A Novice Strength Training Program

This is a foundation building program that we use with young athletes who are just getting into serious strength training. The idea here is to build a foundation of general strength and endurance and establish stable motor patterns that will serve them well in later training. Therefore, every exercise in this routine serves a purpose, which is explained with the routine. 

Overall the objective is to strengthen the legs and back and to develop correct posture for lifting. The volume of work is very large and the exercises are general in nature. This is because the novice does not need a very high intensity or special exercises to get stronger. The large volume also builds general endurance for strength sports, which will enable them to train harder than their peers later. Most athletes will achieve the goals of the routine in 8-12 weeks, for most this is a 60-80% increase in strength. Then we move on to proper barbell training.

The exercises used are easy to learn and require very little coaching. All you need is a few kettlebells, a bar to do pull ups and open space. Remember that this routine was originally intended for teams and works best with partners. We have trained as many as 20 kids in a group without a problem. This way everyone pushes each other. We typically trained in a football ground and used the goalposts for pull ups.

You will workout 3 non consecutive days a week and keep notes of your numbers. Every workout the goal is to get the required reps in less sets. The whole workout should take 45-60 mins at most. You can reduce the weights or use easier variations if required, but do not progress to the barbell routines until you have achieved the goals.

Routine for Boys

Warm Up Stretching (5mins)

Cat-Camel- 10 reps

Fire Hydrant Circles- 8 reps per side

Roll Over into V-Sit- 8 reps

Mountain Climbers- 6 reps per side

Static Hip Flexor Stretch- 20s per side

Squat Stretch- 30s

Light Twist Hold- 20s per side

Cobra Stretch- 20s

Shoulder Dislocates with stick or rope- 15 reps

Main Workout (30mins)

Push Ups (Start with an incline around waist level)- 100 total reps, GOAL= 5 sets of 20 on the floor
Kettlebell Goblet Squat (Start with a 16 or 12kg bell)- 100 total reps, GOAL= First 50 in 1 set using the 24kg bell.

Chin Ups (Start with a partner assisting from the hips)- 50 total reps, GOAL= 10 sets or less without assistance

Conditioning (5mins)

Kettlebell Swings (Start with a 16 or 12kg bell)- 100 total reps, GOAL= 1 set of 100 with 24kg bell.

Static Stretching (5mins)

Standing Ankle Stretch- 30s per side

Squat Stretch- 30s

Cossack Squats- 10s per side

Static Hip Flexor Stretch- 30s per side

Standing Toe touch- 20s

Easy Twist Hold- 30s per side

Camel Stretch- 30s

Shoulder Dislocates with stick or rope- 15 reps

Routine for Girls

Warm Up Stretching (5mins)

Cat-Camel- 10 reps

Fire Hydrant Circles- 8 reps per side

Roll Over into V-Sit- 8 reps

Mountain Climbers- 6 reps per side

Static Hip Flexor Stretch- 20s per side

Squat Stretch- 30s

Light Twist Hold- 20s per side

Cobra Stretch- 20s

Shoulder Dislocates with stick or rope- 15 reps

Main Workout (30mins)

One Arm Kettlebell Clean and Press (Start with 8 or 6kgs)- 50 total reps per arm, GOAL= 5 sets of 10 with the 12kg bell.
Kettlebell Goblet Squat (Start with a 12 or 10kg bell)- 100 total reps, GOAL= First 50 in 1 set using the 16kg bell.

Bodyweight Rows (Start with a bar above the waist)- 50 total reps, GOAL= 8 sets or less with a bar below the hips.

Conditioning (5mins)

Short Sprints (Start with 25m)- 10 sprints, GOAL= 10 sprints of 50m.

