Raw Mass with Calisthenics- Second Edition

A long time ago I wrote a post in which I spoke about how you can get big and strong using just your bodyweight. I still stand by that statement but my approach has entirely changed. In this post I am going to flesh out some of the fundamental considerations while trying to get big using bodyweight exercises only.

I am assuming here that the reader is familiar with basic bodyweight exercises and their progressions. If you are not, just see the posts marked bodyweight exercises first.

Basic Concepts

1. Progressive Overload must be maintained. Over time you have to increase the resistance of the exercise you are performing. In bodyweight work this is done by doing one of 4 things-
a. Changing the leverage
b. Putting more weight on one limb
c. Increasing the range of motion
d. Tightening up the form

Just go through the archives of this blog to find progressions for everything.

2. You must incorporate all the basic movements. Don't just do pull ups and dips. You have legs, use them. In addition the added leg size will increase the resistance for your upper body, enabling you to build a larger upper body in the long run.
The basic movements are-
1. Pushups of all sorts
2. Pull Ups of all sorts
3. Squats
4. Leg raises and sit up variations
5. Bridges and hip extensions
6. Inversions
7. Loaded carries of all sorts

3. You have to train in a variety of repetition ranges to get truly big. You have to utilize movements that let you to do very few repetitions to build raw strength. However, the majority of your training must be done in the 6-20/set range. A few higher repetition sets here and there will build the tendons as well. Using maximum effort isometric exercises like front levers, flags and L sits will develop absolute strength as well.

4. For the majority of your bodyweight work think like a sculptor. Build the beauty of the body by targeting your weakest areas. Have an idea of exactly how you want to look. Then use tons of volume to target those areas. Use variations that throw more work on the under developed parts. Don't underestimate single joint movements like sissy squats, ham glute curls, bodyweight tricep extensions and front lever pulls. They are still fairly compound  and will transfer well to other bodyweight work.

5. To build the muscles of the torso use bilateral exercises. To build the muscles of the limbs use unilateral exercises.

6. Do some crazy explosive work to help develop your maximum strength. Jumps, clapping push ups and pull ups must be performed. You have to do some throwing as well. All this will help keep your strength ahead of your training intensity, giving you space to grow.

I want explain this concept a little more here. Basically the biggest thing that stops people from continually getting big from bodyweight work is the fact that they get good at doing repetition work, because of which they are either training too close to their maximums all the time, or too far away from it. To counter this, increasing your maximum strength will ensure you have a good margin within which you can train productively.

Biggest Mistakes People make

The really important thing to remember while designing a training program for getting big with bodyweight work is to cover all your bases. This is the biggest reason people fail to get big with calisthenics. They will forget to train the lower body, or do heavy loaded carries or isometric holds or jumps and sprints and then wonder why they cant get bigger. Because the body is a unit, and you have to stress the whole body to get the stimulus for growth. You can only get so far just trying to pump up your arms with chin ups.

The second reason people fail to make progress is that they have not learned how to juice exercises for all their worth. They will do push ups in sloppy form and do a set of 30 and think its time to move to diamond push ups. In reality you have to squeeze every little size increase you can get from an exercise before going to harder variations. Learn to contract the glutes and abs to make the push up super tight. Hold your breath during the repetition and use power breathing to make it stricter. Screw you hands into the ground and maximally tense your triceps and shoulders while doing the pushup. Really enjoy the pause at the bottom and squeeze the chest to come up. You really have to learn how to make a movement literally perfect. Only then move to something more advanced.

The other mistakes are training too often, training too hard too early, moving to harder variations too soon, not keeping a training journal, not moving to harder variations ever and wanting to destroy the body every training session. But this is not really specific to bodyweight training. People in gyms everywhere make the same mistakes. Don't make them.

Also not eating enough. You have to eat to grow, specially around workouts. This is as true of bodyweight work as it is of powerlifting or bodybuilding. But be mindful of fat gain, as unlike powerlifting or bodybuilding, it will immediately hamper your progress with bodyweight work. Stay below 15% bodyfat and eat a lot of proteins and carbs around workouts. If you feel you are getting fat, just cut the calories for a few days or add conditioning work.  Keep it simple and don't get so fat in the first place that you need to do something dramatic or complicated. If you are over 15% bodyfat, deal with that first and gaining mass later. You will never go beyond rudimentary bodyweight movements being fat.

