Freddy Ortiz Does Not Count Reps
One of my favorite bodybuilders is Freddy Ortiz who was among the greatest of the 1960’s. In my opinion, he is one of the best classic bodybuilders of all-time. Freddy had a mind-blowing physique that transcends the standards of any era of bodybuilding. He may not have had the bodyweight mass that bodybuilders have today, but he had fantastic size and perfectly sculpted muscles where it counted most. His bicep peaks are some of the greatest ever, and his classic V shape is still among the best. You can see the quality of his physique in the following videos:
What I find interesting about Freddy is that he doesn’t like to count reps when he trains; he simply goes by feel. (You can read about this in the article: A Rare Interview With Legendary Bodybuilder Freddy Ortiz). I believe in systematic training and systematic progression, and I also believe it is easier to be systematic when you keep track of the amount of sets and reps you are performing. However, you can be systematic and still be way off in terms of achieving an effective training state. What do I mean by effective training state?
An effective training state stems from the ability to feel the exercise in the muscle being worked, and to know how hard to push each set, how long to rest between sets, and how many sets to do for the muscle group being worked. I believe there are people like Freddy who know the correct training state by feel, not by counting sets and reps. Some lifters and bodybuilders get so in to their predetermined numbers that they lose touch with what their body is trying to tell them.
One of your goals should be to gain enough experience to know when your body is telling you to stop a set. You should have a sense of how long to rest between sets, and when you have done enough sets and exercises for a given muscle group. It is also important to have a feel for how long to rest between workouts before working a muscle group again. If you constantly rely on numbers, you can ignore the obvious sensations that your body is trying to communicate in terms of how many reps, how many sets, how much weight, and how often to train. Learn to listen to your body.
It’s one thing to tell a lifter to listen to his body, it’s another to tell him what to listen for. This is why I often write about precision points and training thresholds. If you tune into your body, you will learn develop body awareness and sense when these thresholds are occurring during your training. Push your sets as long as you can maintain a steady even rep pace, or go one rep past that point. Avoid slow, strenuous, grinder reps. Repeat sets for a muscle group as long as it is at full strength. When a muscle group begins to weaken, switch to a different muscle group. If you come back to the first muscle group and it has returned to full strength, you can work it more, but if it is still in a weakened state, stop working it
Most elite bodybuilders and powerlifters have a tremendous feel for training. If you watch Phil Heath train, he has a tremendous sense for achieving an optimum training state. He uses perfect form and maintains a steady rep pace on all of his sets. If his rep speed is about to slow down, he stops. If he can’t do as many reps as he could on the previous set, he stops doing sets.
Within the world of powerlifting, Ed Coan has a tremendous feel for training. He always pushes hard enough to gain, yet he rarely maxes out to complete a set, or a contest lift. Ed has found the sweet spot of training effort for consistent gains.
If you are using all kinds of complicated training schemes while neglecting to tune into what your body is telling you, consider changing your approach. There is nothing wrong with making plans, but listening to your body should be a part of your plans. Consider planning your workouts around training thresholds (which are precision points), but you can only plan around training thresholds if you can sense where they occur. Don’t neglect the concept of feel or body awareness in your workouts. Apply these principles and you will improve. Best of training to you.
Warm Up Sets Or Back Off Sets
If you happen to read through all the blogs and books on this website, you may have noticed that there are a variety of training methods and workouts; some of which may seem to offer contradictory information. This is especially true in regard to whether to include a lot of training volume before reaching your heaviest set (also referred to as your top set), or after reaching your top set.
The methods that include a lot of training volume before you reach your top set are usually based on doing a lot of warm up sets with a lot of reps before reaching your heaviest set. The methods that emphasize the accumulation of training volume after reaching your top set generally consist of a minimal warm up that leads up to a top set. After doing your top set, the weight is decreased in order to do some “back off sets” with lighter weights. The purpose of the back off sets is to provide sufficient training volume for an effective workout.
Which is the right method? Should you include most of your training volume before you reach your top set, or after? Both methods have produced great lifters.
Those Who Prefer a High Volume of Warm Up Sets
Richard Hawthorne is a world record holder in the deadlift and gets a ton of training volume in by doing up to ten sets before reaching his top set. I refer to this method of working out as “Giant Pyramid Training” (see the home page for a book on Giant Pyramid Training). Eric Spoto is world record holder in the bench press and is another example of a lifter who includes a ton of training volume before reaching his top set.
Those Who Prefer Back Off Sets
There are lifters who prefer a different method. Mike Tuchscherer is an outstanding powerlifter and coach. Sometimes he works up to a top set weight which he then repeats for several sets with the same weight. Other times he works up to a very heavy top set weight and then decreases the weight to do several back off sets for added training volume. either way, he gets most of his training volume in after reaching his stop set weight. Max Aita is another great lifter/coach who seems to prefer this method.
Know Your Personal Training Capacity
Since there are great lifters from both schools of methodology, it’s hard to say whether it is best to get your training volume in before your heaviest set, or after. I have a common belief about both methods; the belief being that you must know your optimum training capacity for sets, reps and training volume. I believe that both methods will work when you take this into account.
Having stated the common link that must be present in order for both types of training to work, one of the main purposes of this article is to say that precision point training makes room for both methods. Precision point training is not a specific predetermined workout, rather it consists of concepts that can be applied to many different types of workouts.
It is possible to include a lot of training volume before you reach your stop set and still finish strong. This would be the ideal within the context of precision point training. However, if you do so many warm up sets that your strength is severely compromised when you finally reach your top set, your training strategy will probably backfire. Likewise, if you do so many back off sets that you are struggling to lift a lighter weight that is normally easy to lift, you are probably overtraining.
It is also possible to under train. For example, if you finish your workout, but you could have done more sets at full strength, you have fallen short of the training capacity that you are capable of regardless of which training method you use.
The Key to Both Methods
When it comes to how you should perform your warm up sets, I know there are times that I warn against wearing yourself out with a lot of warm up sets. This is true of the Strength To The Max books and in other articles, but the methods taught in these books include back off sets. If you are not doing any back off sets, and you have a high capacity for training volume, then you may find it beneficial to do a high volume warm up, which is the basis of the book, Giant Pyramid Training. Whether you prefer to accumulate your training volume before your top set, or after, the key is to train according to your own workload capacity, and to still be close to full strength when you finish working a muscle group. Best of training to you.
Quality Reps, Marker Reps, Grinder Reps
Lazy reps, slow reps, forceful reps, and explosive reps; these are the types of reps that were discussed in the last article. Lazy reps are never good, but the other three type of reps can be beneficial when used correctly. If you want examples of each type of rep, refer to this link from the previous post titled: Lazy Reps, Slow Reps, Forceful Reps, Explosive Reps
In this article, I am still going to discuss different types of reps, but the emphasis will shift to three types of reps that can be identified as you proceed through a set when pushing to the point of all out failure.
- Quality Reps and Strong Reps
The first type of reps that lifters generally start with when performing a set of an exercise are quality reps. I also refer to them as “strong reps.” Strong reps and quality reps are forceful reps that can be repeated using a steady even rep pace. If you keep repeating quality reps, fatigue will begin to accumulate and you will reach the point where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace. This is when you will transition into the second type of rep, which I refer to as marker reps.
- Marker Reps
Marker reps mark the point in a set where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace, and the pace at which you repeat reps will start to slow down. While marker reps are somewhat slower than quality reps, they are not super slow grinder reps.
- Grinder Reps
When a lifter reaches a point in a set where they are doing super slow strenuous reps, they are doing the third type of reps, which are often referred to as grinder reps.
Different Styles of Lifting
If you ever have a chance to observe the typical training style of the Russian power lifters, you will notice that they almost exclusively stick with quality reps. Every rep is perfect and looks the same in terms of form and rep speed. They generally stop before their rep speed begins to slow down.
Of course there are many powerlifters who exceed their capacity for quality reps and push to the point of doing one or more marker reps. Their rep speed will slow down a little when this happens or they will start to pause longer between reps.
The last category of lifters is those who push a set to the point of doing grinder reps. Some lifters can’t grind and simply fail when they try to grind. If they push to the point where the weight is moving slow, they miss and cannot complete the lift. Of those who can grind, some can only do one grinder rep before failing, and others may be able to do a two or three grinder reps before failing; especially when doing high reps.
Christian MacCaffrey has raw grit. In the NFL combine, he does ten total reps for the bench press, but notice in the video below (click on the link) that his first marker rep occurs at about his 6th rep. He is basically doing marker reps on his 6th, 7th, an 8th reps, until he starts grinding on his 9th and 10th reps. Christian can definitely grind and push his way through the tough reps, but remember this is a strength test and Christian is going all out. Does Christian grind this much when training? I don’t know.
Christian MacCcaffrey NFL combine video
In the video below, Kirill Sarychev’s style of performing reps is quite different than MacCaffreys. Part of the reason for this may be because Kirill is training whereas MacCaffrey is testing for max reps. Kirill does a set of 9 reps and maintains a steady rep pace for almost his entire set until the very last rep. For the most part, Kirill focuses on quality reps when training and it works for him as he holds the world record with a 738 pound raw bench press.
