SELECTED STRENGTH TRAINING SYSTEMS

EVOLUTION can be defined as "a general name for the history of the steps by which any living organism has acquired the morphological and physiological characters which distinguish it; a gradual unfolding of successive phases of growth or development".

Whatever arena you step into, whether it's wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo, MMA, etc., you need to constantly be developing your skills. The skills you wield are not limited to the physical aspects either. You need to enhance your mind as well. In your arena, you never want to be consistently predictable. If you're satisfied with just "doing enough", you eventually will be eaten alive by your competitors. Mental toughness and physical superiority go hand-in-hand.   

Let's delve into what it is like to have a championship attitude and mindset with UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre. This clip was made before his destruction of Josh Koscheck back in December 2010. Listen up boys and girls because you may learn a thing or two. 

What I appreciate about St. Pierre in this clip is his clear understanding of vision and how he consistently evolves his skill set to not only keep up but exceed his competition. He is willing to do whatever it takes to be the best, even if he has to travel far and wide to get what he needs to be a more complete athlete. Yet, he knows fighting isn't all about the physical aspects either. He exercises the mental aspect and HE LEARNS!

Granted, not all of us have the budget of a GSP to travel the country and around the globe to learn and be taught by the best of the best. Don't let that be your excuse to not get better. You have the ability to learn but it's up to you to be open-minded and be accepting to the knowledge that your "local experts" (e.g. coaches, parents, teachers, etc.) teach you, For example, if you are not getting everything you need in your own gym or current coaching staff, then take the initiative, go somewhere else, and get that extra bit of training. Be that seeker of knowledge! Seek out that wrestling or grappling coach that can show you that one extra move to add to your arsenal! Seek out that strength coach that can help you build that extra amount of strength and power you need to get you through a match! The adage as it goes, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! Knowledge doesn't just come to you! You MUST take the time and effort to seek it!

If you seek - you will eventually destroy,

Ron

Selected Strength   

Happy New Year everyone!

 

With the turn of the calendar year, almost everyone makes New Year's Resolutions. You say to yourself, "I want to do this!" or "I need to do this different!" or "This time I'm going to commit!"

 

If one of your resolutions is to hit the gym, it may have been awhile since you've stepped in one. First, let me congratulate you and I certainly hope you reach your personal goals. Secondly, here are some thoughts of what NOT to do when you start up your weight training program.

 

Here is an excerpt from the pages of T-Nation:  

5 Exercises You Should Stop Doing... Forever!

by Dr. Clay Hyght

When we talk about exercise selection, we typically talk about exercises you should do, but that's not enough. We must also address the other, equally important side of the coin: exercises you should NOT do!

Think about it, you can be doing all the right exercises, but if you're doing even one exercise that you shouldn't – because it's ineffective or unsafe – your results are going to suffer. At best, a bad exercise wastes your recuperative ability.

Far worse, poor exercise selection can lead to injuries which force you to take time away from the gym. In case you didn't get the memo, you can't make physique and performance progress when you're at home nursing an injury.

Please read this informative article in its entirety and then continue reading the rest of my post.

 

Click Here >> Five Exercises You Should Stop Doing...Forever by Dr. Clay Hyght

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I hope you enjoyed that article by Dr. Hyght. I'd like to add a couple of exercise movements to that great list. My thoughts maybe unpopular to some and might make you think I hate machines. But that's ok because what I'm about to say will save more knees than not! I'm sensitive to the thoughts of caring and saving your knees. I had suffered through an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement after I tore mine years ago.  

1. Leg Extensions - With the placement of the bar being across your ankles, the stress is placed directly on your knees when extending your legs. Specifically, this movement overstresses the anterior cruciate ligament or ACL. When performing this movement, the quadriceps pulls the tibia forward. As this happens the ACL opposes the quadriceps by trying to prevent the pulling of tibia. These two opposing actions places severe stress on the ACL. This can potentially injure the ligament and the soft tissue surrounding it.
2. Back Squats on the Smith Machine  - If you're familiar with the Smith Machine, you know that it can greatly assist you with lifts being performed vertically in one and only one fixed plane of motion. When performing barbell back squat properly, your hips sit back as you squat downwards and the bend of your knees should not go past your toes. If your knees pass the plane of your toes, the emphasis of the squat transfers from your hips to your knees. Every individual has their own natural plane of motion when squatting. The use of the Smith Machine forces you in a one-size-fits-all plane of motion (directly up and down). When set in this fixed motion, squatters tend to more-often-than-not bend their knees past the toes. The femur will move backward while the tibia attempts to move forward. This also reduces the stress on the hamstrings and back during the exercise. The hamstrings are essential in stabilizing the knee when in a flexed position. The opposing actions of the femur and tibia places severe stress on the ACL (read #1.  Leg Extentions).