Program Checklist

1. Any productive mass gaining routine utilizes limited exercises and decent volume and intensity. Aim and program for a balanced physique.

2. Have decent mix of extremely difficult, quality repetition work, ultra high repetition work, heavy isometric and explosive training.

3. Stress the whole body with loaded carries and reap the anabolic benefits.

4. Build the torso muscles first and then the extremities.

5. Build your weaknesses.

6. Use intelligent repetition, set and frequency schemes. Don't exercise for no real reason and avoid junk exercises and sets.

7. Eat well but in moderation.

Sample Routines 

Any of these routines can be used with just minimal modification. You will have to see what exercises suit you and what does not, but don't mess around with the basic scheme.

Raw Beginner

Do this workout on three non consecutive days a week after a general warm up.

Chin Up Isometric holds- Hold the top position for as long as possible, After 2 mins do the same for the mid position.
Pushups-
2 sets of 20 wall pushups or high incline pushups as warm up
3 sets of 3-5 reps of a hard push up variation such as full push ups, diamond push ups, feet elevated pushups while the hands are on bricks to get a full range of motion, pushups while wearing a back pack with weight in it and push ups while wearing a backpack in front with weight in it, while the feet, hand and feet are elevated on stools or bricks so that the bag can drop low and a full repetition can be done.
2 sets of 6-30 repetitions of incline or kneeling push ups, depending upon training level. Start with a conservative number or reps (like 8) and add a rep each workout until you hit the end of the range. Then move to a harder variation and repeat.
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of 6-20 of high, low or very low rows.
Jack knife Pull Ups- 1 set of 6-15.
Assisted Squats or full Squats- 3 sets of 10-35
Reverse plank hold- 2 sets of 30-120s
Short Bridges- 1 set of 20-50 reps
Knee tucks, lying leg raises or hanging knee raises- 3 sets of 8-20
Jumps onto bench or box- 3 sets of 6
Throwing rock or shot for distance- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sled Dragging, rock carrying, car pushing, rock dragging or walking lunges with a rock/log/pole held at the chest- 5 sets of 20-40m with 60s rest.

Follow this program until you can do 5 chin ups, 10 push ups, 3 sets of 30 full squats, 10 hanging knee raises and have mastered reverse planks. It should take about 8-12 weeks depending upon your starting point.

Basic Size Routine

In this routine we are trying to build the muscles of the torso. For this we will primarily use bilateral movements. A backpack and some kind of weight (like bricks) can be used to add weight to movements as well. A sled will be indispensable. Just buy an old car tire and fill it up with cement and tie a rope to it. If it becomes too light just tie another cement filled tire to the first. Alternatively you can push your car around. Just make sure someone is in the driver's seat. If nothing else is there find a big rock and lift and carry it.

You will train in the following pattern-
Workout A
Workout B
Off
repeat

When you are feeling beat up, just take an extra day off.

Workout A-

Dips with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 3-5 reps
or Push ups with back pack in the front and the feet and hands on stools, bricks or benches.

Chin Ups with weight in back pack- 5 sets of 2-3 reps

Dips- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Chin ups- 30 reps in as few sets as possible
Push Ups- 50 reps in as few sets as possible
Bodyweight Rows- 50 reps in as few sets as possible

In any of these when you can complete all the required reps in 3 sets or less, simply add weight using the back pack. We want to get to the stage where you are using 10-15kgs in the bag for all your reps

Workout B

Box Jumps with back pack or weight held in hands- 3 sets of 6
Heavy sled dragging/ car pushing/ Hugging a rock and walking- 3 sets of 10m
Close Squats (with or without back pack)- 2 sets of 10-30
Standard Squats with back pack- 2 sets of 50
Squat jumps with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 6
Hopping with weight in the hands- 3 sets of 10m
Stool/ Head/ Full Bridges- 3 sets of 6-20
Hanging Leg/knee/frog raises- 3 sets of 6-20
Throwing 5-10kg rocks- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Sit ups- Total 100 reps in less than 3 sets

Follow this system for about 12 weeks until you can do 12-15 chin ups, 20-30 weighted pushups with 10kgs, 30 dips in 1 set and can do 30 close squats with 10kgs.

