"You need to change exercises often to shock the muscles!" - Do we really?

 With more and more fitness influencers on IG, TikTok, Youtube, to drive content and clicks they come up new exercises all the time and try to persuade people "this is the newest best exercise for XYZ".

Do we need to change exercises? Probably. With new stimulus the muscles respond better, the brain responds a little better to newness, there is new excitement with a new exercise for some time.

However, we should remember muscles recognize stress, nothing more. The back muscles do not know whether you are doing barbell rows, chest-supported rows or dumbbell rows. They respond to stress, load, different positions.

I strongly believe we benefit from changing accessory exercises, plyometric exercises, targeted hypertrophy exercises, exercises for muscle imbalances. These can be more modified with using bands, etc.

But there are a few basic compound exercises which are so great, with so great muscle and strength building qualities and tested by millions of lifters for decades that we should use them all the time and never change them. Sure, you can apply different loads, stances, tempo, etc. but they are so great they stay in the template for decades.

Here are my pics:

1/ SQUAT

Probably the best exercise for whole lower body development; quads, adductors, hams (to some extent), glutes, core. Variations? Low bar, high bar, box squats, tempo squats, pause squats, front squats.

Personal picks: low bar squat for heavy triples, front squat for heavy doubles, pause squats for heavy doubles.

2/ DEADLIFT

Whole lower body movement plus posterior chain. They hit so much muscle it is hard to believe. You should deadlift your whole life. One of the most basic human movements - to pick heavy sh*t off the groud. Variations? Sumo, conventional, deficit, RDL, pause deadlifts, deadlifts up to knees.

Personal picks: conventional for triples and doubles, deficit for heavy triples, RDLs for heavy 5's, pause deadlifts for triples which hit core like nothing else.

3/ OVERHEAD PRESSING

Also one of the basic patterns; overhead pressing hits shoulders, traps, triceps, middle back, core. Variations? OHP, push press, behind neck press, DB presses, KB press, KB thruster.

Personal picks: OHP for strict 5's, very heavy push press for heavy doubles, seated behind the neck press for 5's very strict with a pause at top. Barbell thrusters for time.

4/ BENCH PRESSING

No need for any intro here. Yes, you can bench press your whole life with cool shoulders, you just need to vary the loads and have solid surrounding muscles for support: upper back, lats, triceps, biceps. Bench pressing exercises hit chest, triceps, shoulders and serratus anterior muscles which are very important for posture. Variations? Bench press, close-grip bench press, board press, floor press, DB bench press, DB floor press, paused bench press.

Personal picks: bench press for triples, paused bench for doubles, close-grip bench press for 5's.

5/ BAR DIPS

This truly is an upper body squats. They hit triceps, pecs, shoulders in perfect sync. Variations? None. Just vary the load. Go bodyweight only for high-rep sets and super heavy with added weight.

Personal picks: very heavy for 5's or sets of 20 with bodyweight only.

6/ PULL-UPS

An exercise which has been around for 200+ years and righfully so. They hit upper back, lats, shoulders, mid back, biceps, forearms, grip. Dead hangs for 2+ mins cure shoulders. Just try them. Hang for 2+ mins and you'll feel all those little cracks and pops around your shoulders - wonder corrections for your posture. Variations? Grip mainly. Pronated, supinated, parallel, cobra pull-ups, BW only, with added weight.

Personal picks: very heavy pull-ups with added weight for triples and doubles. BW only high-rep pull-ups.

7/ ROWS

These really can add slabs of muscle to your frame. They add to bench press, squat and deadlift because a massive upper back = strong person overall. Variations: barbell rows, DB rows, Meadows rows for rhomboids, seal rows, machine rows, low cable rows.

Personal picks: strict seal rows where I have to use back muscles only. Very heavy DB rows.

That's about it. Variations and change is a spice of life, they say. Vary the loads, angles, frequency; change exercises for smaller muscle groups, lagging muscles, change jump exercises, plyometrics, add in Oly lifts variations, play with kettlebells, you name it. But the bread and butter should not change.

Been squatting and overhead pressing on Mondays for 25 years? Good. Change nothing and keep going. You are on the right track :-)

deficit deadlifts

Deficit pulls are some of he best deadlift variations you can do. They increase the ROM thus increasing the time under tension, build more muscle mass and improve the initial part of the pull where most people tend to struggle. 

There are three variations I like to do and I recommend you try them all. 

1/ deficit deadlift off low deficit 

These would be done standing on a 1 inch deficit and the form would mimick as close as possible your regular deadlift. These have a very high carryover to regular pulls. The initial pull is going to be a bit more difficult and you need to set up perfectly before the pull, taking max slack out of the bar and really engage your glutes. 

You can swap these with regular deadlifts for, say, a 3 week wave, maybe: week 1 - 3 sets of 3 medium heavy, week 2 - 3 sets of 3 heavy, week 3 - 2 sets of 2 very heavy. 

2/ deficit deadlift off high deficit 

Typically done while standing on a 4 inch box. You have to set up a bit differently sinking your hips lower and the initial pull will require more quads, more glutes and better core strength. These are done typically as your accessory pull, say, 4 sets of 3 with 65% of max pull. 

3/ snatch grip deadlift off high deficit 

These suck. I hate those. You have to start with your hips really, really low and you will have to reduce the weight significantly. But they hit your quads, hips and the whole posterior chain like nothing else.

Use 40-50% of your max deadlift for, say, 3 sets of 4 as a heavy accesory lift. 

Your deadlift should increase after incorporating some of the above into a 6-8 week building cycle. Good luck!

How to increase volume? FREQUENCY!

We all know from research that volume gives results. Rather a proper correlation of volume and intensity but that is not what I want to write about today. Simplified, the lifter who accummulated the biggest tonnage lifted over several months (volume) is going to be the strongest at the meet.

Very important: provided the maximal volume is just below your individual limit of recovery and your body can adapt to the training stimulus. This is individual and you have to find out for yourself.

But how do you increase volume without making the sessions too long and too tiring tapping into you recovery reserves and without overtraining? You have to do two things: adding sets with frequency and moderating intensity levels. Most of the sessions are going to be relatively short and the % of intensity is goin to be faily low.

It is common for lifters in the former Eastern bloc to squat 2-3x a week, bench press 3x a week and deadlift 2x a week. It has many benefits: you practice the competition lifts a lot, you build the key muscle groups, you increase the neuromuscular coordination for the powerlifts.

Below is and example of a 4 week cycle where three weeks are heavy or moderate heavy and the 4th week is a deload week. you take the doubles from the third week as your estimate for your new max for calculating poundages for the next 4-week cycle. There is nothing wrong increasing the weights every other cycle. Especially if you are an experienced lifter, progression is going to be slow.

week 1

squat 4 x 4 (4 sets of 4) @ 70%

pause bench press 5 x 2 @ 65% (2 sec pause)

hypers 2-3 sets

triceps pushdowns 2-3 sets

paused deadlift 4 x 3 @ 65%

bench press 4 x 4 @ 70%

DB Bulgarian split squats 2-3 sets

GHR 2-3 sets

bench press 5 x 3 @ 75%

squat 5 x 3 @ 75%

pull-ups 2-3 sets

week 2

squat 5 x 3 @ 80%

incline bench press 3 x 6

Paloff press 2-3 sets

lat pulldowns 2-3 sets

deadlift 4 x 3 @ 75%

bench press 1x 5 @ 65%, 2 x 4 @ 70%, 2 x 3 @ 75%, 3 x 2 @ 80%, 2 x 3 @ 75%, 2 x 4 @ 65%, 1 x 6 @ 60%, 1 x 8 @ 55%

face pulls 2-3 sets

bench press 5 x 3 @ 80%

pause squat 3 x 2 @ 65%

GHR 2-3 sets

hypers 2-3 sets

week 3

squat 5 x 3 @ 80%

bench press 5 x 3 @ 80%

squat 3 x 3 @ 70%

hypers 2-3 sets

deadlift 3 x 2 @ 85-90%

paused bench press 5 x 2 @ 70%

DB Bulgarian split squat 2-3 sets

squat 4 x 2 @ 85-90%

bench press 4 x 2 @ 85-90%

triceps pushdowns 2-3 sets

week 4

squat 2 x 2 @ 65%

bench press 2 x 2 @ 65%

pull-ups 2-3 sets

deficit deadlift 2 x 2 @ 65%

incline bench press 3 x 6

DB rows

bench press 3 x 3 @ 70%

squat 3 x 3 @ 70%

GHR 2-3 sets

dynamic side plank 2 sets

Good luck :)

BACK TO BASICS!

