 years old, dividing them into two groups. The first group was exposed to the traditional North American, early specialization program. While the other group followed the general, multilateral approach and developed their sport specific traits simultaneously. The results, found in Table 1, conclude that a multilateral training regimen is superior in the early stages of development and promotes a strong, stable foundation for athletic success.

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The authors Haubenstricker and Seefeldt state that, “…readiness to learn is unique to each individual,” and “Individuals are always in a state of readiness to learn something at any point during their lifespan. The challenge is to match an individual’s readiness with appropriate learning tasks (17).” In support of this view, Filipowicz and Turowski, determined that among children, physical qualities that determine sport talent are poorly differentiated, thus all athletic abilities highly correlate. As the maturation process begins, these abilities gradually diverge so there is a lesser correlation among them. This naturally occurring separation is similar to what occurs in the initial preparation stage. Initially, all abilities improve due to physical training and with gradual adaptation over time, the progress slows down and ultimately limits itself to the specific exercises trained (13). In other words,as the level of trainability increases,the transference of physical traits decreases resulting in specific adaptations (76). Therefore, through the incorporation of a multi-faceted physical education program, a wide training effect is realized. Prescribed exercises that are general in nature, but specific in function, allow improvements even though they are different than those of the desired sport type. This eliminates the hazards of repetitive stresses, early specialization, and the potential losses from focusing on short-term gains at the expense of long-term goals. In contrast, as the athlete matures and advances into PASM years, the role of GPP changes but the thought process “get fit to train before training for competition” remains the same. Gradually, the amounts of GPP exercises are reduced, become more difficult, and reflect the contents of the athlete’s specialty. Contents or means, in this sense, do not indicate sport-specific, but rather they are selected on the basis of the changing needs of the developing athlete (41). Medvedyev (28) describes the exclusive role GPP plays in the overall training regimen with the following three functions: 1. “the formation, strengthening or restoration of the habits (skills), which play an auxiliary, facilitatory role in sport perfectioning.” 2. “as a means of educating abilities, developed insufficiently by the selected type of sport, raising the general work capacity or preserving it.” 3. “as active rest, assisting the restoration processes after significant, specific loading and counteracting the monotony of the training.” Essentially, these exercises consist of any means that elevates a certain trait developmentally required within the athlete, or characteristically found within the sport itself. This secures the multilateral development of physical abilities, especially the abilities neglected by sport-specific exercises (61). PASM’s structure and success ultimately depends upon the functional base provided by GPP. All ensuing content of SPP is constructed on the framework provided by GPP, while the continuous content of GPP depends on the requirements of SPP. Therefore, GPP must guarantee constant progress for PASM to continue and flourish. But the rational combination of the two methods must be regulated. Any excessive volume of GPP work causes a reduction in the necessary volume of SPP and results in deterioration of the mature sporting form. And any excessive reduction in GPP volume at the expense of SPP reduces the functional base, restricts progress, and results in elementary movement illiteracy (24)(73).

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Movement Dynamics The underlying principle surrounding the creation of GPP can be found in the fundamental element governing all sports – movement. In Verkhoshansky’s original research on the biodynamical structure of movement, we find the Principle of Dynamic Organization (68). Within this, he describes athletic performance as a complex interaction of many movements, and sport now becomes a problem solving activity in which movements are used to produce the necessary solutions. Since these movements are created and regulated by the CNS, our goal in training should be to enhance that efficiency in order to solve the problems associated with learning a new motor task. The ability to create and recreate successful, rhythmic motor programs changes continuously while the body consistently searches for a more efficient interaction between the structures of the motor complex. The effectiveness to use one’s motor potential to achieve success is the essence of skill acquisition. Initially these motor programs are weak and unpredictably scattered across the movement spectrum. Not only is the gross motor act as a whole dynamically unstable, but also so is the young athlete’s perceptual ability. Then, as adaptation occurs from the imposed loading, the ability to effectively manage the new motor skills develops. Now, with repetitive practice of a motor act, the range of variation decreases, and the interaction between the neuro-muscular systems can be coordinated through specific patterns of simultaneous and sequential actions, and accurately regulated over shortened periods of time. As this motor system becomes integrated, it is now able to react and functionally evolve as a whole. It possesses a certain flexibility that allows it to now cope with strong external stimuli without disrupting its functional effectiveness. This becomes possible because of the biodynamic structure’s ability to adapt to the internal effects caused by external events. In general, the biodynamic structure consists of the sum of all external and internal forces acting on the body while it performs a specific motor task. Even though these conflicting interactions appear to operate independently of one another, they react simultaneously and are dependent upon one another, to an extent that increases motor learning. The total sum of external interaction forces the dynamic or reactive adaptability of the internal system’s structure, whereas the internal interaction forces the reactive adaptability of the external system’s movement over time. But the control of the external interaction on the motor complex is only possible through the internal biodynamical structure (48)(68). Each of these previous discussed factors is involved in the process of solving motor tasks and directly influences the results. Therefore, each must be considered when one is analyzing the biodynamical structure and it’s influence on the working-effect of the movement. From this, one is able to select the special motor skill tasks to facilitate learning. Applying the Principle of Dynamic Organization to the research of Shumway- Cook and Woollacott, who proposed a three-stage model of readiness for the acquisition of motor skills for children, we find a step-by-step progression that takes into consideration the internal and external interaction forces on the development of a motor skill (45). As a side note, I felt the authors’ suggested progression was to condensed for beginners. Initially, there should be a greater separation of stages to account for the development of the simple motor act to a complete motor system. Revised and in sequence, they are now as follows: 10

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1. Repetition of the fundamental motor act using the proper form. 2. Repetition and implementation of the motor act into the complete motor program using proper form. 3. Repetition and implementation of variations (drills) of the motor program using proper form. 4. Repetition and the introduction of simple environmental changes using the proper motor system. 5. Repetition of variations under environmental changes using the proper motor system. 6. Continue and introduce problem solving and sport specific strategies in a competitive setting. 7. Introduction of the actual sport, only if the individual is developmentally ready. The one common element that is consistent within the list is the word “repetition.” It is important to remember for effective learning to initially occur, the learner must be able to pay attention to the proper form of the fundamental motor act. Only then is the learner able to proceed to the next stage of skill development. Repetitions that are inefficient result in wasted practice, time, and an incomplete motor program. However, repetitions that are developmentally appropriate, yielding positive feedback on the knowledge of results, generate advances towards skill acquisition and perfection.

“Transfer of Trainedness” “Were it not for this power, every sensation would leave no track, no trail; every sensation would be perceived the same way on the millionth time as on the first time…” I.M. Sechenov (43). While the fundamental physical qualities that are biodynamically developed under the concurrent system are displayed at a rapid rate during the initial years of PASM, the young athlete’s body reacts to any stressor with all of its survival mechanisms and emerging motor abilities. This biological ability of the body to acclimatize itself to the various external and internal influences is the physiological foundation of long-term training. By fully and effectively raising the functional specialization of the motor apparatus with an optimum level of stimulation through a progressively sequenced choice of training means, the biodynamic structure is undergoing adaptation at successively higher levels of performance. This process of adaptation has been studied extensively through the research of Folbrot’s, Weigert’s Law, and Selye’s, GAS Theory (14)(44). Applying these models, Soviet psychologist L.A. Orbelli (33), described the adaptation process as the essence of all physical exercise in the statement “transfer of trainedness.” It has generally been defined as the inherent ability of all living organisms to master new activities, and within this structured process the organism adapts and elevates itself to a higher level. This naturally occurring dynamic process constantly strives to attain a state of equilibrium. As long as the self-correcting individual system maintains a balance with the environment it can grow and thrive. When its stability is disrupted, the organism ceases to develop and progress. Relating this phenomenon specifically to athletics, Charlie Francis (personal communication September 12, 2002), Canada’s premier sprint coach, discusses adaptation and the ability to control these variables under cause-effect relations.

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A body under recovery will always seek homeostasis. So it is always better to undertrain than to overtrain. You will still supercompensate, but not to the degree. Once you overtrain, your body will plummet and fight to retain a balance. Smaller CNS demands over a longer period of time result in more acceptance and greater improvement. While the rush to get more done leads to uncertainty down the road.

“Transfer of trainedness,” according to Zimkin, is positive initially due to the high correlation between homogenous and heterogeneous motor skill development in beginners. But as sporting proficiency grows and qualification levels rise, this transfer phenomenon fades away because of the length of time the specific exercises are used, and the narrow specialization in developing the mature sporting form. As the adaptative responses become more selective to the specific components of the training stimulus, they result in a lesser effect on the development of the unique, desired physical traits. A negative “transfer of trainedness” is now observed, which allows improved performances in variations of the main exercise, but not within the main exercise itself. This transition signifies a turning point within the development of the young athlete from the general multilateral program to an initial specialization stage, and interestingly, corresponds with the middle of puberty (approximately 13±1 years old). Now, as the rate of “trainedness” grows, the principle of specialization increases as well as the means used to develop it. Thus, the internal effects on the biodynamic structure will be reflected externally and determine its final function (5)(9)(79).

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Adaptation to the Cumulative Loading Process According to the “transfer of trainedness,” it appears that there is much diversity between the beginning and the advanced athlete. Not necessarily, in effect these athletes use essentially the same exercises, but vary greatly in the variation, volume, intensity, and functional cost of their loading. [Research from Menkhin (30) has shown that the traditional rule of thumb “as intensity increases, volume decreases” is incomplete, whereas it ignores the factor of functional stress. Essentially, he quantifies any high intensity exercise (94-100%) involving a maximal amount of motor unit involvement as extremely taxing on the CNS and should be factored in on this equation.] In the mastery stage (≈18 and up), training becomes individually specialized, with the goal realizing maximal athletic and peak physical potential. There is a substantial increase in the frequency and intensity of workouts, while specific training loads are increased to approximately 70% of the total training volume (36)(39). Furthermore, specialization requires the ability to objectively evaluate the training-effect of the imposed stimuli. As sporting proficiency increases, the training- effect of the means prescribed decreases, but a sequential accumulation of loading involving more effective means, determines the length of time the cumulative training- effect is preserved. Thus, the primary training stimuli exhibits the strongest training- effect at the greatest rate of adaptation. Consequently, the less intense the training-effect, the less intense the adaptation that follows. Together, these combined effects provide a functional base on which to build PASM and influences the outcome of the athlete’s entire structure. With that said, any superfluous work that does not directly impact or improve performance should be controlled or eliminated. Any adaptation created that is not specific leads to developmental delays in PASM.

Current work, in the operational state, contains a “superimposing” after-effect on the immediate, delayed, and cumulative training process. This new stimulus is added to the previous work and reflected on the permanent state. Depending upon the neurological cost of the task(s), the body’s response to loading can be viewed as an adaptative reconstruction/supercompensation (short-term improvement) or overtraining (short or long-term deterioration). Both these positive and negative training-effects are specific to the site applied, and reflected in the athlete’s current state, changing daily. With careful periodization an initial negative effect can eventually be viewed as a positive, thereby leading to a stable adaptation. Therefore, the cumulative training-effect is the sum of the internal effects on the biodynamic structure caused by the immediate and delayed training-effects viewed externally (6)(71). 13

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In order to assist this adaptative process, the programming and organization of the training-effect(s) is the base criterion for determining the success in the quest of PASM. The sportsman’s current state is the reflection of all the former methods and means used to enhance sporting proficiency. All future progress is limited to and dependent upon the objective assessment of the training regime, consistency, and the optimal sequencing of all possible methods and means. This progressive increase provides the basis of SPP and determines the direction for all feasible means employed thereafter, achieving the desirable trait combinations specific to the athlete and the sport’s demands. Through research and experience, Siff and Verkhoshansky (50) have provided some general guidelines to optimize the prescription and planning of the cumulative training-effect on the athlete’s permanent state:

1. “The training effect of any means diminishes as one’s special physical fitness increases.” 2. “The means used should provide the optimal training effect relative to the one’s current functional state.”

3. “The after-effects of previous work alters the training effect of any subsequent method.” 4. “The training effect of a complex of means is determined not only by the sum of the stimuli, but also their combination, order of succession and intervals of separation.”

5. “The contents of special strength training should include a complex of specific stimuli and produce the strength fitness required for the given sport, based upon the athlete’s level of sports mastery.”

Applying these generalizations, L.S. Homenkova researched “the influence of aggregate loading on an athlete’s entire system.” These cumulative training-effects, their wide variations of loads, and their specific load characteristics are presented below.

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Russian physiologist A.A. Ukhtomsky summed up this plasticity, or adaptative reactivity feature of the body as “Work build organs.” He explains, “Living matter has a powerful capacity for assimilation and restoration, a capacity that constantly replenishes its routine, everyday expenditures. This capacity for compensatory assimilation is so powerful that it often causes the working organs to accumulate matter and, more specifically, working potential. A stimulus arouses processes within an organ that expends or diminishes its potentials; however, it also arouses assimilative processes that compensate for these expenditures. These reciprocal processes often compensate not only for the past expenditures, but also accumulate working potential that surpasses the level they were at before the work took place” (19).

SPP – The Preserving and Elevation of Trainability In order to achieve high sport prowess, the role of specificity in sport as in nature, dictates there is no such thing as absolute versatility. It is impossible to train for and attain contrasting motor abilities such as maximum power and maximum economy. The simple realization that sport specialization is a specific functional reconstruction of the motor apparatus and the physiological system reflects the natural, selective course of adaptation (24)(48). While adaptation over time is contingent upon the functional development of the organism’s motor potential and the ability of the athlete to fully realize it. Within this realm lies the essence of sports mastery (68). The role of specificity is dependent upon the athlete’s sport. The keys lies within the ability to logically examine the motor mechanisms involved, and specifically apply those needs to the athlete. With GPP firmly established, the right proportion of SPP is sequentially introduced and critical to the development of the athlete’s sport ability. These essential exercises, delivered with the appropriate means, may be exact (competition exercises), similar (preliminary exercises), or dissimilar (developmental exercises) in nature to the specific requirements of the given sport (29). Over the course of many training years, consistent external stimuli causes an internal accumulation of training-effects, from which various traits arise. Within these traits, that are precise in function, are found the necessary motor abilities required of the athlete’s specific sport. Initially, general traits, for example absolute strength and speed, are formed that are biologically interrelated, mutually independent, and constructed individually. Eventually, they provide the foundation and influence the manufacturing of new, improved specific traits, for example starting and accelerative strength, which cumulatively raise the athlete’s specific motor qualities and capabilities. Under the body’s direction of accommodative restructuring, there is a unifying effect of these separately developed physical traits exposing new motor abilities, from which the mature sporting form arises (48)(68). Once established, specific traits yield the essential characteristics that govern the functional specifics of sport performance. The qualified sportsman’s training goal now shifts from a developmental aspect to one of maintenance. Specific training-effects that are now vital to maintaining desired traits are trained using a complex system of means. Systematically employing the conjugate method results in a sequentially, repeated repetition of similar training stimuli. This preservation procedure simultaneously trains all necessary traits with a constant renewal and reestablishing process, promoting a steady, permanent adaptation while securing the training-effect, thus functional potential. A positive “transfer of trainedness” becomes quite noticeable, indicated with a linear rise in SPP and sporting results (68).

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As stated above, an increase in sports achievement highly correlates with the growth in the athlete’s motor abilities, resulting from specific training influences. The extent of further functional restructuring is highly specific and occurs only within the most actively participating systems. While the length of time specific traits are preserved is conditional upon the appropriate allocation of specific means. Yuri Verkhoshansky (48)(69) described four common characteristics that preserve this adaptation ability as “The Principle Aims of Special Strength Training.” They are as follows, followed by a brief explanation: 1. “Converging the partial effects of strength training means.” Over time, the results of sequential loading causes an accumulation of training-effects which merge to form the necessary traits that are required for success in the mature sporting form.

2. “Accelerating specific adaptation.” To allow selective adaptation to occur, the construction and introduction of SPP must be introduced sequentially and based upon the specific demands required from the athlete’s specific sport. 3. “Specific correspondence of the training effect.” At each stage in PASM, the appropriate selection of training means must reflect and secure the athlete’s current motor potential. 4. “Maintaining the strength training effect.” As sporting proficiency rises, the successful preservation of training-effects depends upon the systematic sequential loading and the introduction of more effective training means.

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A Simultaneous Sequential System As training progresses through the high sports mastery stage and into international class, abrupt changes within the biodynamical structure do not occur and general traits become relatively stable. These traits do not satisfy the particular motor requirements of the athlete’s sport, but are essential for the separate creation of specific traits, which secure and support the motor demands of the specific motor act. As a result, the unique construction of all traits are displayed through their specific characteristics and preserved through individualized motor programs. Since emerging specific traits cannot be directly transferred to sporting performance, they create a functional potential that is greater than the sum of the contributions of their corresponding general traits. This progressive functional change, or continual refinement of traits, is a prerequisite for improved performance, allowing growth through the Principle of Dynamic Organization. Adaptive reconstruction now effectively secures the neurological base that creates an organizational foundation for the mature motor ability to arise (48)(68). At this juncture, where sport skill becomes the greatest, the concentration of all previous training-effects cumulates and is reflected on the athlete’s permanent state. A situation now exists where the elite athlete is already accustomed to increased levels of neuro-stimulation and experiencing a low or possibly negative “transfer of trainedness.” Future reconstruction becomes highly specific and is dependent upon the ability to maintain strength and skill qualities already gained while increasing limiting motor qualities. Eventual improvements are conditional upon the parallel distribution of loading. Distributed with an equally sequenced development of sport-specific skills, and a progressive increase in strength through a series of specific, structured means (2)(23)(26). “The conjugate sequence system (CJSS) involves successively introducing into the training programme separate, specific means, each of which has a progressively stronger training effect, and coupling them sequentially to create favourable conditions for eliciting the cumulative effect of all the training loads. The conjugate sequence use of unidirectional means, integrated by separately developing individual, specific motor abilities, can be an invaluable method of organizing SPP …” Siff and Verkhoshansky (51).

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For qualified athletes in this stage, it is necessary to separate concurrent training from conjugate training through unidirectional loading. Multilateral programs inevitably function against specialization and hinder the body’s structural-functional potential. Similarly, concentrated or unidirectional training involving too many traits at once reduces effectiveness [Zatsiorsky (77) recommends training no more than two to three strength elements or traits at once] due to motor amnesia created through an abundance of “superimposed” training-effects on the athlete’s permanent state. In this manner, the CJSS does not reject the concurrent system as the fundamental foundation of long-term training, but only continues it so it can fulfill the necessary motor requirements of the highly qualified athlete. While general training-effects are preserved, specific training- effects are emphasized through unidirectional loading causing a stable and permanent adaptation on the athlete’s current state (48)(68). This synthesis of planned cumulative training-effects is a product of blending quantitatively diverse traits that are developed separately over time. The summation training-effect is not just a consequence from the gradual accumulation of training- effects, but the interaction of effects each trait exhibits upon the other. Their independent development becomes dependent upon a continual, unidirectional elevation resulting in their simultaneous utilization. This progressive change acts as a prerequisite evoking more powerful training-effects for continual improvement and refinement of specific trait development and combinations. Construction through evolution produces a higher functional potential, which supports a greater motor capacity for high-level performance skill perfection (68). Dyachkov originally examined this interrelationship of training variables or conjugate method in 1964. Formerly known as the “method of combined development of physical qualities and technical mastery,” it stressed the concept of training duality and was initially applicable to all athletes regardless of their qualification level (11). Follow-on research continued this view and determined as long as there was a simultaneous, sequential development of required specific traits with frequent changes in training targets, and nontargeted specific traits were maintained with retaining loads, there was a linear increase in technical skill, strength, and speed. This positive correlation between motor abilities or means was observed during the unloading phase, rather than the loading period signifying an adaptive reconstruction, or a positive “transfer of trainedness” (Figure 6b). Likewise, the Western periodization approach, or the rotational, unidirectional separation of these motor abilities did not exhibit the same effect, due to the time and efforts spent focusing on a specific direction while the concurrent development of other traits are ignored. Over time, this resulted in de- adaptation or a detraining effect, with the level of nontargeted traits diminishing considerably. Additionally,thisconventionalstyleofunidirectionaltrainingthrough rotating means with long intervals allows only the development of the competitive sporting form only once a year (Figure 6a). While a simultaneous, unidirectional system of multiple targets, prescribed through specific means permits the competitive sporting form to be obtained two to three times a year (77).

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Additional supportive research from Vorobeyev, 1966 (72); Andrianov and Vorobeyev, 1969 (1); Kuznetsov, 1970 (25); Verkhoshansky, 1970, 1972 (62); Slobodyan, 1972 (58); Tatyan, 1974 (60); Savin, 1974 (42); Pletnev, 1975 (38); and Khodykin, 1975 (22), clearly showed that using this conjugate or mixed approach and merging the particular regimes of muscular work raises the functional potential of an athlete. As a result, the absolute effect of SPP is significantly greater when a combined regime of various means and methods are employed, than when they are employed individually and not sequenced over time. Khodykin investigated the systematic use of heavy resistance training, plyometrics, and electromuscular stimulation (EMS) on elite athletes. Variations of trials were performed with each containing a different arrangement of training means. He concluded that EMS followed by plyometrics produced a larger strength training-effect than plyometrics followed by EMS. Yet, the largest training-effect was observed when the EMS, plyometrics, and heavy resistance training were applied simultaneously (22). Verkhoshansky investigations further substantiated the employment and administration of the CJSS. He concluded that SPP depends on the following factors listed in the order of importance: regime (motor requirements of sport) – means (motor abilities within those requirements) – methods (training stimulus) – system (type of application) – volume (amount of application). In this context, the resulting cumulative training-effect is a product of the repeated and systematic repetition of similar training stimuli. And the creation and preservation of specific traits can be obtained only when the possibilities of the preceding factors have been fully exhausted (68). Another in particular stated the introduction of many different methods with many different means produces an overlapping effect caused by maintaining many different volumes. Since the CJSS is based on the exploitation of the delayed training-effect it is necessary to preserve this effect on the athlete’s permanent state through the insertion of restoration phases consisting of either general or specialized work of low to moderate volume following periods of high loading. This permits an “active” state of rest for the nervous system and essential work for the muscles in order to secure the adaptation. 19

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On the basis of practical experience and experiments, Yuri Verkhoshansky (71) illustrates the integral nature of the CJSS. “In this instance, sequence means a strict order and succession of introducing loading of different emphasis into training; while taking into account the systematic intensification of the strength of the specific training influence on the organism. Conjugate assumes an appropriate succession in the sequence of utilizing loading; the purpose of which is the creation of such conditions, through which the preceding loading provides a favorable functional background for raising the training influence of the subsequent loading. Sequence should be understood not as an abrupt, at times, differentiation of loading, but chiefly as a switch from one type of loading to the primary utilization of another.”

During the 1970s, the original conjugate method was first employed by Olympic lifters in the Dynamo Club from the former USSR, but popularized in the 80s by Anatoliy Bondarchuk, 1976 Olympic hammer champion and current National team throw and strength coach, and the Soviet hammer throwers. In both instances, their winning percentages are extraordinary because for the last 30 years, they have dominated world competition. Originally, the Olympic lifters had approximately 20 to 45 SPP exercises, which were grouped into two to four exercises per workout, while the hammer throwers SPP work consisted of nearly 120 exercises, which were grouped into 12 complexes of 10 20

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exercises per complex. All exercises or complexes were individually selected and rotated as often as required, depending upon the changing needs to allow continual growth of the athlete. This structured, sequential introduction, allows revolving trait targeting, with the most efficient exercises, particular for each individual athlete, to be saved for the training prior to the most important competitions. In addition, technical skill and competition exercise training was developed simultaneously (57)(77). Interestingly, Bondarchuk also observed when a strength complex was rotated, there was a slight deterioration in the good sport form, but after adaptive reconstruction, performance would once again increase revealing a stable adaptation with a higher functioning permanent state (Figure 9). On a side note, the original conjugate system has been modified considerably since 1980. The training means and methods are now rotated and repeated at various times during the macrocycle. Since conjugate’s structure preserves the cumulative training-effect, a gradual reduction of 20% in total training volume is not uncommon.

Criterion of SPP Revisiting the Principle of Dynamic Organization states sporting efficiency is dependent upon the reactive adaptability of the biodynamic structure. All viewed movements or regimes exist as a product of internal and external interactions, and are subject to a constant state of change since different sporting conditions require different displays of strength. In the simplest sense, motor acts are displayed with similar muscle contraction patterns, even though individual muscles can simultaneously and consecutively contract in various ways. And regardless of whether or not a muscle produces or does not produce movement in a joint, the resulting contraction process still remains the same. Thus, the differences between the working effects of the muscle lie not within the muscle itself, but within the nervous system (4)(75).

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Through adaptive reconstruction, the nervous system secures and actively participates in every other functioning system of the athlete. Initially, all individuals are created equal with general traits originating from the same systems. Eventual athletic specialization requires specific training-effects that instruct the body to respond according to how it is trained. This gives rise to specific traits that correspond to the main emphasis of the specific motor regimes, inherent to the athlete’s sport. The CJSS, as a result, mixes regimes and selectively introduces SPP exercises that ensure and preserve a positive “transfer of trainedness” with the most active organs displaying an increase in functional hypertrophy. This astonishing ability of the neuro-muscular system to adaptively evolve allows a vast range of working possibilities in order to satisfy all motor regimes and functionally specialize (65)(71). While looking at the CJSS and examining the prior recommendations from Siff and Verkhoshansky, a question arises. What is the most effective regime for prescribing and predicting the optimal training plan for an athlete in a given sport? This answer is a subtle trade-off between conflicting demands that lie between the imposed cumulative effect, and its relation to the specific motor regimes of the athlete’s sport. In this sense, it is illogically inappropriate to pass judgment on the absolute effectiveness of any specific regime. There exists no perfect training program or collective set of means and methods that are more effective than the rest. In fact, each regime within itself is incomplete. However, when prescribed and mixed in the right context, and at the right time, it allows every regime success, contingent on control of variables such as situation, training design (sets, reps, rest intervals, and tempo), stage of macro, meso, and microcycle, qualification level and needs of the athlete, neuro-muscular response designated by SPP direction, and resulting motor abilities acquired (68). Supporting this view, Plekhov (38) stated,

… it is impossible to have one best set of exercises or exercise program because there is an optimal exercise program for each “season” or specific purpose. For example, think of your wardrobe – you have a coat, a raincoat, a jacket, a light coat, and a heavy coat. Which is best? The answer, of course, is that there is no universal attire for every kind of weather or for every season of the year.

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The process of developing SPP exercises exists within the multiple motor regimes found in the sporting activity. This is accomplished by operating in the realm of the specific movement’s biomechanical and energetic requirements. Employing different methods through different means requires a simultaneous and sequential application, and the ability to not view an individual exercise as a confined unit, but as a limitless, supporting element. In other words, the context in which the exercise is prescribed determines its relevance to maintaining the structure of the cumulative training-effect. At this elite level, all training must be functional training in order to support the “motor orientation” or the inner readiness that exists in an athlete to carry out a specific skill in a precise, habitual manner (12). SPP exercises, if properly chosen, enhance this ability of the neuro-muscular system, and support the development of sport-specific technique and coordination. In Yuri Verkhoshansky’s original research in the Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training (68), he presents a guide, or a needs analysis, based on the athlete and the sport. Termed the Principle of Dynamic Correspondence, it consists of five criteria that take into account the working effect of the neuro-muscular system and its relation to the construction of specific SPP exercises.

1. The Amplitude and Direction of Movement.

“The criterion corresponding to the amplitude and direction of movement comes from the space characteristics relative to the movement of the body links in the competition exercises. It determines the joint involvement in the muscle group work, takes into consideration the anatomical essentials and external conditions of their work, and more particularly the direction of external counteraction of muscle pull, created by the heaviness or strength of inertia of the moving system of links, the body as a whole or the sports implement (66).” For example, sports played in a non-programmable environment, require explosive reactive-ballistic muscular tension with definite multi-planar movement patterns. Solely installing an Olympic lifting program, or a vertical plyometrics program, improves the vertical component. However, this ignores the other directions of actions and their corresponding muscle development since these sports also contain a large horizontal and lateral component.

2. The Accentuated Region of Force Production.

“Muscular effort changes in the course of movements and maximum force is developed at the necessary instant. In ballistic movements this instant corresponds to the beginning part of the working amplitude and in movements of mixed regimes of muscular work – at the instant of switching from one regime to another. Thus, the working amplitude always has an accentuated part at which corresponds to a specific joint angle. Based on this, the criteria of correspondence anticipates the necessity to display the required force at a specific joint angle (70).” In this instance, time spent in the traditional “athletic stance or posture” warrants training in it. This athletic position is found at a particular joint angle, approximately 30° of knee flexion, from which the greatest amount of working amplitude is required. Operating within and overcoming this initial position requires a maximal amount of force to be developed and displayed by the athlete. In addition to the dynamic regime, utilizing isometric exercises and the static regime of muscular work allows the development of maximal torque production at this approximate angle.

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3. The Dynamics of the Effort.

“The criterion of dynamic effort (of force) is the quantitative correspondence of the dynamics of the training means to the specific sports movement. This criterion states that the intensity of the training stimulus should not be less than the encountered in the given exercise at the corresponding level of sport proficiency and should even exceed it. In other words, the effort exerted in training should not be less than the effort generated in the specific sports movement (52).” There are two ways to develop maximal force. This can be accomplished through moving a large resistance slowly, or a small resistance, quickly. Corresponding the athlete’s sport with the type of strength required in relation to movement time provides the necessary muscular efforts. In this sense, a shot putter can never generate maximal strength and speed due to a short travel time. When acceleration is the greatest, speed is the lowest; therefore, force at shot delivery is contingent upon maximal strength development. There is no neurological correlation between maximal force and maximal velocity because they are separate specific traits, constructed individually.

4. The Rate and Time of Maximal Force Production.

“This criterion corresponds according to speed of development of maximum strength which adds to the previous criterion and has especially important significance for those conditions of sports activity where ‘explosive’ strength is required…Because of this, the higher the speed of movement, then the shorter the time of its execution and the less the time given to the development of working effort (67).” Using the same shot putter from the above example, we find even though his maximal strength development has increased, performance capacity will eventually stagnate unless explosive strength or the ability to exert maximal force in minimal time is addressed. This ability to increase power, or the rate of force development, by shifting the Force-time curve to the left, is contingent upon the training of the neuro-motor apparatus. Since this display of maximal strength always depends upon muscular contraction speed, strong athletes do not necessarily possess a high rate of force development.

5. The Regime of Muscular Work.

“The criterion of correspondence regarding the sports regime relies on determining the character of the muscular work involved. In particular, the regime of muscular work should be taken into consideration for selecting the means and methods of special strength training. The fact is that, depending upon the character of its execution, the same means can solve different tasks (53).” Comparably, a shot putter’s delivery throw, and an offensive lineman’s punching technique while pass blocking is essentially one in the same movement, and trained using thesamemeansapplieddifferently. Buttheoffensivelineman“punch”skillinvolves single to multiple repetitions of pure speed and quickness of an unloaded movement, while the thrower’s “punch” skill necessitates powerful, single repetitions against a loaded resistance.

