[quote]CMdad wrote:
This is a really interesting thread. For years, I followed all the accepted wisdom of how to get bigger and stronger. I counted grams of protein religiously, followed weight and rep progressions religiously and, yes, I did get much bigger and stronger. However, recently, I’ve been experimenting with lower (sometimes significantly so) levels of protein and a much more bare bones strength regimen consisting almost entirely of chins, dips, push presses and dead lifts. So far, my strength levels and overall physique have not suffered and it’s left me a lot more time for my boxing (which at this stage of my life is just a hobby). I think that the big thing for me in terms of why a much more stripped down diet and training regimen has worked so well is because the intensity of the workouts has remained high. I think this is related to your comments on explosiveness.
Also, I think that we often get too caught up in the minutia of training. I often try to mould my training on that of boxers and strength athletes from the past (ie. pre steroid era). These guys just nutted-up up and killed it with training methodologies that would be laughable to many of today’s supposedly in the know coaches. However, results speak more than creatively interpreted studies. I’m interested in how your training in calisthenics is structured. Could you elaborate on this further as it is something I am starting to get more heavily involved in?[/quote]
Yes, and like yourself, I too found success with the true and tried methods and templates that are often expressed on this forum and the like. But as I matured in my training ( lifting and BJJ/boxing/muay thai ) I found less and less purpose in deadlifting/squatting 2 or 3 times my bodyweight, especially for the realm of combat.
Most pundits would agree that compound movements for S&C should be emphasized (barring a special need) for most, if not all sports. However, I think semantics from another world poured into ours.
My workouts usually consist of pullups, dips, standing skull crushers, squats, and single arm bent over rows. Virtually every session. ( I do curls, tricep extensions, and lateral/front raises for supp )
The important thing is I don’t do pull ups just one way. I greatly vary the speed during the concentric and eccentric phase. I throw in what I call a ‘focus rep’ where I intensely focus on technique. For example, for the pull up I will hold the top position and intensely squeeze my shoulder blades to emphasize scapular retraction. I’ll note where my elbows are positioned, how shrugged or flat my shoulders are, where my feet are positioned, how erect or tilted I am, finger grip or palm grip, how hard I can push my chest into the bar, etc. I’ll do the same for pulling behind the neck, except for this move I focus how hard I can pull my upper back into the bar. I’ll perform static holds in various positions, one hand and two hands. I also hang on the bar, a lot, which is also my warm up.
**For jitz people
[[ BJJ or any martial art is about nuances. A strong grip on a bar, does not equate to a strong grip on the gi and same applies for hips. If it were true, powerlifters would be some of the greatest rollers in the world. Because jitz, after all, is hips and grips. ]]
Among the aforementioned, I’ll also do some muscle ups, varying in explosiveness.
I bring the same kind of methodology to my other exercise selections… and you have a nearly endless amount of variations to master.
How my routine looks in action is quite hard to explain. I never keep track of total reps… I only focus on proprioception and feeling. There will be sets of pull ups where I’ll go one rep… ranging to 6. None of them are rushed, all are quality. However, when I feel particularly good on a set, I may bust out 15 reps, but I always leave room in the tank. Once I’m ‘bored’ with pull ups, I’ll jump on a bar and perform some standing skull crushers. Then it’s straight to the dumbbells for single arm rows, then dips, then squats and so forth. If I’m tired, I’ll do some curls and tricep extensions for rest. In essence, I’m continually in motion. If my back is fatigued, I work my anterior until it is rested, and vice versa. If all my stations are occupied, I just find space and perform ATG BW squats until something opens up.
If the gym isn’t too packed, I’ll load the bar with a chip on each side and bust out some behind the neck jerks.
I always leave the gym with extra fuel in the tank. Never fatigued, never ‘sore’ for days at a time. By doing this, I’m fitting in three or four times the amount of volume into my workout… Because I can literally train like this up to 6 days a week. And I think it’s very important to note here, that I’m also doing it with precise technique and a full tank of gas (fresh neurons).
Long story short ( I know it’s already long ), my method was partially influenced by shaking hands with a bricklayer. The man did not lift weights, nor did he pick up anything particularly heavy. The heaviest thing he picked up was a brick… which is usually less than 5lbs. All he would do is pick up 5lbs and lay it down, for hours. After years of doing this, his body adapted. And although he didn’t get take his BCAA’s, even though he didn’t systematically increase the load, even though he didn’t supplement with whey, his hand had the power of two men. His forearm wasn’t particularly massive, but he repped captain of crush #2 for 3 reps.