If you compare Western methods of lifting and Eastern methods of lifting you will find many differences. There are really many but I think the most striking is the frequency, loading and exercise selection. sheiko has been the bread and butter programming for Russian and Eastern Bloc lifters for decades and the results are unbelievable. Hundreds of national and world records have been shattered using sheiko programs or variations.
sheiko #29 FREQUENCY:
week 1
bench press: 50-75%
squat: 50-70%
bench press: 50-70%
DB flys: 5x10
GM: 5x5
deadlift up to knees: 50-75%
incline bench: 4x6
dips: 5x5
block pulls: 55-85%
lunge: 5x5
abs: 3x10
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
squat: 50-75%
GM: 5x5
week 2
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
push-ups: 5x10
front squat: 45-60%
GM: 5x5
deadlift up to knees: 50-75%
bench press: 50-65%
DB flys: 5x10
block pulls: 55-80%
lunge: 5x5
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
squat: 50-70%
GM: 5x5
week 3
squat: 55-85%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
push-ups: 5x10
squat: 50-80%
GM: 5x5
deadlift up to knees: 50-65%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
block pulls: 60-90%
lunge: 5x5
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
press: 5x4
GM: 5x5
week 4
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 55-75%
DB flys: 5x10
dips: 5x8
front squat: 40-60%
GM: 5x5
bench press: 50-85%
deadlift: 50-80%
bench press: 50-70%
DB flys: 5x10
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 55-85%
DB flys: 5x10
dips: 5x8
GM: 5x5
abs: 3x10
Take home thoughts:
1/ You squat 12x / month
2/ You bench 13x / month
3/ You pull 7x / month
4/ DB flys are done 11x / month for strengthening the pec/delt tie-in
sheiko #29 LOADING:
Notice the most working sets are in the 60-80% range. That's where strength is built. As well, within these ranges your technique does not break down. The intensity is high enough to build strength and mass, yet low enough for your technique to be spot on. Only several times you tap the 85-90% intensity, 80% of the work is still in the 60-80%.
Volume is huge. But because you traded some high intensities for high volumes, you will not overtrain. The 3rd week you might feel tired as hell but you will not be overtrained. What happens usually is that you will "miraculously" recover the 4th week because your body gets used to the workload. Huge volume at lower intensities allows you to practice your form and let all your ligaments and tendons accommodate to the stress.
sheiko #29 EXERCISE SELECTION:
This is what most people analyze all the time. "What are the assistance lifts?" Please keep in mind, 90% of your focus, work and energy is the main lifts. The assistance exercises are to complement the main system. Nothing more. Yet, the selection is quite different from what you normally see/read:
DB flys
GM
incline press/press
dips
push-ups
lunges
abs
Notice the focus on pec/delt tie-in (DB flys), triceps (dips, push-ups) and quite heavy GM (lower back, hams).
The Sheiko controversy ...
What? No back work? No rows? Shoulders will get wrecked! Injuries just about to happen!
I personally do some rows and shrugs (about 2-3 high-rep sets a week) beceause I like DB rows but Boris Sheiko is no dumbass so there must be a reason why he did not put any direct back work in the system. I used to have shitty shoulders before when I did lots of back work and I have no problems now where I do very little back work. Why? High frequency deadlifting will take care of your back muscles and high volume, low intensity benching will condition your shoulders. But mind you, impecable form is a must. People usually don't wreck their shoulders because they do not do enough back work but rather poor form and tissue overuse is the culprit.
If still not convinced, do some high-rep rear delts on off days.
Final advice: do not add to the program. It is perfect as it is and produced decades of world-class lifters.
2014/03/09
Pulling KK style for record deadlifts
Hi all there,
recently I changed my pulling style and I am not looking back. I have long legs, short torso, strong lower back. My best pull is 260k (572lb). And I want more. I always liked pulling and the technique was quite easy for me because of my build. However, It never felt "perfect". I studies lots of vids and descriptions of the so called "proper form": flat back, look ahead, dip the hips, start with leg drive, etc. It never felt perfect.