Static Stretching (5mins)

Standing Ankle Stretch- 30s per side

Squat Stretch- 30s

Cossack Squats- 10s per side

Static Hip Flexor Stretch- 30s per side

Standing Toe touch- 20s

Easy Twist Hold- 30s per side

Camel Stretch- 30s

Shoulder Dislocates with stick or rope- 15 reps

Explanation of the Exercises

Exercise	Purpose	Description	Video Link
Cat Camel	-Warm Up Lower Back -Learn how to arch and round the back.	-Get down on your hands and knees. -Pull your stomach in and try to pull your lower back up and round your back as much as you can. Look down towards your feet. -Reverse the movement and try to push the lower back and stomach towards the ground and arch your back as much as you can. Look up to the sky.	NA
Fire Hydrants	-Mobilize the hips -Activate the glutes	-The lower back should be rounded and the arms straight. Do not tilt the torso. -When making outward circles, make sure that you are lifting the knee as high as you can to the side. Do not let the knee open at any point. -Make as large a circle as possible with your knee. -When performing inward circles, ensure the knee goes as far back as possible as well.	NA
Rollover Into V-Sit	-Open the groin and lower back. -Teach control.	-Legs together at the back, knees may be straight or bent depending upon comfort, touch the toes to the ground. -Legs apart as far as possible and knees straight in the seated position, reach forward as far as you can. -Use momentum to come up and go back but try to limit it as much as possible for safety reasons.	NA
Static Hip Flexor	-Stretch the front of the hips. -Correct pain and posture in the lower back.	-Push the hips forward and lean back very slightly. -The weight must be on the back knee.	NA
Squat Stretch	-Open Hips, knees and ankles.	-Heels flat, toes out 45 degrees, knees push out and away from each other, sit between the legs. -Try to rest your hips on your calves. If required hold something for support.	NA
Mountain Climbers	-Open hips -Warm up full body.	-The heel of the working leg should be close to the palm on the same side at the top. How far forward the heel goes is more important than speed. -Hop when you switch sides. -Keep the hips straight and aligned with the rest of the body.	NA
Light twist	-Stretch Sides and back.	-Sit on the ground with your shins on top of each other. Hold your thighs with the arm away from them and twist your torso around to the opposite side. -Exhale and try to relax while doing this.	NA
Cobra Stretch	-Stretch abs and front hips. -Improve the ability to arch the back with muscular force.	-The hands should be just below the shoulders. -Push the hands into the ground while pushing the chest out and head back and squeezing all the back muscles, especially the glutes. -Push the hips into the ground.	NA
Shoulder Dislocates	-Open shoulders and elbows.	-The wider the grip the easier the exercise. -Complete a full circle with each repetition. -Keep the arms straight, chest out and the shoulders away from the ears at all times. Do not shrug. -Hold the stick/Rope with your thumb and index finger only	NA
Push Ups	-Build shoulder, chest, arm and ab strength. -Teach proper shoulder positioning and full body tightness.	-Keep the hips, knees and spine tight. Do not sag or A frame. -Twist the elbows inwards, keep the shoulders down and away from the ears. -The hands should be in line with the lower chest at the bottom. Space yourself accordingly. -Feet always together. -Pause at the bottom and the top. -Hands Shoulder Width -Keeping the hands on an object waist high reduces the difficulty by half. You can keep working down inclines until you hit the floor.	https://youtu.be/JyOyo7y6hSc