Primary Bulk Routine

This routine should be used for a long time (a year plus) and follows the traditional progressive approach to bodyweight exercises detailed in the earlier bodyweight posts on this blog.

You will have balanced training of the extremities and torso muscles.

You will follow the following workout pattern every week-

Workout A1
Workout B1
Off
Workout A2
Workout B2
Off
Off

Workout A1-
Weighted Dips- 5 sets of 3-5
Front Lever Holds- (tuck, flat, straddle, half or full)- 5 sets of 10-15 seconds
Chin Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-15 depending upon the variation
Handstand Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 5-20 depending upon variation
Dips- 2 sets of as many reps as possible. Use weight if you can do more than 30 after all the previous work.
Diamond Push Ups- 2 sets of as many reps as possible.

Workout B1-
Squat Jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Pistol Squats progression- 3 sets of 6-30 depending upon variation
Bridges Progression- Full or a unilateral variety- 3 sets of 6-20
Ham Glute Curls- Try for total 15 reps. Once you can do it in 2 sets, try for 25
Hanging Leg Raises Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Roman Chair Sit Ups on parallel bars- 2 sets of as many reps as possible
Heavy Sled Dragging- 5 sets of 10-15m

Workout A2
Throwing Weights- 3 sets of 6 per arm
Weighted Pull ups- 5 sets of 3-5
Planche Holds- 5 sets of 10-15s
Push Up Progression- 3 sets of 6-20
Pull ups- total 50 reps
Bodyweight Rows- 3 sets of as many reps as possible.

Workout B2
Box jumps with weight- 3 sets of 6
Weighted Pistol Squats- 5 sets of 3-5
Sissy Squats- Total 30 reps
Ham glute curls- Total 15-25
Bridges Progression- 3 sets of 7-20
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets or as many reps as possible
Roman Chair Sit ups with weight behind the head- 3 sets of 10
Hugging Rock and walkinging-  sets of 10-15m

When you feel you have had enough of this routine, you can start playing around with other advanced movements like sternum chin ups, maltese cross push ups, full ROM handstand push ups, weighted one arm bodyweight rows, pistol squat jumps, one leg wall squats, front lever pulls, back lever pull ups, dragon flag, human flags and planche push ups.

You can also slowly start dropping all the weighted bilateral work and move towards more unilateral movements. You can train both limbs together with upper body gymnastic holds and sled pushing.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to organize a bodyweight routine for size. I would like to close with the point that this is all for maximum bulk and mass, not bodyweight exercise for the sake of getting good at bodyweight work itself. For that you are better off following the progressions more closely.

Creating Training Programs Part IV

In this post I will cover adjusting training for females, older athletes and injured lifters. I will cover structural and functional adaptations. I will also talk about the basic principles of strength training athletes for other sports as a part of their GPP. Finally I will also talk about specific problems that are faced by the intermediate-advanced level lifter.

Adjusting Training For Females-

In its essence strength training for men and women is similar, in the sense you must use fundamental compound movements to get strong and progressively add weight over time. It should go without saying that all the usual principles we have discussed in the first post in this series applies for women as well. However there are 5 main things you must look at when training a female vis a vis a male:

1. Women have a greater proportion of slow twitch muscle fibers than men of comparable training standard. Due to this, women will be able to do more repetitions with weights in any percentage of their max. For example if a man can do 3 reps with 90% a woman of comparable training can probably do 5 or even 6 or 7 reps with her 90%.

This means that woman can also tolerate a higher total volume at any given percentage than men can. But on the flipside, women seem to hit their max rather suddenly as they may look fine and strong with say 100kgs but may be completely unable to hit 102kgs. So it is important to be Conservative in estimating maxes for women as well as the increments that have to be made to the lifts. It would be useful to invest in half and quarter kg plates so that smaller increments can be made.

Also it is important to have a decent amount of explosive movements in a female's training as it helps improve the activation of the fast twitch muscle fibers.