Recently, I read Konstantin Konstantinovs stating in several interviews that his pulling form never hurt his back and is quite safe. I tried it a few weeks ago and it felt just perfect. Hips higher, less flexion in knees, bar close to body, flat lower back, steeper torso angle, hunched upper back and head down. It might looking "dangerous" but trust me, it's not.
deadlift KK style:
... and here is my retarded drawing of the pulling mechanics:
Notice the angles:
- your torso is more uprigt, so there is less force on your spine than with the traditional form
- your hips are closer to the bar and that improves leverages
- your knee angle is bigger which allows for faster and stronger knee extension (a quarter squat is always stronger than a half squat)
Things to keep in mind:
- your lower back and middle back need to be pretty damn strong
- your lower back is flat during the whole lift
- your upper back is rounded and somewhat relaxed with head down
First few sessions I pulled that way I noticed my pull is way easier, weights feel easier, I pull the bar closest to my body and the next day my mid back, rhomboids, hams and glutes are sore. The most importnat thing is my lower back is NEVER sore now.
Give it a shot. Good luck :-)
recently I changed my pulling style and I am not looking back. I have long legs, short torso, strong lower back. My best pull is 260k (572lb). And I want more. I always liked pulling and the technique was quite easy for me because of my build. However, It never felt "perfect". I studies lots of vids and descriptions of the so called "proper form": flat back, look ahead, dip the hips, start with leg drive, etc. It never felt perfect.
Recently, I read Konstantin Konstantinovs stating in several interviews that his pulling form never hurt his back and is quite safe. I tried it a few weeks ago and it felt just perfect. Hips higher, less flexion in knees, bar close to body, flat lower back, steeper torso angle, hunched upper back and head down. It might looking "dangerous" but trust me, it's not.
deadlift KK style:
... and here is my retarded drawing of the pulling mechanics:
Notice the angles:
- your torso is more uprigt, so there is less force on your spine than with the traditional form
- your hips are closer to the bar and that improves leverages
- your knee angle is bigger which allows for faster and stronger knee extension (a quarter squat is always stronger than a half squat)
Things to keep in mind:
- your lower back and middle back need to be pretty damn strong
- your lower back is flat during the whole lift
- your upper back is rounded and somewhat relaxed with head down
First few sessions I pulled that way I noticed my pull is way easier, weights feel easier, I pull the bar closest to my body and the next day my mid back, rhomboids, hams and glutes are sore. The most importnat thing is my lower back is NEVER sore now.
Give it a shot. Good luck :-)
2014/03/07
Russian Powerlifting Superstar ....
Andrey Malanichev. Period.
The best of the best. If I am not mistaken Andrey just broke the raw WR squat with 1000+ squat at RUM 7.
Andrey is one of the Russian powerlifting superstars, together with Belyaev and Pozdeev.
Andrey's lifting is brutally simple and relies heavily on the big three. Andrey squats, benches and pulls once a week. His typical approach is a linear periodization over roughly 9-12 weeks, pyramiding the weight up. Apart from the powerlifts, Andrey does 4x12 light incline press during each session and a few sets of decline sit-ups with a dumbbell or kettlebell on his chest.
Typical weekly schedule looks like this:
squat: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
bench press: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
deadlift: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
Squatting is always a medium stance power squat, bench press is raw bench or with slingshot and pulls are typically sumo pulls, sometimes pulling from deficit.
Andrey feels proper form is crucial, especially on the heaviest sets.
Andrey does very light joging 1-2x a week to help his recovery.
Andrey eats lots of oatmeals, rice, porridge, meat, fish and protein powders.