Personal Experience
For my first two decades of lifting, I pushed to the point of grinding at least once per week. I worked each body part three times per week and knew from experience that I didn’t benefit from grinding every workout, however, I had been brain washed to believe that I needed to grind out high intensity reps once per week. I did this by doing two lighter workouts per week and one heavy workout where I pushed all the way to the point of grinding my way to failure. As time passed, my workouts became more consistent in terms of how hard I pushed. I would either push to the point of doing as many quality reps as possible, or I would push one rep further by stopping after the first marker rep. These workouts were not light and easy, nor were they super hard. I found that this worked better than vacillating back and forth between easy workouts and all out high intensity workouts.
Observations
From my observations, bodybuilders are more likely to grind than powerlifters, although top bodybuilders like Phil Heath rarely grind on basic exercises. Most of the top powerlifters stick with quality reps, or they push to the point of a marker rep. Some do grind occasionally, but most that I know of do not grind on a weekly basis. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with quality reps and marker reps, but grinder reps can backfire and cause more harm than good. However, that’s just my opinion and you should do what you find works best according to your own experience. Best of training to you.
Lazy Reps, Slow Reps, Forceful Reps, Explosive Reps
Many lifters never really bother to consider that not all reps are the same. If you want to be specific, you can place reps into different types and be aware of what type of reps provide you with the most benefit for your goals. In this article, I will be discussing four different types of reps including:
- Lazy reps
- Slow Reps
- Forceful Reps
- Explosive Reps
Lazy Reps vs. Intentionally Slow Reps
Lazy Reps
Lazy reps are reps in which a lifter does not exert nearly as much force as they are capable of when lifting a weight. The reps are slow and may even be sloppy. A lot of people believe that slow reps are the best kind of reps for weight training. If you are doing slow reps for a good purpose, that’s one thing; but if you are doing slow reps because you are lazy, and stopping a set before your muscles have been sufficiently worked, that’s a different matter. For the most part, lazy reps do not produce a significant training effect.
In the video below, you will see a lifter doing dumbbell curls at about nine seconds into the video. He lacks commitment to lift with any real intensity and is engaging in lazy lifting. It’s a clip from the movie Pumping Iron. Most likely the lazy lifter is an actor who has a background part to provide a little comedy, and to accentuate the apparent difference between the way a lazy lifter trains and a committed lifter like Lou Ferrigno trains.
Slow Reps
When someone intentionally does slow reps to make it harder to complete each rep, slow reps can be beneficial. In addition, if a lifter does slow reps to increase the total time under tension of a set in order to increase the training intensity, then slow reps can be a productive strength and muscle builder. However, I think it should be noted that slow reps are used much more by bodybuilders to develop muscle size as opposed to powerlifters who primarily endeavor to develop strength.
Scott Tousignant is an excellent natural body builder who often performs his reps in a fairly slow deliberate manner, but he uses this method to put his muscles under more stress, not less stress. In the following video, he starts out with a moderately slow rep speed; especially when lowering the weight. If you watch far enough into the video, you will see that he adds weight for his second set and does his reps even slower to feel the stress of the weight. He makes the most out of performing reps at a slower pace by pushing hard enough without pushing to ridiculous extremes of straining and grinding.
Forceful Reps vs. Maximally Explosive Reps
Forceful Reps
Most lifters who want to build strength perform their reps forcefully. This does not mean that they push with an absolute, all-out effort on every rep, but they are definitely pushing hard into the bar. The majority of top bodybuilders push forcefully, and nearly all top powerlifters push forcefully when using heavy weights. Many lifters use an automated rep pace which means that they lift with approximately the same rep speed as they work their way up in weight from set to set. Of course if they are lifting heavy enough, the bar speed will start to slow down, but they are still attempting to push into the bar with a high degree of force.
Phil Heath is an excellent example of a bodybuilder who performs his reps in a forceful manner. This is evident in the video posted below:
Explosive Reps
The final type of reps that will be discussed consist of explosive reps. Explosive reps are purposely done with an all-out effort to impart as much force as possible into every single rep. The amount of reps per set is usually low in order to avoid the fatigue that develops when several consecutive reps are performed. The avoidance of fatigue allows lifters to lift with maximum force and explosive power on every rep. Some lifters respond to this type of training really well when endeavoring to gain strength. The following video is an example of explosive lifting.
The main point of discussing various types of reps is to encourage you to be aware of what type of reps you are performing.
Lazy reps are unproductive.
Slow reps are designed more for building size than strength, and are used most commonly by bodybuilders.
Forceful reps are excellent for building both size and strength.
Explosive reps are primarily used to promote strength and speed.
In the next article, I will discuss the difference between quality reps, marker reps, and grinder reps. Best of training to you.
Integrated Workouts For More Size And Strength
There are multitudes of ways to approach strength training. Those who believe in a high degree of adaptive specificity will tend to organize their workouts into specific training blocks. Each block would last three to four weeks and would focus on just one type of training that the body would be required to adapt to. For example, you would start with a training block that focuses on conditioning by emphasizing higher reps in the 10 to 12 rep range for each exercise. Hypertrophy would be the emphasis of the next block by focusing on the 6 to 8 rep range for three weeks. Strength and power would be the emphasis of the third block by focusing on the 3 to 5 rep range for three weeks. A complete contrast to this would be integrated workouts.
Integrated Workouts
Integrated workouts consist of several types of training within the same workout. For example, after doing a few easy warm up sets that are 30% or less of your single rep max, you could start your workout by emphasizing explosive rep speed for a few sets as follows:
Set 1: Do 5 reps @ 50% of your single rep max.
Set 2: Do 4 reps @ 55%
Set 3: Do 3 reps @ 60%
The next three sets would consist of working your way up to heavier weights with single reps until you reach about 85% of your single rep max to emphasize strength. An example of this is shown below:
Set 4: Do 1 rep @ 70% of your single rep max
Set 5: Do 1 rep @ 80% of your single rep max
Set 6: Do 1 rep @ 85% of your single rep max
After completing the explosive rep speed and heavy singles portion of the workout, you can do a heavy set of five reps to emphasize intensity.
Set 7: Do 5 reps @ 80% of your single rep max
The workout would end with some back off sets by decreasing the weight and doing 4 sets of 6 reps for sets 8 – 11 (shown below). The purpose of the last four sets would be to add sufficient volume to the workout.
Set 8: Do 6 reps @ 70%
Set 9: Do 6 reps @ 70%
Set 10: Do 6 reps @ 70%
Set 11: Do 6 reps @ 70%
If you follow the workout carefully, you can see that it is divided into four parts and contains four training qualities including:
- Explosive rep speed work
- Heavy lifting for strength development
- Intensity training for strength and hypertrophy
- Volume training to emphasize hypertrophy
Integrated workouts can be used according to your preference. You could use the integrated routine listed in this article for squats and bench presses once per week. When doing a second workout each week, you can shift the emphasis to just one training quality whether it be speed, strength, intensity, or volume. By using integrated workouts on a regular basis, you never ignore a specific training quality long enough to lose the positive adaptations that it produces. Many bodybuilders use integrated workouts on a regular basis to develop tremendous size and strength.
The book, Strength To The Max And Beyond is based on integrated workouts, however, the workouts are varied in order to rotate the emphasize from one training quality to another from workout to workout. If you are interested in this type of training, you may find the book helpful. Best of training to you.
Can You Grind Out A Heavy Lift?
Some powerlifters can grind out a heavy lift, others can’t; if they start lose momentum during the middle of a heavy lift, they have trouble completing the lift.
Richard Hawthorne is an example of a lifter who can grind out a heavy lift when it looks like he’s never going to get the weight up. You can see this in the following videos.
Not Everyone is Good At Grinding
Mike Tuscherer is a great powerlifter, but he seems to need continual momentum to complete the lift when benching and deadlifting. Perhaps there are times when he experiences success when grinding, but in the video posted below, he appears to not be a grinder. Even if his first lift goes up with incredible ease in a powerlifting competition, the second and third attempt with a heavier weight are in jeopardy if he experiences any hesitation or stalling during the lifting motion. You can watch at about 1:50 in the following video and see that his first bench press attempt looked like a joke it was so easy, yet he misses his second lift when the weight is increased. He experiences a similar phenomenon when deadlifting:
Richard Hawthorne: Heavy Lifting Under Fatigue
At one point, I believed that if you practiced grinding as a regular part of your training, you would be good at it. At the same time, if you only practiced explosive lifting, you would be good at blasting through a lift, but you may not be able to grind out the slow heavy single attempts. However, in spite of the fact that Richard Hawthorne can grind out incredibly slow heavy singles, he rarely grinds in any of his training videos where he is doing a workout, and he has lots of videos of his training. Richard trains with perfect form and usually plows right through every rep. Occasionally he does grind, but it is just that, it’s occasional.
