Training 2/27/15

Squat - cluster sets (30 sec b/w reps) - 3x6 @ 260
Bench - cluster sets (30 sec b/w reps) - 3x6 @ 215
1x20 each:
Yates row - 115
Band overhead tricep extension - orange
Cambered bar curl - bar +50
Ab wheel
Good morning - 115

Don’t try to rush quality work.

People will set out to achieve some training-related goal, but put the qualifier in that their training must be time-efficient (i.e., they can’t invest a ton of time into it). While I understand the importance of time, because we only have so much of it, and wanting to be time efficient, because I’m guilty of it myself, the truth is if you want something, you’re probably not going to be able to put those type of restrictions on it. If you’re truly serious about accomplishing it, it’s going to take blood, sweat, tears, and time.

Think if you were to say, “I want to train BJJ every day, but only for an hour, and get my black belt in a year.” Sure, you might be able to if you’re already a high-level brown belt, and even if you’re not, you will make great progress doing that. But you won’t be able to reach that level (and you won’t get there in a year almost regardless of time investment) with those kinds of restrictions. And that’s OK. Simply be willing to adjust your expectations to meet your level of commitment. Too frequently, people want it all, and they want it now, and they want it without having to do the work. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Anything worth having is going to take work, and more importantly, it’s going to take time. Some people start out further ahead, closer to the goal. But they still will take a long time to get there; that’s just the way it is.

I once read a quote from Alwyn Cosgrove (which he probably stole from somewhere else) that you can have something with 2 out of 3: fast, quality, cheap. It can be ready fast, and be of good quality, but it won’t come cheap. It can be fast and cheap, but it won’t be high quality. And it can be high quality and cheap, but you better be willing to wait for it. As soon as you realize these things, you can set your expectations appropriately. This doesn’t mean don’t challenge yourself, but don’t be too let down when you don’t quite get what you want, in the time you want.

General Organism Strength

The concept of General Organism Strength was a key tenet of Charlie Francis’ training model. In essence, strengthening the body in any area will increase strength all over. The point of such a concept is that general force outputs affect the body in such a way as to increase force production everywhere. Obviously the musculature being used during the activity will receive the greatest stimulus – this is without question. However, depending on the movement and the forces being produced, the impact on the rest of the body can be quite great. Charlie often pointed to Ben Johnson’s 365 pound bench press as a perfect example of General Organism Strength in action. If one were to only look at the lifting portion of Ben’s training, there is no way he would have been capable of such a feat of strength. However, when one considers the great volume and intensity of sprint work, medicine ball throws, and jumps that Ben was performing, in addition to a low volume of weight work, the mechanisms become a bit clearer.

I personally experienced this phenomenon while in college. I was never particularly strong growing up (and still am not). During this particular point in time, the bulk of my training was spent doing Olympic lifts and squatting, with some effort being put into accessory lifts such as bench pressing, rows, pulldowns, etc. I also had never been capable of doing pullups up to that point. However, I remember one day when the program called for pullups or lat pulldowns, and I decided I wanted to give chin-ups a try, just to see if I could get one. Much to my surprise, I banged out 4 with probably a couple to spare. Now, I had been performing lat pulldowns in my training, but this was nothing new, as I had done them before. I was doing rows, but again, this was nothing new. What had changed was an emphasis on larger loads and compound, high force lifts which increased the stress on my body greatly. The result was an increase in overall systemic strength.

That was a concept that our strength coach discussed often, although not using that nomenclature. I’m also pretty certain he was unfamiliar with Charlie’s work, so it’s a concept that has been around for some time. The biggest take away from it is that one does not need to necessarily concern themselves with high loads and volume for every possible aspect of the training. Realize the impact that one piece has on the other pieces of the puzzle. A few quick examples from my athletes – a 300 squat despite nothing over 210 for 3x3. A female basketball player recently hit a 20 pound squat PR despite squatting 1 time per week, with low volume, and nothing over 85% of previous max (equivalent to 74% of new max). The totality of the stress imparted to the athlete, as well as the fact that the maturing body will naturally get stronger, should prompt the coach to be conservative in their weight room loading for non-iron athletes.

As an easy example, think of planning out your day. You wouldn’t simply make plans without considering what other obligations you have already would you? And you wouldn’t schedule a meeting to end at 1 o’clock, with another meeting at 1 in a completely different part of town? Because you know that it will take some time to get to the next destination and be prepared. Use the same concepts in your own training. Note the impact that any given session has on you, and plan accordingly.

Training 2/25

Deadlift - cluster sets (30 sec b/w reps) - 275 - 3x8
Circuit - 2x10 each:
Standing DB military - 60s
Pullups
Glute-ham raise
DB shrugs - 100s
Hammer curls - 30s
Hanging leg raises

“Only the mediocre are at their best every day”

Randall Carlson’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast got me thinking about this. In it, he’s talking about the drastic shifts throughout history in regards to climate and what likely brought those changes on. Generally, it was likely meteor impacts which caused massive shifts in the climate, which brought on rather dramatic changes in populations of life on earth, as well as changes in human technology and societies. Essentially, global cooling periods greatly depressed populations, while warming periods were times of massive growth.

This, as usual, has many parallels to training.

