Categoriescoaching Program Design

5 Ways To Get Better At Writing Training Programs

I received a message from a young coach the other day asking if I knew of (or used) any tricks to help make writing training programs easier or less time intensive.

Outside of suggesting he build his own time traveling DeLorean, skip a head 5o or so years to clone himself 17 times (and to see if someone possibly cured male pattern baldness1), and then travel back to 2018 with his small army of “hims” to help with the workload, I offered the following suggestions and advice.

Actually, originally, I offered like two sentences, but they were a Pulitzer worthy two sentences.

I figured this was a good topic to expound on and decided to make it into a blog post.

Hope it helps.

Copyright: dolgachov / 123RF Stock Photo

1. Practice Makes Perfect (Kinda)

  • If you want to get better at playing the violin…play the violin.
  • If you want to get better at long division…do long division.
  • If you want to get better at free throws….practice more free throws.
  • If you want to get better at not getting laid…go to Star Trek conventions.

I keed, I keed.

There’s no way to sugar coat this:

“If you want to get better at writing programs…write more programs.”

I have a folder on my desktop labeled Lisa, Don’t Open This Folder Client Programs, and if I opened it right now and actually took the time to count the number of programs in it – which is an amalgamation of my eight years at Cressey Sports Performance in addition to the 2.5 years I’ve been training people out of CORE – I’d garner a guess there’s at least, I don’t know, a kazillion, billion programs in it.

Okay, lets just say it’s a lot.

I am by no means insinuating I’m some program writing maverick and that I’ve got things dialed down to a well-tuned science, but it stands to reason in the 15+ years I’ve been writing training programs, I’ve gotten pretty okay at not sucking at it.

That being said, the sooner you acquiesce to the idea it’s going to take time, practice, and lots of experience on your part in order to get “adequate” yourself, the better off you’ll be.

To answer the question, though: Is there a way to expedite the program writing process?

Well, it depends.

Many factors come into play – one’s training age, injury history, goals, availability of equipment, total training frequency, favorite He-Man character (<– very important), to name a few.

I’d say on average it takes me anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to write a program.

Moreover:

1. I rarely start from scratch.

I’ve written enough programs and have worked with enough people that I can Spidey-sense similarities and correlations between one client and another. If someone has the same background and/or goals as a previous client of mine I don’t need to re-invent the wheel. I can take someone else’s program, do a little bada-binging and bada-booing (tweaking), and cater it to someone else.

I take pride in writing individual programs for all my clients, but I’m also a realist. Most of the time most people need to be doing the same stuff anyways; at least in the beginning:

  • Less bench pressing.
  • More rows.
  • Better scapular upward rotation.
  • More single leg work and carries.
  • More butt stuff (posterior chain in general).
  • No, deep squats aren’t dangerous.
  • Yes, your knees can go past your toes.
  • No, you can’t have a bicep day. At least not until you can perform a chin-up.
  • If you ask me one more time whether or not you should go keto I’m going to throw my face into a wall.

2. Understand there’s NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT PROGRAM.

It’s inevitable you’re going to be overzealous with some people or underestimate others, especially with regards to exercise selection.

I don’t think a day goes by where I’m not crossing out things on a program or making minor adjustments, or hell, even overhauling the entire program.

No one is perfect (except Ryan Gosling).

2. Remember: It’s THEIR Program, Not Yours

No quote is more appropriate here than one of Dan John’s classics:

“The goal is to keep the goal, the goal.”

If someone’s goal is to get strong or maybe compete in powerlifting, then, yeah, they should likely focus on the classic barbell lifts.

Write a program that reflects that.

Kipping pull-ups likely aren’t going to get the job done. In fact, kipping pull-ups are never going to get the job done.

Stop it.

Just, stop.

If someone’s goal is to lose a bunch of fat, again, I could make the case strength is still important and that the barbell lifts (which utilize multiple joints and make burning a bunch of calories in a short amount of time a thing) may be of benefit.

But understand there are many methods to get any job done.

Maybe someone would rather jump into a shark’s mouth than touch a barbell.

Blasphemous, I know. But it happens.

If so, don’t be an insufferable dick about it and force feed YOUR preferences over your client’s.2

A glaring example here is when you see bodybuilders training 55 year old female clients like bodybuilders. Yeah dude, I doubt she’s interested in her bicep peak. I mean, maybe. But I doubt it.

Stick to the goals and consider your client’s preferences.

NOTE: Don’t let the latter govern everything, mind you.

This can make writing programs much, much, MUCH more “freeing” and palatable. If someone likes using dumbbells, incorporate more dumbbells. If someone seems to be down with landmine exercises, use more landmine exercises.

Often, the #1 factor for a program’s success is ADHERENCE.

A client/athlete is much more apt to stick to a program when it’s one they enjoy and want to do.

3. Write Programs In Bulk

This is something Eric Cressey brought up recently and it makes a lot of sense. You’re bound to be more efficient and “in the zone” when it comes to writing program when you write them in bulk.

Instead of writing one program here and another one there, sit down, grab a cup of coffee (or tea), put on some of your favorite program writing music (for me it’s Deep House or Norah Jones, don’t judge), and get to work.

I think you’ll find it’ll increase your program writing prowess.

4. Have Someone Audit Your Programs

It’s not lost on me it’s tax season (here in the States anyways) and that using the word “audit” may make some start to hyperventilate into a paper bag.

This is an instance, however, where audit is a good thing.

Asking a colleague to take a peek at some of your programs and to provide some honest feedback is a splendid way to hone and sharpen your skills.

Of course it helps to be someone who can take constructive criticism well. If your default reaction is to get defensive, stomp your feet, and yell “YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE” when a friend suggests it might not a good idea to program back squats for someone with limited shoulder external rotation and to maybe consider front squats instead, you may want to hold off on this idea.

Conversely, grow up, it’s only going to make you better and to allow you an opportunity to see things from a different lens.

5. When In Doubt, Simplify

The next time you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen contemplating putting in Close Grip Bench Press cluster sets for your 16 year old high-school athlete with weight releasers utilizing a 5-0-7 tempo while also repeating the alphabet backwards, in Elvish:

  1. Stop
  2. Punch yourself in the pancreas.
  3. Hard.
  4. And remember to just keep things simple.

Believe me, I know how easy it is to be seduced into adding novelty to your client’s programs for the sake of adding novelty…but I assure you most of them do not care and more importantly most do better without it.

The “boring” stuff is almost always going to be the better fit and is likely all most of your clients will need for quite some time.

Seriously, when in doubt….simplify.

And then just coach the shit out of everything.

6. Miscellaneous Pontification

– It would also bode in your favor to actually lift weights.

– Refrain from adding things to your programs that you yourself have not tried first.

– Network. Make nicey nice with local coaches and physical therapists.

– The second season of Jessica Jones wasn’t as good as the first. Just sayin.

– Also, not for nothing, but did you not notice I used both words “amalgamation” and
“acquiesce” in this blog post? You didn’t, did you?3

Categoriescoaching Program Design

Programming Considerations: Training Volume

We live in a world of dichotomous abundance.

In literature we see it all the time in the form of heroes (Beowulf) vs. villains (Grendel), good (Gryffindor) vs. bad (Slytherin), or real (Milwaukee) vs. imaginary (Minas Tirith).

We see it all the time in real life too:

  • Democrats vs. Republicans
  • Science vs. People Who Make a Ham Sandwich Look Intelligent
  • Autobots vs. Decepticons

The idea behind dichtomy is to demonstrate or showcase a contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

Who’s right?, who’s wrong?, what’s better?, what’s worse?, bacon is delicious, no, fuck that, you’re going to hell…

….it can all spiral into a garbled mess.