Conclusion The CJSS can be summarized with the work from N.G. Ozolin (35). Below are presented the tasks that must be accomplished over the course of multi-year training. 1. “To achieve the supercompensation effect (restoration of the body and raising its functional 24

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potentials to a level higher than the pre-existing level).” 2. “To strengthen the functional potentials and the morphological and biological changes at the athlete’s achievement level.” 3. “To acquire motor abilities and skills in sports techniques and tactics.” 4. “To strengthen motor skills in sports techniques and tactics.” 5. “To actively recover from physical exercises, training sessions, and competitions (active rest).”

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and Sequence of Using Different Training-Load Intensities. (B. Penner, Trans.) Fitness and Sports Review International. Escondido, CA: Sports Training, Inc. 1994:29:3-4 (pp. 202-204). (Originial work published in Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 36. Platonov, V.N. (1993). Podstawowe zasady wieloletniego szkolenia wsporcie olimpijskim. In: T. Kurtz (2001). Science of Sports Training: How to plan and control for peak performance. (2nd Ed.) Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Company, Inc. (p. 303). (Original work published in Poland: Sport Wyczynowy. No. 7-8:343-344. pp.19-30). 37. Plekhov, V.N. (1990). Is There a Best Strength or Weight Training Program? In: Fitness and Sports Review International. Escondido, CA: Sports Training, Inc. October 1992, 27:5:145-148. (Original work published in Moscow, Russia: The Roads We Choose, Chapter 6). 38. Pletnev (1975). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p.139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 39. Polishchuk, D.A. (1997). Velocipedny sport. In: T. Kurtz (2001). Science of Sports Training: How to plan and control for peak performance. (2nd Ed.) Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Company, Inc. (p. 303). (Original work published in Kiev, Russia: Olimpiyskaya literature). 40. Reilly, R. (1988, August 15). Here no one is spared. Sports Illustrated. 69:70- 77. 41. Roman, R.A. (1988). The Training of the Weightlifter. (A. Charniga, Trans.) Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (Original Work published in 1986, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 42. Savin (1974). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p.139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 43. Sechenov, I. M. Brain Reflexes. In: V.M. Volkov. The Basis of Running Training. (B. Penner, Trans.). Fitness and Sports Review International. Escondido, CA: Sports Training, Inc. 1993:28:5-6 (pp. 195198). 44. Selye, H. (1956). The Stress of Life. McGraw Hill. In: M.C. Siff and Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, CO. (p. 81). 45. Shumway-Cook, A. and Woollacott, M. (1995). Motor Control: Theory and practical applications. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins. 46. Siff,47. Siff, 48. Siff, CO. 49. Siff, CO. 50. Siff, CO. 51. Siff, CO. 52. Siff, CO. 53. Siff, CO. M. C. (2003). Supertraining. (5th ed.). Denver, CO. (p. 356). M. C. (2003). Supertraining. (5th ed.). Denver, CO. (p. 295). M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, (pp. 289-290). M. C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, (p. 203). M. C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, (p. 294-5). M. C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, (p. 246). M. C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). Supertraining. (4th ed.). Denver, (p. 247). M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). In: M.C. Siff (2003). 55. Siff, M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). In: M.C. Siff (2003). Supertraining. (5t h ed.) Denver, CO. (p.293). 56. Siff, M.C. and Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1999). In: M.C. Siff (2003). 27

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Supertraining. (5t h ed.) Denver, CO. (p.386). 57. Simmons, L. (2000, March). The Conjugate Method. Powerlifting USA. 23:8:26-28. 58. Slobodyan (1972). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p.139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 59. Smoll, F.L. and Smith, R.E. (2002). Children and Youth and Sport: A Biopsychosocial Perspective. (2nd Ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. 60. Tatyan (1974). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p. 139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 54. Siff, Supertraining. (5t h ed.) Denver, CO. (p.345) 61. Ulatowski, T. (1981). Cwiczenie jako podstawowy srodek nauczania i treningu. In: Teoria I metodyka. (T.Ulatowski, Ed.). In: T. Kurtz (2001). Science of Sports Training: How to plan and control for peak performance. (2nd Ed.). Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Company Inc. (Original work published in Warsaw, Poland: Sport i Turystyka. pp. 65-73). 62. Verkhoshansky, Y. V. (1970, 1972). In: (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p. 139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 63. Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1977). In: M.C. Siff (2003). Supertraining. (5th ed.) Denver, CO. (p. 381). 64. Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1977). In: M.C. Siff (2003). Supertraining. (5th ed.) Denver, CO. (p. 296). 65. Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1986). Basic Methods of Strength Preparation. In: Soviet Sports Review. Escondido, CA: Sports Training, Inc. March 1987:22:1 (pp. 5-9). (Original work published in Russia: Weightlifting and Methods of Teaching (A.S. Medvedyev, Ed.) 66.Verkhoshansky,Y.V.(1986). Speed-StrengthPreparationandDevelopmentof Strength Endurance of Athletes in Various Specializations. In: Soviet Sports Review. Escondido,CA:SportsTraining,Inc. March1987:21:2(pp.82-84). (Original work published in Russia: Weightlifting and Methods of Teaching (A.S. Medvedyev, Ed.) 67. Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1986). Speed-Strength Preparation and Development of Strength Endurance of Athletes in Various Specializations. In: Soviet Sports Review. Escondido,CA:SportsTraining,Inc.March1987:21:2(pp.82-84). (Original work published in Russia: Weightlifting and Methods of Teaching (A.S. Medvedyev, Ed.) 68. Verkhoshansky, Y. V. (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 69. Verkhoshansky, Y. V. (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (pp. 190-199). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 70. Verkhoshansky, Y. V. (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p. 143). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 71. Verkhoshansky, Y.V. (1988). Programming and Organization of Training. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (Original work published in 1985, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 72. Vorobeyev, A. (1966). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (p. 139). (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 73. Wazny, B. (1981). Sila miesniowa. In: Teoria i metodyka. (T. Ulatowski, Ed.) In: T. Kurtz (2001). 28

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Science of Sports Training: How to plan and control for peak performance. (2nd Ed.). Island Pond, VT: Stadion Publishing Company Inc. (Original work published in Warsaw, Poland: Sport i Turystyka. pp. 84-90). 74. Yessis, M. and Trubo, R. (1987). Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and Training. New York: Arbor House. 75. Yessis, M. (1992, June). The Wealth of Isometrics. Fitness and Sports Review. 27:3 (pp. 93-94). 76. Zatsiorsky, V. M. (1965). In: Y.V. Verkhoshansky (1986). Fundamentals of Special Strength-Training in Sport. (A. Charniga, Trans.). Livonia, MI: Sportivny Press. (Original work published in 1977, Moscow, Russia: Fizkultura i Spovt). 77. Zatsiorsky, V.M. (1995). Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 78. Zatsiorsky, V.M. (1995). Science and Practice of Strength Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. (p.126). 79. Zimkin. In: A.P. Bondarchuk. Relationships Between Technical Training and Physical Training. (B. Penner, Trans.). Fitness and Sports Review International. Escondido, CA: Sports Training, Inc. 1994:29:2 (pp. 109-111).

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elitefts™ Classic: Finnish Deadlift Secrets by Sakari Selkainaho

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elitefts™ Classic: Finnish Deadlift Secrets by Sakari Selkainaho

Throughout the years, the deadlift has been our ”national sport” here in Finland, and world records have been broken since the early ’70s. But what makes Finns pull so much? What is their secret ? I wanted to know the answer, and after collecting training information of many new and former greats, here is what I found. 31

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1. Genetics To be able to lift a lot, you have to be a talented athlete. Most of the guys had long arms and legs. You could see middleweights pulling over 200 kilos the first time they saw a power bar. But that’s only a good start. The best deadlifters in the late ’70s and early ’80s had two things in common:

1. Most of them had a background of hard labor—like lumberjacks, construction workers, farmers,

or something similar. So they carried, lifted, and dragged for their living. That laid a perfect foundation for deadlift training and very often ensured a hard grip, too.

2. They had an Olympic lifting background—they had pulled a lot before their powerlifting career.

Raimo Välineva held Scandinavian records in Olympic lifting and was able to clean 330 pounds with straight legs. He had world records of 688 in 148s and 716 in 165s in early ’80s. When weightlifting had the press, it was more of a pure strength sport as opposed to now when speed and technique more critical.

In turn, many of the new lifters have some type of athletic background from other sports. Ismo Lappi, a 338.5-kilo deadlifter in 165s, has thrown a javelin over 75 yards and ran 100 meters in under 11 seconds in his teens. He is fast and explosive enough to deadlift big.

2. Squatting for the deadlift All of the former record holders, as well as many of today’s, squatted with a narrow stance. This had two advantages. First, it served as an excellent special exercise for deadlift. Many trained the squat three times a week—twice back squatting and once front squatting. The other back squat could be a high bar session. Other squat exercises were something like lunges, or step squats, using bar on back. These were sometimes done on a box under the front or back feet, varying how it would hit the glutes and hamstrings. An 8-12 inch box under the back feet hits the upper part of glutes quite hard. Many used different stances. While the narrow stance high bar was the most common, many, like Taito Haara, Reijo Kiviranta and Hannu Saarelainen, squatted with three to four stances. During the last few years, the box squat has become very popular in Finland. Janne Toivanen put it in practice by hauling up 804 in the `96 IPF World’s in Austria. Many have followed. Ano Turtiainen started using the box and now pulls over 859 in every meet he enters. Ismo Lappi, the new WR holder in 165s in IPF, does box squats as assistance. Veli Kumpuniemi stated that if he would have known how to use a box in his prime, he would have lifted a lot more. How much more? He tore his hamstring while trying 804 in the 181s back in 1981. He hit 822 ( 373 kilos ) in a national before that weighing just under 190 pounds. All his hamstrings could handle he hauled up. He never really recovered, but he wanted to send his compliments to Louie for this excellent exercise.

3. Deadlift variety Many still train the deadlift two times a week. In the early days, it was not rare to deadlift three times a week. Veli Kumpuniemi, the only man we call Mr. Deadlift in Finland, trained deadlift sometimes four times a week. Here’s some pulls to use: 32

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Deadlift standing on the block. Many used a two- to six-inch block and pulled standing on it. That has been a pull used very often. Many did these for three to five reps using conventional style, even if they pulled sumo in meets.

Straight leg deadlifts. These were done off the floor or using a block under the feet. There were

two styles: Some pulled with a bent over style, rounding the lower back. On the other hand, some (like Janne Toivanen, Ismo Lappi, and Ano Turtiainen) pulled in a romanian style, with an arched back and pushing the glutes to rear. With a round back, most used only 40-50% for high reps (like 10). For the romanian style, some go quite heavy. Janne Toivanen hauled up 4×661 from a four-inch box, and Ano Turtiainen has done 5×727 off the floor.

Olympic pulls. These were done many times as a warm-up or as speed work before deadlifting. High pulls, raw cleans, and raw snatches were the most common. The old school lifters did some pulls with straight legs—like Russians.

Pulls with a snatch grip. This has two variations too: Some pulled the weight all the way up, and

some just pulled it past knees. These developed technique by forcing you to keep your shoulders in line, and it´s a good one to correct technique.

Partials. Hannu Saarelainen did partials at knee level, just moving the bar from below to above the

knee. The bar traveled 8-10 inches in the area where the leverages were the poorest. He did high reps with rather light weight, and he tried to get speed in order to overcome the sticking point as fast as possible. By concentrating on his weakness, Hannu was able to pull 765 in 242s with quite poor 33

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leverages for deadlift. Rack pulls and pulls where the bar is on blocks are common, although they do not benefit as many as you could imagine.

Hack deadlifts. Many long-armed lifters were able to pull with the bar behind their back. This form of deadlift developed the leg drive and helped to get the bar off the floor.

4. Technique Veli Kumpuniemi stated that if his foot stance was half an inch off, the bar stayed on floor, and Veli was ranked as more of a power puller rather than a technique expert (which he was too). The conventional deadlift was always mostly back work. But the sumo pullers were sort of split into two categories. People like Raimo Välineva and Hannu Malinen, the 1988 IPF World champion, used their hips a lot. Raimo Välineva was the developer of the style that maximized hip drive in the sumo deadlift. Lifters with extreme technique had quite a differing sumo and conventional deadlift. Ari Virtanen, the little brother of Jarmo, is one of the best technicians I have ever seen. Every weight he tried he got off the floor and finished. Ari´s best conventional was around 570 to 580, and he pulled 677 with sumo in the `91 World’s. Pirjo Savola, the European Record holder in 123s with 446, said she has a best conventional within the 360 to 370 range. Sumo lifters with a strong back, like Veli Kumpuniemi, Janne Toivanen, and Aarre Käpylä, locked out their legs way before extending their torso. Aarre Käpylä, who pulled 10×661 via conventional too, got the most out of his hips by keeping his legs almost straight. Jarmo Virtanen, an eight-time IPF World champ, used the technique. People used to think that Jarmo Virtanen was just very talented and had good leverages; however, they couldn’t have been more wrong. He did many things to perfect the technique. Once, he demonstrated the difference between relaxed and flexed shoulders. By dropping shoulders and using sumo, the distance was 12 inches shorter than using conventional with a flexed upper body. He stressed the importance of being relaxed while deadlifting. “You should climb the tree from bottom.” To learn the deadlift, most advised to pull conventional first and then switch to sumo. Reijo Kiviranta, Kullervo Lampela, and other conventional style-greats stressed two key points: To push your knees over the bar in the start position. This brings the hips closer to the bar and makes the leverages better. To turn the feet out. This helped the lockout and enabled especially bigger lifters to use their hip muscles.

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5. Basic strength and GPP As I mentioned in the beginning, many early day deadlifters did physical labor which laid a good background for training heavy and often. Olympic lifting was an aid, too. Many of today’s lifters don´t do any other physical work than train with weights. So the GPP has to come from somewhere else. Janne Toivanen did an extra workout six times a week, early in the morning. He did abs, side work, and sometimes lower back work together with some aerobic training and streching. His training program would kill most people, but he found a way to back it up. Ismo Lappi does the same type of workouts, too. It keeps the bodyfat low and aids in recovery. At the moment, five or six of our strongmen pull 800 pounds or more. They have long competitive seasons when their weight training is mostly for conditioning and recovery. Their training is one form of conjugate method. They carry, drag, lift stones, and flip tires and cars using the same muscles that are important in deadlifting. Jukka Laine did 804 in September 1998 and had deadlifted twice during the summer. All he did was the event training and many meets. Jouko Aholas’s deadlift stayed in the same range with no deadlift training at all. He used a short cycle to peak and succeeded with 853 in meet. Janne 35

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Virtanen and Juha Räsänen both pull over 800 as well, and 837 is their best in training. Yet, neither have attempted it in any meets so far.

6. Assistance work Most supplemented their training with a wide variety of assistance exercises, with the two key muscle groups being the upper back and lats and the abs. As you noticed, I ranked Mr. Deadlift, Veli Kumpuniemi, as a strenght puller. Here’s why: What do you think about chins with up to 200 pounds for five to six reps, bent over rows using 400+ pounds, or doing one-arm rows with an 185-pound dumbbell for 8 to 10 reps? It was usual stuff for him, and it was assistance work—not something he shot for. Weighted chins are quite common still, but the variety is wide. Ano Turtiainen likes to do lat pulls with different handles and low pulley rows as well as chest supported and bent over rows. Many also do shrugs every now and then. Many times, the lifters in the early ’80s or late ’70s trained abs with flat or incline sit-ups using weight. Side work was done using a short bar or dumbbell. One other thing they did was one arm deadlifts. They stressed the stabilizing muscles a lot, too. Today, a variety of leg raises, pull downs, ab work in lat machines, and abs done in an ab machine add to the number of exercises. One thing that has also become popular is the ab wheel. Most lifters do it on their knees using a plate on their back, as it targets the abs more instead of hip flexors. As you can see, the low back was trained pretty much along with the main exercises, squats, and pulls. The older school lifters also did good mornings, mostly after squatting for 5 to 10 rep sets. However, they became a forgotten exercise until the last few years. Ano Turtiainen went way over 700 pounds using bands and two sets of chains as an extra resistance during his preparation for WPO semis. The other thing many did, and still do, are back extensions. These are usually done with a bar on the back. Rauno Rinne used these regularly and pulled 799 in 220s.

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7. Jarmo Virtanen´s deadlift secrets Jarmo Virtanen, who many consider to be the best powerlifter ever in Europe, was great in the deadlift. He was an excellent squatter, too. Here’s some things behind his success: • In his youth he trained in both powerlifting and weightlifting at the same time. He also trained in other sports like football and has always done some sort of physical labor. His GPP has always been high, and a lot of different squats and deadlifts insured a high SPP level. As a nine-time IPF World Champ, he did lifts like high bar, front squats, and squats with different stances. He deadlifted with both conventional and sumo (he estimated that he may have done a little more conventional work than sumo), and sometimes he used the snatch grip too. One of his deadlift variations was sumo off a one-inch block. He sometimes went quite high on these, with 694 being his best. • He pulled conventional sets where he stopped the bar before it hit the floor in order to develop static strength and tightness in the start position. When using sumo, he always did every rep as the first one. Jarmo said that bouncing the bar off is a waste, especially in the sumo style. He developed speed by high pulls, and he did not extend his hips in the weightlifting style. He continued the pull with the upper back and traps to the navel level. • He had picture-perfect technique, especially in the ´80s when he didn’t have injured hips and thighs. He developed that by squatting with an ultra-wide stance, sometimes he used a Smith-machine to be able to squat as upright as possible. He practiced technique with no weights and in front of a mirror. It was his routine every day for six months. As far as assistance goes, he did a lot of ab work but never did good mornings. He felt that they make you too stiff. He stressed the importance of being relaxed, especially in the upper body area, and felt that it was crucial for getting better leverages in the deadlift and squat. • Jarmo never really maxed out in the gym and usually stayed under 300 kilos in training. He was great competitor. In 1988, during our national record breakers held in the biggest ice hockey venue at the time, he hauled up 358 kilos twice, but dropped it just before the down signal. With a torn hand, he came back and pulled it again, just to lose the grip again before the ”down” command. A year before, when lifting in the 75-kilo class, he was on a roll. In the World’s in Norway, he opened with 677 and went to WR 333 and pulled it nicely. Then he attacked 340.5 kilos ( 750 pounds ) twice, but the grip was his nemesis. Before he got the grip problem fixed, he hurt his outer thigh. There was, and still is, some scar tissue that is pressing into nerves. With the grip he had in the`90s and the better technique and flexibility of `80s, he would have gone a lot more. Many times I have wondered why his squat went up 20 kilos but the deadlift stayed the same. Believe it or not, he never got the best out of him in the deadlift. A 815 to 826 deadlift and 900 kilo ( 1984 pound ) total where something he was capable of but never achieved. We have had many great pullers and powerlifters, and we had Jarmo Virtanen. He is one of a kind. One sign of his true sportsmanship was this interview. He has always been willing to help anyone, whether it is training, coaching or giving seminars.

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Being a no class deadlifter myself, I have given this a lot of thought. Reijo Kiviranta, the 1981 World Champ in 242s, put it together nicely by saying that the one who lifts the most has trained the most. After reading this article, you picture what he meant. There are no secrets—just pure hard work. It’s the cold hard truth. If you want to finish on top, you have to be a good deadllifter. So it’s time for some deadlift labor, good luck!

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The Basic Workout Template and FAQ by Dave Tate

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The Basic Workout Template and FAQ byDaveTate

What is the Basic Template for Bench Press Workouts? Wednesday: Max effort bench press training • The Max Effort Exercise: work up to one or three rep max • Supplemental Exercise: triceps movement. The best exercises for this group includes JM presses, and barbell or dumbbell extensions, board presses or rack lockouts. • Accessory Movements: triceps, lats, or delts

This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra triceps work. The best movements for this group include triceps extensions, rows and various shoulder raises. • Prehabilation Movements: training of the joints

This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joint. The best movements for this group include external shoulder rotations, pushdowns and sled dragging for two to four sets of 12 to 15 reps. 41

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Sunday: Dynamic bench press training • • •

Bench Press: work up to eight sets of three reps using three different grips all inside the rings. Supplemental Exercise: triceps movement. The best movements are close grip bench presses, JM presses, dumbbell or barbell extensions, high board presses, or rack lockouts. Accessory Movements: triceps, lats, delts

This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra tricep work. The best movements for this group include triceps extensions or pushdowns, rows and various shoulder raises. •

Prehabilitation Movements: training of the joints

This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joints. The best movements for this group include external shoulder rotations, press downs and sled dragging for two to four sets of 12 to 15 reps.

What is the Basic Template for squat/deadlift workouts? Monday: Max effort squat and deadlift training • • •

The Max Effort Exercise: work up to one to three rep max The Supplemental Movement: this will include one exercise for the hamstrings The best movements for them include partial deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and glute/ham raises for three to six sets of five to eight reps.

•

The Accessory Movements • •

•

One or two abdominal movements One lower back movement: the best exercise for this purpose is the reverse hyper for three to four sets of 6 to 10 reps.

Prehabilation Movements

This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose include any type of lower body sled dragging.

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Friday: Dynamic squat and deadlift training • •

The Box Squat: work up to 8 sets of 2 reps with prescribed percentage The Supplemental Movement

This will include one exercise for the hamstrings. The best movements for the hams include partial deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and glute/ham raises for four to six sets of five to eight reps. •

The Accessory Movements

1. One or two abdominal movements for three to five sets of 6 to 12 reps 2. One lower back movement: The best exercise for this purpose is the reverse hyper performed for three to four sets of 8 reps. •

Prehabilation Movements

This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose include any type of lower body sled dragging.

What is Prilipin’s Table? A. S. Prilipin suggested that to achieve the proper intensity, one should use the rep/set scheme shown in the table, to ensure the greatest development of speed and strength. He discovered that if seven or more reps were performed at 70 percent, the bar speed slowed and power decreased. The same holds true when using 80 or 90 percent. Once one goes above the rep range shown, the bar slows, which translates to less power. If you do fewer or more lifts than Prilipin suggests, it will cause a decrease in training effect. Number of Reps for Percent Training Percent 55-65 70-75 80-85 90+

Reps per set 3-6 3-6 2-4 1-2

Optimal Total Range 24 18-30 18 12-24 15 10-20 7 4-10

I think I hurt my rotator cuff. What should I do to rehab it? Start with the cuff complex which is listed below. Use five pounds for all the movements. • • • • • 43

Overhead press Overhead tricep extensions Side raises with thumbs up Side raises with thumbs middle Front raise with thumbs up www.elitefts.com

• • • • • • • •

Front raise with thumbs middle Bent side raise thumbs up Bent side raise thumbs middle Bent front raise thumbs up Bent front raise thumbs middle Zottsman curl – this is like a curl with an extra twist at the top External rotation – only top half External rotation – only bottom half

Start with one set of 10 reps with five pounds and work up to two sets of 20 with 20 pounds over time (by this I mean months, not by next week). When finished with this workout, start the following shoulder traction work. Lay on the bench with an average or light band set up like you would a reverse band press. Lay on the bench and strap the band around your wrist. Don’t grab the band – you want all the stretch to go to the shoulder and not be limited by your grip strength. Let the band pull your arm up and out. Move the arm around to try and lengthen the shoulder joint. Do the same as above with the band wrapped around the power rack in different locations, except now you will be standing in front of the rack with the band on the side post of the rack. Move and stretch in every direction you can think of. Do the traction work before and after all training sessions. Do the cuff work 4–5 times the first week, three times the second week and then only on upper body days after that.

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Other Stuff: • •

•

Use a cut up bench shirt for all bench training. This should be a loose shirt. Drop the bands on the squat for awhile. You have time. Try the Safety Squat bar for a three week phase. The first two weeks use 15 sets of two reps. The last two weeks will be eight sets two reps. Also use your squat suit straps down and try to use a medium stance. I actually like to use three different stances; close, medium and wide. Keep icing it.

Remember when it begins to feel better, you HAVE to keep with the above stuff in some form or another to keep it from coming back.

I am weak off my chest when I bench press…what do I do? There are a number of things that can be done to help a lifter that has a weakness off the chest. 1. Work on your bar speed. 2. Your lats are weak. 3. You are not staying tight (shoulder blades pulled together and your belly filled with air). 4. The bar weight is simply too heavy! 5. Increase shoulder strength. This is only a partial list. Be prepared to bench big.

What are the percentages to use on dynamic bench day? The percentages for dynamic bench press day when using straight weight (no bands or chains) or chains are as follows: • • •

Beginner – 60% Intermediate – 55% Advanced – 50%

The percentages are the same when using chains because there is a total deload at the bottom of the lift. Remember that these numbers are guidelines and are always subject to change. This is based on the lifter and bar speed. Base your percentages off of you raw bench press.

What is work capacity and how do I increase it? During a dinner conversation with Mel Siff and Louie Simmons the topic of periodization training came up. Mel made a statement that I will never forget. He told us of a comment that was told to him by Medvedyev one of the originators of the periodization concept. This comment was that periodization training in the United States has been set back 40 years by some of the current books written on the topic. This is a statement Louie and I have been trying to tell athletes for years. Not only will the progressive overload style of training lead to over training and stagnation, it also ignores one basic concept of training, increasing work capacity.

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Work capacity is the underlying component of any training program. It is the ability to perform work, which determines your level of fitness, that in turn, will determine your level of preparedness. If you raise your work capacity too fast, you’ll over train and if you reduce it under your current level, you will digress. If your work capacity is still at the same level it was two years ago, then I’ll bet you’re at the same strength and hypertrophy level you were two years ago You can increase your work capacity by several means described below. Extra Training Sessions: There are several types of extra workouts that can make a tremendous difference in your training. Overseas, it’s not uncommon to see athletes performing up to three or four workouts per day. These workouts can be designed for a number of reasons. Recovery Workouts: These training sessions may also be known as feeder workouts and are designed to aid in the recovery process. For example, if you performed a heavy bench press workout on day one with 400 pounds, then on day two, you would use the same exercise with very light weight for higher repetitions, such as 135 for two sets of 20 to induce blood into the muscles to speed the recovery process. Another type of feeder or recovery workout and the one most used at Westside barbell is with the use of a dragging sled. The dragging sled has helped a lot of lifters with a multiple of training situations. We’ve seen the use of the sled add 30 to 60 pounds on one’s deadlift, aid in the recovery process, add lean body mass, and bring up weak points. The sled can be used for a number of different exercises for both the upper and lower body. Some of these include: around the waist dragging, ankle dragging (drag the sled with the use of your ankles), pull-through dragging (drag the sled by holding the sled strap between your legs), and upper body dragging (drag the sled by performing front raises, rear raises, side raises, presses and extensions). These sled exercises are best used with the empirical rule of 60%. This basically means that on the first day, you choose the heaviest weight you’ll use for that exercise and decrease the weight by 60% for each day after that for three days. After that point, you repeat the process. This rule is essential for avoiding stagnation with any given exercise. A great benefit of the sled is recovery. This is because for many of the exercises there is no eccentric motion. It is believed that the eccentric is responsible for DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). When the eccentric is taken away from the exercise, you are left with a concentric motion that will induce blood flow to the muscle without causing DOMS. 46

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What are the percentages to use on dynamic squat day when using chains or straight weight? When using chains or straight weight, the percentages are as follows. Beginner: Week 1: 63% for 10 sets of 2 reps Week 2: 65% for 10 sets of 2 reps Week 3: 68% for 10 sets of 2 reps Intermediate: Week 1: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps Week 2: 63% for 8 sets of 2 reps Week 3: 65% for 8 sets of 2 reps Advanced: Week 1: 55% for 8 sets of 2 reps Week 2: 58% for 8 sets of 2 reps Week 3: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps Four to six reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets. Recommended Chains for Squatting Squat Max 200-400 Pounds = 60 pound chain Squat Max 400-500 Pounds = 80 pound chain Squat Max 500-600 Pounds = 100 pound chain Squat Max 600-800 Pounds = 120 pound chain Squat Max 800-900 Pounds = 160 pound chain The chains are added on to the weight of the barbell. Make sure to warm up with the chains on the bar first, then add the weights. When the barbell is in the rack, four to five links of chain should be resting on the floor. At no point in time should all of the chain be off the floor during the squat

What are the percentages for dynamic squat day when using bands? Regular Training Phase Week 1: 47% 8 sets of 2 Week 2: 51% 8 sets of 2 Week 3: 53% 8 sets of 2 Four to six reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets. This phase should be used by the majority of lifters.

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Recommended Bands for Squatting Squat: 300-500 pounds Light band 501-750 Average band 751-1000 Strong band Keep in mind, for the bands to work properly, you must have tension at the bottom.

Why do you guys teach squatting with a wide stance? When you squat wide, you create better leverages for the squat. The distance between your knee and hip is greater with a close stance, thus a longer and more difficult squat. By using a wide squat, you cut this distance back as well as place the emphasis on the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. These are the muscles that squat big weights! While squatting wide, try to keep your toes straight ahead or slightly turned out. This will create a tremendous amount of tension in the hips and glutes and make it hard to squat down. This tension will create a great stretch reflex out of the bottom of the squat. This is vital to the development of barbell speed

Why do you prefer the box squat over the free squat? 1. I can sit back further when box squatting. This places more stress on the posterior chain muscles. Also, this puts less stress on the knees and will allow an athlete to train that may have had surgery or a previous knee problem. 2. I always know how low I’m going. If I want to squat two inches below parallel, then I set my box up at that height. This way my body will always sit as low as it’s conditioned. If I want to squat one inch high, then I set the box higher. 3. It allows a lifter that has poor flexibility, or weak hamstrings, to squat correctly. Many times an athlete that has either of the above problems cannot free squat without the coaches and trainers cringing. By putting this athlete on an above-parallel box, it allows for a great workout. Make sure the extra steps are taken to strengthen the hamstrings and address the flexibility problem. 4. Squatting on a box breaks the eccentric/concentric chain. This is one of the best ways to develop explosive strength. 5. The box is great for teaching proper squatting technique. Most athletes and lifters have very poor squat technique because of bad coaching, muscle imbalances and flexibility. The box can work as a great aid to teaching the proper way to sit back into a squat. 6. I can squat lower when using a box. 48

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7. I can correct mistakes at the bottom of a box squat. This is something impossible to do when performing a free squat. 8. It’s easier to teach someone how to squat when using a box. 9. My recovery between squat sessions is improved.

Why and how do I push air into my stomach when I squat? Walk over to a mirror. Take a look at your shoulders and take a deep breath. Did they rise? If they did, then you’re pulling all the air into your chest, not your belly. You need to learn how to breath into your belly. This is how we teach everyone to squat. For the squat, we advise the use of a weight belt worn one notch loose. This is to teach you to pull air into your belly then push out into the belt. The belt acts as a great training aid to push against. As a side note, we use the same technique for all of our max-effort work, but don’t use the belt in that situation. This is one aspect of our training that has been misunderstood for too long. We use the belt to teach how to use the abdominals for the squat, bench, and deadlift, and do not advocate its use for anything else, unless the lifter feels it’s needed. Many in the gym, have worked up to 600 and 700 pound good mornings without any adverse effects and have been doing them this way for over 10 years. This brings me to the next point. We’ve been told breathing and using the abdominals this way will lead to back injuries. Louie Simmons has been coaching this for the past 20 years at Westside and hasn’t had any lifters with these problems. Learning to use the belly has made a profound difference in all of our squats, especially for those who never tried it. I saw squats increase by 25 to 50 pounds on this aspect alone. Now that’s what squatting big is all about. Filling your belly with air will also create a larger torso and give you a bigger base of support from which to drive. Ever wonder why those with bigger waists squat so much? Think about it. We want as much tightness and support as we can get from the gross muscles of the spinal erectors, abdominals, and obliques.