 

The moral of this post is simply be smart and be informed when performing different exercise movements. Be good to your shoulders and your knees. These joints are essential in athletic performance and in everyday life as a youngster or an old fogey. From changing levels and finishing a double leg takedown or bending down to pick up groceries and putting them on the kitchen counter, you'll regret it if you lose use of either one of these body parts due to injury.

 

 

Stay healthy this 2011 and beyond,

Ron

Selected Strength 

One of the most influential books I have ever had the pleasure of reading is Never Give Up: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning by Dan John. His thoughts and beliefs brought out in this book has helped me shape my philosophy of training for sport and training for life.

Never Give Up: A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning is a must-read!!

Below is a guest article from the pages of T-Nation: The Intelligent and Relentless Pursuit of Muscle. Read and enjoy!

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The One Dumbbell Workout

Change your mindset and have consistently great workouts!

by Dan John

Decisions, Decisions

According to recent studies–at least the ones cited in the checkout line mags that my wife reads—the number of choices a person has in life is directly linked to the occurrence of depression. The more choices you have, the higher your chance of becoming depressed.

These days, people have more choices than ever. That's good (I think), but it's also causing them to be confused and depressed. Think about it. Only until the past century did most people get more than a very limited few options. Generally, if Dad farmed, you farmed. For women, "choice" meant having a say in who your husband may be, and even that choice wasn't guaranteed!

The industrial revolution changed much of this rather quickly, and today, especially with the Internet, there are more options than we can even fathom. You may find this news to be, well, depressing, especially if you're a strength trainer. As a person involved in fitness, bodybuilding or sports, I can guarantee you've been exposed to this pandemic. In fact, I think one of the reasons most people fail to improve in strength training is simply this fact:

We have too many choices!

Fifty years ago, this wasn’t an issue. If you were lucky enough to find a gym, it had weights. On the floor. Iron only. Usually rusty. Some advanced places like the University of Notre Dame had low benches where you could lay down and "pull over" the bar to do a new fangled exercise called the "bench press."

Oh, how times have changed! Today, you can venture into an airplane hanger that serves as a twenty-four hour spa that'll cater to every whim of conditioning you can consider. You can climb mountains (by hand or bike), spin like you're in the Tour de France, or do some bizarre combination of yoga, weightlifting and martial arts… all at once.

If you decide to get into shape and build some muscle, the choices can be overwhelming. Not only do you have an infinite variety of machines, you even have a choice when it comes to barbells. You have regular bars, fat bars, EZ bars and those new padded bars that some people actually use while wearing gloves! (How much cushion do you need to build a "hard" body anyway?)

Add huge inflatable balls, pulley systems, balance boards, high reps, low reps, bodybuilding, powerlifting, kettlebell juggling…. hey, I'm getting depressed just thinking about it!

We just have too damn many choices. The kicker is, you can make great progress without most of these options! I learned this the hard way a decade ago. I'd found the "perfect gym." Squat racks as far as the eye could see, platforms all loaded with bumper plates and Olympic bars, a sprinting track, boxes for jumping, an area to stretch, and a clientele that included NBA players and Olympians from several countries. Each workout was an insight into the Olympics and the world of professional athletics.

Of course, it closed.

I was left having to train at home with a terrible bar I got at a garage sale, two 35-pound plates and two 25-pound plates… a total of 165 pounds. My options were just a wee bit limited. But during the next six months, I made the best progress of my life! Why? I had no choice! I had to make do and work hard!

I’m not arguing that we leave our gyms or move in as Tom Hanks' roommate on Castaway and train with coconuts and logs… although he did get pretty ripped. My point is simple: for many of us, an occasional round of simplicity, for as little as one workout or one week, can do wonders for our overall training.

Here are some ideas.

The "Broken Wrist" Workout

A few years ago I broke my wrist in a most convincing way, leaving it in several pieces that required two surgeries. Now, I’m not one to stop training, but it became impossible for me to train in my normal fashion for almost a year.

