Primal Patterns and Length/Tension relationships.

Part of the Scientific Back training course I took from Paul Chek that opened my eyes to the concept of balance in the body between the flexors and extensors covered the topic of Primal Movement Patterns.

Chek taught that all movements could be broken down into seven basic "primal patterns":

1) squatting

2) lunging

3) pushing

4) pulling

5) bending

6) twisting

7 gait

This made total sense to me and helped me considerably design balanced training programs that really covered all the bases.Add in his concept of the correct order of training:

1) flexibility/mobility

2) stability

3) strength

4) endurance

5) power

And how one must be 'qualifed' in one area to progress to the other(especially for newbies and or the injured or post rehab people) and I had a solid base from which to proceed. For instance, if your ankles do not bend properly) either symmetrically or asymmetrically, then your squatting pattern isn't going to work right, nor your gait.Skipping over this point just ends up with compensated mechanics,accumulated microtrauma and,eventually injury. This I found out.

Once one has covered the basics with these qualities one still must keep them 'up' by checking their capacity regularly. For they can change, often dramatically, almost overnight.

Sit on a plane for 15 hours,sleep in strange beds, drag luggage all over and then in meetings for a few days and see what can happen to all the above qualities ( even if it is just temporary). Especially if you choose to load the body in that unbalanced state.

So, for a long time I made sure to include resistance exercises for all the primal patterns in my routines focusing on using the appropriate stretching exericses to open up any tight musculature that impeded the primal pattern before loading.So there were always some form of loaded squats and presses,even as I was working so diligently to re-open the tightness that this loading produced.

Resistance squats always overworked my already too tight abs and much stronger right leg/glute and left erector. I had used assymetrical loading( left leg only lunges, r-l only chopping motions) trying to balance things out but bilateral squats and then presses always caused problems it seemed.

Slowly I dropped all the squats and presses as I focused on the kettlebell swings and snatches more as my main movements.The kettlebell swing is almost a complete Primal Pattern array in itself comprising four of the seven patterns: squatting/bending type motions,pulling, twisting( one arm kb work) and if taken overhead a good substitute for pressing. I was always worried that my legs would dissapear if I didnt load the squat but now it seems that the swings and snatches are doing a great job of not only maintaining leg strength and functionality;size is maintained as well.

Especially for someone who is "built to deadlift", not squat.

Then it dawned on me; I still needed to do the squatting and pressing patterns I just didnt need to load them! Instead of doing stretching and release work for the individual muscles that were holding back my squat and press patterns I should use the squat and press positions as yoga like poses and develop the flexibility I needed by stretching the pattern out itself!

This has worked very well, allowing me to keep developing all my primal patterns but according to each specific muscular/motor pattern need.Squats became a timed stretch activity and overhead presses were done with the stick with a focus on opening up the tight lats and pecs,deveoping the overhead position and activating the deep rhomboids that were not allowing my scapula to rotate properly.

Stretching the squat pattern also showed me just how much the ankles and calves flexibility ( or lack thereof) really influences the deep squat position as well as importance of pelvic mobility and stability in this pattern.Same with lunging. While I could do kb lunges and used mostly left leg only lunges trying to strengthen the left leg strength imbalance it never seemed to work.

The tight left leg/calf needed stretching in that position not more loading. The standard karate stance lunge position works great.

My injuries and imbalances are pretty acute and most could build up to loading most if not all these primal patterns, but the point is , they don't necessarily have to.Plus all these patterns should be checked for ROM on a regular basis anyway.It's so easy to get tight;especially when one is loading heavily or intensely.

I read about people with back problems still trying to load their squats and I would bet dollars to doughnuts they are seriously assymtrical in their squat positions!This becomes very apparent when you are just stretching this position looking for square and plumb .

Of course it was a bummer for me to have to give up loaded squats and presses after so many years of it being my favorite and strongest movement(s). But after being in so much pain after each session I realized that focusing on loading the things that my body can do and taking a corrective approach to these still crucial patterns was the smart( and mature)thing to do. Hey, I'm 50 years old, its about time I matured a bit :))

So now I realize that Cheks Primal Patterns can and should be used by all as a base level of movement ability, it's just not necessary for all of them to be progressed simply by the idea of increasing resistance or load. Sometimes all they need is a good stretch.And how very, very important the idea of real balance in the body truly is.Ignore it at your own risk.

Speed snatches, two handed swipes and mills

Back to 24kg snatches today and wanted to focus on speed and power on each of the sets. I decided to do each arm separately and do some higher reps keeping the accereration high every rep.I locked out each rep but did not pause overhead; constant motion.I was snatching at my mvo2 pace, 7 reps per 15 seconds.

warmups:
2 clubbell swipes
3x10 with 10's

Snatch
16kgx5/5x3
24kgx 15 -15
x14-14
x13-13
x12-12
x11/11
x10/10
x10/10
x9/10
189 reps
10,017 lbs

Tore a callous on the 9th rep on that set and didnt know how bad it was so I stopped.It was my fault as I didnt shave and sand my callouses after the max vo2 reps on wednesday and going for speed really increases the forces on the hands.wanted 200 reps but oh well.

Two handed swipes
2x10/10 with 15 lbs
2x10/10 with 25
1x30/30 with 15

wow,this was tough for even moderate reps but I love it. Very good leverage here for me.Here's the video:


Two handed mills( for Adam)
Normally I do single arm mills today but adam requested a video so I figured I would do them again. I definitely need the work with the 25lber.I can be fluid with the 15 but the 25 I still have quite a lag with my hip drive/rotation.Only second time with the 25 and probably the 4th time ever doing them.I do like them though, they give a very powerfull upper body feeling.
1x10/10 with 15
2x10/10 with 25
1x30/30 with 15


datsit. beautiful cali sunny day today. I need some warmth!

Max Vo2- back off

It was very nice knowing I only had to do 30-35 sets of 7 today in the snatch.Monday's little foray into power and speed reps left me way more sore than I imagined I'd be and was glad for the break in volume with the snatch today.It was also nice to know that my conditioning level is such that 210 snatches in about 15 minutes is now light volume for me.

5:30 am
60 minutes rifga stretches, foam roller work and full body Z drills

first client cancelled at the last minute so I had a great start to the day with flexibility and mobility work first thing. This is the best way for me to start the day.I usually get 15-20 minutes but the whole hour is perfect and nothing gets left out.I love those new high density foam rollers; they're almost impossible to wear out.

1:30 pm Max Vo2 Snatches 15:15
16kgx 35 sets of 7 reps every 15 seconds.

Had seriously thought I would only do 30 sets today and get a real low volume but I felt fine at 30 and stayed on course with 35.This was the easiest this has ever been. Rep speed is fast too, power is high and my body is not breaking down but adapting. This is good news.

CB Mills
10lbsx10/10x2
15lbx 8/8

15lbx50/50 PR!

This was tough but good.really could feel how I have to recruit the trunk stronglythrough out the entire movement as I fatigue with this weight.I can't play around with it like I can a bit with the 10lbers.

Two hand mill
15x8/8
25lbx6/6
x8/8
x10/10

WOW, this is a monster move!You gotta use everything and with moving tension.was very cautious as this takes everything through very big dynamic ranges of motion.Havent trained in the frontal and transverse planes in many years. If you told me I would be doing this type of dynamic rotational movement with heavy resistance and torque just a few years ago I never would have beleived it possible. Its amazing.

two hand arm cast to flag press( barbarian)
15x8/8
25x8/8x3 sets

wow. this is what I originally got this monster for. perfect. so great to lock out the triceps hard on this plane. like doing planches and straight arm gymnastics work again.

BW 161.6
BF 8.8%
Water 60.6%

datsit.

625x2 squat/belt and knee wraps, great angle

This is a great angle to see how the back squat truly is a back/hip movement. Note how the bar travels in a perfectly straight up and down line and he keeps it over his heel the whole time.He could lock his knees out better at the start but this really shows how much hip flexion is needed to be "under" the weight in the barbell power squat, yet he still keeps a solid lumbar curve. great squat!

More than one way to skin a cat.

Saturday kicked my ass.All the fast snatches and hundreds of swipes left me sore in the legs and hips and triceps yesterday and today I was just flat.Not much glycogen left for high rep swings, and the 28 kg was on the menu.I was feeling strong, just not energetic so I decided to focus on low rep, high power swings and see what the total ended up.408 is my PR so there was lot of work to do no matter what the rep configuration.

