Creating Training Programs Part III

In this part of the series we are going to cover how to make training programs for people who have crossed the first few months of preparatory training (see part I).

Now beginners who have worked up to the stage that they can do 1.5 times body weight in the deadlift for 2 sets of 5 using the methods given in part 1, or who have good experience in general sports training should do this. If you are not already in some kind of semblance of fitness please go back to the routines in pat 1.

What beginners need is a lot of volume in the big lifts, whatever these may be. They need to push the weights and try to make linear progress. It is only when you can no longer make linear progress on a consistent basis that you are an intermediate. Here are a few routines for various purposes-

Every single routine here is one that I have tried on my athletes.

Routine 1- Recreational lifter wanting to Just get big and Strong

Workout 1-
Bench press- Work up to 1X5 fairly heavy set (think 80%). Every week you will try to beat this number by no more than 2 kgs. Warm up in small increments to the working weight. When you are unable to set a PR just reduce the weight by 8-10kgs and continue.

Bench Press- 5X10 with a light weight (think 50%) add weight here whenever you can as well

Chin Ups- 2 sets of as many reps as possible
Dumbell Rows- 5 sets of 10.

Workout 2-
Squat- Work up to 1X5, same as bench press.

Squat- 5X10

Bridges + Leg raises 3 sets each

Workout 3-
Military Press- Work up to 1X5

Dumbell Overhead Press- 5X10

Bodyweight Rows+ Lat Pull Downs- 5 Sets each

Workout 4-
Deadlift- Work up to 1X5

Snatch Grip Deadlift From the Blocks- 5X10

Ab rollouts + KB swings- 3 sets each

This can be done 4 times a week or 3 times a week, each workout being repeated twice in 3 weeks.

Here is another routine for the same purpose but done 2 times a week.

Routine 2- General guy wanting to get big and strong

Workout-1 Week 1
Squat- Work Up to Max set of 5
Do one back off set of heel elevated squats with 80% of the weight used in the max set of 5.
Try for 1X20
Deadlift Conventional- 6X6 with a reasonably challenging weight. Add weight whenever possible.
Hanging Leg Raises + Walking Body weight/barbell Lunges 3 hard sets each.

Workout 2 Week 1
Bench Press- Max set of 5
Mild Incline Press- Back of set with 75% of max set. Try for 1X20
Military Press- 5X10
Dumbell Rows- 5X10
Chin Ups- 2 sets as many as possible
Band Pull Aparts

Workout 1 Week 2
Deadlift- Work Up to max 5
Back off set of Con Deads with 80% of max set. Try 1X20

Squats- 5X10
Hanging Leg Raises + Walking Lunges

Workout 2 Week 2
Military Press- Max set of 5
Mild Incline Press- Back of set with 75% of max set. Try for 1X20
Bench Press- 5X10
Dumbell Rows- 5X10
Chin Ups- 2 sets as many as possible
Band Pull Aparts

Routine 3- For someone wanting to build a big bench, squat and deadlift

Workout 1-
Bench Press- Work up to a heavy single. (think 85%) Add a little weight every week. It is imperative you never add more than 2 kgs at a time. You are just getting the feel for heavy weights and progressively adding weight. Don't sabotage yourself by testing yourself.
3X6 with 75% of the weight used for the single.
Dumbell Overhead press- 5X10
Chins- 5 sets of as many as possible
Kroc Rows- 1 set per arm.

Workout 2-
Squat- Work up to a heavy single. Same as bench press except the limit is 3kgs.
Deadlift- Work up to a heavy single. Same as bench press except limit is 4kgs.
Squats- 3X6 with 75% of single weight.
Deadlift- 4X5 with 75% of single weight.
Ab work

Workout 3-
Bench press- 5X10 with 65% of weight used for single.
Squat- 5X10 with 65% of weight used for single.
Hypers- 5X15. add half kg at a time.
Ab work
Dumbell rows- 5X12

Routine 4- Big Bench, Squat and deadlift in a twice a week routine.

Workout 1-
Bench Press- 5X12 with 60s rest. Start really light, like 50%.
Squat- 3X12 with 90s rest.
Deadlift- 3X12 with 90s rest
Dumbell Rows- 5X12
Ab work

Workout 2-
Bench Press- 5X5 with 90s rest. 80%ish
Squat- 3X5. 90s rest
Deadlift- 3X5. 90s rest
Chins- 5 sets of amrap
Ab work

Workout 3-
Military press- 5X10 with 60s rest
Heel Elevated Squat- 3X15 with 90s rest
Hypers- 5 X15 with 60s rest
Lat Pull Downs- 5X12 with 60s rest
Abs, biceps and triceps- 3 sets each

Workout 4-
Bench Press- 5X3 with 120s rest. 85%ish
Squat- 3X3 with 120s
Deadlift- 3X3 with 120s
Chins- 5 sets of AMRAP
Ab work

Repeat the 2 weeks with increased weights.

Routine 5- Athlete needing to improve his jump/ General Athletic Strength
3 days per week

Workout 1-
Squat- 5X10 with 90s rest. Start really light, like 50%.
3 sets of AMRAP Chins
3 sets of 8-12 Military Press
Hanging Leg Raises, Pallof Presses- 3 Sets Each

Workout 2-
Squat- 10X Workout 1 Weight (call it W), 8X W+4kgs, 6X W+8kgs, 4X W+14kgs, 2X W+22kgs. 120s rest
The weights increases given here are only suggestions. You can increase more or less, depending on how heavy a weight you plan to hit in the last set. The first 2 sets should be pretty easy and the 4th and 5th set should feel heavy but not very difficult. Think 86%ish.
Chins Weighted- 3X6-8
3 sets of 6-8 Military Press
Ab Rollouts and one arm Carries- 3 sets each

Workout 3-
Squat- 5X3 with the top set of workout 2. 150s rest.
Weighted Chins- Work up to a Max set of 4 reps
Military press- Work up to a Max Set of 5 reps.
Hypers- 5X15

Repeat all three workouts in the second week with 2kgs more in very set. In week 3 do workout 1 with 5X5 reps with the same weight used in the second week. Workout 2 stays the same and weight increases as usual. Workout 3 become 5sets of 1 with the top weight of workout 2.
In week 4 just add 2 kgs to week 2 and continue.
In workout 3, just alternate between Max set of 4 and 3 for chins, and Max set of 5 and 4 for military press. Everything else stays the same.

Routine 6- Thrower trying to improve his strength for throwing
2-3 times a week. Just follow the linear cycle.
Estimate a 1 R.M

Workout1- Bench Press- 60%X5X7, Squat- 60%X6X6, Abs, Hypers, Rows
Workout2- Bench Press- 65%X6X6, Squat-65%X5X6, Abs, Hypers, Chins
Workout3- Military Press- 5X10, Lat Pull Downs- 5X10, Close Grip Incline Press-5X10, Dumbell Rows- 5X10, Leg Press/Hack Squat-5X10
Workout4- Bench Press- 70%X5X6, Squat- 70%X6X5, Abs, Hypers, Rows
Workout5- Bench Press- 75%X6X5, Squat-75%X5X5, Abs, Hypers, Chins
Workout6-Military Press- 5X10, Lat Pull Downs- 5X10, Close Grip Incline Press-5X10, Dumbell Rows- 5X10, Leg Press/Hack Squat-5X10
Workout7- Bench Press-80%X5X5, Squat-80%6X4, Abs, Hypers, Rows
Workout8- Bench Press-85%X5X4, Squat-85%5X4, Abs, Hypers, Chins
Workout9- Military Press- 5X10, Lat Pull Downs- 5X10, Close Grip Incline Press-5X10, Dumbell Rows- 5X10, Leg Press/Hack Squat-5X10
Workout10- Bench Press-90%X5X3, Squat-90%X5X3, Abs, Hypers, Rows
Workout11- bench Press- 95%X5X2, Squat- 95%X5X2, Abs, Hypers, Chins
Workout 12- Military Press- 5X10, Lat Pull Downs- 5X10, Close Grip Incline Press-5X10, Dumbell Rows- 5X10, Leg Press/Hack Squat-5X10
Workout 13- Bench Press- 100%X 4X2, Squat, 100%X4X2, Abs, Hypers, Rows
Workout 14- Bench Press and Squat- 100%+2kgs X3X2 no assistance
Workout 15- Bench Press and Squat- 100% +4kgs X2X2

Just take the weight used in the last workout and multiply it by 1.0666 and you will have you new max. Run the whole thing again with the new figure. Each cycle can last anywhere from 5-8weeks.

Sleeping Posture, Massaging your Tendons, preventing injuries and stuff

So in this post I want to talk about some miscellaneous stuff that I think is important to consider, which no one thinks about and which fits in no real category.

Okay we all make a big deal about how our posture throughout the day effects our joint alignment and muscle tonus and how improper posture can lead to pain and restricted mobility. But no one seems to consider that we spend a huge part of every day sleeping and in virtually the same posture, and this probably effects us even more than our conscious posture.

I became aware of this when a while ago I suffered a bad shoulder pull. at least it felt like it. Later I realized that it was actually a trap pull that was making pain radiate from the shoulder. A few easy sets of shoulder rotations, dislocates, and a lot of neck stretches fixed it in no time. But along the way I realized that my neck flexibility was heavily unbalanced, favoring the uninjured side. That is when I realized that I sleep on my front tilting my head to the uninjured side. This stretched that side but contracted the other. As a result something very similar to what happens to the hip flexors while sitting happened to my neck- one side was chronically tight and immobile. I started sleeping flat on my back and I have never had a problem since and my flexibility has balanced itself.

Constant stretching can only fix so much and fixing your sleeping posture will go a long way to solve the root of the problem. You can't change your work schedule, you can't change your classes in school and the desks they give you, but you can change the way you sleep and that corrects a whooping 6-9 hours of bad posture everyday. Much more than you would while trying to consciously fix your posture throughout the day.