The longer I lift the more I am convinced strength training should be 85-90% big compound lifts with assitance exercises being only 10-15%. Before I get my fair share of hate mail I do want to say I am not against assitance exercises, they have their place: muscular hypertrophy, weight gain, local targeted muscular hypertrophy, imbalances, stability issues, firing patterns, etc.

Still, several big compound exercises will get you covered for decades. If you look at lifting careers of for example Konstantin Pozdeev or Andrey Malanichev it is usually squat, bench, deadlift and their variations, then some DB flys, back work, hypers. That's pretty much it. And their careers, totals and physiques were awesome.

If you think about it it is very logical. The human physiology recognizes 7 basic movement patterns: squat, lunge, bend, carry, push, pull, rotate. This is how humans have been moving for thousands of years so it only makes sense we train like that, based on evolution, with multi-joint compound exercises which train many muscle groups at the same time in coordinated patterns.

Does that mean that you should only squat, bench, deadlift for the rest of your life? Not really. People forget there are many variations and you may utilize many of them in your training as your main lifts or as your big assistance lifts afterwards. 

Examples below:

SQUAT (low bar squat, high bar squat, pause squat, tempo squat, SSB squat, front squat, zercher squat, cossack squat, box squat)

BENCH PRESS (bench press, CGBP, pin press, lockouts, board press, band press, push press, OHP, snatch press, BTN press)

DEADLIFT (conventional, sumo, pause deadlift, deadlift up to knees, block pulls, RDL, SLDL, GM)

The above should be 85-90% of your year-round training and the little stuff rounds up your program based on current needs (local hypertrophy, lagging muscle group, firing patterns (e.g. glutes), unilateral work, core work, stability muscles, etc.). You need only couple of sets a week of these and please do not believe the nonsense you have to hit everything every week. Most of your body muscles are hit by the big lifts anyway, remember?

Example of a 3-week cycle based heavily on the big lifts. 

Mon: SQUAT 4x4@70%, pause squats 2x3, core 2 sets

Wed: BENCH PRESS 4x4@70%, OHP 3x5, DB rows 2 sets

Fri: DEADLIFT 3x4@70%, hypers 2 sets

Mon: SQUAT 3x3@80%, pause bench press 3x3@65%, abs 2 sets

Wed: DEADLIFT 2x3@80%, bent-over rows 3 sets

Fri: BENCH PRESS 3x3%80%, front squat 2x3@65%, GHR 2 sets

Mon: SQUAT 3x2@85%, CGBP 3x5, pull-ups 2 sets

Wed: DEADLIFT 2x2@85%, RDL 2x5

Fri: BENCH PRESS 3x2@85%, SSB squat 2x3

Yep, that little. Try it and let me know.

I was wrong!

Hmmmm ... a man should be able to admit he was wrong. At least I think I was wrong. I am 47 now and have been lifting for 31 years; past 5 years I have been doing a hybrid training: lifting combined with triathlon training (swim - bike - run).

I still lift heavy 3 times a week (and the training is still built around the powerlifts and their variations) but I have noticed that the older I am I tolerate intensity very well and total volume less so. 6 sets of 3 with 80% of my max squat was a standard session for me about 8 years ago; today it would be too taxing, IMO and would tap into my recovery abilities for the next session.

Nowadays, I typically do 2-3 working sets on the main lifts and usually 2 working sets on the assistance exercises. Surprisingly, I still tolerate high RPE very well, I still can go really heavy but on less sets. It means still quite a lot of heavy doubles and triples; less of those heavy 5's and 8's.

I also enjoy working in Oly lifts and their variations for enforcing proper body positions and working on flexibility under load.

Recent research shows anyway we probably need to do way less heavy sets a week than we used to think a decade ago or so. So, why not do less and get the same stimulus?

This is an excerpt from my current training cycle; two weeks shown:

Day 1

- snatch-grip high pulls 3 working sets to a heavy triple

- squat 3 sets of 3 with 80%

- behind the neck press 2 heavy sets

- GHR 2 sets

Day 2

- dynamic side plank 2 sets

- deadlift 2 heavy doubles with 85%-90%

- CGBP 2 heavy sets

- barbell lunges 2 medium sets

Day 3

- clean-grip high pulls 3 working sets to a heavy triple

- front squat 2 heavy triples

- pull-ups two sets of max reps

- push-ups one set of max reps

Day 1

- ab wheel 2 sets

- squat 3 heavy doubles with 85%-90%

- snatch-grip push press + overhead squat 3 progressively heavy doubles

- seal rows 2 sets

Day 2

- paused deadlift 3 triples with 65%

- bench press 3 sets of 3 with 80%

- behind the neck press 2 heavy sets

- hammer curl 2 heavy sets

Day 3

- one-arm KB farmer's walk 8min

- power clean 3 progressively heavy doubles

- front squat 2 sets of 2 very heavy

- band leg curl 2 sets

Hope this helps :-)

Powerlifting and olympic lifts??? Oh, yeah!

 As a powerlifter you have to practice the powerlifts because that is how you compete. The law of specificity. Your entire program is built around them (squat, bench press, deadlift). But it is wise to borrow sometimes from other sports and see if it can improve your skills.

As I am getting older (I am 47 now) I can feel that I can get stiffer in shoulders, upper back and hips more easily than when I was 25. Recently, I have decided to include some variations of olympic lifts into my programming, especially in offseason when you can allow yourself to experiment with other lifts/exercises to see if they benefit you.

Benefits of the olypic lifts for a powerlifter are significant: 

Increased power and speed

Because olympic lifts are fast and dynamic they change the power curve. You rely on technique, muscles, momentum. If you learn, for example, how to perform the snatch properly and fast and slowly work up to some significant poundages most likely your speed and power on your squat and deadlift increase as well. There is a high correlation. And we know in order to lift big weight you need both, strength and speed.

Increased flexibilty

Please do not believe the nonsense that static stretching increases muscle bellies. It does not. If you were born with a short biceps, well, sorry, but you going to have a short biceps all your life. What can be changed though, is not the length of the muscle belly but the flexibility in your joints. But it has to be under load. Look how flexible olympic lifters are. Olympic lifts force you into very flexible positions under load therefore permanently increasing you flexibility. No more super stiff hips, upper back, shoulders. Troubles getting under the bar on squats because of stiff shoulders? Well, try 2 months of push press behind your neck or drop snatches and watch your shoulders become loose and flexible (and stronger).

Increased local muscular hypertrophy

Variations of olympic lifts are excellent for this. For years I believed heavy deadlifts and shrugs are the answer for big and strong upper back. Nothing has put meat on my upper back as much as the snatch-grip high pull. Not even close.

Here is an example of a 3 day strength program with some incorporated olympic lifts or their variations.

Monday

snatch-grip high pulls 4 progressively heavier triples to 3RM

squat 4 sets of 3 with 80%

GHR

core

Wednesday

deadlift 4 sets of 3 with 75-80%

bench press 5 sets of 3 with 80%

behind neck push press 4 progressively heavier triples to 3RM

barbell lunges

Friday

clean and jerk 5 progressively heavier doubles to 2RM

front squats 3 sets of 3 heavy

push press 3 sets of 3 heavy

DB rows

P.S. In the 40's and 50's of the 20th century it was very common people competed both in powerfilting and olympic lifting.