How do you perform box squats correctly? To take the bar out of the rack, the hands must be evenly placed on the bar. Secure the bar on the back where it feels the most comfortable. To lift the bar out of the rack, one must push evenly with the legs, arch the back, push their abs out against the belt, and lift the chest up while driving the head back. A high chest will ensure the bar rests as far back as possible. Slide one foot back, then the other, to assume a position to squat. Set your feet up in a wide stance and point your toes straight ahead or slightly outward. Also, keep your elbows pulled under the bar to ensure tightness in the upper back. When you’re ready for the descent, make sure to keep the same arched back position. Pull your shoulder blades together and pull as much air into your stomach as possible. Again, push your abs out. You’ll maintain this tightness throughout the set. To begin the descent, push your hips back and 49

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push your knees out to the sides to ensure maximum hip involvement. Once you reach the box, you need to sit on it and release the hip flexors while keeping the back arched and abs pushed out. At the same time, drive your knees out to the side. To begin the ascent, keep pushing out on the belt, arch the back as much as possible, and drive the head, chest, and shoulders to the rear. If you push with the legs first your buttocks will raise first, forcing the bar over the knees and causing stress to the lower back and knees, thus diminishing the power of the squat. You need to keep the barbell in a direct line with the heels throughout the entire movement and this can only be done by keeping your back arched.

What are some exercises I can do to help me get the bar off of my chest? High-Rep Dumbbell Press This movement is done with the use of a bench or stability ball. You want to do a standard dumbbell press, but keep your palms facing each other; this will keep your elbows in the correct benching position. I found the repetition range of 12 to 20 to work best with this movement. You want to do three sets, trying to fail at around 20 reps for the first set. You’ll then rest about four to five minutes and try to hit 20 again for your second set. More than likely this won’t happen, but it gives you something to aim for. Rest another four to five minutes and knock off the last set. This method of dumbbell usage works best in place of the max effort movement. Dumbbell Floor Presses The floor press is another great way to teach you how to stay tight in the upper body when pressing. When your legs are out straight, more of the load is transferred to the pressing muscles. To do this movement, you lie on the floor and have your training partners hand you the dumbbells. Once again, you’ll want to keep your palms in. Lower the bells until your triceps hit the floor, pause for a split second, and press back up. This movement fits in nicely as the first movement you’d do after doing dynamic bench or max effort bench work. Play around with the sets and reps to see which work best for you but always try to break your record each time you do them. Barbell Floor Presses This is one of the classic max effort movements that stood the test of time. The floor press is performed by setting the hooks or supports up in a power rack so you can bench press while lying on the floor. Get under the bar with your shoulder blades together and shrug into your traps. Tuck your elbows and unrack the weight. Lower the weight until your triceps hit the floor. Pause for a split second, then press the weight back up in a straight line. This movement can be done several ways. The first is with straight weight. Just warm up using 50

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three to five reps in an ascending pattern until you reach your one rep max. The second way would be to work up to 60% of your best bench press. When you reach this weight, you’ll begin adding one 20-pound chain on each side of the bar with each additional set until you max out. For developing strength off your chest, using straight weight would be the best bet, because it’ll teach you to press out of the bottom with maximal weights. Cambered Bench Bars This is a bar with a four inch camber in the middle of it to allow for greater range of motion. There are right and wrong ways to use this bar and the style you use is dependent on your own flexibility and ability to use the bar. The first way is to take the bar down to your chest, which I believe works dynamic flexibility but is only beneficial with very lightweight. I don’t believe the heavy work should be taken all the way down to the chest because of the excess shoulder rotation. The best way to use this bar is to bring it down to a point where it’s only about a half inch lower than where a regular bar would be. This way you won’t be getting any type of reflex off the chest. The last way to do this is with the use of boards to control how low the bar will go. Use two to three inches of boards so you can control how deep the bar will travel. Ultra Wide Bench Presses This is simply a wide-grip bench press outside your widest grip. For most people, this would be with your forefinger on the rings. This isn’t a good movement to use for a one-rep max because of the stress it puts on the shoulders. It’s best done working up to two heavy sets of five or six reps. Dynamic work for the bench press This is the key to developing barbell speed. I explained this method in great deal in many of my other articles, so I won’t go into great depth here. In a nutshell, spend one day per week training your bench for speed. This is best done using weights in the 45 to 55% range (based on bench shirt max) or 55 to 65% range (with non-bench shirt max). Once you reach your percent, eight to 10 sets of three reps is all that’s needed. Make sure to push the bar as fast as you can. It should take you no longer than 3.5 seconds to complete the set.

What is General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and why should I care about it? GPP is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning between all the fitness components such as flexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and other factors. According to Yuri Verkhoshansky in The Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in Sport and as outlined by Mel C Siff, there are several functions of GPP:

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To form, strengthen or restore motor skills, which play an auxiliary, facilitator role in perfecting sports ability. To teach abilities developed insufficiently by the given sport; increase the general work capacity or preserve it. To provide active rest, promote restoration after strenuous loading, and counteract the monotony of training

Why is sled dragging used for GPP? • • • •

The sled is easy to use and doesn’t require a special trip to the gym. The sled is specific to the development of the special skills necessary for maximal strength. (And by the way, we never run with the sled.) Many movements can be trained with the sled, some of which are listed below. There are movements for the abdominals, shoulders, hamstrings, etc. Virtually every muscle can be trained with a sled. The sled is a great way to induce active restoration. In many of the upper body dragging movements, the eccentric is eliminated because of the nature of the sled. This, in turn, is great for recovery because the tearing down of the muscle is much less in concentric-only movements.

What are some sample sled dragging movements? Around the waist forward dragging: This could be classified as the king of all dragging exercises. Run a nylon strap through the sled with the other end attached to a weight belt. Keep the belt one notch loose to allow for you to pull in and expand your belly as much as possible. This will allow you to better push your abdominals against the belt in the same fashion we advise for the powerlifting. As you walk forward, do so in a explosive, dynamic motion, driving into the belt as you step. You should hear the forces snap the sled with each step. This is much different than just walking forward. This type of dragging is great for the development of the hamstrings and glutes. Ankle dragging: This movement is great for the hip flexors and hamstrings. To perform it, you’ll need to attach one nylon strap to the sled and pass a second through the first for a “T” shape. Tie or loop 52

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the end of the second strap around each ankle. Start the motion in a split stance position and pull the back leg forward with a slight bend in the knee. Concentrate on using the hip flexors and abdominals, not the quads. This movement has a profound difference on many lifters I’ve consulted. It teaches them how to use their abdominals in a way that’s conducive to doing the squat. Rope dragging behind the knees: This style of dragging will pulverize your hamstrings. Attach the strap to the sled. Run a rope or another nylon strap through the first. Face away from the sled and grip the second strap behind your knees with a close stance. Stay in this semi-squatted position and walk forward.

Front raises: This was one of the best and most successful things I’ve ever seen for sore and damaged shoulders. It helped more lifters get back to the bench than any other movement. Attach one strap through the first in the same manner as the ankle dragging. Face away from the sled and grab one strap in each hand and walk forward while simulating a dumbbell front raise with the straps. Rear raises: This movement is performed the same as the front raise, except you’ll be walking backwards and performing a rear raise. The benefit to these front and rear raises is that the loading during the eccentric phase is taken away. What you’re left with is a concentric-only activity that causes little to no soreness.

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What is the cuff complex? 1. Front raise thumb up 2. Front raise thumb down 3. Side raise thumb up 4. Side raise thumb down 5. Bent raise thumb down to side 6. Bent raise thumb up to side 7. Bent raise thumb up to front 8. Bent raise thumb down to front 9. External rotation top half 10. External rotation bottom half 11. Zotman curl 12. Overhead press * All for one set of 10 reps.

How long can I use the bands on the bench press? This is entirely up to the individual, but using bands for every workout is not advised. Here are some suggestions on how to cycle bands during your dynamic bench cycle. 1. Alternate bands and straight weight every week. 2. Alternate bands and chains every week. 3. Three weeks of bands followed by three weeks of straight weight or chains. These are just some suggestions and it’s up to you to figure out what works best. Listen to your body and over time it will tell you what is best for your training.

What is straight weight? Straight weight is when you are lifting without bands, chains or weight releasers.

Weak off the floor when deadlifting? If you are weak off of the floor when deadlifting, your problem may be a lack of lower back strength. Try doing good mornings (and its many different variations), reverse hyperextensions, back extensions and heavy abdominal work. The 45 degree back raise is also a great exercise. Make sure your form is also correct, as it could be a technical problem.

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Things I Would Do Differently by Bob Youngs

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ThingsIWouldDo Differently by Bob Youngs

When I put a post about needing article ideas, I got some real good ideas from a bunch of guys. The one I kept getting the most was, “What would you do differently?” So, here is a list of things I would do differently if I could go back in time. Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion.

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I would not do any tricep extensions. My reasoning is two-fold. First, I think extensions were the main cause of me tearing my tricep tendon. The overall abuse far outweighed the benefit. Second, I think compound movements help more. People forget how much a dumbbell bench works the triceps as well.

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I would get out and walk more or ride a bike. I try and get out and do that 4-5 days per week now and it really helps my recovery and general heath.

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I would have done more forearm work. I do a ton of it now and I feel it really helps to keep the elbows healthy. I know a lot of people will disagree with that, but it sure has helped me.

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I would do more recovery stuff. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I like Epsom salt baths, hydrogen peroxide baths, and hot/cold showers. All of the above don’t take very long, but they will go a long way towards helping you recover and keeping you healthy.

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I would do more stretching. I think this is going to be a roundtable soon and many will disagree with me. However, I think the stretching I do now really helps to keep me healthy.

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I would keep my reps on good mornings to 3-5. I used to work up to singles and my form went to hell. The only good mornings I would do for singles are the chain suspended variety.

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I would do speed bench every other week as opposed to every week. This also tore up my elbows to the point where I have had to eliminate it.

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I would do more rear delt work. I did almost none in the beginning and I think this hurt my shoulder stability.

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I would have dealt with my injuries and tried to heal them. Instead, I simply tried to ignore and hide them. This worked for a while, but it caught up to me this year. I was in such bad shape that I couldn’t bench the bar without pain or walk 10 feet without being in agony.

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I would have taken the time to talk to more lifters. You can learn something from everyone and most lifters will talk to anyone. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend that you ask questions.

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I would listen to my body better. A lot of times I was beat up and would train anyway. Taking a light day would probably have served me better in the long run. George Halbert once told me that powerlifting is a marathon and not a sprint. He meant it would take you many years to reach your goals. Skipping some workouts will help you reach those goals in the long run.

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I would have trained my abs better. There were times where I would take the easy way out and do something easy or nothing at all. The abs are a key component to squatting and deadlifting. You need to do the hard stuff.

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I would have never have gone 308. The added weight at that point just made me fatter. Fat doesn’t help once you get to a certain leverage point.

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I would have taken the time and learned the bench shirt better. Like it or not, if you are going to lift in equipment, you better learn to get the most out of it.

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I would have tried to go to more big meets. I went to a bunch, but I could have gone to more. This would have allowed me to network with more lifters. Knowledge is power.

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I would have video taped more of my workouts. It is much easier to understand the mistakes you are making if you can see them. I was just lazy and that doesn’t help.

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I would have read more of the Russian books. I have read more as I got older, but I should have done more reading earlier in my lifting career. It is important to understand the“how’s”and“why’s.”

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I would also never do another floor press. I realize that this a great exercise for some. For me, it was a pec strain every time I did them. If a specific exercise gets someone hurt, how productive can it be for that individual?

As you can see, there are many things I would have changed. But, I am still learning as I go. I think half the fun is in trying to figure out just what you, as an individual, need to be doing to get stronger. Learn from your mistakes. I am trying to learn from mine

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Buddy Morris Interview (pt1)- November 2007 by Dave Tate

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Buddy Morris Interview (pt2)- November 2007 by Dave Tate

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Things I Have Learned in My First Year of Exploring Conjugate Training by Steve Fredine

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Four main workouts a week: Two Maximum effort workouts (one for bench and one for squat/deadlift) and Two Dynamic effort (speed) workouts one for bench and one for squat/deadlift).

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ME workouts follow the DE workouts by 72 hours. If you do your DE bench on Monday, the ME bench workout will be on Thursday.

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Do not have back to back ME workouts.

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Workouts typically consist of one main exercise, one supplemental exercise, and one or two accessory exercises.

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Less is more, more is less.

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Dynamic effort bench days always use the bench press as the main exercise (grips inside of contest width) for 8 sets of 3 reps at approximately 50% of your one-rep max.

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Dynamic effort squat days always use the box squat as the main exercise (1” below parallel) for 8 sets of 2 reps at 50-60% of your one-rep max.

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Percentages are a guideline.

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Good mornings are misnamed.

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Rotate max effort exercises at least every two weeks.

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Be fast on dynamic effort day.

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Put your life on the line on max effort day.

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Chuck Taylors.

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Eat and get rest.

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Workout to recover.

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Learn to strain.

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Be open-minded.

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If it works, figure out the why later.

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If it doesn’t work, don’t do it.

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Be patient with the uninformed.

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The conjugate method is as much art as science.

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Be smart but not anal.

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Don’t make excuses.

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Give back to the sport.

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Be focused but keep a sense of humor.

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Nutrition is often overrated.

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Take the aisle seat on the plane.

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Workouts should not exceed an hour.

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Train the chain.

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Train weaknesses.

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Train the core.

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Train for chaos.

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Triceps, triceps, triceps.

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Hurting and being injured is not the same thing.

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Ephedrine = good times.

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Polygamy = extra spotters

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Accommodate resistance.

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Make certain your power rack is anchored before hooking up your bands.

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After seeing the pictures, never let your kids: 1) Play twister with Uncle Jim or 2) Do online research with Uncle Dave at his house.

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A totally safe exercise is probably totally useless.

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Baby wipes, a cut above.

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I don’t know Billy Mimnaugh, but I’m pretty certain I don’t want to see him hovering over a bidet either.

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Be patient.

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Be persistent.

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Be creative.

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Talk is cheap.

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Don’t worry about the other guy.

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Be humble, there will always be somebody stronger than you.

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Adjust and tweak the program as necessary for personal needs.

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I am not the only one who is not a Buckeye fan.

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Get a dedicated training partner.

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An extended middle digit from a training partner is not necessarily a rep count.

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Don’t sweat the small stuff.

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Black underwear is a good idea.

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Again, don’t sweat the small stuff.

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Why do this? It’s because it’s what I do. www.elitefts.com

The Periodization Bible by Dave Tate

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Whenitcomestosettingupastrength-trainingprogram, Ifeelit’simportanttounderstandallaspectsoftheprogram,includinghowitallfitstogether.Theorganizationof trainingcanbedefinedasperiodization.Thereareseveral periodizationmodelsbeingusedtodayforthedevelopment ofstrength.ThisarticlewillexploresomeofthebasicdefinitionsoftheconceptaswellastheWestern(orlinear) method of periodization. 74

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The Western method of periodization is one of the most popular methods for strength development. It’s the same method I used for the first 12 years of my competitive career. Did it work? Sure, up to a certain point, but then I hit a plateau. This was when the injuries started and my strength began to digress. After we get the basics out of the way, I’ll explore why this happened and why so many coaches and athletes still use the program today.

Terminology and Definitions Periodization is the organization of training into basic workable units. These units are defined as the training session, the micro cycle, the meso cycle, the macro cycle and the quadrennial. Let’s define and explore each of these just to make sure we’re all on the same page. The Training Session: The training session consists of one workout designed to fulfill a specific purpose. These training sessions can be once per day or up to six per day depending on the goals of the program. The most import aspect of the training session is that it should have some type of meaning. There should be a definite training goal in mind. Your goal for that session may be to perform one more repetition than last time, or to lift five more pounds. Your goal could also involve fulfilling some type of restorative or recovery purpose. The problem is that many training sessions today don’t have a specific purpose that will lead to the short or long term goals of the athlete. The athlete or coach just goes in the gym and wings it, but each session must build on the others to fulfill a desired purpose. For example, if you want a bigger bench, then each training session for that lift must have the development of the bench press in mind. If your exercise selection doesn’t complement this, you’ll just be spinning your wheels. All exercises chosen should fulfill a purpose related to the development of strength, stability, confidence, muscle balance, technique, or bringing up weak points. If one or more of these variables isn’t being met with the chosen movement, then dump that exercise!

The Micro Cycle The micro cycle is the recruitment of a number of different training sessions. There should be at least two training sessions per micro cycle that consist of different types of workouts. The micro cycle also should have specific meaning and purpose. There are many different types of micro cycles including the introduction, restorative, competitive and the shock micro cycle. The average micro cycle will range five to ten days with the average being seven days. The Introduction Micro: This cycle can and should be used for a number of introduction purposes. It can be used for educational purposes to teach the clients or athletes about the training program and all its variables. This is a very important aspect of training that many coaches and trainers overlook. I believe that the client or athlete must know how the program was designed and why it was designed that way. Better yet, they should be a part of the program design. Whenever I design a strength-training program, the client is a very large part of the process. Who knows better than the trainee what works and what doesn’t work for him? The client has more 75

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experience training themselves than anyone, so why not use this knowledge to better the program? The trainee must know where they’re going and how and why this program will help them get there. A second type of introduction micro cycle may be used to introduce the trainee to the exercises he’ll be performing over the next few cycles. This gives him a chance to have a “walk through” of the different exercises and get used to the correct form and technique that’ll be needed for the higher intensities later on. Exercise technique is another overlooked aspect of most training programs today. When I walk into any gym or health club I’m impressed with the lack of technique being practiced. You’d think with the number of trainers and coaches around today that this problem would be getting better, but in many ways it’s worse. Now you have trainers who have no idea what they’re doing – showing a client how to perform an exercise! Not all trainers are bad, of course. There are many excellent trainers I’ve spoken with across the world and I’ve learned a great deal from many of them. These trainers are usually very expensive and hard to find so it would be best for most people to buy a book on exercise technique or attend one of the many seminars offered by today’s top strength coaches. The Restorative Micro: This cycle is designed to aid in the recovery process. It can involve anything from taking a week off to implementing some restorative techniques such as contrast showers, steams, saunas, massage, active rest or “feeder” workouts. Active rest involves those workouts that implement a type of training other than what the athlete normally does. For a weightlifter this can include walking, or for a football player, playing basketball. The “feeder” type workouts are those intended to better prepare the muscle for an upcoming training session. When these workouts make up the majority of the training micro cycle it then becomes a restorative cycle. Active rest and feeder workouts will be discussed in a future article because of the importance they have in the total development of a strength training program. After all, if you’re not recovering, then you’re not making gains! The Competitive Micro: This is the cycle leading up to the competition or event. For a powerlifter this would consists of the five to seven days right before the competition. During this time they should lower the training volume and intensity. The week before can make or break the outcome of the competition. Too much work and the lifter will go into the meet overtrained and tired. Too little work and he’ll go in under prepared. For the football player this can be the last three to six days before the game. It becomes a tight balancing act during the season to ensure the optimum amount of training with the right amount of recovery and restoration. The Shock Micro: This micro cycle is designed around shocking the body into new growth and adaptation. This shock can come in many forms and can range from taking a week off to a high volume training cycle.

The Meso Cycle 76

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This cycle is made up of many micro cycles designed around one specific purpose. Most programs use this cycle to develop one component of fitness such as strength, power, endurance or some other physical ability. These cycles range from one to four months. There are many types of meso cycles including introduction, base, competitive, restoration, strength and power cycles. The Introduction Meso: This cycle is designed to introduce a person to fitness or strength training. Like the introduction micro cycle, most of the time is spent on the teaching of the movements and training program. The Base Meso: It’s been said many times that you can’t build a house on a weak foundation. The base meso cycle is usually designed to build a strong and fundamental base of fitness (a solid foundation). An example of the effectiveness of a base-building meso cycle would be my wife, Traci. When she first came to train with us at Westside, her back was so weak and sore that she had a hard time picking up an empty barbell. Most of her training during the first few months consisted of building up her abdominal, lower back, glutes, hips and hamstrings. She performed endless sets of reverse hypers, glute-ham raises, and abdominal pulldowns. When her base was built up, heavier training was introduced and within the first year she’d totaled her fist “Elite” with a 360 squat, 240 bench, and 315 deadlift in the 123 pound class. Not bad for not being able to pick up a barbell without pain 12 months earlier. Without taking the time to develop a solid foundation, her gains wouldn’t have been possible. Other Meso Cycles: The strength and power meso cycle is designed around building strength, while the competitive meso cycle is that cycle leading up to the competition or test date (the day you attempt a new PR). These meso cycles can be designed a number of different ways and all are intended to bring out the highest level of competitive strength. Competitive strength is different than maximal strength because it utilizes the elements of the competition to bring out the highest strength levels. With competitive strength, many times there’s a break from training right before the competition to help the body restore and prepare for peak performance. There’s also the element of the spectators and a “psyche up” to help bring out higher strength levels. Maximal strength is the max level of strength that can be displayed in the gym. This is why many times we don’t recommend training with a psyche-up in the gym. Psyching up during training can actually be detrimental to strength performance because of the increased demand on the central nervous system.

The Western Method of Periodization The Western or linear method of periodization is the most practiced yet most misunderstood form of periodization used by lifters and coaches today. I was first introduced to the Western method from the NSCA journal and from the “workouts of the month” section in Powerlifting USA magazine. 77

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This method consists of a hypertrophy phase, basic strength phase, power phase, peak phase and a transition phase. Many times other terms will be used but the parameters are basically the same. The Hypertrophy Phase: This phase is intended to condition and build muscle mass. This phase is characterized by a high volume and low intensity. In this case, the volume refers to the amount of repetitions being preformed while the intensity refers to the amount of weight lifted in relation to your one rep max. The typical load or intensity lifted is in the 50 to 70% range for three to five sets of 8 to 20 reps. The average rest between sets is two to three minutes and the average length of the entire phase is between four to six weeks. These parameters are intended to build a solid base of support for the upcoming strength phase.

Chart 1: Sample Hypertrophy Meso Cycle Week 1 2 3 4 5

Sets 5 4 3 3 3

Reps 10 10 10 8 8

Intensity 62% 64% 66% 68% 70%

Rest 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes

The Strength Phase: The goals of the strength phase is to, you guessed it, increase muscle strength. The parameters for this phase are characterized with a typical load between 75 to 86%, utilizing three to five sets of 4 to 6 reps. The average rest is two to four minutes and the duration is four to six weeks. As you can see, the intensity is beginning to increase while the volume is beginning to decrease.

Chart 2: Sample Strength Meso Cycle Week 1 2 3 4 5

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Sets 5 5 4 4 3

Reps 6 6 5 5 4

Intensity 75% 77% 79% 82% 85%

Rest 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 3 Minutes

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The Power Phase: This phase is designed to increase the overall power of the athlete. The parameters of this phase are characterized by performing three to five sets of 3 to 5 reps with 86% to 93% intensity. The duration of this phase is normally four weeks. The rest is usually between three to five minutes. Chart 3: Sample Power Meso Cycle Week 1 2 3 4

Sets 3 3 3 3

Reps 4 3 3 3

Intensity 87% 89% 91% 93%

Rest 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 4 Minutes 5 Minutes

The Peak Phase: This is the final phase of strength development. This phase is designed to “peak” on all the abilities that have been developed earlier. The peak phase is characterized by performing two to three sets of 1 to 3 reps with 93% or more. The average rest is now increased to four to seven minutes and the duration is two to four weeks. You’ll again notice that the volume is lower and the intensity is increased.

Chart 4: Sample Peaking Meso Cycle Week 1 2 3 4

Sets 3 3 3 3

Reps 4 3 3 3

Intensity 87% 89% 91% 93%

Rest 3 Minutes 3 Minutes 4 Minutes 5 Minutes

The Transition or Active Rest Phase: This is the final phase of this macro cycle known as the Western method of periodization. This phase can be done a couple of ways. The first is to perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 reps with 50% of your new one rep max. The second way is to break away from training altogether and only perform light physical activity. For many powerlifters and strength athletes this phase is normally just taking time off and performing no weightlifting. Others may choose to go to the gym and perform bodybuilding style exercises with very little work done in the classic lifts (squat, bench and deadlift).

Problems and Pitfalls 79

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This Western method of training has become very popular in the United States over the past 20 to 30 years and has been practiced by most powerlifters and strength athletes in one form or another. If you read the training programs of most powerlifters you’ll notice this same structure. As I mentioned earlier, this is the same training routine I used myself for 12 years before moving to Columbus to train at Westside. I had very good results with this training for some time, but I also had many problems with it as well. Having now gotten away from this type of training and looking back as an outsider, I can see where the program is lacking and why I had so many problems. I used to feel it was the only way to train (mostly because it was all I ever knew). It was also the only type of program for which I could find a lot of research. Some of the limitations to this linear style of periodization include: It’s a percentage-based program It starts with a high volume It only has one peak Your abilities aren’t maintained The program has no direction to the future Since this is a percentage based program, it can be very deceiving to those calculating the training. I’ll use the example of a 600 pound squatter. A 17 week cycle may look like this: Max 600 Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

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Sets 5 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2

Reps 10 10 10 8 8 6 6 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 2 1

Intensity 62% 64% 66% 68% 70% 75% 77% 79% 82% 85% 87% 89% 91% 93% 95% 97% 99%

Weight 372 384 395 408 420 450 462 474 492 510 522 534 546 558 570 582 594

Volume 18600 15350 11880 9792 10080 10800 8316 7110 7380 7650 4698 4806 4914 3348 3420 2328 1188

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As you can see, the intensity begins at 62% and finishes at 99%. My question has always been: Percent of what? In the table we used a 600 pound squatter as an example. Now the first question is since there’s a difference between competitive strength and maximal strength, can he really squat 600? Second, if the lifter takes a break after the competition as described with the transition phase, can he still squat 600? According to Vladimir Zatsiorsky in the text, Science and Practice of Strength Training, long breaks (from working at percentages close to your 1RM) can ruin physical fitness. Vladimir asks, “If a mountaineer wants to climb to the summit, will he climb halfway up then back down to go back up again?” These long breaks are detrimental because motor abilities are built and retained at different rates which are fairly specific to each individual. Some may be lost very quickly while others will be held. According to Zimkin, as much a 10 to 15% of strength can be lost in a period of a few weeks. This is where a percentage-based system has many problems. If the lifter has lost 10% of his strength and begins the cycle at 62% of his contest max, the actual percent can really be as high as 72%. This is why many times the lifter will get through three quarters of the training cycle and then start missing lifts. Many times I’d get to week eight or nine and not be able to complete the desired number of reps. With this type of training you have to hope your strength catches up to the intensity. One way to combat this is to pick a smaller weight at the start and then jump it up toward the end. This is what many lifters, including myself, used to do. The problem with this is you never really know when to jump it up. This will lead you to being able to perform triples in training with more weight than the single you could perform on the platform at a meet. Percentages have to be used only as guidelines. Another problem with the Western method of periodization is that many abilities aren’t maintained. The muscle mass that was built during the hypertrophy phase isn’t maintained throughout the full cycle. Same goes with the strength phase. The best training weeks are normally the first or second week of triples coming off the strength phase. Then your strength begins to shut down because it’s very hard to train at or above 90% for longer than three weeks. This is another reason why you may be able to triple more in training than what you can display on the platform. As mentioned above, there’s only one peak with the linear method. If you want to enter multiple meets or have a competitive season such as a football player then what do you do? Another mark against this traditional approach. The Western method of periodization also advises you to drop the supplemental movements as the meet approaches, especially during the final three or four weeks during the peak phase. The reason for this is that the intensity is so high that you’d want to keep the volume down. My question is why would you want to drop the movements that made you strong in the first place? Lets face it, if it was true that all you have to do is squat, bench and deadlift wouldn’t we all be doing it? Not only that, but wouldn’t every gym in the country have 20 or 30 guys who could bench 500 since half the members only do bench presses and curls anyway? Why would any of us do any more than we have to? The fact is, we’ve all found out through trial and error that we need supplemental movements to 81

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push our lifts up. A great example of this is if your pecs and shoulder were strong enough to bench press 500 but your triceps were only strong enough to bench 420. If that were true, what do you think you’d bench? You’re only as strong as your weakest link and it’s your responsibility to find out what that weak link is and fix it. If your car needed new tires to run faster would you buy a new car or change the tires? The supplemental aspect of your training is perhaps the most important and yet you’re expected to drop it right before a competition? You’re also never really told what and how to train the supplemental lifts. Are you supposed to begin with a high volume and drop over time while increasing the intensity like you do with the main lifts? If you’re anything like I was then you just kind of wing it and hope it all fits into place. With all this in mind, why would anybody use this type of periodization? Well, the answer is quite simple: it’s what most lifters have always done or been told to do. There have been few, if any, alternatives that work as well or better. Until now, that is.

Westside Weekly Training Schedule If you want to start using the periodization program outlined in this article, you might want to know how the Westside boys break up their actual weekly training. They typically do four workouts per week and since they train for function, they typically perform the following split: Monday Max effort lower body day (squat, dead lift) 1. Hamstrings 2. Lower back 3. Abs 4. Possible upper back work Wednesday Max effort upper body (bench press) 1. Triceps 2. Delts 3. Lats Friday Dynamic effort lower body (squat, dead lift) 1. Hamstrings 2. Lower back 3. Abs 4. Possible upper back work Sunday Dynamic effort upper body (bench press) 1. Triceps 2. Delts 3. Lats 82

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Most body parts are trained 2 times a week, but this isn’t absolute as there are times when they may train a body part up to 6 times per week and other times, only once. Dave will write about this a little more in a future article.