Copyright: badmanproduction / 123RF Stock Photo

 

The fitness industry sees no shortage of it either.

All you have to do is spend 17 seconds on Twitter before you want to jump into a shark’s mouth  you witness people on both sides of the fence – low-carb vs. high-carb, CrossFitters vs. powerlifters, back squats vs. no squats – tear each other to shreds.

Both sides are adamant their position is the right position, “how can you not see it?,” and the dichotomous divide seemingly grows larger and larger.

I’m going to skip the mental gymnastics today, and instead focus my attention on something else that’s a liiitle less dramatic and less of a dumpster fire to talk about…

Training volume.

Disclaimer: This will not to be a deep-dive into the nitty-gritty, nerdtastic world of program design and volume. It’s a rabbit hole to say the least. I’m gonna get into some of the particulars, but not too much. Sorry.

My goal is to just offer a few talking points and ideas.

For a nice amuse-bouche on the topic, however, I’d recommend THIS article by Greg Nuckols.

Training Volume, Defined

For all intents and purpose training volume (as it relates to lifting things) can most easily be calculated as such:

Sets x reps x load

The final number can be labelled as total tonnage (or total amount lifted).

For example if someone performs 3 sets of 5 reps with 225 lbs on the bench press it can be broken down as 15 total reps x 225 lbs = 3,375 lbs.

Congratulations. You just benched a Volkswagen you savage.

The idea, then, is to adopt the concept of progressive overload (via performing more sets, reps, load, or any combination) to do more work in subsequent workouts.

Using the same example, lets say it’s a week later (or tomorrow if you’re a man under the age of 40) and you wanted to bench press again. To increase training volume you’d incorporate one of following scenarios:

  • Increase Load: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 230 lbs = 3,450 lbs
  • Increase Reps: 3 sets of 6 reps @ 225 lbs = 4,050 lbs
  • Increase Sets: 4 sets of 5 reps @ 225 lbs = 4,500 lbs
  • Increase All Three: 4 sets of 6 reps @ 230 lbs = 5,520 lbs
  • Increase CrossFit: 24 sets of 17 @ Scaled # = Can’t feel the left side of your face

That’s a very watered down and simplified explanation, but should get the gist across.

In short: Ensure that you’re doing more work by tracking stuff and good things will inevitably happen.

As an umbrella theme, however, it’s important to understand that this approach does have limitations.

We’re humans, not Kryptonians.

There’s an inevitable “tipping point” that’s bound to take place. Adding more and more training volume (a poor periodization scheme in the long run) will eventually have deleterious effects.

I like what Mike Boyle has to say on the matter:

“Periodization might be the most overstudied subject in the training world. Tens of thousands of pages have been written detailing the complexities of microcycles and mesocycles. And this has only served to confuse what should be a fairly simple concept, as articulated by strength & conditioning legend Charles Poliquin in the 1988 article “Variety in Strength Training”: Phases of high volume (accumulation, extensive loading), high intensity (intensification, intensive loading) and unloading should be modulated within the program.“

In other words:

Higher volume, low load periods should be alternated with higher-intensity, lower-volume periods.

[Smoke bomb, smoke bomb, exit stage right]

To give a brief example I’ve always liked fluctuating training volume on a weekly basis, which is something I gravitated towards from my years as a coach at Cressey Sports Performance:

Lets use the deadlift as an example here with the main goal being to improve strength:

A. Deadlift

Week 1: 1×2 @ 83%

Week 2: 1×2 @ 85%

Week 3: 1×2 @ 87%

Week 4: 1×1 @ 90%

B. Deadlift – Speed(ish)

Week 1 (High Volume): 4×3 @ 70%, 1×5 @ 65%

Week 2 (Medium Volume): 3×3@ 70%, 1×5 @ 60%

Week 3 (High Volume): 5×3 @ 70%, 1×5, @ 60%

Week 4: (Low Volume): 3×3 @ 65%

To reiterate: taking into account sets/reps/load and trying to use any permutations you wish to ensure someone is doing more work is never a bad place to start.

It’s training volume 101. And it works.

HOWEVER

I’d encourage you to heed this Tweet from Eric Cressey from a few days ago:

When trainers/coaches place too much emphasis on overall volume and use that as their only metric to measure progress it can be problematic.

It reminds me of something strength coach and physical therapist, Dr. Quinn Henoch, has discussed on numerous occasions. We’re quick to pump the brakes and implement any number of corrective exercises when one of our client’s shoulders starts to hurt.

Okay, not the worst thing in the world. I’m not going to cry afoul if a trainer/coach wants to toss in a bit more soft tissue work on someone’s pecs or lats:

I’ve even heard of instances where people are encouraged to get blood work done; as if finding out they’re allergic to grass-fed acai berries will miraculously cure their lack of scapular upward rotation.

The fuck?

Instead, what Quinn is quick to point out is this: Maybe you need to audit your program and adjust total training volume?

It could be as simple as you’re prescribing too much training volume compared to what someone is able to recover from.

That’s why they’re hurt.

Not because they need more Ipsilateral Birddog Balloon Breathing.

Which begs the question: What are some ways in which to increase overload that doesn’t entail just increasing volume?

Well, two come to mind.

1. Get People Into Better Positions

I’d argue the reason many trainees are unable to make much progress in the gym to begin with is because they’re unable to get into appropriate positions to express their “true” strength.

Take the squat.

I see something like this:

Any asshat coach or trainer can tack on more volume to the above walking (or, rather, squatting) ball of fail.

Physical Therapist Gray Cook would refer to this as “adding fitness on top of dysfunction,” which isn’t doing anyone any favors.

Rather, taking the time to actually coach someone so they’re in a better position to be successful is what’s going to make a difference.

And this will often entail LESS volume (using sub-maximal loads).

A funny thing will happen.

Trainees are given a massive piece of humble pie when they’re getting sore from a load that’s 50-75% less than their perceived one-rep max.

2. Change the Center of Mass

Bringing a load closer to the ground makes an exercise easier. A prime example is any single leg variation where DBs are held at the side(s):

 

If I wanted to make this harder and as a result increase overload without necessarily adjusting training volume all I’d have to do is move the DBs to a higher position or maybe revert to something like a Barbell Reverse Lunge w/ Front Squat Grip.

That’s That

Training volume, too, has a very dichotomous vibe to it.

On one end of the spectrum there’s the “do more” mentality (which is a thing, and an important part of strength & conditioning). But on the other end there’s a delicate balance of what amount of volume a particular person can handle as it relates to their ability to recover.

And finally it’s important to have other tricks in your bag other than adding more of it in order to help your clients/athletes get better.

Like I said, I didn’t want to get too far into the weeds on the topic of training volume, but I hope this helped.

Categoriespersonal training Program Design Uncategorized

What You Need To Know About Sets

Straight sets, pyramid sets, drop sets, cluster sets…

…it can all be rather confusing to the newbie lifter, or even seasoned veteran.  How many sets should you do? What exercises are the best fit? What about rest? Is it normal to not feel the right side of your face?

All are pertinent questions and with today’s guest post Dallas based personal trainer, Shane McLean, helps to clear the air.

Enjoy.

Copyright: apichon168 / 123RF Stock Photo

What You Need To Know About Sets

When I first started lifting, I had no idea about all the different types of sets.

When I went to the gym, I would saunter over to the dumbbell rack and bust open my biceps with some curls.

And when I did curls, I did them it front of the mirror and the whole gym knew about it.

However, my biceps remained small and so did I.