One arm swings
16kgx5/5x3
24kgx5/5

28kgx5/5x30 sets
300 reps
18,900 lbs.
75% intensity

wow. this was a revelation.I haven't done any low rep, super high power swings since I felt stable enough to do higher reps but I can see I've been missing out.The more reps you do per set the less force you can exert on any one rep. Just a basic fact.Maximum force output per rep fatigues the muscle much quicker as much because the lower endurance white fibers are recruited. I totally focused on compensatory acceleration, full hard hip snap and downward compression of the floor. No holding back, hell it was only five reps.
Plus,as I warmed up, as usual, the rest periods got shorter but I wasn't concerned with that and went as fast as I felt ready.the 28 felt light and each rep was maximally powerful, for all 300.Very happy with this output as well as suprised. I will have to include more of these low rep sets for the heavier bell and clubs.
This ended well with me feeling more energized and stronger than when I began. Perfect.

One arm casts
10x10/10
15x8/8
x10/10
x12/12
x14/14
x16/16

very solid.

two handed shield cast
15x8/8
25x8/8
x10/10x3 sets

as usual anything I do with the 25, even with two hands is hard,lol.

BW 162.3
BF 9.1%
Water 60.9%

Datsit.

320lb DL @ 97 lb BW.

Cheryl Anderson demonstrates a triple body deadlift and the Dive technique

Watching the wheel,climbing the hill.

Whenever I train high reps I always get brought back to my cycling days;especially climbing hills. It's so tough, mentally as well as physically, that it always reminds me of those long climbs where you learn very quickly NOT to look up and see just how far you have to go to finish, but just at your wheel and what's immediately in front of you. Same thing here.

I put all my swing and clubbell pr's on the chalkboard and realized I should do a 5 minute SSST with the 20 kg so I decided to do that for todays snatch workout.Was scheduled for the 20kg anyway. It's so nice, and amazing, that I feel I can push myself again without fear of something falling or ripping off like it has in the recent past.All the re and prehab and the consistency of building volume is really paying off. Felt nothing after Wednesdays 50 sets and figured I was good for 100 reps no problem here.

5 minute SSST with 20 kg
warmup: Z and floor drills 15 minutes
16kgx5/5/5/5x2
20kgx5/5x2
then:
10/10 on the minute for 5 minutes: 100 reps.

This was good. the first 3 sets I completed the 20 reps in 35 seconds and had a nice rest before the next set.The 4th set I took 45 seconds and waited 30 seconds before finishing the last 20 in 30 seconds and getting my 100 reps in 4:55.
The only problem with this is that I do really poorly if I dont get a huge warmup, cardiovascularly, before I do a max effort. THis will be obvious from the next exercises and the times performed.I just dont want to push the snatch before I test it; I probably should use the swipe as the warmup and then go into the snatches:

Two CB swipes with 10's
100 reps in 5:04
100 reps in 4:53
100 reps in 4:39

Each set get faster as I got really warmed up. Five minute rest between each set.This was good.

Mills with 10 lbs
50/50 in3:52
50/50 in 3:28

the second set I really got a groove.

Flag presses
25lbs x5/5x3

Two handed mills( practice)
3 sets with the 10

Very very solid workout.Was hoping to do more snatches before I went to swipes but it worked out fine.

datsit!

Max Vo2 snatch PR

50 sets of snatches on the table today with a desired 25 sets of 7 reps per 15 sec cycle, and 25 sets of 8's, which I've never done before.With only 4 weeks in the wave lead up to the 50 sets this thing seems to come up quickly but each time I do the 50 sets it's geting easier and I have more wind so something must be going right.Solo again today which always makes things so much more fun :))
You pick it you play it.Get to work.

Max vo2 snatch 16 kg
25 sets 7 reps per 15 sec
25 sets 8reps per 15 sec PR
50 sets
375 snatches PR
13,500 lbs

This was actually not bad. The first 25 sets went by easy, almost and then the middle part, which usually sucks the most ,especially when I have to speed up, was strong.Like surging in the middle of the race and having some gas in the tank. thats nice; it's been awhile.Form has been solid and consistent.Having to go fast forces it's own efficiency on the movement.Sweatin like a dog.Love it.

Two Handed swipes
10lbsx10/10
15lbsx10/10

25lbsx10/10
x10/8 ( second side getting tired.lol)
x8/6
x6/6 rested between arm, 30 seconds. this is kicking my arms ass.this bastard is heavy.
15lbsx25/25

I need to practice more now with this and keep the reps low and the form crisp. at least with the 25lber.The 15 was fine for reps.

Mills 10lbs
3x15/15

when it's light this is so relaxing to do. very fluid and releasing of the shoulder.love it.Slowed it down and really focused on form, on all the component parts moving at the right time. Oh yeah, did the most Z drills with clients that I have done in 5-6 weeks. LOTS of them . I forgot how that plays with your cns.

BW 161.8
BF9.7%
water 59.6% ( I knew it was low.Every % under 61 I am represents 1% BF on the scale.So if I hydrated to 61.9% the scale would measure me 7.7 %.)

datsit, dats enough, I'm tired.

Sacred Space.

Joseph Campbell writes:

"Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy.
I think a good way to conceive of sacred space is as a playground. If what you're doing seems like play, you are in it.But you can't play with my toys, you have to have your own. Your life should have yielded some.
....A sacred space is hermetically sealed off from the temporal world.When you are in such a space there is no penetration through the enclosure. You are in an eternal zone that is protected from the impact of the stimuli of the day and the hour. That's what you do in meditation;seal yourself off."

The gym has always been my sacred space;going back to that first impression that first day in the Miami Dade gymnastics gym.Training has always been play for me as well as a vehicle to go deeper into who I am and to change who I am according to who I want to be.Bodybuilding gyms back in the day were always semi dungeon like, either stand alone caves or some back part of the 'regular' fitness center. Where the 'real' work got done.
This increased even more with my own gym and then the power corner in the back of the power gym where only the committed( and soon to be committed) went to find out what was real and most true about themselves.
Closing the public gym and training in my garage only increased this sense of a sacred spot, a spot where only I went and where everything was exactly as I wanted it; needed it, to be.On days like today, when my partners are gone and I train alone, in silence this feeling is even greater.
My training always gets me closer, always brings me back to center, always makes me stronger. even when it beats me like a rented mule. I walk into the space in one mind and leave in another, much better one. I can't imagine not having it.

TRAINING
One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2

24kgx15/15x12 sets
x20/20x 1 set
400 swings
21,200 lbs
67% of best( 600)
32 minutes

Man, these went well but that 600 rep number is CRAZY! I certainly could have gotten 450 no problem but I will have to get some special motivation to meet,much less beat, that pr.Just kept thinking: One set, one rep at a time.dats alot of reps :))

One arm swipes
10lbs 10/10
15lb 10/10
25lb 5/5x2
4/4x1
15lb 20/20

wow! that 25lber in one hand is a MONSTER! Left arm was much better than right;it is easier with zero choke in some sense but right shoulder is a little less mobile in the back position with that weight.Plus the 25lb is an inch or more longer and I aint that tall.will work up to this slowly.
after the 25lb sets the 15 felt like a toothpick.

Shield casts
100 continuous reps ,switching hands every ten.
wanted something light after the swipes and this was good.Could have done a lot more reps per arm. 200 in this for sure.Lots of z drills and rifga stretches thoughout the morning shift.

One CB Rockit
25lbsx10/10x3

these were tough too!That 25lber is a brute.
BW 162.2
BF 8.7%
Water 60.9%

datsit!