One thing that Richard stresses about his training is that he does a lot of reps in every workout. He does this by starting out with light warm up sets in which he performs up to 20 reps. He then switches to sets of tens, eights, and sixes, but it often takes him about ten sets to reach his top weight. By doing a lot of sets and reps before reaching his top weight, he believes it forces him to maintain form while in a state of fatigue. The result is that he has the endurance to maintain form and lifting drive when grinding out a slow single rep.
Regular Grinders Should Switch Exercises
Others develop the ability to grind by practicing it. Some of the Westside lifters grind out heavy singles almost every week, but one of the keys to being able to do this without experiencing the side-effects of overtraining is to switch exercises every week. In other words, don’t grind on standard back squats every week; keep switching exercises on a weekly basis by doing other forms of squatting such as half squats, belt squats, trap bar squats, fronts squats, safety bar squats, and any other form of squats when going for an all-out single rep that causes you to grind. You can look at some examples of Westside lifters grinding through various exercises in the video below:
You may find that grinding always messes up your training and it’s best just to completely avoid it. If you do grind, be wise about it; either do it occasionally, or develop your endurance to hold your form while training in a state of fatigue like Richard Hawthorne does. You can also practice grinding on a fairly regular basis with the condition that you don’t keep grinding with the same exercises every workout, and that you switch exercises on a regular basis. Strength training demands a self-discovery process. It takes time and experience to learn what type of training works best for you. This is true of a several aspects of training, including whether you should or shouldn’t grind, and if you do, discovering the best way to include it in your training. Best of training to you.
Partial Periodization
This is the second part of a two part series about four types of periodization. The first article (Different Types of Peirodization) discussed three different types of periodization including:
Block Periodization
Linear Periodization
Daily Undulating Periodization
Partial Periodization
In this article, I will be discussing Partial or Part-Whole Periodization. Both terms mean the same thing as this type of periodization is based on taking just one part of a workout and making changes to it from workout to workout. To illustrate how this works, we will start with an example of the following bench press workout:
Sets Reps % of single rep max
1 x 12 40%
1 x 10 50%
1 x 8 65%
1 x 6 80%
The workout listed above is made up of four sets consisting of four rep ranges that correspond to four different percentages. Each rep range and percentage can be emphasized in four separate workouts without excluding the others. An example of this is shown in the workout schedule below:
Example 1
| Workout 1 | Workout 2 | Workout 3 | Workout 4 |
| 5 x 12 40%*
1 x 10 50% 1 x 8 65% 1 x 6 80% 8 total set |
1 x 12 40%
4 x 10 50%* 1 x 8 65% 1 x 6 80% 7 total sets |
1 x 12 40%
1 x 10 50% 3 x 8 65%* 1 x 6 80% 6 total sets |
1 x 12 40%
1 x 10 50% 1 x 8 65% 2 x 6 80%* 5 total sets |
The * denotes the poundage and rep range that is being emphasized in each workout.
When looking at the above workout, one of the rep ranges is always emphasized with several sets, while each of the other rep ranges consists of only one set. When using this strategy, you will be doing a lot of sets before you ever reach your final set, which is the heaviest set. This may cause a problem as it has the potential to produce a substantial amount of fatigue and cause you to weaken before you reach your heaviest set. One way to solve this problem is to do a two part workout.
The Two Part Workout
The first part of the workout would consist of pyramiding up to the heaviest poundage over the course of four sets.
The second part of the workout would consist of selecting the poundage and rep range that are being emphasized with additional sets and doing the additional sets after pyramiding up to your heaviest set.
Back Off Sets
When doing additional sets after your heaviest set, the additional sets are often called “back off sets,” because you back off on the poundages. An example is shown below:
Example 2
Doing Back Off Sets After Your set with 80%
| Workout 1 | Workout 2 | Workout 3 | Workout 4 |
| Part 1 Pyramid Sets
1 x 12 40%* 1 x 10 50% 1 x 8 65% 1 x 6 80% Part 2 Back off sets 4 x 12 40%* 8 total sets |
Part 1 Pyramid Sets
1 x 12 40% 1 x 10 50%* 1 x 8 65% 1 x 6 80% Part 2 Back off sets 3 x 10 50%* 7 total sets |
Part 1 Pyramid Sets
1 x 12 40% 1 x 10 50% 1 x 8 65%* 1 x 6 80% Part 2 Back off sets 2 x 8 65%* 6 total sets |
Part 1 Pyramid Sets
1 x 12 40% 1 x 10 50% 1 x 8 65% 2 x 6 80%* 5 total sets |
The * denotes the poundage and rep range that is being emphasized in each workout.
If you carefully compare the first example of four workouts with the second example of four workouts, you will notice that the total number of sets and reps are exactly the same. Likewise, the poundages are exactly the same in both examples. The only difference is the manner in which the sets are distributed. In the first example, the additional sets are always done before you reach the heaviest set, and heaviest set always comes last. In the second example, the additional sets are always done last, after performing the heaviest set.
Easier Sets Are Done For More Sets When Emphasized
When looking at the first workout listed in each example above, you can see that 12 reps with 40% is emphasized the most with five sets. The other reps ranges are only done for one set each. Ten reps are emphasized with four sets in the second workout, eight reps are emphasize with three sets in the third workout, and six reps are emphasized with only two sets in the fourth workout.
You may wonder why the set of emphasis is performed with five total sets in the first workout, and decreases from workout to workout until the set of emphasis is only done for two sets in the fourth workout. The reason is because the first set with 12 reps at 40% is the easiest set and is nowhere near the maximum number of reps you can do with 40%. You can probably do 30 consecutive reps (maybe more) with 40% of your single rep max. This allows you to do several sets without growing overly fatigued. In contrast, the heaviest set is very hard; not only in terms of the amount of weight, but also in terms of the fact that six reps will be close to the maximum number of reps you can perform when using 80% of your single rep max. This is why you will only be doing two sets when emphasizing the heaviest weight.
Volume Changes but The Categories of Weight Stay The Same
If you use this method of periodization, you will naturally expose your body to a lot of training volume with lighter weights in the first workout, and will decrease the volume each time a heavier set is emphasized in each successive workout. At the same time, you will be using 40%, 50%, 65%, and 80% of your single rep max in every workout. You can see that in the example of the two part workout, part one of the workouts was always the same, and part two changed from workout to workout.
When you use partial periodization, the concept of change and sameness are both evident from workout to workout. Of course you can develop your own version of partial periodization that fits your goals and preferences. It is a simple option that you can experiment with to see how your body responds to it. Best of training to you.
Three Types of Periodization
There are countless ways to periodize your weight training programs. The most common types you will probably hear of consist of:
1. Linear Periodization
2. Block Periodization
3. Undulating Periodization
Linear Periodization
Linear periodization generally refers to adding weights to your lifts in fairly consistent intervals over the course of a training cycle. Lighter weights and higher reps are used at the start of the cycle, and the reps are decreased as the weight is increased throughout the cycle. Lamar Gant is an example of a powerlifter who used linear periodization to become the strongest pound for pound deadlifter ever. His deadlift program can be accessed at the following link (Lamar Gant Deadlift Program). Most linear periodization programs are based on increasing the weight every week. However, some linear periodization programs are based on increasing the weight every workout when training three times per week. HST or Hypertrophy Specific Training is an example of this. The basics of this training can be found at the following link (Hypertrophy Specific Training).
Block Periodization
Some linear periodization programs are also done in blocks, which is why some people equate block periodization with linear periodization. Lamar Grant’s program is an example of linear periodization which is divided into three blocks consisting of an 8 rep block, a 5 rep block, and a 3 rep block. Each block lasts for four weeks and the weight is generally increased by two to three percent from week to week throughout each block.
Not all block periodization programs are done in a linear fashion. Fred Hatfield used a program consisting of the following blocks:
Building a Foundation
Strength
Compensatory Acceleration Training
Power
Plyometrics
Fred was a phenomenal powerlifter from the 1970’s and 80’s. He was one of the first lifters to squat over 1,000 pounds. You can learn his philosophy of training in the following two videos. The outline of his training blocks starts about five minutes into his first video.
Fred Hatfield
Undulating Periodization
Daily undulating periodization is different from the other types of periodization in that you undulate back and forth between different types of training from workout to workout. You may switch between light weights and heavy weights from workout to workout, or you may switch from an emphasis on speed to an emphasis on heavy lifting from workout to workout. You may also undulate between three types of training by switching from high volume, to speed, to heavy weight from workout to workout. More thorough examples of undulating periodization are explained in the following two videos by Garret Blevins and Layne Norton, both of whom are world class powerlifters and successful coaches.
Garrett Blevins
Layne Norton
Which type of periodization is best? The answer is arguable as there are great lifters and world record holders from each category of periodization. In my opinion, periodization is a secondary consideration. The main factor that will allow you to gain strength on a consistent basis is to train according to your personal capacities for strong training. This is based on the precision points that are explained “The Basics of PPT” which can be found on the top menu of this website.