That’s until I started learning about all the set schemes that exist in the iron universe. Like most boys when they started out lifting weights, I did the workouts from muscle magazines hoping that it would make me look like the guys on the cover.

That didn’t work out at all but, it was the first time I heard about pairing sets together, known as supersets. You mean you could pair exercises together, increase training efficiency and build muscle all at the same time?

My mind was blown.

This led me further down the rabbit hole of all the different set methods which in turn led me to be armed with a coffee cup, a clip board, a stopwatch and telling people what to do with a dumbbell while wearing comfortable pants.

Yes, that’s right I’m a Personal Trainer.

Now you can benefit from my 25 years in the iron game, with eight of those years writing programs for people that get results.

Read on and learn things.

NOTE: These are guidelines and there will be exceptions to the information presented here.

1) Straight Sets

What Are They? – Doing just the one exercise for one or multiple sets with rest in between sets

The Best Use For Straight Sets? – They’re often used for barbell exercises like deadlifts, squats, presses and rows. All your energy is focused on getting stronger with that one move.

Types of Exercises That Straight Sets Work Best For? – Compound barbell/dumbbell like those discussed above.

 

How Many of Sets Should You Do? – It depends on how many reps in each set. More reps mean less sets and less reps mean more sets. Another factor is load. The closer you are to your one rep max, you’ll do less reps more sets and vise versa.

For example- 3 sets – 3 reps 90% 1 rep max. Or 4 sets of 5 reps 83% 1 rep max.

How Much Rest Between Sets? – usually 2-3 minutes rest between sets.

2) Supersets

What Are They? – Is one set of an exercise is performed directly after a set of a different exercise with minimal rest in between them.

The Best Use For Supersets? – They’re ideal for building muscle, fat loss and for those who have a limited amount of time to train.

Types of Exercises Supersets Work Best For? –  Really anything goes here. Barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, bodyweight, resistance bands and machine exercises all work. You can use compound (exercising multiple muscles groups) or isolation (single muscle) exercises.

Different Types of Supersets

1. Compound supersets, when both exercises work a similar body part.

For example:

1A. Squat

1B. Lunge

2. Non-competing supersets, pairing a lower body exercise with an upper body exercise.

For example:

1A. Squat

1B. Dumbbell bench press

3. Isolation/compound supersets which you pair a single joint exercise with a compound movement or vise versa.

For example:

1A. Triceps extension variation

1B. Barbell bench press

 

How Many of Sets Should You Do? – Anywhere from 2- 5 sets (depending on how much time you have to train) and repetitions can range from anywhere between 6- 15 reps per set.

How Much Rest Between Supersets? – Limited rest between the exercises themselves and anywhere between 60-120 sec rest between supersets.

3) Tri-Sets

What Are They? – Doing 3 different exercises back to back to back.

The Best Use For Tri-Sets? – They are ideal for fat loss, muscle building and for people who want maximum training efficiency.

Types of Exercises Tri-Sets Work Best For? –   Really anything goes here also. Barbell, dumbbells, kettlebell, bodyweight, resistance bands and machine exercises all work. Furthermore, having all the equipment close to you will cut down on transition time between exercises.

Different Types of Tri-Sets

You can use them to bring up a lagging body part.

For example, shoulders:

1A. Single arm shoulder press

1B. Lateral shoulder raises

1C. Reverse fly

 

Or mobility tri sets to help improve your movement.

For example, hip mobility exercise for the squat:

1A. Goblet squat

1B. Push up

1C. Half kneeling hip flexor stretch

 

Or when pushed for time you can combine strength and cardio exercises to get the best of both worlds.

For example:

1A. Leg exercise

1B. Upper body exercise

1C. Cardiovascular exercise 30- 60 seconds

How Many of Sets Should You Do? – Usually 3- 4 sets and anywhere between 6- 15 reps per exercise.

How Much Rest? – Limited rest between the exercises and 90-120 seconds rest after each tri-set.

4) Timed Sets

What Are They? – Doing an exercise for certain amount of time or completing the programmed reps in a certain amount of time.

The Best Use For Timed Sets? – They can be used for building muscle but they’re excellent for incinerating body fat.

Types of Exercises Timed Sets Work Best For? – Any piece of equipment that allows for an easy transition between exercises is a winner. For example, barbell, dumbbell, bodyweight, kettlebell and resistance bands.

Different Types of Timed Sets

Every minute on the minute sets where you complete a certain amount of reps and then rest the reminder of the minute before moving on to the next exercise.

For example:

1A. Goblet squat- 8 reps

1B. Row- 8 reps

1C. Goblet reverse lunge- 8 reps on each leg

1D. Chest press- 8 reps

1E. Biceps curls – 8 reps

 

Or you can scrape the reps and it’s just you versus the stopwatch where you try to do as many reps as possible in a pre-determined timeframe. For example, a full body circuit using bodyweight, barbells and dumbbells.

Work/Rest Interval Guidelines

Beginner – 20 sec work/40 sec rest.

Intermediate – 30 sec work/30 sec rest.

Advanced – 40 sec work/20 sec rest.

1A. Squat variation – BW squat, Goblet, Sumo or Barbell squat

1B. Push variation- Incline push up, Push up or Dumbbell bench press.

1C. Single leg exercise- Reverse lunge, Forward lunge or Side lunge

1D. Pull variation- Rack pull, Dumbbell bent over row or Standing cable row.

1E. Core- Alternating side plank, Mountain climbers or Front plank.

How Many of Rounds Should You Do? – It depends how long you’ve got to train. Using the above examples, these circuits takes 5 min to complete so 3- 5 rounds would suffice.

How Much Rest? – You rest when you’re done.

5) Ladder Sets

What Are They? – One big superset when you compete the reps of both exercises in an ascending or descending order. For example, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 or 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.

Best Use For Ladder Sets – They’re great way to finish your training and to add volume to a body part that needs working on. Furthermore, they can be used for a stand-alone training when pushed for time.

Types of Exercises Ladder Sets Work Best For? – Bodyweight, kettlebells, medicine balls, battle ropes and dumbbells work great.

For example, the kettlebell swings/medicine ball slam combo:

Instructions: Do 20 reps each of the swings and the slams and go down by 2 each time you perform a round until you reach two reps for each exercise (for example 20-18-16-14….2). If you don’t have access to medicine balls, substitute in battle rope slams.

Battle Rope Slams

Med Ball Rotational Slam

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHgXAFY4H1Q

 

How Many Rounds Should You Do? – Just one will do, if you’re doing it right.

How Much Rest? – Again, you’ll rest when you’re done.

6) Cluster Sets

What Are They? – Sets with a predetermined rest period between reps within the same set.

For example:

  1. Load the barbell to 85-90% of your maximum, a weight you could normally lift 3 times.
  2. Do one rep and rack the bar.
  3. Rest 10 seconds.
  4. Do another rep and rack the bar.
  5. Rest for 10 seconds.
  6. Do this 4-6 times total

Best Use For Cluster Sets – They’re best used for building strength but be warned, when using heavier weights with shorter rest periods while increasing volume can lead to fatigue.

For example, (4×2) x5 sets – is 5 total clusters of 4 mini sets of 2 reps with 10 seconds rest in between. That’s 40 reps at 85-90% of your 1 rep max.

Types of Exercises Cluster Sets Work Best For? – Barbell exercises like squats, presses and rows but can be used for chin-ups also.

 

How Many Sets Should You Do? – Anywhere from 3- 6 clusters.

How Much Rest Between Clusters? – 3 minutes or more between clusters because of their demanding nature.

