conwict’s collection (mostly of ideas)

Now that I’m (for now) through with fat loss, I’m intent on gaining strength, which will eventually result in a much greater ability to induce hypertrophy–that is, gain muscle.

I find that a 2-upper/2-lower, 4 day split works best for combined strength and hypertrophy. Three (or more) full body sessions per week, a la Chad Waterbury, is great for hypertrophy and seems decent for strength, but you have more time to recover with the double split, which is vital for strength gains. I keep the volume high, especially on “assistance” exercises, for increased hypertrophy during these phases however.

Think of this as a power-lifting program with a focus on increasing muscle mass and much more vertical plane work. If you choose to do this, the main focus should be increasing weight weekly by not much more than 2.5%. You don’t even have to increase it on every set, though. That’s part of the beauty of wave-loading. Post any questions about it here if you’re interested in it, and realize that I DID tailor this workout to my needs…I really need to get better at pull-ups and increase my bench press right about now!

The best workout for you A) uses exercises you haven’t used in a while [this program will probably satisfy that requirement, as it uses some unusual exercises], B) hits your weak points hardest and C) challenges you and maintains your interest.

I’m a big fan of doing Day 1 on M, 2 on T, 3 on Th, and 4 on F because you get the weekend off.

Day 1
A. BB bench press; 3-sec pause, no arching, to 3RM Rest as needed
B1. Close-grip JM Press 5×5 Wave-loaded No rest
B2. Dumbbell Row 5×5 Wave-loaded 60 seconds rest
C. Dumbbell Cuban Press against wall 3×10 60 seconds rest

Day 2
A1. Sumo rack pull fr. upper shin; 2-second lockout 8×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
A2. Pull-ups 8×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
B. Dumbbell row to lat 3×8 60 seconds rest
C. Low platform Bulgarian split squat 2×5 90 seconds rest

Day 3
A. Strict Military Press up to 3RM Rest as needed
B. Leaning-away lateral raises 4×6 60 seconds rest
C. Overhead Rack Lockout (flared elbows) 2×8 90 seconds rest
D1. Left side plank max time 60 seconds rest
D2. Right side plank max time 60 seconds rest
D3. Front plank max time 60 seconds rest
E1. One-leg dead bug 2×10 No rest
E2. Low trap raise 2×10 No rest
E3. Neutral-grip face pulls 2×10 No rest

Day 4
A. Good Morning squats 10×3 Wave-loaded Rest as needed
B1. Standing Cable Crunches 3×8 30 seconds rest
B2. Saxon Side Bends 3×8 30 seconds rest
B3. Medicine ball explosions 3×4 30 seconds rest
C. One-leg RDL 2×5 90 seconds rest

By the way, I’ve got my supplements dialed in and perfected, $155 a month - just enough to get free shipping from Biotest:

2 containers Metabolic Drive
2 containers Surge
1 bottle ZMA
1 bottle Rez-V (”Highly pure resveratrol” - look into the benefits of it on, say, www.pubmed.gov)

It may improve your strength.

Here are some shots of me doing three great lifts:

Bent press with a rope for 3″ fat grip (Chad Waterbury’s idea - don’t remember the weight I used) plus curl - total upper body workout, not too bad on the abs and hips either

One-leg stiff-legged deadlift (with 150 pounds) - seems like light weight but keep in mind that’s unilateral work!

Overhead squat - 125 pounds for 3×5. I’m slowly working my way up in this exercise, and it’s all about form. Feels great, too. I can’t wait to really hit it once I’m done with fat loss! Which reminds me, the SLDL and BP pics are from a month and a half ago, and the OHSQ is from tonight. I can definitely see a difference in the belly and love handles!

I stumbled across this template, called Designer Athletes, by Mike Robertson on T-nation right as I was about to finish up my fat loss (down 20 lbs from 210! — counting glycogen loss) and decided to give it a go. Here are my exercise selections and rep ranges. My goals for this 4 weeks are to increase strength and create hypertrophy. If you want to give it a go, feel free and report back to me, or check out the template yourself. For next time Chad Waterbury’s new 30 Day Mass Program looks great.