The Periodization Bible — Part II The New Testament — Conjugated Periodization by Dave Tate This is a periodization program known as conjugated periodization. Simply put, this means that several abilities are coupled together throughout the training. The Western method of periodization separates these variables while the Westside method puts it all together at the same time. The entire Westside method is centered around three basic pathways to strength development: 1. Max Effort 2. Repetition 3. Dynamic Effort

The Max Effort Method The max effort method is considered by many coaches and athletes as being the superior method of strength development. It places great demands on both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination as well as stimulating the central nervous system. These demands force the body into greater adaptation and this adaptation is what’s responsible for strength gains. When training using the max effort method, the central nervous system inhibition is reduced. Thus the max number of motor units are activated with optimal discharge frequency (Zatsiorisky). The one drawback to using this method is that you can’t train with weights above 90 percent RM for much longer than three weeks before the nervous system begins to weaken. When this happens your strength will begin to diminish. This is one of the major reasons why progressive overload will only work for so long. With this in mind, others (namely WSBB) have set out to find a way around this three-week barrier. The way to overcome this barrier is to switch the exercises used for the max effort method every one to three weeks. This keeps the body fresh so the method can be used year round. So how do you use this method? First, decide on one main exercise that will be trained with this method. After a proper warm-up, proceed to this exercise and begin to warm up with the bar. Taking small weight increases, you begin to work up in weight with sets of three reps. When three reps begins to feel heavy, you drop down to single reps. This is when you begin to try to max out on the exercise. Keep increasing the weight until you’ve reached your one rep max. Make sure to keep track of what this record is because this is what you’ll try to beat next time out. A max effort exercise would look like this: 83

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Exercise *Floor Press

Sets 2

Reps 5

Weight 45

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1

95 135 185 225 275 315 365 405 425

*A floor press is done just like a bench press, but while lying on the floor. In the above example, 425 would represent the lifter’s one rep max. This is the number that should be recorded and that you’ll try to break on a later date. It’s very important to use this method with only one exercise per workout and no more than one time per week for each lift. The Westside method schedules one max effort day for the bench and one for the squat and deadlift as follows: Monday: Max effort day for building the squat and deadlift (while this seems contradictory to the above statement — doing only one exercise per workout — it’s not, in that you’ll be doing one exercise to build both movements). Wednesday: Max effort day for building the bench press. Since many of the same muscles are used for the squat and deadlift, they’re trained on the same day. Actually, very little deadlifting is performed with this style of training because of these reasons. The best max effort exercises for the squat and deadlift are good mornings, low box squats and deadlifts themselves. The good morning is probably the best overall exercise for strength development and should be utilized 70% of all max effort days. There are several different types of good mornings that can be performed. Good mornings using a variety of different bars such as the safety squat bar, buffalo bar, and cambered bar are classics at Westside Barbell. Many of these good mornings are performed with the bar suspended from chains. By suspending the bar from the power rack (called Anderson good mornings or suspended good mornings), you’re creating the same specificity as when you deadlift. This is because you start the deadlift without any eccentric or lowering motion. This is also true when you have to squat under a suspended barbell and lift it to a standing position. 84

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The best max effort exercises for the bench press are the floor press, board press, close grip bench press, JM press, and reverse band presses. All pressing motions! As with the squat and deadlift max effort exercises, there are several variations of each movement. Each exercise has a specific function. For instance, the floor press (basically lying on the floor, benching sans bench) takes your legs out of the motion so greater emphasis is placed on the pecs, delts and triceps. The close grip incline press takes your lats out of the motion so there’s greater emphasis placed on the deltoids and triceps. The board press also takes your lats out of the motion and provides you with the opportunity to train at specific points of the bench press. The max effort meso cycle should only last one to three weeks with the latter being for the novice and intermediate strength athlete. The more advanced the athlete, the shorter the time spent per cycle (or time spent per max effort exercise). This is due to the neuromuscular coordination and motor learning. The advanced athlete can call upon more motor unit activation (use more muscle) than the novice. For example, the novice may use 40% of his total muscle while the advanced lifter will be able to use 80%. The second reason involves neuromuscular and muscular coordination. The advanced lifter has already figured out and mastered how to do the movement. His body knows what to do and when. The novice athlete hasn’t figured out how to do the movement and is far from mastering it. This will allow the novice to progress and break records for around three weeks on each max effort exercise. However, this won’t be the case for the advanced athlete. These advanced athletes will have one good week where they break a record then will be unable to break it for the next two weeks. So the solution is simple: switch every week! This will allow you to break records on a weekly basis and avoid overstraining. (Max effort training, by the way, is a process of learning how to better synchronize the muscle involvement. This is because of the activation of the central nervous system as well as other factors such as motivation and concentration.) If you don’t always break a record, don’t worry about it. The strain is more important than the record itself. With this in mind, if you happen to break your record and it was very easy, to the point that you really didn’t strain, then you must take another record where you actually strain.

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Max Effort Parameters Load (Intensity) Number of Exercises Repetitions Rest Interval Frequency / Week Weeks per Exercise

90 to 100% 1 1-3 2 to 5 minutes 1 (Squat Day) / 1(Bench Day) 1-3

The Repetition Method The repetition method, otherwise known as the bodybuilding method, is the best method for the development of muscle hypertrophy (growth). This is the method in which all supplemental and accessory exercises are trained. This method is defined as “lifting a non-maximal load to failure.” It’s during the fatigued state when the muscles develop maximal force. According to this method, it’s only during the final lifts that, because of fatigue, the maximal number of motor units are recruited. This system of training has a great influence on the development of muscle mass which is why it’s become so popular among the bodybuilding population. The fact that the final lifts are performed in a fatigued state makes this method less effective compared to the others when it comes to maximal strength development. This is one of the reasons why powerlifters are much stronger than bodybuilders. Another disadvantage of this method is that each set is carried to failure. This makes it very difficult to increase your volume and work capacity over time because of the amount of restoration needed. Training to failure is very hard on your ability to recover and in my opinion should only be used sparingly. When you extend a set to failure many times, the last few reps are performed with bad technique and this, of course, can lead to injuries. This principle can be modified to what I refer to as the modified repetition method. With the modified version all sets should be stopped with the breakdown of technique and there should always be a rep or two left in you. Remember this principle is applied to all supplemental and accessory movements. These movements are designed to be exactly what they are: supplemental and accessory. The main goals of these movements are to complement the overall training program, not take away. By training to failure on every set you’d be taking away from the general purpose of the movements, which is to increase work capacity. The parameters of this method are varied and depend upon the individual. Some athletes develop muscle mass with high reps and other with low reps. It would be crazy to assume one specific rep range works for everybody. What we’ve found to be best with supplemental and accessory work are sets in the range of 5 to 8 with repetitions between 6 and 15. This is a rather large range, but as I mentioned before, everybody is different. If you’ve been training for some time, I bet you have a 86

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better idea of what works for you than I could ever prescribe. The load or weight to be used should fall in the 60 to 80% range and you should always leave a rep or two at the end of each set. Try to switch the exercise after every one to five workouts in which it’s used. If you decide not to switch the exercise then switch the way it’s trained. Try to add an extra set for a few weeks. Try to work it up for four weeks then deload it for four weeks. The point is to change it up as much as possible.

Modified Repetition Method Parameters Load (Intensity) Number of Exercises Sets / Repetitions Rest Interval Frequency / Week Weeks per Exercise

60 � 80% All Supplemental and accessory 5-8 / 6 – 15 1 to 3 minutes All workouts 1-5

The Dynamic Effort Method The dynamic effort method is used to train the box squat and bench press. This method is defined as lifting a non-maximal load with the greatest speed possible. This method should be coupled with compensatory acceleration. This means you must apply as much force as possible to the barbell, i.e. pushing as hard and as fast as you can in the concentric phase of the lift. If you squat 700 pounds and are training with 400 pounds, then you should be applying 700 pounds of force to the barbell. The weight used should be non-maximal in the 50% to 75% range. In the text Supertraining, Siff and Verkershonsky state the best range for developing explosive strength in the barbell squat is twothirds of your best one rep max. Angel Spassov defines this as 50 to 70%. This method isn’t used for the development of maximal strength but for the improved rate of force development and explosive force. Let’s assume an athlete can only get so strong for genetic reasons. If this lifter has reached his genetic strength potential and has been stuck for five years, can he not get stronger? I was told at one time that I had reached this limit. I was told this by several university professors in the field of exercise science. What they forgot is that if I learned how to better synchronize my muscles to perform, then I could get stronger by better neural activation. The result was 300 more pounds on my total! This is because at the time I may have only been activating 50% of my absolute strength potential. Through dynamic effort training I was able to activate 70 or 80%. (The percents are used as examples, this was never tested.) This is also a reason why the percent should never be as important as bar speed. Everybody has different motor learning and the advanced strength athlete will activate more than a novice athlete. This is why the more advanced the lifter is, the harder the work is.

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For example, if both athletes performed a set of 10 reps in the barbell squat with 80%, the novice would walk away like it was no big deal while the advanced athlete wouldn’t be walking anywhere because he’d be on the floor! If you’ve followed Louie Simmons’ articles over the years, you’ll notice how the percents he writes for the squat and bench press have reduced over the years. This is because the gym as a whole has gotten so much stronger and more experienced. The percent for the bench press used to be around 70, now it’s around 45 to 55%. Many have asked how this can be. Well, as stated above the athletes are now recruiting more motor units than before so less percent is needed to produce the desired results. The best way to determine what your training percent should be is to begin with 50% and have someone videotape your bar speed. If you can maintain this bar speed then increase the percent. When the bar slows down then decrease the percent.

The dynamic days are scheduled as follows: Friday: Dynamic effort squat day Sunday: Dynamic effort bench day These dynamic days are to be done 72 hours after the max effort day to allow for proper recovery. The training scheme for the dynamic days begins with plenty of warm-up sets and progresses onto the work sets. For the bench press, use 8 sets of 3 reps and for the box squat use 8 sets of 2 reps. There are many reasons for this set and rep structure. The first reason is because of Prilepin’s charts (see below). Prilepin studied weight lifters to see what the optimal number of reps in each intensity zone should be. Louie applied this research into the training of the power lifts. At the time the bench press was being trained in the 70% range while the squat was being performed in the 80% range. This would equate to an optimal number of 18 lifts for the bench press in a range of 12 to 24 reps, and 15 lifts for the squat in a 10 to 20 rep range. He decided on two reps for the squats and three reps for the bench press because of time specificity of the competitive lifts. The time to unrack the weight to the completion of the lift in competition came out very similar to two reps in the box squat and three reps in the bench press.

Optimal Number of Lifts by Percent (Prilepin 1974) Percent Repetitions Optimal Range 70 3–6 18 Lifts 12 -24 80 2–4 15 lifts 10 -20 90 1–2 7 – 10 Lifts 4 -10

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The second reason for this set and rep structure is because it has stood the test of time and has worked over and over again without flaw. This has created an evolving system where the optimal number of lifts has remained 16 for the box squat and 24 for the bench press for weights under 80%. We’ve also found that weights above 80% needed to be handled for 10% of all lifts. This is accomplished by working up after your sets are completed. These extra bonus sets shouldn’t be used every workout, but should make up ten out of every 100 lifts.

Here’s a sample dynamic box workout: Exercise Box Squats

Sets 2

Reps 2

Weight 135

Rest 1 min

1 1 1 8

2 2 2 2

225 315 405 455

1 min 1 min 1 min 1 min

The squat workout should begin after a general warm-up of exercises such as reverse hypers, sled dragging and pulldown abs. These exercises should be light and used to warm up and get loose. The first sets should be light and concentrate on good technique. Do as many sets as you need with the lighter weight until you feel warmed up. Progress up to your desired training weight. Once at your training weight, the rest period becomes critical. You’ll only rest one minute between sets. The goal of this is to fatigue the fast twitch muscle fibers. These are the fibers responsible for explosive strength and power. We want these muscle fibers to become fatigued so over time they’ll adapt and become stronger. The other reason is that the more you fatigue, then the more fibers will become activated with each set. A fatigued muscle fiber won’t work as well, so the body will activate more and more muscle fibers to complete the workout. A one-minute rest constitutes about a 1:6 work to rest ratio and anything over 1.5 minutes will defeat the training effect.

Here’s a sample dynamic bench workout: Exercise Bench Press

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Sets 2 1 1 1 8

Reps 5 3 3 3 3

Weight 45 135 185 225 275

Rest 1 min 1 min 1 min 1 min 1 min

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The bench press workout should begin with a light general warm-up consisting of upper body sled work and warm-up exercises for the bench press. These can include light shoulder raises to the front, side and rear, as well as some light triceps extension or pushdown movements. After the warm-up you’d move onto the actual bench press movement. Begin with the bar for as many sets as necessary to feel loose and warmed up. Increase the weight with 20 or 50 pound jumps depending on your strength level and begin the dynamic work sets with whatever the prescribed percentage is for the day. You’ll perform 8 sets of 3 reps in a dynamic fashion. These reps should be performed with compensatory acceleration. When you finish the bench press movement, you’ll move onto the supplemental exercise for the day. This exercise should be some type of tricep press or extension movement. The best ones for this purpose are the close grip bench press, JM press, barbell extensions or dumbbell extensions. The intensity should be high and the volume low. We’ve found sets in the range of two to four with 3 to 8 reps to be excellent. These sets are started after all warm ups for the exercise have been completed. The accessory exercises that follow should include movements for the shoulders and lats. These movements should be of moderate intensity for intermediate rep ranges. This may be three to five sets of 8 to 15 reps. You should leave one or two reps at the end of every set. This means you won’t go to failure, which will ensure proper recovery for the next workout. Upon completion of these movements you’ll move onto prehabilation work consisting of external rotation moments for the shoulders and light pushdowns and or light sled work for the upper body.

Summary of the Four Day Program The micro cycle of the Westside method is seven days consisting of two days for the squat and deadlift, and two days for the bench press. These days are outlined below: Monday: Max effort squat and deadlift training 1. The max effort exercise: work up to 1 to 3 rep max 2. The supplemental movement: * This will include one exercise for the hamstrings. The best movements for them include partial deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and glute/ham raises for three to six sets of 5 to 8 reps. 3. The accessory movements: *One or two abdominal movements *One lower back movement: The best exercise for this purpose is the reverse hyper for three to four sets of 6 to10 reps. 4. Prehabilation Movements *This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose include any type of lower body sled dragging. 90

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The meso cycle structure of this day depends on the exercise: The max effort exercise should be trained using the maximal effort method described above and cycled for one to three weeks; then you can switch to another movement. The supplemental movement should be trained using the modified repetition method and the exercise should be changed in one form or another every workout. This change can be modifying the set pattern or the repetition design or by totally switching to another movement. For example, you may select the glute/ham raise for the first two workouts for both Monday’s maximal effort and Friday’s dynamic effort, but may do four sets of five for Monday and five sets of eight on Friday. Or, you may decide to do Romanian deadlifts instead of the glute/ham raise on Friday’s workout. The key is to stay as fresh as possible and to keep the body in a constant process of adaptation. The accessory exercises may stay constant for a longer period of time because the intensity is lower. So you may pick the reverse hyper for all dynamic and max effort lower body days for four weeks. You may, however, still change the set/rep pattern. Actually, the reverse hyper is a staple in our routine and is trained on all Mondays and Fridays with only slight modifications being made. Another very good and popular way to cycle the supplemental and accessory exercises is to cycle the weight in a step-like loading pattern where you’ll push up the weight being used for four weeks. Then you’ll drop the weight back down and build back up again trying to exceed the weights used for the first cycle. The prehabilation exercises are cycled in the same style as the supplemental and accessory movements. Wednesday: Max effort bench press training 1. The max effort exercise: work up to 1 or 3 rep max 2. Supplemental exercise: Tricep movement with high volume (six to eight sets for 8 to 12 reps). The best exercises for this group include JM presses, and barbell or dumbbell extensions. 3. Accessory movements: (triceps, lats, delts) * This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra tricep work. The best movements for this group include tricep extensions, rows and various shoulder raises. 4. Prehabilation Movements: (training of the joints) *This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joints: The best movements for this group include external shoulder rotations, press downs and sled dragging for two to four sets of 12 to 15 reps. The training structure for this day is exactly the same as Monday’s workout. Friday: Dynamic squat and deadlift training 1. The box squat: Work up to 8 sets of 2 reps with prescribed percentage 2. The supplemental movement: 91

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*This will include one exercise for the hamstrings. The best movements for the hams include partial deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and glute/ham raises for four to six sets of 5 to 8 reps. 3. The accessory movements: *One or two abdominal movements for three to five sets of 6 to 12 reps a. One lower back movement: The best exercise for this purpose is the reverse hyper performed for three to four sets of 8 reps. 4. Prehabilation Movements *This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose include any type of lower body sled dragging. Friday’s training structure for the dynamic exercise (box squat) is cycled in a four week step-like loading pattern. If your first week’s training percent is 60 then you’ll want to cycle the weight up 10% for the next three weeks. For example:

Week 1 2 3 4

Percent 60% 63% 66% 70%

This four week meso cycle is intended to increase the dynamic explosive strength of the lower body and squat exercise. All squatting is performed on a box. Box squats are the best way to train for explosive strength because you go from a static to dynamic contraction. The box squat is also the best way to teach squatting technique because it’s easier to teach a person to sit back onto a box than without. The box squat is trained using 8 sets of 2 reps. The supplemental, accessory, and prehabilation exercises are cycled the same as in Monday’s max effort workout. Sunday: Bench press training 1. The Bench Press: Work up to 8 sets of 3 reps using three different grips all inside the rings. 2. Supplemental Exercise: Tricep movement with high intensity (two to four sets for 2 to 8 92

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reps). The best movements are close grip bench presses, JM presses, and dumbbell or barbell extensions. 3. Accessory movements: (triceps, lats, delts) *This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra tricep work. The best movements for this group include tricep extensions, rows and various shoulder raises. 4. Prehabilation Movements: (training of the joints) *This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joints. The best movements for this group include external shoulder rotations, press downs and sled dragging for two to four sets of 12 to 15 reps. Sunday’s dynamic effort bench workout begins with the same type of warm up work as on Wednesday’s max effort day. The bench press is trained for 8 sets of 3 reps using three different grips utilizing the dynamic effort method. All these grips should be within the rings on a standard power bar. The bench press is trained with a smooth wave with very little fluctuation in barbell weight. For example: Week 1 2 3 4

Percent 50% 50% 50% 50%

I’ve found this type of wave to be the most beneficial to the bench press. The supplemental, accessory and prehabilation movements are trained under the same guidelines as Wednesday’s maximal effort day.

Wrap up A special note about the dynamic effort training days. Remember that the training is based upon bar speeds and the percents are used only as recommendations. Also, it’s vital that 10% of all the work sets are above 90%. This simply means that after you perform your eight sets, you’ll increase the weight or work up to a heavy single or double. The purpose of this is to teach you to strain in a fatigued state while the fast twitch muscle fibers are fatigued. This will teach the body to better activate the central nervous system under greater loads. 93

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This may also be called cybernetic periodization. This basically means you’ll listen to your body. As you remember with the Western method of periodization, the training percentage sets and reps are set. So what’s to happen if you’re sick, injured or have to miss a workout for whatever reason? This becomes a very important issue because things do happen that will effect your training program. With this system the dynamic days are based upon bar speed so if you’re having a bad day, then reduce the weight and maintain the bar speed. The max effort days are based on the straining with maximal loads. So if you don’t break a record because of a bad day, it’s no big deal, as long as you still strained. One other aspect about the max effort day. Pick the max effort exercise after you arrive in the gym. This way you’ll apply more effort to the lift than if you pre-planned the movement and dreaded getting to the gym all day to do it. Just make sure you don’t always choose those exercises that you’re good at. This is, after all, about building strength and muscle, not your ego.

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The Eight Keys, A Complete Guide to Maximal Strength Development by Dave Tate

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The Eight Keys – Part 1 Remind us not to bug Dave Tate about submitting articles to T-mag. See, here’s what happened. Dave got a little busy with life in general and didn’t send us any articles for a while. We kept nagging him and finally he must’ve snapped. Luckily, he didn’t go Hulk on us and toss TC’s car through the office window (again). Instead, he sat down at his computer and composed a twelve ton nuclear warhead of an article and lobbed it on us! We’re talking a book-length article here that covers every aspect of his style of strength training! Below is the first installment of this roughly 56 part article. Okay, okay, it’s just four parts, but they contain enough info to make you the strongest S.O.B. in your gym. And if you don’t belong to a gym, you can simply print out this series of articles and deadlift it. Either way, you’re gonna get insanely strong! ” The individual who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do, dare and attempt new things. The sure thing boat never gets far from shore.” Dale Carnegie

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Read Before Assembly Have you ever tried to put together a baby crib or any other furniture item that comes in a box? I had to do this recently. First, I dumped the pieces out of the box so I could see all the parts on the floor. This took up roughly half the floor space in my house. I knew I was in trouble. There must have been 10,000 parts, most of which were the size of microorganisms. What the hell was I thinking? Swallowing my manly pride, I decided to consult the instructions. That’s when it really hit me: there’s no way I’ll ever do this! Who the heck wrote these directions? Was English their first language or their third? Did they really think the average person could decipher this secret code? The problem was obvious: the directions were written by a person who knew what he was doing. I, on the other hand, had no idea what I was doing. The author of the assembly instructions had probably tried to make it as simple as possible, but he failed to realize that what was simple to him wasn’t so simple to those of us without advanced technical knowledge and, say, a double major in engineering and quantum physics. (In the end, we decided the new baby could sleep in the box the crib came in.) When I wrote the “Periodization Bible” articles for T-mag, I was much like the author above. I wrote what I thought at the time was the easiest way to explain the concepts and principles used for maximum strength development. It’s taken over 10,000 e-mails, hundreds of seminars, and hundreds of hours on the phone to see that I missed the boat. Most people could care less as to the reasons why; they want the how. Not only do they want to know how, but they want it as simple as possible. This new series of articles should be exactly what they, and perhaps you, need. I’ve come up with eight key factors that are required to get as strong as possible. These include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Coaching Teamwork Conditioning Strength Speed Recovery Attitude Nutrition

Each of these variables is just as important as the next and not one should be left unexamined. If one is off, the entire program will suffer because of it. Let’s examine each key factor. In Part One of this article, we’ll look at coaching, teamwork, and conditioning.

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Coaching A coach is a mentor, training partner, motivator, and leader. There are many other functions the coach will fill but the most important is this: The coach should strive to make you better than he is. A great strength coach will be one who’s lived in the trenches and has paid his dues with blood, sweat, and iron. If you want to squat 800 pounds, why would you ever listen to someone who’s never squatted 455? Ask yourself this question and you’ll see my point. How much do you bench press? The answer doesn’t matter that much, but let’s say it’s 400 pounds. Now ask yourself, how much more did you have to learn about training to bench 400 as compared to when you pressed 200? Would you also agree that there’s much more to learn to take your bench from 400 to 500? I think so. Now, how much more training did you have to do to go from 200 to 400? Did it come overnight? Or did you have to work hard and work smart to get there? Nobody will ever be able to convince me that no knowledge was gained in the 200 pound process! The next question would be, could this same under-the-bar-knowledge be learned from a book? In other words, is there another way to gain this same knowledge? I don’t think so. I feel the best coaches are the ones who’ve attained both under-the-bar knowledge and book knowledge. If you had to only choose one, it would have to be the under-the-bar coach. He knows how to get you where you’re going because he’s been there. After all, how do you know what really works if you never put it to the test? I see tons of new programs on how to get strong and the first thing I ask the author is, “Have you done it? What did it do for you?” 98

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I could go on and on about coaches as it’s one of those topics that drives me nuts, but it would become a huge rant article. I’ll leave you instead with this short story. Years ago I came to train with Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell. He was semi-retired at the time. We had a big group of lifters but only two or three were elite and most were below average. I believe there was only one 900 pound squat. When Louie decided to make a comeback and begin training hard again, the entire gym changed and a few years later, we were all elites and had over six 900 pound squats. The rest was history. Tell me a coach who trains isn’t a better coach! If you’re a coach, get your ass in the gym and get strong again. You owe it to yourself and your team.

Teamwork If you train alone you’re putting limits on yourself. Training partners are critical for many reasons, including group energy, subgroup coaching, and competing. Have you ever noticed when you go into a gym all the strong guys train in their own little clique? Do you think they were always strong, or could a couple of strong guys have taken another guy under their wings to bring him up? That’s usually what happens with a team. In fact, they’re all stronger because of the team. The energy a team can provide is enormous. We all need relationships in our lives to take things to the next level. Think back to your football or other team sport days. Remember the locker room talk before the big game? You find yourself sitting on one knee listening to the coach. As the coach speaks and the game gets closer, your energy meter is getting jacked up. Your blood is moving fast in your body and you can feel the adrenaline flowing. You’re jacked up and ready to go. You’re at maximum level! Now what if I was to tell you there’s a way to take it one level higher, but this can’t happen when you’re alone? You’ll need others to make this work. Go back to the game. What happens after the coach finishes his speech and you stand up? You find everyone in the room is jacked up. There’s fire in everyone’s eyes and you’re taking in more energy from them. It’s almost unreal! There are highfives, head butts, screams, rage, and extreme motivation. This happens because everyone in the room has his own level ten, but when it’s combined for one purpose and one goal the energy goes off the chart! You find yourself at a level you never thought possible. This can’t be achieved alone.

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I use this as an example of group energy. I’m not telling you to go nuts with your training partners each session. I’m saying there’s energy there that can’t be found any other way! If you want to take it to the next level, find some training partners who share the same goals. You’ll be amazed. Training partners are also a great subgroup of coaches when you’re training. When you’re bench pressing, are you pressing the bar on the right path? Are your elbows tucked? Are you sure? A training partner can do two things: point out the mistakes and provide the proper verbal queuing during the movement to make sure you don’t screw up the next one. You’ll also notice one key thing in all lifter interviews. They always thank their training partners. Why do you think they do this? They know that without them they wouldn’t be where they are today. If you train alone, stop messing around and get a partner!

Conditioning If you think you can excel in any sport without a base level of conditioning you’re out of your mind. The days of over-fat, bloated, can’t breathe, can’t sleep powerlifters are over! Let me describe what I define as a powerlifter so everyone is on the same page. A powerlifter is one who competes in the squat, bench, and deadlift to arrive at the highest total. A full meet can last 100

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up to nine hours and nine max lifts will be attempted. To be able to do this, a lifter must be in great condition or he’ll pay the price come the deadlift. Here’s where one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen over the past few years will come into focus. You can get conditioned by adding extra workouts and GPP (General Physical Preparation) training, but I’ve seen lifters go from three workouts per week to fourteen and wonder why they can’t recover. There are many ways to get conditioned (increase work capacity and GPP), but what I suggest doing is taking a slow build-up process to condition the body to the extra work. To do this, add in warm-up work for a few weeks. For example, a startup warm-up session would look like this:

Warm-Ups • • • •

Sled Dragging: 3 sets of 20 steps Glute Ham Raises: 1 set of 6 reps Push-Ups: 1 set of 10 reps Lat Pulldowns or Chins: 1 set of 10 reps

Over the next few weeks, the sets, reps and movements will increase to something like this: • • • • • • •

Sled Dragging: 4 sets of 80 steps Glute Ham Raises: 4 sets of 12 reps Push-Ups: 4 sets of 15 reps Lat Pulldown or Chins: 3 sets of 15 reps Incline Sit-Ups: 3 sets of 20 reps Neck Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps Dynamic Band Stretching: 5 minutes

As you can see, the total volume and work has increased and the main part of your training session has remained unchanged. When your warm-up gets over seven to eight items, then you can cut it in half and move four items to an afternoon session (in an extra workout). Now you can add four more movements (over time) to the morning warm-up session and four more (again, over time) to the afternoon session. You may find that keeping it all in the morning session is the best way for you and you won’t need the afternoon sessions. You may also find you need different movements to get your body ready for the real work of the day. Whatever you choose to do, remember that extra work should be added in a slow process over time. And as long as you’re making gains, don’t be so quick to add extra work. Listed below are a few items I feel are great for extra workouts and warm-up sessions: Light Plyometrics: Rope Skipping and Low Box Jumps (under 10″) Glute Hams Raises: Not the “natural” glute ham raises everyone seems to think are GHR’s. You need a special bench to do these. The natural GHR is too intense for warm-up and extra work and is better left in the main session. • 101

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• • • • • • •

Any Abdominal Training All Type of Sled Dragging Any Light Band Movements Free Standing Squatting Light Deadlifting (under 40% of max) Push-Ups Dumbbell Shoulder Raises

The sport you lift in will determine the level of conditioning you’ll need and how many extra sessions you’ll need to work into. For more information, see the sport specific area of our Q and A section at elitefts.com. In the next installment, Dave will discuss the strength portion of his system, which as you can guess, is a whole article unto itself. He’ll also open beer bottles with his teeth and swallow the glass. Don’t bring the kiddies.

The Eight Keys, Part II

Strength To be strong you must have strength. Pretty simple concept, don’t you think? So did I, but then I started getting a lot of e-mails telling me strength isn’t important for sports. So I had to go back to the drawing board and rethink this one. After many hours of deep thought I still have to say: strength is very important! A quick football example and I’ll move on to how to develop strength. I’ve been told there’s no need for a lineman to be able to squat over 350 pounds as he’ll never have to move more than that on the field. This may be true if he had to move the 250 pound guy one time and it didn’t matter how fast he moved him. We know in the game of football that the rate of force development is very important. You don’t want people being moved slowly. We know from Mel Siff’s writings that max force in the barbell squat can be measured at around 60%. At Westside we’ve found close to the same percentage to be true. The other thing we know is the average play will last under ten seconds and there’ll be between three and ten plays per drive. Our lineman who squats the “recommended” 350 will now be able to create max force at 210 pounds and may or may not be conditioned to do this more than one time. Too bad the guy across from him weighs 350! Who will wear who down?

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Now, if the lineman could squat 600 pounds he’d create max force at 360. Does he have to actually squat 600 pounds? No! But he better be able to create max force with 350 pounds for eight to ten sets of two to three reps (around ten seconds set length) with 45 to 60 seconds rest. If not, he’s at a disadvantage.

So how do you get strong? We use a method called the max effort method. This is lifting heavy weight for one to three reps. There are two max effort training days per week, one for the lower body (squat) and one for the upper body (bench). One max effort movement will be completed for each day. The best movements for beginners to use are listed below:

Max Effort Squat Movements 1. Deadlifts standing on 3 inches of mats or boards for 1 rep max. 2. Good Mornings for 3 to 5-rep max sets. When you become used to the movement, then singles should be performed. 3. Close Stance Low Box Squats for 1 rep max . Set the box so your hip at the crease of the leg joint is three inches lower than parallel. 4. Safety Squat Bar Squats — If you have one of these bars then start using it. It’s one of the best ways to build the muscles that squat and deadlift. The reason for this is the bar is trying to toss you forward and you have to fight to keep it in a good path. It also takes the weight off your shoulders as you don’t have to hold the bar as you would a regular squat bar. You’ll hold this bar by the front yokes. Don’t hold onto the rack and pull yourself up, either. If you don’t have one of these bars, then try to do anything you can to change the center of gravity of the movement. This can be done a number of different ways. You can use what’s called a Manta Ray that snaps onto the bar; you can do high bar squats; or you can wrap a thick towel around the bar so it’ll sit higher on the back. Each of these will all work the body differently. 5. Pin Pulls for 1 rep max. I like to have lifters use pins below the knee at various positions for this movement. Only pick one position per day.

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Max Effort Bench Movements 1. Various Board Presses — Same as bench press except you’ll bring the bar down to a select

number of 2 x 6 boards on your chest. The two board press would be two 2 x 6′s (one on top of the other). The board is usually around 12 to 16 inches in length to make it easy for a spotter to hold it in front of you. If you don’t have a spotter to hold the board, you can tuck it under your shirt, use a band, or use one of those rubber waist trimmer things to go around both you and the board.

2. Floor Presses — Lay on the floor and perform a bench press with a one second pause at the bottom. This exercise is designed to strengthen the midpoint of the bench press. It’s also very effective in increasing triceps strength.

3. Close-Grip Incline Presses — Use a low to steep incline with one finger on the smooth part of the bar.

4. Pin Presses — Place a bench in a power rack and a bar on the pins. Adjust the pins (safety sup-

ports) to change the range of motion. Do these from various positions, from just off the chest to two inches below lockout.