2. Women have a lesser number of muscle fibers then men in the same muscle groups. For example if a man has 40,000 muscle fibers in his bicep a woman of comparable training may have 20,000. This leads to an important understanding- it is harder for women to get stronger by neural adaptations, as the scope of increased recruitment is limited.

It does not mean that it does not happen, on the contrary it happens even at the most elite levels. But in order for this to happen a woman requires a greater amount of practice with the technique than a man would, as the adaptation is slower. Conversely it also means that extremely heavy loads will lead to quicker stagnation (over 95%). So a lot of heavy practice must be done, but you must generally stay away from 95% plus if you can help it. This is true for men too but the hole of CNS fatigue digs deeper and faster in women.

3. Due to hormonal reasons women in general have lesser muscle than men and have a harder time gaining muscle. This hormonal environment also puts them at greater risk for weakening of the joint structures and of the bones.

4. Women have poor leverages and lesser natural strength in the upper body than men. The difference in squatting and leg based movements in not as much. Back strength depends upon the individual.

5. Menstrual cycles have to be accounted for in training. A woman will be strongest during and immediately after ovulation. Her strength will drop during the PMS phase. Rather than forcing hard training at this stage, it is better to program a drop in intensity for a week or so every four weeks. This is a practice that is useful even for men, but with woman can be a lifesaver. A lot of general activity should be undertaken during this phase and you can just do your usual workouts with lesser weight and reps per set. This will slowly develop tolerance in the body to working during menstruation and over time the difference in strength will become minimal. Also do not forget to take advantage of the post ovulation strength spike, by programming your hardest training weeks around ovulation. Work with the flow of the body not against it.

The primary take away points are-
- Women can do a lot more volume at higher percentages then men can.
- Women need to make smaller increments in weights and generally be wary while moving up. Also avoid moving past 95% or so if you can help it. A good rule of thumb is to always use weights that can be tripled. Work from 3-6RM numbers in regular training.
- Women need to do a lot more volume and hypertrophy work as muscle size is the biggest weak link.
-. Women can and should perform more practice work with decently heavy weight to maximize strength.
- Women need more explosive training to maintain fast twitch mass.
- Women need to do a lot more upper body work then men.
- Women tend to respond better to lesser sets and more reps in their hypertrophy work and a generally greater variety of exercises then men, due to their physiology and tendency to burnout in any one movement if over done. In terms of assistance work think like a bodybuilder.
- The hardest weeks should be around ovulation and the easiest around menstruation.

As a side note of advice, while I am not sure of the greatness of the westside template for people at large, I know that it works incredibly well with female athletes, more than it has for my male athletes. The only other program that has given comparable returns to my female trainees has been the 5-3-1 system, which is also awesome. I make the women on 5-3-1 do 4-5 singles with their training max (Joker sets) after their PR sets every workout though. Please note that I never cross the training max.

Adjusting Training For Older Athletes-

The basic training is the same for younger and older lifters. A few things to keep in mind are-

1. Older lifter have a lowered testosterone and growth hormone production. Therefor they need a higher volume with decent weights to spike growth. Generally more lactic acid work will help and classic programs like the 20rep Squat should be used to stimulate the endocrine system. In general older trainees need to do more hypertrophy work.

Special emphasis should be given to diet and supplementation. Vit E, Fish Oil and Gokshura should be used liberally. It is also advisable to eat smaller meals by the same token as the metabolism is not as high, and smaller meals will spike growth hormone levels over time. However make sure that an adequate number of calories are being consumed and the diet has plenty of mineral content.

2. Bone and joint health must be maintained. Supramaximal lifts like heavy partials should be done to build the skeleton and ultra high repetition light movements like band tricep pressdowns and lat pulldowns must be done to build the tendons and keep the joints supple. I generally like to work 1 movement every day for 2 sets of 50 reps after the main workout as a way to both cool down and help the joints.

3. Build mobility, flexibility and tissue quality. Very simply ease of movement and pain management is the key. Make the effort to add a lot of stretching movements and take the effort to foam roll thoroughly every single day. If possible get a weekly full body massage and do other things to relax the muscles like steam baths and salt baths. Go swimming to open up the joints, walk outside and move on the ground to develop mobility. A lot of outdoor groundwork drills must be present. Taking up basic yoga like surya namaskar etc is not a bad idea. Take the joints through a full range of motion.