Now go do some snatches :-)

5 variations of paused squats and deadlifts to boost your strength

What I love about the internet is that Eastern Europe training methods are now available for example in the US and vice versa. Still though, when watching some of the IG posts of famous Western Europe or the US/Canadian lifters, I am quite surprised how little the paused variations of squats and deadlifts are used. Paused squats and deadlifts are mainstay movements in Eastern Europe training protocols because they are extremely effective.

Here are some of the main advantages of paused squats and paused deadlifts:

- you can program them as assistance lifts to regular squats and deadlifts or as main lifts in the off-season

- they build massive amount of strength at sticking points

- they are excellent substitutions for the main lifts when you want to tax the CNS less and still work hard the muscles and tendons

- excellent for tendon strength and stabilizing muscles

- excellent for enforcing correct form

I have successfully used 5 variations of pause squats and paused deadlifts. They are not pleasant, you have to leave your ego at the door but they are extremely effective. Here they are:

paused squat (pause in the hole)

Excellent for squatters who are stuck in the hole; who have throuble with the rebound and often misgrove the lift because the bottom position is weak. You take the bar out, descent into the bottom position and wait there 3 seconds before you start getting up using no momentum only the squatting muscles. You cannot relax anything in the hole; core, glutes, upper back - all is tight. I typically like to do 3 sets of 3 or 4 sets of 2 a tad heavier. Quality of movement is key here, you should finish the last set with still 2 quality reps in the tank. Be careful, eventhough you use much lighter weight, you will be spent after them because the supporting muscles must work extra hard.

paused squat (pause right below parallel)

This is extremely efficent for lifters like me, who have longer legs and shorter torso and tend to be better at deadlifting than squatting. The is a huge ego crusher. Just when you rebounded from the hole you stop the movement right below parallel, pause there for 3 seconds and then re-start the squat again. Quads are crushed after this variation. Again, 3 sets of 3 or 3 sets of 2. Be ready to reduce the working weight big time, these are difficult.

paused squat (pause right above parallel)

These are very demanding (and efficient) for naturally strong squatters with short legs who tend to be super strong out the hole and tend to stall above parallel when glutes and back muscles have to assist the legs. You descent into deep squat, rebound, go up. Just tad above parallel you stop, pause for three seconds and finish the lift. Easy for natural deadlifters, difficult for squatters. Use heavier weights here. 3 sets of 3, 2 sets of 5 or 4 sets of 2.

deadlift up to knees

Fantastic variation for people who struggle pulling off the floor. You setup in the correct starting position, pull the bar up, stop when the bar is just below the kneecaps, pause for three seconds and set the bar down on the floor. That is one rep. Typically 4-5 sets of 3 with roughly 60-65% of 1RM. These are taxing, be prepared. This variation is still prescribed a lot by the famous Russian coach Boris Sheiko.

paused deadlift

This one is trully brutal. You pull the bar up just below knee caps, pause there for three seconds, then finish the pull strong with hip extension. Your entire core, low back, mid back, traps and glutes will fight like hell to keep the position as the bar is trying to force you bend your trunk during the pause. Typically, 4 sets of 3 or 4 sets of 4. Don't be surprised if the next day your lats, mid back, glutes and core are sore as hell. These are also demanding on the CNS so don't go crazy.

Two pieces of advice to close this post:

1/ Leave your ego at the door, choose the variation you are the WORST at and keep the form perfect. Work the pause, don't worry about the weight on the bar.

2/ Let someone else count the pauses; chances are as you quickly become fatigued your 3-sec pause in your head when counting is likely to become a 2-sec pause :-)

Happy lifting!

strength training for older dudes ...

If you are 25 or 46 (as I am now) the same training principles apply and produce results. Yes, you still get jacked and very strong even when you are over 40, 50, 60. But, IMO, you have to implement certain modifications. Still, even at 46 years old, strength training is going to produce all the great benefits:

- great neuro-muscular coordination

- great muscle activation

- increased bone density

- stronger muscle fibers

- more hypertrophy

As said above, there are several modifications you should consider if you are over 40 compared to when you were 25 and could get away with just about anything you put your body through.

Volume

Volume is still king but you will have to reduce volume a bit as your recovery capacity is objectively lower. Intensity can still be high or very high but the number of work sets should be lower. Also limit the number of exercises per workout. If you want to increase volume it is better to do it with higher frequency instead of higher volume per session. As a 20 year old I could easily do 6 sets of 3 with 80% of 1RM, these days I opt for 4 sets of 3 with 75-80%. Ilike to do no more than 3-4 exercises per session; usually two compound lifts and 1-2 accessories. Accessories no longer serve for local muscle hypertrophy but raher for local muscular imbalances and tight muscle groups. You will have tight muscle groups from time to time when getting older.

Mobility

As we grow older we tend to get stiff in certain areas. For me it is the upper back and thoracic spine. To combat that I include olympic lifts into the training week to enforce full ROM and extreme positions under load. Learn proper form though before you load the lifts or you will get injured.

Bodyweight

Reduce your bodyweight. I know, I know, when I was 20 I too wanted to be as strong as possible and as huge as possible. Nowadays, I choose to be leaner, lighter, still very strong and athletic.

Accept lower poundages

This one was difficult for me as my strength level is about 15%-20% lower than in my early thirties. I know very clearly I will never break my all-time max in deadlift or squat because, first, I am 20kg (45 lbs) lighter and 15 years older. Good rule of thumb is to set new strength goals for every 5 years of your age. Set goals for when you are between 40-45. Then set new goals when you are 45-50. They do not have to be only 1RM goals as the top end strength tends to drop the fastest since you objectively lose testosteron as you age but rep strength and AMRAP strength tend to hold the longest. 5RM on deadlifts. AMRAP 10 min on front squats or thrusters. Max number of pull-ups. max 3 sets of 8 on safety squat bar squats, etc. No longer strong and huge, rather strong and lean and athletic should become your motto.

Muscle activation

Spend solid 15-20mins before training on warm-ups and muscle activation as it takes more time to "awaken" muscle groups to fire properly. I typically focus on shoulder blades movements, hip mobility, glute activation and I am good to go.

I strongly believe one should lift till 70s, 80s, 90s. But you also have to be realistic, modify the training as needed and listen to your body.

Excerpts from my current training (1 week) @ 46 years old:

Day 1:

1/ behind the neck presses (for forcing the upper back mobility and shoulder strength)

5 sets of 3

2/ snatch grip high pull (for explosiveness and upper back strength)

4 sets of 3 (up to a very hard triple)

3/ squat

4 sets of 3

4/ chest-supported rows

6 sets of 6 with very precise form

Day 2:

1/ one-arm KB farmer's carry (for core strength and hip stability)

heavy KB for 8 minutes non-stop

2/ conventional deadlift

5 sets of 3 (up to a heavy triple)

3/ bench press

5 sets of 5 with the same weight for all sets

4/ optional: arms work or shoulders

Day 3:

1/ snatch

5 sets of 2 (up to a heavy double)

2/ front squat

4 sets of 3 with heavy weight

3/ seated GM

5 sets of 3 with medium weight

4/ pull-ups

max reps for 8 minutes

Have fun!

powerbuilding for young dudes

Let's face it. Oldtimers like me (I am 46 when writing this post) usually want to be strong, fit and lean. Or they want a sport-specific strength training. But young dudes? Hey, they want to be strong and jacked. Well, it is actually quite simple. You combine a time-tested strength training of multiple sets and low reps with bodybuilding hypertrophy training typically with higher reps and medium weights. It gives the lifter a variety of both worlds, big compund lifts and isolation movements for the bodybuilding exercises. 