7) Drop Sets

What Are Drop Sets? – Is a method where you perform an exercise and then reduce the weight (usually 15- 30% drop) and continue for more reps until you reach failure.

Best Use For Drop Sets – Ideally, it’s your last set of the day. This method is used to add muscle and volume to a body part. However, it’s not for the faint of heart because you will feel the burn.

 

Types of Exercises Drop Sets Work Best For – Barbell, dumbbell and machine exercises.

A Different Type of Drop Set

Rather than dropping the weight and lifting till failure, you can perform mechanical drop sets where you use the same weight the entire time. You start an exercise in a mechanically weaker position to one in which you’re in stronger position.

For example, the dumbbell bench press mechanical drop set:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=KfYNhAGAm0w

 

This is a truly sadistic method for building muscle, but it works. If you want more ideas, read this excellent article by John Romaniello.

How Many Drop Sets Should You Do? – Once per training and probably no more than twice per week.

How Much Rest? – If you’re doing it right, you’ll need a nap.

Wrapping Up

Wow, you got to the end and you’re probably hungry. Please go get some protein.

Now, you’re armed with the knowledge to take your training to the next level and to hulk smash your way through any plateaus. Happy lifting.

About the Author

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.

CategoriesStrength Training

Stuff That Works But People Think Doesn’t But It Does: Submaximal Training Edition

The movie The Bourne Identity, based off the novel of the same name written by Robert Ludlum, was released in the summer of 2002 and starred one Matt Damon.

Up until that point Damon wasn’t a no-name actor. He was most recognized for his roles in Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Rainmaker, and Ocean’s 11, to name a few.

I, like many others upon hearing the news Matt Damon was going to be playing Jason Bourne – an iconic, bonafide, badass – had this reaction:

“The fuck?”

Matt Damon?

Matt Damon the same guy who was in The Talented Mr. Ripley and All the Pretty Horses? That Matt Damon?

“Pfffft, no way it’ll work,” I thought. “A piece of french toast comes across as more badass than Matt Damon.”

Clearly I, and everyone else, didn’t know what the hell we were talking about.

15 years and four installments later (five if you count The Bourne Legacy) it’s hard to think of anyone else playing Bourne.

Damon was/is a legit boss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJz7P1V3_M4

 

Needless to say it worked.

People didn’t think it would, but it did.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I notice the same parallel in the strength & conditioning world.

People think something won’t or doesn’t work, but it does.

Take for instance sub-maximal training.

Sub-Maximal Say What Now?

Loosely described, maximal (or max-effort) training is a load – usually a one, three, or five rep max – that can’t be completed for an additional rep.

For example if you squat 275 lbs for three reps, but attempted a fourth and know you’ll perform the world’s fastest face plant, that’s your 3-rep max.

I.e., you’re unable to complete an additional rep.

Alternatively, sub-maximal training is best described by strength coach Todd Bumgardner:

“Submaximal effort training is simply work done with heavy loads that don’t require maximal effort. The weights exist in the range between seventy-five and ninety percent of one rep maximum and each set finishes with a few reps left in the tank.”

There’s been a shift in recent years of people always training to failure and always utilizing maximal loads, because, you know, #peoplearefuckingstupid.

While I can appreciate one’s desire to want to train hard and at maximal effort, for many, most of time, it’s a less than optimal approach to take (long-term).

For starters, maximal training beats up the body. Now, before some snooty internet warrior chimes in with something like “but Tony, isn’t that the point of lifting weights? To challenge the body and force it to adapt?” let me explain.

Yes, I’d agree with that comment. Most people could benefit from training a little more savagely. Often, when someone says he or she isn’t getting results there’s a convenient correlation to how “hard” they’re working in the gym.

I.e., they’re not.

However, if you’re someone who’s routinely training at “max-effort” and/or training to failure and missing reps all the time I’d garner a guess you’re routinely compromising your ability to recover.

Ergo, unless your name is Wolverine or you’re *cough, cough* taking supplements, sustained max-effort training isn’t a smart choice.

Utilizing loads in the 75-90% range tends to be spot-on for the bulk of trainees. It serves as an obvious option for adding volume, which is an important component to adding muscle.

Moreover, sub-maximal training, when implemented intelligently, won’t brutalize your joints and it’ll allow you to train more frequently.

It’s a win-win.

NOTE: All this is not to insinuate maximal-effort training should be avoided at all costs. Don’t be cray-cray. If that’s how you’re interpreting things please take your face and throw it against a wall.

Training with sub-maximal loads isn’t only great for adding mass, but it’s also a great way to get strong.

Think of it this way: If you make your 3 rep-max your 5-rep max, it’ll also likely result in your 1-rep max seeing a boost too.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a real-world example.

Two months ago I started working with a female client, a coach herself, who walked in on day one with a 300 lb (straight bar) deadlift.

She was already very strong.

She wanted to work with me to help “audit” her deadlift and to help prep for her first barbell competition – not a powerlifting meet.

Some Brief Context: she’s actually a co-owner of a gym here in Boston that specializes in kettlebell training and is StrongFirst certified herself. The name alludes me at the moment (sleep deprivation sucks), but she and a few of her colleagues/co-workers are competing in a StrongFirst “event” that includes some barbell lifts, with the deadlift as the main course.4

Like I said, she walked in on day one with an already impressive pull of 300 lbs. Nevertheless, I was up for the challenge and wanted to see how much progress we could make in two months.

For eight weeks, we never pulled anything heavier than 250 lbs. In fact, I had her perform all sets based off 90% of her 1-rep max.5

This allowed us to utilize a bit more volume (she deadlifted 2x per week: one “heavy” day and one “light” day), albeit under the premise technique was going be at a premium (honing in on attaining a lifter’s wedge) while also ensuring reps stayed snappy.

For deadlifting success (and for a spine that won’t hate you) this is mucho important. Top video = zero lifter’s wedge. You’ll notice when I initiate the pull my armpits are way in front of the bar and subsequently shear loading on spine is significantly higher. Bottom Video = what the lifter’s wedge should look like (a term popularized by @backfitpro). I use the barbell as a counterbalance to pull my chest up (upper back extends) in addition to getting my weight back and armpits above the bar. Likewise I push my feet into the ground to generate more stability and force. Resultantly my back is placed into a much more biomechanically sound position (less shear) and I’m pretty sure this guarantees I’ll be nominated for People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. Pffffft, who needs pecs that can cut diamonds and an 8-figure bank account. Overrated if you ask me. NOTE: load used in both videos was 390 lbs. You should notice a much smoother & faster bar path with the latter video.

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

The Result?

This past Monday marked the “ten days out” point from her competition and I wanted to test the waters.

Jessica ended up hitting a pretty damn clean 330 lbs (with more in the tank). We’re hoping she’ll match that number (if not add another 15-20 lbs) when it’s go time.

Remember: she hadn’t touched anything heavier than 250 lbs for eight weeks.

I know some of you reading will clamor for the meat and potatoes of her programming. That’s NOT the point of this post.6

The point is that you don’t have to shit a spleen and hoist max effort loads every time you walk into the gym. More often than not you should focus on quality reps (but strain sometimes), end each session kinda-sorta refreshed, and wanting more.

Sub-maximal training is a thing.

And it works.

CategoriesProgram Design Strength Training

How To Get Strong in 2-3 Days a Week

I have a 7-month old here at home and to say that my day-to-day routine – wake up, casual breakfast, peruse the internet, take a pic of my cat, do a little writing, go lift heavy things, go coach, come home, eat dinner, watch Forensic Files7, repeat – that I like(d) very much and grew accustomed to over the years has been interrupted would be an understatement.