The Swing's the Thing

Tracy,The Queen of Swing

Great post by Brett Jones on his blog, which I have stolen so all can learn from :))

Applied Strength
Strength, Kettlebells, Health, Fitness, and a balanced approach
Sunday, January 06, 2008

Question of the day...Swing height? How high and why?Swings are the center of the RKC universe as Rif has so eloquently stated and as such they are essential to master. One of the recurring questions is how high to swing the Kettlebell during swings. My answer is - between waist and shoulder height with an "ideal" of chest to shoulder high.The swing is about projection of energy not elevation of energy.
So if I feel like putting a kettlebell overhead I will snatch it not swing it. Can you swing to the top? Sure - as long as you got there by projecting the kettelbell along its arc of movement and did not "lift" the kettlebell to the top. But most people will begin to lift instead of swing and miss the point of the exercise.In the swing the movement is more important than the motion - meaning a short, crisp hip snap will provide far more benefit than an incomplete hip snap with a lift of the kettlebell with the arms.
Try doing a "progressive" swing where you start with shorter hip motions (but always finish the hips) and gradually over several reps increase the amount of hip motion and kettlebell motion. See where your "best" swings are occuring. I am willing to bet it will be at chest to shoulder level.
And here are three more tips to improve your swing:Tip #1 - Connect the arms to the body
Stand straight and tall like you have finished a swing and hold your arms out in front of you at shoulder level - now bring the arms down so they connect to your body and are tight against your ribs. Leave your arms there and push your hips back like you are at the bottom of a swing and then reverse the movement with the hips leaving the arms on the ribs until the hips bump the arms off.
Tip #2 - Hike the kettlebell
If you have connected the arms to the body as described above then hiking the kettlebell will come naturally. On the descent with the KB do not let it pull away from you toward the ground but rather connect the arms to the body and hike it back behind you high and tight in the groin.Tip #3 - Hips lead the race
Once you have connected the arms to the body and hike passed the kettlebell you begin the swing by extending the hips. Obvious - however, you should finish the hip snap/extension long before the kettlebell reaches the top of the swing. And once th kettlebell is decending again and you have reconnected the arms to the body - it is the hips that push back first. Put the hips at the lead of the hip extension and the push back (once the arms have reconnected) and you will gain power and coordination with the swing.Once you have mastered these tips on the swing try implementing them on your snatches and see if you don't get a great carryover.
And my upcoming workshops...Jan 26-27 FMS workshop in PittsburghRegister on www.functionalmovement.com (go to courses and workshops and you will see the dates mentioned for an FMS workshop)email me at appliedstrength@gmail.com with any questions.February 1 Secrets of the Shoulder workshop at the Sporting Club in La JollaEmail Paul David - paul.david@thesportingclub.com for details and to register.February 2 Intermediate Kettlebell workshop at Iron Core in San Diegohttp://ironcorekettlebells.com/workshop.html

read more of MRKC Brett Jones's wisdom on his blog:
http://www.appliedstrength.blogspot.com/

It's about time.

Lately I feel like I have entered a new level of ability, physically and it's been great. I have lived to train hard my entire life and not being able to for the last 7 years or so has been hell. I have worked hard to really establish as deep and wide a base as I could, hoping, but not knowing, that it would allow me to really get back to a high level of strength and condition.Breaking things down to just the movements that I could do that didn't hurt me( swings, snatches, walks) and eliminating those that did( squats, presses, bilateral work) let me build up slowly without breaking me down.
Add in all the body balancing work I did and it seems that it is finally paying off.As the base grows the top end grows just by default and this is what it feels like now. I can push myself a bit again, and instead of getting wrecked by it, I can adapt and grow! I have really,really missed this.Training without being able to expect much in the way of improvement is way tough.Just doing it because you know without it you would be much worse.
There are still many things I can no longer do or should try to do.I have orthopedic restrictions that will not change.And that's all right with me. I am so happy to be able to train with the exercises and movements that I can use that I prefer to focus on that and not my limitations. And now with the clubbells and whole new doorway has opened.Another tool I can use that not only doesnt hurt me but helps rebuild me.
Plus, who knows what's next?
Today the 24 kg felt like it should, like the 16 kg feels.Light. I can't believe how much benefit I have gotten from those so light, but so fast max vo2 snatches.Mass X Acceleration really does equal force and moving light things fast really create lots of power. Power is good.
Having more gas in the tank from the vo2 work also makes things lots easier and I can really feel this effect.

Snatch
16kgx5/5x2

24kgx8/8x12
192 reps
10,176 lbs
All reps done as fast as possible with a solid stopped lockout position.It really felt the same way I do when I snatch the 16 on wednesdays! exactly what I have been waiting for. Being 163 instead of 159 helps a bit too.Takes mass to move mass. I would have done 200 but I'm not greedy and I had a big set to do with the clubs next movement.

Two Clubbell swipes
warmup:
10's x10x2

15'sx100 reps/ PR

wow! this was tough but very good.grip definitely much harder than the tens.Again started off slowly and picked up the pace considerably the last 30 reps.this is a very strong movement for me.Didnt have much left, though after this but next time I won't snatch first,lol! a 50 rep pr, not bad at all.

15lb Mills
15/15
20/20
25/25
40/40 pr
100 reps each arm

ouch. didnt want to do that last set of 40 but also didnt want to do 2 sets of 20 so I just went for it. also a pr.played with a higher catch position before the turn that worked well.

well, not a bad day at all!recovery after all these sets if very quick and I finished feeling like I could do more.

datsit

Day Three

Third workout in three days and was a bit worried going into today's session.Woke up more sore than expected and was wondering the effect it might have on the snatches or my endurance with the 45 sets that were on the schedule. Things stretched and Z'd out nicely today and when I jumped right in I was suprised that I was actually moving as fast as I ever have.Form was spot on.The groove was greased.
Contemplated jumping right up to 8 rep sets but realized I didnt need to push it on all cylinders. Ah the joys of injury born maturity.
'Bout time.

Max Vo2 Snatch 15:15
16kgx29 sets of 7
16 sets of 8
331 reps
11,916 lbs.

not bad at all.lockout was easy and pace was solid. actually had time to mark down sets with chalk and wipe the sweat off as opposed to just having enough energy to stand there and breathe before,lol. These are the little things that tell me I am getting in better shape.Way more reserve even though at the end of the 45 sets HR was 190!Tried to sprint as fast as I could, the last 5 sets particularly.

CB Mills with 10lbs
20/20
25/25
30/30
40/40

needed this teshnik work. Have a lot of work to do with the 10's before I do many reps with the 15's.Really got into the rythym, particularly the last set and especially the left arm . picked up speed a lot the last 15 reps.

CB Barbarians
4 sets of 8/8 with 25 lb cb

ok, now my arms are really really done. I need a rest and some food.great way to start the new year though.

datsit.

208 in 2008

Inspired by Takei's 2008 presses but not quite as insane as him I decided to do something symbolic for the first day and the first workout of 2008.This is the second time in two weeks I had a morning off so I decided upon 208 swipes with the 10 lb clubbells.
When I did 150 of these last week I thought I could have done 200 but saved something for the mills I also had planned. Nothing to hold back today for so:
Z drills warmup: 10 minutes
a few swings, pendulum swings and arm casts with two tens then

Two Clubbell Swipes
208 continuous reps in 12:40 sec with two ten pound CBs!
No rest at all even though my nose itched for the last 70 reps,lol! Went through the first 160 at a very steady pace and then picked it up for the last 48 reps.Really feel a solid groove with this movement. With someone pacing me I know I can do this in ten minutes.
Next goal, though, is 100 reps with the 15's.
Two handed swipes with 25 lb 5 sets of 8/8
I really really like this move! first time I tried it and it is serious with the 25 but I feel the same groove as I do with the two handed version of this. Will definitely add this in the mix.
Two handed circular casts with 25lb 4 sets of 8/8
this is really challenging with this weight.
KB walks 1200 feet switching hands every 200.


bout time I got this in. quick and dirty for the first day into the new year. Maxvo2 snatches should be fun tomorrow.
bad picture but a nice pump after the 208 reps!

datsit and Happy New Year!

"Scientific Back Training"

This course by Paul Chek changed my life in so many ways that looking back on it now it's hard to believe how I came to take it. I found it in 1997 totally by accident when I saw Chek's course on " squatology" advertised somewhere and, being the total squat freak at the time, I wanted to read everything and anything on squatting that might make my poundages go up.

Of course it had very little to do with competition power squatting but when I realized the whole course was little more than the price of the one tape I got and took the entire course.Little did I know it would form the basis of my corrective exercise work with my injured clients and then my injured self just a few years later.

It also introduced me to the work of Vladmir Janda and the entire concept of Length/Tension relationships, tonic and phasic muscles and achieving real balance of the musculature of the body by looking at the interconnectedness of everything in the body.the body as a total unit working together,not just a conglomeration of disparate parts.