The variations are endless and you should never get bored. The big compound lifts are progressed in the block periodisation pattern while the assistance exercises can be done to 1-2 reps shy of failure with perfect form and medium-heavy weights. I would still not do the typical 1x week main lift as the frequency is too low, I would do the main lifts twice a week, once in the strength pattern and once in the assitance pattern, possibly a variation of the big lift (safety squat bar for squat, RDL for deadlift, OHP for bench press, etc.)

You could progress the big lifts as follows:

week 1: 5x5 @ 65%

week 2: 4x5 (4 sets of 5) @ 70%

week 3: 4x4 @ 75%

week 4: 5x3 @ 80%

week 5: 4x2 @ 85%

deload on week 6 and start over

Example of the 1st powerbuilding week might look like:

Monday:

squat 5x5 @ 65%

behind the neck press 3 sets of 8

Bulgarian split squats 3x6

lying leg curl 4x5

hanging leg raises 3x12

Wednesday:

bench press 5x5 @ 65%

RDL 3x6

triceps pushdowns 6x10

DB rows 3x12

hammer curl 4x6

Friday:

deadlift 5x5 @ 65%

SSB squat 3x6

DB bench press 4x8

hypers 5x5

face pulls 3x12

This should build tons of strength AND muscle.

Example of a 5-week powerlifting cycle

Alright, I do not like to do this but I do it anyway because many people ask. There are some things you should remeber though before you read further.

Cookie-cutter programs are useless because everybody is different (different CNS adaptation, different leverages, different strength and weaknesses, different history or injuries, etc.)

I strongly believe everybody should be coached individually. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, beats a personal coach who can watch your videos, correct your form, analyze your CNS adaptation, select exercises for YOUR weak points, etc.


Below is an EXAMPLE of a 5-week powerlifting cycle which MIGHT help you if:


- you have minimum 5 years of lifting under your belt
- your form is down on all three lifts
- you are reasonable strong
- you can afford to spend 2-3 hours in the gym per session
- you tolerate large volume well
- you expect big improvement
- you can leave your ego at the door and are willing to do the homework for each day
- you have long legs and arms, short torso
- you have strong back and weak legs
- you tend to good morning your squat sometimes
- your deadlift weakest point is off the floor

Well, if most of the above is you, then the following cycle should give you some pretty solid improvement both is strength and mass:



Week 1
Day 1
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 6 sets of 2 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
FRONT SQUAT: 4 sets of 5 heavy (but not to max)
dumbbell flys: 3 sets of 10
hypers: 3 sets of 10

Day 2
2" DEFICIT DEADLIFT: 1 sets of 3 @ 60%, 4 sets of 3 @ 70%
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 2 @ 80%
4" BLOCK PULLS: 4 sets of 4 @ 90%
dips: 4 sets of 6 heavy
dumbbell bulgarian split squat: 4 sets of 6
side plank: 5 sets of 1 min

Day 3
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
CGBP: 4 sets of 6 heavy (but not to max)
dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 8
ab wheel: 6 sets 10



Week 2
Day1
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 6 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 6 sets of 3 @ 80%
SQUAT: 5 sets of 3 @ 75%
dumbbell flys: 3 sets of 10
GM: 4 sets of 6

Day 2
PAUSED DEADLIFT: 2 sets of 3 @ 60%, 5 sets of 3 @ 70%
incline dumbbell press: 4 sets of 6 heavy
DEADLIFT: 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
dips: 4 sets of 6 heavy
Russian twists: 6 sets of 10

Day 3:
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 1 set of 5 @ 70%, 2 sets of 4 @ 75%, 2 sets of 3 @ 80%, 3 sets of 2 @ 85%, 2 sets of 3 @ 80%, 2 sets of 4 @ 75%, 1 set of 5 @ 70%, 1 set of 7 @ 65%
bent over rows: 3 sets of 6
GM: 4 sets of 6
ab wheel: 6 sets of 10



Week 3
Day 1
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 7 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 6 @ 65%
dumbbell flys: 3 sets of 10
hypers: 3 sets of 10

Day 2
DEADLIFT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 6 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
dips: 4 sets of 6 heavy
GM: 4 sets of 6

Day 3
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 7 sets of 3 @ 80%
SQUAT: 6 sets of 6 @ 65%
dumbbell bulgarian split squat: 3 sets of 8
hanging leg raises: 6 sets of 10



Week 4
Day 1
SQUAT: 1 set of 3 @ 70%, 1 set of 2 @ 80%, 2 sets of 2 @ 85%, 3 sets of 2 @ 90%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
dumbbell flys: 3 sets of 10
hypers: 3 sets of 10

Day 2
DEADLIFT: 1 set of 3 @ 70%, 1 set of 2 @ 80%, 2 sets of 2 @ 85%, 2 sets of 2 @ 90%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 6 sets of 2 @ 80%
triceps pushdowns: 6 sets of 10
ab wheel: 6 sets of 10

Day 3
BENCH PRESS: 1 set of 3 @ 70%, 1 set of 2 @ 80%, 2 sets of 2 @ 85%, 4 sets of 2 @ 90%, 2 sets of 2 @ 85%
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
GM: 4 sets of 6
pull-ups: 3 sets of 8



Week 4
Day 1
SQUAT: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 4 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 3 @ 70%, 4 sets of 3 @ 80%

Day 2
SQUAT: 2 sets of 2 @ 60%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 2 @ 60%
DEADLIFT: 2 sets of 2 @ 60%

Day 3 (weekend)
SQUAT: test 1RM or a very heavy double
BENCH PRESS: test 1RM or a very heavy double
DEADLIFT: test 1RM or a very heavy double




Good luck!

Conventional Deadlift A-Z

Like it or not, deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do in your life. It is a full body lift, one of the most natural movement patterns mother nature has designed for us. Human beings pick heavy stuff off the ground for thousands of years.

Powerlifter? No brainer here, you must deadlift, it is your 3rd powerlift.

Strongman? You can bet your ass one of the contest movements is going to be a heavy conventional deadlift for reps.

Bodybuilder? No other exercise can pack so much meat on your back.

Crossfitter? You need functional and strong posterior chain for most of your exercises related to crossfit competition.

Average desk jockey? Chances are pretty high, after a few months of moderate deadlifting with proper form and increasing resistance, your lower back pain, hip pain, neck pain, all go away plus you lose some fat as well.



Conventional deadlift is trully a full-body lift. I remember taking my all-time max a couple of years ago. It was a true max which lasted good 5-6 seconds. The next few days I was sore in my neck, traps, mid back, lats, lower back, glutes, hams, quads and even calves.

5 sets of 5 on squats can be heavy but 5 sets of 5 on heavy conventional leave you really exhausted and gasping for air.

"Just pick the damn bar off the floor", well, I never liked this attitude as it is risky and does not allow for maximum poundages. The truth is, like anything else in life, if you want to be a super strong and efficient conventional puller, you have to master the technique and perform thousands of perfect reps.



Below is the prefect set-up and pulling guide.

(note: what I give you here is a set of guidelines; you have to modify them a little to fit your body type, leverages, strength & weaknesses)



SET-UP
Approach the bar. Your stance should be roughly at your hip width. Bigger lifters tend to stand a bit wider, smaller lifters a bit closer. But hip width is a pretty good starting point because you have perfect vertical transfer of power. Bar directly over your mid foot. If you look down at the bar, it should be directly over your mid foot which means the bar will be couple of cm from your shins. Feet parallel to each other or toes slightly out, everybody is different. If you squat with your toes straight forward or slightly out, chances are the same position will be the best for you when pulling conventional. When you squat wide with toes out almost 35-45 degrees it means you have a great external rotation in hips and can utilize your glutes better, so toes a bit out when pulling might work for you well.

GRIP
Bend down and take your grip. Just outside of your legs, directly under your shoulders. When someone is looking at you from the front view, your arms should be perfectly straight and vertical. For most people this would mean index finger on the start of the knurling. Go with straps, hook grip, or over-under. I used to pull over-under for years, recently I switched to hook and straps. When doing rep work and mutliple sets, I use straps, when heavy singles and doubles I use hook grip. Yes, it is painful but I am not going to tear the underhand biceps, do not have the torso windmill effect and most imprtantly I gain extra few cm pulling the slack from the bar and my torso starting position is a bit higher which is a stronger position for me.