Now my world revolves around diaper changes, eating & sleep schedules, and subconsciously rocking back and forth while standing in place (oddly, many times despite not holding a baby).

I’ve still made my training a priority, though.

xCopyright: improvisor / 123RF Stock Photo

Sure I may bitch and whine about having to be more on-point and expeditious with my training – gone are the two hour bro-sessions – and also be more steadfastly aware that my ability to recover has been compromised (again, gone are the two hour bro-sessions), but it’s all good.

In the grand scheme of things I have little to complain about.

Julian is growing, happy, healthy, and already has his sights on the 2040 Olympics.8

My kid’s cute and stuff and I’d love to talk about him more, but lets get back to topic of training.

The peeps over at BodyBuilding.com knew I had become a Dad recently and asked if I’d be willing to drum up a quick-n-dirty program not necessarily directed towards new parents per se, but more so for people who are busy and don’t have copious amounts of time to get their diesel on.

I was happy to oblige and this is what I came up with.

—> How To Get Strong In 2-3 Days a Week <—

Categoriesmuscle growth Strength Training

It’s Not Just About the Weight…

In today’s guest post, regular contributor and resident Texan badass, Shane McLean, explains why the way to get bigger, faster, stronger isn’t to only put more weight on the bar.

Don’t get me wrong, it helps (and would be a nice starting point for some people)….but it’s not the only way.

Shane shares some examples below. Enjoy.

Copyright: jtrillol / 123RF Stock Photo

 

It’s Not Just About the Weight…

Progress in the weight room is much like life. It’s never in a straight line.

When you first started out on this lifting journey, progress (mostly likely) came easily and slapping more plates on the bar was second nature. You’d also look in the mirror, strike a pose and realize you’d gotten a little sexier.

Ah yes, those were the days.

As you move further along in this journey, the newbie gains start to wear off and it becomes more of a struggle to get bigger, faster and stronger.

When this started happening to me, I thought I was doing something wrong. I would workout harder and longer and would hop from program to program hoping to regain the gains.

But all I got was….

After some trial and error and having the benefit of some world class coaching, (hint hint Tony) I realized that changing a few variables was just the kick start I needed.

The following techniques have been around longer than you and me (and I’ve been around for a while) because they work. It’s not as sexy as twisting yourself into a pretzel or squatting on a Bosu ball, but your gains will thank you.

I’m bringing flexing back. The Bodybuilders don’t know how act.

1) Cluster Sets

I first came across cluster sets in Eric Cressey’s Maximum Strength program. After doing these for the first time, I felt like JJ Watt had taken me out. Ouch was an understatement.

Cluster sets involve inserting a short 10-second rest within a straight set which enables you to lift more weight without having to reduce volume. With a typical straight set, you lift the weight for a certain amount of reps and then put it down.

But with cluster sets, you’ll work with your 5 RM, lift it twice, rest for 10 seconds and complete 3 more 2 rep mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between each. You’ll do 4-5 total sets like this, which adds up to 40 reps with a 5RM weight.

Cluster sets work best with compound movements that don’t require a lot of set up time. For instance, barbell bench press variations, chin ups, barbell row variations or the Humble Goblet Squat.

For example:

1A. Flat barbell bench press (4 x 2) mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between – 5 sets

1B. Weighted chin up (4 x 2) mini sets with 10 seconds of rest between – 5 sets

A Little Sumthin on Bench Press Set-Up

 

And, I Little Sumthin on Chin-Ups

 

2) Pauses

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the past few years you should know the three main triggers for muscle hypertrophy are mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage.

If you want to geek out and get more in depth with this topic, click here.

Adding a pause in your lifts covers these bases, if somewhat brutally. But lifting weights isn’t meant to tickle and pausing while the working muscle is under tension will test you in ways that you’ve never thought possible.

Which is another way of saying they suck. ?

Pauses work best with compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, presses and rows but can also used for isolation exercises (Bicep curls, anyone?) to bring up a lagging muscle group.

Pauses can work on weaknesses, such as being slow off the floor when deadlifting or getting into a good squat position. Because if you’re struggling with certain positions within your lift, it helps to spend more time there, not less.

 

If you plan on using this technique, a 2- 3 second pause with a load between 60-80% 1 RM and lifting between 5- 10 reps works well. However, please feel free to experiment if you’re feeling particularly sadistic.

 

3) Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) Sets for Strength

This method is synonymous with metabolic training and workout finishers at the end of a training.

Starting a set every minute on the minute holds you accountable for work you do in a certain period.

However, if you dare, they can be used for strength also because strength is a skill that needs to be practiced and this method allows you to spend some quality time under the bar not at the bar. ?

Load a barbell with 90% 1 RM for lifts such as squats, deadlifts, presses or pulls. Set the stopwatch for anywhere between 10 – 20 minutes and do one rep every minute on the minute.

This will help you hone your technique and get stronger and better conditioned.

However, this is neurologically demanding and should be done with only one lift per workout. This is best done periodically to shake things up and to bust through plateaus. Please enter at your own risk.

Wrapping Up

You don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater when your progress stalls. Just adding some small changes to the basics will have you flexing, smiling and loving the mirror again.

About the Author

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Texas. Shane believes in balancing exercise with life while putting the fun back into both.

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: It’s Go Time Edition

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.

First things first: We’re in the final countdown for baby Gentilewis9 to arrive. Lisa entered week #40 this week and we’re gearing up for the due date which is technically this Friday, January 27th.

Copyright: alien185 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

We think we’re ready, but we’re both pretty realistic about the shit-show (literally and figuratively) that’s about to be dropped into our laps. Don’t get me wrong: we’re both super excited and pumped. However, all of that is met with equal parts trying not to destroy the back of our pants too.

If for some reason I happen to not update this blog this week, you will know why.

Wish us luck….;o)

1. It’s still surreal to think that by this time next week I’ll be someone’s daddy. I have zero confidence I’ll be able to keep my bearings and I know it’s going to be one of the most emotional and spectacular events of my life.

My emotions came to the forefront even more this past weekend when I finally sat down to watch the documentary, Gleason.

 

It’s hard to explain in words how this film made me feel. As a relatively newlywed (1.5 years) and a dad-to-be, it definitely brought to light the unparalleled beauty, complexity, and tragedy that life can deal us sometimes. We can either bow down or do something about it.

Do yourself a favor and watch this film. Keep a box of Kleenex handy too.

2. My wife is a rock star. Throughout her entire pregnancy she’s been hitting the gym pretty hard. She’s kept up with her strength training 3-4x per week in addition to teaching three spin classes per week.

Lisa will be 35 weeks pregnant tomorrow. Forget the idea that we’re quickly approaching the “shit is now getting real” window and that I’m equal parts excited and trying not to destroy the back of pants. How cool is it that Lisa’s still getting after it in the gym? Strength training through pregnancy can be a tricky thing and I always default to how the woman feels and whether or not anything makes her feel weird. Prior experience plays a key role here. In Lisa’s case: 20+ years of strength training prior (and the load used in this video – 155 lbs – is no where near her 1RM). All that said I do find there’s still a lot of stigma with training through pregnancy and unfortunately many women are told to stop lifting weights. Of course no pregnancy is the same, but assuming one is healthy and has experience there’s no reason not to keep up with it. Modifications need to be addressed as a woman progresses (in the case of the video above we elevated the trap bar, even with high handle setting, to accommodate for her belly), but we need to do a better job at relaying the message that pregnancy is NOT a disease and doesn’t mean you have to be relegated to the elliptical and pink dumbbells.

