Simple Things: Building Strength pt1

A lot has been written on how to get stronger, from the very basic to the incomprehensibly complex.  There are a handful of coaches / authors and their methods that I've turned to time and time again.  I don't need to read 95% of the books or articles out there, but I do anyway, and it just confirms that these few coaches have cut through the crap and left what is productive.  It's the Bruce Lee approach to building strength -  Adopt what is useful.  Reject what is useless.  Below is a stripped-to-the-essentials summary of the authors, in no particular order, who have influenced how I train.

Jim Wendler:  5/3/1 template
Jim's 5/3/1 e-book is well worth the $20.  It will clarify what is most important in getting stronger:

• basic compound movements
• Find your TRUE 1 rep max, and start light, lighter than your ego is comfortable with
• make progress every session for as long as you can
• don't overthink it

I don't follow his training templates as outlined in the book anymore, but the methodology and principles he outlines are rock solid.  Modest, planned increases in load over the longest block of time possible get you from newbie to contender.  Save the fancy stuff for when you are squatting 600 and benching 400.

The Nuts and Bolts of 5/3/1:

Let's say Monday is your squat day, you'll do 3 sets of squat along with whatever type of additional leg work you want.  The 3 sets of squat are all that really matter.  In his book, he outlines the percentages of your 1 rep max to follow at each training session.  Week1 is 3 x 5;  Week2 is 3 x 3; Week3 is x5, x3, and x1.  Week4 is a deload week so you can recover.  On the 3rd set, you should push to your max possible reps in good form.  No CrossFit slop allowed!

I'm skipping a lot of details because you should buy his e-book and read it.


Robert Dos Remedios: Power Training

To be an athlete, you need to train for strength in movement, not muscles!!!

1. Improve strength, but never overlook power.  Cleans, snatches, high pulls and their variants should be central to your training
2. Train rotational movements
3. Train planks and bridges
4. Horizontal pulling / Horizontal pushing
5. Vertical pulling / vertical pushing
6. Knee dominant (i.e. squats)
7. Hip dominant (i.e. posterior chain / deadlifts)

Dan John:  The Renaissance Man's Strength Coach 

Every time I read words written by Dan John, it is as if I reached some new level of enlightenment.  The guy sees things so clearly, and articulates them so truthfully, it is hard to ever do anything BUT what he says.  Some of the concepts I've adopted from reading his work.

• Complexes:  Yes, Istvan Javorek pioneered complexes, but I learned about them from reading Dan John's work.  A complex is a series of 4 or more movements done without setting the load (usually a barbell) down and taking no rest till all movements are completed.  Depending on how heavy you go these are either fantastic warm-ups, great conditioning tool, or a way to build strength and lean mass fast!  Basic barbell complex example:
  A. Bent row x 6
  B. Clean grip high pull x 6
  C. Hang Clean x 6
  D. Front squat x 6
  E. Push press x 6
  F. Overhead squat x 6
  
• Combinations: Combining multiple movements into a single rep.  As soon as you finish 1 rep of the first movement, you go right into the next without a seconds pause.  Complexes tend to make my muscles tired, but Combination lifts make my BODY tired.  I prefer combination lifts for conditioning.  An example:
  A. Clean
  B. Front squat
  C. Push press
  D. Drop lunge
  
• Read everything Pavel Tsatsouline writes! 
  
• A little CrossFit is a good thing.  Only CrossFit is a dumb thing.
  
• Do what you hate doing.  For me, it's any form of cardio (besides jump rope).
  
• Stability, Mobility, Endurance Strength

Pavel Tsatsouline: The Evil Russian

This guy doesn't say it, but he definitely believes in stability, mobility, endurance and strength.  But his version of endurance work would have CultFitters crying for their affluent mommas.

• Ladders build strength in movement
  5 x 1-2-3-4-5.  The classic ladder.  Dan John has a few variants:
  5 x 2-3-5
  5 x 2-3-5-10
  Not matter which ladder you chose, you'll be lifting heavy loads for significant total volume.  THAT is the key to becoming strong and capable.
  
• Push and Pull
  Presses and deadlifts are all anyone really needs to reach elite levels of strength.  But round it out for balance - pullups, rows, core and whatnot.  The only thing that deserves 100% focus and effort are presses and pulls.
  
• Kettlebells are King
  I made my own 73lb t-bell, because buying a 55 and 70 pounder would cost more coin than I'm willing to part with.  But I can tell you that KB swings (T-bell in my case) will help you drop fat, eliminate certain back problems, build your posterior chain, and give you work capacity like no other single exercise can.  One of these days I'm going to start doing them every single morning.  There is just nothing better than kettle bell swings.
  
  But if you read his books, you'll find tons of other challenging exercises that you should do often with kettlebells:  cleans, presses, snatches, windmills, and get-ups are just a few of the staples.

 Next time, I'll show you how to put it all together for a simple approach that comes the essentials of getting stronger and fitter.  No wasted time, no fancy side dishes.  Just good logical strength building templates that you can fill in with whatever works for you.