4. Simplify the heavy lifting but keep it intact and progressive. Gaining strength and staying strong is the most important thing for an older lifter. However adaptation is a little slower so you may want to use a sensible frequency. I have also found that basic old fashioned liner periodization over 8-10 week cycles and double progression training works best for older lifters.

5. Emphasize exercises that promote stability in the joints and prevent burnout. Try to make more and more of your assistance work based on dumbbells and bodyweight exercises.

6. Building a base of cardiovascular fitness is important. I suggest slow cardio once a week, intervals once a week and serious HIIT once a week, combined with daily walks outside.

7. Avoid impact work. Try to avoid hard landings and joint stress if you can help it. For example sled work can replace sprinting, box jumps can replace regular jumps, cycling can replace jogging etc.

8. Work extra hard on the hamstrings and mid section as the knees and back are the main problem areas as you get older.

9. Do not let the trainee get fat. Just do not. It is too difficult to lose fat when you are older and very simply the real solution is to not get fat in the first place. If your trainee is anything over 18% bodyfat, get him down to 15% as soon as you can. For women 23% is the number.

Injured Lifters

1. The first thing you must do is identify if you are hurt or just in pain. Every serious trainee will experience pain, even debilitating pain in their training. This is no reason to stop training. You have to figure out what you can do for that area with minimal pain, and do it. Figure out what the problem is and fix it. When in doubt go to a doctor and find out if you are actually injured.

2. Do not stop training the rest of the body. Figure out the compound movements you can do for the rest of the body and focus more there. Vigorous exercise will accelerate healing as long as it does not compound the injury. For example if you have injured your shoulder, you can do hyper extensions, hip belt squats, leg press, ham glute raises, 1 leg squats, decline sit ups, one arm push ups, one arm military presses, sled dragging with belt etc etc. Be imaginative.

In case of a limb injury do not discount unilateral work. It will make sure you get back quicker when the injury is healed. Think of this as an opportunity to specialize elsewhere. In case of torso injuries, like spinal injuries, cable work, isometrics and resistance bands will enable you to continue training most of the major muscle groups.

3. Focus on restoring mobility to the injured area. Go to a physio if you don't know how to. Generally pick a compound movement and see how much ROM you can handle. Then do ridiculously high rep work with light weights, gradually increasing the ROM every 20 reps or so.

For example in a shoulder injury let us say you cant get your arms over head. Do a one arm arnold press with 10 pounds and just get the weight till your forehead. Do this for 20 reps. Then slowly try to go one inch higher for 20 more reps. Maybe another inch and call it a day. Then next workout start with pressing the dumbbell one inch above your forehead. Do these kind of light drills for the injured area every 3-4 days. This of course assumes that surgical intervention is not required. If it is, just get it done and go to a physio for a while before doing any of this.

4. Build the supportive structures around the injured area. Do tons of short ROM single joint exercises to build all the muscles around the joint. Focus on balanced muscular development and do extra work for the smaller stabilizer muscles. This will also build the tendons. Do movements that do not restrict the joint path. Therefore dumbells and D handle cable work is awesome for this.

For example, if the shoulder is injured, do lateral raises, front raises, bicep curls, tennis backhand cable extensions, french presses, elbow out rows, elbow in rows, one arm lat pulldowns, quarter military presses with dumbells, external and internal rotation with cables etc

5. Once you are confident of getting back into your primary movements start light and progress slow. Build volume first then intensity. Try to use as many closed chain kinetic movements as possible for the first couple of months and maintain the supportive work for the stabilizer muscles and small stuff.

For example in the case of a shoulder injury, let us say you have started military pressing and bench pressing once a week each. You could do 3 sets of 5 with 50% of your old max in each, followed by pushups and rotator cuff work, rows and pull downs. Every workout increase the reps by 2 until you are doing 3 sets of 13 with 50%. Then add 5 pounds each workout and reduce reps whenever it gets too hard until you end up doing something like 3 reps with your old max. This first linear cycle will be long, longer than you are accustomed to, 20-24 weeks is how I plan it. After that you can resume your normal training.