Designer Athletes Template - Mike Robertson
Work out M,T,Th,F | Rest periods: 2 minutes for everything except circuits and supersets

Day 1
A. Anderson Squat 3×8 +2.5%/week ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb
B. Wide-stance Good Mornings 2×6 ____lb +1 rep per set/week
C. Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat 3×5 ____ lb +1 set/week
D1. Cable Pull-throughs 3×12 ____lb +1 set/week| No Rest
D2. Machine Calf Raise 2×20 +2.5%/week ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb | Rest 30 seconds
CIRCUIT 2×8 +2 reps/week:
E1. Bridge on bench
E2. Bird dog

Day 2
A. Half bench press in rack 3×5 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb Progress by lowering pins each week OR adding weight
B. Reverse-grip bent-over barbell row 4×6 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week
C1. Single-arm corner barbell press 3×8 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week | Rest 60 seconds
C2. Close-grip incline bench press 3×5 ____lb +1 rep per set/week | Rest 60 seconds
CIRCUIT:
D1. Prone cobra for 20 seconds +5 seconds/week
D2. Trap raises 3×9 Add weight ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb
D3. Medicine ball uneven pushups 3×9 +1 rep per set/week
D4. Cable curl 3×9 ____lb +1 rep per set/week

Day 3
A. Rack pull (half deadlift) with straps 5×3 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week
B. Barbell Romanian Deadlifts 3×5 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week
C. Pistol squats onto low box 3×6 Add weight ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb
D. Glute/hamstring raises (partner-assisted) 3×8 Add resistance via better form each week
E. 15 minutes incline treadmill walking with PVC “walking stick” behind back

Day 4
A. Wide-grip pull-ups 4×6 ____lb Add at least one rep total per week
B1. One-arm dumbbell bench press 3×8 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week | Rest 60 seconds
B2. One-arm cable row to neck 3×8 ____ lb/_____lb/____lb/____lb +2.5%/week | Rest 60 seconds
C. Pronated cable triceps pushdown 3×10 ____lb +1 rep per set/week
CIRCUIT 3×10 +1 rep per set/week:
D1. Barbell wrist extension ____lb
D2. Barbell wrist flexion (same weight) ____lb
D3. Gripper work ____ Gripper
D4. Low-pulley external rotation ____lb
D5. “Poor man’s shoulder horn” external rotation ____lb

Exercise clarifications:

Anderson squats are AKA Overcoming Squats, and you simply perform the concentric portion from a rack, power cage, etc, first…so up then down, as opposed to a normal squat: down, then up.

Barbell corner press, trap raises, and cable pullthroughs are all from T-nation: Christian Thibaudeau, Chad Waterbury, and Dave Tate, respectively. Look em up.

“Partner-assisted” glute ham raises means I have no GHR machine and use someone heavy to hold my heels down. I progress them by using more controlled eccentrics each workout, and by coming up higher. There’s some cheating involved.

The PVC walking stick idea you can find in an earlier post, and the incline walking is for the calves - active recovery and increased hypertrophy. I credit Chad Waterbury for both ideas.

The Poor Man’s Shoulder Horn was published by Mike Robertson…one simply sits on a bench with the knee bent and on the bench; the leg is perpendicular to the body and one can do full-range-of-motion external rotations by pushing the elbow back into the knee.

If you wish to print this and use it, simply copy and paste into MSWord or similar and use 12 point Times New Roman.

If you aren’t using Surge yet, try it. I take two servings, half-before half-during and a whole serving after, during mass phases. I take one to one and a half (half before/half after) during leaning-out phases. I really feel that it contributes to my recovery and gains, and it’s the perfect vehicle for creatine. 2.5-3 bucks a serving might seem expensive, but someone on T-nation once challenged me to try it and I did – haven’t looked back since. Besides, even if you work out 4x per week, you’re only spending $10 a week or so. If you can’t get it for some reason, use a 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin or dextrose or glucose to whey protein. But it’s not going to taste the same as Surge, and it won’t have the BCAAs.