I went back and looked over the course manual again a few days ago and really gained a new appreciation for the amount of great information included in this course that still holds up perfectly well ten years later.Here is the table of contents:

Gross Anatomy:

1) transverospinalis group

2) erector spinae group

3) Important back musculature

4) abdominal musculature

5) thoracolumbar fascia and related musculature

6) intra abdominal pressure

7) hydraulic amplifier mechanism

8) erectors vs abdominal musculature as rotators and stabilizers

9) spino Scapulo musculature as back muscles

10) shoulder girdle position and its influence on thoracic curvature

11) gleno-humeral and spino scapular force couple mechanisms

12) hip extension mechanism sagittal plane

13) frontal and transverse plane force couples

14) understanding lumbo pelvic rythym

15) posterior ligamentous system vs hyperlordosis

16) lumbar disc pressures as a % of standing and in various postures

17)Understanding lumbo pelvic rythym and lumbar lifting posture in conclusion

18) reading the back

19) facilitation of tonic muscles

20) posture curves and exercise selection

21) determining pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis

22) recognizing spinal rotations

23) the importance of quality neuromuscular motor patterning ( flow chart)

24) facts about motor learning

25) neutral spine philosophy

Exercises:

1) floor exercises

2) horse stance

3) squatology the science of squatting without injury

4) squatting with a relative flexibility imbalance

etc.

Anyone intersted in taking this corresponce course can find it here on Cheks website. Pretty in depth stuff but I found it, as well as his High Performance Core Cnditioning course invaluable for my own training as well as for my clients.If you don't know your anatomy and kinesiology you will after digesting all of this,lol!

Triceps

Larry Pacifico told Louie and he's right. Strong triceps are the key to a big bench and this exercise is one of my all time favorites for building size, strength and explosive strength into the triceps.
It is the rolling db extension as taught by Louie and WSB and we did it on speed day for seven sets of eight with 15 sec rest/sets. My best was 70 lb dbs for the seven sets done after speed bench.These ALWAYS hurt as you were to move the dbs as explosively as you could.
We also used it on max effort day for sets as low as three. My best was 115lb dbs for a set of 3.The stronger my tri's were the stronger my bench was.
It looks like it would kill the elbows and the shoulders but because the load is constantly shifting, and the dbs can rest on the shoulders it really was easy on those joints.As Louie describes it it is more about 'shoving' the weight up, than extending it or pressing it.

Assistance day.

This is working out quite nicely. Saturday has turned into the "lifts" day; snatch swipe and mill and monday will be the assistance/special exercises that I will do to help strengthen the main lifts.Wednesday is the same but different as Sat with max vo2 and more mills.Lighter and faster with a conditioning emphasis.Nice to actually have exercise selection options now, lol. Have been eating too early and too long during the weekends and I really felt it when I had to fast this am and then do these heavy ass 32 kg swings. No fun. Have to get on it on sundays again.

One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2
24kgx5/5

32kgx10/10x13 sets
260 reps
18,720 lbs
76% of PR( 340)

man that pr was set on a saturday morning. it's gonna be hard to break, I think,lol.I went in thinking 300 but it was too much today( 88%).It's also nice to have solid rep numbers to use to base percentages on.I now have my records with the 20,24,28 and 32 kg bells at respectable levels and can wave the loads from here on.

2 arm cast
10lbs x20
15lbsx10x5 sets

ok, this wasnt easy.especially with zero choke but it was solid.this is the perfect move for this portion of the swipe.serious serious tricep work too, way cool.

Shield cast
10lbsx10/10
15lbsx10/10x5 sets

this wasnt easy either. very challenging but solid as well.

Mill practice with 10 lbs 10 minutes
just working on teshnik in slow mo.
Lots of z and floor stretching today and this was good.the elbow and wrist circles are proving every bit as valuable as the ankle work.

bw 162.4!
bf 9.1%
water 60.5%

feel very lean but also much bigger up top. the clubs are definitely changing my upper body.

datsit!

Conjugate Training

Chuck Volgepohl just pulled 836

This could be the most important principle that comes out of the WSB model. Some point to the Russians and Bulgarians as only using the basic lifts to improve their lifts and total but what many don't see is that many, if not most, who use the competition lifts only are built to do those lifts.Pavel refers to these guys as built like 'nesting dolls'.

Nesting dolls are a Russian toy that has one wood carved doll that fits exactly over the other. They come in different sizes(weight classes) but their proportions are exactly the same.Check out the Russian power or Olympic lifters and see what he means. Of course there are exceptions but most of these teams are picked specifically for bodytypes as these have been shown to be able to handle the training. Same with gymnastics.

If you have great natural levers for a specific lift you can gain very well by just using those lifts and cycling the loads.WSB was designed not for the natural gainer, but for those average persons who need a method for progressing once progress has stopped. Louie has very nicely answered the question: " how do you get stronger in a lift once you can't get stronger just by doing the lift itself?".The answer( at least one of them) is the conjugate method.
There are many ways to use this and many different applications.I still use this principle to this day although I no longer powerlift by making sure to work on all the aspects that I need to maintain structural integrity similtaneously.

Another great example of this is strongman training.Strongmen train a huge variety of unique lifts , for either very high loads (max efforts) or high reps to failure.they can ignore the classic powerlifts for a long time and come back and make great progress without actually working the specific lift itself.

My friend Pro Strongman Rob Muelenberg had the exact same experience.After training strongman for 8 months with NO specific power squatting he put on a suit and with no wraps squatted a PR 925 in a meet, up from 815!Now, of course, this is an advanced technque and beginners should steer clear of this until the specific motor pattern of the classic lift itself is laid down correctly. But even beginners can greatly benefit from a correct weak point analysis of their lifts and proper use of the conjugate method. Every one has weak and strong parts of a lift right from the start.Same with mobility/flexibility.If your weak point in the squat is your ability to get depth then you dont need more strength you need flexibility.
Chek's training order of progression is: flexibility, stability, strength, endurance, power. Of course if one is missing one aspect of this list entirely than that should be focused on specifically until one is qualified to work on the next level. But once basic levels are achieved they must be maintained and developed according to need and natural levels. For instance I don't have to worry much about maintaining strength as I have more than I need from my years of training so heavy and hard. I can slack off strength training per se for many moons and get it back quite quickly.
I can't, however, do the same thing with my mobility,stability and flexibility. So those have to not only stay in the mix all the time, they have to stay at the top of the list.Same with muscles. People LOVE to train their strong points and hate to train what's weak but that is exactly how one proceeds if not making progress is the goal. Natural strengths will require very little work. Weak points need to be hammered continually in order to come up at all, much less fast. And weak areas are the first to fall off once training diminishes or reduces in intensity.
For example, I have hardly done any upper body training in the last three years; mainly swings and snatches for my(much) weaker lower body. And yet, just after a month or so of upper body training with the clubs,my upper body is growing like a weed!If I took three years off lower body training I would hate to even guess how long it would take to get some strength and size back in my lower half!
The difference is if one is truly training to improve or just to get a good workout and do what is already strong in.
When one reaches their limit in a classic lift, be in a squat, or a press or a snatch, there is always one( at least)major muscle group that is holding you back. When you fail to stand up from a limit squat it is not the SQUAT that has failed but rather a specific muscle(s).Usually the lower back/abs. Same with a bench.It's not the bench that fails but weak lats or triceps or shoulders. And, as Louie loves to say, the muscle makes the groove. So if you push your bench press back to the rack instead of straight up it's pretty much a guarantee that your shoulders are stronger than your triceps.SO that means WAY more tricep training as well as working with lighter weights and closer grips to develop what's weak.Train what's weak and you become stronger.Train what's strong and stay where you are. Unless you are a super natural, then this isn't for you.
Here's two great articles on conjugate training. Must reads.
Conjugate training part one
Conjugate method part two

Snatches, swipes and mills

I really love this combination of movements. My new three favorites.Doing speed work snatches on wednesday really does prepare me well for heavier reps on saturday.It also helps not to be in pain all the time too.I kinda almost remember how this feels :))

Snatches
16kgx5/5x3
20 kgx10/10x11 sets
x10/10/5/5x1 set
250 reps
11,000 lbs.