6. Eat a lot, make sure you are getting plenty of minerals and build a base of cardiovascular fitness. A good cardiovascular system will greatly accelerate healing.

Functional And Structural Adaptation-

Strength training of any kind leads to adaptations in the body in order to make the body stronger. These adaptations are of two types- functional and structural.

Structural changes are changes in the actual structures of the body. This includes muscular hypertrophy (growth in muscle size), thickening of tendons and ligaments, increase in the bursa capacity in the joints, increase in the ATP capacity of the mitochondria, hypertrophy of the heart, vascularization, increase in lung capacity, vascular hypertrophy, increase in bone density, changes in body fat levels and changes in blood content.

Functional changes are adaptations that happen in the nervous system. This includes increase in muscle fiber recruitment, motor unit firing rate, inter-muscular coordination, intra-muscular coordination, development of sport skills, development of motor skills and relaxation in the inhibitory and protective mechanisms of the body.

Functional changes are the primary reason for increase in strength in the first couple of years of training. They are the primary results of dynamic effort, explosive and maximal effort training.

Structural changes are primarily the result of repetition effort training. They are also caused to a lesser degree by maximal effort training.

Training At the Intermediate Stage

An intermediate trainee is a person who has basically reached the point of minimal returns with traditional strength training. They can no longer add weight regularly or add repetitions. This is because the greater share of functional adaptations that can happen with the current body of the trainee have already happened.

This does not mean the more gains at the same muscle size and bodyweight cannot happen, but it will become increasingly harder and harder to get stronger with the same body structure. Thus an intermediate trainee needs to focus on simply causing structural adaptation. The priority list in my opinion is tendons, ligaments, joints, bones and muscles. But this really depends upon your weaknesses and previous training.

Normally it is said if strength is built, shape and size will follow. Well, now we have reached the stage where shape and size needs to be built, for more strength to come. The good news is, if you have trained right up until this point building shape and size will be much easier than it would have been if you started with it.

An intermediate trainee needs to sit down for the long haul and wait for the adaptation to come, not force it. The structure must be built first and only once the structure has been built will great amounts of functional adaptations happen to make you significantly stronger. A combination of repetition training and maximal training will build the body up for greater strength. The basic checklist for a intermediate trainee is-

1. Focus more on repetition effort training. Get in more volume for all your body parts and build the base of muscle and tendon strength.

2. Consistently perform Maximal effort work. Do not force PRs, wait for the repetition effort work to do its thing, and then the PRs will come rolling.

3. Use big basic compound movements to build size and strength. Just tailor them to focus more on working the muscle, rather than moving weight. For example start squatting deeper, start doing more RDLs, bench with a close grip and with a lesser arch, start pausing in the bottom of movements etc.
Understand why you are doing an exercise- to move weight or to build muscle? This way you will know exactly how to do it.

4. Eat to win. You are trying to gain muscle.

5. Work on your weaknesses. Don't be completely anti isolation movements. They can help force work onto a weak muscle group so that they work harder during main exercises.

6. Set and target a variety of rep records in a variety of exercises. Go for 5-10 RM and keep breaking them. Objectify your muscle building goals into repetition records. For example if you want big quads and you want to weigh 200 pounds eventually, a good eventual goal could be squatting 405 pounds for one set of 20 reps. Set balanced  goals, for example:
-Squat 405pounds for 20 reps
-Bench Press 250 pounds for 20 reps
-T Bar Rows 185 pounds for 20 reps
-Military Press 165 pounds for 20 reps
-Chin Ups with 25 pounds for 20 reps
-40 50m hill sprints in under 30mins
-45 degree decline sit ups with 45 pounds held behind the head for 20 reps

7. Make recovery a number one priority. Sleep, stretch, foam roll and optimize your frequency.

8. Learn to get more out of less.

9. Start light and progress slow. Take your time to build muscle and might. Think power building not muscle building.

Here is an example of a good training system for intermediate trainees that I frequently use-

Train 3 times a week. It is a 4 workout cycle. You will repeat the cycle 3 times in four weeks.

