YES!!! LOL, now I could squat as high as Manute Bol, and say “bro these arent partial box squats”
Thanks for the info I appreciate it.
Edit: The main issue for me with rack pulls is the lowest I could place the bar on the rack is just below the knee which seems like you said more ego and not quality I guess I could stand on plates?
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
“Max out on squats every day. Max out on deadlifts 2-3 times per year.”
I mean everything is so extreme! I cant say I agree with his methodolgies, and I know who the hell am I, but it just seems so slanted and extreme to one aspect, maybe when your 19 like Pat Mendez is and have no other responsibilities it would be more conceivable.
I love heavy rows, chins etc and this guy doesent believe in em, the only assistance exercise he did allow ironically enough was curls lol.
the kid is amazing. For me its a no no, espescially when I just said that rest and recovery is ideal for better performance in the gym.
I also understand his methodolgies I believe are geared towards the gifted athlete and not me.
What do you think?
[/quote]
I had a chance to spend about 3 days with one of the former Bulgarian weight lifting coaches. The program definitely works but as he put it…hundreds start the program and the ones that can do it are the Olympians.
Bingo, I think the readers of the article have to keep that in mind (i.e. me)
I think there’s definitely a requirement of being “willing to adapt” and push through. Part of that adaptation has to include a lifestyle accommodation to be able to train in that fashion (diet, rest and recovery).
I believe in the generalization that within life you can accomplish anything you wish to (within reason) as long as you align everything in your life towards that goal. Most often people are not willing or (moreso) able to do this and perhaps don’t quite make their objectives as a result.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
YES!!! LOL, now I could squat as high as Manute Bol, and say “bro these arent partial box squats”
Thanks for the info I appreciate it.
Edit: The main issue for me with rack pulls is the lowest I could place the bar on the rack is just below the knee which seems like you said more ego and not quality I guess I could stand on plates?[/quote]
For the last year or so I did nothing but rack pulls from the lowest pin, which for me is mid shin, this helped out my deads like nothing else. IMO it’s actually a little harder to start there than from the floor because there is no upward momentum or leg drive.
When I went to a commercial gym and the lowest pin was just at the knee I’d stand on a 45 or two to get the bar to mid shin.
[quote]ddot76 wrote:
I think there’s definitely a requirement of being “willing to adapt” and push through. Part of that adaptation has to include a lifestyle accommodation to be able to train in that fashion (diet, rest and recovery).
I believe in the generalization that within life you can accomplish anything you wish to (within reason) as long as you align everything in your life towards that goal. Most often people are not willing or (moreso) able to do this and perhaps don’t quite make their objectives as a result.[/quote]
We talked a lot about their daily schedule of training, recovery, restoration and nutrition. Extremely interesting stuff. It was their life point blank. Plus the special recovery…wink wink… methods. It was an amazing experience to just sit and ask questions and hear him talk about the training.
[quote]dday wrote:
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
YES!!! LOL, now I could squat as high as Manute Bol, and say “bro these arent partial box squats”
Thanks for the info I appreciate it.
Edit: The main issue for me with rack pulls is the lowest I could place the bar on the rack is just below the knee which seems like you said more ego and not quality I guess I could stand on plates?[/quote]
For the last year or so I did nothing but rack pulls from the lowest pin, which for me is mid shin, this helped out my deads like nothing else. IMO it’s actually a little harder to start there than from the floor because there is no upward momentum or leg drive.
When I went to a commercial gym and the lowest pin was just at the knee I’d stand on a 45 or two to get the bar to mid shin.[/quote]
Yeah I think this what Ill have to do.
[quote]ddot76 wrote:
I think there’s definitely a requirement of being “willing to adapt” and push through. Part of that adaptation has to include a lifestyle accommodation to be able to train in that fashion (diet, rest and recovery).
I believe in the generalization that within life you can accomplish anything you wish to (within reason) as long as you align everything in your life towards that goal. Most often people are not willing or (moreso) able to do this and perhaps don’t quite make their objectives as a result.[/quote]
I agree to a certain extent but when you have the usual responsibilites and other important people in your life in need of your attention and production I just dont see it as reasonable.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
[quote]ddot76 wrote:
I think there’s definitely a requirement of being “willing to adapt” and push through. Part of that adaptation has to include a lifestyle accommodation to be able to train in that fashion (diet, rest and recovery).
I believe in the generalization that within life you can accomplish anything you wish to (within reason) as long as you align everything in your life towards that goal. Most often people are not willing or (moreso) able to do this and perhaps don’t quite make their objectives as a result.[/quote]
I agree to a certain extent but when you have the usual responsibilites and other important people in your life in need of your attention and production I just dont see it as reasonable.
[/quote]
That’s exactly my point. Most people choose to put other accomplishments and responsibilities ahead of training for a 1000lb squat or deadlift (or to become an Olympic athlete). And when I say choose, I say it in a non-judgmental way.
I choose to put friends and family and a bunch of other things ahead of being a 300lb 5’8 bodybuilder. 
IRL I know a guy who basically forgoes relationships because dating possible involves eating at a restaurant and he can’t be sure the beef is grass-fed or the date might run past 10pm and it’s cuts into his prescribed 8hrs sleep.
He did better than I did at my show but I didn’t quite make the same sacrifices he made (nor was I willing to).
WOW! I dont know how I would classify that one…that level of commitment is beyond my comprehension
You and me both.
[quote]ddot76 wrote:
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
[quote]ddot76 wrote:
I think there’s definitely a requirement of being “willing to adapt” and push through. Part of that adaptation has to include a lifestyle accommodation to be able to train in that fashion (diet, rest and recovery).