300 was the number I had in my head but each set was done as fast as possible and by 200 I was re thinking 300. I wanted to also do a max set of swipes with the 15s after snatches and wanted to leave a little for that.so 250 it was. very happy with everything though. groove was great and speed and acceleration were great. Lockout very solid too although no pause; constant motion.

2cb swipes
10sx10x2
15sx 50 reps PR

First time I have done these with the 15's and was pleasantly surprised and more respectful at the same time. If I did these fresh I could see 75 reps but the 15's are definitely much more of a handfull than the 10s.Go figure ;) Much more cardio as it gets heavier too.No real suprise there.

gama cast, circular cast, circle cast to flag
25lb CB x 3 sets
one cb swing x10 each arm
pendulum swing to order 5 each arm
one arm swipes 5 each arm!!!!( now this suprised me.Not easy but I could do it with a medium choke)

Heres some video of the cb work for David


Mills
1x20/20 with 10lb
1x20 /20 with 15lb ( first time with this as well)

heres the video of the mills with the 10


Very solid day, energy good,felt strong.Havent seen any video of myself doing the mills so that is good. Have lots of work to do on my technique I see.

Datsit!

Holy Crap!

Santa was a few days late and had to use DHL to get the job done but my 25 lb clubbell finally showed up today and MAN! that thing is BIG!!! I have a huge new respect for guys that can do hi reps mill and swipes; hell anything, with this bad boy.
SSGT Glass just got his and called it the Bulldog of Clubbells and I think he's right.I am resisting the impulse to throw it around a bit til saturday is I am just a bit sore from my little training binge.Course I thought this way about the tens when I first got them so hopefully I will adapt to these in the same way.We will definitely be starting out with two handed work with this although I will have to see if I can clean it and do some pendulums with it.Torch press perhaps too.
That would be tough, I bet.I'll play.
I can also tell that the ballistic moves will really have to come from the core to get and keep this baby moving. Trying to arm or muscle this will be be hell on the joints. Lots o torque.
Not sure though that I am going to keep the hammer swing in the mix. as expected it involves TON of core work and I still dont like to really load my rectus and obliques.It just tends to stiffen me up and the hammers did a bit too. Not too much but in the wrong place.I will stay with the circular casts which I should be able to do with the 25.
Lots of fun to come and I can feel my arms growing.Man it is heaven being able to train a bit hard again.

The clock never lies.

which is why I hate training by one.But since the weight is so light in the maxvo2 snatch workouts and the rest periods frequent I can suck it up once a week,lol.
Had thoughts about 20 sets of 7 and 20 sets of 8 but after yesterdays swipe and mill fun and tons of demo work today I decided against it. 40 solo sets was enough in itself. 15 seconds is just not that much time to rest and it keeps getting shorter after each set.

max vo2 snatch
16 kgx 7 repsx35 sets
x8 repsx5 sets
total reps:285
total lbs:10,260
this was done very workman like and I took the full 15 sec by holding the lockout longer.
the last five reps spint got my finishing HR to 180+ no problem. Form does feel solid though.

Clubbell Hammer swings
15lb clubbell x 65/65 pr
x30/30
x20/20
10lb clubbellx 30/30

at first I was goin to only swing in one direction thinking the force was clockwise.I then realized it was counterclockwise: much easier because it's my old gymnastics twisting direction. I need the opposite to counter it( no wonder it was so easy,lol).Did the easy side first and got 65 fairly strongly.Lots of stops and starts on the left side( left arm on top) trying to figure out the groove. 65/65 though, is Coach Sonnon's number for the Hammer swing portion of his Trial by Fire.

CB Barbarians
15lbs x10/10x3

this was tough. I was done

CB Flag
15lbs x5/5x3

this was solid.

bw 160.4
bf 8.7%
water 60.4%

dats it, 3 days in a row. Havent done THAT in eons.A very good sign

Chuck Sipes

Great pic of the late ,great Chuck Sipes. When strength and physique were one and the same.

Here's some more photos of the Champion bodybuilder and Strongman.

Christmas day CB PR's!

Normally don't train on tuesdays but normally I dont have the whole day off either so I decided to test my 10lb clubbells swipes and mills and see if I could hit the century mark.

2 10lb CB Swipes
150 reps in 8 min 10 seconds. PR and first time to 100 consecutive reps.

This was great and not too hard, really.Was shooting from 130 reps and could have done 200 no problem had I also not been planning on doing mills as well. No chalk, no warmup,no rest between reps. solo.

1 /10lb CB Mills
100 reps each arm PR

also no warmup.This was much tougher than the swipes but I got it done. Left arm was suprisingly tougher than right arm. Opposite of snatches.No resting on either arm and second arm was done right after right. Very pleased with this.

Now I've earned my food today.

60 year old deadlifts 694!

here's some motivation for the new year!

heres the usapl link I got it from with more info


usapl link

Speed swings for volume.

Wasnt quite sure how I was going to handle today. Joe's off so I'm solo which usually means faster not heavier. Did the 32kg last week so it's either the 24 kg or maybe the 20kg. The powerlifter in me still hates to use lighter weights than I have to but so much good comes from the lighter weight moved really fast for me.I just have to accept that the 20 kg and below is light now, not the 24kg. The 24 is medium heavy for me and requires its own respect.
Checking my pr swing numbers I realize I don't have a 20 kg swing pr so I have to pick a starting spot.Upon doing so I realize that I have done 600 freaking swings with the 24 kg( that ain't gonna be broken again real soon,lol) and 408 with the 24 so it has to be at least 400. ugh. this is gonna be fun.
Yet I want them all to be fast and crisp so it's 10/10 with as short a rest as I can manage. this is usually pretty long( 1-2 minutes) but damn I hate trying to push hard when I can't breathe.so here goes. Suprisingly I feel good right away and think about doing it ssst style with 10/10/10/10 but realize the acceleration and 'pop' of each rep is good so here we stay.As usual, once I fully warm up it's better than expected.

One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2
20kg x10/10x24 sets
x10/10/10/10x1 set( got anzious to get it over with)
500 swings PR
22,000 lbs( 11 tons!)

this went great and this is such a perfect weight for me for acceleration and speed work.all reps head high and the speed was excellent. Rest periods started out at 1 min+ for the first 5-8 sets then I warmed up and got down to 30-45 secs for the middle sets. the last 100 was about minute long.Form held the entire way.

Two CB arm cast 10 lbers
4 sets of 12,14,16,20
Shield cast 10 lbs
8,10,12,15
One CB arm cast 15 lbs
5,8,8 all sets back to back. I think I like the one arm version better .


rack walks 16 kg
800 feet. switch every 200 feet.at least I am doing it now. Need more footage though.

bw 162 !
bf 8.2%
water 61.3%

datsit. Merry Chrismas to all!

Sunday stretching and Z drills.

Although I have been doing plenty of Z with my clients again, as well as stretching out before work, I havent done a full body z drills session in a few weeks. On one end it's so nice not feeling like I have to "work" on myself to get out of pain I am enjoying the extra time and pain free movement. On the other what got me out will keep me out so it's time to get back to work. Perfect day today too, about 60 degrees clear and sunny. I am like a reptile now it seems. I need the sun and warm temps to get fully defrosted.

Rifga stretches
down dog alternate ham/calf stretch
up dog/prone cobra
bent knee soleus calf stretch
sumo squat stretch for time(3 minutes)
standing karate stretch ( back foot fully flat)
tuck rolling
pike stretch
straddle stretch
horse stance standing squat ,wide

Z drills
lengthening postures front,side
arms out,to side, behind back
overhead
Elbow circles, top and bottom, bilateral
wrist circles ,all component as well as compound
( the elbow and wrist circles seem to unlock my shoulders MUCH better than any direct shoulder work. this has been VERY consistent of late.
lateral,medial ankle tilts
toe pulls
toe circles pointed and flexed
close chain knee circles
open chain knee circles
hip circles 6 ways( foot prontated as rehab position)
( without a doubt one leg(left) stability is the best in memory since my knee surgery)
back half circles
thoracic slides all components then full circles
bilateral : shoulder circles front,back, overhead ,bottom, side,crankshaft
unilateral cross body circles
(I have changed all the shoulder work to bilateral almost by accident and it is working out much better. I use the normal side as a proprioceptive template for the restricted side.this also keeps me from over doing my normal side as well).

finish with downward dog( standing in one place for 20 min still tightens up the left calf).

datsit.