5. Reverse Band Press — This movement is the same as a bench press except you’ll use two large flex bands to hang the bar from the top of the power rack.

Note: Bands and/or chains can be added to any of these movements for variety and training effect. So how many sets and reps should I do for this max effort movement? Make sure to only do one max effort movement per session. The sets are dependent on how strong you are and how you work up. If you only bench 185 pounds, it wouldn’t be wise to start with 135, then jump to 155 for a set and then finish with 185. There’s very little volume completed this way. It’s better to use a set rep scheme as follows: • • • • • • • • •

2 Board Press (Max 185) 45 pounds for 3 sets of 5 reps 70 for 3 reps 95 for 3 reps 115 for 1 rep 135 for 1 rep 155 for 1 rep 175 for 1 rep 190 for 1 rep

The last one should be an all-out effort. If not, keep working up. There’s nothing wrong with missing a weight on the movement. As you can see, the volume is much higher and the work load more productive to strength gains.

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What do I do after the max effort movement? Your choice of movements after the main max effort movement should be based on where your weaknesses are. For 90% of the lifters and athletes I’ve seen, this movement would be something for the triceps on bench days and hamstrings on squat days. These would be followed with other movements designed around the individual lifter. To better illustrate, see the sample templates below:

Max Effort Bench, Upper Body Day Warm up Main Session 1. Max Effort Movement — Board Presses. Pick one movement from above and work up to max. 2. Triceps Movement — Pick one or two of the following listed below: • • • • • 105

Dumbbell Triceps Extensions with elbows in Dumbbell Triceps Extensions with elbows out JM Presses Close Grip Incline Press Close Grip Rack Lockouts (mid to high) www.elitefts.com

• • •

Close Grip Board Presses (mid to high) Barbell Extensions to nose or lower Close Grip Push-ups with hands on hex dumbbells

Sets and reps are dependent on what each lifter feels he needs to do. Most have found one heavy day and one lighter day per week to work best. I’d recommend the heavy day to be on the max effort day and the lighter day to be on the speed or dynamic day. For the heavy day, work up to one to three heavy sets of five reps. This can either be the same weight for all sets or it can be staggered weight for the three sets of five reps. The light day will consist of 4 to 8 sets of 8 to 12 reps. 3. Shoulder Movement — You should only do one or two light shoulder movements as the shoulders get hit in every session anyway. For example, when you squat, your shoulders are getting pounded. They also get trained each time you bench press. I believe most shoulder injuries are a result of overuse and overtraining of the deltoid area. With this in mind, I’d suggest all the shoulder movements be part of the raises or rotation categories. These would include: • • • • • • • • • •

All types of rotator cuff work Side Raises of any kind Front Raises of any kind Rear Raises of any kind Chest Supported Rows — Performed on any rowing machine where your chest is supported on a pad. Barbell Rows Dumbbell Rows Face Pulls — Stand in front of a lat machine and pull the bar to your face. Chins to the front Pulldowns to the front with close or wide grip

The sets and reps would average around 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps. 4. Lat Movement — I used to feel all lat work should be performed on the same plane as the bench press. In other words, all lat work should be rows. While this makes sense in theory, it doesn’t hold up in real life. Too many lifters don’t do this and many bench a hell of a lot more than me! Yes, I do feel rows are a better choice but there are advantages to the pulldown and chin-up movements as well. I’d suggest mixing them up and doing one to two movements per session. The best of the best in this category include: The sets and reps on the lat work is somewhat tricky and will depend on the movement. All movements should be done strictly and with good form. This will keep the weight relatively low. For the chins, training to failure on each set seems to work best, while the rows seem to work better with lower reps (5-8) and fewer sets (2-3). The pulldown and face pulls all seem to feel and work better in the higher reps range (12-15) for higher sets (4-5). 106

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Max Effort Squat or Lower Body Day Warm Up Main Session A) Max Effort Movement — Low Box Squats with Safety Squat Bar. Pick one movement and work up to max B) Hamstring Movement — There are tons of hamstring movements but only a few that’ll make my list as the best of the best. Most hamstring movements are a complete waste of time for strength because they only work the hamstrings from either the hip or knee and not both at the same time. The best of the best list includes: 1. Glute Ham Raises with a real GHR bench! The reason I say “real bench” is that I’m in the equipment business, so I see the junk that’s out there and it frustrates the hell out of me. First off, a socalled “natural” glute ham raise (where you kneel on the floor and someone holds your heals as you fall forward) is not a glute ham raise; it’s a manual hamstring curl. Second, to the beginner, a GHR should be hard to do. If you get on a bench and can knock out 10 to 15 reps the first time you do it, then the machine isn’t built correctly. The toe plate should be long enough to push your toes into it. The pad should have an angle on it to keep your body in the correct position so you don’t fall off at the top. I can go on and on with this, but the fact is that too many companies build equipment designed by people who’ve never lifted a real weight in their lives! To do a GHR, you’ll start with your body in a horizontal position on the bench with your toes pushed into the toe plate. Your knees will be set two inches behind the pad and your back will be rounded with your chin tucked. You then push your toes into the pad and curl your body up with your ham107

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strings while keeping your back rounded. As you approach the top position, squeeze your glutes to finish in a vertical position. The sets and rep scheme for the GHR depends on the strength of the lifter. I find most athletes and lifters to be very bad at these as the hamstring strength of most people is downright terrible. For those who fall into this category, I’d have them do two to three sets of GHR as part of their warmup for every workout of the week. I suggest they strive to get 3 sets of 10 reps. This will mean for most that they’ll be doing three sets to failure, failing around 3 to 5 reps each set. Over time this will improve. Once they get better, I’d have them keep the GHR as a warm-up movement and drop the sets and reps to 3 sets of 8 reps. At this time in the program, they’d now add the GHR as a main movement as part of the main session at least one time per week. Yes, they’ll be doing GHR’s five times per week! For the main session there are several suggestions to follow for the highest success. While doing the GHR as the main movement, it’s “bust ass” time. The reps and sets will fall into several categories and should be rotated every few weeks. Examples of these programs would include: • Three sets to failure • One hundred total reps (using as many sets as needed) • Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps while holding weight across chest • Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps while holding weight behind head • Three heavy sets of 5 to 6 reps with the back of machine inclined up 4 to 30 inches. • Dynamic GHR sets — Here you get to the top position and drop fast and rebound out of the bottom with as much force as you can. You can use a heavy medicine ball or weight to lower faster and drop the weight at the bottom. • Static-Dynamic GHR — Start at the horizontal position and have a training partner place his hands on your back for a three to five-second count. While doing this, drive into your partner’s hands as hard as you can. After the five seconds, your partner will pull away and you should fire up as fast as you can to finish the rep. This is best preformed with 5 to 6 sets of 3 reps. • Yielding GHR — For this version you’ll break the movement into three holding positions, each for 5 to 10 seconds. Start at the horizontal position and hold for 10 seconds, raise halfway and hold for another 10 seconds, then rise to the top and hold for 10 more. • Timed GHR — In this version you’ll give yourself a set time and do as many reps as you can. For example, you use five minutes and end up with 70 reps the first time you do it. The next time you’d use the same time and try to beat the 70 reps. • GHR with bands — This is a movement for the more advanced lifter. Strap each of the bands around the bottom of the GHR and place the other end around your upper traps. The bands will add heavy 108

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resistance at the top. • Forced GHR with heavy eccentric — This is a good version for those who aren’t strong enough to get one rep. With this version the training partner will help the lifter get to the top and then he’d lower the rep on his own. Only enough assistance should be applied to help the lifter get one rep. Sets of 3 to 5 reps are best with this style of the GHR. 2. Reverse Hypers — Here’s another one of those things that bothers me. The reverse hyper is a trademarked name, so there’s only one way to do them and it’s on a reverse hyper machine. Anything else is not a reverse hyper! This machine is also very good for the development of the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. There are many ways to perform the reverse hyper but these three are the best I’ve found: • Three to four heavy sets for 6 to 10 reps — This is a looser style then many are used to. After you get on the machine you’ll use a couple of reps to get the weight moving (these don’t count for the total). When you get a full range of motion, you’ll try to catch the weight at the bottom of the motion where the axis of the plates begins to cross the front legs of the machine (closest to your head). This way you reverse the weight before it reverses you. This style seems to hit the hamstrings and glutes very hard. • Strict sets for 3 to 4 sets of 15 reps — To do the strict reverse hyper, set yourself on the bench so your hips are 3 to 4 inches off the back of the machine, then arch your back as hard as you can while keeping your chest off the machine. This will put your body in a diagonal position. To perform the motion, you’ll begin with the axis of the plates even with the back legs on the machine (closest to your hips). From the start position, focus on arching the weight up with the lower back. You’ll only be able to get the weight so high. When you get to the top, try and hold the position for a one count. This will be impossible to do but try your hardest. The tempo of this movement is twice as slow as the first style of hyper. You’ll feel this style more in the lower back than anywhere else. • Timed Reverse Hypers — This is a classic Louie Simmons movement. Use much less weight than you would with the other two styles. Either style of the reverse hyper can be used for this. Pick a designated time (usually 3 to 5 minutes) and continue with the set nonstop for as long as you can or until you hit your time deadline. 3. Pull Through — The pull through is a special exercise designed to train the muscles of the lower back, hamstrings, and glutes. Begin by facing away from a low pulley cable with a single “D” handle. Next, bend over and grab the handle between your legs while facing away from the machine. Then pull the handle through your legs until your body is in an upright position. This movement is best trained with 4 to 6 sets of 10 to 15 reps. 4. Dimel Deadlift — The Dimel deadlift is the one movement we get the most questions about. To perform it, stand in front of the barbell with around 30 to 40 percent of your max deadlift weight. Pull the bar to the top position. This is the starting position of the exercise. From here you want to arch your back as hard as you can and push your hips back until you feel a 109

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extreme stretch in your hamstring and glutes. For the first few reps you’ll lower the bar with a controlled tempo to just below knee level then rebound back up. Once you get the bar path figured out you’ll then begin to lower very fast and rebound out of the bottom in a ballistic fashion. This is a high speed, high rep exercise that’s best trained with 2 to 3 sets of 20 reps. 5. Close Stance, Stiff Leg, No Touch Deadlifts Off Box — This is another great movement for the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. Stand on a four inch box and pull deadlifts. The key here is you’ll not touch the floor until the set is finished. The bar will stop short of the floor by a few inches before you complete the next rep. I’ve seen this trained two ways. First, for a couple of heavy sets of 3 to 5 reps; second, for a few sets of 15 to 20 reps. 6. Sled Dragging — Sled dragging is a very underrated hamstring movement. There are a few ways to really hit your hamstring with the sled. The most popular is forward walking where you make sure to really kick the front leg out. The second method is to grab the sled handle or strap behind your knees with a close stance. While in the bent over position, keep your hands behind your knees while walking forward. You’ll only be able to take small steps but after a few steps you’ll know right away what you’re training. There are two very good ways to drag the sled for hamstrings. First is with very heavy weight for 15 to 20 steps per set. The second is with lighter weight for 70 to 100 steps per set. 7. Inverse Leg Curls — This movement is performed on a glute ham bench or a standard hyper extension or back raise bench. To perform it, set your body on the bench as you would a back raise. You’ll be in a facedown, rounded over position with your heels and toes off of the toe plate. The only thing holding you should be your heals against the pad. If you’re using a GHR bench you’ll want to set the toe plate forward so your knees are just off the pad. To begin, arch your lower back as hard as you can and force your heals into the pad. Pull yourself into the horizontal position and then try to leg curl your way up another three to four inches. If done correctly, you’ll only be able to pull yourself up a few inches. When you hit your highest spot, you’ll hold statically for a three count then lower. This is best trained for 4 to 6 sets to failure. C) Torso Work — These torso movements are intended to train the muscles of the lower back and abdominals. This could very well be the most important group of the entire training program. Many great movements for the training of maximum strength are listed below. Choose one for the lower back and one for the abs. If you feel the need, two can be performed for each muscle group, but try to keep the total main session movements down to four to six movements. If you feel the need for more torso work, add it to the warm-up or an extra workout later in the day or on an off day. 1. Reverse Hypers — This movement is already described above. If you choose to do the exercise as a hamstring movement, find something else to do for the torso work or use a different method to train it. 2. Banded Good Morning — This is a great high rep movement. To perform this exercise, you’ll need to use a Jump Stretch flex band. Stand on the band with one end of the loop under both feet 110

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using a medium stance. Place the other end of the band around the upper traps. From here do a standard good morning movement by bending over and standing up while keep the knees slightly bent. Make sure you’re forcing back onto your hamstrings as you bend over. This movement can be trained a variety of ways for a few sets of 20 reps to a few sets of 100 reps. 3. Pulldown Abs — Begin by placing a rope or leather triceps handle on the lat pulldown machine. Face away from the machine and grab the rope behind your head with both hands. Perform the movement in the same motion as a deadlift. Start by pushing your abs out and then tighten them as hard as you can. Bend over at the waist until your torso goes below parallel to the floor. Reverse the motion in the same manner. 4. Back Extension — This exercise will help strengthen your lower back. Using a glute ham raise or back raise, lock your heels in and bend forward at the waist. Begin the movement by arching yourself to a parallel position and holding for a second. Return to the starting position slowly to avoid getting dizzy. 5. Ab Wheel — This is a great exercise for your abdominals. All you need is an ab wheel (which can be purchased at EliteFTS.com). Start on your knees and roll yourself out, keeping your abs tight. Once you’re parallel to the floor, bring yourself up, back to the starting position. This isn’t an exercise for everyone as it requires great core strength. 6. Hanging Leg Raise — You can hang from a chin-up bar or use special straps. This exercise can be done several ways. The first way is bringing your knees to your chest and lowering them back down. This is the easiest way to do them and recommended for beginners. The more advanced version of this is keeping your legs straight throughout the entire movement. For those wanting a good challenge, try bringing your feet to the top of the chin-up bar. Make sure you don’t swing and use momentum to perform reps. If you’re not strong enough to do this, have someone place his hands on your lower back. 7. Roman Chair Sit Ups — This is a great exercise to develop your hip flexors and abdominals. Place your feet under the GHR foot pads, keep your knees relatively straight, and perform sit-ups. To make the exercise more difficult, hold a plate behind your head. 8. Rainbows — This exercise is designed to isolate the obliques. To begin this movement, lie on your back with your hands over your head holding onto a heavy object. Pull both knees toward your chest in a tucked position. Keeping this tucked position, roll your knees to the left side until they touch the floor, rotate back to the center, then roll them to the right. You must keep your shoulder blades on the floor. To increase the difficulty, perform the movement with your legs raised in a 90 degree angle. 9. Straight Leg Raises — This exercise is intended to strengthen the abs and hip flexor muscles. Lie on your back on a flat bench or on the floor. Keep your arms out to your sides or hold onto the rack. Raise your legs to a 90 degree angle and press your lower back into the bench as hard as possible. Lower your legs until you feel your back start to arch. At this point, raise the legs back to the starting position. Not everyone will be able to go all the way down at first, just go as low as you can before your back arches. If you try to force it too soon you may injure yourself. 111

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How do I cycle the max effort movement? You have to always remember that with this style of training every movement has its own life cycle associated to it. In other words, each movement cycles independent of the other. Also, each day cycles independent of the other days. For the max effort day, the first movement (max effort movement) will rotate in a one to three week cycle. There are several ways to accomplish this. The more advanced the lifter, the faster the movement has to change. An advanced lifter will need to change this movement every week. An intermediate will change every two weeks while a beginner will change every three. How do I know if I’m a beginner, intermediate or advanced? If you have to ask this question, then you’re a beginner. Everyone new to this style of training should treat himself as a beginner. There are checks and balances (C & B’s) throughout the program so you’ll know when to change. The C & B’s for the max effort movement are if you’re breaking records or not. If you chose two board presses and hit 315 on week one, 320 on week two, and 335 on week three, then you should use a threeweek rotation. Now, if you hit 315 on week one, 320 on week two, then can’t do 315 on week three, then you should switch every two weeks. The longer you use the method, the sooner you’ll be switching every week. There are a few alternative approaches worth looking into: 1) Many coaches have found it best to use a two week cycle with their athletes where week one would be an intro week to the movement. Here they may use a percentage based scheme for a week (such as 70% of their best with the same movement for 2 sets of 5 reps, or 80% for 3 sets of 3 reps). These coaches have found the athletes do much better on week two (when they hit the one rep) when they use an intro week to the movement. 112

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2) Another approach similar to the first one is a three week cycle based on 70% for 5 reps on week one followed by 80% for 3 on week two and then 100 plus on week three. I personally don’t like this as I feel the chance of injury is too high with the higher reps when compared to the singles. 3) One approach told to me by a very successful lifter overseas was to cycle the down sets of the max effort movement. This lifter would work up to a one rep max and then hit a down set of a prescribed percentage. He’d use 70% for 2 sets of 5 reps on week one, 72% for 2 sets 5 reps on week two, 76% for one set of 5 reps on week three and 80% for 5 reps on week four. The max effort movement would change every week but the down sets percentage went up for the fourth week, then the cycle would start again.

Do you do the max effort movement every week? This answer depends on what you’re doing on all the other days as well as the individual. If you’re hitting it very hard with bands on the dynamic day, then you may find you can’t hit the max effort movement every week and may have to take it easy one workout of the month. If you find you’re not recovering, then you’ll want to take it easy one of the workouts each month. When you “take it easy” (not a day off ) you’ll replace the movement with higher rep work using a movement intended to train the same muscles.

How do you know if you went heavy enough? If you have to ask this question, then you’re totally missing the boat. This movement is about straining as hard as you can. If you make the weight and have something left then you need to add more weight and go again. When using the max effort method you must strain to gain!

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How do you cycle the other stuff? The max effort movement isn’t the only movement that has to cycle on this day. All the supplemental movements must also cycle. These movements won’t cycle at the same rate as the max effort movement as they can be cycled longer. The four ways I recommend cycling these movements are weight related, rep related, set related, and movement related.

1) Weight Related Cycles — With this method you’ll try to use more weight for the same reps with the same movement until you can’t increase any longer. At this point you’ll switch the movement.

For example, let’s say you choose dumbbell extensions for your triceps movement. For week one you perform 50 pound dumbbell extensions for 3 sets of 10 reps. The next week you do 60 pound dumbbells for 3 sets of 10 reps. The third week you use 70 pound dumbbells for two sets of 10 reps and one set of 6 reps. Now it’s time to change the movement or the method of training the same movement.

2) Rep Related Cycles — With this method you’ll try to get more reps on each set of a given movement. For example, let’s say you choose the GHR for your hamstring work and get one set of 6, one set of 5 and a third set of 5. The next week you want to try to get more reps then you did the last time. After three to four weeks (or when you can no longer add more reps), you’ll switch the movement or the method for training the same movement. 3) Set Related Cycles — This method is one of the best for increasing volume fast over the train-

ing cycle. All you do here is add an additional set to the movement with a desired number of reps. For example, you decide to use reverse hypers as your lower back movement. For week one you do 2 sets of 10 reps. Week two, 3 sets of 10 reps, for week three, 4 sets of 10 reps, and on week four you get 4 sets of 10 reps, but only 7 reps on the fifth set. This is when it’s time to change the movement or method.

4) Movement Related Cycles — With this method you’ll switch the movement every week and cycle the sets and reps from week to week. This is the best choice for the more advanced lifter as they’ve already figured out how to train on feel. The actual movement doesn’t need to change every three weeks but something has to change every few weeks. I feel the reverse hyper and GHR are both very important to my training and both are trained two to four times per week. This would be an example of how I’d cycle my GHR movement for the main session:

GHR Cycle Weeks 1-3

Monday: GHR, rep related cycle Friday: GHR on 6 inch incline, weight related cycle Weeks 4-7 114

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Monday: Ballistic GHR, rep related Friday: GHR on 10 inch incline, rep related cycle Note: These cycles may not last the three weeks as the change may need to happen before then because of stagnation. The two days will also cycle independent of each other.

Closing That wraps up the strength portion of the eight keys.

The Eight Keys, Part III

Speed The speed day (dynamic effort day) is designed to make the lifter faster. If you were to do a vertical jump, would you try to jump slowly? If so, how high would you go? What would happen if you were to try and jump fast and apply more force? You’d go much higher, of course! Training for maximal strength has to have a speed element to it or you won’t be training to the fullest potential. There are some lifters who are stronger than they are fast and others who are faster than they are strong. You have to train both elements regardless of where you fall. This way you can harness your strength and bring up your weakness. There are two days of the week devoted to training for speed. The first is for the bench press and the second is for the squat and deadlift. There are a few different movements that can be rotated for the speed work. These include:

Speed Squats 1) Parallel Box Squats — The benefits of this exercise are numerous. It develops eccentric and

concentric power by breaking the eccentric-concentric chain. Box squats are a form of overload and isolation. The box squat is the best way to teach proper form on the squat because it’s easy to sit way back while pushing your knees out. To take the barbell out of the rack, the hands must first be evenly placed on the bar. Secure the bar on the back where it feels the most comfortable. To lift the bar out of the rack, one must push evenly with the legs, arch the back, push your abs out against the belt, and lift the chest up while driving the head back. A high chest will ensure the bar rests as far back as possible. Slide one foot back, then the other, to assume a position to squat. Set your feet up in a wide stance position. Point your toes straight ahead or slightly outward. Also, keep your elbows pulled under the bar. When you’re ready for the descent, make sure to keep the same arched back position. Pull your shoulders together and push your abs out. To begin the de-

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scent, push your hips back first. As you sit back, push your knees out to the sides to ensure maximum hip involvement. Once you reach the box, you need to sit on it and release the hip flexors. Keep the back arched and abs pushed out while driving your knees out to the side. To begin the ascent, push out on the belt, arch the back as much as possible, and drive the head, chest, and shoulders to the rear. If you push with the legs first, your buttocks will rise first, forcing the bar over the knees (as in a good morning) which causes stress to the lower back and knees and diminishes the power of the squat.

2) Safety Bar Box Squats — This is the same as listed in the max effort section in part 2 of this

series except now it’ll be used for speed training. Using this bar for speed squat training can have a profound effect on your deadlift because of the added strength gained in the upper and lower back.

3) Cambered Bar Box Squats — This bar has a huge 14-inch camber to allow your hands to rest closer to your body’s midline. This is a huge advantage for several reasons. First, it takes stress off the shoulders. You have to always keep in mind how much shoulder work you really do. When you squat, your shoulders are held in an isometric contraction with max weight. Your shoulders are worked on all bench movements as well. The cambered and safety bar offer a much needed break to allow the shoulders to recover. The second benefit of this bar is related to the one above. Because your arms are held lower, you’re taking much of the stress out of the upper back and placing it on the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. If you choose to do a band cycle with this bar, the way you attach the bands will have to change. If the bands were to attach the traditional way where you choke at the bottom, there would never be tension at the bottom of this bar because the plates are held fourteen inches lower. You can solve this by pulling the band around the plates while still choked at the bottom.

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Speed Deads 1) Speed Pulls — Speed deadlifting can be trained with either the conventional or sumo method of pulling. The speed pulls are usually completed right after the speed or dynamic squats (yes, on the same day). Most lifters prefer to use 40-50 percent for 6 to 10 sets of one rep with 20-45 second rest periods. • Conventional Deadlifts: This max effort exercise is designed to test overall body strength. It’s normally advised to use a close grip, hands touching the smooth part of the bar. You’ll be pulling the bar a shorter distance by rolling the shoulders forward as you rotate the scapulae. This works fine for smaller lifters, but large men will do better by using a wider-than-shoulder grip. This allows room for the stomach to descend between the thighs, which are naturally set wider because of their girth. Most small men should keep their feet close together to use mostly back muscles, whereas big men use a lot of leg drive to start the lift. Pull the bar up to a standing position. The key with the conventional deadlift is to make sure you arch the lower back and round the upper back while keeping the shoulders behind the bar. • Sumo Style Deadlift: Use a moderate stance and a close grip. To start the lift, you’ll rock into the bar; the hips come up fast toward the bar. This requires a strong back because the legs lock out long before the bar is completely locked. The most common style is with the feet very wide (out to the plates). The lifter shouldn’t lower the hips any more than necessary. The back must be arched to the extreme. Most important is to push your feet out to the sides, not down. Why? By pushing down with a sumo or wide stance, your knees will come together, which is the most common mistake in the sumo. By pushing the knees out forcefully, the hips will come toward the bar fast, making for a favorable leverage and placing most of the work on the hips, legs, and glutes. Remember, don’t stay down too long; it’ll destroy the stretch reflex. 2) Speed Pull Against Bands — With the use of a Jump Stretch band platform, attach bands around the platform and then the bar. This will make the tension greater at the top of the lift because of the pull of the bands. For this type of speed training, 20-30% barbell weight will be used with a variety of different band tensions. Usually 5 to 8 sets of 1 to 3 reps would be completed with 20 to 45 second rest periods. 3) Speed Pulls Off Box — This style of speed deadlift involves standing on a box or series of rubber mats to elevate the lifter 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Use 30-40% of max deadlift weight for 5 to 10 sets of 1 rep with 45-60 second rest periods.

The Bench Press 1) Speed Benches — The bench press should be performed with the shoulder blades pulled together and driven into the bench, elbows tucked. The bar should hit you in the lower chest area. The bar must be pushed in a straight line, not back over the face. The total time taken for all three reps should be no longer than 3 to 3.5 seconds per set. This style of speed training is the staple method with this program and should be used most of the time. 117

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2) Speed Catch Benches — This is the same as the bench press except you’ll lower the bar quickly, catch it (stop it) one to two inches from the chest, and explode back to lockout. This style of speed work is great for starting strength and will usually only be cycled a few weeks at a time. 3) Floor Presses — This is the exact same floor press as described in the max effort section in part 2 of this series, except now it’ll be used for speed training. This is great when coming back from shoulder, pec, or triceps injuries. Make sure you don’t bounce your elbows off the floor but pause for a static second and then explode to lockout. This is great for bringing up the pressing muscles because the legs are (to a degree) taken out of the motion. 4) Floor Catch Presses — Same as above but you’ll stop one to two inches short of the chest (because you’re lying on the floor) and explode back to lockout. This is great for bringing up weak triceps. 5) Speed Low Board Presses — This is a special max effort exercise designed to help strengthen the lockout of the bench press. It’s also very effective in increasing triceps strength. This exercise is performed exactly the same as the bench press except you pause the bar on a board that’s placed on your chest. The board for this workout will be one or two 2×6 boards that are about 12 inches in length. Make sure to pause the bar on the boards before the ascent. This movement is also great for increasing the starting strength of the bench press.

What type of sets and reps should be completed on speed day for the box squats, bench press, and deadlift? There are many different cycles that should be rotated for the box squat and most depend on the level and experience of the lifter. Many of the cycles will incorporate the use of bands and chains to help take the training to another level. For more information on this, I’d suggest reading my Accommodating Resistance article. Beginner Cycles — A beginner is someone who’s never trained this way before, has a ton of muscle that needs to be built (ya can’t flex bone!), or has technique problems that need to be addressed. For these lifters, I’ve outlined two different training cycles for the squat and two for the bench press and deadlift. Some key notes to remember: For the bench press you’ll use up to three different grips for these three sets. These grips will range from one finger on the smooth to one finger outside the lines. There will only be a total of eight sets completed with all grips. You don’t do eight sets with each grip! Also, you can vary the grip however you like. All squatting should be done on a parallel box and with good form. All dynamic work must be executed with a very fast concentric (lifting) phase.The beginner should only use the standard box squat, bench press, and deadlift for speed training. He shouldn’t use any other special speed movements! 118

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Beginner Squat Cycles Squat Cycle 1 This is designed for the total beginner or lifter who has to address form and technique issues with the squat. • Week 1: 20-30% for 15 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 20-30% for 18 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 20-30% for 20 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods Squat Cycle 2 This cycle is designed for those who’ve been lifting for some time but are new to the box squat and this style of training. • Week 1: 50% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 55% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods

Beginner Bench Cycles 119

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Bench Cycle 1 This is designed for the total beginner or lifter who needs to address form and technique issues. • Week 1: 20-30% for 15 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 20-30% for 18 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 20-30% for 20 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Bench Cycle 2 This is designed for those who have training experience but are still new to the system. • Week 1: 55% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 60% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 65% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods

Beginner Deadlift Cycles Deadlift Cycle 1 This is designed for the total beginner who needs to address form and technique issues. • Week 1: 20-30% for 15 sets of 1 rep with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 20-30% for 15 sets of 1 rep with 45 second rest periods • Week 3: 20-30% for 15 sets of 1 rep with 30 second rest periods Deadlift Cycle 2 This is designed for those who have gym experience but are still new to this system. • Weeks one, two and three: 50% for 8 to 10 sets of 1 rep with 45 second rest periods

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Intermediate to Advanced Cycles These training cycles are intended for those who’ve been training for many years and have developed a good training base. These lifters will also have some previous experience with this style of training. There are many different training cycles that can be used for a variety of reasons, ranging from basic conditioning to competition training.