Because I had few options, I purchased an adjustable Olympic dumbbell that weighed eleven pounds and popped two 25’s on each end. My 61-pound dumbbell and I began a long and fruitful relationship. The basic workout was simple:

1) One Hand Clean and Press. Straddle the bell and grab it with one hand. Simply clean the bar to the shoulder and press it overhead. Continue until you can't continue. Clean the weight from the ground on each rep. 

 

 

2) One Hand Clean and Press-Press-Press. This time, clean the weight one time to your shoulder and get in as many presses as you can. (By the time I finished these two lifts, my whole body was starting to feel a glow.)

 

3) Waiter Walks. Lock the weight out overhead and walk as far as you can, like a waiter. Those funny muscles around your waist are called "obliques." You may have never noticed them before!

 

 

4) Do a "bunch" of sets and reps with each exercise.

That was it. And it worked great!

If your wrist isn’t actually broken, switch hands and do the whole workout again. If you choose to do both right and left hands in the same workout, start with your weaker hand.

"One Armed " and "Mismatched" Bench Presses

One day I tried to bench my 61-pound dumbbell with one hand. Why? I didn't have any other choice! Turns out, this is a great exercise.

The hard part of the lift is sticking your right leg out far enough to hold the body on the bench and finding a grip for the left hand. Otherwise, even a light dumbbell will drive you and your well-conditioned body right to the floor. The exercise, however, is worth trying as you'll discover that a dumbbell that's one-quarter of your max is hell to lift...if you only use one hand. 

The next great idea came from a very cheap friend of mine who fitted his gym with garage sale items. He had a mishmash of weights and dumbbells. You could get "close" when picking two dumbbells, like 65 pounds and 75 pounds, but you could never find any that were the same weight. In hindsight, he was on to something!

Simply do this: train with two dumbbells, but of different weights. When doing something like dumbbell clean and press, you can squeeze out a lot more reps with the combination of different weights than you usually can do with one weight. Drop the 'bells on the ground and switch hands and go again. "Mismatched dumbbell bench presses" can also give an intensity lesson to the best of lifters!

Time and Hard Work

I’m not trying to tell anyone to quit their gym. The issue isn’t the gym, it's the whole direction of the fitness industry. Everyone is trying to find a niche, so authors and personal trainers are doing their best to "get a name." Now, there's nothing wrong with that idea. The problem comes when an athlete gets so caught up in gadgets, rep cadence, foot placement, and all the rest that they miss the big picture.

Certainly, part of the big picture is to "Go Hard, Go Heavy, and Go Home," or whatever is on your T-shirt, but the other thing that's often missed is this: you need to give an exercise, a lift, a training program, a supplement, or a diet some time to work.

Back in the 1970’s, I was an eyewitness to the greatest change in weightlifting history: the printing of The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold. College weight rooms literally filled up within weeks. It was hard to get near certain parts of the gym, especially the bench and the lat pulldown station. Most of the frat boys were on Arnold’s six day routine and not one single guy squatted (er, quarter squatted) with more than 135, yet they were all supersetting every exercise. Guys would leap from preacher curl to triceps extensions and back again with a fury that shocked people who hadn’t yet seen Pumping Iron.

Rarely, if ever, did any of them improve. None, in fact, followed the advice of the book and marched up the level of intensity from whole body calisthenics to three-day-a-week training to four-day-a-week-training. No, instead they came in prepping for the Mr. Olympia, using the most advanced routine in the book!

They had too many choices! They didn’t spend the time on the basics, the simple stuff, before they moved up. The moral of the story is easy to grasp: start with the basics, give the basics time to work, then gradually move up to the fancy stuff, if you even need to!

Summary

Basically, think about these four points: 

1. Come up with a workout — weekly, biweekly, monthly, whatever — in which you get a little "old school" and toss out all the fancy stuff and just simply work hard. Work hard…simply.

 

2. Try some single dumbbell work or some mismatched dumbbell workouts.

 

3. Whenever you add a new "advanced exercise," something that involves inflatable balls or feet propped on benches, be sure to use "old fashioned" exercises and good form too.

 

4. Finally, be sure to give yourself some time before you move to the next great exercise, diet, or supplement. Be sure to finish up your last great program first.  

You just might make the best progress of your life. And there's nothing depressing about that!