Some vids from his training:
squat session:
... and some damn heavy sumos:
Below is Andrey's prep cycle for The 2008 Cup of Titans (all weights in kilos):
SQUAT (weight x reps):
week 1: 220x10, 240x8, 260x7, 280x4, 300x3
week 2: 240x10, 270x8, 290x6, 300x4, 320x3
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 270x3, 290x3, 310x3, 330x3, 350x3
week 4: 300x5, 300x5, 300x5
week 5: 300x4, 320x4, 340x4, 360x4, 380x4
week 6: 300x3, 330x3, 350x3, 370x3, 390x3, 400x3
week 7: 320x5, 320x5, 320x5
week 8: 320x2, 340x2, 360x2, 380x1, 400x1, 430x1
week 9 (suit): 300x1, 320x1, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1
week 10 (suit): 300x3, 320x3
week 11: 200x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3
BENCH PRESS (weight x reps):
week 1: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4
week 2: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4, 180x4
week 3: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3
week 4: 120x4, 140x4, 160x3, 180x3, 200x2, 210x2, 220x2
week 5: 100x4, 120x4, 140x4, 180x4
week 6: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3, 210x3, 220x3
week 7: 120x2, 140x2, 160x2, 180x2, 200x2, 220x2, 230x1, 245x1
week 8 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 270x1, 280x1
week 9 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 280x1, 290x1, 300x1
week 10 (shirt): 120x3, 140x4, 160x4
DEADLIFT (weight x reps):
week 1: 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 2 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 4 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 5: 220x3, 240x3, 280x3, 300x3
week 6 (from deficit): 220x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 7: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3, 340x3
week 8: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3
week 9: 270x5
week 10: 220x2, 240x2, 240x2, 260x2, 280x2, 300x2, 320x2, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1, 390x1
week 11: 270x1, 300x5 (suit)
source: malan-power.com
The best of the best. If I am not mistaken Andrey just broke the raw WR squat with 1000+ squat at RUM 7.
Andrey is one of the Russian powerlifting superstars, together with Belyaev and Pozdeev.
Andrey's lifting is brutally simple and relies heavily on the big three. Andrey squats, benches and pulls once a week. His typical approach is a linear periodization over roughly 9-12 weeks, pyramiding the weight up. Apart from the powerlifts, Andrey does 4x12 light incline press during each session and a few sets of decline sit-ups with a dumbbell or kettlebell on his chest.
Typical weekly schedule looks like this:
squat: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
bench press: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
deadlift: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets
Squatting is always a medium stance power squat, bench press is raw bench or with slingshot and pulls are typically sumo pulls, sometimes pulling from deficit.
Andrey feels proper form is crucial, especially on the heaviest sets.
Andrey does very light joging 1-2x a week to help his recovery.
Andrey eats lots of oatmeals, rice, porridge, meat, fish and protein powders.
Some vids from his training:
squat session:
... and some damn heavy sumos:
Below is Andrey's prep cycle for The 2008 Cup of Titans (all weights in kilos):
SQUAT (weight x reps):
week 1: 220x10, 240x8, 260x7, 280x4, 300x3
week 2: 240x10, 270x8, 290x6, 300x4, 320x3
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 270x3, 290x3, 310x3, 330x3, 350x3
week 4: 300x5, 300x5, 300x5
week 5: 300x4, 320x4, 340x4, 360x4, 380x4
week 6: 300x3, 330x3, 350x3, 370x3, 390x3, 400x3
week 7: 320x5, 320x5, 320x5
week 8: 320x2, 340x2, 360x2, 380x1, 400x1, 430x1
week 9 (suit): 300x1, 320x1, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1
week 10 (suit): 300x3, 320x3
week 11: 200x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3
BENCH PRESS (weight x reps):
week 1: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4
week 2: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4, 180x4
week 3: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3
week 4: 120x4, 140x4, 160x3, 180x3, 200x2, 210x2, 220x2
week 5: 100x4, 120x4, 140x4, 180x4
week 6: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3, 210x3, 220x3
week 7: 120x2, 140x2, 160x2, 180x2, 200x2, 220x2, 230x1, 245x1
week 8 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 270x1, 280x1
week 9 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 280x1, 290x1, 300x1
week 10 (shirt): 120x3, 140x4, 160x4
DEADLIFT (weight x reps):
week 1: 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 2 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 4 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 5: 220x3, 240x3, 280x3, 300x3
week 6 (from deficit): 220x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 7: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3, 340x3
week 8: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3
week 9: 270x5
week 10: 220x2, 240x2, 240x2, 260x2, 280x2, 300x2, 320x2, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1, 390x1
week 11: 270x1, 300x5 (suit)
source: malan-power.com
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