U of Iowa Gymnastics team 1977

Getting an email from my college gymnastics coach the other day inspired me to dig out old photos of my team.That's Neil Schmitt, in black, on the right.I'm kneeling in the second row on the right.It says he was the assistant coach but he was really the Head Coach and what a great coach, and gymnast, he was.He could always demonstrate everything he wanted us to do, better than we could, and without a doubt is the greatest spotter I have ever known or seen.I have no doubt if Neil had been my High School coach I never would have crashed on the trick that blew out my knee.

Here's the photo from the day I got my cast off my knee in 1974 and we were shooting the All City awards picture.I was not ready at all for what my knee and leg were going to look like and I was not a happy camper at all. Thats Kurt Thomas to my right.

Snatch Swipes and Mills.

Its very good when this doesnt hurt.

Saturdays is turning out to be classical movements day for me; snatches, swipes and mills.Monday will be the assistance exercises for this day; swings,arm and shield casts. wednesday is more snatches and another big move the hammer swing with a combination assistance move the two hand arm cast/flag(i.e the barbarian).Need to do side pendulums and two handed circular casts on thursdays as well to really complete the schedule.

This is the first time in 7 years I can seriously contemplate adding a forth day into my training schedule.This is great.

Snatches

warmup( it is 38 deg or so in the garage today :)):

cb swings and swipes, 10 lbs lots of reps

cb two hand swipes 10 lbs same

16 kg snatch 5/5x3

20kg snatch 5/5x2

24kg snatch 6/6x13 sets

156 reps

8268 lbs

these were great.once I warmed up a bit all the snatches were done very fast and explosively.It felt just like max vo2 day.FINALLY that stupid 24kg is starting to feel light again. Took long enough. rests were one minute or so between sets. Just me and Nick today.Was going to do more snatches but wanted to test the swipes with the 15lbers and needed to leave something.

Two CB swipes

10lbsx10 x2 sets

15lbersx10 x1

15lbersx50 reps PR/ zero choke( stopped for a some breaths and grip relief in shoulder park at 40 then finished)

15'sx30

x25

105 total reps

Man, this was HARD.I should have done more warmups as my grip pumped up too fast. it was actually better on the second set of 30 but then I was getting beat.first time with any real reps with this and was very pleased.100 will be very tough and the next time I test it I will do them first.Need to go back to sets and reps now and practice form and not test again for awhile.

Mills

10 lbs x 60/60 PR

10lbsx 20/20x 4 sets

Again, just jumping in to test is tough for me.takes so long to get my groove smooth.the subsequent sets were much smoother. again, back to sets and reps before testing again.

great one today and physically am feeling the best I have in many many moons.my fibula is finally staying in place which is making a gigantic difference in my knee flexion and of course my gait.recovery is also at an all time high. feels like I could repeat the workout right now, 1.5 hrs after its over. Beleive me this is a new feeling.

datsit.

CB Hammer Swings

This is the video I based my form on.I hadn't seen the above video til today

Max Vo2; building back up

Back to 36 sets now for the speed snatches and I was looking forward to ONLY 36 sets.Monday kicked my ass a bit but I was also thinking of starting with sets of 8 and seeing how many I could get before dropping back to 7 reps.
BUT I am a very slowly warmer-upper and I usually dont do much warmup for max vo2 as it is so light and there are so many reps to do.I need at least ten sets( 5 each arm) it seems, as a minimum before I can hit 8 reps per 15 sec cycle.So I starte with 7's and did half the work before going to 8's.I need to work backwards from the top work set til I get to 10 sets as the starting point.
Snatch 15:15
16kgx7 repsx18 sets=126 reps
x8 repsx18 sets=144 reps
total= 270
lbs=9720
its the lockout that I have to skimp on most if I want to go faster so I have to make sure to 'hit' the position but not hold it.felt good today.Max hr at end of work=180 -185

Clubbell Hammer swings
10lbsx20 each directions x2 sets
15lbx20each directionx 3 sets
10lbs x20 each directionx 1 set

Wow!This was the first time I tried this movement and I love it. What a total body movement. Like a hammer thrower winding up for a throw. I never would have thought,with how my back and my shoulder were, that I could ever do a move like this.This is great. After further reflection though, I think I only need to do this move clockwise and not both ways.
Counter clockwise rotations feed into my myofascial windings from all the wrong direction twisting I did as a gymnast.Clockwise will be good . this is another 100 rep plus move.
I just have a feeling for these clubbell moves;I just feel like I know how to do them. Can find the groove pretty quickly.

Barbarians
15lb CB x12/12x 5 sets

its crazy but my arms chest and shoulders are growing from all this concentrated upper body work.

Shield casts
10lbsx8/8x2
15lbx8/8x2
10lbbsx10/10

this was overkill,lol

rack walks with 16 kg
900 feet hand switch ever 200 feet.finally got these in. knee felt great.

BW160.5
BF 8.7%
Water 60.5%

Datsit.

"From handstands to bench presses to jerks.."

Heres a link to a new article I did for Pavels newsletter. It chronicles my path from the always overhead world of the gymnast through the restricting ROMs of powerlifting to redeveloping my overhead strength and stability with the kettlebell. I hyperlinked relevant blog posts and videos to illustrate or detail an exercise or point of importance.
From Handstands...

Wow. This is one strong 21 year old.

Unbelievably strong and technically perfect lifts. ANd ,being Swedish he is probably drug free as well( they have an incredible random, year round, out of meet testing program).But man the modern bench shirt has ruined that lift for me. I can't even watch them anymore.

Watch this!
http://styrkelyftaren.com/media/Film/Mange_961.wmv

Swings.

LOL, there is a definite difference between doing heavy, high volume swings on Saturday morning, the first thing of my day, and doing them after being up since 3 am and working my full client load. No worries, it will just take a little adaptation.Of course today was 32 kg day and my 400 rep PR was in no danger at all.70% sounded like a good number and even it was a optimistic goal. Since I know now to step back rather than falling off after a peak this didnt smart so much.

5 am Z drill and floor rifga: 20 min
pre workout warmup
clubbell swings, pendulums, arm casts. with 10's

1 pm
One arm swings
16kgx10/10x2
24kgx5/5

32kgx10/10x12 sets
240 reps
17,280 lbs

not a bad workload.have to be careful here though, after stretching people, loading weights and carrying bells all morning I have to take the time to open up the forearms before heavy swing loading.tight forearms always end up in my biceps and shoulders so I have to go slowly with this new schedule.

One arm swipes
10lbs x10/10
15lbsx10/10x 5 sets

these were solid, Cant wait to get the 25s

Circular casts
15lbs x15/15x 4 sets

datsit. a short one today, rack walks will have to wait for another time.

Music to squat by

Spent the morning starting the new Stones gym reorganization and found this song on an old training tape mix I had. Never failed to get me going.Never saw the video before.

Reinventing the wheel.

One of the things that frustrates me to no end as a trainer and confuses me as well is why clients and trainers do not study the basic history of the sport or area they are trying to improve.I had a trainer ask me the other day about basic bodybuilding program design and what would be a good approach?

The first thing I would do is point them in the direction of the great of the past such as Arnold, Mike Mentzer and Tom Platz. Why reinvent the wheel?The principles and methods of these greats serve as a perfect template, especially for a beginner, as to how to get started creating a body that develops in the same way. Of course they nuances and details will be different, but all one has to do, really, is go back and study how the greats themselves started out and begin there. There are no secrets, it's all written down for everyone to learn from.This is especially important if one is a trainer. These methods should be studied in great detail.

Even with the answers right in front of you there still is no shortcut and the dues must be paid in sweat and tears but the answers to the test are there for all to see. But it must be studied,analyzed and individualized for oneself.

The same goes for powerlifting. The routines of Ed Coan, Kirk Karwoski, Louie Simmons and a multitude of others are easily accessible and transferable to the average power student. Yet choosing a method and then sticking with it through not just one, but many cycles seems very difficult for many.If you look at Coans book, for example, you will see how he did basically the same exact routine and cycled the same exact way for 20 plus years. Only the numbers basically changed. Upward and upward.This, of course is the goal but more difficult to do than to write down. One must have an ultimate patience to really achieve anything in the iron sports and this is a very hard concept for many,especially if one has training A.D.D.But that must be overcome if real progress is to be made.Emotional discipline is as important as physical discipline when one has real long term goals and numbers to be achieved.