Now basically after you fall asleep your body will revert to whatever sleeping posture it is easiest to keep falling asleep in, so that your sleep will be as uninterrupted as possible. This could be anything depending on various psychological reasons (before anyone asks I have no idea what they are). In my case I could not have a sound sleep without sleeping on my face. everyone has a position that makes them feel all comfy and sleepy. But the problem is most of these postures are based on the way your mattress is and human bodies have not evolved to sleep on such soft surfaces. Remember the modern mattress was a uncommon luxury until very recently in human history. Because of this you end up getting comfortable in all sorts of ridiculous positions.

Try sleeping for a night on the bare floor on your face. I dare you. In about an hour your body will figure out the most comfortable way to sleep on the floor is to either lie supine and straight or be in the fetal position on either side. These are also the best positions to sleep in for the joints as well.

So how do you fix this problem? You could do what I did and sleep on the floor for a couple of nights until your habit changes and then try to stick with it on the mattress by falling asleep in that position every night until the body gets used to it. Or you could get a super hard mattress and solve the problem once and for all. also if you can help it, don't use a pillow. If you do use a thin hard one.

Lets talk about tendon massage.

I see guys and girls all over the place foam rolling to no end to prevent and relive pain and stiffness, putting themselves in ridiculous positions to roll hard to get areas like the lats and the shoulders, not to mention the adductors. Why people never use the good old way of massaging themselves with their hands in their free time, I will never understand. Don't waste hours in the gym with this. Granted certain parts of the body you can't reach, like the shoulder baldes and the spine. And certain muscles like the glutes, hamstrings and quads are easier to cover with the foam roller. But beyond these, most of the stuff can be done with your hands at home. More importantly massaging yourself with your hands is more effective for 2 reasons-

1. The pressure area is smaller so you can dig deeper into the tissue. That is way tennis balls are more effective than foam rollers. Fingers are just the next step.
2. You can feel out every part of the muscle and actually get to know your anatomy and find your tendons and focus on the problem areas, instead of wasting time all over.

The first is self explanatory, so lets talk about the second. Fall all the amount of time we spend exercising and keeping notes, very few of us are actually familiar enough with our bodies to know every single thing that is unique to us, our peculiarities, our sore spots, our vulnerable areas etc. You know the difference between a masseuse and a guy with an anatomy book? He actually spent time finding all the muscles and tendons on an actual body. Once you can do that, thee is so much information about anatomy out there that you can massage yourself, and more effectively because you get time to get familiar with your body. And if your body is that important to you to exercise hard on a regular basis, you should be familiar with it as well.

This brings me to being aware of more than just muscles. You need to be aware of your tendons, joints and ligaments, because 90% of the time these are the things that really need constant massage, not the muscles. A decent rub down once a month for the muscles will get rid of most scar tissue build up in the muscles, plus the muscles recover fast. They get a lot of blood flow and the tissues are more dynamic chemically. Its the tendons, joints and ligaments that lack sufficient blood flow and are slow to recover. You know why big benchers spend time doing band pressdowns? To flush the area with blood and synovial fluid in order to help recovery. What if you just rub down your tendons with 2 fingers once a day, your ligaments with 4 fingers once in 2 days, and your joint capsules once in 3 days any way you want? The recovery rate will be much faster and pain will never linger, without fatiguing yourself with high rep movements.

Don't get me wrong, you still need to do high rep movements once in a while to mobilize the joints. But it should not become a necessity. If it does learn to find your tendons and rub them. I see several traditional forms of massage used in yoga and ayurveda that are based entirely on treating the tendons. In fact most tradition massage is based on ligament and tendon massage rather than rubbing the muscles. This is because earlier people did not use balls and foam rollers to massage themselves. Instead they used their hands and found the ligaments and tendons.

And yeah, you need a decent aerobic capacity. I don't care how big you are or how you do it but you can't be completely out of shape and expect to recover form injuries or even your training. Do something to condition yourself and you will feel much better in the long run, have lesser injuries and recover fast every time. Just one thing, don't do so much that it becomes a new source of injury, that is all. 

A Simple and Effective Deadlift Cycle

This is a deadlift training program that will put on 20-50kgs (44 to 100lbs) on your deadlift in 7 weeks. Make no mistake it is brutal and is only for people who have a solid 2 years of training under their belt and have a very good base of posterior chain strength and are unable to increase their deadlift for some time. A double bodyweight deadlift is a minimum except for unique cases where the raw squat is well over double bodyweight but the deadlift is not. If you are making progress in whatever system you are following, don't abandon it for this. Knowing these things read on.

There is a rebound cycle given as well which will also add another 10kgs or so. This cycle has been designed for he conventional deadlift. I have not tried it on anyone who uses the sumo style though you are free to try it out. I won't guarantee results though. All deadlifts in both cycles are done without belt or gear except during the singles week and the test day.

First some results-
1. Kratu Goel- added 58kgs or 125lbs to deadlift from 165kgs to 223kgs (365lbs to 490lbs). B.W 75kgs.
2. Prateek Verma- added 40kgs or 88lbs to the deadlift from 151kgs to 191. B.W 86kgs.
3. Abdul Najeeb- added 35kgs to the deadlift from 135kgs to 170kgs. B.W- 61kgs or 135lbs
4. Tejas Jaishankar- added 30kgs to the deadlift from 235kgs to 273kgs (517lbs to 600lbs). I went to 295 kgs (649lbs) on the rebound cycle. B.W 88kgs or 195lbs.

The cycle is divided into 3 parts-

Hypertrophy cycle-

The objective of this phase is to gain as much mass in the supportive muscles used. You will have to pick 2 big exercises for the deadlift, one which builds the bottom position and one that builds the top. Options I recommend are-
Bottom
1. RDLs while standing on a 20kg plate.
2. Snatch Grip deadlift from the floor.
3. Deadlifts standing on a 20kg plate.
4. RDLs from the ground.
5. Deadlift upto knees and pause for a second at the knees.
6. Behind the back deadlift

Top
1. Rack deadlifts from below the knee.
2. Snatch grip deadlifts off boxes from below the knee
3. Stutter deadlift (see previous post)
4. Zercher deadlifts from below the knee.

You will also need one squatting variation you know helps your deadlift. Options include-
1. Box Squat below Parallel
2. Zercher Squats
3. Full Squats with high bar placement.
4. Front Squats

You need to pick one unilateral leg exercise, one lower back exercise, one hamstring and glute exercise, two abdominal exercises and a loaded carry you think helps your deadlift. I recommend the farmer's walk, the goblet walk or the one arm carry.

You need to pick one overhead exercise, one bench pressing variation, and one asistance exercise for each.

You need to pick one free weight row and one machine based row. You need to pick a variation of pull ups you like for weighted pulls and a variation you like for unweighted pull ups. You need one exercise for the posterior delts and two exercises for the grip.

Your schedule for week 1, 2 and 3 will be as follows-
Day 1- Deadlift
Day 2- Upper body Pressing
Day 3- Off
Day 4- Deadlift
Day 5. Upper Body Pulling
Day 6 and 7- Off

In all exercises in which percentages are not defined you have to strive to use the most weight/ hardest variation you can use for the given rep range and you have to attempt to improve upon it the next workout. You have to push the intensity while sticking to the rep ranges given.

All numbers are sets X reps.

Deadlift Day 1-

I am showing the exercises I used in my cycle. You can choose whatever exercise you want from the options given previously. The sets reps and ramping method are not up for debate however. 90s rest for all sets and exercises.

1. RDLs while standing on a 20kg plate (no belt or gear)
Week 1-Work up to max set of 6 reps (it was 165kgs in my cycle)
Week 2- Perform 2X6 with last time's best weight.
Week 3- Perform 3X6 with the same weight.

Start from 100 lbs and add 10 lbs at a time (if your deadlift max is under 350) or 20 lbs at a time (if it is over 350 lbs), performing 6 repetitions ever single set. Keep increasing the weight until you know that you cannot perform 6 reps in the next weight jump. Its okay for your form to breakdown within reasonable measure.

2. Sumo Deadlift- 3X6 with 65% of Max (exercise cannot be changed)

3. Full Squat with knee wraps but no belt- 65% of max- 5X6

4. Hanging Leg raises- 3 sets of 10-15

5. Ham- Glute Curls- 5 sets of 4-6

6. 45 degree hypers- 5 sets of 12-15

7. Pistol Squats- 5 sets of 12-15

8. Roman Chair Sit Ups- 5 sets of 8-10

9. One arm carries- 5 sets of 20m

Upper Body Pressing-

1. Mild Incline Bench Press-
Week 1- 5 sets of 6 with 75% of Max.
Week 2- 5 sets of 5 with 80% of Max.
Week 3- 5 sets of 4 with 83% of Max.

2. Military Press-
Week 1- 5 sets of 5 with 72% of Max
Week 2- 6 sets of 4 with 75% of Max
Week 3- 7 sets of 3 with 80% of Max

3. Weighted Push Up- 5 Sets of 8-10

4. Dumbell Military Press- 5 sets of 10-12

Deadlift Day 4-

1. Snatch Grip Deadlifts from below the knee (no belt or gear)
Week 1-Work up to max set of 6 reps (it was 215kgs in my cycle)
Week 2- Perform 2X6 with last time's best weight.
Week 3- Perform 3X6 with the same weight.

2. Ham- Glute Curls- 5 sets of 4-63.

3. Hanging Leg raises- 3 sets of 10-15

4. Pistol Squats- 5 sets of 12-15

5. 45 degree hypers- 5 sets of 12-15

6. Roman Chair Sit Ups- 5 sets of 8-10

7. Full Squat with knee wraps but no belt- 60% of max- 5X6

8. One arm carries- 5 sets of 20m

Upper Body Pulling Day 5-

1. Weighted Close grip Chin Ups
Week 1-Work up to max set of 6 reps (it was 44kgs in my cycle)
Week 2- Perform 2X6 with last time's best weight.
Week 3- Perform 3X6 with the same weight.