TIGHTEN THE CORE
Core is your abs, obliques, lower back and lats. The tighter you are, the stronger the pull. Period. When you grab the bar, squeeze the bar, try to break it and rotate your elbows towards your torso. At the same time, brace your abs as if someone is trying to punch you in your stomach, pull the slack out of the bar (try to pull it but without the bar leaving the floor) and lock your lats. If you did all that and did that correctly, you should be tight as hell, the bar sligthly bent and ready to move, your scapulae locked in place and your torso rigid and tight.

HIPS
There are too many articles, IMO, over-analyzing the hip position. The hips will be below your shoulders and above your knees. When you start to pull, the hips will move anyway to their strongest position to maximize leverage. Long-legged, long-armed people will have hips relatively higher when starting the pull, longer torso, short-legged people will have hips relatively lower and their torso more upright.

STARTING THE PULL
With your upper body locked and core tight, take a lot of air into your belly (zero to your chest otherwise you lose torso tightness); push abs against the belt and "load" your hamstrings. What that means is that when you start pushing away the floor with your quads, at the same time you are trying to pull the bar towards you and load the posterior chain, mainly hams and glutes. This should help you the first couple of cm off the ground.

MID-PULL
Just around the knees, your mid and upper back and glutes start kicking in, your quads extend your knees. Remember, the bar is still very close to the body, if the bar leaves your body your bar path is inefficient and your deadlift is weaker. The bar sould graze your legs all the time.

LOCKOUT
Once you pass the knees it is then all hip hinge. As the bar passes your knees, you lockout your knees and push your hips forward as fast and as poweful as you can. Your knees lockout a split second earlier, then you push through your hips squeezing your glutes and lockout the pull. You do not overextend, everything is locked: knees, hips, upper back. The pull is finished.



"Damn, how am I going to remember all that when pulling!?" Well, you have to create your own cues routine. Here is mine:

Approach the bar with feet hip wide and bar over mid foot.
Grab the bar, try to break it.
Elbows towards torso, locking lats.
Pull the slack.
Air into belly and belt.
Push away and pull back.
Hips through powefully.




And here are some deadlift myths busted:

"You have to look ahead".
Yes and no. The head should be wherever convenient for you. Looking straight ahead or at some point a few feet in front of you.

"Your lower back must be arched".
Bullshit. Your lower back is neutral. All the way through the pull.

"Your upper back must be straight".
Bullshit. Some rounding of the upper back is ok and is going to happen on heavy pulls. Some people less, some more. More importantly, lock the lats and scapulae.

"Deadlift is dangerous for your lower back"
This is my favourite one. If you injured your lower back deadlifting, well, you did it wrong. The axis of rotation is in the hip joint, not the lower back. Lower back is the stabilizer during deadlift, not the primer mover. Your lower back can be tender after heavy deadlifts, never sore. Your glutes should be sore. They are the primer movers, they are the biggest muscles on your body. Grow some big poweful glutes and strong abs to protect your lower back.


Shoot me questions if you have any.


cheers :-)

CEO powerlifting ....

You are a CEO.
You work like hell. 50+ working hours a week easily.
Tons of stress, phone calls, meetings.
Ups and downs of business.
Frequent biz trips.
AND you have a family.

You can possibly squeeze in a max 50-min powerlifting session 3 times a week tops. But you decide not to because how the hell would it be even remotely possible? Powerlifts, assistance, conditioning, mobility? So you decide to bag it.

.... and you are run down, stressed, irritated, overworked and your strength took a dive.

I've been there, trust me, but I can help you out.

Anything is possible if you put your mind into it and if you follow a few rules:

1/ Prioritize
You must do not what you like but what needs to be done. You know this rule from your biz life so you know it works wonders. Return on investment. Biggest bang-for-the-buck activities.
YES: squats, front squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, heavy abs, heavy back work, bench presses, shoulder presses, dips, pull-ups. That's it.
NO: dumbbell curls, shoulder raises, DB flys, etc. Remember, you have 50 minutes.

2/ Focus
At work, at sports, at playing, whatever, we can focus for 25-35 mins tops. Pure biology. Get the work done and get out. The world will not fall apart if you turn off your phone for 50 minutes. No talking, no socializing, no facebook. Same as in business: come prepared, do the most important work fast and efficient, cut the crap out and move onto something else. Go heavy on the assistance and hypertrophy work, c'mon, you're there only for 50 mins, you can survive it.

3/ Delegate
Meal prep. Be nice to your wife or buy prepared meals, heavy in protein. Top quality steaks and fish are your friends. You are a CEO, you can afford it. Top quality supplements in the office; your secretary is in charge. Yes, when you come to the office she greets you with a huge glass of mineral water and multivitamins, minerals, aminos, creatine, whatever.

4/ Timing
Train in the morning or at lunch break. Don't lie to yourself, if you leave the session as the last thing of the day after 10 hours at work and 4 draining meetings, you are going to skip half of the sessions. Get up in the morning at 6 am, coffee, water, toilet and off you go. Train from 7 to 7:50. Whatever. Morning session will get you energized for the rest of the day and you have free evenings for kids, wife, friends, booze, whatever.

So easy, isn't it?



Alright, here we go:

Week 1

Day 1
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min (goblet squats, deep lunges, air squats, push-ups, etc.)
SQUAT: 5 sets of 2 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 4 sets of 6 @ 65-70%
bent over rows: 3 sets of 8


Day 2
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
DEADLIFT: 4 sets of 3 @ 80%
overhead press: 4 sets of 6
ab wheel: 3 sets of 10


Day 3
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
FRONT SQUAT: 3 sets of 5
prowler sprints: 5 min



Week 2

Day 1
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
SQUAT: 5 sets of 3 @ 80%
BENCH PRESS: 4 sets of 5
dips: 3 sets of 6


Day 2
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
DEADLIFT: 3 sets of 3 @ 85%
overhead press: 4 sets of 5
side plank: 3 sets of 10


Day 3
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
BENCH PRESS: 6 sets of 3 @ 80%
front squat: 3 sets of 3
prowler sprints: 5 min



Week 3

Day 1
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
SQUAT: 4 sets of 2 @ 85%
BENCH PRESS: 4 sets of 5
Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 6


Day 2
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
DEADLIFT: 3 sets of 2 @ 90%
overhead press: 5 sets of 3
farmer's walk: 3 trips


Day 3
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 2 @ 85%
SQUAT: 4 sets of 3 @ 80%
rope: 1000 jumps



Week 4

Day 1:
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
SQUAT: 2 sest of 2 @ 90%, then 3 sets of 1 @ 95% or test new max
BENCH PRESS: 3 sets of 8 light
DB rows: 3 sets of 8


Day 2:
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
DEADLIFT: 2 sest of 2 @ 90%, then 2 sets of 1 @ 95% or test new max
seated DB press: 3 sets of 8
ab wheel: 3 sets of 10


Day 3:
bike 4 min
mobility 3 min
BENCH PRESS: 2 sest of 2 @ 90%, then 3 sets of 1 @ 95% or test new max
SQUAT: 3 sets of 6
bodyweight lunges: 600








Good luck!

There are great sumo pullers ... and then there is Yuri Belkin

From time to time we have the unique opportunity to watch a great lifter perfom. One out of millions. Ed Coan of powerlifting, Michael Jordan of basketball, Usain Bolt of sprinting.

I believe, today, Yuri Belkin is THE icon when it comes to sumo pulls.

He mastered the most efficient starting position AND execution. 400kg (880lbs) is now a working training weight for him and recently he pulled over 420kg (920+lbs) several times.

Why is he so damn strong? What does he have what the others do not? I believe it is mainly two things: excellent setup and impecable execution.