Workout A1
Work up to a Max triple in the back Squat (Keep breaking PRs)
Bench Press 5X5 (2 warm up sets and 3 work sets, add weight whenever you can do all three sets for 5 reps)
Chins and Dips- total 50 reps each. If you can do it in less than 4 sets each, add weight.
Push ups- 2-3 sets
Dumbbell Curls- 3 sets
Kroc Rows
Squats- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Sit ups

Workout B1
Work up to Max Triple in the Military Press
Deadlift 5X5
Good Mornings- 3 sets of 6
Reverse hypers 2 sets
Dumbbell Side Bends- 2 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 2 sets
Bridges- 2 sets
Military Press- 5 sets of 10 with 60-70%
Lat Pull Downs- 5 sets of 12

Workout A2
Work up to Max Triple in the bench Press
Squat 5X5
Leg Press- 3 sets of 15
Ab rollouts- 5 sets
ham glute curls- 3 sets
Dumbell/barbell bench Press- 5 Sets of 10
T Bar Rows- 5 sets of 12

Workout B2
Work up to Max Triple in the Deadlift
Military Press- 5X5
Dumbell Press- 3 sets
Lateral Raises- 3 sets
Tricep Extensions- 3 sets
Chin Ups- 5 sets
Lat Pull Downs- 2 sets
Good Mornings- 5 Sets of 10
Leg Raises- 3 sets

Strength Training Athletes as a Part of their General Physical Preparation (GPP)

The most important thing that you must remember while training athletes is that for them strength training is a part of their general preparation and therefore secondary to actual sports practice. Now in certain stages strength training may become more important but in general athletes cannot devote a very great part of their time and energy to strength training.

The purpose of strength training for athletes is three fold-

1. To increase their maximum strength to a level that strength is no longer the limiting factor in athletic performance. Both in my experience and in training literature when the athlete's maximum force production is 4 times that of the amount expected during athletic performance, strength is no longer the factor that limits performance.

For example an elite shot putter generates somewhere around 700-800 newtons of force while throwing, That means the athlete has to be capable of producing around 3200 newtons of force in the various movements related to the shot put in a maximum attempt for one repetition. This works out to roughly a 500 pound bench press and a 600 pound squat, which is pretty much the strength level of elite shot putters.

Now there may or may not be benefits to getting stronger than this depending upon the weight of the implement used, the carryover that the athlete experiences from strength training etc. This is why shot putters typically do very well while increasing their strength, since the implement is heavy and shot putters are generally bigger and taller. In contrast the discus throw does not respond nearly as well to strength training, as both the implement is lighter and the athletes smaller. But the basic point remains that you have to increase your strength such that  the required force is 25% or below of your max.

Now keep in mind these have to be in exercises that have a high carryover to the sport. And these may or may not be the classic barbell lifts, though more often than not they are. In any case it is better to start a beginner with a classic squat, bench, deadlift, front squat, military press, power clean and chin up program.  Then over time you can figure out what exercises are working and what are not.

Here are a list of exercises I find work very well for the sports I am involved in coaching people in-

- Sprinting- Squat, RDL, Reverse Hypers, Chin Ups, Heavy Wheel Barrow Walks, Sled Dragging, Pistol Squats, Barbell Lunges, Chin Ups, Push ups, Hanging Leg raises and Dumbell Overhead press.

- Kettlebell Lifters- Deadlift from 8 inches off the ground, Full Squat, barbell Military Press, Kroc Rows, Chin Ups, farmer's walks, one arm carrys, waiter walks, turkish get ups, ab rollouts.

- Jumpers- Back Squat, hip belt squat, front squat, good mornings, kettlebell swings, weighted jumps of various sorts with a kettlebell held in the hands, hopping drills with a weighted vest, jump squats with a weighted vest on, power cleans, hanging leg raises, decline sit ups, chin ups and dips.

- Throwers- Back Squat, Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, military Press, Chin Ups, Dumbell Rows, T Bar Rows, Front Squat, Side Bends, Turkish Get Ups, Ab Rollouts.

- Cricketers (batters and bowlers)- back Squat, Bench Press, Military Press, Deadlift, power clean, turkish get up, pallof press, chin ups, t bar rows, weighted jumps, wheel barrow walking.