Dan John is the Diocesan Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Salt Lake City and a full-time "on-line" religious studies instructor for Columbia College of Missouri. Originally from South San Francisco, Dan came to Utah to throw the discus for Utah State University and never left. Dan has Masters degrees in history and in religious education, as well as having done intensive work at the American University in Cairo, University of Haifa, and Cornell. Currently, Dan is ranked Number One in the world in the Highland Games, ages 45-49, broke the American Record in the Weight Pentathlon last August, holds numerous National Championships in weightlifting and throwing and maintains a full-time free internet coaching site at http:/danjohn.org/coach.

As you know a good protein drink is needed to help supplement the muscle building process. Though as important as it is to your diet and nutrition, you wish these creators of these supplement drinks could do more to improve the taste. Protein drinks have come a long way from the bland, gritty taste that they first had. But to help with improving the taste a bit further on your own, here is a list posted at http://thebestlist.menshealth.com/node/2392.

Best Tasting Protein Shake Ingredients

Posted by MH Editors on 08/13/10

1) Evaporated Milk

A half cup of condensed milk adds nearly 400 milligrams (mg) of calcium. Stronger bones mean a stronger frame to hang muscle tissue on.

 

2) Vanilla Extract

It's the secret ingredient that made nearly everything your mom baked taste better. A couple of drops will do the same for your protein shake.

 

3) Pumpkin

Canned pumpkin is already cooked to a smooth consistency, so it slips easily into a protein shake. And a cup of it delivers 7 grams (g) of fiber, the crucial nutrient that most muscle-building, high-protein diets lack.

 

4) Flaxseed

Dropping 1 tablespoon of flaxseed (available at any health-food store) into the blender adds nearly 1.5 g omega-3 fatty acids, which lock protein into your muscle fibers. The seeds' nutty flavor goes particularly well with chocolate and peanut-butter protein shakes.

 

5) Peaches

A cup of frozen peaches ups your shake's vitamin C count by 235 mg. That'll boost blood levels of cytokines-- compounds that keep colds and flu at bay. You can't work out when you're sick.

Being a follower of Selected Strength,  you might have already figured out I am a HUGE advocate of odd object training. Don't get me wrong! I do believe barbells and dumbbells are a necessity for strength and power training! But I believe odd object training translates the best when it comes to body movements for sports, as well as real life day-to-day situations, like carrying a sack of groceries or picking up "little Johnny" out of his car seat. Of all the odd object training implements, I favor kettlebells and sandbags the most. I'd like today's article to focus on the use of the sandbag. Let's say you have 135 pounds loaded on a barbell and a 135 pound sandbag. The chosen movement is the power clean and press. Guaranteed lifting and pressing the sandbag is much more difficult to handle compared to the barbell. Read this guest article by Dustin Lebel of http://www.dustinlebeltraining.blogspot.com/ to find out more about sandbag training. 

Sandbag Circuits For Combat Athletes

By Dustin Lebel

MMA is all the rage these days and its no surprise that more and more people want to train like their favorite fighters. The only problem is that most great fighters are great despite their strength and conditioning program…not all, but most. While putting together a great program for a combat athlete can be very complex as you have to take into account their technical practice schedules, past and current list of injuries, nutrition, their various coaches, recovery, and oh yeah – we need to get them stronger, more powerful, and in better condition while they concurrently improve their skills in their respective sport. Phew – training for combat sports is tough!

Well, the problem with most athletes is that they often sway too far towards one end of the spectrum or the other. Rarely ever are fighters just getting just enough strength work or just enough conditioning work (which is really what we’re aiming for – just enough). You either have guys running themselves into the ground with their skill practices and daily conditioning (most of it is bullsh#t), or you have guys who think that they are bodybuilders who also happen to box, wrestle, or what have you. The middle of the road is generally where you want to be, but to try and explain this to your typical “type A” combat athlete is near impossible. It has been instilled in our minds that the guy who simply does the most work, wins. While hard work is certainly the backbone for attaining success in anything, it’s important for combat athletes to understand their number one priority – to get better at their sport and compete at the highest possible level. If you are not getting better, then you are spinning your wheels. We’ve all heard the saying – more is not better, better is better. It sounds cliché but it’s true.