Also, get a body pillow and a fan and make sure your lights in your room are all off during the night. These are so important. The body pillow isn’t necessary for everyone, but it definitely beats a regular pillow between the knees. (Eric Cressey says: If you’re sleeping on your back, put a pillow under your knees; if you’re sleeping on your side, put it between…if you’re sleeping on your stomach, stop it!). I am somewhat lanky and now that I’ve gained some mass it’s very uncomfortable to sleep without a body pillow for my arms and hips…my back feels all out of whack and my shoulders roll forward while I sleep.

A fan provides “white noise” and really improves your sleep quality. I like a Holmes InstaFurnace space-heater with the heat off. And lastly, your body produces less melatonin (sleep hormone, basically) and therefore less growth hormone and testosterone if you have light during sleep. This means alarm clocks, nightlights, closet lights, streetlights, etc, etc.

Also avoid fluids in excess a few hours before bed so you don’t have to get up to urinate. And ZMA or (less optimally) an off-brand combo of Zinc and Magnesium not only help with recovery, but really help with sleep quality.

Go out and spend $30 for a tub of surge, $10 for some ZMA, $10 for a fan, and $15 for a body pillow (Walmart) and see for yourself how much difference these simple improvements make!

Some thoughts on integrating articles, new info, advice from friends, and so on, into your fitness repertoire.

“Analysis paralysis” is the name that a lot of fitness writers today give the experience most folks new to the wealth of info on the web experience. We can actually apply that to things besides fitness, but think about it: there is so much info out there that you are bound to run across contradicting views on any question you could possibly have. First, some ways to break through the paralysis:

Try everything. Go with what you like first, and if it works, great, stick with it! But keep an open mind.

Budget your “planning time.” I probably spent three weeks designing the “perfect program” when I first began lifting seriously. It was an amalgamation of principles from my own experience, from Chad Waterbury, from Christian Thibaudeau, and even from the Westside Barbell Club! Now, it was a good learning experience, but I spent those three weeks screwing around in the gym. I should have been trying other people’s programs, not writing my own!

For more advanced lifters, try integrating only the relevant aspects of the info you acquire. For example, I occasionally still experience analysis paralysis when I read a new article. Essential Waterbury is an awesome article but it left my head swimming. Then I read over it and started to realize how much of it I already incorporate, and began to make a mental list of what I would like to try. That was much more simple.

Don’t discount what you’re already doing right! You will sometimes run across info that contradicts what you “know” is right. Guess what? You’re right! It probably works great for you. So don’t fix it if it isn’t broken. You can’t argue with results.

There are plenty of differing opinions on “specializing” on body parts and so on. The only thing I’ve ever specialized on was my arms, with Charles Staley’s Escalating Density Training. Did it for four weeks and my arms got a fair amount bigger, but I regretted it. I also gained 3-4 pounds of fat because I didn’t realize how much less I’d be burning, and that wasn’t worth it.

I think the more advanced you are the more you may “need” to specialize on one area or body part or movement while putting the others on hold. In other words, when you really know how to do it and what to do to specialize, you are possibly ready.

But I highly prefer another approach: Chad Waterbury advises simply increasing the frequency of your training regarding the lagging body parts in question. True novices don’t even need that, in my opinion: they can simply stick with basic compound exercises and, provided there is a balanced program in place, they will do fine. But take me for example…for some reason, my traps would simply not grow. In particular my upper traps were lagging. Enter Chad Waterbury’s Perfect 10. It works, trust me! And since you can do that concurrently with almost any program (except perhaps hardcore fat loss), there is no need to reduce the training volume of other body parts! You get the best of both worlds.

Another similar, but more comprehensive and sustainable approach, is his HFT Handbook article/program (it’s more like a set parameters). You pick lagging body parts and focus on them more, but not to the detriment of your “good” areas.

I believe that frequency not only provides the largest amount of hypertrophy for a given area or areas, it also improves the neural pathways to the extent that they will continue to grow more after you decrease the frequency. Case in point, I used to rock climb and mountain bike a lot. My lats, rear delts, and quads grow with little to no extra attention. Christian Thibadeau cites the case of one of his trainees, Sebastian-somebody who goes by “da_beast” online…the guy’s traps grow like mad with no work, and he believes it is because he used to carry heavy stuff around as a young kid.