2. One arm Dumbell Rows- 5 sets of 8-12

3. T bar Rows- 7 sets of 10-12

4. Medium Overhand grip pull ups- 3 sets of as many reps as possible.

5. Posterior delt fly with dumbells- 5 X 12-15

6. Pinch Grip Walking with 20kg plates- 5 sets of as much distance as possible

7. One arm deadhang from a chinning bar for time- 5 sets of as much time as possible.

Basic Strength Cycle

In this phase you will perform the convention deadlift only.

You will pick one bench press variation, one overhead press variation, one row variation, one chin up variation, two abdominal exercises and a bodyweight squat variation.

You schedule for weeks 4, 5 and 6 will be-
Day 1- Deadlift + Bench Press Variation+ Abdominal Variation
Day 2- Deadlift + Row Variation
Day 3- Deadlift + Military press Variation + Second Abdominal Variation
Day 4- Deadlift + Chin Up Variation
Day 5- Deadlift + Bodyweight Squat variation

You Deadlifting schedule for the 3 weeks will be as follows. I have given the weights I ended up using as well.

For the figure of the max you should just use the best weight weight you have hit in the recent past before doing the program. It should be a weight you know you can do. To be Conservative you can use a slightly lower figure (about 10kgs lesser) for calculating the weights for the cycle. I used 235kgs.

The Deadlift cycle is-
Week 1 (4 in the full cycle)
Day 1- 60% X 4X6 (141kgs)
Day 2- 65% X 4X5 (153kgs)
Day 3- 70% X 5X4 (165kgs)
Day 4- 75% X 6X3 (177kgs)
Day 5- 80% X 7X2 (189kgs)
Week 2 (5 in the full cycle)
Day 1- 65% X 2X6, 2X5 (153kgs)
Day 2- 70% X 2X5, 2X4 (165kgs)
Day 3- 75% X 3X4, 2X3 (177kgs)
Day 4- 80% X 4X3, 2X2 (189kgs)
Day 5- 85% X 6X2 (201kgs)
Week 3 (6 in the full cycle)
Day 1- 70% X 4X5 (165kgs)
Day 2- 75% X 4X4 (177kgs)
Day 3- 80% X 5X3 (189kgs)
Day 4- 85% X 6X2 (201kgs)
Day 5- 90% X 5X2 (213kgs)

For the pressing exercises simply do 5X5 with 70% on week 1, 4X6 with 70% on week 2, and 5X6 with 70% on week 3. For rows do 5 sets of 8-10 and chins 3 sets of as many reps as possible. For abdominal work do 5 sets of 10-15. For squats do 3X6 with 70% on week 1, 4X5 with 70% week 2, and 5X4 with 70% on week 3. Dont push yourself too hard on any of these exercises. Just get the work done and keep the groove in those exercises.

Singles Week- Week 7

In this week you will use a belt and knee wraps. If you are an equipped powerlifter you will use your full equipment. No exercise other than deadlifts will be done this week. I used a belt and knee warps only.

Day 1- 87% X 8X1 (205kgs)
Day 2- 95% X 6X1 (225kgs)
Day 3- 100% X 5X1 (235kgs)
Day 4- 95% X 4X1 (225kgs)
Day 5- 105% X 3X1 (245kgs)

You will take day 6 and 7 off and test on day 8 or compete in a meet on this day. You will have to arrange the starting date of the schedule accordingly if you wish to do so. Go for a deadlift only meet.

Test day- Attempt 1 105% (245kgs)
Attempt 2 110% (255kgs)
Attempt 3 anything you feel you can do. I did 265kgs.

Take the rest of the week off.

Rebound Cycle

This will last 16 weeks. Start this the week after the test week. The purpose here is to consolidate your gains and ensure you can fall back into the groove of regular training without losing your strength. You will deadlift once a week. Arrange the rest of the schedule and assistance exercises as you wish. You will hit a new PR here as well. All percentages are based on the new Max minus 10kgs. I used 255kgs. You will go back to no equipment.

You should use this phase to bring up your bench and military press and your squat. Focus more on small exercises like dumbell work and bodyweight work at this time. Do a  lot of small exercises that help your deadlift like hypers, ham glute raises, ab rollouts and walking lunges.

Week 1- 5X6 with 65%. (166kgs for me)
Week 2- 5X4 with 75% (192 for me)
Week 3- 6X5 with 70%. (179)
Week 4- 6X3 with 80% (204)
Week 5- 5X4 with 75% (192)
Week 6- 6X2 with 85% (217)
Week 7- 6X3 with 80% (204)
Week 8- 6X2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1 with 90% (231kgs)
Week 9- 5X2 with 90% (231kgs)
Week 10- 5X2 with 90% + 4kgs (235kgs)
Week 11- 5X2 with 90% + 8kgs (239kgs)
Week 12- 5X2 with 90% + 12kgs (243kgs)
Week 13- 5X3 with 90% (235kgs)
Week 14- 4X2 with 90%+ 16kgs (247kgs)
Week 15- 5X3 with 90% (235kgs)
Week 16- 3X2 with 100% (255kgs)

The Corrective Deadlift

I recently managed my first 650 pound deadlift, which was a huge achievement for me. One of my long term goals is to deadlift 800 lbs at whatever body weight it takes and getting to 650 is one hell of a step closer. It has taken me 2 years to go from 500 lbs to 650, which I suppose is not bad, but a lot of it came in the last 5 months, after I started using this deadlift variation I invented.

Basically I found I had 2 problems in my deadlift-
1. The bar was drifting away from me around the knees.
2. My upper back would round at the same point. While I maintain a somewhat rounded upper back, this much rounding just does not feel natural to me and I cant pull well this way.

I tried all the rows in the world, right from dumbell rows to T bar rows. Finally I decided maybe the best way to solve this issue would be to use the deadlift itself. So I started doing partial deadlifts from below the knee. While I found this made the weights seem lighter it did not do much for my full deadlift.

That is when I started experimenting with the snatch grip deadlift from below the knees and I started making gains again. Just 1 set of as many reps as possible, going as high as 30, once a week. Deadlifts from below the knee with a collar to collar grip. My record was 175kgs for 18 reps. But soon my gains slowed down here as well. But for anyone having a general tendency to shoot the hips up or have a weak upper back this variation will do wonders.

This is when I invented the corrective deadlift. I reasoned that the reason why the normal deadlift from below the knee did not originally work for me was that my position when deadlifting from here did not resemble what my position would have been if I had lifted it off the ground.

Thus the corrective deadlift was created. Actually I need a better name so if anyone has any ideas please tell me. It is performed as follows-

1. Set up with the bar on the floor just like a conventional deadlift. No belts or gear of any kind. Chalk is a must.
2. Deadlift the bar to just below the kneecaps and pause for 1 full second. Lower it back to the ground.
3. Immediately deadlift the bar again and pause exactly at the kneecaps for 1 full second. Resume pulling and lockout the hips.
4. Push the hips back and lower the bar 1 full inch below your kneecaps. Pause for 1 second. Lockout the hips again.
5. Lower the bar to the ground and immediately deadlift the bar again doing 1 full normal deadlift.

This whole sequence constitutes 1 repetition. There is no point doing more than 3 reps a set with this method. I can guarantee that this variation will do wonders for your conventional deadlift though I cannot say the same for the sumo deadlift.

The reason it works is because you hold the hardest part of the deadlift (leverage wise) both while coming up and down, and you overcome inertia at that point and continue moving up. The partial at the bottom with the pause teaches you to get the bar to the correct position, the partial at the top overcoming inertia while in the correct position teaches you to push your hips through. The deadlift at the end recaps it all.

This variation builds the groove and strength required to deadlift well. It is specially awesome for upper spine and lat strength. You will really feel your wings expanding with this one.

I deadlifted once a week. I simply worked to the heaviest weight I could handle for 3 reps in week 1 of my cycle, then the best double I could do in week 2 and a max single in week 3. Week 4 I take as a deload week. Next cycle I tried to break my records. I also did a lot of ham glute raises, bridges and heavy kettlebell swings to develop the musculature of the posterior chain. I squatted heavy once a week and did plenty of pistol squats and leg raises as well. I worked weighted chin ups 2 times a week and did a lot of grip work. I also did 1 arm deadlifts for a best set of 5 twice a month. My best in this lift so far has been 151kgs for 5 reps per hand.

I did zercher squats as well, once a month. My best was 161kgs for 4 reps. I performed them as if I was deadlifting.

Perhaps this exercise can be valuable for you. In any case I am making all my guys do it to clean up their technique.

This deadlift was done in a strongman contest not in a powerlifting meet for those who are curious about it.

And just for novelty sake (and the fact that I want to write this down somewhere where I can keep looking at it) here are my record- old, current and targets.
1. Deadlift- Old (2 years ago) 500lbs, current 650, target 800.
2. Bench Press- Old 275, current 315, target 400.
3. Military press- Old- 195, current 240, target 315.
4. Weighted Chin up- Old- 65kgs, current 71kgs, target 86kgs. Also get my first triple in the one arm chin.
5. Squat- Old- 315, Current 475, target 600. Also a set of 50 pistols per leg.
6. 100m dash- Old- 11.3, Current 11.06, target 10.6

Creating Training Programs Part 2

First of all I would like to apologize for the extreme gap between this and the last post. I have been shifting to a new gym and have had several projects on the line. I will put up a separate post about all that.

Now if you have read part 1 of this series, you will understand the various kinds of plans, how to make a basic plan and training principles, components of a training program and how to balance things. You will have also seen the raw beginner program I gave.