Looking deeper at Coans methods one see's just one or two top sets for each week done once a week. That's not much work, in one sense,especially if one is used to doing crazy amounts of volume or exercises. And what pressure! Knowing in advance, what one needs to do every week for a cycle of 12-16 weeks. And you get just TWO chances to make your weight and reps for that week. But that's exactly the type of pressure you get at the contest. Just three attempts and if you only get your opener you're stuck with a very light weight and a bad total.So it builds the type of mental discipline truly needed to succeed at power meets.

Of course there are many different approaches,many ways to skin that cat, but none of them will work if the components are subbed out for the skills "you like".

I read a post on a forum from someone extolling the virtues of a specific routine that built their squat. One of the first replies was from someone who said it looked good, and he was going to try it with his deadlift and by switching around the recommended assistance exercises! Why even bother doing that routine? As soon as you sub out the basic template it is no longer the right formula!Once you find what works for you it can be used over and over many times. Arnold used basically the same training program for years with minor variations depending on which part of the competition cycle he was in.

Training routines and program designs are very much like a gourmet recipe, yes you can switch out the ingredients or the cooking methods but don't expect the finished meal to taste the same.

So, know your iron history and the methods and principles upon which your sport or discipline stands upon. Choose basic and time tested routines and recipes to use and stick with them! Before you start switching out the ingredients really see what the original formula brings you in terms of progress.Study how the greats of the past did it and find that which feels similar and familiar to you and then FOLLOW IT before redesigning it.There are no shortcuts to great strength or muscle size.

Test day and letting go.

Stones Gym

I purposely have not tested myself, with either kettlebells or barbells, in about two years. I decided that it is in the heat of the competitive moment, when I am working towards a number or weight goal ignoring fatigue,that I tend to hurt myself and I have had enough of that.At least that has been the case. So I have focused on increasing my work loads and work capacity and have not taken the SSST in either five or ten minutes version or really pushed myself into any real fatigued states.
But the max Vo2 work has given my a lot of confidence in my snatch form and work capacity so I thought it relatively safe to give it a try.I have already snatched twice this week but Saturday is always meet day so today it was.I decided that 80 reps was a decent starting point and should be no trouble so 80 was the goal.
I decided to do groups of 5/5/6 reps per arm with a 15 sec rest bout each minute.I didn't know how low the 16 reps would take me but I thought no more than 45 sec.Turned out be be 4o so I got even more rest.

warmup:

10 mins Z and rifga

16kgx5/5/5x3

20kgx3/3

24kgx3/3x2

pretty cold morning for Cali so I took my time and warmed up slowly.

Five Min SSST with 24 kg
5/5/6x 5 rounds
80 reps in 5 min.
4240 lbs

This was fine although I realized on the last set I should do the 6 rep on the first hand instead of the last,lol. 6/6/6 will give me 90 reps and that will be the next goal.Each rep was done fast and explosively with a solid lockout at the top . With only 5's to do I didn't have to pace at all.As expected this felt just like the MaxVo2 training;only the last 5 sets of a 50 set workout,lol.
The real good news is that I removed the stigma of pushing myself a bit now and gained a ton of confidence in my shoulder and back's ability to run a little hotter than 80% effort.
On to the next test.

2 Clubbell Swipes.
Last time I did these I knew I could do 100 reps, so I figured I would stay on the testing track and give this a whirl.I really have a feel for this exercise and have no fear for my shoulder back or knee so I really wanted to push it a bit.

2 10lb CBs x 100 continuous reps, no choke /PR
5 total minutes

This went great. Very steady pace for the first 70(old PR was 60) and then picked up the pace considerably once I realized that I would make 100 no problem. Strong sprint the last ten. I have always done well with negative split racing and this is no exception.The kbs not so much but the cbs for sure.
I have good leverage here and by just squatting down a bit more I get tons more ballistic force going.Sonnon's Trial by Fire challenge involves 130 swipes, 130 mills EACH ARM! and 130 Hammer swings. I just wanted to nail 100 reps but I might have been able to eek out another 30.Time to alternate the 15's into the mix now and build up to 100 with those.

One arm CB Mills
1 10 lb x50/50 PR

This was tough.Sonnon's Trial by Fire has them doing 130 of these with each arm with the 25's. Thats serious and I have a long ways to go but its another very good move for me and my shoulders love it.50 was just about it for me.These were continuous although I think you can rest the bell in the shoulder park position before continuing and the still count the reps.
I also only took five minutes between the swipes and the mills as well.I will stay with the 10's for the most part till I can do 100 each arm back to back.A little work with the 15 for low reps will make the 10's much easier.

The letting go.
My good friend Doc Rob Muelenberg came to Stones gym today to pick up most of the last of my powerlifting equipment that I have left there.I gave him my 20 year old original glute ham raise, competition bench press,Ivanko 250kg calibrated competition weight set, Crain squat racks,Simons Reverse hyper,safety squat bar, 70# fat olympic, trap bar,dip bar and a bunch of heavy db's.
Nick is only training the barbell squat now and I just don't need to have this stuff collecting dust anymore. So all I need is the power cage and one moveable bench.I also kept 2 texas power bars, an old york olympic bar, 400 lbs of machined york 45 lb plates and 4 45 lb york bumper plates.I would rather make more platfoms whereI can do more kbs and cbs than have these unused items as museum pieces only.I always loved this stuff as it was the last remaining equipment from the World Gym power room . I had so many great training sessions there; the original power dungeon as well as such fond memories of all the great strength athletes that I got to train with and who passed though it. They all left a piece of themselves forever embedded in the steel and iron.
So I was happy to give to someone like Doc Rob who I knew would use and cherish it and appreciate it's history as much as me.
Rob, in total WSB conjugate fashion, jumped in a power meet last month and squatted 925 and just missed 1020 despite not having power squatting in 8 months; just training his strongman panopoly of different exericses.All heavy and all hard.And still Drug free.
I will miss having those bits of my past around a little but letting go of them really just makes me see how much more room there is for the things I am really doing now; kettlebells, the clubs and my bodyweight drills. And how little I need to really have what I want.

Another one bites the dust.

Another 50 sets of max VO2 snatches that is. This is the forth time I've waved through this cycle of 35-50 sets and this was the strongest by far, with the last 15 sets done with 8 rep per work bout.15 seconds is about the perfect amount of time for a work set for me. I can go all out but still recover from it quickly.I love going all out; nothing gets me out of my head and into the present moment like having to put my entire body and soul into a physical effort. Just freakin love it.
Someone once asked me how I could spend 5-6 hours a day 5-6 days a week doing gymnastics; wasnt that just too much work?And I told him straight away that I had never considered one minute of the time I had spent in the gym work.I always felt,right from the start, that I was Damn LUCKY to be able to spend that much time doing something I loved so much. School was work, gymnastics was play. Very serious and engaging play, but play.Kettlebells so remind me of that and it's been a long time since I could safely push myself like I did today and walk away feeling not only fine but good.It certainly helps that it is only the 16 kg,but I finally got my ego out of the way and stopped thinking I could only use the 24kg and up.Lots to be learned with light weights I have found.
And the virtual force created from moving fast is a good substitute for moving heavy.Think Sprinter.

Max Vo2 Snatch 15:15
16kg
35 sets of7=245 reps
15 sets of 8=120 reps
total =365 reps
13,140 pounds
25 minutes

Very very happy with this effort. No warmup just go which is very rare for me indeed.Snatch form felt solid and overhead right position was very solid too.I could even lean into it a bit.BUT I was definitely slow the first 30 sets or so and I was 3 or 4 seconds into the next 15 when I stood up. I went on time though even though I got less rest.I really worked the pause overhead for the first sets but knew 8 reps per 15 sec would mean a more aggressive pushoff to make the time and I found I could pick up the pace no problem.
Heartate was almost 190 for the last 5 sets and I was double breathing all the reps. worked great and definitely had more oxygen to work with.Form has been very consistent for a long time now. what a relief and a difference.

Clubbell Barbarian Flags
15lbs x20x6 sets
need the 25 for this badly. too many reps to get fatigue. love this move.