Goblet Squats	-Build legs, back, hips and abs. -Teach flat back and chest out position. -Improve squat mobility.	-Keep your chest out, knees out and weight on the heels. The toes should point out. -Kettlebell should be propped high on the chest and held up on end from below. -Butt back chest out. -Squat down between the legs. Keep the torso vertical.	https://youtu.be/sWaZRcLhyUs
Chin Ups	-Build grip, arm, upper back and lat strength. -Decompress the spine. -Improve shoulder mobility.	-The palms should face you. -At the bottom the elbows should be straight. -At the top the base of the neck should touch the bar. -Do not swing, keep the legs, hips and spine straight. -Pause at the top and the bottom. -Use a shoulder width grip. -Chest out, shoulders down and away from the ears. -To assist, stand behind the person and push the up by holding at the hips.	https://youtu.be/RtxQKExlLTA
One Arm Kettlebell Clean and Press	-Strengthen the arms, shoulders, abs and lower back. -Teach full body tightness.	-Grab the kettlebell in one arm with a wide stance. -Hike the bell back between the lets and push your hip forward to swing the bell up. -Once it reaches chest height, bend the arms and guide the bell to the shoulder. The momentum should be carrying it to this point. -The elbows should rest on the sides. -Press the bell up in a straight line and lower back to the shoulder. -Swing the kettlebell back behind the body and repeat.	NA
Bodyweight Rows	-Strengthen the upper back, arms and grip. -Improve upper body posture.	-Use a horizontal base that is above just below the hips. The higher the base, the easier the drill. -The lower chest should be below the bar. -Use a shoulder width grip -Pause at the top. -Shoulders down and away from the ears.	https://youtu.be/4IMmgHtIIWU
Kettlebell Swings	-Build hip, hamstrings and lower back. -Improve general endurance.	-Weight on the heels and the feet wide apart with the toes pointing out. -Arms straight at all times, palms facing you. -Hike the bell behind the body and push the hips forward to swing the bell up. -Knees bent at the bottom, straight at the top. -Do not use your arms or shoulders, swing with your hips. -Use the counter-swing at the bottom.	NA
Short Sprints	-Improve speed and leg power. -Improve general endurance.	-Get close to the ground at the start. The hands should be on the ground. Stay down as long as you can. -Weight on the toes and the driving leg should be far forward. The back leg should be straight. -Start slow and accelerate rapidly. -Drive back through the toes and pull the knees as high as you can at the front. -Drive the elbows.	NA
Standing Ankle Stretch	-Stretch calves.	-You are stretching the ankle of the back leg. -Keep the knee straight and try to get the heel to touch the ground.	NA
Cossack Squat	-Stretch groin	-Keep the weight on the heels and use a wide stance to get into position. -The toe of the straight leg should point up. -the knee of the squatting leg should be in line with the toes. -You may hold on to a vertical object for balance and support if required.	https://youtu.be/FTYgvvwEpoY
Standing Toe touch	-Stretch lower back and hamstrings.	-Keep the knees tight an squeeze the heels together. -Do not bounce of use momentum.	NA
Easy twist Hold	-Stretch sides and back.	-The heel of the raised leg should be close to the knee of the other. -Push the knee of the raised leg inwards with the opposite elbow and twist the torso around towards the same side as that leg. -Prop yourself up on the opposite arm.	NA
Camel Hold	-Stretch abs, shoulders and front hips. -improve ability to arch.	-Push the hips forward and lean back slightly. -Grab the ankles with the hands to get some support.	NA