Squat Cycles for Intermediate to Advanced Lifters Straight Weight This means training without the use of chains, bands, or any other devices. This phase is used by many lifters for a variety of different reasons. Some lifters like to use this phase pretty much all year around. (I did this for eight years before we even had bands and chains and made great gains.) Other lifters like this to be the first phase after a meet to get back into the flow of training. • Week 1: 45% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 50% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 55% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods Regular Band The regular band phase is the one band phase that’s used more than any other. This is the key band phase. The band selection depends on the strength of the lifter. A lifter who squats under 450 to 500 pounds will use a light band; 501-700 pounds will use an average band; 701 and up will use a strong band. • Week 1: 47% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 49% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 51% for 8 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods Heavy Band This is a killer phase that’ll usually only last one or two weeks at the most. For this phase you basically jack up the band tension as high as you can tolerate. A great place to start is 2.5 times the band you normally use. For example, if your regular band cycle is an average-rated band, you’d then use two average bands and one light for this cycle. You may also work up to a heavy single after your five sets have been completed. • Week 1: 20-30% for 5 sets of 2 reps

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Circa — Max One This phase has been great for most of the lifters I know who squat over 700 pounds! It’s intended for the advanced lifter, not the novice or beginner. This phase is used when trying to peak for a meet. Extra bands are added to the bar. The bands used for this cycle would be an average and light band for those who squat 500 to 800 pounds, and a blue and pink for those who squat 800 and above. • Week 1: 47% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 51% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 3: 53% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 4: 47% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods At this point the lifter would de-load for the meet. To do this, the lighter band is removed. The recommended bands used for this phase are the same as the regular band phase detailed above. • Week 1: 53% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods • Week 2: 47% for 5 sets of 2 reps with 60 second rest periods Chains The chain cycle uses the exact same loading as the straight weight cycle as the chains are de-loaded at the bottom and only add resistance to the top of the movement. The chains should be loaded with a support chain that holds the weighted chains to ensure the chain is de-loaded. If the chains attached to the top of the bar are dropped straight to the ground, most of the weight of the chain would stay on the bar. Recommended Chain Weight • Squat Max: 200-400 pounds = 60 pound chain • Squat Max: 400-500 pounds = 80 pound chain • Squat Max: 500-600 pounds = 100 pound chain • Squat Max: 600-800 pounds = 120 pound chain • Squat Max: 800-900 pounds = 160 pound chain Conditioning Phase This phase is a killer three week phase intended to get you into shape very fast. The rest periods are the key to this phase. • Week 1: 40% for 10 sets of 2 reps with less than 45 second rest periods 122

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• Week 2: 42% for 15 sets of 2 reps with less than 45 second rest periods • Week 3: 44% for 15-20 sets of 2 reps with less than 45 second rest periods

Bench Cycles for Intermediate to Advanced Lifters The bench training cycles for this group are pretty basic and percentage-based with a flat wave. A flat wave is a wave where you try to get faster each week while using the same percentage. Cycle 1 Week 1: 50% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Week 2: 50% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Week 3: 50% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Cycle 2: Bands The best bands to use for bench speed training are the mini bands. Place one end of the band on the bar. Pull the band down and under a dumbbell and then pull the band back up to the bar again. This is called a “double mini band.” By using one dumbbell you can expect 70 to 80 pounds of tension at the top and 30 to 40 at the bottom of the motion. This is plenty for all those who bench under 450 pounds. If you bench over 450, you’ll want to use two dumbbells on each side to increased the spread distance of the band at the bottom. This will increase the tension to 100-110 pounds at the top and 50-60 in the bottom position. Week 1: 40% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Week 2: 40% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Week 3: 40% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Note: The bands are not figured into the percentage. Cycle 3: Chains The chains should be set up so half of the chain is on the floor while the weight is in the rack. The weight of the chain will depend on how much you bench. If you bench under 300 pounds, a total of 50-60 pounds of chain should be used. If you bench between 300 and 500, 80-90 pounds of chain should be used. If you bench 500 and up, 120-130 pounds of chain should be used. Week 1: 50% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods 123

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Week 2: 50% for 8 sets of 3 reps with 60 second rest periods Week 3: Note: The chains are not figured into the percent. There are also several alternative cycles that many lifters have been using with great success. There are too many to mention in this text, but some of the methods include: • Using more band tension than recommended above while lowering the barbell weight. • Adding an extra band after the first few sets for two sets, then pulling the extra band off for the last few sets. The same can also be done with the chains. • Staggering the weight over the 8 sets. For example: 40% for 2 sets, 45% for 2 sets, 50% for 2 sets and 55% for two sets. • Catching the barbell. This is one that most lifters are doing incorrectly! To use this method you lower the bar with speed (but under control), then catch the bar one or two inches before touching the chest, then explode back up. This method should only be used for one or two weeks at a time. If you use it longer than that, you’re looking for trouble.

Deadlift Cycles for Intermediate to Advanced Lifters There’s really no need to go into cycles with this one. The most popular way to cycle the speed deadlift is to use a percentage around 50% and pull 5 to 8 singles. The key here is form and speed. You may also do these with the use of bands or chains to increase the work at the top end. When can I use the other speed movements and what phases can I use them with? You can use the safety squat bar, buffalo bar, or cambered squat bar for any of the squat cycles listed above. I know of one lifter who’ll only use a squat bar the last three weeks before the meet and he squats over a grand! He spends the rest of the time using the safety squat bar. He feels this allows 124

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his shoulders to rest, thereby allowing him to put more into bench training. For the bench press you could use the cambered bench bar or fat bar in place of the regular bar to change up the muscle firing pattern. There are many lifters who use the fat bar for all bench training and then only use the regular bar at the meet. Are all the percentages set in stone? No way! The percentages are only guidelines. If the weight feels way to light then use more weight; if it feels too heavy then lower it some. Percentages can only help you to find a starting point. The problem with percentages is they’re all based on one rep maxes. You may or may not be as strong as or stronger than you were when you did your 1RM. I’ll say if you’re having problems getting stronger then the first thing you should do is lower the percentage! Yes, I said lower. This will bring more speed back into the training. Speed is very important for many lifters and can make a big difference in their training. For example, what would you think if I told you my best pin lockout on the bench for pin 13 is 455 pounds? Pin 13 is a four inch push for me. It pretty much says I can’t lock out 500 pounds. So how did I bench 600? The speed from the bottom carried the bar through to the top! I’m a speed lifter, not a strength lifter. Max effort lifts are equal to lifters who total 400 pounds less than I do. This tells me I have to get stronger on max effort work while at the same time harnessing my speed. There are other lifters who are strength lifters. They’re very strong but very slow. What happens if you lift a weight slow? Very simple, it takes longer to lift the weight. The longer it takes to complete the lift, the stronger you’ll have to get. What do you do after the speed or dynamic movement? You do whatever you need to do. I’d suggest you hit your weak point first. What if you don’t know your weak point? First, you could find a good coach to help you out. Second, you can check the list below for help.

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Squat Weak Points Weak at the top: In this situation, you stall out near the top of the lift, but don’t fall forward or backward. This is one of the best problems to have as you’ve kept the proper squat form but just stalled out. There are no technical problems for this except not driving your hips forward. Usually this isn’t the problem. The first thing to do to fix this problem is to get stronger! This sounds simple and it is. Sometimes you don’t have to look so hard for what your weaknesses are. I think too many people feel they’re being held back by some secret weakness when in fact they just need to get the entire body stronger. The second thing you can do is get faster. If you get fast enough, the momentum will bust you through the sticking point. The third thing you can do is to take a reality check. Is this your sticking point because you now own it? What I mean here is, do you always fail at this same spot? Have you always failed there? Have you engrained it in your mind that this is where you fail? If so, fix it! Getting smashed at the bottom: There are many things that can cause this to happen. The first and most apparent problem is it was just too much weight. I know many of you are thinking, “Well, no crap!” but you’d be shocked at some of the e-mails and calls I get. For example, I had one guy call because he got crushed with a 315 bench and couldn’t figure out why. I later find out he barely made 275! It was simply too heavy for him! This could also be improper set up from the start. If you don’t start with a good arch and tight abs and then don’t sit back, you’ll sit straight down. You have to sit back into the squat to get the most out of your hamstrings, lower back, and hips. If you sit straight down you’re forcing most of the weight onto the quads and allowing the bar to actually travel forward. The third reason could be you’re not forcing your knees out on the way down and keeping them forced out of the hole. This could be fixed with a simple verbal queue like “Knees out!” You may also need to do more hip work. Some great things for this are seated abductions with bands around the knees. We call them “knee-outs with the band.” A second thing that’ll help with this is wide stance low box squats with light weight and higher reps (around ten). Squat to the bottom position and then only raise half to one-forth of the way up, then go back down. This will keep the tension in the range of motion you’re having your problem with. A fourth reason you may miss in the hole is you’re letting your chest drop on the way down. A fifth reason is that your hamstrings aren’t strong enough to sit back on. I see this one all the time in the seminars we conduct. What happens is the lifter will sit back so far and then just drop. The strength is just not there to keep sitting back. To fix this, use a box height on speed day that you can sit back on and keep good form. Who cares if it’s four inches high? Just do it! Then, over the next few weeks, lower the box half to one inch each week, but keep the form 100% correct. You can also strengthen the hamstrings with glute ham raises, reverse hypers, good mornings, pullthroughs, and many other movements. This could be due to weak abs and lower back muscles. This is another reason why we all need more ab and back work. 126

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Falling forward coming out of the hole: This is the king of missed squats. I see this one more than any other sticking point. This can happen for several reasons, many physical and many technical. One technical reason is not rising with your chest first out of the bottom. You’re rising with your hips first. When your hips flex first your chest will always go forward. You have to think of rising with your chest first and squatting the bar back, not up. If you have the bar driving back it’ll travel in a straight line instead of going forward. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and this is how the bar must travel. You may also have allowed your head to drop down. Your body will always follow your head so you must keep your head back. Notice I didn’t say up, but back. Watch the eyes of any great squatter as he rises out of the bottom. Through the blood clots you’ll see his eyes are focused up and he’s driving his neck back into the bar. Even the guys you think are looking down are still driving their head into their traps. Now, why are these technical problems happening in the first place and how do you fix them? All technical problems should be corrected by learning what you’re supposed to do and then perfecting it with the lighter weights. You should also use verbal queues. The best queues I’ve used for this one are “Head up!” or “Chest up!” Falling forward may also be caused by weak abs and lower back. If your core isn’t strong enough to transfer the flex from the lower body to the bar, then the body will have no choice but to collapse. The best movements for this are exercises that work both the abs and hip flexors (pulldown abs, leg raises, spread eagle sit-ups etc.) For the lower back, reverse hypers, back raises, and good mornings are ideal. One last thing that can really help with this is to use a cambered squat bar for low box squats. The reason? If you don’t rise with your chest first you’ll have some very serious instability issues. This will only happen once and then you’ll automatically figure out what to do. The bottom line here is, no matter what weakness you have, act on them and fix them! This will take commitment and discipline. Basically, do what you gotta do because no one will do it for you! Falling forward halfway up: This is probably the second most common problem or sticking point I see with the squat. What happens here is the lifter comes out of the hole strong and then about halfway up he begins to fall forward. This happens because he has great reversal strength out of the bottom but then, as he begins to hit the mid-point, he stalls. He can’t continue to strain because the torso is beginning to die out and the force of the movement keeps the hips coming up, yet the upper body can’t stay upright. To fix this he needs to make sure the time-under-tension on the max effort movement is specific to the time of the strain needed in competition. This will be around 3.0 to 4.0 seconds. Second, the ab work has to come up and be heavy. A third remedy for this problem is to do static work in the position at which you lose the lift. To do this, use a bar with a light weight (around 20%) and a band. Squat down to the spot you lose it at and hold for five seconds, then squat back up and hold at the top for five seconds. This would best be done with 3 to 5 sets of 5 reps. The good morning can also 127

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be used for this and may even be a better choice as there’ll be more work on the torso when compared to the barbell squat. One last solution for this problem is to use the safety squat bar for max effort work. The safety squat bar tries to toss you forward as you squat up because of the design of the bar. If the bar is trying to toss you forward, there’s only one way to keep this from happening: you have to fight to keep the bar in position, thus developing those muscles. Falling backwards: This is actually the best thing that could happen because you’re squatting the bar back and all the strength is there. The only thing that really needs to be done here is technical. Just sit back more to allow the torso to lean in some. The lifter may also not be sitting back because of weakness in the hamstrings. Knees coming in while squatting down: This is also a very common problem with beginners and intermediate lifters. This can happen for many reasons: weak hips, poor flexibility, or bad form. If the lifter has bad form all he needs is verbal queues of “Knees out!” If this is a flexibility problem then the lifter should squat on a higher box at the point where he can keep the knees out. Over time the box height will come down as he gets more flexible. If this is a strength problem with the hips, then the same solutions as “getting smashed at the bottom” should be followed.

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Bench Weak Points Missing at the top: If you miss at the top of the bench press it can be because of a missed groove or weak triceps. There are many ways to bring up your triceps listed earlier in this series. Missing on the chest: This can also be caused by many problems. First, lack of reversal strength and speed. This is where the speed training comes in. If you have any type of explosive strength then you should never miss off your chest unless the weight is too heavy in the first place. The second reason for missing off the chest can be a factor of weak starting strength after the press command. The bench shirt may also affect this as the tighter the shirt, the harder it is to get down, thus the harder it is to use reversal strength because the bar won’t be able to come down as fast as without using a shirt. This means the lifter will pretty much be pressing from a dead stop. One of the best things for this is low pin presses with the bar just off the chest for max effort work or as a second movement for max sets of 3 or 5 reps. Make sure to pause on the pins for a second or two. Missing off your chest can also be caused by weak lats, upper back, and rotator muscles: Think of these muscles as your launch pad. If you don’t have a solid base to press off, you’re firing from a weak foundation. A few other things to help strengthen the bottom of the bench are close grip inclines, dumbbell work, and push-ups. Missing halfway up: This sticking point means the lifter is blasting the weight off the bottom very well and then dies a few inches off the chest. This can also be fixed with more bar speed as this will allow the lifter to bust through this sticking point. This can also be caused by weak triceps. The best max effort exercises for this problem are mid-position pin presses, two board presses, and floor presses. Bar flying off your chest and straight back into the rack: This is mostly a bench shirt issue. You either don’t know how to use the shirt or you have a bad shirt. With a shirt you have to bring the bar low and not heave it off your chest. If you heave, the bar will fly back. You have to press the bar up off the chest and build speed as the bar leaves the chest. If your shirt is bad it’ll also cause the bar to fly back. This problem can also occur because your shoulders are stronger than the triceps. You’re trying to get the load off the triceps and onto where you’re the strongest and that’s causing the problem. On the flip side, it can also be because your shoulders aren’t strong enough to keep the bar in the right path. Another technical reason this may happen: you aren’t keeping your arms under the bar. This can happen if your wrists get folded back and the bar ends up being behind the forearm. If this happens, then the force isn’t under the bar. These problems can all be fixed with proper coaching and training. Make sure your form is on and bring up the lockout power with specific triceps work and high board and high pin presses for max effort work.

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Deadlift Weak Points Most all deadlift weak points will mimic the same muscle groups and patterns that are weak with the squat. So outside of technical issues, the squat will take care of the deadlift. The max effort deadlift training and speed deadlifts are intended to train the form of the deadlift, so double check your form and make sure you’re keeping your shoulders behind the bar and keeping your body falling backward. As you can see, most of the solutions to these problems are already being taken care of with the general guidelines presented earlier. The general template is intended to bring up the most general weaknesses with the hamstrings, lower back, hips, abs, and triceps. Just follow the basic guidelines, pay attention to what you’re doing, and don’t skip the key things you need to do.

Closing Whew! That wraps up the speed portion of the eight keys. Next week in the fourth and final installment, I’ll explore the last three components of the system: recovery, nutrition, and attitude. I’ll also layout a complete nine week training program. Stay tuned!

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The Eight Keys, Part IV Recovery As I’ve mentioned in this series already, GPP or General Physical Preparation is very important, especially for recovery. According to Yuri Verkhoshansky in The Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in Sport and as outlined in Supertraining by the late Mel Siff, there are several functions of GPP: • To form, strengthen or restore motor skills, which play an auxiliary, facilatory role in perfecting sports ability. • To teach abilities developed insufficiently by the given sport and to increase the general work capacity or preserve it. • To provide active rest, promote restoration after strenuous loading, and counteract the monotony of training. One solution to GPP is sled dragging. The use of a sled has many benefits: • The sled is easy to use and doesn’t require a special trip to the gym. • The sled is specific to the development of the special skills necessary for maximal strength. (And by the way, we never run with the sled.) • Virtually every muscle can be trained with a sled. There are movements for the abdominals, shoulders, hamstrings, etc. • The sled is a great way to induce active restoration. In many of the upper body dragging movements, the eccentric (negative) is eliminated because of the nature of the sled. This is great for recovery because the tearing down of the muscle is much less in concentric-only movements. Instead of making this article even longer than it already is, I’ll just direct you to my Drag Your Butt Into Shape article here at T-mag, which will give you all the info you need. For a good sled, visit www.elitefts.com.

Nutrition I’ll keep this very short and simple. Yes, nutrition is important and you shouldn’t live on junk food. I had to learn this the hard way and feel many of my past injuries are due in some part to poor nutritional habits. I’m by no means an expert on this and don’t feel I’m any type of authority on telling you what to do or what not to do. There are many sources for this information, most of them right here in T-mag. You should read as much as you can and come up with what you feel is the best system for you. I’m still learning about 131

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good nutrition myself, and T-mag is working with me on correcting some bad habits, most notably on increasing meal frequency, upping protein intake, and the use of supplements in general. I do use protein and Tribex from time to time, but I’ve got a long way to go.

Attitude “Everything can be taken away from man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” —Victor E Frankl

We all have those times in life I like to call “defining moments.” These moments in time can be glorious or disastrous, but always shape the direction and path of who we become. From these moments we grow and become better or worse for it. The difference between better or worse is how the situation is perceived. If something bad happens to you, do you view it as a learning experience and move on, or do you let it tear you up? If something good happens, do you look back to ask why or write it off as luck? What does all this have to do with strength training? It has everything to do with strength training, powerlifting, sports, and life! There are many qualities needed to succeed in the strength training game. I like to sum them all up with three very simple words: Live, Learn, and Pass On. Live — The most important quality is to live the life you want to have, not the life you have. In other words, if you’re a bottom 100 powerlifter but want to be a top ten lifter, do you live the life of a top ten lifter or a bottom 100 lifter? Do you do the same things the top ten lifter does? Do you think the same way he does? Do you skip sessions? Are you as serious as he is? If not, then how are you ever going to get where he is? You only go around once so you may as well make the best of your time here by living the life you really want to live! “Well, Dave, I’d like to but…” But what? Do what you gotta do! There are many people out there who live “but lives,” “I shoulda lives,” “I coulda lives,” or “if only lives.” These people are very easy to find. They’re the ones we call critics; those who’ve become masters of the “have not” and love to spend their time telling us what we can and can’t do. They make up 90% of the people I’ve met. Avoid them! They love to pull you down. If you happen to be one, then fix it fast because it’ll affect your training and your life. Learn — The most successful people spend their time learning from their mistakes and other people. If strength is your game then read about it, talk about it, and do everything you can to make yourself better. Talk to anyone you feel can help you. Steal from the strong and use it in your training. You can never learn too much. Your success may depend on one very small thing you could never have figured out yourself. Pass On — Many years ago, in a dark stairway in the back of a junior high gym that smelled like sweat stained wrestling mats, was a ninth grade wrestler who’d only won one match in the last two years. This same kid wasn’t a very good athlete up to this point. He played many sports and always 132

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did okay but was never good enough to start or be a standout. As he waited for his mother to pick him up he decided to run the stairs instead of just sitting as he’d usually do. After about five minutes he was thinking he’d had enough and would call it a day and sit down to wait for his ride. About this time, the head wrestling coach walked by and asked him what he was doing. The kid replied that he was running the stairs because he was sick of getting beat all the time. The coach then spoke one sentence that stuck in the kid’s mind for the rest of his life: “If you work hard enough you can do whatever you want to do.” I ran the stairs for the next forty-five minutes and didn’t lose a match during the entire season. I went on to have a very successful career in sports. That one sentence taught me how to run for what I wanted and I’ve been running ever since. One kid, one sentence and a totally changed life. Why do I do this? Why do I write these articles? Why do I spend so much time helping people for free? Why do I care so much when I know most lifters and coaches will never listen? The answer is simple. Why did my coach care so much when he knew most of his athletes would never listen? Because I listened. What would I be today if he didn’t care? I owe it to him to pass on the great gift he gave me. This is why I try so hard. I’m sure you have the same type of story. Somewhere, some time, someone took the time to help shape your way. You owe it to them to pass on what you know. When we leave this earth, it’s not what we take with us that maters, it’s what we leave behind. There have been many people along my path and I can tell you today I’ll never forget who they were and what they did. This is the greatest success in life one can have. Vince Lombardi once said, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour — his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear — is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.” Do you want to lie on the ground victorious or with your face in the dirt?

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Summary I went back and reread the first paragraph of the first article in this series. I realized that I’m no better than the guy who wrote the huge instructional guide for the baby crib. To tell you the truth, I just tossed the instructions, looked at the picture on the box and did it the easy way. To stay with the same concept, here’s the “picture on the box” for this series: • One day per week, train the squat with different three-week cycles for 8 sets of 2 reps and maximal speed. • One day per week, train the bench press with a prescribed percentage for 8 sets of 3 reps. • One day per week, train using a special max effort movement for the squat or deadlift. • One day per week, train using a special max effort movement for the bench press. • Train the hamstrings hard. • Train the abs hard. • Train the triceps hard. • Bring up your GPP. • Get some good training partners. • Find a good coach. • Take an attitude check. • Don’t eat crap 100% of the time.

General Program Questions Let me guess, you’ve got a bunch of questions anyway, right? That’s okay, we’ve answered thousands dealing with this type of training. Some of the same questions keep coming up over and over so I’ll address them here.

How long should each training session last? This really depends on how many people you train with and if you use warm-ups or not. A good general recommendation would be to try and keep the main session under 45 minutes. This doesn’t include the warm-up time. Don’t use this as a golden rule, though. Get done what you have to get done and then get out of the gym. If it takes you 60 minutes, then so be it.

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What if I don’t have a reverse hyper, glute ham raise, chains or bands? If you don’t have chains or bands then use the barbell without chains and bands! Keep in mind the lifters at Westside went without chains and bands for twenty years and still made gains! Then the chains were brought in and they got stronger. Chains were used for two years before the bands were brought it. The better question to ask would be, do you need chains and bands at this time? If you don’t have a GHR or reverse hyper then stick with what you can do (pull-throughs, stiff leg deadlifts, Dimel deadlifts, and other lower back and hamstring work). I do feel the GHR and reverse hyper are better. The lifters at Westside live and die by these two movements and use them both at least twice a week, but this program can be followed without them.

What day should I do each session? Most lifters will follow this basic template: Monday — Max Effort Squat/Deadlift Day Wednesday — Max Effort Bench Day Friday — Dynamic Effort Squat Day Sunday — Dynamic Effort Bench Day

What do I do if I can only get in the gym three times per week? Then use an eight day rotation, then a seven. Here’s an example: Monday — Max Effort Squat/Deadlift Day Wednesday — Max Effort Bench Day Friday — Dynamic Effort Squat Day Monday — Dynamic Effort Bench Day Wednesday — Repeat cycle

Sample Program As promised, here’s a sample training program for intermediate lifters.

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Week 1 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Good Mornings: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps. Stress the eccentric, try to get a four count on the way down. Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Board Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 reps One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM. Use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 2 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Good Mornings: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps. Stress the eccentric, try to get a four count on the way down. Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps Straight Leg Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Board Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 reps One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 54% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

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Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 3 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Good Mornings: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps Straight Leg Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Board Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Lying Barbell Triceps Extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 reps One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 56% of 1RM , 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps

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Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 4 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Low Box Squat: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Floor Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10 reps Seated Dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8 reps Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 60% of 1RM, 45 to 60 secondsw rest between sets. Note: After your sets of box squats, work up to a heavy double. This isn’t a maximum attempt so don’t miss the lifts. Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps Chest Supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 6 reps Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 sec rest between 139

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sets Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 5 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Low Box Squat: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 5 sets of 5 reps Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Floor Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10 reps Seated Dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8 reps Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Speed Deadlifts: 8 sets of 2 reps with 50% Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps Chest Supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 6 reps

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Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets. Note: After your sets, work up to a heavy single. This isn’t a maximum attempt so don’t miss the lift. Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 6 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Low Box Squat: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 5 sets of 5 reps Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Floor Press: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10 reps Seated Dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8 reps Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 52% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Speed Deadlifts: 8 sets of 2 reps with 55% Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps 141

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Chest Supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 6 reps Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 7 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Good Morning Squats: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 5 sets of 5 reps Lunges: 4 sets of 10 reps (each leg) Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Ball Press: 3 sets of 20 reps (average rest period = 5 minutes) Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 5 sets of 10 reps Incline Barbell Triceps Extensions: 5 sets of 6 reps Face Pulls: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 54% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets. Note: After your sets, work up to a heavy double. Again, this isn’t a maximum lift so don’t miss the attempts. 142

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Reverse Hypers: 4 sets of 8 reps Pulldowns: 3 sets of 8 reps Glute Ham Raises: 4 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets. Note: After your sets, work up to a heavy double. Again, this isn’t a maximum lift so don’t miss the attempts. Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 6 reps Reverse Grip Pushdowns: 3 sets of 15 reps Front/Side/Rear Delt Combo Raise: 2 sets of 60 reps (20 each raise) Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Week 8 Day 1 (max effort squat day) Good Morning Squats: Warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel you can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continue working up to a one-rep max. Glute Ham Raises: 5 sets of 5 reps Lunges: 4 sets of 10 reps (each leg) Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day) Ball Press: 3 sets of 20 reps (avg. rest period = 5 min) Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 5 sets of 10 reps Incline Barbell Triceps Extensions: 5 sets of 6 reps Face Pulls: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day) 143

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Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 62% of 1RM, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Speed Pulls: 8 sets of 1 rep with 60% Reverse Hypers: 4 sets of 8 reps Pulldowns: 3 sets of 8 reps Glute Ham Raises: 4 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day) Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM, use three different grips, 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 4 sets of 6 reps Reverse Grip Pushdowns: 3 sets of 15 reps Front/Side/Rear Delt Combo Raise: 2 sets of 60 reps (20 each raise) Pulldown Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Week 9 Max day near end of week Box Squat: work up to a 1 rep max Bench Press: work up to a 1 rep max Deadlift: work up to a 1 rep max Note: These maxes will be used as the 1RM for the next eight-week cycle. Closing Wow! I can’t believe this is finally finished! I tried to cover all the information and questions we’ve been asked on the internet and in seminars over the past three years. I’m sure I’ve left many things out but feel over 90% of what you need is here.

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The Mountain Dog Diet—A Healthier Way to Get Lean/Add Muscle…or Both! by John Meadows

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SeveralmonthsagoIsatinfrontofanurseatmyplace ofworkaftershereceivedmyreportonmycholesterol,triglyceridelevelsandbloodpressure.Iworkata Bank,andit’sprettycoolthattheyofferfreecholesterolscreeningandallkindsofothernicebenefits.Anyways,shelookedverypuzzled.Shewascomparingmy resultsfrom2yearsprior,tomymostrecentresults. Shefinallyblurtedout“whatdidyoudotoimprovethis profile so much.” My answer nearly floored her. 146

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Well Nancy, I started: 1. Cooking in virgin coconut oil, and grass-fed butter 2. I also switched out all the store bought grain fed beef I was consuming with grass fed beef I procure from a local farmer. I eat 8 ounces every single day. 3. I switched out my 99-cent a dozen eggs with true organic free range eggs, and eat 6 of these whole every single day. 4. Lastly (and probably most importantly), I reduced refined sugars in my diet and foods that contain excessive levels of Omega 6 Polyunsaturated fats (bye bye Tostitos – dang corn oil), as I believe those things create arterial inflammation resulting in increased cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is an anti-oxidant and repair agent in your body. I knew what her next question would be, “but isn’t all that saturated fat bad?” I said well you tell me, my cholesterol went from 212 down to 167. My HDL went up 11 points (something I struggled with for years), and my LDL and Triglyceride levels were at the bottom end of the range. Even my blood pressure was a startling 104/70. She finally asked if I had any reading material I recommended, as these concepts were not taught to her in her days of studying health and nutrition. So why do I mention that story? Well, the diet that I recommend usually freaks people out initially, but it’s rooted in sound science and facts, and not influenced by flawed studies funded by companies with ulterior motives. Most people have always heard and believe in the “Lipid Hypothesis.” This is the outdated theory that saturated fat and cholesterol intake increases cholesterol levels in the blood, which increase your chance of heart disease. This theory is simply not true, as long as the saturates are of a certain type, and the cholesterol is not oxidized. You have to accept that to fully embrace the Mountain Dog Diet. I have formulated this diet based on a few things. 1. Mentorship with Dr Eric Serrano. Eric is revered in the athletic community as a top expert in training, nutrition, rehabilitation and many other things. Eric has been a big influence on me and a great mentor. 2. The teachings of the Weston A. Price Foundation. A fantastic resource for correct nutritional information can be found at the Weston A. Price foundation’s website www.westonaprice.org. It’s a not-forprofit organization with no hidden agendas, and one of the most brilliant Lipid Experts in the country, Mary Enig, has written numerous articles we could all benefit from on it. If you go to this website and spend a few hours on it, you will thank me for recommending it. I’ll be referencing this site many times over in this article. 3. Personal experience. I have competed in 30 bodybuilding contests, that I can remember, won 13 of them, and placed in six of nine pro qualifying national level events. Experience is a great teacher, and you have to know when to make adjustments in diets, and what to do, for the best results. As solid as the Mountain Dog diet is, it can still only take you to a certain point. Only experience can get you past that.

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What’s so different about this diet compared to standard fat reduction and competitive bodybuilding diets in general? Number one, this diet will improve your health. You may find that your cholesterol levels improve, your joints feel better, your skin looks better, you don’t feel as lethargic, or many many other nice side effects that go along with eating this way. You’ll see and become a believer. Will this diet enable you to gain 20 pounds of muscle you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to gain? Clearly no. But the increased focus on fat soluble vitamins will help with gains through better endocrine function. Remember, the theme here is health, and making better choices regardless of whether you’re trying to gain muscle or lose fat. The approach itself is a nutrient driven approach. My number one rule is this: Focus on MICRONUTRITION NOT MACRONUTRITION. This diet emphasizes the following key concepts: 1. The best food comes from animals that have been fed their natural diet. 2. Correct ratio of fats with a special emphasis on saturated fats. 3. Fat soluble vitamins and their role in endocrine function. 4. Keeping your liver healthy. 5. Supplements to manage glucose disposal. There are actually MANY other key concepts such as carb intake/sources and rotations, veggie and fruit consumption, how to incorporate cardio, what spices and condiments can do for your metabolism, etc. but for the sake of this conversation I’m limiting it to these five. Many of the foods and practices I recommend are in fact not new. Many years ago they were used by some of the more popular bodybuilders, but in today’s world of bodybuilding, the ideas are long forgotten. I highly recommend a book called “Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors” by Randy Roach. He dives deeply into the diets of some of the legends like Armand Tanny, Vince Gironda, John Grimek and Tony Sansone. You’ll see some similarities with what they ate, and what I’m recommending, such as raw milk, liver and copious amounts of whole eggs. 148

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For the purposes of this article, I’m going to cover the approach at a high level, to introduce you to all the concepts, rather than only focusing on a few of them. •

The best food comes from animals that have been fed their natural diet.

Remember the old saying you are what you eat? It’s NOT true! You are what you eat has eaten!!! Here’s a sample of a few of the mainstays in this diet and a little about why

Grass Fed Beef – This type of beef is from cows that have been fed their normal diet consisting of grass. The only exception would be in winter where hay, root vegetables and silage are ok. Cows are termed ruminant animals, and have a really cool chamber in their stomach called a Rumen. Think of it as a big fermentation vat. This chamber is one of four chambers in the stomach that turns grass into high quality protein, and ensures a great Omega 3 to 6 ratio. This is all dependent on the PH of the rumen. I cannot recommend “normal” store bought grain fed beef as these cows have been fed grain, and grain feeding depletes all of the things in the fat that make it healthy and magical – namely a perfect balance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats, and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). The unhealthy Omega 3 to 6 ratio that is heavily skewed toward Omega 6 is very inflammatory to your body, and is thought to increase chances of heart disease and overall bodily inflammation. The PH of the rumen is heavily affected by grain, greatly increasing acidity, thus completely throwing off Omega 3, CLA, and other levels. In case you are wondering what exactly happens to the cow fed their unnatural diet, www.eatwild. com states “when fed an unnatural diet of grain, acidosis can result and lead to a condition called “rumenitis,” which is an inflammation of the wall of the rumen. Rumenitis then leads to liver abscesses as the rumen wall becomes ulcerated, bacteria are able to pass through the walls and enter the bloodstream. Ultimately, the bacteria are transported to the liver where they cause abscesses. From 15 to 30 percent of feedlot cattle have liver abscesses, hence the need for antibiotics and such.” Not pretty. 149

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Going back to Omega-3s, they are most abundant in seafood, but they are also found in animals raised on pasture, usually there is anywhere from two-six times more Omega 3’s in grass-fed meats. The reason is simple. Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. It’s interesting to me that sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are actually omega-3s. Some of the more hardcore farmers I’ve spent time and talked to believe in basically eating nothing but grass fed beef and vegetables due to the fact that you can source all your nutrients from the chloroplast in the leaf. For ultimate longevity, maybe they’re right? I’ve been asked about cows that have been “finished” on grain. When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat as one would suspect. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3 is diminished. There are some great graphical representations and more detailed info on this process on the very informative website www.eatwild.com that I referenced above.