A video posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

 

Although, she did stop teaching her classes three weeks ago and has only been attending them since. Slacker.

I feel there’s a lot of stigma with regards to strength training and pregnancy, which I find dumbfounding. Everyone is different and the answer as to whether or not a woman can (or should) do it is dependent on her previous experiences (and preferences). That said, women have been giving birth for thousands & thousands of years in much more complicated scenarios, and the body is more resilient than we give it credit for sometimes.

There’s a degree of bias in me saying this but, I don’t feel strength training is in any way deleterious during pregnancy. In my eyes strength training during this time is helping to prepare the body for something a helluva lot more taxing than a few sets of deadlifts.

#makinglaborlesslaborious

I wrote a much more thorough article on the topic a few years ago HERE when I was working with a few female clients through their first pregnancy.

3. I’ll be the first to admit my wife is a bit of an outlier. As an example throughout her pregnancy she’s still been hammering her chin-ups (and having weird taco cravings). Even with 25-30 lbs of natural progressive overload she’s been crushing them. Beast mode.

I think she made it to week #34 or 35 before she started giving me the “dude, really? look” and we stopped performing bodyweight chins and started using band assistance. She’s already planning her “come back” and is excited to give Kourtney Thomas and Jen Sinkler’s The Bigness Project a go once she’s cleared to resume normal physical activity.

I happened to get an advance copy of it last week, and am really impressed. What I love is the message: it’s okay, nay, more than okay, for women to want to put on muscle.

All this past week Kourtney and Jen have been putting out killer content in anticipation of it’s release this week:

How to Look Like You Lift

Get Buff in the Buff

And the latest, Pace Yourself for Big Payoffs.

Keep your eyes peeled because this program is going to change a lot of women’s lives.

 

4. The topic of program design is an abyss of dichotomies, paradoxes, and juxtapositions. What works for one person may have the polar opposite effect on someone else. I never like to marry myself to any ONE way of doing anything and wholeheartedly believe that it’s important to cater each program to the individual.

What’s more, each program is going to be contingent on several factors:

  • Past/current injury history.
  • Goals.
  • Training frequency.
  • Ability/Experience level.
  • Equipment availability.
  • Expectation management. I had someone ask me to write them a program to bring their deadlift from 300 to 400 lbs in four weeks. Um, yeah, what’s next? Beating The Mountain in being a ginormous human being?

This will likely be a topic of a more thorough blog post down the road, but there are some “rules” I have to program design to carry over to most everyone.

  • I LOVE using fillers. In short, there are various l0w-grade mobility, activation, stretching drills that are paired with a strength exercise. So, rather than make someone feel like a patient and bore them to tears with a litany of “correctives,” I can include fillers to take on that role and still ensure a training effect. For example, if someone lacks hip flexor length and t-spine mobility a good pairing may be:
    • Trap Bar Deadlift: 3×5
    • Stationary Spiderman w/ Reach 3×4/side

 

  • Volume is an under-appreciated component of muscle growth. However, it’s important to understand that training to failure all…the…time isn’t the same thing as volume.

 

  • I’ve been trying to do a better job at making sure my clients leave a rep or two in the tank in their earlier sets. The idea is that if they putter out too quickly, it’s going to impede their ability to hit all their prescribed reps in the first place.
  • Along the same lines, and a bit counterintuitive given what I said above, one easy way to get your bench up is to include more rest/pause AMRAP sets. This is something I “stole” from strength coach Greg Robins. After you hit your top set on your bench do this:
    • 80% of 1RM for AMRAP, rest 20s, AMRAP, rest 20s, AMRAP
    • Rest 3 Minutes
    • 75% of 1RM for AMRAP, rest 20s, AMRAP, rest 20s, AMRAP
    • Try not to die.

5. Two coaches who are putting out amazing content of late are:

Joel Seedman

Meghan Callaway

Check them out if you aren’t already.

And that’s all she wrote. See you tomorrow, I think….;o)

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique personal training Program Design

If You Want Bigger Arms: Squat

At the expense of sounding like an uber meathead, squats pretty much solve anything. You want to be stronger? Squat. You want more muscle? Squat. You want to lose fat? Squat. You want to beat Captain America in an arm-wrestling match? Squat.

Copyright: Kurhan / 123RF Stock Photo

 

About the only thing squats can’t do is help you grow hair, make you an omelet, and cure cancer10.

There’s a reason squats are a staple in most weight training routines, and today’s guest post by strength coach, George Kalantzis, breaks down the proper progressions most people should consider when starting for the first time.

Enjoy.

The Squatzzzz

“If you want bigger arms- squat. Squatting makes everything grow.”

Sergio Olivia, 3 time Mr. Olympia, on offering advice on how to get bigger.

Squatting has been around for centuries. It is one of the primary movements that Dan John says can impact your life, and also one of the best movements for mass strength and muscle development. Yet unfortunately squats are still one of the most neglected and butchered exercises in the gym.

But Why?

Squats are tough and working hard separates the strong from the weak. Squatting heavy stresses the entire body and it takes a lot of will power and strength to put something heavy on your back, drop down, and stand back up. Therefore most people neglect them altogether.

Then you have some people who claim squats are bad for your knees and stick to leg extensions and leg presses. While it is true that squats can place a lot of stress on the knees, it is typically the form and amount of volume that is the cause of knee pain.

In fact, from a exercise science point of view leg extensions can actually place more stress on the knees than squats because they are an open chained exercises. Open chained exercises like leg extensions cause the quadriceps to contract and pull on the knee ligaments and surrounding muscles without counteraction of the hamstrings. Squats actually recruit both the hamstrings and quadriceps.

Research (Escamilla, 98) supports that squats generate twice as much hamstring activity as leg presses and leg extensions. That same research suggests hamstring recruitment is advantageous to enhancing knee stability and functional capacity of the hips. Squatting does not sound that bad now does it?

Ok, I’m Ready Where Do I Start?

It is always important to start with an assessment to figure out where the you will stand in reference to squatting. Tony wrote an in depth post on that HERE.

Mobility Drills

After establishing a baseline, it is time to begin start preparing the body to squat. Starting with some light soft tissue work and warm-up drills will help prepare the body for full ranges of motion needed to squat and prime the nervous system.

Most people have a hard time reaching full depth in a squat and I have found that it is usually a lack of mobility in the areas of the hips and ankles often leads to compensations in the squat..

Core Engaged Deadbug

A deep squat requires proper pelvic position. If you arch your back to hard during a squat , your femur will have a hard time moving around in the hip socket. This is often the cause of the butt-wink.

A core engaged deadbug will help you learn how to keep the ribs down and control the pelvis which are needed for a good squat pattern.

 

Wall Hip Flexor Mobilization

This drill really teaches you how to keep your glutes tight, extend the hip and flex the knee at the same time to get a deep stretch in the quads. You should focus on getting the range of motion through your hips and not lower back.

 

Kneeling Glute Mobs

I love this mobilization drill because it really looses up the posterior chain and allows you to safely work on hip internal rotation without cranking on the knee.

 

Ankle Mobilizations Drill

An often-overlooked area of squatting tends to be the ankles. In order to squat to full depth the ankle needs around 4 inches of dorsiflexion. If the ankle is lacking the appropriate mobility, you may see yourself coming up n your toes, or not hitting appropriate depth.

 

Squat To Stand With Reach

By the time you have complete the other drills your body should be primed to squat. The squat to stand synchs the entire body and recruits all the muscles needed to perform a good squat. If you have a hard time getting into this position, you may no the ready to squat to full depth.