(of course, he is super strong but that is not the issue we debate here)


Le't break up his setup first.

Super wide stance with toes to plates in order to minimize ROM.
Feet turned out significantly so that he can pull his hips as close to the bar as possible.
Shins vertical both from the front view and side view for direct transfer of power (he creates zero unnecessary leverage).
Torso pretty vertical around 60 degrees to off-load back and load as much as possible to hips and legs.

Now let's check the execution.

Spine as vertical as possible, he loads maximum into hips and legs.
Brings hips to the bar and knees out.
When the bar leaves the ground only couple of inches he already tries to use quads to lock knees as soon as possible and THEN he does the poweful hip hinge with glutes (two-phase sumo pull).


Enjoy:

Amazing, right?

When older .... do more!

I recently read somewhere that when you get older you should do less because you cannot tolerate it same as when you were young.

I disagree.

There is more info to that which needs to be explained.

When you are young (let's say 15-30) you have fresh joints, great mobility, you recover faster and you can tolerate higher intensities (you can spend more time in the 80-100% zone and more often). What you do not have is training experience and motor learning skills.

When you are older (say 40+) your joints are worse, mobility is not what it used to be, you recover slower and you cannot max out very often. What is your advantage is accummulated motor learning skills and knowing your body.

So how do you keep getting stronger when you are 40, 50, 60, 60+?


Increase frequency of the main lifts during your training week. It is ok to squat 2-3 times a week, deadlift 1-2 times a week, bench 2-5 times a week.

Decrease intensity and stress on the joints. Spend more time in the 65-80% zone. Simply lift more tons using lighter weights. Trade intensity for volume.

Do more mobility sessions. Everybody hates them but they must be done.

Do more corrective exercises. As you age you lose some ROM in some movements, you must fight like hell to restore lost ROM.

Get your head right and accept the fact you will max out every 3 months (if at all) and not every 3 weeks as the young guys.



Example bench press programming for a 25 year old guy:

Tuesday:
bench press: 4 sets of 3 @ 85% of 1RM
incline DB press: 3 sets of 6 very heavy
DB rows: 3 sets of 6 very heavy
dips: 4 sets of 6 very heavy


Friday:
close-grip bench press: 4 sets of 6 @ 70%
DB flys: 4 sets of 10
bent over rows: 4 sets of 5 heavy
face pulls: 3 sets of 8



Example bench press programming for a 45 old guy:

Tuesday:
bench press: 6 sets of 3 @ 75-80%
incline DB press: 3 sets of 10 moderately heavy
DB rows: 3 sets of 8 heavy
dips: 3 sets of 20 go for the pump


Friday:
bench press (Sheiko pyramid):
6 @ 65%
5 @ 70%
2x4 @ 75%
2x3 @ 80%
2x2 @ 85%
2x3 @ 80%
2x4 @ 75%
7 @ 70%
9 @ 65%
seated DB presses: 3 sets of 8 moderately heavy
face pulls: 3 sets of 20 light


Sunday:
bench press: 5 sets of 2 @ 75%
incline DB flys: 3 sets of 20 go for the pump
bent over rows: 3 sets of 8 heavy
dips: 3 sets of 8 heavy





See? You do more but lighter. No brainer, really ....

Super Strong Core! Do This ...

If you are interested in cut abs, thin waist and toned obliques, please stop reading now, this post is not for you.


If you want super strong core which can support heavy ass squats and deadlifts, keep reading, I got some cool info for you.

If you want to squat heavy ass weights, pull massive deadlifts, participate in strongman competitions or be super strong in your chosen sport, you need a very strong core, this is a no brainer, right?

"Core" is not abs. Core is the whole thing between your rib cage and pelvis. Is it abs, obliques, lower back and all the small muscles around your trunk.

How can you have the strongest core possible? Well, you must train core as mother nature designed it - to support. To support - is the primary function of your core. That's right, it is not bending or crunching.

During heavy squats, your core must be straight, stable and rigid, if you are in a "crunched" position you have rounded lower back, caved in chest and you are fucked.

Human core was designed to support the rib cage and transfer power while heavy dragging, lifting things off the ground, supporting, jumping, moving heavy objects, etc. Exact same movement patterns, you will find in strength sports.

So, crunches and sit-ups are a waste of time, you need exercises which train the supporting primary movement pattern.

Here is my Go To list, yours may vary:



No.5 - Dynamic Side Plank
Lay on the mat on your left side, feet together, supported on your left elbow. Now raise your hips until whole body is in perfect straight line. Keep top position for 2 seconds. Do 5 sets of 10 or more. Your obliques and all the small muscles around your trunk and pelvis should be worked nicely. You need these muscles badly for support of trunk.




No.4 - Med Ball Russian Twists
Go to Youtube and find a vid where Derek Poundstone sits on his ass, feet and torso in the air and throws 20kg plates from left side to right side and and then back again. Your feet must be in the air all the time throughout the set. Do 5 sets of 10. Move the weights/med ball with your trunk muscles, not with your arms.




No.3 - Farmer's Walk
Pick heavy dumbbells and go for trips or time. Works your entire core in its primary function - supporting. As a bonus you will get massive traps and super strong grip. I said heavy dumbbells, so leave the 20kg dumbbells and go straight to 50's (110 lbs) dumbbells or heavier.




No.2 - Hypers
You must do hypers. Everybody. All year round. Period. If you don't, you're a pussy. Not the easy 45 degrees hypers. Check the Youtube vid of Klokov doing horizontal hypers and do them exactly like that. Weight behind your neck or a heavy plate held on your chest will squeeze all your upper back muscles which you need for proper trunk position. Don't believe the crap your trunk should only go to parallel to floor. You want to squeeze everything between your neck and knees in the top position, so you will end up with some torso hyperextension, which is fine. Primer movers here are glutes. Your glutes should be fried after 5 sets of 10 and your lower back should only be slightly tender because all it does is isometrics. If it is vice versa, your glutes are weak and/or not firing properly. Fix it.




No.1 - .... and the winner is .... Ab Wheel
I have love/hate relation with this exercise. I do it religiously 1-2x a week and I still get sore abs every time. It is a real motherfucker. It hits your entire front side (both the deep layer and the front abs layer), all small trunk muscles and all the stabilizing muscles around your scapulae and lats. Go slow controlled motion, stop in the bottom position and using your trunk muscles, not arms or lats, curl your trunk back upwards. See why KK uses no belt pulling 400k (880 lb) ??? :-)




Good luck. Get strong core, you will thank me later. And if someone tells you to hit abs once a week because you might overtrain, punch them in the face, you should train core heavy 3-5 times a week.










Sources:
runtastic.com
heardcountyrecreationdepartment.com
reddit.com
twitter.com
imgrum.org

Beginners ... How to Start

I see this over and over in my gym. A person which did not do any sports for many years decides to join a gym and starts a "routine". Bad form, dangerous body movement patterns, wrong selection of exercises.

Sometimes there is a good coach to help out but most of the time not.

Our average Joe is about 30 years old, office rat, 10kg (22 lbs) overweight, rounded shoulders, soft belly, anterior pelvic tilt, terrible dorsi flexion, very low motor skills, horrible mobility, dysfunctional glutes. Joe's work capacity is shit, the days of weekend football are long gone.

And he starts squatting with terrible form, benching with terrible form, deadlifting with terrible form.

I strongly believe, before going on a "routine" your body should be prepared for it with minimizing apparent weaknesses, muscular imbalances, wrong posture. Our average Joe should also improve conditioning to be able to handle volume later on. All this is critical for learning proper form later on and handling volume.