- Football players (Soccer)- Front Squat, Deadlift, Power Clean, Pistol Squats, Ab Rollouts, hanging leg raises, Bench press, T bar rows, reverse and forward sled dragging.

Another thing you want to ensure is that the gains in strength are coming from primarily structural changes. This is very simply because functional gains in strength training may or may not transfer well to the sport, but generally structural changes caused using relevant movements carry over really Well. Ultimately as an athlete advances his gains will become more and more specific to the strength training exercise. Which is why you must focus on increasing both the maximal and repetition strength of athletes. I think 3-6RMs work well for athletes, plus a lot of repetition and dynamic effort work.

Secondly, perform movements in a fashion to maximize sport performance, not the weight used in the movement itself. Remember there are no points for the actual bench press you have if your actual strength for the shot put is lacking. Therefore arching your way to a bigger bench or using more leg drive is sub optimal for a shot putter.

Thirdly, you have to program differently for athletes. Ultimately if you have the time and the ability to train in season, (like with high school athletes) use undulating or linear models. Keep it basic and try to keep the frequency low. Remember athletes have a great workload and therefore recovery must be optimized. If you don't have more than 16 weeks I think conjugate training is the best way to go about things. It will cause sizable increases in strength and will maintain other qualities.

2. To prevent Injuries. All athletes endure a lot of stress and shock to the joints. As a result tendon and ligament injuries, muscle tears are all very common. This is another reason to build strong and thick ligaments and tendons as well as build quality muscle.

In addition to this it is important to maintain muscle balance in the athlete. Most athletes will have certain movements that they will repeat over and over again. Over time these will cause muscular imbalances and tightness in certain muscles. It is important to counteract this with mobility work and foam rolling as well as developing the antagonists and the smaller structures supporting the working joints.

3. To achieve the correct body type the athlete needs for his/her frame and sport by adding muscle where required.

For example a 6 foot tall discus thrower should probably weigh around 80-90kgs and have a hugely muscled torso. A 6 foot tall shot putter should weigh around 100-120kgs with a lot of shoulder and torso size, and huge legs. A 6 foot powerlifter should be around 120-130kgs and needs to be developed pretty much everywhere. Your training needs to reflect this.

Here is a sample routine I use with beginner sprinters, mostly 16-18 years old with 2-3 months of training experience-

3 workouts a week. I typically run this routine for 6-9 months depending upon how the sprinter responds. Don't switch the routine if the athlete is still responding.

Workout 1
Deadlift-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
I add 2 kgs to each set every week. This goes on until this can be done really. When the trainee is unable to complete any of the sets, we estimate the new max and start over the next week. A trainee typically adds 10-15 kgs every cycle.
Squat-
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Reverse hypers- 3 sets of 15
Barbell Lunges- 3 sets of 8
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab rollouts 1 set
Chin Ups- Laadders
Push Ups- Ladders

Workout 2 (Done Outdoors) 
Heavy Wheelbarrow walk- 5 sets of 10m add weight whenever possible
Forward Sled Draggng- 3 sets of 50m
Reverse Sled Dragging- 3 sets of 50m
Sideways Dragging- 2 sets of 30m each side
Dragging Forward with rope held between and through the legs- 3 sets of 50m
Jumps Holding a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Squat Jumps with a Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
backwards Throw with a kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Broad Jump With Kettlebell- 3 sets of 6
Hopping on both feet with kettlebell- 3 sets of 10m
KB Swings- 3 sets of 12
Turkish Get ups- 3 sets of 6 per side

Workout 3
Squat-
5 reps with 75%
4 reps with 80%
3 reps with 85%
2 reps with 90%
1 rep with 95%
Deadlift
2 sets of 6 with 60%
3 sets of 6 with 75%
Again I add 2 kgs every week. When the trainee is unable to complete the sets with a certain weight, we stay at that weight until he or she can.
Weighted Hypers- 3sets
Pistol Squats- 3 sets
Hanging Leg Raises- 3 sets
Ab Rollouts- 1 set
Weighted Push ups- 3 sets of 10
Weighted Chin Ups- 3 sets of 10

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.

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.