One CB shield cast
10lbsx10 each armx 2 sets
15lbs x8 each armx 2 sets
this was easily the strongest this has been with the 15's. last 2 sets had no choke and were no problem> I thnk I will be able to do this with the 25 right away.

Two Hand Mill
15lbs x10 each side x 4 sets

This was a practice session just trying to get the components and the correct mechanics for this move down. this was the first time I put it into a workout to be trained. Hard to keep the short side arm locked through the bottom. Have to rewatch the dvd on this one again.
Played with the Hammer swing earlier today and that is also going to be a winner for me. That will go well with the 25lber too.I always feel looser in the shoulder elbows and upper body musculature after I finish my kb workouts with clubs. No matter how many reps I seem to do it is very relaxing to me.

Lots of Z drills with clients today as well as standing karate stretches and rifga floor work thoughout the day. feels good and knee extension is the best it has been in long time.

BW 159.8
BF 8.7%
Water 60.5%

datsit,staying loose.

Snatches swipes and mills.

the clubbell work is really coming along and I am finally getting the hang of both the swipes and the mills. It really has a unique full body rythym and is much more rythymic and less explosive than my kb practice. A perfect compliment I think.I still can't believe my shoulder not only can do these rotational behind the back movements but is actually thriving on them! Crazy. I remember the first time I saw a clubbell 3 years ago in Santa Monica and couldnt even imagine I could ever use them! It would have torn my shoulder off! Its come a very long way.
Dropping the pressing in lieu of more swipes and mills is a good tradeoff.

Snatching felt good too, the 20 kg is really the perfect snatch weight for me. Not so light I can go as fast as I want and not have to think about it but heavy enough to challenge me in the higher rep range which I hate and suck at unless unbelievably motivated.

Snatch
16kgx10/10x2
20kgx
20/20
15/15
15/15
13/13
10/10/5/5
10/10
176 reps
7440 lbs.

This was good. I made sure to get a solid overhead lockout and pause between each rep but otherwise went fast. Alternated with Joe so no extra rest. Wind was decent but havent done more than 10- reps at a time in a long time so I got a solid forearm pump.my base just keeps getting wider on swings and snatches.will workup to 200 rep snatch sessions with both the 24 and the 20 kg.

2 clubbell swipes
10's x 60 reps
15'sx20
x15
95 total reps

these were great. I really found a rythym with the 10's and can see 100 reps here in time no problem.doing the 15's after was a bit tough as my grip was seriously getting fatigued now from this work and the snatches.used almost NO choke on the 15's and none on the 10 's sets.it actually saves the grip if you can use no choke and use the knob as a backstop for the heel of the hand.

One club mills
10lb x4 sets of 20/20

these were also the best I have done with these. No choke on these as well.100 reps per arm is the gold standard I read,( with the 25!) so I will start working towards that with the 10s.

was supposed to rack walk today but just didnt have it. the extra hi rep cb work seems to be edging it out. have to work on that.

BW 160.8
BF10.4%b
water 58.6%

datsit, staying loose.

Progressive Flexibility.

While I have realized that the combination of Rifga stretches and Z drills is better than either of them alone, I still have way more lower body tension than I would like. When one major joint only bends half the required amount this is going to be the case but the more open that leg/knee is the less total tension I retain and the better everything feels.

I have known that I have to "get on the floor" and do my prone cobras and down dogs and straddle and pike stretches to keep the hammies and calves open.I also use the sumo and stick squats to open up the hips and my knees but then it came to me that I haven't done with the stretching what I did with the kbs and the Z drills; take it to the next level by taking things to the standing position and treating my stretching and stance work progressively as I do my kb and CB training.

I have been getting on the floor but I havent been really paying attention to how deep my stretches are or if they have been really progressing. I have been just been waiting out the tension; which is good, but it could be much better.Maybe it is time to get my splits back.

And I have to start treating the standing squat and lunge positions as just primal pattern work with deeper stances held with less tension.The same respect for the positions as I would have for the move if I could practice them loaded.

The basic 'karate' stance positions really stretch out the calves feet and opposite side hip flexor and rectus femoris.it also shows me when my shoulders and hips are squared up, or not.

The rectus can really mess with the knee and the back if its tight. It's a knee extensor and hip flexor so it's gotta have it's full length; the standing karate type lunge stretch gets it all. Especially if I work it deep.But I have to work them more consistently and progressively.Also the wide stance deep horse stance. Just cause I can't squat heavy anymore doesnt mean I shouldn't work the position where it's weak; in its flexibility.Especially with the knee forward. That will open up the ankle more as well.

The only thing harder than figuring out what to do is really remembering to do it consistently.

Swings and Swipes.

Just me and Jonathan again so it was a faster paced one arm swing day than when Nick slows us down with all that heavy squatting :)) .Didnt get much good sleep last night so I didnt know how good my endurance would be; normally the 28kg bell gets 12 rep sets but I dropped it to 10's today to make sure.Once I warmed up though I felt great.

One arm swings
16kgx8/8x3
24kgx5/5

28kgx10/10x16 sets
x10/10/10/10
340 reps
21,420 lbs

this was just right workload.Especially happy with the last set where I did them back to back just to get it over with ;)teshnik felt good the whole time.very snappy and powerful. PR is 400 so this is 80%.

One arm swipes
10lbx20 each arm
15lbx25 each arm
15lbx30 each arm
10lbx30 each arm

these were great!can't wait to get the 25 lber!SO much of this is all about the grip, go figure.definetly figuring it out on the fly.

Two hand circular casts
15lbx25 each direction
x30 each direction.

love it.very fluid stuff and the shoulders love it.

Clean to flag
15lbx20 x 4 sets

this is new but I like it already.I might have to get a 45 lb cb as well for some of these two hand moves!

Datsit, staying loose

25 Lb Clubbell Swipes

This is turning out to be one of my favorite moves, it works the shoulder in a rotary way that is very interesting.I have a long way to go to master this one.

For SSGT Glass: The CB Mill

Pretty lifts.

One of my favorite things about powerlifting is that it matters not a whit what you looked like ,physically,when you did it.I went to powerlifting directly from bodybuilding where the ONLY thing that mattered is what you looked like.How much you trained or lifted to achieve that look didnt count at all and was basically irrelevant. As long as it worked for you you could use zero weight and zero intensity and it didnt matter.Virtual muscle, as Pavel would say.

When I went to my first national level powerlifting meet in 1990 to help coach one of the lifters from my gym I was unimpressed at first at the level of "muscle" these guys had.Lots of what I considered back then "little" guys and regular looking guys.Certainly no bodybuilding type freaks.

Unimpressed until I saw what actual numbers they were doing in meet conditions.And that being strong and looking strong were many times not actually connected at all. Man that changed me forever and threw me headlong into powerlifting. After suffering through the no real competition of the male beauty show that is bodybuilding I really needed something athletic. Where it mattered what you could do, not what you looked like. Power ifting, was and is, perfect for that.

And that goes for how each powerlift looks as well.Some of the ugliest powerlifts I have ever seen have been for world records! Head down,knees in, ass out bent over good morning looking squats, elbows out benches or benches with way too close or wide( you thought) grip and virtual stiff leg , round back deadlifts.

One of the most important lessons I took from Mr Simmons was that when one fails to complete a lift; be it squat bench or dead, its not the LIFT that fails but a muscle group instead.Your back or abs werent strong enough to maintain position or get you through the sticking point during your squat, your triceps arent strong enough to stay under the bar in the bench or your abs or hammies arent strong enough to keep your hips in you pull.

Louie said you had to analyze WHAT gives out during a max lift then focus on strengthening THAT and voila, your lift should get better. Until ANOTHER weak point appears and that has to get the same treatment as well.
It could be a muscle group. It could also be your starting strength, or rate of force development,or ability to maintain total tension,all requiring a different solution. The point is to really analyze where you fail in the lift and then bring that up.An unwavering devotion to where you are weak is the only way to get stronger. Because we are always just as strong as our weakest link.Everyone likes to train their strengths, cause its 'fun'. Training your weakness is what makes you better.
And you have to find out where YOU are strongest.If you dont know where you have the best leverage it will be hard to maximize that position. ANd sometimes that position ain't exactly "pretty". as long as its( relatively) safe( I mean how safe can trying to ever increase the maximal load you can move be?) go with it.Seek out, analyze and attack your weak links, wherever they may be or wherever you find them and keep getting better!