 

Assisted Squat

Assuming no pain or restrictions are present a great place to start is an assisted version of the squat. There are many ways you can do an assisted squat, but I like using a suspension trainer for assistance.

Holding a suspension trainer allows the trainee to work on static stability and groove a great pattern. Make sure the trainee maintains a neutral back position and uses as much assistance as needed in order to get to the bottom position.

 

Bodyweight Squat Versions

Once someone has mastered the assisted squat, it is time to move onto a bodyweight squat. Here you can really learn how to squat to full depth and drive up under control.

Sometimes people will have trouble with their heels coming up of the ground. If that is the case, you can create a little heel lift with plates or shoes to help the body recognize how to sit back onto the heels and reduce coming up off the floor.

Another common error for someone just learning to squat is a knee collapse. A great trick for that is to put a mini band around the knees. The bands feeds into the bad movement pattern by pulling their knees farther in and the body reacts by correcting the movement.

 

 

Goblet Squat

For most people, a goblet will be the basis of a squatting program. Legendary coach Dan John says that goblet squat is all a lot of people will need and there is a good reason behind that.

Grab a Kettlebell or dumbbell and hold it close to your chest. With your elbows pointing down, lower your body into a squat. Allow your elbows to be inside your knees and put pressure on the outside of your heels to help keep your knees out. Return to the starting position.

 

Many people are under the assumption that the Goblet Squat is just this plain ol’ vanilla squat variation that offer no variety. Au contraire! There are any number of ways to make it more challenging.

Goblet Squat Against Wall

Cannot seem to keep your back straight and knees from caving in? Try the goblet squat against the wall. Face a wall with your feet around 6-12 inches away from it and work to actively pull down into the squat.

Start further away and work closer to the wall, as you get more comfortable with the position.

 

Goblet Squat With Pause

Mastered the regular goblet squat? No problem, try a pause in the bottom of the squat. Pause reps will keep you honest, and really challenge your strength because you cannot rely on the momentum to pop back up from the bottom.

 

Goblet Squat With Heartbeat

This is one of my favorites to use with people, and it is one version that is not used that much. I first saw it from Mike Robertson when I was learning progressions for group training. It is great for people who have shoulder issues and really challenges the core.

 

Offset KB Squat

Holding a kettlebell on one side of the body will expose any asymmetries from side to side and really teach the body to own the position. Try to really focus on driving through the entire foot rather then shifting to the side of the kettlebell.

 

Double KB Front Squat

It only makes sense that once you have mastered the above it is time to load up. The double KB front squat is a great squat version because it really teaches you to sit down rather than back and down.

Essentially what you get is all abs and quads without demanding mobility requirements. It can be very humbling if you have never tried this before.

 

Front Squat

If you have become comfortable with the KB front squat and are ready for more of a challenge it is time to move on the barbell front squat.

Just like the KB, barbell front squats are all abs and quads. They are great because you have to really sit down into the squat rather than sit back or you’ll loose the bar. Due to the position of the bar your body must learn to stabilize the core instead of using back muscles to stand up. If you constantly get stuck hitting depth on a back squat this is a great exercise for you.

 

Back Squat

At this point, we have covered a lot of information on squatting. The back squat requires tremendous strength throughout the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, abs, and back. There is a reason why most people mess the exercise up or neglect it all together. If you have truly mastered the above exercises then it might be time to try a back squat out.

If you want to learn how to set-up, Tony wrote an awesome post HERE.

Conclusion

Squatting is a lot tougher then it seems. Consider hiring a coach for help on some of the barbell work, and if you are just starting out, goblet squat variations will surely get the job done. Try not to be a hero and start with something that is in between.

Quick things to consider before squatting:

  • If it hurts, you should hire a coach for an assessment and or see a qualified physical therapist.
  • Not everyone is made to squat to full depth or made to squat.
  • Squatting with a bar is not for everyone
  • When you first start out, you will not need that much weight, typically 45-55 % of your true max. Working on technique and conformability with the different squatting positions should be your first goal before trying more advanced versions.

References

1) Escamilla RF, Fleisig GS, Zheng N, Barrentine SW, Wilk KE, Andrews JR. Biomechanics of the knee during closed kinetic chain and open kinetic chain exercises. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Apr;30(4):556-69.

About the Author

George began his time at Cressey Sports Performance as an intern in the fall of 2013, and returned in 2014 as CSP’s Group Fitness Coordinator, overseeing all Strength Camp coaching and programming responsibilities.

George is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and was awarded an honorary discharge after eight years of service. He possesses an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently attending massage school to become a licensed massage therapist.

Outside of CSP, George maintains a fitness-related blog that can be found at www.sgtkfitness.com.

He and his wife Shawna reside in Manchester, NH.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique personal training Program Design Strength Training

The Beginner’s Checklist for Deadlift Badassery

It’s the start of a new year and with it a proverbial reboot or rejuvenation towards one’s health and fitness. Well that, and a metric boat load11 of Facebook statuses of people complaining about all the “newbies” crowding the gym.

Copyright: langstrup / 123RF Stock Photo

 

I am not one to complain because 1) I don’t typically work out in a commercial gym 2) Nah nah nana naaaaah and 3) I think it’s a good thing when people decide to be more proactive, take an active role towards their health and well-being, and join a gym. I mean, really? Are you that inconvenienced? I can appreciate it’s slightly annoying when there’s a traffic jam at the power rack (made worse when people are using it to perform bicep curls) or that it’s more or less an obstacle course to walk around all the meandering patrons doing this thingamajiggy or that whateverthef***.

Relax. Deep breaths. It’ll all be over by the second week of February…;o)

Nevertheless, as pumped as I am that people take the initiative to begin an exercise regime, I’d be remiss not to cringe – just a little bit – at the overzealousness of some as they begin their fitness journey.

Last week was one of the rare weeks where I trained every day in a commercial gym (my wife was on vacation and I joined her at her gym) and while it was great to observe people getting after it, the coach in me couldn’t help but start to hyperventilate into a paper bag want to be a coach.

For example I saw a lot of people deadlifting. It was cool. I wanted to go over and high-five every single person. However, that would have been weird and possible justification for a restraining order I kept to myself, but past all of that was an insatiable desire to want to fix a lot of deadlifts.

I admired their intent, but I’d be lying if I said a small piece of my soul didn’t die watching a few people doing their thing.

You see, for a lot of beginners what I “think” ends up happening is that they watch a re-run of the CrossFit games on ESPN or watch videos like this:

 

…and are all like “that’s badass, I want to do that,” not recognizing that 1) a deadlift is much more than just bending over and lifting a barbell off the ground (regardless of whether it’s 1000+ lbs or 50 lbs) and 2) a straight bar deadlift (from the floor) is the most advanced variation of a deadlift there is. Not many people are ready or prepared enough on Day #1 to perform this safely and with proper technique.

So I figured I’d offer a sort of “check-list” for beginners to consider, and what I feel would be the appropriate progressions to follow to work up to a straight bar deadlift.

Note to Internet Hero Trainer Guy/Girl Who Will Inevitably Call Me Out On Why I Didn’t Address This Thing Or That: This is not a dissertation, it’s a blog post highlighting a few candid thoughts and processes. This is no where near an exhaustive breakdown of deadlift technique or programming.12

Checks and Balances

Everyone is different and there’s no ONE right way or variation or cue that applies across the board. People have different leverages, injury histories, and experience levels and it’s important to take all those things into heavy consideration when coaching anyone up on the deadlift.

I will say: I know what I DON’T want to see. This:

That’s pretty much THE golden rule.