So to recap…

Unless you are advanced (training for 2.5-3 years or more), total specialization is probably not the best option for you. If you’re truly advanced though, you probably know your body very well. Even then…

High frequency training will probably get you the most bang for your training buck: simply increase the frequency, within reason, of the lagging body part. This goes for everyone except rank beginners.

Everyone should hit their lagging body parts a bit harder than the others, but it’s probably a bad idea to totally specialize. If your lats are huge and your biceps won’t grow, stop doing pullups and do close-grip chinups. If your triceps are lagging, narrow your bench press grip and do more dips.

There is a difference between turning a weakness into a strength and specializing. The former is your key to success in weight training and arguably in life…while the latter is usually a way to decrease your overall fitness and training efficiency.

Two neglected areas, in my view, are grip strength and the neck. If you want real world functionality, train your neck and grip. If you want to look good in long sleeved shirts and with clothes shirt on, train your forearms and neck.

Think about it. If you can deadlift 500 but only with straps, are you going to be able to pick up a 300 pound boulder or tree? Doubtful! If you can do a ton of chins but only with straps, is that going to help you climb out of a pit made by a meteorite that barely missed you? (Ok, ok, I need better examples)

The neck is pretty important too. You need a developed neck, if not a bull neck, to look balanced. Pencil necks suck. Your neck also comes into play in preventing injuries to your head and spine whether you got punched, were in a car wreck, or just slipped and fell.

This topic has been covered more than extensively enough, but there are basically four types of grip/forearm strength: crushing (handshake strength), pinching (thumb strength), supporting (like holding onto a barbell while you lift it off the ground), and wrist strength (wrist curls, etc, etc). Each has some carryover to the others, but not much. So if you want a great grip, train them all. Google for John Brookfield if you really want the lowdown on it - his book is probably worth it and he has plenty of tips on Ironmind.

Another great way to train your grip is to use a 1.5″ rope doubled up in each hand for exercises like pull-ups, presses, and rows. For an in-depth explanation check out CW’s Rope Revolution.

As for the neck, I have a Hercules Headstrap from Ironmind, but I don’t think it was worth it. You can do neck flexion/extension with a plate just fine, and I really like doing isometric bodyweight holds on a Swiss ball. Get in a pushup position with your forehead on a Swiss ball and then lift your hands gradually until you are supporting your weight, or a lot of it, with your neck. Be careful training your neck. DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF BEYOND YOUR LIMITS. I also strongly advise against doing rotation movements with your neck, and I think side-to-side movements are a bad idea too. Do the Swiss ball holds for time, at most for 45 seconds. You can do a similar thing standing with rubber stretch bands, figure it out. Works your core nicely too…maybe I should call it a neck plank.

John Sullivan on forearms/grip

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1563264

This article on strength standards, by Tim Henriques, is pretty nice. Personally, I don’t test my one-rep max much on any lift, or haven’t for over a year anyway. I prefer to see my lifts go up in work sets (the sets I do during my workouts) - that’s just as sure an indicator of improvement, since I’m not a competitive powerlifter or weightlifter.

Feel free to post comments and say where you stand on this.

Personally I think 315 bench press is more difficult than 115 skullcrusher, and 315 squat is harder than 105 military press for most people probably. But all in all, a good standard. The Hoffman Standards are a bit harder but they also have more lifts.

My deadlift is Good or a bit better I think. I haven’t maxed in so long, but 4-5 months ago I repped about 300 8 times with a snatch grip. For several sets. So it seems like I could do 400+/-. My bench and squat are probably in between Good and Decent, but with a really wide stance and going to parallel I might hit 405 in squat. I always go ass to grass though, and usually with a narrow stance.

I don’t wanna test anything right now, though. I’m pretty pooped from this low carb stuff.