Today, we will talk about exercise tools, exercise selection, the principle of specificity and the principle of accommodation. We will talk about the two factor model of training. We will also cover a basic beginner training model.

Two Factor Model
Now in training we get some benefits from each workout. These benefits are adaptations which last for a certain duration of time and they go away if the adaptations are not worked on within a certain amount of time, which depends upon the stress created by the workout and your adaptive ability etc.

Now from the same workouts you get certain fatigue. This is cost of the workout. This fatigue also lasts a certain amount of time dependent on various factors. On a very simple and logical level the gains your acquire from any workout is simply:

Benefits (adaptations) - Costs (Fatigue)

Therefore the less the fatigue caused by a certain workout for the same adaptations, the better the gains.

However there is a second point to consider. The duration of adaptations and fatigue. You have to repeat the stimuli before the previous adaptation fizzles out, but you also have to recover between workouts. You have to prevent fatigue from compounding. What does this mean?

Lets say the adaptations from a workout last 72 hours and your fatigue only lasts 24 hours. You workout every 48 hours. This is good as the adaptations compound but the fatigue does not. However let us say the fatigue lasts 48 hours. This means not only do your adaptations compound, but so does your fatigue. and remember that workouts are not your only source of fatigue- your daily life is as well. So fatigue will tend to compound more than adaptations.

Therefore this brings into play the principles of

1. Energy Conservation- Switching between antagonist movements, taking active rests between sets, performing breathing exercises before and after the workout. resting more in general and engaging in relaxing activities and avoiding stress.
2. Training Economy- You have to use the least amount of volume and exercises possible to get the adaptations you want. You have to learn how to make efficient training programs and learn how to get more from less.
3. Optimum training frequency, volume, intensity and tonnage- You have to figure out the combinations you respond to, because this will determine how you adapt (or don't). For example- high frequency low volume medium intensity training works. Low frequency high volume medium Intensity works. But high frequency and high volume medium intensity does not work.

Principle of Specificity
Many of the factors controlling the increases in strength are neural in nature. Because of this gains in strength are highly specific. Specific to the movement performed that is. What this means is if you get good at one variety of squatting, it will probably help your other squats in some way, but how much and how is very dependent on the circumstances, but leg pressing will not help your squatting. As an example of this, close stance raw squats will help your geared squats by giving you strength in the bottom but this improvement is probably negligible. On the other hand box squats will really help your geared squats. But leg pressing won't do squat for your squat.

Now admittedly there are ways around this and a lot of it is dependent upon performance. For example many lifters find their deadlift goes up by leg  pressing. This makes little sense since the movements are so different, but upon closer inspection the guys who find this carry over leg press the weight exctly how they push with the legs during the start of the deadlift. In fact if you ask them they probably think of the same cues like push through the floor/plate, back arched etc. To sum up this line of thought Louie Simmons once said (I dont remember where) that it is not enough to do good mornings but one must see a deadlift in his head for it to be of any use to the deadlift.

There is also a "coordinate your strength" school of though which features people like Paul Anderson and Valentine Dikul. Basically if you train the assistance lift and the primary lift in close proximity, the strength from one will carry over better to the other.

The ultimate take away point from all this is- if you want to get good at something you have to train that specifically and for a long period of time.

Principle of Accommodation

When you do the same thing over and over again, the nervous system gets "bored" and stops responding to it. Adaptations stop and a plateau is reached unless something is done about it.

Balancing the principles of accommodation and specificity is probably the greatest problem of all training. Change too much and you will not gain anything useful, don't change anything and you will get stuck.

Ultimately you have to do things that are similar to what you are currently doing, but different enough to prevent accommodation. This is the art of strength training.

Accommodation can be prevented by varying the reps, sets, rest intervals, frequency of training, loads used and exercises.

In this context I have attached a copy of preplin's table- which is a summation of soviet research on the optimum sets and reps at various intensity levels. You can use it to vary sets, reps and loads with proven results. Please bear in mind that it was made for the clean and jerk, snatch, squats and press so you will have to adjust it a bit for other exercises.

Exercise Tools

There are various tools that have been used through history to develop strength. Right from things like anvils and logs to rocks and carts have been productively used in the quest for strength. It is important that the correct tools be used for the correct purposes in order to get best results. Of course a large consideration is the availability and logistical convenience of the tools as well. Due to this I have covered only those exercise tools which can be used by most people.

1. Barbells
This are the most basic piece of equipment available in any gym in the planet. The greatest advantage of the barbell is that you can load enormous amounts of weight on it and make increments of whatever degree you want. Due to this the systemic effect that the barbell causes on the entire body is incredible.  In my opinion the barbell is the greatest maximal effort training tool known to man, bar none. It is versatile, can be used to produce all the useful compound movements and can be programmed very easily due to easy adjustments in load.

I however think the barbell is a terrible repetition effort tool, for the same reasons it is a great maximal effort tool- it causes too much systemic strain. In repetition effort work you want to target certain movements and practice it. Using a barbell for this will invariably beat you up, as not only is the load placed on the working muscles and joints, but on the spine as well. Plus many motions are open chain kinetic motions. While this is a good thing for heavy lifting I find that it is too strenuous to do this for repetitions. Only the genetically gifted can barbell squat, deadlift and bench press with high frequency, volume and intensity and get away with it. That is why periodization exists- you cannot train all out all the time with the barbell.

On the other hand no one got truly huge without significant volume on the basic barbell lifts, so you will have to consider how to use your barbell volume efficiently. You have to learn how to use the most basic exercises and get the most out of them with barbell training rather than doing mindless sets and reps and beating your body up for no particular reason.

If you want my advice if you pick up a barbell never cross 7 reps, I find volume is the issue with barbell training, not intensity.  Load away as long you know how to program things. If you keep the volume per session low, you can train very heavy with fair frequency. If you really need more volume add sets not reps- preplin's table is a good guide of this. But be aware that the more volume you do on these lifts, the more back off and light sessions you will need.

I think the barbell is a great Dynamic tool as well, as loads can be regulated and it forces you to catch as well as throw during explosive movements.

2. Bodyweight
I think bodyweight is the greatest repetition tool known to man. You can do a great amount of volume with bodyweight work and really drive the body parts you are working into the ground without much systemic fatigue. This is because all bodyweight movements are closed chain kinetic motions and there is no spinal loading. I am not saying that is is impossible to overtrain using bodyweight, but it is certainly a lot harder. Imagine the kind of volumes gymnasts or military personall will regularly do with bodyweight movements and try to think what such routines would do to a man doing the same with a barbell. 100 pull ups a day for 15 days straight? The armstrong pull up routine? The 100 pistol squats a day 3 days a week program? The closest thing to this in the barbell world is the Smolov Squat program and this will leave most people crying for mercy in 3 weeks. Yet these programs are used as long term training routines by many bodyweight athletes without 50% of the side effects of the smolov. Again I am not saying this is a good way to train but the point is bodyweight work is a good way to perform higher volume training.

Anyone who has read this blog knows how bodyweight exercises can be made more progressive.

Bodyweight work is an absolutely terrible way to perform maximal Effort training for the same reasons it is a great repetition tool- closed chain kinetic movements and no spinal loading. Also you cant make jumps in small increments. For proper maximal effort training your body needs to feel the weight, your nervous system has to be extremely excited. You need to handle as much load as possible and use tools and exercises that allow you to do this. That is why if you keep doing good mornings and bulgarian split squats but no squats or deadlifts, no matter how much you train the split squat, your max strength in hip extension in general will not improve the way your weightlifting buddy's does. With a little practice a 500lb squatter will always split squat more than the 300lb squatter, but it does not work the other way.

Bodyweight is the best and the most basic dynamic effort tool in my opinion. It is what speed training means, to move yourself fast, and if you are not doing dynamic speed work you are leaving a lot on the table. Nothing too fancy just basic jumps and sprints will be enough to make a huge difference for most people.

3. Dumbells

I think dumbells are like bodyweight in the sense that they are great repetition tools but bad maximal effort ones. Also they are different from bodyweight work because they put more stress on the larger muscles, whereas in bodyweight work the load shifts to the extremities as you progress to harder variations. Because of this I feel dumbell and bodyweight work complement each other very nicely as repetition tools. Almost all my athletes use dumbells and bodyweight for repetition work, specially the ones involved in sports where extra size could be a disadvantage.

Dynamic work with dumbells is just stupid when kettlebells exist. If I have to justify this you have not been training very long.

4. Kettlebells

I think kettlebells are the best way to train for dynamic endurance, strength endurance, cardiovascular endurance and strength flexibility. If you have heavy enough kettlebells or something like the hungarian core blaster, it is an excellent dynamic effort training method as well, beating barbells.

5. Cable Machines

Great precision training tools. While I don't like isolation exercises, if you want to do them use cables. They give you a good constant resistance, don't beat up the joint and deliver a pump in record time. You can change the angle and setting to target exact areas of the muscle you want to feel. useful for the advanced bodybuilder, or someone who wants to look good and has paid his dues with the barbell, the chin up bar and dumbells.

6. Resistance Bands and chains

Useful for an advanced person trying to increase acceleration. Also very useful for rehabbing the joints and working out mobility issues, but people who say that you can get stronger just with resistance bands are lying (and I meet 5 of these idiots every day). Not something you cannot do without.

7. Sandbags, Logs, barrels, farmer's implements and other awkward objects

I truly believe that systematic awkward object lifting and carrying is the greatest secret to strength that we are not using. Logistically a great hassle but well worth it. They will build the skeletal strength of the body and forge ligaments of steel.

In my gym we perform loaded carries twice a week and use awkward objects for it. We have a heavy barrel that goes up to 500lbs, farmer's implements, 2 sandbags weighing 50 and 70kgs and a big rock weighing 150kgs.

8. Other Isolation Machines

I honestly think that most of them are redundant if you have an adjustable cable stack and dumbells.