My Basic Training Principles

These seven principles are the foundation of the way we train to be strong. Battle tested and scientifically sound, any program that adheres to these rules will produce exceptional results.

1. Strength is a Skill

Ultimately, strength is essentially the ability to produce force. Therefore that skill must be practiced and honed if one is to become truly strong. Thus our routines have the following features-

• Use big multi joint movements for strength.
• Technique is at a premium and must be perfected with every rep and set. A stable technique is a loadable technique.
• Relatively low reps per set and medium to heavy weight.

2. Large total loads are the foundation for strength

For the system as a whole to adapt, the total stress the organism is subjected to must increase over time. Heavy weights and singles may build strength in the short run, but without the foundation of large total loading, the base will be weak and progress will stall.

Large total loading will allow for perfection of technique, strengthen the skill of applying force, build the muscular system and its capacities and condition the nervous system for the weights to come. When the strength is needed we just lower the load and increase the weights and let the body recover and demonstrate its full strength. Thus our routines have the following features-

• A large amount of the work is done in the 65-80% intensity range.
• Over time the volume per week goes up.
• Out of Volume, Frequency and Intensity one is always pushed, and the others are kept low to medium.

3. Variation in loading and exercises

By manipulating the load imposed on the body week to week, we prevent physical and mental stagnation. Large variations in loading will make the organism more trainable and improve results. Variations are also introduced in exercises to prevent boredom and to develop the body from every direction.

These variations are manipulated in accordance with the trainee's needs and weaknesses. Thus they also become valuable tools to further the development of strength.

4. Build and Broaden the Base of Fitness

The higher the performance level you desire, the more is the stuff that could break down and halt progress. Thus we take special care to ensure that your general fitness base is sufficient to ensure growth. In many cases, beginners do nothing but general fitness work for 2-3 months, until they have been brought to a trainable level.

Our routines always keep sight of-

• Flexibility and mobility
• General endurance
• Speed and rate of force development
• General strength and muscle development
• Diet and body mass indicators

5. Balanced Programming and Longevity

We believe that the athlete who in the long run can maintain balanced development of qualities and general good health will be able to train longer and harder and eventually out perform his competition. Thus we-

• Protect the joints by minimizing unnecessary stress, doing special work to pump up and stretch the ligaments and tendons and build a foundation of solid technique and movement quality.
• Balance the muscles from front to back, side to side and top to down.
• Balance different qualities of fitness and never let any quality totally slide.

6. Progression over time

With every passing training cycle the average weight being handled in the primary exercises should increase. If this is not happening, it is difficult to ascertain progress. Thus we set a variety of rep and weight Personal Records and track them on the heavy days for each exercise. The progressions are tailored according to the requirements of that person.

7. Build around Requirements

At any given point of time only one thing is focused on and attacked. Everything else is done, but not with the same priority. This allows us to build the training structure according to the requirements of the athlete.

For example if the beginner has no base, general fitness is the priority for the first 8 weeks. If the technique is unstable then that is addressed with variations and appropriate loading.

Training Program for Radhika Saxena

Radhika was the first swimmer to come to me to train for strength. While on the surface her strength level may not seem impressive, the improvements in her contest results are. She competed in the Delhi State Aquatics championship in 2015 and came 4th in one event and didn't place anywhere in any other event.

After 5 months of strength training twice a week in the winter months and one year later she won 5 golds and 1 silver at the Delhi State Masters Aquatic Championship. Quite an improvement! For this reason I think her routine would be of great interest to athletes as it shows how to train for GPP with minimal time, zero athletic foundation and high life stress.

First of all, as a lawyer, Radhika had very little time to devote to training. So we decided to train in the late evening on Sundays and Wednesdays. During the off season, while the pools were closed she also took up a basic calisthenics routine combined with roadwork at the public park next to her residence, with a training partner. This routine consisted of a large amount of running, jumping, tumbling, crawling and general exercises like planks, push ups and bodyweight squats and was designed to build her athletic foundation and general work capacity. Flexibility was never really focused on as she was quite supple and time was limited.

First we determined that she should do some kind of squat, bench and overhead pressing and various pulls for the upper body. The squat was tricky and she just could not squat with even halfway decent form with any kind of weight. Eventually we settled on a below parallel box squat with the safety squat bar so that she could atleast do the movement. For a long time she was stuck in a rut with this exercise but with a little perseverance she finally broke through and suddenly her squat doubled in a short period.

The bench press was never hit truly hard, but progress was achieved.  The real improvements though were in her vertical and horizontal pulling, which significantly impacted her swimming stroke. The basic emphasis was on gaining muscle as that was basically what she was missing. While we had many a battle about "I am getting fat!" the work paid off and her strength was much more consistent after she built the foundation of muscle she needed.

Here then is her basic routine and the results. Her bodyweight was 45kgs at the start of the program and 48kgs by the end though I cannot say all of it was muscle. She is 25 years old.

