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!