Before Joe goes on a routine, let him do this (or something similar) for 6 weeks:
Note: (this is not a copy-paste recipe, rather a template tool how to handle total beginners)




Week 1

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
DB chest-supported rows: 2 sets of 8
hanging leg raises: 2 sets of 5

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
face pulls: 2 sets of 8
hypers: 2 sets of 8




Week 2

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
DB chest-supported rows: 3 sets of 8
push-ups: 3 sets of 8
hanging leg raises: 3 sets of 5

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
face pulls: 3 sets of 8
bodyweight squats: 3 sets of 8
hypers: 3 sets of 8




Week 3

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
DB chest-supported rows: 3 sets of 8
push-ups: 3 sets of 8
hanging leg raises: 3 sets of 8
hip thrust: 3 sets of 8

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
face pulls: 3 sets of 8
bodyweight squats: 3 sets of 8
hypers: 3 sets of 8
side planks: 3 sets of 8

Day 3:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
push-ups: 3 sets of 8
walking lunges: 3 sets of 8
prowler pushes: 5 trips




Week 4

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
low cable rows: 3 sets of 8
push-ups: 3 sets of 12
Russian twists: 3 sets of 12
hip thrust: 3 sets of 8

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
seated DB presses: 3 sets of 8
bodyweight squats: 3 sets of 15
hypers: 3 sets of 8
side planks: 3 sets of 8
rope: 400 jumps

Day 3:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
push-ups: 3 sets of 15
walking lunges: 3 sets of 12
prowler pushes: 8 trips




Week 5

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
low cable rows: 3 sets of 8
push-ups: 3 sets of 20
Russian twists: 3 sets of 12
hip thrust: 3 sets of 8

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
seated DB presses: 3 sets of 8
KB squats: 3 sets of 8
hypers: 3 sets of 8
side planks: 3 sets of 8
rope: 800 jumps

Day 3:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
push-ups: 3 sets of 20
pull-ups: 3 sets of 6
walking lunges: 3 sets of 20
prowler pushes: 10 trips




Week 6

Day 1:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
DB rows: 3 sets of 8
push-ups: 3 sets of 20
bench press: 3 sets of 5 (light and supervised with a full stop at chest)
leg raises: 3 sets of 20
hip thrust: 3 sets of 8

Day 2:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
seated DB presses: 3 sets of 8
squats: 3 sets of 5 (light and supervised, highbar)
hypers: 3 sets of 8
side planks: 3 sets of 8
rope: 1000 jumps

Day 3:
bike warm-up: 5 min
mobility drills: 3 min
push-ups: 3 sets of 20
deadlift: 3 sets of 5 (light and supervised, conventional)
pull-ups: 3 sets of 6
walking lunges: 3 sets of 20
prowler pushes: 15 trips



Adjust as necessary based on improving strengths, weaknesses, observations, progress, shorten by a week or two or extend the cycle by a couple of weeks if necessary.

Remember, if Joe's body is not prepared for proper bar paths, correct form and increasing volume, injuries will come, sooner or later.


Now get on a powerlifting program, motherfucker!

How to Select Assistance Exercises and Rep Ranges

I said that before and it is still true: the powerlifts should be your main focus and bread and butter, it is 70-80% of your work and energy, you should have a smart plan regarding each session programming of powerlifts and a mid-term plan (several weeks) as well. A well programmed cycle.

However, carefully selected assistance and corresponding volume on assistance exercises can boost your powerlifts, help you with your weaknesses and MOST IMPORTANTLY improve efficiency and motor skills on the main lift.

Now, what is it, a "weakness".

Many people think a weakness in powerlifting is a small or a weak muscle group. I rather see it as a deviation from the most efficient bar path during the powerlifts. Such weakness prevents my body from optimal transfer of power. So, a weakness can be a weaker muscle group (several muscles), bad firing of some muscles, wrong transition, scar tissue resulting in different movement pattern or, most likely, all the above combined.

Note: to know your weaknesses, it is much better to video yourself and ask a stronger buddy or better yet, a professional coach about your weaknesses. Many times they will be way different from what you might think.


Let's take me as an example:

Squat: I have relatively weak legs compared to strong back and my weakness is that about 3-4" above parallel I hit a sticking point. Also, on very heavy reps the bar shifts a bit forward when looking from the side when strong back tries to take over from weaker muscle groups. So my weakness is the transition from the movement out of the hole at 4" above parallel where the quads should take over and the core should maintain the rigid position for optimal power transfer. Conclusion: quads and core together.

Bench press: I have a very strong triceps and press quite narrow, my weakest part of the benching path is off the chest. Anything I press first 2-4" I will lockout. Conclusion: chest and lats.

Deadlift: Whatever I pull off the floor, I will lockout and my biggest weakness is hips shooting up on heavy reps with upper back rounding and relying again on strong back. The starting position of conventional is where legs are above 4" above parallel, my exact weakness in squats. So, again: quads and core together, with some upper back stability issue on heavier sets.


How do I select assistance now based on "my" weaknesses?

1/ I select what I must, not what I like (better yet, let your coach or buddy select)
2/ I select what I suck at, not what I excel at (better yet, let your coach or buddy select)
3/ for large assistance lifts (front squats, Romanian DL, close grip bench press, etc.), I like to do 3 sets of 6 quite heavy, a little lower volume because they are compound lifts and stress the CNS a lot
4/ for other assistance I like 3 sets of 8-10 moderately heavy (leave 2 perfect reps in the tank on the last set
5/ for abs I like bigger volume, 5 sets of 10, very heavy

So this is how a week (around mid-cycle) might look like, selecting assistance based on my powerlift weaknesses and rep shemes I like and tested to be efficient for me:



Monday:
SQUAT: 6 sets of 3 around 80%
BENCH PESS: 5 sets of 3 around 80%
front squat: 3 sets of 6
pull-ups: 3 sets of 8
ab wheel: 5 sets of 10


Wednesday:
BENCH PRESS: 5 sets of 2 around 80%
DEADLIFT: 4 sets of 2 around 85%
incline DB press: 3 sets of 8
bent over rows: 3 sets of 6
hypers: 3 sets of 8


Friday:
SQUAT: 5 sets of 3 around 80%
BENCH PRESS: 2 sets of 2 with 80%, 4 sets of 2 with 85%, 2 sets of 2 with 80%
chest DB flys: 3 sets of 10
DB lunges: 3 sets of 8
dynamic side plank: 5 sets of 10






Hope you get the idea now. Good luck!

Deadlift and weak points ... no isolation, deadlifts again!

Deadlift is KING.

If you listen to Western and Eastern coaches and lifters, one of the differences is that West seems to focus on benching a lot while the Eastern Bloc always focuses on deadlift as number one lift. Why? You can deadlift way more than you can bench. The Eastern lifting protocol is almost always: deadlift, then squat, then bench, if at all. Bench is only 20-25% of your total anyway.

There is a training philosophy how to train weaknesses while deadlifting: hitting the hams, abs are weak, more quads, more lower back, stronger upper back, you name it. Nothing wrong with that.

But I think there is much more superior and way more efficient method: target your deadlift weaknesses with deadlift variations. Why? You still train the main lift, you address a weakness in movement pattern, not in muscle and after all you are still deadlifting and improving your motor learning skills.

I hope you don't believe the bullshit from Westside: deadlift infrequently and build your deadlifting muscles by isolation exercises. Disclaimer: I am not bashing Westside lifters, I am bashing the method. While 820-850 pull is fantastic in Westside, in Russia, with 820 you will not make top 10 in many meets. Forget about medals. You need to pull way over 880.

Some very useful and result producing deadlift variations:


Deficit pulls
Don't pull from a big deficit because it will alter your pathway too much. 1-1,5" is enough. You get more leg drive and the ROM is longer. Enough to target your initial push off the floor and glutes while locking out big deadlift. Use something like 4 sets of 3 with 60-70%.

Deadlift up to knees
Perfect for practising the starting position and the initial pull. Push with your legs strongly, stop at knees and lower the bar. For lifters who are weak off the floor and strong at lockout. Something like 5 sets of 3 with 75%.