Charlie Francis (via Bud Winter) – High/low

Deload periods – every 3-4 weeks

Block periodization – accumulation (lower intensity, increasing gradually), intensification (very high intensity), transmutation (intensity is high, but frequency is low, to allow for growth and improvement)

Dan John – Park bench & bus bench workouts; 80% days, -10% days, +10% days

Basically, there will be periods in which great growth and progress will be made, and other times where progress will be slow to non-existent. It’s important to keep moving forward through the slow times, though, because when you come out the other side may be when your most productive training occurs.

Carlson talks about this - that during those times when things were bleak, the idea of preserving technology is put on the backburner, and survival becomes the modus operandi. Once a period of warming comes along, then re-population and improvement in technology can proceed. Sometimes that’s all you can hope to do during those down times – weather the storm and tread water. Other times, however, you can use that time to really build a solid foundation of lower intensity work upon which you can really blast off of after.

Personal Trainers...ugh

Anyone who knows me knows my general stance on 98% of "personal trainers" out there. They mostly suck.

The dirty little secret is that personal trainers, largely, are a waste of money, particularly if your goal is merely to “get in shape.” They are glorified rep counters whose only real job is to make sure people show up and actually go through the motions. If you are someone with a disability or definitive need, you are better off seeing a physical therapist who can prescribe the necessary exercise and educate you in proper movement patterns to avoid aggravating the injury and to rehab what you do have.

If the goal is weight loss, diet will be the biggest factor, in which case a dietitian (well, one who actually knows what the fuck they’re doing) is needed more than a trainer. And even in that case, the bottom line on weight loss is not difficult – get enough protein, and keep calories in a deficit. That’s it.

Now, if you want to actually accomplish a physical goal, the necessity for a coach rises, depending on what it is you want to accomplish. If it’s merely “I want to run a marathon,” then the only requirements are sufficient money in your account to pay the entry fee and any travel, as well as a pair of shoes and clothes. Then you just need to build up enough work capacity and mental fortitude to endure the event. If the goal is a specific time, again, this is when a coach or trainer comes in handy. However, depending on just what that time is, you may be very well served to simply give it a go on your own, as there is nothing special required from a programming standpoint to run a 4 hour marathon. More power to you if you do, just know that it’s not a particularly great accomplishment.

So, after all this rambling, the point is this – know what you want to achieve, then seek out the right person to help you achieve it. If it’s weight loss, save your money and buy something from Lyle McDonald to learn how to set up a diet properly. If it’s an actual physical ability you want to get better at, seek out a coach who can get you there.

Be the Hero of Your Own Movie & Training Update

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark." -Michelangelo

I know I'm guilty of this. Hiding behind fear, doubt, self-pity, and defining myself by my past mistakes. Telling others to be bold and brave while cowering in the corner. But how can I possibly tell my son to life his life with gusto and no fear if I'm not willing to do the same? I want to be a fucking superhero. To me, to my wife, to my son. I want to be someone I'm proud to look at in the mirror every day. And I'm not that right now. So I vow to change it. To fill my days with as much work toward my goals as I possibly can. To earn my downtime. To take big risks and fail regularly, only to get up and try again.

That doesn't mean I'll go about it like an idiot - planning and intelligent risk is still better than going at it like a damn kamikaze. But we're greater than we realize, if we're willing to earn it.

Friday 2/13
Squat - 275x1, 245x3x3, 275x5x3 in 15 minutes
Deadlift - 275 - 5x3, fatigue singles 315, 365, FAIL 405
Front squat - 135 - 2x20

Monday 2/16
Pullups - 14x3 in 15 minutes
Kroc rows - 100 - 35/arm
A. DB shrug - 90s - 20, 16, 13, 10
B. Far bar curl - bar +50 - 3x10 (I was still sore until yesterday from this)

Wednesday 2/18
Incline bench - 95x5, 115x4, 135x3, 155x2, 185x1, 205x1
A. Close-grip bench - 205 (75%) - 5x5
B. Face pulls - 5x30
DB military - 2 minutes b/w sets - 65s - 25, 10, 10
Band overhead tricep extensions - orange band - 3x12

Friday 2/20
Squat - 295x1, 255x3x3, 235x5x3 in 16 minutes
Deadlift from 1" deficit - 295x3x5, 345x1
Deadlift - double overhand with straps, touch and go - 315x8

Monday 2/23 (start of transmutation)
Cluster sets on squat & bench - 30 seconds between reps
Squat - 3x10 - 260 (78%)
Bench - 3x10 - 215 (78%)
1x15 each:
Yates row - 115
Band overhead tricep extension - orange
Cambered bar curl - bar +50
Ab wheel
Good morning - 115

Training 2/11/15

Floor press - 95x5, 115x4, 135x3, 155x2, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, 245x1
Close-grip bench - 195 - 5x5 superset with
Face pulls - 5x30
Incline bench - 2 mins b/w sets - 135 - 24, 12, 8
A. Lateral raises - 15s - 4x12
B. Pushdowns - gray band - 4x12

Went to the barbell for the 350 work, and holy hell did it kick my ass. Probably due to the greater range of motion on each rep. That said, it was good. Overall decent day.

Training 2/9/15

Pullups - 36 (12x3) in 15 minutes  - fewer than last time. Ugh.
T-bar row - 2 minutes between sets - 90 - 25, 15, 12
A. Trap bar shrugs - 200 - 4x25
B. Cambered bar curls - 60 - 4x12