What I’m proposing for more fighters is to have more focused, disciplined sessions – not just their skill sessions, but also their strength and conditioning sessions. If more athletes just took what they are currently doing and cut everything in half and just started being more deliberate in their training, they would see twice the results. The fact is that the guys who say that they train 6-8 hours a day are either a) full of sh#t or b) farting around too much or not focusing on the things that deliver the biggest results. While this is tough to control with technical sessions because each coach has a different agenda and different training philosophy, the least you can do is have full control over your strength and conditioning sessions.

With all that said, lets take a look at how you can start to organize your training sessions and maximize your time in the weight room – leaving you plenty of time and energy to get better at breaking people’s arms or kicking them in the teeth. I think that most fighters who are training for their sport 5-6 days per week need just two, or three days at the most, of strength work per week. Since you will be getting plenty of conditioning from your regular practices, any more than that is overkill. I know that a lot of guys get sensitive when it comes to their daily roadwork, but again, I urge you to drop it and spend that time getting in some soft tissue and mobility work instead. If you are doing the things that you should be in practice – hard, live drilling, lots of live wrestling/rolling, mitt work, bag work, partner drills, and sparring – then you should have very little energy left over for anything else and that energy should be spent in the most productive way possible.

Most of the time, I prefer to use total body workouts and I find that getting in a session in less than 45 minutes (and often even less) is feasible as long as you bust your ass. The key is to use the best movements to get the biggest bang for your buck – that means plenty of pushes, pulls, squats, single leg and posterior chain work. Don’t get caught up in all the hype over “sport specific” training, but rather spend your time fixing your imbalances and getting stronger and in better “fight shape” through more general training.

One of my favorite ways to train is through strength based circuits using a heavy sandbag. This is a great way to maximize your time and get stronger while also improving your strength endurance specific to combat sports. While maximal strength and explosive strength are certainly desirable attributes, in most cases, fighters need to worry about improving their ability to be strong and explosive over many repeated efforts. Because of the awkward nature of sandbag training, every single movement requires tremendous core, upper back, posterior chain, and grip strength – areas that are usually lacking in most athletes – and causes your heart rate to go through the roof very quickly! Not to mention that most movements in the weight room only address the eccentric and concentric contractions, where as combat sports require a huge amount of isometric strength. Many of the movements performed with sandbags will force maximal isometric contractions, only bringing on fatigue that much faster. Sandbag training is not a fad nor gimmicky in anyway, just hard freakin’ work.

Here are 4 of my favorite circuits using a heavy sandbag for developing insane muscular endurance and that raw, rugged strength that will translate on the mat or in the ring. While most programs leave you bigger and stronger in the weight room, training with sandbags will have instant carry over to your sport.

For these circuits, you will want to make a sandbag roughly 60-70% of your bodyweight going towards the higher end if you’re an advanced trainee and the lower if you’re new to strength training. You can always make adjustments if needed, but you want to make a bag that will challenge you for months ahead. Rather than increasing the weight of the bag, you will make subtle adjustments to your sets, reps, total volume and rest periods over time.

For this program, you will pick one circuit per training day and after a warm up, and you will have several options.

Option 1 is to go through each circuit for 3-5 sets; resting 60-120 seconds between each circuit (and 30 seconds or less between each movement). Your goal here is to slowly increase your volume by adding a rep to each movement here and there and to increase your sets only when all the reps can completed with good form with the minimum requirement for rest periods.

Option 2 is to set a time limit of 15 or 20 minutes and try to blast through as many sets as possible in that time frame. This form of density training will be a good indicator of the progress you’re making – you either get more work done or you don’t.

I recommend the density option every other time you perform a particular circuit. So if weeks 1 and 2 you performed circuits A-D (assuming 2 sessions/week), getting in just the minimum of 3 sets with the prescribed reps, then on weeks 3 and 4 you would set your standard for a 15 or 20 minute density round and continue to repeat this process.

But remember, the goal of extra strength training is to enhance your performance in your chosen sport, not fatigue yourself to the point where you are getting stale, or worse, regressing and getting worse. Slowly make adjustments to total volume over time and don’t set out to crush your records every single time out – know when good enough is good enough.