I believe in the generalization that within life you can accomplish anything you wish to (within reason) as long as you align everything in your life towards that goal. Most often people are not willing or (moreso) able to do this and perhaps don’t quite make their objectives as a result.[/quote]
I agree to a certain extent but when you have the usual responsibilites and other important people in your life in need of your attention and production I just dont see it as reasonable.
[/quote]
That’s exactly my point. Most people choose to put other accomplishments and responsibilities ahead of training for a 1000lb squat or deadlift (or to become an Olympic athlete). And when I say choose, I say it in a non-judgmental way.
I choose to put friends and family and a bunch of other things ahead of being a 300lb 5’8 bodybuilder.
IRL I know a guy who basically forgoes relationships because dating possible involves eating at a restaurant and he can’t be sure the beef is grass-fed or the date might run past 10pm and it’s cuts into his prescribed 8hrs sleep.
He did better than I did at my show but I didn’t quite make the same sacrifices he made (nor was I willing to).[/quote]
If Ddot doesn’t mind I would like to add to what hes saying. I think for most of us to stay the course ,its important to have balance between are gym lives and are actual lives. I know when I was younger (teens to early twenties) I became overly obsessed with Bodybuilding. To a certain extent that it wasn’t healthy mentally. Eventually it caused me to burn out and I turned my back on lifting for a few years. If I had more balance I probably would have achieved more.
On the same vein. This is already been touched on. I find it funny when what ever Eastern European methods gets brought up people forget that.
Most of these athletes that are using these methods are more or likely the cream of the crop.
It probably all these athletes do. No job no external stress.
Good supply of high end “supplements”
Love the picture, Bulldog!
You named the one thing that makes me so skeptical towards many experts. They brag about training elite athletes, yet the athletes were already in great shape when they met. Genetic advantages, years of training, eating well in childhood, good coaching, etc, ect. They’re already one in a million, what part of their success is them and what part did the expert contribute?
Now if the expert can take a hopeless case, a skinny kid or fat guy, and turn him into a champion, then I’m impressed.
Hey Matty! Interesting discussion going on in here. Who knew you meat heads were so heady 
I’ll have to admit, I didn’t read the article and just skipped to the pictures…
Bulldog - I agree whole heartedly, which is why I believe the author of the article may be slightly irresponsible in writing an article with a drastic methodolgy. Impressionable readers may think they can do with this Pat Mendez kid can do while using a broomstick for a thousand repititions per day.
Cav - I liken your examples to Phil Jackson, who I always thought of as an overrated coach IMO. He went to teams that were ready made to win a champuionship and is labelled a genius. I feel a coach like Doug Collins who took a horrible team coming into last years NBA season with essentially the same roster and evoked his ideologies and methods and made the team a playoff team.
Masch - Funny you mention the pics, those pics on the front have nothing to do with the article let alone squatting just a couple of jacked dudes looking…um jacked! As far as this meeting of the minds ill have you know that “I be a colege Graduayte!”
while not claiming to be a super man-
its about doing the work.
I probably had zero athletic potential as a kid or a teen.
I just did the work.
for me that meant an ungodly amount of work.
and making decisions or sacrifices, to do it.
I think when I realized what the other guy was doing-
I needed to do that much more to get close.
Lets dispel some eastern bloc myths
their pro athletes don’t make what ours do or nothing even in that realm
you can’t compare the two
they have many local facilities with a pool some matts and some weights
very local to most towns.
yes they are nationally funded -
and have never ever received any heat -or repairs since like 1960
this isn’t to raise a nation of gold medalists
its for propaganda to say how the government provides
‘recreation for the people’
kids and adults go to swim play judo lift - do what ever…
and ski or skate or throw stuff
to call these facilities bare bones would be a gross exaggeration
they are freezing and poorly equipped dont you remember the cover stories on time
magazine about people in the 80’s and 90’s waiting in line to get toilet paper?
these are the same people going to these little training spots.
there are no guys in fur hats with calipers or clipboards measuring babies and kids
Europeans take sports and play time very seriously compared to us.
kids meet coaches at their little town - the coach is like the town coal shoveler with a drinking problem
who played sports as a kid
he or she eventually gets some of the better kids to better little places to train
what happens when they get there isn’t a miracle
the just see other people busting there asses and then they realize they need to do it too.
or go home embarrassed and to do what?
go to school, get a job that pays the same wages across the country?
like a 1.65 us per hour
as for teh roidz
we take just as much or more but came late to the game.
look at our pro sports debacles
well in ukraine there are no pro baseball, football, etc these are there pro sports
kind of an oversimplification on my part but its true.
but when you compete with these types-
you kind of realize they work allot harder then we do
I hope you dont think Im saying “pfft these guys are on teh roidz they dont work hard” I have no delusions of grnandeur thinking they are training at facilities like Dolph Lungren did in Rocky 4. Wether they take the roidz or not, giving 150% is what is needed. I understand these are destitute downtrodden rough in all ways countries, this may be there only outlet.
At 19 I was a knucklehead and did not have the wherewithal or mental fortitude to consider something that takes so much dedication. I commend you for that.
As an adult with adult responsibilities however I think it would be impossible to dedicate that much time to a program such as this.
my comments should be taken the same- Im no superman-
and you can only do this when you have time -
or give up everything and make the time.
that all being said - how long can you keep it up before you implode?
I dont know
what kind of tolls does this take long term on the body I dont know.
Okay so Matty I was cruising around the conditioning forum and Wilba has a post over there. He is going on almost 2 or 3 months of working out every day. He is our age. No Rest Days - Bigger Stronger Leaner - Forums - T Nation
I just perused it, more power to him, Im not necessarily frowning down on training every day, Im just because of outside variables I cant do it. If I didnt have to work there would be no doubt in my mind I would train 6 days a week. Now I know there are people such as Wilba who work and are training every day, however as we all are parents in this convo it would take too much time away from the family and my wife would wreck me.