My strength goals:
2-2.5x bodyweight deadlift, documented one rep max
2x bodyweight squat
bodyweight overhead press no cheating, kicking, pushing (just pressing)

If it can sit on your shelf for years, it will sit on your hips and thighs for years. -Dan John

Time is an investment just like money, why spend four hours looking for the info you need when you can buy a book for $12 on it? Apply that advice to other things as well…why spend an hour to get a product for $4 less? Paraphrased from John Berardi

The body is a unit. Take care of all of it. Long term strength sport/physique success is dependent on HEALTH. Floss. -paraphrased Dan John

Reality is what makes the world of silence more real than the world of speech -paraphrased Virginia Woolf

I suggest looking into the concept of G-flux by John Berardi. Google it.

Me:

I would suggest hunting, cleaning, skinning, and cooking your own meat, even if only once, if you do eat meat. Why? It’s so easy to buy a hamburger, or cook bacon, or whatever. I don’t enjoy taking life, but it is a very sobering and centering experience to kill and eat your own meat. Not only is it primal and essential (I don’t feel I can live optimally with a vegan lifestyle), it is something that we hardly ever consider. When I eat a hamburger, I think of the animal that I am consuming, that is becoming part of me. Do you? You will grow as a person if you hunt your own meat, even if you just kill a squirrel or rabbit (they’re good eatin’, they live off nuts and berries and such, it’s very healthy).

If you don’t feel up to killing an animal, removing its entrails, and cooking it yourself, what gives you the right to eat meat?

Since I’m doing fat loss right now, and I read this abstract of an interesting study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15894038&dopt=Abstract

–I bought a licorice root extract for $10, suspended in alcohol, and I am rubbing it on my stomach and “love handles” mixed with Nivea lotion. I would have preferred a pre-mixed creme, but we’ll see how well this works. In the study, I believe, they used a solution of 2.5% glycyrrhetinic acid. I don’t have a way of calculating the amount, here, but each “serving” is 30 drops (with 30 servings per bottle) and I am using 45 drops. So it should last about 20 days. I don’t necessarily expect much, but that study is pretty solid looking, and every little bit counts.

Lately I’ve been really into Ursula K. LeGuin and Larry Niven. Sci-fi is such an amazing, and underrated, genre. Sure, it’s filled with pulpy nonsense, but so is every genre. And the reason that nonsense exists is that it is emulating truly great writing! Niven is just amazing at creating worlds and concepts, and his writing is good enough to satisfy my literary side. LeGuin is the whole package. The Left Hand of Darkness is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, and she does an excellent job creating even the mythology for her world. And her Earthsea saga is also excellent.

I’d really recommend trying these two, especially LeGuin, if you haven’t cracked open the sci-fi genre, or haven’t taken a liking to it in the past. And the way LeGuin presents social issues…well…let me attempt to descripe it: surreal, hyperreal allegory on steroids. Truly, sci-fi is a way to present social issues that just can’t be achieved with other genres!

In fact, make a habit of trying new things like that. Look beyond the surface, and give yourself a chance before you decide you wouldn’t like it because you…whatever. Just try new things!
Here’s a fun wikihow: How to Exercise an Open Mind.

Here’s another piece of advice. Take your own advice! (see reference to overweight/unhealthy doctors below). That’s half the reason I made this blog, to give me a reason to listen to my own advice.

Oh, get a Swiss ball (exercise ball) and sit on it in lieu of an office chair. Sure, you might get made fun of, but your body will thank you forever. It is more comfortable than, and MUCH better for your posture than, any chair I’ve ever seen. That tip is from Chad Waterbury in his new book:

Muscle Revolution. For fitness enthusiasts it’s a great place to start, and not a bad place to stay if you want the basics presented to you in a concise, relevant, and easy-to-understand fashion…the basics are the most important part! Get it on www.t-nation.com.

Here I’d like to explain that it’s great to know the “basics” of working out: What works, and how to do it. But you will really increase your knowledge of your body by understanding why it works too! That scientific stuff is pretty heady, but if you get your head around it so to speak you will honestly be much more well-rounded. The same goes for everything you do: ask WHY, not just how! (Thanks Einstein, for that advice: always ask why!)