This food is the No. 1 component of the diet, and doesn’t come out at all, even pre-contest. Free Range Eggs – Chickens that have been free to roam around, and feast on their natural diet of bugs, insects, and grass lay the highest quality eggs. I’m a staunch believer in natural sources of fat soluble vitamins and you will get four to six times more Vitamin D from a free range egg, as the hens get more sunlight. You also get three times more Vitamin E. In addition, free range eggs give you twice the Omega 3’s (although I have seen as much as 20 times more Omega 3), and seven times more beta carotene. This data was a result of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. You can read more about this at www.motherearthnews.com. There are many more benefits to free range eggs, as this is only a few. As with the grass fed beef, whole free range eggs never come out of your diet, even pre-contest for those looking to reach the absolute lowest levels of bodyfat. Wild Caught Salmon – Perhaps no food is better at supplying healthy Omega 3s than wild caught salmon. These salmon have been fed their natural diet of tiny shrimp-like creatures called Krill, which not only gives them their lovely reddish orange color, it also gives them the big dose of Omega 3 that we all desire. Be careful when you’re shopping to not pick up “Farm-Raised” Salmon. These Salmon have been enclosed in pens and fed a very unnatural diet of corn meal, soy and even chicken 150

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feces pellets. They aren’t even orange until artificial dyes and colors are added, they are grey. There are several different types of wild caught Alaskan salmon for you to choose from. Sockeye Salmon, Chinook/King Salmon, and other varieties, plus you can get the Sockeye or Pink Salmon canned. These are all good, as long as they are wild-caught. You will get around 2.5 – 3 grams of Omega 3 per every 7 ounces. Raw Grass Fed Dairy – The same things that applied to grass fed beef, applies to grass fed dairy. You get more CLA, and Omega 3s. The Journal of Dairy Science did a study in 1999 on CLA in grass fed dairy, and found that it contains 500 percent more CLA than cows fed grain. Although this selection comes out the final 16 weeks before a contest my only exception is one tablespoon of Grass-Fed butter daily, it’s an absolutely great way to add lean muscle in the off-season. I really don’t like to take it out pre-contest, but I do because experience has taught me dairy does seem to cause most to hold a layer of water under their skin, which isn’t optimal for physique display. The ironic thing is that this is a good result of your skin being healthier! Also notice I said RAW in addition to grass-fed. The nutritional value of milk plummets due to pasteurization, the vitamin A is completely destroyed and the proteins become more difficult to digest often creating strong immune system responses and allergies. The Weston A. Price Foundation has a sister website called www. realmilk.com that is excellent in explaining the benefits of raw milk. I do want to point out that I don’t support the consumption of pasteurized dairy that you’ll find in most stores at any time, and also that dairy is not a necessity, or required. You’ll get plenty of Omega 3’s from your Salmon, Vitamin D from your eggs and certain fish, Vitamin A from Beef – liver especially, and calcium and minerals from green leafy veggies. I wrestled around with this one for a while, but after having tried raw milk myself for an extended period of time, and seeing what it has done for many others in terms of their well-being, and lean muscle gains,. I think I’d be remiss not adding this. The truth is that I look at raw milk as a very good supplement! •

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Correct balance of fats with a special emphasis on Saturated Fats

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Most diets in the bodybuilding world, even those that are termed “high-fat,” don’t advise the use of saturated fats outside of what normally occurs in the peanutbutter, nuts, avocadoes, etc. that are typically recommended. I think this is a mistake. Saturated fats play an enormous role our in our health and well being. Here are just a few of many reasons to NOT avoid saturated fat: • • • •

Saturated fats make up 50 percent of our cell membranes! They give cells the correct amount of rigidity to allow “messages” in and out. Saturates allow the body to use and retain Omega 3’s better! They make our immune systems better (see butter and coconut oil!) A few specific types of saturates are the best food for the heart. The fat around the heart is highly saturated.

So what are the best sources for saturated fats in the Mountain Dog Diet? 1) Animal fats – Grass fed ground beef contains not only the correct ration of Omega 3 to Omega 6 (1 to 1 or close to it), and CLA, it has the saturated fat you need. Grass fed beef tends to have about half the saturated fat that grain-fed beef has. Leaner cuts like sirloin are ok, but remember, the magic is in the fat. That doesn’t mean you should eat all Ribeyes, just not to fear the fat, and there will be less of it in grass fed. It helps with fat soluble vitamin uptake (which we will get into later in this article). There is a fantastic book called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration written by Dr Weston A. Price that talks in detail about the dietary habits of many non-industrialized tribes/populations. If you read this book, you clearly see what Dr Price’s research showed in terms on health and well-being, and the importance of animal fats. There was also a gentleman named Dr. George Mann who studied a tribe in Africa called the Masai. The tribe had no heart disease of any kind. Their diets consisted of meat, blood, whole milk, and up to 1.5 pounds of butter a day. He is known for a quote that I think is great. He said “the Lipid Hypothesis is the greatest scam in the history of medicine.”

2) Virgin Coconut Oil – Coconut oil does a number of very good things for someone attempting to get lean. Most – 95 percent – of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, and about half is Lauric Acid. The fat is a special type of fat, medium chain triglyceride, that is easily converted to energy by your liver. There are numerous studies out there that corroborate this. Dr. Serrano has been using Coconut Oil for endurance athletes too, mixed with slower burning carbs for immediate and sustained energy. I’ve also seen some claims that I’m still researching in terms of your body’s increased ability to burn long chain fats, when these MCT’s are taken in. Most of these studies are taking place at McGill University in Canada. If this were true, it would be another reason to add this fat into your diet when bodyfat loss is a primary goal. There is another side of coconut oil too that shouldn’t be forgotten and it relates to general health. It’s loaded (more than any other food source) with Lauric acid. This is a fat that is extremely anti-viral and antimicrobial. Lauric acid converts to its active form Monolaurin (much like T-4 converting to active T-3 in your body for those of you who have studied thyroid function). Monolaurin is currently being given to HIV patients and is showing much promise. You can see some of the research at www.lauric.org. It’s also found heavily in breast milk, which is a reason why babies who are breast feed seem to have stronger immune systems. The best thing about Lauric acid in food – it’s in a big dose, in my favorite snack food – Jennie’s Macaroons! I love these tasty treats. You can order these on Amazon.com. They come in packs of 6.

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3) Grass Fed Butter – The most frustrating thing to me about having conversations regarding butter is the notion that the fat in butter causes heart disease. The reality is that butter IS HEART HEALTHY! It contains a perfect ratio of Omega 3 to 6. The saturated fats are generally short and medium chain for quick and easy digestion and for protection against infection. Lecithin is also a natural component of butter that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolization of cholesterol and other fats. Butter also has this thing called “Wulzen Factor” in it. Researcher Rosalind Wulzen discovered that this substance protects humans and animals from calcification of the joints-degenerative arthritis. I could go on and on about butter, just know that a little everyday is good for you. What about polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3, 6, Alpha Linolenic Acid)? If you’re thinking these are essential, and you have to get them from your diet, you are correct. The amount needed gets overblown sometimes though. You’ll get plenty from your diet in the form of Salmon, and also some extra in your beef and dairy due to those sources being grass fed. Mary Enig recommends that your diet contain 1.5 percent of it’s calories in the form of polyunsaturates. Her recommendations are in line with other top lipid experts in the world. This is the same recommendation I use. If you are taking flax, chia, or other grain type forms of Alpha Linolenic Acid – remember this, your body can only convert a very small amount of it to its usable form in the body of DHA. The DHA/ EPA Omega 3 institute estimates that only 12 percent of ALA converts to DHA and presents studies backing up their data in its website www.dhaomega3.org. I do not recommend these grain type Polys due to that fact. You’re better off getting it naturally in the foods described above. Under no circumstance would I recommend consuming polys high in Omega 6’s such as corn oil, cottonseed oil, regular safflower oil, etc., due to their inflammatory affect within your body.

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How about monounsaturated fats? Are they healthy? Yes they are. Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Macadamia Nut Oil are two great oils to cook with to give you this fat. The polyphenols in them provide a strong anti-oxidant for the body as well. I love using Olive Oil for two things mainly – it helps to raise HDL levels, and it’s great to assist in quality weight gain for those trying to put on weight. It is a great choice as a salad dressing mixed with a little Balsamic Vinegar. Another great choice is Macadamia Nut Oil. It’s very stable for cooking (up to around 425 degrees Fahrenheit), and you get a massive dose of healthy monounsaturates. Around 85 percent of the oil is monounsaturated. You get to a point where you don’t want to keep increasing athletes’ levels of protein due to general digestive stress, and you don’t want to raise carbs to astronomical levels just due to the pancreatic stress involved. So the remedy? Add some good ol’ Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil. I tried using coconut oil for this purpose, but as I suspected, it burns so fast and easy, it didn’t really help with quality weight gain in the athletes. I’d still use it year round for its antimicrobial and anti-viral properties though, but I steer more toward the monounsaturates in the off-season. It is important to realize that you need to mix things up a bit, and not have the exact same oil all the time. A couple of other oils you should introduce in your diet are avocado oil and red palm oil. Avocado oil is extremely resistant to oxidation (hold up well up to 500 degrees), and is largely monounsaturated. Also one of recent favorites is red palm oil. The oil is really yellow when you pour it out. That is due to it being loaded with carotenes. This oil is also loaded with Vitamin E, and since it has fat in it, it also helps these fat soluble vitamins absorb as they should. As far as food sources go, butter actually has a good dose of Palmitoleic acid in it, which is very antimicrobial and a healthy monounsaturate. The fat in butter has more monounsaturated fat then you would think, about 30 percent actually. I include grass fed butter in my diets for this, and other reasons. There are also many nuts that contain healthy monunsaturated fat such as cashews, macadamia nuts, etc. Over the past few years, I’ve gotten away from adding nuts to diets, not because of any concerns related to health, but because people can’t practice portion control with them. It is impossible for most to sit down and only eat one-fourth cup (1 serving) of cashews. I’m likely to eat an entire pound in a day if I buy a bag. All in all – you need some of all of these fats to function optimally, whether your body can make them or not, and I recommend 30 to 35 percent of your calories come from fat. Around 25 percent of that should be from saturated, 1.5 – 3 percent from polys/Omega 3 and 6, and the remaining 7 – 8.5 percent from monos during contest season. As you get into more of an off-season mode, the ratio favors monounsaturates a little more heavily, but does not eliminate saturates or polys, as that would not be wise. •

Fat soluble vitamins and their role in endocrine function

The biggest pet peeve I have with low fat diets is the fact that they don’t take into account the need to properly assimilate fat soluble vitamins. If you don’t think this is important, think again. Fat soluble vitamins include A, D, E and K. I hear people say all the time; well I got shredded eating low-fat. I don’t dispute that you can get ripped eating low fat. I’ve done it to the point that I couldn’t get a reading with a skin fold caliper. I know it can be done. The issue is long-term health. These vitamins 154

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are so important to your endocrine systems. Performance enhancing type drugs can cover these deficiencies up short term – but when these athletes don’t have the muscle building, protein sparing effects of these drugs, and their endocrine systems have received no support from their diet…look out. In addition, there are many studies that show low fat and low cholesterol diets long term create more depression, suicidal tendencies, etc. These are well documented in Lancet journals.

Here are some of the things that these vitamins do: Vitamin A This vitamin is extremely important, so much that your liver can store it for a while. It helps with protein and mineral metabolism. It helps to ensure proper thyroid function, and it helps in the production of sex hormones. Those things are all critically important (or should be) to athletes. Also it gets depleted from strenuous exercise which a few of us engage in. Grass-fed butter, and egg yolks are my favorite day to day source, with an occasional half-pound of Beef Liver to augment levels. Don’t fall for the vegetarian belief that you can get plenty of Vitamin A in carrots and other veggies. The Vitamin A in those foods are really not Vitamin A, it is a carotene, often referred to as Provitamin A. True vitamin A, or retinol, is found in foods like cod liver oil, butterfat from cows grazing on pasture, liver and fish – especially shellfish. Your body has to convert the carotenes to retinol, and it only does that well in the presence of fat. Fat stimulates bile salts, which help with the conversion. So you better add some butter to your veggies if you even want a prayer of getting enough Vitamin A on a vegan diet. Actually, grass fed butter is the most easily absorbed food source for Vitamin A, hence why I put it in diets…well, one of many reasons. Vitamin D This vitamin (actually it’s more of Pro-hormone), unlike Vitamin A, can’t be stored in our livers for very long. We need a more continual supply of it. A very compelling reason for a bodybuilder or athlete to ensure a good intake of this vitamin is the fact that it greatly affects healthy insulin function. It also helps maintain a healthy nervous system, which is extremely important if you train hard. Good food sources include whole eggs, sardines, mackerel, herring, shrimp, butter and oysters. It’s 155

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hard for me to eat Salmon every single day, so sometimes I opt for a shrimp stir-fry for lunch and throw in some Trueprotein Fish Oil for my DHA. The absolute best source of vitamin D is Fermented Cod Liver Oil. When using this, I usually get the fermented kind sold on www.greenpastures.org. They make a great product also where they combine this with high Vitamin Butter Oil, so you have plenty of options with this vitamin as well. I also recommend you get your Vitamin D levels tested. There are many autoimmune disorders thought to be caused by low Vitamin D levels. I have a good friend who has Crohns disease, and they watch his Vitamin D very closely to keep it in normal range. The test you want to have order is called a 25 (OH) D test. Vitamin E This vitamin is a very strong antioxidant and good for maintaining cardiovascular health. Good food sources include red palm oil, green leafy veggies, liver, egg yolks, and my favorite – wheat germ. I love sprinkling wheat germ into shakes, on yogurts and in oatmeal. Grass fed beef is also a great source for this vitamin. Vitamin K This vitamin is important for blood clotting, and is also real important in maintaining proper bone density. Good food sources include leafy green veggies, liver and cabbage type veggies. I like spinach for this. One of my favorite pre-contest meals is a six egg omelet stuffed with spinach! •

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Keeping your liver healthy

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When I first started visiting Dr Serrano, he used to always palpate my liver, and he was very focused on blood work results – liver enzyme counts being one of the most important. He continually stressed the importance of healthy liver function not only in terms of general health, but in terms of fat burning. Your liver is a very key organ that takes a beating cleansing our systems of toxins, metabolizing proteins, etc. If it’s stressed out, you can’t burn fat as efficiently. It can also get to the point rather easily, where it can’t break down aldosterone, which leads to excess water retention. Every single day your liver actually produces a quart of bile that emulsifies and absorbs fats. Your gall bladder (providing you still have one), then stores this until it’s needed. Your liver does many other important things as well such as converting glucose, fructose and galactose into glycogen, which it stores. If you’re partaking in a lower carb type of diet your liver will convert the stored glycogen into glucose and then release it into your bloodstream, then when out of glycogen, it will convert fat and protein for energy. I don’t like it when someone is converting their protein into glycogen. It’s hard to tell when, usually they start getting more sore, weaker and their muscles have a “flatter” appearance – but I try not to let people get to this level of depletion. I’d much rather see someone get additional energy from Coconut Oil, as it’s so easy to turn into energy – doesn’t even require bile salts, or do a carb up day consisting of only lean proteins and carbs – no fats for this. Fats slow the entry of sugar into your bloodstream. Normally that is good, but not in this case. Anyway, your liver is pretty dang tough, and can even do some regeneration of damaged cells. Despite this, I like to use a few supplements to help (Liv 52, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Milk Thistle). This combination is rotated to product optimal results. There also food sources that I incorporate into diets to help the liver and gall bladder, such as real lemon juice (not from concentrate – helps with bile formation) real cranberry juice (not from concentrate – helps dilute and expel waste), and Apple Cider Vinegar. Of course the saturated fats that I recommended above also help. Saturates protect the liver from toxins! •

Supplements to manage glucose disposal

Certainly this isn’t a new concept, we’ve read a bazillion studies touting that glucose disposal agents help to enhance nutrient uptake into cells by increasing the efficiency of insulin. In other words, they help us achieve normal blood sugar levels/readings. If you have a more stable blood glucose level, this will result in more efficient use of body fat for fuel. High levels of insulin obviously lead to greater fat storage. Compounds like GDAs that help remove glucose from the bloodstream, will lower insulin levels, and help us burn fat and lose weight. The most popular one is probably Alpha Lipoic Acid (or the rALA version). This is an extremely good supplement you’d be wise to use year-round. It also helps regenerate liver tissue, and recycles antioxidants in your body. Also Chromium is important and is often deficient in our diets, especially if we drink diet sodas with aspartame. They leech this out of our system. Chromium also does a nice job managing glucose. The other benefit of GDAs is a better cholesterol profile. Many of us believe (and there are many studies to back it up) that increased intake of refined sugars is what is causing cholesterol readings 157

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to get out of whack. Cholesterol is a very healthy substance that acts as a repairer in your body, and when it sees the inflammation caused by sugars, the levels increase so that it can fight the inflammation directly. Dr Serrano recommended I try Chromium as an adjunct with my carb meals to help with my profile, and it did improve my readings more so than other popular supplements that tout lowering cholesterol. So you get a double benefit here, you get leaner because glucose is more properly managed, and you get better cholesterol readings, as the GDAs will slow down the inflammation created by sugar. Well, that’s the high level of the Mountain Dog diet, nothing earth shattering – but very effective. I hope there are some things that got you thinking about your food selections! It’s a diet that improves health and well-being, which is very important to me. It is also a great way to get ripped, or gain lean muscle depending on how you manipulate the calories and macronutrients.

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What I Learned From Lou by Jim Wendler

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LouieSimmons’influenceonpowerliftingandon strengthtrainingdoesnotneedtobementioned. Allyouhavetodoistalktoanystrengthcoachor trainerandinsomeway,theyhavebeeninfluenced byLou.Manytimes,it’stheuseofbandsorchains. 160

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For others, it’s the box squat. There are a lot of things that Lou has given the strength world; if anything it’s the opening of people’s eyes to something different. I feel very blessed to have actually trained with Lou at Westside.Barbell and there are a lot of things that do not get discussed in articles or interviews. Here is an insight of the other things that I have learned from Lou that many people have not been privy to. Train optimally, not maximally – This was the number one thing that I learned from Lou and has taken a lot of time to comprehend. There are a lot of people out there that still believe that you have to train your balls off every single time in order to succeed. One of the best pieces of advice that I ever got was: leave the gym with something in the tank. I’m not sure who told me it, but several people have and I still think it’s worth remembering. What Lou always told me is that when someone is dead on in their training, they instinctively know what is enough and what is too much, in terms of training. They don’t have a calculator and they don’t consult Supertraining. They just know. Training optimally simply means that what you are doing in the weight room (and what you are not doing) is going to maximize your success. Training maximally in the weight room means that you are just pushing the pedal down every single workout, with little regard to the outcome in the long run. Train with strong people in the right atmosphere – Ever hang around a really depressed person? Before you know it, all you can think about is how lousy your life is. You are your company. So if you want to be strong, start lifting with strong people. Here’s a question that I’ve asked approximately 5,435 people during seminars – Jim: “What is your bench press?” Seminar Person: “300lbs” Jim: “And do you believe that everything that I told you today is what goes on at Westside Barbell?” Seminar Person: “Yes.” Jim: “So you have the training down, right?” Seminar Person: “Yes.” Jim: “And if you trained at Westside for one year, how much would you bench press?” Seminar Person: “Probably 405.” Jim: “And what if you didn’t train there?” Seminar Person: “Probably 350.” Jim: “So you think atmosphere is as important as training?” 161

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Seminar Person: “Yes.” Jim: “And how much effort have you given to finding or creating that atmosphere?” Seminar Person: “None.” This is very typical. I may get crucified for saying this but I really think that who you train with and where you train is much, much more important than the program you do. I did the WSB template as outlined by Dave Tate for 2 years. I got stronger. Then I started training with Kevin Deweese (who I should point out is now the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Morehead State). This is when my training took off and I got strong as hell. It was the same EXACT program, only a different atmosphere and training crew. You ever wonder why the same teams in college are winners and the same teams are losers? It’s not recruiting. It’s because winning begets winning and vice versa. People wonder why there is success at WSB. It’s not because of the training. It’s because of the atmosphere and the expectations that Lou has developed over the years. Don’t believe me? Then you haven’t trained there. Learn from everyone in the strength world – It’s easy to surround yourself with like-minded people. Everyone tells you how great you are and you are more than willing to pass on the compliments. This is really weak. You want to learn? Go listen to someone that is 180 degrees from what you believe. You may have to take a Zoloft, but it’s a great way to open your mind. Lou may be critical of many things, but I have seen him study and embrace some ideas that many would have shrugged off. It is this kind of open mind that will allow you to keep moving forward. Talk to other lifters – Lou is always seeking information from other lifters. Go to any meet and Lou is always mobbed by people. But he is also doing some recon work. He will always ask questions and see what lifters are doing and what their results were. Even if the lifter doesn’t subscribe to all of his ideas, he will still listen and immediately find a way to apply the new idea. Sometimes it works, other times….well, it’s not great. But the point is that you have to talk to other people that are actually DOING and not talking. There is a big difference. 3 weeks from a meet, you can’t get any stronger, but you can get weaker – This nugget of wisdom is for those of you that panic several weeks before a meet and up your volume and intensity. This is not a good combination, especially before a competition. I remember that my last squat workout before a meet, I asked Lou what I should do. He responded, “Do only what you think is necessary and no more.” Experiment, but keep with the principles – I know a lot of people get confused with some of the training; there are boxes, boards, bands, chains, cambered bars, kettlebells, etc. The list just gets longer and longer. While there are a lot of different exercises and cycles, the principles remain the 162

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same: • • •

Dynamic effort method Maximal effort method Repeated effort method

As long as these things are being utilized and you understand them, then you are able to fit everything into your training. When things get overwhelming, Lou always has a way of letting me (and others) know that you need to keep with the basic principles and experiment. Be smart in regards to injuries – This is something that I’ve indirectly learned from Lou and Dave. Both of these guys have pushed their bodies to the extreme and have suffered the consequences. That is the nature of the sport for those that succeed. I remember during one training session, I really hurt my mid-back and it felt like I had fire running down my back and my legs. I took 4 weeks off from squatting and came back full strength and healthy. While I did get roasted for my inability to tolerate the pain, I know (and was later told) that I did the right thing. If you are hurt, time off won’t kill you. 3-4 weeks with modified training will do more for you than pushing through and being sidelined for a year. Have a sense of humor – Although most people don’t know this about Lou, he is extremely witty and a funny as hell. While there is always a sense of intensity and purpose in the weight room, Lou never lost sight of the big picture. If you mope around and are always playing the “I’m a tough guy and can’t ever smile” card, there’s a good chance that you are a miserable person. Laugh a little. I hope this gives you a little insight into what I learned from Lou. Understand that there was a lot more, and much of what I’ve learned over the years has come from him. There is no possible way I could list everything. Now I know that not everyone can train at WSB, but do your best to learn from Lou. Even if the idea seems a little strange, there is something that you can use to help you out.

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Training for Mass by Dave Tate

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Training for Mass by Dave Tate

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I

have had the opportunity to train at Westside for the past 10 years. What I discovered when I first arrived was that all the members had incredible muscle thickness. The thickness through the upper back and triceps was among the thickest I had ever seen in any gym. The second thing I noticed is that the majority of the lifters competed in the heavier weight classes (242, 275, 308, SHW). When I asked Louie about this, he replied, “If you want to lift big weights then gain weight.” I took this advice to heart and over the next couple of years, my weight jumped 30 pounds while maintaining the same body fat level. This was accomplished by using the max effort method, the repeated effort method, the dynamic effort method, and increasing work capacity. Most of what I have read about gaining mass has always centered on using submaximal weights to failure. A typical set and repetitions always seems to be in the range of 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 10 repetitions. The exercise choice is always broken down by body part and averaged between four to five exercises per body part. Basically, just blast the muscle and they will grow.

Repeated Effort Method The training method used with this system is known as the repeated effort method. The repeated effort method involves lifting a non-maximal load to failure, where only during the fatigued state maximal numbers of motor units are recruited. While this is a very important method by which to increase muscle tension, it also has its limitations. We all have read that for this method to really be effective, we should gradually try to increase the weight we are using in a progressive overload fashion. For example, if you are performing 3 sets of 8 repetitions with 315 pounds in the bench, then you should gradually increase the weight over time. The downfall to using this method exclusively is that all strength is based upon your level of absolute strength. Using the same example, your absolute strength will allow you 315 pounds for 8 repetitions. Until your level of absolute strength is increased, your progress will stagnate. What is needed then is a way to increase absolute strength to coincide with the repetition method. These methods are known as the maximal effort and dynamic effort methods.

Maximal Effort Method The best way to increase your level of absolute strength is with the use of the maximal effort method. This method is considered superior for both the increase of intramuscluar and extramuscular coordination. The reason this works so well is that the muscles and central nervous system will only adapt to the load that is placed upon them. The implementation of this system involves the use of maximal weights for one to three repetitions. It has been proven that weights over 90% elicit the best gains in strength but will quickly lead to neuromuscular shut down after one to three weeks (depending on the exercise and athlete). When using this method, it is important to only choose one exercise per workout and to use this exercise in a two-week rotation. This means that after the second week, switch to a different exercise. Because of the quick rate of over training, it is important to switch the exercises being used. For the advanced athlete, it can be as often as every week. Some of the best movements to use with this system are basic compound movements such as the squat, good morning, and deadlift. Any version of these movements will work just as well, if not better. Westside uses over 300 different types of max effort exercises, all based around these three basic lifts. Some of the variations include:

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Good Mornings suspended by chains Low Box safety squat bar squats Deadlifts off pins Low box squats with the use of a manta ray or front squat harness Cambered bar good mornings Deadlifts pulling against bands

Dynamic Effort Method Another important method involved in gaining maximal muscle mass and strength is the dynamic effort method. This method involves lifting non-maximal weights with the greatest speed possible. This method of training is great for increasing the rate of force development and explosive strength and also has a great demand on the central nervous system. The two best exercises for this method are the box squat and the bench press—two exercises that are regarded by many as the best for overall strength and mass development. The box squat is executed by performing your squats down to a box, then pausing and returning in an explosive fashion. This is training in a static-dynamic fashion which has been shown to have a positive effect on the development of explosive strength. The sets and repetition pattern for these two exercises are 8 sets of 2 repetitions for the squat and 8 sets of 3 repetitions for the bench press. The percentages of weight to be used are 50-60% for the bench and 60-70% for the box squat. For this method to stress the CNS maximally, you must apply 100 percent effort to the bar. For example, if you bench press 400 pounds and are training with 200 pounds, then you have to apply a 400-pound of force to the bar.

Increasing Work Capacity The final component of any mass building program is the idea of increasing work capacity. Siff and Verkhoshansky define work capacity in the text Super Training as, “the general ability of the body as a machine to produce work of different intensity using the appropriate energy systems of the body.” The trick to increasing work capacity is to do it in away to avoid over training. The state of over training can halt progress in its tracks and actually send you on a downhill slide. The old way of increasing work capacity was to just throw in more exercises and more sets. This is the mentality of most strength athletes: “more is better.” Well, more is better in some cases, as long as the more is built on a solid base. When you try to do more work than your base can carry, then the base will fall out. One way to increase your base, or your GPP (general physical preparedness), is with the use of a dragging sled. The sled is prescribed for both the upper body and lower body. With special straps, you can perform front, side, and rear lateral raises, as well as ankle dragging where the straps are around your ankles and you drag the sled by walking forward. This movement is great for the hip flexors and abdonimals. This exercise alone has brought up my own abdominal strength after being stagnated for over two years with conventional abdominal exercises.

Sample Training Week Monday: • 167

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• • • •

using sets of three reps. When three reps becomes difficult, drop the reps to one and keep increasing the weight until a one-rep max is reached. Close-stance low box squats: 4 to 5 sets of 5 reps Reverse Hypers: 4 to 5 sets of 8 reps Hanging Leg Raises: 6 sets of 6 to 8 reps Sled Dragging: Forward dragging—2 trips of 200 feet; Ankle Dragging—2 trips of 200 feet

Wednesday: • • • • •

Close-Grip Bench Press: (using the maximal effort method): Start with a light weight and work up in weight using sets of three reps. When three reps become difficult, drop the reps to one and keep increasing the weight until a one-rep max is reached. Barbell Triceps Extensions: 6 sets of 5 to 8 reps One Arm Dumbbell Presses: 4 sets of 10 reps Barbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps Sled Dragging: Forward raises—2 trips of 200 feet; Rear Rises—2 trips of 200 feet

Friday: • • • • •

Box Squats: (using the dynamic effort method): warm up to a weight that is 60 to 70 percent of your current one-rep max. Perform 8 sets of 2 reps in an explosive fashion. Rest only one minute between sets Lunges: 5 sets of 5 reps each leg Reverse hypers: 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps Sled Dragging: Forward dragging—2 trips of 200 feet; Ankle—Dragging: 2 trips of 200 feet

Sunday: • • • • • •

Bench Press: (using the dynamic effort method): warm up to a weight that is 60 to 70 percent of your current one-rep max. Perform 8 sets of 3 reps in an explosive fashion using three different grips. Rest only one minute between sets Dumbbell Triceps Extensions: 6 to 8 sets of 10 reps Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10 reps Rear Deltoid Dumbbell Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps Dumbbell Rows: 5 sets of 8 reps Sled Dragging: Forward dragging—2 trips of 200 feet; Ankle—Dragging: 2 trips of 200 feet

By applying these principles, the average weight gain at Westside has been 30 pounds in the first year alone for many of our lifters. As a bodybuilder or strength athlete, it is important to apply the methods of maximal, dynamic, and repeated effort while constantly pushing up your work capacity. Without this combination, progress is limited. Always remember that the past never equals the future as long as you keep changing the methods of the past. So what are you waiting for? Get to the gym!