9. Specialty Machines and equipment

These are just stuff I think is useful- 45 degree and 90 degree hyper extensions, reverse hyper extensions, t-bar units, leg press, hack squat, ham glute raise, roman chair, incline sit up boards, hip belt squat and of course the all powerful power rack.

Exercise Selection

First of all lets talk about the stuff you have to find exercises for-
1. hip hinge- both maximal effort and repetition
2. Squat- Ditto
3. Pressing- Ditto
4. Pulling- Repetition though some heavy training wont hurt
5. Loaded Carries
6. Full body explosive extension
7. Abdominal and lower back work

If you are missing out on any one of those things, you are leaving a lot on the table. You may or may not select more exercises.

While selecting exercises the basic things you have to keep in your mind are-
1. Can I perform it safely and conveniently, either as it is or by modifying it?
2. Can I change the exercise repeatedly over time to prevent accommodation and overuse injuries?
3. Is my exercise selection balanced or does it fix my weaknesses?
4. Is my selection efficient and not repeating the same thing for no reason?

Basic Beginner Training Model

This is for someone who has completed the raw beginner training template in the previous post. The primary objective of this template is to get seriously strong- that is all. It should be used for not more than 16 weeks.

Three days per week. Each Cycle is 2 weeks long or 6 workouts.

Actual maxes do not need to be used, an estimate is sufficent. After each cycle is over, add 4kgs to the max of the deadlift and squat and 2-3kgs to the max of the bench press.

At this stage you may squat first and deadlift later or deadlift first and squat later. Just make sure the bench press is between them and base your max for the second lift on what you think you can do after being quite fatigued. Don't over estimate your maxes, it will be a painful mistake. As a rule do something much easier than what you think you can confidently do.

For example a particular trainee of mine started this program after 4 months of raw beginner training with an estimated deadlift max of 120kgs. The percentages used were all based off a training max of only 100kgs. At the end of 16 weeks when we tested his max single he performed a deadlift with 185kgs. At this time the training max we had used for the last cycle was only 156. While I did jump the training max by more than how much I ought to have, it was still a lot lesser than what he was capable of.

For the repetition ranges, just start with a weight you can do the bottom reps with for all sets. Keep adding reps till you get all 3 sets with the higher end. Increase the weight and repeat.

Day 1-

Warm up

Deadlift- 4X6 (setsXreps) with 65%
Bench Press- 5X6 with 65%
Squat- 4X6 with 65%

Weighted hyper Extensions- 3 sets of 10-15
Pull ups- ladders
Weighted Sit ups- 2 Sets of 10-15

Day 2

Deadlift- 3X4 with 85%
Bench Press- 4X4 with 85%
Squat- 3X4 with 85%

Dumbell Military Press- 3 sets of 10-15
Pull ups- 5 sets of as many reps as possible
Weighted Sit ups- 2 sets of 10-15

Day 3

Deadlift- 4X5 with 70%
Bench press- 4X6 with 70%
Squat- 4X5 with 70%

One legged squat progression- 3 sets
Pull ups- 2 sets of 7-10 with added weight
Weighted Situps- 2 sets of 10-15

Day 4

Deadlift- 4X2 (setsXreps) with 90%
Bench Press- 4X3 with 90%
Squat- 4X2 with 90%

Weighted hyper Extensions- 3 sets of 10-15
Pull ups- ladders
Weighted Sit ups- 2 Sets of 10-15

Day 5

Deadlift- 4X4 with 75%
Bench Press- 5X5 with 75%
Squat- 4X4 with 75%

Dumbell Military Press- 3 sets of 10-15
Pull ups- 5 sets of as many reps as possible
Weighted Sit ups- 2 sets of 10-15

Day 6

Deadlift- 4X1 with 95%
Bench press- 3X2 with 95%
Squat- 4X1 with 95%

One legged squat progression- 3 sets
Pull ups- 2 sets of 7-10 with added weight
Weighted Situps- 2 sets of 10-15

Creating Training Programs Part 1

Before we get down to this post, I would like to say that I am planing a five post piece on how to create training programs and a five post piece on recovery. I have already posted the first post on recovery. I will keep alternating between the two until all ten posts have been done.

Now I have been working for a long time on how to create training programs and as every lifter must, I have formed my own ideas from thousands of hours of training. I admit that nothing is particularly revolutionary here, but I feel I have managed to reduce a lot of my ideas into a useable pile. This is what I want to reproduce here.

Now in this post we are going to cover the basics of what should go into creating training programs. We will also discuss training for a raw beginner.

Now in my books there are essentially 5 things any training program consists of-

1. Strength Training
2. Conditioning
3. Athletic Practice (for athletes not training for strength sports)
4. Tissue work, mobility and flexibility training
5. Connective Tissue, joint and prehab and rehab work

Any training program cannot be said to be complete until all these things have been catered for in some form or the other. Anything you miss out will over time, only bite you in the end. That being said you cannot and should not try to focus on all of these at the same time. What is important is that all of these get some minimal attention, so that while you build one quality up, the others don't go to the dogs.

Therefore there are 5 types of training programs-
1. ones that are trying to get you stronger,
2. Ones that are trying to "get you into shape"
3. "Ones that want to improve your movement quality
4. Ones that want to make you feel good
5. Ones that want to improve your level of skill.

Now let us talk a little about these components.

1. Strength Training
This is training in order to improve the amount of force the body can produce. This can be done through the following ways-

1. Maximal Training- The use of heavy Weights
2. Repetition Training- The use of sub maximal weights for reps to create mastery over a certain weight and also cause hypertrophy.
3. Dynamic Training- The use of sub maximal weights with high speed to create greater levels of force.
4. Explosive training- The use of negligible loads at great velocities to generate high force.

Essentially every single method used to increase strength does so through one of these pathways. All of these essentially lead to increased force production over time.

Now the thing is, there is no one best method to increase strength. At certain times, certain methods must get preference. The key is you have to find a way to make progress over time.

Now there are a few basic methods of periodization or ways to organize your strength training over time. There are probably over a million ways to do this, but we are just trying to get the hang of basic concepts here, so I am going to keep this simple.

1. The double progression Method
This is probably the simplest and oldest way to make progress in training. It existed before barbells and is probably the best way to progress in calisthenics. Essentially you take a level of resistance you can handle for a certain number of reps and sets- let us say 3 sets of 10, and keep working it until you reach a certain target level in good form demonstrating mastery over the weight- say 3 sets of 15, after which you increase the level of resistance somewhat and go back to the base level and start over.

This method gets very little attention nowadays because it seems too simple to be effective, but somewhere I feel the double progression system should always be a part of your training, and something you should always be doing with exercises that require body-weight control.

If you doubt the method, read up a bit on the training philosophy of Bob Peoples- a man who deadlifted 725lbs at a modest bodyweight of 181lbs.
http://ditillo2.blogspot.in/2008/04/systems-and-methods-i-have-used-bob.html

The beauty of the method is that in modest rep ranges it is self periodizing- you do not have to have planned layoffs or peaks, they just happen.

2. Linear Periodization
This is the first method that was probably used after the invention of the barbell. It is rather simple- you start performing a certain number of repetitions with a weight that is easy for that range. Then add weight every workout. As you start from a lower weight you build training momentum as you approach weights that were previously difficult for you and blast past them. Then as it gets harder to add weight at a certain rep range, you reduce the reps per set and continue adding weight. This way you can keep reducing reps and adding weight (and maybe sets) until you hit a new peak.

Generally in this method, plans are made by working back. This method is very effective as well, but it does have its problems. I think it is more effective for intermediate to intermediate-advanced lifters. This cannot be used with calisthenics. The biggest thing with the system is that you have to learn how to, for lack of a better term, gain training momentum. Basically you need to know just how easy to start the plan and just how much to progress each step of the way. 95% people probably overestimate themselves and blow it right from the start. On the other end under estimating yourself leads to poor gains over a long period.

That being said it was a definite favorite of many great strength athletes. I think the key, more than the method itself, is its application. Greats like Bill Kazmaier, Bruce Welhem, Ken Patera, Henry Steinborn, Andy Bolton and John Hise swore by this method and they had the results to prove it.

On the other hand there are some serious problems with this method. You can read about some of them here- http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_periodization_bible
I will discuss all this in greater detail in a later post in the series.

3. Undulating Periodization
This is again a form of training that has existed since the 30s. Basically you use one light weight, high volume workout, one heavy weight low volume workout and one medium weigh, medium volume workout in one training cycle, and then add a certain amount of weight to each workout the next training cycle. The workouts are not of the same difficulty levels and this is part of the plan. By cycling your rep and set ranges and difficulty levels you can prevent staleness and keep adding weight cycle after cycle. Of course there is a point at which this stops and you need to back off but it does work for a long time, specially if you keep the frequency per movement relatively high and control the total volume in a training cycle.

However there are literally thousands of ways to apply this training system. You can see a couple here-
Bill Kazmaier- http://muscleandbrawn.com/bill-kazmaier-training-routine/
C.S Solan- http://ditillo2.blogspot.in/2009/01/full-body-workouts-cs-sloan.html

4. Wave Periodization
This can basically be understood as taking 1 step back and 2 steps forward. Basically you add weight for a few workouts and before it gets truly hard you back off a bit and add weight again. Your weights keep going up and down but generally head upwards over time. This was particularly popular among olympic weightlifters. It has quite a few proponents like Pavel Tsatsouline. A good example of this form of training is the 5-4-3-2-1 system or the power to the people system.

This system in my opinion is very effective for increasing strength in general and relative strength in particular.

5. Block periodization
Here the training year is divided into blocks (say 4 weeks). Each training block is devoted to the development of a specific quality. Generally they follow some sort of logical order like- hypertrophy block, strength block, strength-speed block.