Paused deadlifts
This is a bitch. You will use only like 60-70% for multiple sets of 3 but it will feel very heavy. Pull off the floor, pause right below knees for full 2 seconds, finish the pull. Let someone else count full 2 seconds. Your core, lower back and middle back will be fried the next day. This pull variation teaches you to stay tight during the pull and not to fold over or shoot up your hips. Be careful, these are very taxing.

Block pulls
Use them sporadically because they will fry your CNS. Use low block pulls, plates sitting on max 3-4" blocks. Any more than that is just ego booster, nothing more. Go for 4 sets of 4 with 85% of even 2 sets of 2 with 95%. Full overload, builds confidence, whole back, strong lockout with glutes. I usually use them as second deadlifts on Wednesdays. Typical Wednesday training mid-cycle:

- deficit pulls: 4 sets of 3 @ 65-70%
- bench press: 6 sets of 3 @ 80% or Sheiko pyramid
- block pulls: 4 sets of 4 @ 85%
- incline DB press: 3 sets of 8
- barbell rows: 4 sets of 6
- ab wheel: 3 sets of 8




Now go pull something big :-)

Sheiko bench press piramid

I strongly believe, when you are older / stronger / more experienced, you should trade some intensity for volume.

I am 40 and bench 3-5 times a week with great progress.

Excellent way to build up volume, build muscle, work a lot in the best strength block and really hammer proper form over and over is the Sheiko bench press piramid.

Boris Sheiko is probably THE most successful Russian powerlifting strength coach of all times as he produced dozen of world champions who broke hundreds of European and world records.

When you bench 2-5 times a week, try the Sheiko piramid every second week for one of your bench sessions to work some serious volume. As you probably know from many Russian texts, strength is usually best built in the 70-85% range. Anything below that is more for hypertrophy and conditioning and above 85% is for peaking. Most of the best Eastern Bloc athletes work in the 70-85% range to build their strength.

Here we go, Sheiko bench press piramid (one of many variations):

(sets X reps @ %)

1 X 6 @ 50%
1 X 5 @ 60%
1 X 4 @ 65%
2 X 3 @ 70%
2 X 3 @ 75%
3 X 2 @ 80%
2 X 3 @ 75%
2 X 3 @ 70%
1 X 5 @ 65%
1 X 7 @ 60%
1 X 9 @ 50%


As you can see the weights are not heavy but the load is very high. You do 30 lifts (!!!) in the strength building zone 70-85%.

Always pause the 1st rep of every set. IPF 2 sec pause.
Use excellent form on all sets and all reps.
Your goal is to build and practice, not test. Leave your ego at home.
Rest only 2-3 mins between sets.
At the end you should feel tired but not exhausted. Muscles should feel very loose and well worked.
The second part of the piramid should feel way stronger than the ascending part.
After several weeks, if you did all correct, you should be able to increase the load on all your benching workouts (a "shift" in strength). You should also experience increased mass in your chest, shoulders and triceps.

Good luck!

Powerful Combos

After 25 years in the gym, sometimes I get asked by young guys in the gym how to set-up their training. They are looking for a fixed routine they can follow to letter and they are usually not happy with the reply I give them: eventually, you have to come up with your own one, reflecting your goals, age, current level of fitness and what not.

Confused as they get, I tell them it is better to have a "template" with a set of fixed "rules" which leaves lots of room for individual needs.

The rules would be:

1/ About 80% of your weekely training should be big compound lifts. Have you ever seen in a gym a 75-year old lifter lifting? Look close and you will see most of them do squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, maybe with limited ROM, if needed. Rarely will they do leg extensions, skull crushers, etc. Why? Because with compound lifts the load is distributed accross several joints while with isolation exercises the load gets on one joint. Therefore, a 70-year young guy is likely to do close-grip benches for his triceps than a skull crusher. When you are 75, you don't care being jacked and tan, you want to move properly and be healthy and keep as much strength as possible.

2/ Do compound movements several times a week. Really, squatting twice a week will not kill you. Choose a "powerful combo" of two basic movements and round it up with crap.

3/ Round up your training with what you enjoy and what works your current weaknesses. A weakness is not necessarily only a muscle group, it can be a particular range of motion on a basic lift, conditioning, too much bodyweight, mobility issues etc.

4/ Reflect your age and injury history. It is a no brainer that a 70-year old grandfather will not tolerate in the gym the same as 23-year old testosterone blazing young stud.

That's it.


Ok, powerful combos now:

SQUAT
SUMO DEADLIFT

You just hit your quads, hams, hips, core, mid-back, upper back. One of the best combos because one feeds the other. Round it up with some shoulder presses and rows and you have a full body session.

20-year old stud with awesome recovery and loads of testosterone:

squat: 6 sets of 5 (60-75% of 1RM)
sumo deadlift: 6 sets of 5 (60-75% of 1RM)
seated DB press: 5 sets of 8 heavy
T-bar rows: 4 sets of 6 heavy as fuck
hammer curl: 4 sets of 15
abs: 6 sets of 30

Go balls to the wall because you are young and you will recover in no time.


45-year old father of 2 with full-time long hours job and some injuries under his belt:

squat: 5 sets of 5 heavy
sumo deadlift: 3 sets of 5 medium heavy
seated DB press: 3 sets of 8
T-bar rows: 3 sets of 8
rope: 3 sets of 300 jumps (gotta take care of the heart, Dad, right? you've got family to feed ...)
mobility circuit 5 mins

Go heavy, but not crazy heavy, take your time between sets; go fast on the rope.


58-year young lifter with a full-time job, kids, grandkids possibly, lots of past injuries and tissue wear:

squat: 4 sets of 5 medium to heavy
sumo: 2 sets of 8 light-medium
low cable rows: 3 sets of 20 with light weight and full contraction
rope: 5 sets of 100 jumps
mobility circuit 10-20 mins

You can still go heavy but not on everything; work on your conditioning still and greatly on mobility and lost movement patterns. Listen to your body when it talks back, you should be pretty good at it because you are 58 years old ...

See? Same "rules" but applied differently based on goals, physical history and age.


Other powerful combos?

DEADLIFT
BENCH PRESS

I always liked this one because my upper back is super pumped before I go benching creating a nice pad on the bench. Again with 5 sets of 5 heavy deads and 4 sets of 8 on benches with a hypertrophy set at the end, almost all muscle groups got hit. You might round it up with some direct leg work, arms, abs, whatever.

FRONT SQUAT
OVERHEAD PRESS

Fantastic combo. Your legs, core, upper back and shoulders done with just two lifts. 4 sets of 5 on fronts heavy as fuck followed with volume on pressing, like 6 sets of 8 followed by two sets of 20 reps as burn-out sets. Round up with tons of back work and abs work and you're fine.

BENCH PRESS
OVERHEAD PRESS

Again, one feeds the other. Go moderate volume on bench (like 5 sets of 5) followed with lighter weight and high volume on pressing: 6 sets of 10 plus 2 sets of 20. Your pressing muscles should be done at this point. Finish with tons of back work and some moderate leg-press.

DEFICIT DEADLIFTS
FRONT SQUAT

High volume, high intesity pulls followed by low-rep heavy as fuck front squats. I guarantee not a single muscle will be missed. 7 sets of 3 with 80% of 1RM (2" deficit) followed by 4 sets of 4 heavy front squats. Go home, you'll have nothing left after the front squats. If you feel like doing cable curls after that you went too light on the front squats.

From time to time, do the DEADLIFT EXTRAVAGANZA, three deadlift styles in one training. It will be nasty but it works fantastic. Just don't overdo it:

sumo: 5 sets of 5 (70% of 1RM)
conventional 4" block pulls: 3 sets of 3 heavy
Romanian DL: 2 sets of 20

or if your meet style is conventional:

conventional: 5 sets of 3 (80% of 1RM)
sumo 4" block pulls: 3 sets of 2 don't be afraid to pull some heavy shit here for overload
Romanian DL: 4 sets of 6 medium-heavy



cheers