Wednesday Workout-
Throws + Jumps- 8-10 sets of 2-3 reps each, supersetted
(Typically box jumps and two arm shot throws)
Military press-
4-5 sets of 4-5 reps for warm up
6-10 sets of 2-4 reps (This was changed every week)
Safety Bar Box Squat-
3-5 sets of 4-6 reps for warm up
6-10 sets of 2-4 reps (This was changed every week)
Only in one of the two exercises would we push the volume and weight. This was alternated every week.
DB Clean And Press- 3 sets of 8-12
Lat Pulldowns- 5 sets of 6-10
Cable Crunches/Ab work- 3 sets of 8-15
Sled work- Reverse sled, sprints, forward dragging, monster walk, harness running
8-10 trips of 20m each

Sunday Workout-
Throws + Jumps- 8-10 sets of 2-3 reps each, supersetted
(Typically broad jumps and two arm shot throws)
Bench Press-
4-5 sets of 4-5 reps for warm up
6-10 sets of 2-4 reps (This was changed every week)
Safety Bar Box Squat-
3-5 sets of 4-6 reps for warm up
4-6 sets of 4-6 reps (This was changed every week)
Only in one of the two exercises would we push the volume and weight. This was alternated every week.
DB Bench Press- 3 sets of 6-10
Seated Rows/ Bodyweight Rows- 5 sets of 8-12 reps
RDLs- 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Leg raises/Ab work- 3 sets of 8-15 reps
Upper Body Sled Dragging- Shoulder raises, arm work, rowing
3-5 trips of 20m
Lower Body sled Dragging- Sprints, Reverse, Sideways
6-8 trips of 20m

She made the following improvements-
Deadlift- 35kgs to 65kgs
Squat- 22kgs to 50kgs
Military- 12kgs to 24kgs
Bench Press- 15kgs to 29kgs
Box jump- 10" to 22"
Lat Pulldowns- 10 reps with 35kgs on the machine to 12 reps with 60kgs

Congratulations Radhika and all the best, I am proud of you!

Creating training Programs Part V

Source here

This is the final part of the creating training programs series. In this part we will talk about commonalities of the training programs of the all time greats.

Defining Features of The training of All time Great/ Super Elite Athletes

If you want to know the specific sources of the information, mail me. I am going to keep it brief here. Also there will be exceptions to everything stated here. None of this is dogma, but it is very useful information.

1. All gifted athletes will achieve considerable success in the first year of training. Very simply a truly gifted athlete will be atleast a regional level contender  within the first year of training in any strength or power sport. If you could not do this in your first year of training, chances are that you simply do not have the genetics that are required in order to reach the very top in that particular sport. This does not mean you cannot improve, it just means you have to be realistic about your expectations.

2. The greatest gains in any strength or power sport are made in the first 7.5 years of training. From then on to 11 years of training, moderate to small gains are made. After that gains are pretty much negligible. However people who have earned a good base in one sport who are petering out can explore other sports as typically the starting point will be higher, and you would have already figured out what works for you and what does not. Due to this many all time greats were successful in the second sport they began competing in (chronologically). For example many great American powerlifters were first college and high school football athletes.

3. The first year of training is typically the linear training year with a lot of volume. After that they play around to find their system. It typically takes gifted athletes 3-4 years to figure out the training that works for them, after which they tend to be pretty consistent.

4. At the highest levels of any strength or power sport, athletes devote a large amount of time and energy training and doing related activities. While 4, 45min sessions a week are good for most people, elite athletes will typically have workhorse like workloads. Most will train 4-6hours a day 6 days a week, which may or may not be spread out. This is primarily because at that level they have a lot more bases to cover. They need to do extra work for all the small muscles and rehab injuries. They need to take care of mobility, flexibility and work capacity. They need to do a lot of practice with the primary events and the assistance drills. They devote time to recovery work and things like massages. They spend a lot of time preparing for worksets.

This does not mean this is something you must emulate in your own training, but don't be afraid of pushing the envelope.