Because it makes me do this:

There are any number of reasons someone’s deadlift may look like the above picture:

  • Lack of hip mobility to “access” the hip flexion required to get that low to floor.
  • Lack of t-spine mobility (specifically extension).
  • Lack of ankle dorsiflexion.
  • Lack of kinesthetic awareness.
  • The novelty of the exercise.
  • They were born on a Wednesday. I don’t know.

Obviously step #1 would be to address and musculoskeletal/mobility restrictions that may be present.

Lack of Hip Mobility

Wall Hip Flexor Mobilization

 

Dynamic Pigeon to Half Kneeling

 

Shin Box

 

Lack of T-Spine Mobility

Side Lying Windmill

 

T-Spine Extension (Done Right)

 

Lack of Ankle (and Big Toe) Dorsiflexion

This is a component that’s often overlooked. If someone can’t access dorsiflexion it’s going to compromise their ability to get into deep(er) hip flexion to get down to grab the barbell.

Active Ankle Dorsiflexion

 

Metatarsal Active Squat Drill

 

Lack of Kinesthetic Awareness

Oftentimes it’s lack of awareness of what the body/joints are doing in space that’s the limiting factor. I like to use the Cat-Camel drill to build context and to demonstrate what I don’t want to see (rounded back) and what I do want to see (neutral spine)

 

Addressing Novelty (<— This is HUGE)

Here we have the nuts and bolts. Much of time, even though the stuff discussed above is very important, it comes down to the novelty or “newness” of the exercise as to why some people fail. To be blunt, and as alluded to earlier, much of the reason why many fail at deadlifting from the get go (and end up hurt and using the lame excuse that deadlifts are dangerous for everyone) is because they’re too aggressive and end up gravitating towards variations (and loads) they’re not ready for.

They either don’t understand what it actually means to hinge through the hips (which is all a deadlift really is: it doesn’t always have to mean pulling a heavy barbell off the ground) and/or they fail to progress accordingly based off their experience and leverages.

Learning what it means to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement step #1 in grooving a bonafide hip hinge. One of the most popular drills to do so is the Wall Hip Hinge. Unfortunately, as harmless and innocuous as it looks it’s easily butchered. Here’s how I like to coach it up:

 

Another drill I like is the Tall Kneeling Handcuff Hip Hinge. Here we can take some joints of the equation and place a KB behind the back, which, for some reason, works. I think Gandalf made it up.

 

If you’re’ interested in learning some more hip hinge drills you can check out in THIS article I wrote a few months ago.

Assuming I’m comfortable with someone’s hip hinge now it’s time to start adding some load.

Remember: You DO NOT have to use a straight bar, and I’d caution against it for more beginners. The only people who have to use a straight bar are competitive powerlifters and Olympic lifters. Generally the people who say otherwise are those who don’t coach people. So if some Joe Schmo internet warrior tells you otherwise tell him to f off.

While there are always exceptions to the rules my progression series is as follows:

1. Master Hip Hinge Drills.

2. Cable or Band Pull-Through.

 

3. Kettlebell Deadlift: Elevated if need be. And from there we can progress to pulling from the floor as well as ramping things up to 1-Arm KB Deadlift (which adds an additional rotary component), 2-KB Deadlift, and even Hover Deadlifts:

 

4. Trap Bar Deadlift: The trap bar (or hex bar) deadlift is an excellent choice for beginners or those with limited experience because of its user friendliness. This is often my “go to” variation for everyone I begin working with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-sA3PG1kGY

 

  • For starters one’s center of gravity is inside the bar, which makes it easier to maintain an upright torso angle and a better neutral spinal position. All of which translates to less shear loading on the spine.
  • The elevated handles make it easier for those with mobility issues/restrictions – such as limited hip flexion and/or ankle dorsiflexion – to perform in a safe and successful manner.

5. Rack Pulls or Block Pulls: Here we can start adding anterior load. With the barbell now in front of the body the axis of rotation is further away which can result in more stress on the lower back. This is fine so long as neutral spine is maintained.

I’d note here that I much prefer Block Pulls. I find they have more carryover to the actual deadlift as you’re still able to get slack out of the bar (which you’re unable to do with a rack pull). Both are great options, though, when introducing straight bar variations.

Is your spine still attached? Can you still feel your legs? Good. Lets move on.

6. Sumo Deadlift/Conventional Deadlift: Look at you, son! Pulling from the floor now. Whatever variation allows for the most success, feels better, and guarantees proper spinal position is the one I’ll run with.

Sometimes people picked the wrong parents and their anatomy dictates what will be the best fit long-term. Generally speaking those with mobility restrictions, longer torsos, and short(er) arms will prefer sumo style over conventional. I prefer a middle-ground approach for many and often use a Modified Sumo Stance with my clients/athletes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Xjb72gGTE

 

None of this speaks to the other particulars I like to go over with trainees with regards to foot placement, hand placement, leg drive, common mistakes with lockout and the descent, not to mention appreciating, getting, and maintaining body tension. You can do a search on the site and find an abyss of other deadlift articles that go over all those things.

The goal today was to showcase my (general) approach to deadlifting with beginners. I hope it helped.

Addendum (Other Stuff I Wanted to Say)

1. Consider hiring a competent coach to show you the ropes. A good litmus test to figure out whether or not they know what they’re talking about:

  • Ask them if they know who Andy Bolton is.
  • Have him or her point to their posterior chain. If they point to their abs. Walk away.
  • They can differentiate between a deadlift and a squat.
  • They actually look like they lift weights.

2. Stop BOUNCING your repetitions. It’s a DEADlift, not a BOUNCElift. On each rep, when you return to the floor, you should come to a complete stop. “Reset” your air and spinal position, and repeat.

3. I HATE high-rep deadlifts, especially for beginners. Fatigue is going to compromise form. Try to stick to no more than 5-reps per set.

4. Home base – in terms of loading – should be in the 65-80% range of 1-rep max. Not that this means you should test your 1RM right away. The thing to consider is that you don’t NEED to train heavy to start. Beginners or un-trained individuals can train with as low as 40% of 1RM (Hint: that’s super light) and still reap all the benefits and gain a training effect. Honing technique should be the main goal at this point.

5. Anyone see La-La Land yet?

CategoriesAssessment coaching Corrective Exercise Exercise Technique Program Design

A Peek Inside Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint

WHEW – talk about a whirlwind day yesterday. I spent the bulk of it glued to my laptop13 making sure things ran smoothly with the launch, answering questions and emails, and trying to stay on top of social media engagement.

1) THANK YOU to everyone who has gone of their way to mention and/or plug Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint. Your support means a lot.

2) To those who may be on the fence, how about a sneak peek?

Copyright: eenevski / 123RF Stock Photo

 

This sucker contains 11+ hours of content covering everything from upper and lower extremity assessment, corrective exercise strategies, numerous hands-on breakouts, as well as program design and exercise technique troubleshooting (with maybe, 37 seconds worth of Star Wars references).

Here are two sneak peak segment from both Dean and I.

The One Where Tony Discusses Scapular Motion

 

The One Where Dean Talks Hip Integration (and makes a bunch of fitness pros groan)

 

And there is tooooooons more where that came from.

If you’re a fitness professional I can almost guarantee you’ll pick up something valuable (hopefully several) that will help your clients or athletes. And even if you’re not a fitness pro, and just like listening to two dudes talk shop about training or you’re just looking to pick up some cool new exercise variations to keep your shoulders and hips healthy this resource would be a home run.

cshb-screen

Complete Shoulder and Hip Blueprint is on SALE all this week (until midnight on Saturday, November 5th) at $60 off the regular price.