Personally, I think this is effective for athletes who have limited time to train and a very definite off and in season. But as such I dont like it and I have huge problems with it, which we shall discuss later. For more you can read Christian Thibaudeau's book Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods.

6. Conjugate Periodization
This is basically where you train multiple strength qualities within the same training cycle. A large variety of exercises are used in order to prevent burning out on any one quality. For example- the westside temple is a form of conjugate training. You can read it here- http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/files/Westside%20Barbell%20Template.pdf

Personally I think conjugate training is a must- you have to lift heavy, be fast and build strength with reps at the same time. What I do not like is the westside application of the method, specially for raw powerlifters and athletes. Secondly the main method to prevent staleness is exercise variation, instead of playing around with the reps and percentages, which I have a huge problem with. You can read Dan Green's Problems with westside here- http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2013/05/29/west-of-westside/

You can read Dave Tate's case for conjugate training here-
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_periodization_bible_part_ii

We will of course discuss all this in great length in a later post.

7. Instinctive training

This is where you train according to what you feel like. While it may sound bogus, it may have some rationale to it, specially with very experienced and advanced lifters. We will discuss it later.

By no means is this list of methods comprehensive, but I do believe these are the basics and most programs are some sort of combination of these and you need to get intimate with these systems if you are serious. And all of them not just one.

2. Conditioning
This essentially is done in order to increase your work capacity in order to both perform better at your sport and train harder during workouts. There are probably a thousand methods here as well but I can broadly classify them as-

1. General Aerobic Training
This is probably the most popular and the most crappy way to get someone into shape. It involves working at a so called optimum intensity level for enlongated periods, typically upto an hour at a steady pace. If you are a distance runner, than it makes a lot of sense. But if you are not, I dont see why on earth anyone would do this. It is not specific to any sport and is clearly detrimental to strength, hypertrophy and body composition. There are a thousand articles on the web on this. I dont need to link anything.

However I do feel doing this infrequently or frequently but at nil intensities like walking are useful to help recovery.

2. Interval Training of some type
In my book this is any method that does not have a steady pace. This includes everything from HIIT to the tabata protocol to the Viking kettlebell Method and things like fartlek, timed sparring, hill sprinting and performance of sport drills like shuttle runs.

In my experience this is an extremely effective way to improve conditioning and should compromise the majority of your conditioning work.

3. Using high Volume training and controlling rest periods in the Gym
This is any method in which rest intervals are reduced and reps per sets are increased in order to challenge anaerobic work capacity. Charles poliquin's body recomposition training, escalating density training, or any of Vince Gironda's competition preparation workouts would fall under this.

I think these are great for body re-composition and for heavier athletes with a time budget or for those with very specific conditioning needs like strongman athletes. I do not think that this method is very effective as a sport specific conditioning tool for most athletes however.

4. Use of athlete specific tools to enhance conditioning
This includes the use of special implements like farmer's weights, things like weighted carries, the prowler, sled sprinting, car pushing, kettlebell work, sandbag carries etc. . . I think these are the link between strength and strength capacity in general and loaded carries in particular should be a part of everyone's conditioning work.

5. Random work to gas the body
Every time you do something new the body is not good at it and gets gassed. If you keep changing the conditioning method all the time, you will always be able to gas yourself. This has a few advantages- you will burn crazy amounts of fat, improve the resting pulse and never be bored. On the other hand you will always be sore and never be really good at anything.

3. Athletic Practice
Go play your sport. Do the drills- ask your sport coach not your strength coach.

4. Tissue work, mobility and flexibility training

This is basically anything that is done in order to improve the quality of movement and the range of motion.
Basically this consists of-

1. Tissue work using a foam roller, ART, sport massage or a tennis ball. Scar tissue is removed, the muscles get to relax and adhesions are opened.
2. Passive Stretching- This relaxes the muscles and allows them to reach their full length. Its not sport specific nor will it help your mobility, but it does help in tissue recovery.
3. Active Stretching- This is covered in great detail in a previous blog post of mine. http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2013/01/flexibility-training-preventing-and.html
4. Dynamic Stretching- This will improve the mobility of the body, but should be done carefully.
5. Mobility Drills- The include things like shuffling, ducking, tumbling and other such drills intended to teach an athlete how to move. A must in every athlete's program.

5. Connective Tissue and Joint Work and prehab and rehab work
This is work that is done to make the bones, joints and tendons and ligaments stronger and healthier. This used to be a big deal before the 50s but has somehow gotten less important. First of all, generally keeping the training frequency low will give time for these tissues to catch up with the muscular system. This is why guys in that era rarely got injured- definitely much lesser than modern strength athletes.

There are essentially 2 sides to this coin-
1. Heavy Supports of all sorts
The purpose of the skeletal system is to be the structure. When the strength of the structure is challenged the structure must get stronger. That is the basic premise of heavy supports and was a staple of almost every pre 1950s strongman. Guys like John Grimek would do heavy OVERHEAD supports with over 1000lbs. Basic supports like rack deadlifts or just unracking a heavy weight and putting it back are enough for most of us however. Just keep the volume and frequency read low as the skeletal system takes a long time to recover- much longer than muscles.

2. Ultra high repetitions with light calisthenics with a full ROM with full contraction and extension without much fatigue
The purpose of a joint is to move. When you get a lot of quality movement in, well the joints get healthier.  Basically the joint capsules have limited blood supply and when lot of quality full ROM reps are done, the joints get nourished and the synovial fluid gets to move around. It has to be light as high muscle contractions actually hinder this process and compromise movement quality.

I am a big believer in pre hab- as they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is important to do a lot of back and core work, and generally keep training balanced between all 5 training components, as well as maintain body balance. Along with being good lifting technique and general habits, most problems can be prevented.

Rehab work of course depends on the case and the individual.

Now that we have all this in order I would like to write out what I consider to be the basic rules of creating training programs. You can read about their rationale in the following posts-
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2014/03/training-philosophy.html
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2014/01/lessons-from-training-vault-part-3-of-3.html
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2013/12/lessons-from-training-vault-2-of-3.html
http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2013/12/lesseons-from-training-vault-1-of-3.html

In brief my rules are-
1. Start too easy, and progress slowly.
2. Always train multiple qualities at a time (conjugate training). You must focus on one, but you must always do multiple things.
3. Back off every 4th week
4. Balance of stressors must be maintained- For every set introduced into your program, a set must be reduced somewhere. If you are increasing the total number of sets, food and sleep must increase to counter it.
5. Always use basic compound movements for strength.
6. You must stick with the same basic movements for a long long time.
7. You must train heavy (82-85%+) some of the time.
8. You must train fast some of the time.
9. Strength is not built by just heavy and fast lifting however. Strength is built by mastering a certain level of resistance through repetitions, optimizing technique and cultivating good form, and then moving on to higher levels of resistance.
10. To build muscle you must use volume.
11. You can only bring up one thing at a time- at least radically.
12. You can serve multiple masters at a time, but you can only do justice to one, so you better be clear what you want.
13. Mobility and flexibility work is critical
14. You must have some sort of plan- an exact idea of how to make progress.
15. You must have objectives and you must constantly evaluate if you are moving towards them or not.
16. You have to gain training momentum. You need to create space for improvement and put strength into the bank.
17. You must always build a base.
18. You have to have balance- structural balance between muscles and balance between various fitness qualities.
19. You have to realize that if you have been doing something imbalanced so far, you will need to do something imbalanced to make it right.
20. Simplify Simplify Simplify

With all this in mind we will over the next few posts, try to figure out how to create training programs and see how all these principles and concepts work out.

Training the Raw Beginner

A Raw beginner is someone who has no prior training experience and is not familiar with progressive resistance training. many athletes would also fall under this category. Anyone coming off a major illness or injury or a teenage or anyone over 40 should by default start here.

The principles of training the beginner are in their essence the same as those already mentioned. However what one must remember is that the beginner can make progress on resistance levels as low as 40%. At the same time the beginner is weak and has poor technique so he is vulnerable to injury. He can also make progress at pretty much a linear rate for quite a while and it is important to take advantage of this. Beginners often have poor tissue quality and mobility and cannot safely perform many exercises.

Keeping all this in mind, here are a few things to remember when training a raw beginner-
1. Perform a lot of foam rolling, stretching and mobility drills.
2. Perform a lot of work on small exercises and light calisthenics to both build a base and the joints.
3. Utilize exercises that will promote good technique and promote structural balance.
4. Have one heavy exercise on which he should progress linearly workout after workout.
5. Dont go too crazy with frequency per body part.
6. Use a lot of loaded carries to promote lifting awareness and skeletal stability.
7. Start easy so that the lifter has some time to develop good lifting and movement habits before he starts hitting it hard and heavy.

I generally like to have my guys perform a lot of dumbbell and calisthenic work. I make them do exercises that enforce a good hip hinge and promote a shoulder's down and packed posture while pressing. I make them do a lot of hip and back work. I do a lot to strengthen the quads as many people tend to muscle out squats using their backs. I do exercises to get people comfortable in the bottom of a squat.

I like goblet squats as I feel they promote stability and correct squatting posture. I do a lot of erector and ab work to strengthen the mid section. I like deadlifts using blocks from around 4-5 inches below the knees as my primary heavy exercise. I like anterior loaded carries like goblet walks and one arm carries as I feel they develop full body stability. I also like twist holds, toe touches and bridges as flexibility exercises. I time rest intervals in order to work on conditioning. The loaded carries and high rep squats generally take care of the conditioning aspect of things for now.

So a sample 3 day per week program I like to make people do is-

Day 1
Foam Rolling- Glutes, IT, Quads, hams, calves, hip flexors, lats, pecs, lower back and upper back. Thoracic mobilization with a foam roller.
Stretching- Twist holds, half kneeling streches, wall ankle mobilizations, toe touches and groin stretches. If flexible camel holds.
Mobility- Holding the bottom of a goblet squat for 30s

Deadlifts- work up to 2 sets of 5. Pull from 4-5 inches below the knee. Ensure there is a perfect hip hinge. Start with 40-60% bodyweight. Add 2 kgs each workout.