So here they are, 4 bad ass circuits that will leave you in a pool of sweat and cramping from your fingers down to your calves…

 

Circuit A:

1. Sandbag Clean and Press x 6

2. Sandbag Shoulder + Squat x 6

3. Sandbag Rotations x 6

4. Sandbag Bent Over Rows x 6

Circuit B:

1. Sandbag Shouldering x 6

2. Sandbag Power Clean + Zercher Squat x 6

3. Sandbag Zercher Goodmornings x 6

4. Sandbag Bent Over Rows x 6

Circuit C:

1. Sandbag Shouldering x 6

2. Sandbag Zercher Reverse Lunges x 6 (3 each side)

3. Sandbag Power Cleans x 6

4. Sandbag Bent Over Rows x 6

Circuit D:

1. Sandbag Clean and Press x 6

2. Sandbag Zercher Squats x 6

3. Sandbag Pull Throughs x 6

4. Sandbag Bent Over Rows x 6

 You will notice that included rowing in every single circuit, and that’s for the simple fact that you can never get enough rowing! Besides the benefit of strengthening your lats and upper back, the sandbag bent over row will challenge your grip and posterior chain in much different manner than any barbell or cable row ever could.

 

If you’re like most fighters and you’re short on time and energy reserves, then these circuits can make up your complete training program. However, there’s nothing wrong with adding in some sled dragging, weighted and un weighted bodyweight calisthenics, sledgehammer swinging, and anything else you had in mind. Work your ass off, but keep your recovery in mind and do what’s best so that you can become a stronger, faster, more conditioned fighter.

Author Bio: I am a personal trainer and sports performance coach At Integrated Athletic Performance in Watertown, CT and an apprentice International Martial Arts & Boxing instructor under Richard Bustillo. Check out my blog at http://www.dustinlebeltraining.blogspot.com

For young athletes that compete in grappling sports, such as wrestling, judo, and jiu jitsu, they dedicate much of their training on technique and conditioning. Not enough emphasis is placed on building strength and power, especially grip strength training. Hand and grip strength is a vital component in these sports, as well as many other sports, like baseball and tennis. For example, in baseball and tennis, superior grip strength in these sports can translate into greater bat and racket speed. Greater speed and greater strength translates into greater power into your bat swing or tennis serve. In grappling sports, hand and grip strength is necessary to have superior control over your opponent, from wrist control with a two-on-one to grabbing the lapels of the gi for a choke.

SPEED X STRENGTH = POWER

To learn how to build superior hand and grip strength from several top experts, CLICK HERE! 

Now on with today's guest article from Chad Waterbury of T-Nation.

Old School Grip Training

Techniques for Developing a Death Grip

by Chad Waterbury

Why is it that common sense drops right through the porcelain fixture when lifters plan their grip training? If you're only going to perform a few barbell wrist curls at the end of a workout and expect vein-popping forearm muscles, you're sadly mistaken!

I know guys who research and plan the parameters of their chest and back routines like Einstein analyzing relativity, but when it comes to grip training, they make about as much sense as a frat boy who just bumped into Pamela Anderson after getting "pissed" on beers at an Australian pub.

Growing up in the hillbilly country of Midwest USA taught me a lot about grip strength. Back when I started working out at age 14, I didn't have access to any of that "high-tech" city-boy equipment like wrist wraps and cable pulley systems. Instead, I had to do all of my lifting raw (i.e., no lifting aids).

When I performed deadlifts, I had to use my own grip strength to hold the load. When I performed chin-ups in the garage on a wooden beam, my grip would inevitably give out before my back and biceps. But, after a short period of time, my grip was able to compete with my back and biceps strength. During the summer I bailed hay and worked with my buddy on a farm. This is the best thing that I could ever have done to improve my grip and forearm strength. So by default, I built a set of forearms that not only looked great, but performed awesome as well. You can too, city-boy, if you read on.

First of all, I want you to quit your pansy city job and move to a farm. Nahh, I'm just kidding. First, we need to remember what it takes to get strong. According to famed strength researcher Vladimir Zatsiorsky, there are three ways to build strength:

• Lift a maximal load, which is known as the Maximal Effort Method.

• Lift a submaximal load as explosively as possible, which is known as the Dynamic Effort Method.

• Lift a submaximal load to failure, which is known as the Repeated Effort Method.

Therefore, in order to build a world-class grip, we need to execute all three methods. Most people only do one of the above methods, such as opening and closing one of those worthless plastic grippers for a million reps (a perverse example of the repeated effort method) — a method that wouldn't even challenge my grandma. Those grippers provide about 30 lbs of resistance when closed and do little more than pump up your puny forearms. Never fret, after applying my techniques you will want to wear a short-sleeved shirt all the time, even in northern Siberia during the winter! But let me first dispel some myths.