In the next article I will discuss another type of periodization which I refer to as Partial or Part Whole Periodization. Best of training to you.
Additional Resource
For more information on this webiste in regard to Linear Periodization, I recommend the book Never Miss A Lift. Just click on the book cover below for free access to the book.
Eric Spoto: Fast Reps And Slow Reps
Eric Spoto is one of the greatest bench presser’s in the history of powerlifting. One thing you will notice when you watch him train is the ease with which he can lift very heavy weights of up to 500 pounds. What makes his lifts look easy is that he can knock out a lot of reps at a rapid pace. If it weren’t easy, he wouldn’t be able to do very many reps and the weights wouldn’t be flying off his chest.
Fast and Slow Reps
My sense is that Eric didn’t become strong by doing slow strenuous reps. When he is training, most of his reps are fast. Does he ever do slow reps? Yes, he generally starts out with a slow negative rep when lowering the bar on his first rep. He then pauses the bar on his chest and takes off with fast reps until the last rep of the set. Once Eric reaches his last rep, he once again lowers the bar slowly and pauses it on his chest before lifting it to full extension and racking it.
Occasionally Eric pushes past the point his ability to maintain a steady even fast rep pace, and will finish with a few slow reps. You can see this in the next two videos where he lifts 500 pounds for 17 reps and 315 pounds for 45 reps.
14 fast reps followed by 3 slower reps which include a pause at the bottom
40 fast reps followed by 5 slower reps which include a pause at the bottom
Some Reps Replicate Standards for a Powerlifting Meet
Notice that Eric utilizes both fast reps and slow reps within the same set. His lowers the bar slow on his first rep and some of the reps at the end of the set are slow, but all the reps in between are fast and explosive. When benching in a powerlifting meet, a lifter must pause the bar on his or her chest until the judge gives says, “lift.” Eric generally replicates the form that would be used for a powerlifting meet on the first rep, and at least one rep at the end of every set. The rest of his reps are more for developing strength and explosive power.
If you want to improve your strength from a static start while also improving your explosive power, learn from Eric’s lifting habits and borrow from his benching methods. He didn’t become a great bencher by accident, and you can use his methods to improve. Best of training to you.
Force And Frequency Training
Force and Frequency training is based on forceful lifting and very brief workouts that are done on a high frequency basis. The goal is to develop speed and strength with a minimum amount of daily training. If you are interested in this type of training, simply click on the book cover to access the book at the Amazon Kindle bookstore.
Strong Sets
When it comes to strength training, there are a few aspects of training that I constantly emphasize; even to the point of annoyance. Why do I do this? Because some things must be emphasized again and again or people will quickly forget the most important aspects of training. One of those important aspects is to train a muscle group as long as it is at full strength. Conversely, you should stop training a muscle group when it is no longer at full strength.
Strong Sets
As long as you are performing sets while you are at full strength, you are doing what I refer to as strong sets. If you exceed your capacity for strong sets, you are doing weak sets and are training in a weakened state. If limiting yourself to strong sets limits you to a couple sets and it doesn’t seem like enough, try training more often.
What Strong Sets Look Like
Having emphasized my belief that it is best to train a muscle group as long as it is at full strength, I think it is important to have a visual picture for what it looks like. This is easy to identify when a lifter is using the same weight from set to set while performing the same exercise. Basically, every set should look the same in terms of the number of reps and the speed of each rep. If you reach a set where you can’t do as many reps, or your rep speed starts to slow down in comparison with previous sets, you are no longer at full strength, and you are no longer in an optimal state for strength training.
A Demonstration of Strong Sets
Mike Tuchscherer is an outstanding powerlifter. In the video below, he does eight sets of squats for five reps each. Each set looks very similar in terms of form and rep speed. His form doesn’t break down at the end of his sets, nor does it break down as he continues to repeat sets. The same is true of his rep speed, it remains nearly constant across all 40 reps that he performs in this video. This is very similar to how the Russian powerlifters tend to train; perfect form and consistent rep speed. No slowing down, and no breaking down. Training to failure is avoided. Watch Mike train.
I must point out that Mike is probably training at around 75% of his single rep max. If he were training at 80% of his single rep max, he would probably only be able to do four to six sets at full strength. Many lifters can only remain at full strength for two or three hard sets, and some lifters may only be able to do one. If this is true of you, don’t be fooled into thinking that you must imitate someone who does a lot of sets because there are a lot of strong lifters who just work up to one hard work set for each exercise. Let your own capacity be the guide for how many sets you do and it will make a positive difference over time. Best of training to you.
5 Reps To Get Stronger
Do you want to get stronger? Try doing 5 reps per set. Five reps may be the most popular rep range among those whose main goal is to gain strength. Why? Because workouts consisting of 5 reps have stood the test of time and success among those who desire to get stronger.
Starting Light and Finishing Heavy
I believe that the use of sets consisting of 5 reps would be even more popular if everyone understood that you can use 5 reps with lighter weights as well as with heavier weights. For example, you can start a training cycle by doing workouts with fairly light weights and do a lot of sets of 5 reps. As you progress from workout to workout, keep adding weight while decreasing the number of sets. The key to this is to do the right number of sets of 5 reps in relationship to the amount of weight you are using.
Using 60% of your single rep max will permit 10 sets of 5 reps
When starting with 60% to 62% of your single rep max, most lifters are going to be able to about 10 sets of 5 reps without over training. If you start at this point, you should decrease the amount of sets that you perform by one every time you increase the weight by two to three percent of your single rep max. If you use this formula when starting with 10 sets of 5 reps with 62% of your single rep max, you will finish with one set of 5 reps with 85% of your single rep max. This final weight will generally be close to the maximum weight that most lifters can lift for 5 reps while maintaining good form.
When starting out with lighter sets of 5 reps you can work your way up at a fairly rapid rate to reach your heaviest set of 5 reps over the course of just ten workouts which will take just over three weeks if you are working each muscle group three times per week. You can also work your way up to the heaviest weight you can use for 5 reps over a longer period of time.
In the sample workouts listed below, five workout cycles are listed. Each workout cycle starts at 60% of your single rep max and finishes at 85% of your single rep max, and all sets are done for five reps. The shortest cycle of workouts would take just over three weeks and the longest cycle listed takes 8 weeks.
The exact amount of sets and reps are listed for each workout. Percentages of weight are also listed for each workout. Each percentage is based on your single rep max in relationship to the specific exercise you are performing. The exercises performed should consist basic strength building exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows. Just do one basic exercise per muscle group.
If you prefer to include assistance exercises in addition to your basic exercises, do three to five sets of 5 reps for each assistance exercise using 70% to 75% of your single rep max. I recommend that you limit the assistance exercises to one per muscle group.
If you would like to implement a workout plan that is based on five rep training, choose one of the workouts below:
10 Workouts: Straight Line Periodization
Workout 1: 10 x 5 60%
Workout 2: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 3: 8 x 5 65%
Workout 4: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 5: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 6: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 7: 4 x 5 78%
Workout 8: 3 x 5 80%
Workout 9: 2 x 5 82%
Workout 10: 1 x 5 85%
4 Week Cycle
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 x 5 60%
Workout 2: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 3: 8 x 5 65%
Week 2
Workout 1: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 2: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 3: 5 x 5 75%
Week 3
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 3: 3 x 5 80%
Week 4
Workout 1: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 2: 2 x 5 82%
Workout 3: 1 x 5 85%
5 Week Cycle
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 x 5 60%
Workout 2: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 3: 8 x 5 65%
Week 2
Workout 1: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 2: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 3: 5 x 5 75%
Week 3
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 3: 3 x 5 80%
Week 4
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 78%
Workout 3: 2 x 5 82%
Week 5
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 3 x 5 80%
Workout 3: 1 x 5 85%
6 Week Cycle
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 x 5 60%
Workout 2: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 3: 8 x 5 65%
Week 2
Workout 1: 8 x 5 65%
Workout 2: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 3: 6 x 5 70%
Week 3
Workout 1: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 2: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 3: 4 x 5 78%
Week 4
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 3: 3 x 5 80%
Week 5
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 78%
Workout 3: 2 x 5 82%
Week 6
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 3 x 5 80%
Workout 3: 1 x 5 85%
8 Week Cycle
Week 1
Workout 1: 10 x 5 60%
Workout 2: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 3: 8 x 5 65%
Week 2
Workout 1: 9 x 5 62%
Workout 2: 8 x 5 65%
Workout 3: 7 x 5 67%
Week 3
Workout 1: 8 x 5 65%
Workout 2: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 3: 6 x 5 70%
Week 4
Workout 1: 7 x 5 67%
Workout 2: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 3: 5 x 5 75%
Week 5
Workout 1: 6 x 5 70%
Workout 2: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 3: 4 x 5 77%
Week 6
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 3: 3 x 5 80%
Week 7
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 4 x 5 77%
Workout 3: 2 x 5 82%
Week 8
Workout 1: 5 x 5 75%
Workout 2: 5 x 3 80%
Workout 3: 5 x 1 85%
Add Weight To Each Cycle
Any time you finish a training cycle, your goal is to repeat the cycle with additional weight. If you have fractional weight plates, you may start each new cycle with as little as two pounds with a short cycle that only lasts three or four weeks. This may not sound like much, but it will add up to 24 to 34 pounds of strength gain over the course of a year, which is a substantial gain for an advanced lifter. Hopefully you will be able to add more weight to the start of each longer cycle.