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Gear vs. Raw Training Minus Bro-Science by Dave Tate

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Gear vs Raw Training Powerlifting gear was first introduced into the sport in the early 1970s. Prior to the use and advancement of gear, the use of tight jean shorts, ace bandages, and whatever a lifter could think of was used for support. Over the past four decades gear has advanced and continues to offer the sport several different options: raw, raw with wraps, single-ply, and multi-ply. 170

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There are several misconceptions surrounding raw and multi-ply. These usually involve the economics of the sport and an overall lack of understanding of how the body functions. This also includes some very basic biomechanics and physiology concepts. I’ve had numerous multi-ply lifters who have placed very well in raw meets. However, they were all extremely surprised and shocked when they first came out of gear. They were shocked at how weak they had become. A few expressed to me that they spent the last five years training and actually got weaker. This is far from the case. I have also read these same stories countless times online as they are all based around the same concept of, “I couldn’t” believe how weak I was when I removed the gear.” One important factor to keep in mind is within one year they were all breaking raw records. To further illustrate this phenomenon, a 500-pound raw lifter decides to train and compete in multi-ply and over the next five years increases his squat up to 800 pounds with gear. At this point he decided to compete raw and begin the next training cycle, only to find out he can only squat 450. Therefore the lifter believes he was stronger before he ever got into gear. However, he sticks with it and by the end of 12 months, this results in squatting 600 pounds raw. In their mind they went from a very hard 450 to a 600 raw. Yes, this is great progress, but it’s not all due to what they think it is. It is VERY hard for anyone to increase a raw squat by 150 pounds, especially someone who has been training for over a decade.

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Let’s examine this more thoroughly. Gear does help. Anyone who say’s different is a liar. Gear also aids in other aspects as well. It enhances the strength curve. Note: I didn’t say it changes the strength curve. To fully understand this, search YouTube for missed lifts and you will find the majority of the time raw and geared lifters miss at the same points. It is a misconception that raw lifters miss in the hole and off their chest and that multi-ply lifters miss at the top. Lifters miss due to their weak points and, in most cases, are typically weak a few inches coming out of the bottom of the squat and the top third of the bench press—regardless of gear or no gear. In addition, gear also provides more feedback loops for a lifter compared to a raw lifter. When wearing gear, you have the tension of the suit providing feedback for body position. You can feel if your knees are not out by the sensation of the suit within the sides of your legs. You can feel if you are arching hard enough by the tension in the ass. You can tell when you are getting close to parallel due to the overall tension the suit creates on your body. In the bench, you can tell when to tuck by how the shirt is pulling on the elbows. You can feel the path of the bar based on how the shirt is pulling across the chest and triceps. You can tell when to turn the elbows out by when the shirt begins to let go.

For the deadlift, you learn where to place your hips at the start, based on the pull of the straps and the pull up through the crotch. All of these (and ones I left out) all provide neural feedback loops during the beginning, which are conscious and subconscious for the more geared and skilled lifters. This changes the intramuscular and neuromuscular coordination of the lift as well as the synchronization of how the lift is performed. The lift becomes more technical and the lifter needs to approach the training more carefully to maximize this effect. This is why someone can’t just toss gear on and get 200 pounds out of it. If most people threw gear on they would get very little out of it, as the return on investment would be minimal. You need to “learn the skill” or become more “efficient” at using it (both on the muscular and neuromuscular level). Over time this skill is learned and thus can 172

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For the deadlift, you learn where to place your hips at the start, based on the pull of the straps and the pull up through the crotch. All of these (and ones I left out) all provide neural feedback loops during the beginning, which are conscious and subconscious for the more geared and skilled lifters. This changes the intramuscular and neuromuscular coordination of the lift as well as the synchronization of how the lift is performed. The lift becomes more technical and the lifter needs to approach the training more carefully to maximize this effect. This is why someone can’t just toss gear on and get 200 pounds out of it. If most people threw gear on they would get very little out of it, as the return on investment would be minimal. You need to “learn the skill” or become more “efficient” at using it (both on the muscular and neuromuscular level). Over time this skill is learned and thus can become mastered for some lifters. While their lifts do increase, so does their strength. Going back to the example of the 500-pound raw squatter who goes into gear and squats 800 within vie years. Their gains were NOT completely contributed due to gear. They also got stronger. What happens when they remove the gear is the body has to relearn motor patterns without the feedback loops. This is why they feel so weak the first time they squat raw. Their body (and mind) is looking for feedback, and it’s not receiving it. To reestablish the feedback loops takes time and repetition. When the feedback loops are reestablished (based only on kinesthetic awareness and body position) their strength begins to rapidly increase. This ISN’T new strength; it is strength they previously developed, but they were not technically efficient to properly demonstrate it.

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In contrast, it takes time for a newly geared lifter to recognize the feedback loops required to lift in gear. Once these are restored, they will only see a modest increase in their lifts, despite what the critics say. They will not get 300 pounds out of their shirt or 500 pounds out of a squat suit. This takes time and it also requires getting stronger. Despite what you may hear about these huge carryovers, they are not entirely true because the more efficient one becomes with gear, the less efficient they will be without it. It is VERY difficult for your body to become extremely efficient raw and in gear at the same time because of the neuromuscular aspects previously discussed. Therefore, when someone says they get 350 pounds out of a shirt, I am willing to bet if they removed the shirt and trained raw for 8 months they would restore these feedback loops and be able to bench 100 pounds or more. The take away for advanced lifters is to understand that if you go into gear, raw or single-ply, there will be an adjustment period. From my experience and years of training and coaching, this is usually between 6-8 months. Do not attempt to rush this process. While technical skill development and repetition is important, it’s more critical to ensure quality repetition.

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Club Sports Condundrum by James “The Thinker” Smith

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Thecurrentclimateofclubsport,in combination with school sport, in SouthernCaliforniaisoneinwhichthe majorityofathletesarebeingplaced underadegreeofphysicalstressthat theirbodiesareunsuitedtohandle. 176

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The common scenario is one in which the calendar year is constituted by the sequential practice, competition, and camp periods of club and school sport. As a result, the opportunity for a general preparation stage is obviated and, consequently, only the most genetically gifted players are capable of experiencing significant advancement of sport skill. The majority of youth sport competition results hinge heavily upon the physical preparation of their players. For this reason, a young athlete with a high all around level of physical preparation, who has never played a particular sport, possess the prerequisites to quickly become the most skilled player on the team (particularly regarding land based sports) after participating in only a moderate amount of skill practices. This comes much to the dismay of the lesser physically prepared athletes who diligently hammer away at their, what in reality exists as, self-limiting skill practice. The lesser physically prepared athletes actually, and ironically, further diminish their potential to advance their skill the more they practice it. Technical-tactical skill is only as good as its supporting physical preparation. In short, it doesn’t matter how much you practice regardless of how high you can’t jump or how fast you can’t run. Furthermore, the repetitive practice of sport maneuvers that are not executed with mechanical efficiency only serve to further stress the structures of the body that are already ill prepared to handle the load placed upon them.

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Consider girls volleyball, soccer, and water polo: A multitude of physically underdeveloped young athletes participate in yearlong sequences of club and school practice and competition calendars. Most plateau very quickly because as soon as they become proficient in the basic skills from a technical standpoint, any further improvement is hindered by their lack of general preparation. As time moves forward the stress of repetitive technical maneuvers outshines their physical structure’s ability to sustain the load placed upon it and injuries are soon to follow because: In girls volleyball: • •

The muscles of the legs are not developed enough to sustain against the impact of multiple jumps, landings, and acceleration/deceleration in general The muscles constituted by the shoulder external rotators become lax and weak due to the excess volume of shoulder internal rotation and superior rotation of the scapula associated with serving and hitting

In soccer: •

Similar to volleyball, leg and hip girdle development is insufficient to handle the stress of running, cutting, and changing direction (all aspects of acceleration and deceleration) and sooner or later the existing level of physical preparation yields to the stress placed upon it.

In water polo: • •

The degree of shoulder internal rotation and superior scapular rotation is more prevalent in comparison to volleyball due to the added dimension of free style swimming. In addition, the abundance of time spent training hard in the water creates instability particularly around the hip girdle. In this way, a multitude of lumbar spine issues are common amongst the water polo community and are entirely preventable.

The problem in all cases is that it becomes very difficult to advance the physical preparation of the athletes because they have no off-season. They are practicing their sports nearly 12 months a year and the degree to which they physically adapt and develop based upon the participation in sport alone is directly linked to the genetic material they received from their parents. The human organism physically adapts to stress as a defense reaction. The body is always seeking balance (homeostasis) and when it is challenged to endure a load that is greater than its existing capacity it adapts in order to survive. The ability for the body to adapt to the load placed upon it is finite, however. Meaning, it can only handle so much and the degree to how much it can handle is based upon a host of factors specific to each individual. Preparation for sport may be illustrated by a pyramid. The apex is characterized by psychological preparation, the infrastructure by technical-tactical preparation, and the foundation by physical preparation. Like any architectural structure, the height of the apex is limited by the dimensions of its foundation.

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General preparation characterizes the foundation of the pyramid and is constituted by the abilities which represent the prerequisites for sport skill acquisition and development: • • • • • • • •

Speed Reactive/elastic ability Power Strength Balance/coordination/rhythm/relaxation/timing Mobility Stamina Suppleness

When an athlete develops a strong foundation of general physical preparation he/she is at a great advantage to quickly learn the technical-tactical skill of a new sport. For this reason, pre-school and early elementary school athletes who participate in youth gymnastics and swimming, and later in track and field, are exposed to the full spectrum of physical skills and become well equipped to succeed in many other sports. Technical-tactical skill is developed through special physical preparatory training and in this way the training is more specifically directed towards the dynamics of the sport. Thus, the special physical preparation training for sports is constituted by the further and directed training of elements of general preparation that most closely relate to the structure of a particular discipline. This type of training is constituted by the drills performed in practices, as well as special strength training, which serve to enhance the athlete’s skill of playing the game. The problem with youth athletes participating in the overload of practicing and playing the same sport throughout the year is that the gross majority of them do not yet possess a sufficient degree of general preparation to tolerate, let alone develop from, the frequency and volume of practice. The worst case scenarios exists as the knee ligament, lumbar disc bulges and herniations, and shoulder labrum and/or rotator cuff injuries that are prevalent among young teenage athletes; all of which are symptomatic of illogical physical loading and most of which are preventable. The athletes who break even and the ones who are fortunate enough to go uninjured, demonstrate moderate improvement in sport skill, yet are outshined by their physically superior teammates who possess equal technical-tactical skill yet have superior physical ability. The select few who are the recipients of the requisite genetic material passed on from their parents are the ones who demonstrate substantial skill improvement season after season even if their only physical training is the practice and competition of the sport itself. In all cases, however, no single population is above benefiting from, and all are in dire need of, a general preparation stage and properly loaded special physical preparatory training. The root of the mismanaged process of youth athlete development exists as the disappearance of comprehensive physical education programs in our schools and the lack of sufficient coaching and physical preparation qualification standards in the continental United States. 179

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Coaches, physical educators, strength and conditioning coaches and private trainers alike are uneducated in the areas of sport physiology primarily because this area of study is, on the wholesale, not present in the university setting in the US. Athletes, then, are left to the skill set of their instructors and the absence of a comprehensive coaching qualification system renders long term athlete development a highly unstable process. In the case of youth sports at the club and scholastic level, it doesn’t matter how much or how frequently technical- tactical practice is executed if the athlete lacks a foundational level of physical preparation. Furthermore, even if the physical preparation is in place and/or the athlete is in debt to their parents for passing on the requisite genetic material, the utmost of sport results will not, and cannot, be achieved if the technical-tactical practice load is mismanaged. The architecture of the athlete’s bodies must be built to whether the storm of practices and competitions. The unfortunate reality is that the foundations of physical preparation are too unstable and the winds of the practice and game schedule are blowing too strong. The solution to this problem will be discussed in part two of this article.

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The 14 Day Program: An Interview with John Bott by Jim Wendler

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What did your training look like before you began this training? Give us a sample week/template that would be fairly typical of what you did. Prior to switching to this 14 Day Template my training template actually changed twice! Initially, for many years, I had trained using the typical 4 Day Westside Rotation. I did a DE Bench Press Workout on Monday, a ME Squat/Deadlift Workout on Tuesday, a ME Bench Press Workout on Thursday, and a DE Squat/Deadlift Workout on Saturday. This worked well for awhile, but it became increasingly difficult to recover from a ME Squat/Deadlift Workout and a DE Squat/Deadlift Workout in the same week. It seemed that if I went all out on a ME Squat on Tuesday night I would feel beat up in the knees and groin on Saturday morning! It was also getting difficult to find enough people to train with on Tuesday night to have a true ME Squat/Deadlift Workout. This is when I modified the typical 4 Day Westside Rotation by eliminating the ME Squat/Deadlift Day. Here is what that template looked like: Monday was still DE Bench Press Day, Tuesday became a Squat/Deadlift Assistance Day (no ME movement), Thursday was still ME Bench Press Day, and Saturday became a Squat/Deadlift Combo Day( I did DE squats followed by a ME deadlift or good morning). How did you come up with this 14 Day Split? My current training template is actually 14 days because I need to train on the same days each week because of the availability of training partners and some other personal commitments that I have made. I got the idea after reading an interview with Chad Aichs at www.irongame.com. In that interview, he outlines his 12 day rotation and states that as he gets stronger he has to train less frequently in order to be able to recover. I knew that Chad had made tremendous progress over the last few years and his program was worth taking a look at. I believe that Chad is training less frequently because of the tremendous tonnage that he uses in any given workout. I am not in that boat, unfortunately, but thought that I could benefit from a similar program because of the recovery factor. Why did you change? As I said earlier, the thing that intrigued me most about this plan was the added recovery factor! I have been competing in powerlifting for the past 20 years and the sport has taken its toll on my body. I’m not ready to pack it in yet, so I am trying to find a way to train hard enough to make some progress and at the same time stay healthy enough to actually make it to the meet in one piece. Another factor that contributed to my decision to give this plan a try was my personal/family life obligations. I was spoiled during the first ten years of my marriage because my wife and I had no children and we both competed in powerlifting. When we were getting ready for a meet all we had to focus on was work, training, eating, and recovering. To be quite honest, even most of our social time revolved around powerlifting and our powerlifting friends. Well on March 22, 1998 that all changed when our daughter Samantha was born. This was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but with that angel came the responsibility of being a parent. As the years go on, and she gets older, my 183

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parenting responsibilities have increased to include soccer coach, chauffeur, and homework helper. Training is not the priority it once could be. Besides your knee injury, what other injuries have you sustained? Ok, let me think, where should I begin? 1989 – Tore left pec in prep for APF JR. Nationals in Chicago, IL. 1990 – Tore left adductor tendon at IPA Nationals in Oxon Hill. MD. 2000 – Ruptured right patella tendon at IPA Hall of Fame Meet in York, PA. 2004 – Ruptured right bicep tendon at APF Rex Road Memorial Meet in Glen Falls, NY. Through the years my elbows and forearms have deteriorated to the point where they are often times more of a hassle to deal with then these major injuries. Both elbows need surgery to remove chips and spurs, but I’m afraid that if I get them done I won’t have the drive/determination to return from point zero again. What are the positive aspects of this kind of training? I think the major positive aspect for me is the added recovery time. My body seems to be responding well to only one heavy Bench Press workout and one heavy Squat/Deadlift workout a week. My joints, especially my elbows and forearms, are not as inflamed as they normally were when I was hitting it hard twice a week for each lift. The other positive aspect for me is that this template gives me plenty of time to do the other things that a good husband and father should do! I don’t have to miss scheduled workouts for personal reasons because the template has built in flexibility. I also notice that I am beginning to really look forward to my training sessions again. When I was trying to juggle work responsibilities, four weekly workouts, and family commitments, training became a job/chore at times. What are some of the negatives? Right now it is difficult for me to pin point negative aspects of this template because I have only been following it for a few months and have not taken it to a meet yet. I will say that my training numbers are very good, for me, right now, so I’m hoping to use this plan to peak for a meet this summer. The only negative that I can think of would be the lack of volume in a given week. I think an experienced/seasoned lifter can do well on a plan like this because they have built a strong foundation over many years. They know what their indicators are and can use them to make necessary adjustments to their program. A rank beginner (Class 1 or below) would probably be better off following a basic four day template to make sure they are covering all bases. One thing that I do want to point out is that a training template must fit your lifestyle. For example, if you are a rank beginner that is also in medical school don’t set up a program that calls for 4 main workouts a week and 4 extra workouts a week. Most likely, you will run yourself into the ground, make no progress, and get very frustrated. We all need to use our heads and follow a plan that is manageable for us at a given 184

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time in our lives.

Give us a sample template of the 14 Day Split. Here is my current 14 day training template: Sunday: Squat and Deadlift Day 1. Alternate a ME squat movement with a DE squat movement 2. Alternate a DE deadlift movement with a ME deadlift or good morning 3. Row movement (ie bent row, chest supported row, 1 arm row) 4. Posterior chain movement (ie back raise, reverse hyper, calf/ham/glute raise) 5. Abdominal movement 6. Grip movement Monday: Lower Body “Feeder” Workout Tuesday: Walk/Mobility Work/Rest Thursday: Bench Press Day 1. Alternate a ME bench press with a DE bench press (I have been doing two ME workouts to one DE workout) 2. Secondary press movement (5-6 board press, front press, foam press, DB press, etc.) 3. Row or pulldown movement 4. Delt movement 5. Grip movement Friday: Upper Body “Feeder” Workout Saturday: Walk/Mobility Work/Rest Here is my tentative plan for a summer meet:

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Squat Cycle Phase One 1. ME Box Squat: 2 Blue Bands 2. DE Box Squat: 3 Sets of Chain 3. ME Box Squat: 2 Blue Bands 4. DE Box Squat: 3 Sets of Chain 5. Comp. Squat: Straight Wt.(w/full gear) 6. LA Box Squat: Straight Wt. Phase Two 7. ME Box Squat: 1 Blue & 1 Green Band 8. DE Box Squat: 5 Sets of chain 9. ME Box Squat: 1 Blue Band & 1 Green Band 10. DE Box Squat: 5 Sets of Chain 11. Comp. Squat: Straight Wt. (w/full gear) 12. LA Box Squat: Straight Wt. Phase Three 13. ME Box Squat: 1 Blue Band 14. DE Box Squat: 4 Sets of Chain 15. Comp. Squat: Straight Wt. (w/full gear) 16. LA Box Squat: Straight Wt. 17. DE Box Squat: Straight Wt. Or 1 Green Band

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Deadlift Cycle Phase One 1. DE Deadlift: Monster Mini Band 2. ME Deadlift: Deadlift (off 4 mats) 3. DE Deadlift: Monster Mini Band 4. ME Deadlift: Suspended Chain GM 5. Comp. Deadlift: Straight Wt. (w/full gear) 6. N/A Phase Two 7. DE Deadlift: Mini Band 8. ME Deadlift: Deadlift (off 2 mats) 9. DE Deadlift: Mini Band 10. ME Deadlift: Non-Suspended GM 11. Comp. Deadlift: Straight Wt. (w/full gear) 12. N/A Phase Three 13. DE Deadlift: Mini Band 14. ME Deadlift: Suspended Chain GM 15. Comp. Deadlift: Straight Wt. (w/full gear) 16. N/A 17. DE Deadlift: Mini Band or Straight Wt

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Bench Press Cycle Phase One Week1: ·

ME BP – 3 Board Press – Monster Mini Band

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Secondary Press Movement (SPM) – 6 Board Press – 5RM

Week 2: ·

ME BP – 3 Board Press – Straight Wt.

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SPM – Foam Press – 5RM

Week 3: ·

DE BP – 1 Board – Fat Bar/Mini Band

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SPM – Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

Week 4: ·

ME BP – 4 Board Press – Monster Mini Band

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SPM – 6 Board Press – 3RM

Week 5 ·

ME BP – Shirt work

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SPM- Foam Press – 3RM

Week 6:

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DE BP – 1 Board Press – Fat Bar/Straight Wt.

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SPM- Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

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Phase Two Week 7: ·

ME BP – 2 Board Press w/ Monster Mini Band

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SPM – 5 Board Press – 5RM

Week 8: ·

ME BP – 2 Board Press – Straight Wt.

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SPM – Decline – 5RM

Week 9: ·

DE BP – 1 Board Press – Fat bar/Mini Band

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SPM – Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

Week 10: ·

ME BP – 4 Board Press w/ Monster Mini Band

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SPM – 5 Board Press – 3RM

Week 11 ·

ME BP – Shirt Work

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SPM – Decline – 3RM

Week 12: ·

DE BP – 1 Board Press – Fat Bar/Straight Wt.

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SPM – Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

Phase Three Week 13:

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ME BP – 3 Board Press w/ Monster Mini Band

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SPM – 6 Board Press – 5RM

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Week 14: ·

ME BP – 3 Board Press w/ Straight Wt.

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SPM – Seated Front Press- 5RM

Week 15: ·

DE BP – 1 Board Press – Fat Bar/Mini Band

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SPM – Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

Week 16: ·

ME BP – Shirt work

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SPM – 6 Board Press – 3RM

Week 17: ·

DE BP – 1 Board Press – Fat Bar/Straight Wt.

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SPM – Rep Method (This is some kind of dumbbell movement)

With this kind of training, do you feel the need to do extra workouts? I believe that I should be doing two extra “feeder” workouts per week. This would consist of one workout for the lower body and one workout for the upper body. These workouts could be for weak point remediation, mobility work, or active recovery. This is an area that I plan on talking to Chad about when we hook up at the Arnold Classic in March. I know he does lots of timed recovery work on these days. To be honest with you, I have missed several of these workouts over the past few months and have not seen any negative effects! If I’m going to do them religiously I want them to have purpose and direction, so I’ll pick his brain on this one.

I know you have struggled with mobility issues, how have you addressed this? I have to thank Dave Tate for this! We were at a meet together about two years ago and he showed me a few dynamic warm-up exercises that he had been using successfully to increase his mobility and flexibility prior to training. I began implementing them twice a week and noticed a marked difference within a few workouts. I highly recommend the Parisi Warm-up Method DVD to anyone who is having problems with their groin, hamstrings, or low back. Pick a few appropriate exercises and do a 10 minute dynamic warm-up before you ever get under the bar. Trust me on this one, it will be time well spent.

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or do you find that this negates the effects of this kind of training? I think this will depend on the individual. Some would possibly benefit from gradually increasing the volume over time, others like Chad or myself may not. What I would be afraid of is a lifter trying to jam the volume of a 4 workout a week plan into a 2 workout a week plan. I wouldn’t want to see lifters turning this plan into 2 marathon sessions. I feel that would be counterproductive. I think that the quality of the work here is more important than the quantity of the work.

Who would you recommend this kind of training for? 1. Obviously, anyone who is at a world class level like Chad is and is having trouble recovering from their weekly workload. 2. Older veterans who still want to compete and break personal records, but whose bodies, work schedules, family commitments don’t allow them to train under the typical 4 day plan. 3. Younger, less experienced lifters, who have a hectic/stressful schedule and can’t manage to train under the typical 4 day plan because the combination eats them alive and no gains are made. 4. Anyone who lacks enough training partners to properly train 4 days per week. Some of us only have training partners twice a week or must travel great distances to hook up with quality training partners. Here are some other things that a lifter has to take into account: ·

Remember that there is more than one way to skin a cat.

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Be open minded and willing to change.

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Don’t follow a certain template just because one of your heroes follows it, follow a plan that will allow you to make gains, stay relatively healthy, and enjoy the sport of powerlifting.

I hope that this article makes you think about what you are doing and that some of you can use it to your benefit.

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The Rise of the Internet Icons by Billy Mimnaugh

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The Rise of the Internet Icons by Billy Mimnaugh

[BillyMimnaughisknownforspeakinghismind, whetherit’saboutpoliticsorpowerlifting.Ifyou areeasilyoffended,readnofurther.Billyhasaloud voice,andwewanttogivehimtheopportunityto speak. —Jim Wendler, EFS] 193

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I

began my journey into weightlifting back in 1983. I was a college freshmen going to school on a basketball scholarship up in Maine. I’d been interested in lifting after seeing the physique of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and wanted to start weight training to try and get my body to look like his. However, I had no idea how to get started in this pursuit.

One day, I saw a guy in the student activity center who was obviously a weightlifter. He was super thick through his chest and shoulders and had a huge pair of arms. I mustered up enough courage to tell him I was interested in lifting and asked if he could help me out. His name was Bob Dulea. It turns out he was a teen powerlifting champ in Maine. He said he was actually looking for someone to train with and that I was more then welcome to come to the gym with him. The gym we joined was Water Street gym in Augusta, Maine, nicknamed the Dungeon. It had rock walls with water dripping down them, and it looked like the last time it saw a broom was about 20 years before. Both Ernie Hakett and his brother Frank had trained there as well as many other national powerlifting competitors. The place was a shit hole, but it had lots of weights, good bars, and most importantly, a great atmosphere. So my journey for size and strength began. Bob was a total throwback type of lifter—lots of sets and lots of weight. Basically, you would do a set until you couldn’t complete a rep by yourself. I think I puked every single workout for the first two weeks. He was merciless on both of us. About two months had passed and Bob decided it was time for me to max out on the deadlift. After a workout, he loaded the bar with 405 lbs and told me to pull it. At the time, I wasn’t capable of a 300 lb pull so I approached the bar and gave it a half-assed try knowing that I couldn’t do it. Bob ran over and started screaming at me using names like “p*ssy” and “c**t.” So I tried again, and of course, the bar didn’t budge. After five tries, Bob came running toward me. He kicked me in the leg, knocking me down, but not before landing an open hand slap across my head as I fell. He screamed, “You’re a pussy, and you will never be shit!” He then grabbed my coat, took out my car keys, and jumped in MY car. He drove to his house leaving me stranded at the gym. His house was four miles away, and if you’ve ever been to Maine, you know that the winter nights are brutally cold. Here I was with a sweaty T-shirt and a light coat walking to Bob’s house to get MY car. When I finally got there, my car was parked in his driveway with the keys in it. I sheepishly drove home. Some would read that story and say, “That would be my last day training with that idiot.” Not me. You see, I understood that Bob held the keys to everything I wanted. I knew that he could teach me how to get big and strong, and the only thing I now cared about was lifting and getting huge. No amount of abuse that Bob gave me would shake my resolve. I knew that if I listened and learned everything I could, he could show me the way. In fact, Bob not only abused me during workouts, but he also stole just about everything I owned at the time, from T-shirts to sneakers to tapes and anything else he could get his hands on. I didn’t care. I only knew in my heart that this guy was giving me an education that no amount of money could buy. He taught me how to train, and he taught me what intensity was all about. He showed me that hard work was the only way to achieve your goals in this sport, and I didn’t care what I had to lose in order to get big and strong. Each lesson that I learned brought me one step closer to my

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goal. We trained together for another six months before he had to move out of Maine, as he was wanted by the police (for some reason). To this day, I never forgot the early education I received from Bob Dulea. I soon returned to my home state of Connecticut and joined a gym called Body Dynamics. This gym had tons of hardcore powerlifters training there such as Joey Morreli and Bill Rominello as well as many national bodybuilders. The gym had a buzz going through it that was unreal. It was exciting just to walk in there, and you actually would get a pump even before touching a weight. My first day there I saw a guy named Jay Casagrande doing incline benches. He had 365 lbs on the bar and repped it like it was a toy. But the thing I couldn’t believe was the inhuman size of his chest and back. The guy looked like a mutant. He was getting ready for the junior nationals in bodybuilding and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. (I’m sure he thought I was homosexual, but I was mesmerized by his size.) To this day, he was the single most impressive human being I’ve ever seen in person. For the next few months, I trained at Body Dynamics by myself. I’d do whatever the other guys weren’t doing. If they were doing chest, I’d do back. If they were doing legs, I’d do chest. I was so intimidated at the sheer size and strength of these guys that all I wanted was to go unnoticed and not be made fun of. I would schedule my workouts so I’d be there at the same time as Jay, and out of the corner of my eye, I’d watch everything he did while I did my own stuff. I was at Body Dynamics for about three months when one day I was squatting by myself in the corner. Jay was doing chest on the other side of the gym. I had worked up to three plates and wasn’t using any collars on the bar. As I stepped back, the plates started sliding off the bar, the bar started teeter-tottering, and the plates began falling. As each plate hit the ground, my face got redder and redder. I just hoped that Jay wouldn’t notice. As I replaced the empty bar on the rack, I heard Jay bellow from the corner of the gym, “Get out of my gym you geek.” Heartbreaking. As time went on, Jay noticed that I worked pretty hard, and he would ask me to train together on certain body parts. I wouldn’t say we were training partners or friends. I was more like a plate bitch, spotting and loading for him and doing my sets while he rested. But, it was a big step up for me. I went from hiding in the corner to training with the best built guy in the state. Finally, after a year of this arrangement, I was late to the gym one day. Jay was out in front by the sign in desk and said, “I’ve been waiting. Where the fuck have you been?” I knew that I had finally made it. I was accepted by the big guys as an equal and was now considered Jay’s training partner. To this day, that was the happiest moment I’ve had in my lifting career. I tell those stories to say this—what the fuck has happened to my sport? When I started training you had to pay your dues. You were abused, you were made fun of, and you spotted and loaded the big guys’ plates for them. You were basically a bitch. You NEVER dared give an opinion, and you never questioned what the established guys told you. You just listened, learned, and were expected to train hard until you became a “big guy.” Compare that to today. Today, we have the rise of the internet icons, guys who haven’t done a single, solitary thing in the sport actually giving opinions on training to other lifters. These are guys who never even totaled elite but own websites and set themselves up as experts and actually get inter195

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viewed for their opinions when the only thing they have learned is what some college professor told them. No practical knowledge, no trial and error, no accomplishments, and in many cases, not even an ounce of muscle mass. Who in the blue hell made these guys experts? My God, some of these guys know so little about training and what it takes to get big and strong that they should be banned from ever giving advice. I had one icon tell me that good mornings don’t translate into bigger deadlifts or squats and then proceeded to tell me how dangerous they were. Can you imagine? Dangerous? What did Louie say about totally safe movements—“If a movement is totally safe, it’s totally useless.” However, these guys heard some college professor tell them that some study at Harvard shows good mornings are dangerous, and therefore, they accept it as fact. Never mind that the best lifters in the sport swear by them. Nope, professor pencil neck said they are dangerous and that’s that. One of the biggest factors for this stupidity is the internet. The internet has been an incredible vehicle for acquiring knowledge, but it’s also been one of the most damaging things to ever have happened in weight training. Little tiny men with little tiny totals being elevated as experts. The blind leading the blind, and they all fall in the ditch. Here’s a suggestion. If you need some advice about getting big and strong, go to someone who is big and strong. Don’t worry about how many letters are next to his name or where he coaches or what college he attended. See if he has paid his dues and succeeded in your chosen sport. Turning pages in a book can’t replace getting under a barbell. Theories don’t trump practical experience. If you go to a seminar, make sure the guy is an expert, not just an internet icon posing as an expert. Most importantly, pay your dues. You can’t get strong by reading books. Backward dumbbell lunges can’t replace good mornings. GPP doesn’t mean a damn thing if you’re not strong. Stop looking at the technicalities of the sport and just freaking train heavy and hard. Instead of worrying about tweaking that shirt an extra half inch on your arm or getting tighter squat briefs, get strong first and stick to the basics. Read and listen to what guys with big totals have to say, not guys with lots of book smarts and college degrees. Lastly, ignore the internet icons. Most of them have never and will never do a damn thing in this sport. They sit at their computers with their theories about what it takes to get strong but could never muster up enough nads to actually get strong themselves. A long time ago, you had to pay your dues to be considered an expert. Now, with the rise of the internet, all you need is a computer and a college degree and you can be elevated to the position of strength guru. That’s a sad state of affairs.

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