Goblet Squats- 1 set of 10-40 with 12kgs
Jackknife Squats/ Assisted Squats/ Full squats- 2 sets of 10-40
Leg Curls- 3 sets of 12
Knee Tucks- 3 sets of 10-35

Anterior loaded carry- 5 sets of 20m

Day 2-
Same foam rolling, mobility and stretching as Day 1

2 more kgs on the deadlift.

Incline Pushups- 3 sets of 10-40
Dumbbell Military Presses- 3 sets of 10-12
Short Bridges-3 sets of 10-40
Plank- :40s to 2:00

One Arm Carries- 5 sets of 20m per arm

Day 3-
Same foam rolling, mobility and stretching as Day 1

2 more kgs on the deadlift.

One arm dumbell Rows- 3 sets of 10-12
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of 6-20
45 degree hypers- 3 sets of 8-40

Car Pushing/ Prowler/ Tire Dragging backwards- 5 sets of 20m
Forwards- 3 sets of 20m

In my experience people will spend about 3 months on this program. A person graduates to the ordinary beginner stage when they have hit all the required repetition targets and is performing a 1.25- 1.5 times body-weight deadlift. This program lays the foundation for fantastic future gains and builds a solid base of good lifting habits. 

My Uni-field Theory of Managing Recovery Part 1

This is a theory I have been working on for a very very long time. The basic idea has been there in my mind for 3-4 years now. Somewhere at the time, I came to the conclusion that the biggest factor influencing gains was not training, but recovery.

We all know people who seem to recover fine no matter what they do, while some of us cant recover at all. Initially I too blamed it on genetics until I came across a pattern. But before we get into that, let us analyse the basic premise of my theory:-

"Recovery is matching the amount of stress you subject yourself to, to the same amount of reward."

Essentially, if the reward your body gets is the same as the stress you experience, you will recover.

Thus there are two basic ways we can improve our recovery-
1. We can reduce stress
2. We can increase rewards
Then there are 2 extra methods to deal with it-
3. Prevent accumulation of stress
4. Let rewards accumulate

Now we have 2 situations in which we can have optimum recovery- high stress, high reward, low stress, low reward. For most of us low stress is not an option, thus we have to increase our rewards.

Now I do think that high stress high reward leads to better results, but its important to go to a low stress low reward situation once in a while, otherwise high stress high reward in itself becomes a source of stress.

Now the pattern I observed was this- People who recover well are hard to stress and easy to reward. Its their Psychologies that enable them to be so, as a rule they are emotionally stable people. This idea will make a lot more sense once we analyse the components of stress and reward.

The second premise of my theory is that the appropriate reward must be given for the appropriate stress.

The types of stress in my book are-
1. Physical Stress-
This is self explanatory. Workouts, standing in the heat, moving around too much are all physical stress.

2. CNS Stress-
This is a little harder to explain. Basically any time the body is charged up for performance, it stresses the body. For example- getting excited about doing a meeting well is CNS stress. Performing a heavy (in terms of weight) set of any exercise is CNS stress. Trying to jump as high as you can is CNS stress. Listening to a power metal song that pumps you up to no end is CNS stress- even though you think its relaxation. Even stuff like surfing on the net and other electronic stimulation is actually CNS stress.

This is one of the most common and overlooked forms of stress, simply because people dont think of it as stress.

3. Emotional Stress-
This is essentially the stuff you build up inside your head because of the things you experience and the way you choose to look at it. For example- the stress of a relationship in terms of expectations, living up to the false hopes of childhood, emotional noise and garbage built up due to frustration. I do not know the exact Psychological term for this, but I am sure you get the idea.

4. Mental Stress-
This is anytime your brain has to work really hard. For example- studying for an exam, planning a new project.

Now people who recover well in my experience are basically people who tend to not accumulate CNS stress as they dont get charged about every little thing. They also tend to be emotionally stable. Thus they undergo half the stress others do, just by the nature of their personalities. Modifying your behavior to prevent the accumulation of stress is probably one way to improve recovery.

Now rewards are of 4 types as well-
1. Food
Eating is a reward. Now the problem is, food only rewards physical stress and nothing else. If you exercise more you need to eat more- that's it. It has nothing to do with sleep as we will discuss in the sleep section. The problem is many people eat in order to compensate for other stresses like emotional or mental, whereas that is not the appropriate reward. People call this stress eating and all it does is make you fat, it only provides temporary relief as it is not the appropriate form of reward.

It is extremely important to match your physical stress and the amount of food you consume. Getting this wrong, like eating too less or too much, leads to serious metabolic disorders in the long run. It is important to identify how much of your stress is physical and eat the correct amount for that amount of stress. Then reward yourself using the other 3 methods to ensure good recovery.

2. Sleep
Sleep is an interesting phenomenon. Every study into the matter proves that physiologically sleep does not help in recovery of the body. Yet every study also proves that sleep deprivation drives you crazy and can kill you and in some depraved un-explainable way is essential for life.

Here is my take on it- I believe that sleep is the method through which the Psyche is rewarded. It has nothing to do with the body- its to do with the mind. Think about it, in times of high emotional stress you will have dream filled sleep, yet crazy physical stress will only make you sleep soundly. I really don't know how to justify it other than by looking at the strange and crazy patterns brain waves follow during sleep. The only thing recovering during sleep is your brain. The rest of the body, internally of course, is actually more active. Its the primary stage when anabolism happens, yet somehow anabolism seems to happen without sleep as well.

Essentially if you reach high levels of emotional and mental stress- you need to sleep more. Now this only works to a degree. There is a point when emotional stress gets so high that sleep no longer helps, at which point you need to get help and also look at point 4. If you can match the amount of sleep you get to the amount of emotional and mental stress you experience, you will find that these stresses do not accumulate. You need to make sleep a priority for your mental and emotional stability.

It is also a secondary method to compensate for CNS stress.

3. General Recreation Activities
I use the phrase for the lack of a better term. This is all the stuff you do that you find enjoyable and relaxing yet is not an added source of stress. For example- listening to soothing music, smelling roses, going for long rambling walks. This is the primary reward for CNS stress. You have to compensate excitement and performance with relaxation and an auto gear. This is the biggest form of reward that people ignore.

It is also the secondary method to compensate for emotional and mental stress.

4. Sex
Sex is the reward for high threshold stress. What this means is sex compensates for all four stresses whenever any one or combination thereof of stresses crosses the threshold of tolerance of that person. It is simply the ultimate reward for extreme stress. Different people have different thresholds and therefore require different amounts of sex. The higher the stress threshold a person can take, the lesser sex he/she requires. The threshold may also increase with time and experience depending on the person. The important thing to remember is that you have to find what your threshold is and how often you need sex.

This makes sense when you think of it from an evolutionary point of view. In the wild the only time the human body willingly undergoes life threatening amounts of stress, is in order to acquire a mate. Thus are genetics are programmed to expect mating after extra high stress, as that is the only reason the body whould have undergone that stress in the first place.

To summarize
Physical stress- Rewarded by food
Mental and Emotional Stress- Rewarded by sleep and secondarily by general recreation.
CNS stress- Rewarded by General Recreation and secondarily by sleep
Over the Top High threshold Stress- rewarded by Sex

The third and final premise of recovery is-

"There must be balance between the catabolic and anabolic processes in the body."

Basically, if you spend too much time just catabolizing- that is destroying tissues, your stress levels get too high. If you spend too much time anabolizing- that is creating tissues, you get fat and lazy. Catabolism is basically triggered by undereating and stress (like exercise), while anabolism is triggered by over eating and reward. If you really think about it, it the same as premise 1.

To conclude my theory-
1. Your total rewards and stresses must be kept in balance.
2. You must match the appropriate stress to the appropriate reward.
3. You must spend the same amount of time anabolising as catabolizing.

Finally I am working on quantifying all this.

The ten commandments of eating

A while back a bunch of guys training under me wanted a set of rules to follow for eating in general. And they wanted something simple and easy to follow so I wrote these up. It is not for weight gain or fat loss or anything in particular. There are the rules of eating no matter what your targets are. Beyond these, if you want to lose fat or gain weight you have to play with your calorie consumption in many different ways, but that is a topic for another post. Here are the 10 commandments and 2 principles-

1. Eat 5 serving of fresh fruits and vegetables a day.

2. Reduce consumption of processed goods, table sugar, starches and baked goods to 10% of your diet. 

3. Drink 4-5 liters of fresh water a day.

4. No sodas.

5. Increase your protein intake to at least 1.5g per Kg of body weight per day. Vegetarians can easily get this by eating milk, paneer or cottage cheese, curd, beans, legumes, peanuts, almonds, walnuts and eggs. Small amounts of cretene monohydrate and BCAA supplements (3-5g a day) will ensure a healthy protein profile. Variety is the key to ensuring healthy protein consumption.

6. Restricts your carbs to whole grains and fruits. Rice, wheat, oats and daliya are good. 

7. Lesser the processing, the better the food. 

8. Eat till satiation- do not binge.

9. Always eat breakfast.

10. Try to eat atleast 3 different colors, 3 different smells and 3 different tastes each meal.

The two principles are-

1. 80%! Its impossible for anyone to follow all ten perfectly 100% of the time. As long as you strive to get 80% stuff right, the last 20% will take care of itself and you can enjoy that much anyway. 

2. Do not guess, keep a food diary and write down the 10 rules. Before you know it you will find yourself following good eating habits naturally.

Q and A

Question:

Dear Tejas, I read your insightful information about the pull up/chin up exercises on your blog but somehow I was unable to post a comment on the site. This is why I have decided to send a mail to you directly from here. If perhaps I have your e-mail, that would be better.