The ability to add weight from cycle to cycle is the key to long term sustainable progress, and the key to being able to add weight to each cycle is to do each exercise with perfect form and to do the right amount of sets in relationship to the amount of weight you are using. The workouts listed can always be adjusted to your capacity for the amount of sets you can perform at full strength. I would not advise adding more sets to the recommended workouts if you causes you to finish your workouts in a weakened state, nor would I advise doing less sets if you have the ability to do several more sets while remaining at full strength. Learn your capacity for the amount of sets you can perform while remaining at full strength and abide by it.
If you have never tried a series of workouts that all consist of 5 reps, I recommend giving it a try because the five rep plan is an excellent strength builder. Best of training to you.
Short Term And Long Term Strength Training Strategies
Most of you will find that light weights do not have a significant effect on short term strength gains. Likewise, light weights will have little effect on long term strength gains if you don’t use them in a progressive manner. In other words, if you can bench 300 pounds, but you always do your first three warm up sets with 100 pounds, and you keep using 100 pounds for your first three sets for the next three years, those warm up sets will contribute little if anything to your strength gains. However, if you do something as simple as add 1 pound to your first three warm up sets every other week, you will be doing those sets with 175 pounds in three years and those small additions of weight will start to have a positive effect on your strength. Even if you only increase by ten pounds over the course of a year, it’s going to add up to a significant amount after five to ten years.
Little changes that don’t seem to make any difference at all after a month can accumulate to make a big difference after five to ten years. Gradually adding on weight to your lightest warm up sets will allow your body to make easy adaptations. Easy adaptations are the key to long term sustainable progress. Don’t be blinded by your desire to make rapid gains to the point where it never occurs to you to do some simple math. Here is some simple math for you, 20 x 10 = 200. Now let’s translate that into a situation where a teenager starts lifting weights the age of 15. As a beginner, he does his first three warm up sets with 50 pounds and adds a pound to his warm up sets once every month for ten months out of every year. Every year he is able to use 10 more pounds for his warm up sets than the previous year. In 20 years he will be 35. By that time, he will be able to use 250 pounds for his warm up sets, and those are just warm up sets, he’ll be able to lift even more for his work-sets. Those who are patient and systematic will reap the benefits of long term planning.
Problem: Slow Progress Is Annoying and Boring
Slow gains are better than no gains, but slow progress can also be annoying if you know you can make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. The majority of the most popular training methods are great for helping you to make rapid progress. Five Sets of Five, Three sets of Five, Starting Strength, 5/3/1, The Westside Method; all of these methods will deliver fast results. All of these methods include the use of heavy weights and provide enough training volume to stimulating gains, but not so much volume that you can’t recover between workouts. If you want to gain strength quickly, you can learn the basics of these methods by referring to the following link:
The Only 5 Strength Training Programs You’ll Ever Need
Of the books I have written, I prefer Strength To The Max and A Quick Guide to Strength, if the goal is quick gains. However, if you want to pay attention to the little details that make a difference over time, I suggest The 1 x 100 Challenge, 12 – 10 – 8 – 6, and The High Frequency Strength Training Pyramid. All of these books can be found on this website and some of them are free at this time. Even if you already have a preferred method, there are still concepts that you can learn from these programs such as microloading and progressive loading in conjunction with your warm up sets. These concepts will help you to make long-term progress.
Long Term and Short Term Planning: Do Both
Of the various training methods, one of the benefits of the Westside system is that it includes both heavier weights and weights that are moderately heavy. In the beginning, the heavy single rep max effort training may have the most profound effect on your strength gains. However, if you base all of your progression off your single rep max effort training, you may find it very hard to keep making progress. If you use your speed days and your assistance exercises in a progressive manner as a basis to keep making progress, the system will work a lot longer. The heavy days will help to keep your strength close to peak levels, and the lighter weights will help you to make sustainable long term progress.
If you want the best of both worlds when it comes to short term planning and long term planning, include some heavy lifting at least once per week and do some lighter lifting on a regular basis while having a systematic plan for gradually adding weight to all your sets, including warm up sets. Best of training to you.
The Squat Depth of Six Mr. Olympias
How deep do you need to squat? Of course if you are training for powerlifting competitions, the top surface of your leg at the hip joint must descend lower than the top of your knees. Jonnie Candito is a classic example of a powerlifter who can perform rock bottom squats with a lot of weight.
Jonnie Candito Deep Squats
Not everyone can hit rock bottom depth like Jonnie Candito. If you are not a powerlifter, you must ask yourself if it is beneficial to reach the depth that a competitive powerlifter is required to reach. There are some athletes and bodybuilders who feel obligated to squat as low as possible in order to attain full leg development. However, if you refrain from all the talk and philosophy about how to perform squats, and simply observe the actual performance of several Mr. Olympias when doing their squat workouts, you find that they seem to be more comfortable with a moderate squat depth as opposed to squatting as low as possible.
Squat Depth of Mr. Olympias
These same Mr. Olympia who only use a moderate depth squat may use a deeper squat in conjunction with hack squats, Smith Machine squats, front squats, and various dumbbell squats, but when doing traditional barbell back squats, the idea seems to be to keep the stress on the front quads more than to go as low as possible. This appears to be true of six Mr. Olympia’s including:
Phil Heath: 7 time winner of the Mr. Olympia as of this writing
Ronnie Coleman: 8 time winner of the Mr. Olympia
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 7 time winner of the Mr. Olympia
Lee Haney: 8 time winner of the Mr. Olympia
Jay Cutler: 4 time winner of the Mr. Olympia
Dorian Yates: 7 time winner of the Mr. Olympia
These six Mr. Olympias account for 41 years of Mr. Olympia wins. The following videos demonstrate the preferred squatting depth of each Mr. Olympia listed:
Phil Heath: 7 time Mr. Olympia
Ronnie Coleman: 8 time Mr. Olympia
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 7 time Mr. Olympia
The next video shows a picture of Arnold doing deep squats starting at 38 seconds
Lee Haney: 8 time winner of Mr. Olympia
Jay Cutler: 4 time Mr. Olympia
Dorian Yates: 7 time Mr. Olympia
Most of the Mr. Olympias appear to keep their weight and knees forward to place the lifting stress on their quads instead of trying sit back into a deep squat like a lot of powerlifters do. Jay Cutler squats fairly deep with lighter weighs, but not as deep with heavier weights. Arnold squats very deep when he places a board under his heals, but not as deep when squatting flat footed. Ronnie Coleman was involved with competitive powerlifter before turning completely to bodybuilding. Out of all of the Mr. Olympias in the videos, Ronnie probably has the deepest squat depth when squatting flat footed with heavy weights. His squat depth is fairly deep, but not super deep. Hopefully you can see from the videos that most of the Mr. Olympias were not deep squatters when doing back squats, yet they still attained fantastic leg development. Of course they all used a huge variety of exercises to develop their legs and some of them didn’t squat that often.
The bottom line is that if you are not a competitive powerlifter, do you really need to achieve maximum depth on your squats when you train? If your knees, hips, or back bother you from doing deep squats, you may find relief by simply squatting with less depth. You may find that you feel stronger, safer, and healthier by using less squat depth. There may be some lifters who accuse you of cheating because you are not squatting as deep as possible, but if your goal is to develop stronger legs without aches and pains, or you simply want the benefits of workouts that help you with sports or everyday life, then find a comfortable squat depth and stick with it. Some people will probably warn you about losing mobility, but you can go deep with bodyweight squats, light squats, and kettlebell squats; you don’t have to do deep barbell back squats with heavy weights to maintain full mobility.
At this point, I want to make it clear that I am in no way saying that I am against deep squats. If you are a bodybuilder, an athlete, or a recreational lifter, you can do deep squats if that is your preference, but what I want to emphasize is that you can still achieve tremendous benefits if you choose to squat with less than full depth, and you shouldn’t feel as though you are cheating or doing them wrong. Best of training to you.
Increase Your Capacity For More Training Volume
A couple of years ago, I wrote a book called Strength Training Capacity, An Individualized Guide For How Many Sets. The book is based determining how many sets you should perform according to your individual capacity to repeat sets while remaining at full strength. It is my belief that your strength training efforts will be more effective if you stay within your capacity to train a muscle group while it is fresh and strong, instead of weak and fatigued.