5. There are only so many maximal lifts that can be done in a year from a strength training point of view. After a certain amount the body cannot recover. Which is why it is important to devote yourself to a limited set of primary exercises and their variations, as otherwise you will not be able to give quality effort to the things that matter. Find the exercises that for you are the most productive ones and transfer well to your sport.

6. In the first 3 years of training 10,000-12,000 lifts per year is the optimal amount that should be done for the primary strength exercises and their direct variations with above minimal (50%) loads. This does not include indirect assistance exercises.

For example in the deadlift, the sumo deadlift, rack deadlift, box deadlifts, RDLs, Stiff Leg Deadlifts, good mornings and Snatch Grip deadlifts will all be included in the total. But exercises like hypers, reverse hypers, seated good mornings and ham glute curls will not be included in this figure.

In the 3-4th year of training 12,000-13,000 lifts are done per year. In the 4-5 year it is 13,000-15,000. In the 5-6th year it is 15-16,000. In the 6-7th year it is 14,000. In the 8th year it is 12,000 and in the 9th year it is 10,000. In the 10th-11th year it is 8,000-9,000.

7. The average intensity over the year for the greatest athletes has always been 70-85%. Great athletes will typically perform 50-60% of their work within this range, perform 20-25% of their workload above it and 20-25% below it (but above 49%).

8. Intensity and volume will vary greatly through the year. Most athletes will have phases of reduced workload and intensity, periods of high intensity and moderate to high workload and periods of medium intensity and high workloads.

Typically the best will spend 50% of the year training with a high workload and medium intensity, 25% with a medium to high workload and high intensity and 25% with low workload and low intensity. This could be organized in pretty much any way though- 4 week cycles to a 16 week cycle to year long to multi year long plans.

9. In the first 3 years of training, 50-60% of the total volume is devoted to the primary strength exercises themselves. In the 3-8th year of training, this percentage typically drops to 20-25%. Then from the 8th to the 11th year this will typically rise back up to 40-50%.

This happens because initially athletes just need to build a base and get strong overall. Later they need to correct their weaknesses and build a large base of structural development. Finally they need to convert this strength potential into real strength by performing more of what they want to get good at.

10. All elite athletes have devoted time to developing the spectrum of the force velocity curve that they do not compete in. For example- Shot putters will squat and bench press (slower velocity higher force), they will jump and throw light objects (faster velocity, lesser force).

Similarly the best squatters jump, do weighted jumps, throw and do some speed work with barbells or atleast the focus on moving fast with their warm up sets.

11. The greatest athletes will never focus on improving their peak performance, but will focus on improving their average performance. For example great squatters will not focus on setting PRs in the gym day after day, but rather focus on increasing the average weight being lifted over time.

12. In general power athletes work best with sets of 3-6 repetitions for the majority of their training. Strength athletes work best with 3-8 and in certain cases 3-10.

13. The greatest athletes will train around pain. But they will also try their best to avoid problems in the first place. And they will use their heads when rehabbing injuries.

14. The greatest ability of great athletes seems to be their ability to plan and create systems within which they can consistently improve performance. They know how to set small targets and derive motivation and momentum from them. They build competitiveness instead of relying upon it.

15. There is an ideal weight range depending upon your height, structure and sport. I am giving the figures for 180-185cm. For every 5-10cm add or deduct 10kgs.

For strength sports (like powerlifting) 130-140kgs, for Strength Power Sports (like weightlifting) 120-130kgs, for power sports (like Shot Put or Highland Games) 110-120kgs, for speed power sports (like discus) 100-110kgs, for speed sports (like 100m) its is 80-100kgs.

16. You cannot tell for sure what your genetics are good for. For all you know, you may be the most genetically gifted rower of all time, but you will never figure that out if all you do is curl and bench. Unless you are handicapped or have serious problems, chances are you are gifted for some sport or the other. but you will never know unless you expose yourself to a variety of sports.