I have a question:

Can pull-up/chin-up workouts be used to correct uneven muscles on one side of the body? For instance, in a person whose muscles on the left side are slightly more built in the neck, abdominals and back as a result of improper form while using chin-ups in the past. Is it possible to use the same chin-up exercise to make some kind of correction by building up the muscles on the less built side (right side) so that they become even with the left? Can assisted chin-up/pull-up machines or lat pulldowns in the gym help in this regard or what would be your expert advice? Thanks for your comments.

Answer:

Hi,

I am really sorry it too me so long to reply, I have not been on Facebook.

as for your question, in my experience most athletes face such problems. Initially my approach on both my students and myself was to use unilateral exercises in order to correct the imbalances. While it seemed logical, it never worked out.

Ultimately analysis of the problem led me to conclude that the real reason this happens is not just because one part of the body is used more, but because we have a stronger mind-muscle connection with certain body parts (or limbs, sides etc..). Thus the only way to solve it would be to build a mind-muscle connection with the problem area.

However, years of practice of an exercise will build a habit of tapping into one set of muscles automatically. Because of this any experienced trainee will find it next to impossible to correct the mind-muscle link in exercises they are experienced in. The only logical solution is to do an exercise that is similar to the one you are trying to correct, but one you are not used to yet, preferably a regression.

Learn the new technique as if its a whole new exercise, and really master it. Do every rep with your eyes closed, focusing on an even distribution of effort among all the working muscles. Initially it will be hard, but in just a few weeks you will find your body will be able to do this automatically. Then get back to the problem exercise and you will find that the problem has been resolved.

While implementing a temporary regression to an easier technique in any exercise, in order to perfect technique and recruitment it is important to stop doing the primary variation of the exercise you are seeing to improve for that time. It is a hard but necessary pill to swallow.

In the case of the problem you are facing in pull ups, I suggest regressing to bodyweight rows. They are also called Australian Pull Ups and fat man rows. Personally I have not found either the assist machine or the lat pull down machine to be useful in this regard. They both are great in order to develop general back strength and improve general pulling power, but they wont do much to correct the problem you have mentioned, as the recruitment patterns of lat pull downs or the assist machine are dramatically different for the muscles you have mentioned.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Tejas Jaishankar

Question:

Usually when it comes to weight lifting, one would imagine too much built. But as you said, the more natural the better. What protein you used to take if I may ask? And supplements and all?And you must try and run a marathon as well.

Answer:

My principle in protein consumption is to simply get as much variety as possible. i do not use protein supplements. I eat a lot of milk, eggs, curd, chicken, pork, mutton, fish, shrimp, prawn, peanuts, paneer, almonds and walnuts. As far as supplementation is concerned I use fish oil, multivitamins, multiminerals, Gokshura, Alamaki, Ashva Gandha and vit C and E.

I used to do a lot of distance running earlier, but my strength gains would slow down when I ran more than 5K at a time. Nowadays I run 3Kms on Mondays and thursdays as fast as I can. I run 50 100m sprints on wednesdays and saturdays and I do 30-40 sprints up hills on fridays. Not really keen on Marathon running at this point, trying to increase my pressing power.

Do you compete in any sport?

Question:

My idea has always been to be fit. I involve myself in various sports. Been playing squash and leisure time soccer. Unfortunately I cannot afford more than 90 mins a day on myself. Though I would really want. I always believe the slower you do things, the better it is in long run. But ever since I have started running, that was way back in 2010, I have loved every part of distance running. Since now my idea was to complete, now I am training to compete against myself and improve on my personal best. How do you train for a marathon on a limited time budget?

And I am vegetarian

So that much pretty much sums it up

Question:

See, for all the amount of training I do, I also do not engage in more than 60 mins of exercise per day, except Mondays and Thursdays when i do 90mins each day. What you really need in order to improve is a plan which takes into account everything about your lifestyle.

Go through my blog, it has a lot of info on how to create a good training program. I have pasted the link- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/2014/03/training-philosophy.html

In distance running, in my experience the best way to make progress is to utilize wave programming and then begin peaking 4 weeks before contest. Basically do strength training 2 times a week using the methods given in the post I have linked. This will conserve your joints and help build a base of performance for running. Do running 5 times a week, use interval running. Build a capacity for running and speed in your off season. Let us say you run 40 sets of 20s fast running and 15s slow running to begin with. So your training should go something like this-

Day 1- 40 sets

Day 2- 41 sets

Day 3- 42 sets

Day 4- 43 Sets

Day 5- 44 Sets

next Week-

Day 1- 41 sets

Day 2- 42 sets

day 3- 43 sets

Day 4- 44 sets

Day 5- 45 Sets

Next week start at 42 and so on.

This way you can add 1 set a week. Every month try to beat the average distance covered per set. 4 Weeks before contest start running longer and longer distances at once and start testing yourself.

Its a simple approach but it works. Just make a plan and stick with it and you'll do great! And have fun too!

Question:

My goodness!! Tejas, I just read your story in the article and also watched the video clip in the link! This is really inspiring because here I am focusing so much on the possible risks that are involved if I have to go back to serious lifting. I have lumbar scoliosis to a certain degree and I also do feel some kind of muscle tightness at the back of my neck. I have done scans for the neck and they are all okay. As for the back, I feel discomfort when I stand on both feet for several minutes. But currently, I am trying to see how I can work on my abdominals and to also do all round bodybuilding (especially back strengthening) but there is always that fear that it may cause more harm to the spine! I was actually scared for you when I watched you doing those workouts. Are you not worried a bit?

I would like to say a BIG thank you for your kind and detailed mail response. If you don't mind, I would like to have your e-mail address so that I don't bother you so much on Facebook. The mind-muscle connection you talked about really makes a lot of sense and I think I need to focus on this while working out. I will explore the use of bodyweight rows you mentioned.

Thanks a million once again Tejas and God bless you!!

Answer

Thank you so much for your kind words! I do worry about my spine when I exercise but I have found over time that you have to change your technique in order to compensate for your problems and work on your problems directly. If you do that you will be fine in the long run. You also have to be willing to accept some short term pain.

For your problems you will have to do a lot of soft tissue work on your back and neck and seriously work on building abdominal strength. If you can find an ART practitioner it would be great, but if you cant, like me, you can learn how to use a foam roller and a tennis ball to do ART yourself. You have to take ART work seriously, 5 times a week for a few weeks would be good. That's how I got back into exercise.

Mobility training is also really important to prevent pain. I do twist holds, toe touches and half kneeling hip flexor stretches every single day. I do bridges once a week. Its probably good to build a base for 3-4 months using calisthenics like bridges, pistol squats, leg raises, push ups, handstand pushups and pullups. From then on try to get into loaded carries like farmer's walks or goblet walks. Just do 5 sets of 20m twice a week and add weight evey week. In a couple of months you'll be handling half body weight in each arm.

Then the first thing you want to do is get to the stage where you can deadlift 2.25 times bodyweight. From this point on you can probably start training normally again. Get a lot of reps in with the bodyweight work, specially for the upper body, dont ignore loaded carries and do a lot of ab work using pallof presses, leg raises, planks, turkish get-ups etc.

An easy way to get the hang of the mind muscle connection is to take up Zhang Zhuang for a few weeks. Helps almost everyone. You can check out the Way of Energy by Master Lam Chen, I think its available for free online. just get familiar with the exercises, you dont really need to understand all the theory.

Once again Thanks A lot for the wishes!
Regards
Tejas

Question:

Thank you for adding me as your friend. I really appreciate it. I need your help. I want to get stronger and mascular. I'm 38 years old and don't get to workout everyday. I want to start and get stronger. I don't have broad shoulders. I would say my arms are attached very close to my neck and have round shoulders. It does not give me a wider look. By nature I am very soft and it takes long, long time before it gets toned. Few years ago, I continusely went to gym and worked for 6 months. I got stronger but never got ripped body. What kind of exercises would you recommend on a daily basis? Could I do body weight exercises to get toned?

Thank you very much.

Answer:

Thank you so much for your message! First of all your problem seems to be simple a lack of muscle mass. there is no such thing as muscle tone per say- There is only muscle size and lack of body fat. When you have reasonably developed muscles and sub-10% body fat you will be toned.

If you feel that you are naturally soft, that just means that you tend to store fat easily and do not gain muscle. In such a circumstance, there are several ways I would recommend you go about developing your body. Simply perform strength training 2-3 times a week and perform conditioning 2-3 times a week. That itself will give you great gains. A simple program if you are using weights could be-

Mon- Barbell Squats- 5X5 and 5X10 + Ab and lower back work Pull Ups- 4-5 ladders

Thu- Bench Press- 5X5 and 5X10 + Shoulder and bicep work Pull Ups- 4-5 ladders

try to add weight every week.

Sprint uphill (50m) 10-20 times 2-3 times a week. You could do this immediately after workouts too.

Alternately you could do bodyweight exercises too using a similar approach of progressive overload.

Ex- Mon- Bodyweight Squats- 3X6-10 (Hard Squats) 5X15 (Easier Squats) + leg Raises X3 sets + Bridges X3 sets Pull Ups 2 Sets

Thu- Push Ups- 3 X6-10 (Hard) 5 X 15 (Easier) + handstand work + Easy bridges X2 sets + Pull ups- 4-5 ladders

Sprint uphill (50m) 10-20 times 2-3 times a week.

For more on how to perform proper progressive training with bodyweight check out my blog at- http://extendingmyspine.blogspot.in/

If you are in Delhi, you can take up training with me directly 1-2 times a week. Many athletes train less than 4 times a week and make great progress. I myself train 3 times a week.

Or you could contact me for distance coaching. I provide detailed training guides and programs, which tell you what to do till the last repetition and are very economical on time, space and logistics.

You can call me at 8826532540.

Regards Tejas Jaishankar