Extremes in Capacity
If you want to look at the extremes, some lifters may only be able to perform one full set at full strength. At the other extreme, the most sets that I have ever seen a lifter perform for the same exercise while remaining at full strength for every set is a total of eight sets. We’re talking the same number of reps and the same rep speed from set to set for all eight sets. While this is impressive, I must point out that there are elite lifters who have a high capacity for sets, and elite lifters who have a low capacity for sets. There are world record holders who only needed one hard set per workout to get strong, so train within your own capacity whether high or low.
Normal Capacity
From my observations, when lifters stick with the same weight from set to set, the majority of them can perform two to four sets at full strength. If they continue beyond that point, they will start losing strength, which will show up in the form of decreased rep speed, or a decrease in the number of reps that can be performed for each set.
Can You Increase Your Capacity?
For years I believed that most lifters will not experience a significant increase in capacity in terms of the number of sets they can perform at full strength throughout their career. With the right type of training, they may improve in terms of their ability to tolerate a lot more sets without feeling wiped out. In other words, a bodybuilder or powerlifter may develop the ability to do 20 sets for a muscle group and still feel energetic and strong the next day. However, this is not the same as improving the ability to do more sets at full strength. A bodybuilder or powerlifter may do 20 sets, but only be at full strength for three or four sets out of the 20 sets that they performed.
A lifter will also develop the ability to use much more weight at full strength than when they started out as a beginner. If they could only squat with 100 pounds for 3 sets of 10 reps as a beginner, and they improve to the point where they can squat with 300 or 400 pounds for 3 sets of 10 reps, they have tripled or quadrupled the amount of weight they can use, but they still may only be able to do three sets at full strength. Lifters may be able to change a little bit in terms of how many sets they can do at full strength, but it is my belief that they will not change a lot.
Even though I believe that the number of sets a lifter can perform at full strength will not change much from training, I only believe it to be true in the context of full sets. What do I mean by “full sets?” A full set is a set in which a lifter pushes at least to the point of doing as many even paced reps as possible. For example, if a lifter can bench press 250 pounds for 10 reps, and he does all 10 reps, he is performing a full set. However, if the same lifter only does 5 reps, even though he has the ability to do 10 reps, he is not doing a full set, he is really only doing a half set. Under these conditions, I believe a lifter can develop the capacity to do more half sets of five reps while remaining at full strength from set to set. I believe this will be even more pronounced when using weights that are below 70% his single rep max.
How to Increase Your Capacity
Why do I bring this up? Because some of you may want to use a volume phase in your training. Many lifters try to accomplish this within the context of full sets which I believe will limit the number sets and total reps you can perform within a workout while remaining at full strength. If you will cut the number of reps that you do per set in half, you may find that you can do more than twice as many sets without weakening. If you can do over twice as many sets without weakening, then you will be able to perform more total reps with the same amount of weight without weakening. This will give you the ability to increase your total workload without overtraining.
Let me give you an example decreasing reps per set in order to increase the total number of reps for your workout. We’ll assume you are in a volume phase and you want to get in plenty of reps for your squats. Your initial plan is to do 4 sets of 12 reps, which would equal a total of 48 reps. You could alter this plan to enhance your training volume by splitting up your sets and do 10 sets of 5 reps for a total of 50 reps, which would slightly increase your volume. However, by reducing the number of reps per set, you may find that you can do as many as 12 sets of 5 reps for a total of 60 reps without weakening or feeling over-trained. With continued training, you may increase your capacity to do even more than 12 sets of 5 reps.
The Bottom Line
If you want to get in plenty of volume without overtraining, don’t do high reps for a few sets, do low reps for a lot of sets.
Russian Strength Training
If you look at some of the Russian systems for powerlifting, you will notice they avoid high reps. Rarely do they go above five reps, and a lot of times they only do 1, 2, or 3 reps per set. This is true even when using weights that are as low as 50% of their single rep max. The Russian systems tend to be very high on training volume, but they derive their volume by doing a lot of sets with low reps.
Increasing your capacity for high volume training is not instantaneous, it is developed over time, but the Russians don’t develop it with the use of full sets, they develop it by increasing the number of sets with low reps. They do include heavy lifting, but a lot of their lifting is done with 70% or less of their single rep max in conjunction with low reps per set. If you want to develop strength with high volume training, take your time and gradually increase the number of sets with low reps in order to increase your capacity for high volume training.
Phil Heath
Even Phil Heath (Mr. Olympia) does some of his training without coming close to doing full sets. No doubt, there are occasion when he pushes very hard and heavy on some of his sets, but there are other occasions in which he repeats several sets with the same weight without pushing very hard on his first sets. As he continues to repeat sets, fatigue will accumulate so that the sets become harder as he continues, but he is a long way from going all-out on every set. If you want to use this method, watch how Phil trains in the following video: He does 7 to 8 reps per set with 225 pounds for the bench press and inclined press. If he were going to failure with 225 pounds, he could do over 40 reps, but he is patiently accumulating volume without overtraining.
Phil Heath: Bench press 46 reps with 225 lbs.
Phil Heath: sets of 7 to 8 reps with 225 lbs.
If you want to increase your capacity for to handle more training volume, do it the right way; stay at full strength and do more sets with low reps. Best of training to you.
The Most Strength In The Least Time
Many people want to get stronger, but they feel that they just don’t have enough time to train. What if you only have about 30 to 45 minutes per week to workout?
Marty Gallagher may be the foremost authority in regard to the subject of gaining as much strength as possible in a limited amount of time. He is a seasoned powerlifting coach who was contacted by the military to help those in the Special Forces to get stronger. Part of the challenge was to accomplish this within the context of a minimal amount of weekly training time. Marty’s solution was to develop a schedule consisting two brief workouts per week. This strategy proved to be successful with those he trained and is listed below:
Workout #1: 20 minute workout
Squat: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Bench press: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Rest three days before doing workout #2 workout
Workout #2: 20 minute workout
Overhead Press: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Deadlift: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
This same workout is discussed when Marty was interviewed on the following video:
Warm-up Sets
Notice that only two exercises are done each workout, and only four exercises are done each week. The four exercises consist of the bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. When working up to a heavy set of an exercise, start with three warm-up sets of the same exercise before doing a single heavy work-set. This is outlined below:
Warm-up set 1: Do 8 reps with 40% of your single rep max
Warm-up set 2: Do 4 reps with 50% of your single rep max
Warm-up set 3: Do 2 reps with 60% of your single rep max
Work-set 1: Do 5 to 8 reps with 70% to 85% of your single rep max
Keep Workouts to 20 Minutes or Less
You don’t need more than a minute of rest between warm-up sets, but after your last warm-up set, rest at least two minutes before doing your heavy work-set. When you stay within these time parameters for rest between sets, it shouldn’t take any more than twenty minutes to do each workout. The amount of workout time per week should be forty minutes or less.
Variations of The Same Exercise
It’s easy to look at this workout and see that you are only doing four exercises per week, which may not seem like enough. However, Marty recommends changing the way each exercise is performed by doing different variations of the same exercise. For example, when doing squats and deadlifts you can change the width of your stance and the amount of uprightness or forward lean with your upper body. When doing the bench press and overhead press, you can change the width of your grip. You can also bring the bar down to various locations on your chest when doing the bench press. This will provide the necessary exercise variation to stimulate your muscles in a variety of ways.
If you have more time or more days available to workout, you can always add to the workout listed. However, if your time is truly limited, the workout listed will help you to get the most from your efforts in the least amount of time. Best of training to you.
Tightness For Better Deadlift Form
Before you attempt a heavy deadlift, it is important to understand the proper set up for a good starting position. There are several factors that contribute to a good set up, one of which is tightness in the starting position. This was discussed to some degree in the last article in which Richard Hawthorne and Stephanie Cohen explained that they were slow off the ground with the barbell. The reason for this was because they were taking time to build up tension in their muscles in order to maintain drive throughout the whole lift. They preferred this to yanking the bar off the ground and losing power before the lift is completed. Without tightness in the starting position, optimum strength and power will be lacking, form will be poor, and the risk of injury will increase.
It’s one thing to tell lifters to get their body tight in the starting position, it’s another thing to actually explain how to do it. This is why Max Aita dedicates a whole video to this important detail when discussing how to perform the sumo deadlift.
In the video at the end of this article, Max emphasizes three important aspects that will help you to achieve the necessary tightness in the starting position to initiate and sustain a strong pull. These three important aspects are listed below and are summarized individually afterwards:
- Breathing and bracing
- Maintaining Tension in the lats
- Pull the slack out of the bar before lifting
Breathing and Bracing
Breathing and bracing are important. This is done by starting in a standing position with your feet in place for the lift. You then take a deep breath and take plenty of air into your lungs and diaphragm. While doing this, brace with your abdomen by tightening your midsection. Maintain this tightness as you squat down into the starting position.
After squatting down to grab the bar in the starting position, it is important to maintain a neutral spine and avoid hyperextending the back as this can cause you to lose the pressure and tightness in your abdomen.
Maintain Tension in the lats
Maintain tension in the lat muscles of the upper back when in the starting position. Without tension in your lats, your upper back can start to round once you begin to pull, and the bar can start to drift forward. The way to tighten your lats is to drive your arms and shoulders down in order to feel tension in your outer and upper back. You can also build pressure in these muscles by using your hands to apply pressure on the bar towards your body so that the bar does not drift forward during the lift.
Pull The Slack Out of the Bar
Pull the slack out of the bar before attempting to actually pull the bar off the ground. Do not try to suddenly yank the bar off the ground. Give yourself sufficient time to build up as much tension as possible by pulling upward with your hands while pushing downward with your feet before lifting the bar off the ground.
All of these points are demonstrated in the following video:
It’s easy to watch great deadlifters and try to imitate them without knowing the process that they go through when preparing for their lift. Having a protocol for generating tightness at the start of the deadlift can be easily overlooked unless you hear it emphasized by several reputable lifters and coaches. If you already have an effective method that you are comfortable with when preparing for a heavy deadlift, you should keep using it. If not, the video provides you with a good method that you can start implementing. Best of training to you.
Developing Drive For A Stronger Deadlift
Richard Hawthorne has deadlifted almost five times his bodyweight. Pound for pound, Richard is the strongest deadlifter in the world. Among women powerlifters, Stephanie Cohen is the strongest pound for pound deadlifter in the world. She is immensely strong and has deadlifted over four times her bodyweight. Not only are Richard and Stephanie the strongest deadlifters, they both have a similar philosophy in terms of slowly building up tension in their legs, back, and body, until the bar slowly starts to come off the floor. It initially looks like they don’t have enough power to complete the lift, but the bar keeps moving until it reaches lockout. You can see them lift in the following videos
Richard Hawthorne
Stephanie Cohen (note: the lift starts at about 50 sec. into the video).
Both Richard and Stephanie are sometime accused of being “slow off the floor” with their deadlift. If you listen to them teach how to deadlift, being slow off the floor isn’t a matter of weakness, it’s a matter of a preferential technique that works for them.
Richard prefers the word “drive” rather than “explosion.” When using drive, tension builds up and increases throughout the lift. Richard will sometime refer to this as compressive strength. The reason he prefers this is that when lifters try to emphasize explosiveness, the power is quickly released and can dissipate before the lift is completed. Likewise, Stephanie prefers to slowly get her body in perfect position for a deadlift so that every part of her body is leveraged for greatest advantage. From there, she gives her muscles time to build up tension until the bar slowly starts to move and accelerate to lockout.
You will also hear both Richard and Stephanie emphasize the need for leg drive and to “push the feet down into the floor” rather than trying to pull up on the bar. Richard often tells lifters to think of the deadlift as a push instead of a pull, which simply means to push your feet into the floor to stand up instead of trying to stand up by straightening up with your back.
You can hear Richard and Stephanie explain these concepts in the next two videos.
Richard Hawthorne
Stephanie Cohen
Not everyone is the same. Some lifters feel much more powerful with the concept of exploding off the floor when deadlifting. Others, like Richard and Stephanie prefer to let tension build up until they have enough drive to slowly get the bar moving and then sustain that drive until lockout. If you want to know whether you are better off by using a more explosive pull or a slower pull, you need to try both methods and stick with what works best. Best of training to you.
Body Sense: Listen, Tune In, and Feel
Should we imitate the workouts of the greatest lifters? If so, which lifters? The problem is that they don’t all workout the same way. If the best lifters are using different training methods, which method is best and how would we know? Perhaps it is not a specific program that we should imitate, but the advice to listen to your body and learn from how your body responds. Here’s what some of the great ones have to say about the importance of listening to your body and being aware of what you are feeling in terms of exercise technique, how often to train, and how hard to train:
A quote by Richard Hawthorne: Pound for pound, the world’s strongest deadlifter.
“You know, when I feel something, I listen to it: what’s going on, figure it out; I don’t mind sitting out for a second, I totally, totally let go with what my body is telling me, I totally listen to it. I’m going to get stronger no matter what.
Feeling, is better….. feeling is better eyes than our actual eyes. Learn how to feel out your body. And you can’t learn how to do that when we deal with speed (comment from the author: Richard prefers the concept steady drive rather than momentary explosive speed). But feeling is important. You have to know what’s actually going on in your body at all times.”
More from Richard on the importance of Feel
Leroy Colbert: Tune In
Leroy Colbert is often considered the first bodybuilder to develop arms that measured over 20 inches before steroids and PED’s were available. Leroy gives the advice to tune in to your body and listen to what your body is telling you. He explains the importance of this in the following video.
Leroy Colbert
Ed Coan
Ed Coan is considered by many to be the greatest powerlifter of all time. In the following videos, Ed discusses the importance of being in touch with your body to learn how to workout. In the second video, he along with Chad Wesley Smith and Max Aita explain that it is not feasible to prescribe a set training program or training frequency to everyone. People will have to take the time to tryout different types of training in order to discover what produces the best results.
The bottom line is to learn your body. There are written programs that give you a good starting place, but you must learn how your body responds to that program and make adjustments according to your capacities. This is not something that you will master in a few weeks, because what works best in the first year or two may not work at all as you continue to train. Tuning in to your body will always be important in every phase of training and development; so don’t neglect to do it if you want to make the most of your training. Best of training to you.
The High Frequency Strength Training Pyramid
I recently wrote a book called the High Frequency Training Pyramid. The pyramid is based on two basic concepts that address the relationship between training intensity and training frequency.
- The base of the pyramid is the lowest level of the pyramid. The lowest level represents the easiest training that you will be doing. The bottom is also the widest part of the pyramid and represents the training that can done the most often without overtraining.
- As the pyramid rises, so does the training intensity. Of course the highest intensity is represented by the top of the pyramid. As the pyramid rises to higher intensity, the pyramid narrows. The narrower part of the pyramid represents the training that must be done less often in order to avoid overtraining.
As you can see, the easier the training, the more often you do it; and the harder the training, the less often you do it.
The basic premise behind the high frequency training pyramid is that the lighter and easier weights at the bottom of the pyramid can be increased as a means to make it easier to add weight to the more difficult workouts at the top of the pyramid. Since the pyramid consists of four layers, you will find that as you improve at layer one at the bottom of the pyramid, it will become easier to improve at layer two. As you improve at layer two, you will improve at layer three, and as you improve at layer three, you will naturally find it easier to improve at layer four at the top of the pyramid.
Some people will believe that the easier workouts at the bottom of the pyramid are a complete waste of time, and they are partially right. The easier workouts won’t produce much of a training effect by the end of the first week or even the first month. This will cause many to question the value of doing them at all. But the easier workouts make it possible to keep on gradually adding weight a little bit at a time. By the end of the first year, the additions of weight to layer one will still only make a very modest difference. However, within three years it will make a substantial difference, and within five years, it will make a big difference. In other words, it is a long term training plan that will take patience and discipline,
The pyramid is designed the way it is in order to help you avoid hitting the training plateaus that occur from always trying to improve from the top up. Many lifters only try to add weight to their heaviest sets without any thought of adding weight to their easier sets. You can take advantage of the sum total of all of your sets by improving at all of them. In the end, it makes a difference.
If you have a mindset that is geared towards long term training plans, and you like high frequency training, I recommend that you give the book a quick read to see if it appeals to you. Even if you don’t like high frequency training, you may be able to take some of the concepts from the pyramid and implement them into the context of your own training frequency. As with any training method, you adjust, alter, and modify according to what works best for your own body. Best of training to you.
For now you can receive free instant access to a pdf version of the book. Just click on the book cover to read it.
Independent Thinkers In Weight Training Part 2
Independent thinking that deviates from the norm is often frowned upon by those who feel bound to the norm. In weight training circles, the norm is often a good thing because it is usually based on methods that have proven themselves to work for a lot of people. While the norm can be a good thing, it can become a bad thing if it keeps you from something that would work better, and you will never know if there is something better unless you are willing to be an independent thinker and deviate from the norm. This is what several bodybuilders and weight lifters have done in order to achieve outstanding success. In the last article, I discussed this in the context of two outstanding bodybuilders including Bob Gajda and Mike Mentzer. These two bodybuilders used very opposite strategies, but both experienced tremendous results from their training methods, and both were miles outside of the norms of their time.
In this article, I will be discussing several more bodybuilders and weight lifters who I believe were independent thinkers. These men were willing to look past the norms in search of optimizing training methods that would facilitate better results. The bodybuilders and lifters that will be discussed include Serge Nubret, Vince Gironda, Marty Gallaher, and Paul Anderson.
Serge Nubret
Serge Nubret was a phenomenal bodybuilder with one of the most dramatic, eye piercing physiques of all time. His body had a seamless flow of flawless proportions, and he appeared to have digitally enhanced abs before digital enhancements even existed. His preferred method for developing his outstanding physique was high volume workouts with light weights ranging from 30% to 45% of his single rep max. Serge typically ranged from thirty to as many as fifty sets for chest, back and legs. He normally did 12 to 15 reps for each set with less than a minute rest between sets. It wasn’t uncommon for Serge to work his abs for 45 minutes to an hour per day.
Serge had a very unique approach to training that produced a scintillating physique. It would have never happened if he had followed the status quo by trying to imitate everyone else. I know that not everyone can survive the type of training that Serge used, but that’s the point, everyone is different and Serge had a huge capacity for training volume. He took advantage of this by using an unconventional training method to which his body was highly responsive. For more on Serge’s training click here.
Vince Gironda
When Vince Gironda became bored with long slow workouts, he decided to change his training strategy. He set out to see how fast he could get his workouts done by doing eight sets of eight reps, or six sets of six reps with only fifteen to twenty seconds of rest between sets. He was shocked that this worked better for him than the long slower workouts that he thought were required in order to build muscle. Not only did Vince use this training strategy on himself, but as a gym owner and a trainer, he taught it to his students.
Vince was very open minded. Even though he popularized the 8 x 8 and 6 x 6 methods, he was not bound to them and believed that there were a variety of training methods that would work. In addition to 8 x 8 and 6 x 6, Vince’s methodology included:
3 sets of 8 reps
10-8-6-15
5 sets of 5 reps
10 sets of 10 reps
15 sets of 4 reps.
A muscle has 4 sides: 4 sets of 12 reps (a giant nonstop set with 4 different exercises).
Vince also liked compound sets such as dips plus incline presses with no rest between exercises.
While Vince believed that most people tended to over train with too many sets, he didn’t hesitate to have Mohamed Makkawy do up to 30 sets per body part for his Mr. Olympia preparations.
The bottom line with Vince was that he would try anything. After trying a routine or method, he liked anything that worked and was intolerant towards anything that didn’t work. You could say that Vince was very open minded until a training method proved to be fruitless. He was always an independent thinker because he was dependent upon results instead of being dependent on the acceptance that comes with accepting the norm. For more information on Vince’s training see ironguru.com and Vince Gironda Training Youtube
Marty Gallagher
Marty Gallagher is an outstanding powerlifter, coach, and author. In addition to training himself, he has played a part in coaching several world class powerlifters including Ed Coan, Doug Furnas, and Mark Chaillet. While I believe that Marty prefers the concept of minimalist training in which a lifter works up to one heavy work set for each lift each week, he will just as readily admit to the effectiveness of the high volume type of training that Bill Pearl and others have used to develop tremendous amounts of strength and size. Marty does think in terms of weight training norms, but he just as easily thinks outside of those norms in order to search for anything that will bring additional benefit to strength training results.
A quote from Marty reads,
“The larger message was this: there is no single weight training strategy that trumps all other systems. There is no ultimate strength training system that can be used ad infinitum, world without end. The thinking man’s strength athlete has a collection of proven-effective strength strategies, like suits in a closet. Every system, no matter how effective or sophisticated, has a finite shelf life, a finite period of results; the better the training program the deeper the results and the longer it lingers. Still, at some point, the results dry up.”
What you just read demonstrates Marty’s ability to utilize independent thinking instead of confined thinking that conforms to a popular methodology.
My favorite books from Marty are Iron Masters and Iron Methods
Paul Anderson
Perhaps Paul Anderson is the strongest man of the last 100 years. He dropped out of competition to be a professional strongman before he reached the peak of his strength, so many of his best lifts will never be officially recognized, but his best training lifts were:
1,200 pound raw squat
Over 630 pound bench press
An 825 pound deadlift
These lifts were not aided by steroids or squat suits, bench shirts, or other equipment that can inflate the numbers that represent the actual strength of a powerlifter. I don’t think there is anyone alive who has come close to his squatting strength.
From what I understand about Paul’s training, he trained each lift three times per week for the better part of a day by resting up to a half hour between sets of the same exercise, and an hour between different exercises. He did long slow workouts with very heavy weights. His training was very unconventional, but no one dared argue with Paul Anderson as he was miles ahead of the rest of the world in terms of his strength accomplishments. You can read more about his training at strengtholdschool.com.
You may be a person who finds that the best way to train is to utilize common training methods that have been proven to work for countless people over many years. On the other hand, you may reach a point in your training where you become more of an independent thinker and are willing to look outside the norm in search of better results. This is what many lifters have had to do in order to reach their potential, and at some point in time, it may be worthwhile for you to do the same. Best of training to you.
Independent Thinkers In Weight Training
When it comes to weight training, I am all for learning from others as long as it produces results, but I also believe there is a time for being open minded to uncommon methodology. There are lifters who reached a point where they weren’t satisfied with the results that they received from the way they had been taught to train. This produced a willingness to try something different, even if it contradicted what they had been taught was the right way to train. Of course departing from the most common trends in training methodology will often backfire with subpar results, but in other instances it opens the door to a whole new perspective that pays off with much better results. This will only happen among those who are willing to be independent thinkers.
True Independent Thinking is Based on Truth, not Rebellion
Some people don’t like the idea of individualism as they associate it with being self-centered and rebellious. You may hear someone way, “That guy is way too independent.” So let me be clear that I am not referring to independent thinking in terms of thinking in opposition to others just to be rebellious and spiteful to the point of intentional foolishness that harms oneself or others. That kind of independence has nothing to do with the desire to find out what is best or what is true.
Seeking The Truth
Independent thinking that leads to a better end through the discovery of a new truth or a larger perspective is good independence. It’s a simple matter of thinking outside of the box when the box is too small to be an accurate representation of a bigger whole. Likewise, a partial view of a big picture can be misleading when a full view is necessary for full understanding. It often requires independent thinking to break away from the traditional smaller view to see the full view. This type of independent thinking can be useful for anything, including weight training.
Ridiculed Discoverers
All through history people have discovered truths and methods that were right and true, but they were ridiculed when their ideas went against the accepted authorities and norms. Copernicus and Galileo had a hard time functioning within the scientific community because they believed correctly that the earth revolved around the sun when the accepted science of the day taught that everything revolved around the earth. Other scientists were also ridiculed for discovering truths that were eventually accepted as true and right. You can read about this in the article: (Ridiculed Discoverers, Vindicated Mavericks).
Independent Thinkers Within Weight Training
In this article and the article to follow, I would like to give a brief synopses of several weight lifters and bodybuilders who were willing to look outside of the weight training norms of their day in their quest for better results.
Bob Gajda
I am highly intrigued with the training methodology of the first person that I will be discussing. His name is Bob Gajda. Bob won the Mr. America and Mr. Universe 1966. He used a method that I am sure many people used both before, during, and after his bodybuilding career, but what sets him apart is that he figured out how to individualize it to achieve phenomenal results. The obvious thing that stands out about his training was the astronomical amount of weekly training volume. Bob used a form of circuit training that is called PHA (peripheral heart action). From what I understand, he trained hours per day with very little rest between sets, and he often trained his whole body on consecutive days.
Bob felt that the manner in which he ordered his exercises was the key to his ability to train with massive amounts of volume without overtraining. He didn’t believe in pumping a muscle with consecutive sets and thought it was much better to keep switching to different muscle groups from one set to the next. Bob reasoned that the pump congested the muscle and left it full of waste products that would make it hard to recover.
I have found some information about Bob’s training, but I wish I could find more in regard to exactly how he trained. Either Bob was a genetic freak in terms of his workload tolerance or he had a tremendous feel for being in an optimum training state, which means that he had great instincts not only for ordering his exercises, but also for knowing how hard, how fast, how long, and how often to train. You can read more about Bob Gajda in the following Link (Bob Gajda interview), and you can also take a look at the video to see what he looked like in contest shape.
Mike Mentzer
The next person that I admire for independent thinking is Mike Mentzer who is the originator of Heavy Duty Training. In my early days of weight training, I thought Mike Mentzer was the smartest bodybuilder of all time because he was able to articulate his beliefs and methods about training in a manner that sounded so incredibly logical. Mike was Mr. Intensity. While I have come to the point where I don’t like his training methods for myself, I admire him for departing with the bodybuilding norms of his day and I like his willingness to question conventional training wisdom.
When Mike was stuck and couldn’t seem to make any progress with the high volume methods of the top bodybuilders of the 1970’s, he drastically reduced his training and did short intense workouts. He stunned the bodybuilding world when he won the Mr. America and Mr. Universe titles by doing workouts that consisted of just a few sets for each muscle group. This produced far better results for him than the marathon workouts that he once thought were necessary to be an elite bodybuilder. It would have never happened if he had continued to be an imitator instead of an originator who was willing to be an independent thinker. You can learn more about Mike’s methods at https://www.mikementzer.com/, and look at the following videos that feature his physique and his training methods.
More To Come
Bob Gajda and Mike Mentzer are just a few people involved in weight training who relied upon independent thinking to search beyond the norms and ended up better off for it. There are many others who also thought for themselves and I will be discussing some of them in the next article. Best of training to you.