Myth #1: You Must Perform High Reps Every Day

This myth falls along the same lines as the 1980's abdominal training advice. The problem is this; if you train with high repetitions every day, you're only challenging the Type I slow-twitch muscles to grow. Anyone with half a brain knows you must tap into the higher threshold Type-II motor units, especially the Type-II b, which have the highest potential for growth and maximal strength development. So ditch the high-repetition, everyday training 'cause it will get you nowhere!

Myth #2: Grippers are The Best Exercise for Forearm Development

I could give so many examples of why this isn't true but I'll focus on one from my own experience. I spent most of my weekends on a farm where my buddy "Tater" lived. His dad Bill was a farmer and mechanic. Bill had never stepped inside a weight-room and he didn't even know what a hand-gripper was, but he had a humungous pair of forearms that even Popeye would envy.

Bill spent his day lifting heavy farm objects, turning huge wrenches, twisting screwdrivers and carrying heavy buckets — just to name a few activities. So you ask, "Yeah, they looked good, but were they strong?" Let me answer that question by getting back to Tater.

One day ol' Tater put a dent in the family truck by accidentally sliding it into the ditch on a snowy day. Bill wasn't too happy. He grabbed Tater by the neck and picked him up off the ground (that's about 300 lbs of Tater) with one hand! Now that's what I call functional strength.

In other words, strong forearms require varying types of work.

Myth #3: Bodybuilders have Strong Forearms

If you constantly perform high-volume training for the forearm muscles, they'll hypertrophy. The problem is that this type of training would constitute sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, not the strong functional sarcomere hypertrophy of the muscle fibers. You must hypertrophy the actual muscle fibers, not the extracellular space, if you want the awesome look of your forearms to carry over into real-world strength.

Also, bodybuilders constantly use wrist straps when performing everything from deadlifts to pulldowns. What's the point of lifting a load you can't hang on to? In my opinion, if you can't pull 600 lbs off the floor without straps, then you can't pull 600 lbs!

Now that we've dispelled some myths, let's get back to the strength development guidelines. As stated above, we must do three different types of training. Here they are, in table format, with their defined load percentages, sets, reps, and characteristic tempos:

METHOD LOAD SETS REPS TEMPO Maximal Effort 95-100%1RM 3-5 1-3 30X0 Dynamic Effort 55-65%1RM 6-10 2-4 10X0 Repeated Effort 75-85%1RM 4-6 4-8 3020 I recommend using one method exclusively before resting 3-5 days and then incorporating the next method. In other words, on day one, do your exercise or exercises using the Maximal Effort technique. On day two, 3-5 days later, do your exercise or exercises using the Dynamic Effort technique. Then, on day three, 3-5 days later, do your movement or movements using the Repeated Effort technique.

Do this "cycle" three times before choosing new exercises, one from each category of forearm exercises that follows. You can do this pretty much continually, choosing new movements every time you complete 3 cycles, until you have huge forearms, or until they carry you out to the farm and plant you in the corn field.

Here's an example of a cycle:

DAY METHOD EXERCISE SETS REPS Monday Maximal Fat Grip Barbell lifts 3-5 1-3 Friday Dynamic Band Extensions 6-10 2-4 Tuesday Repeated Alligator Smash 4-6 4-8 Again, perform this sequence for three cycles before switching exercises.

The incredible Westside Barbell Club combines two of the above methods into each workout. For the purposes of forearm strength, I want to keep the methods separate since combining them would constitute excessive volume (assuming you are performing exercises outside this routine that also tax the gripping muscles).

Now let's get to the real good stuff — exercises. You'll never develop a world-class grip if you waste your time with plastic grippers and wrist curls. The hand and forearm muscles have the potential to perform many different movement patterns so don't limit yourself to those two movements. So here's how you do it (remember, you'll be choosing one exercise from each of the following 3 categories to formulate your training cycle):

Train the Extensors

This seems so simple to me but I'd have to say the extensors are the most neglected variable in grip training. The hand and forearm extensors must be trained for developing maximal grip strength. You wouldn't just train the biceps and leave out the triceps would you? I didn't think so. Remember, the body will limit absolute strength potential if the antagonist is weak in order to protect the joint. Therefore, train the extensors of the hand/wrist and prepare to be amazed. Here are some great exercises for this purpose:

Finger Band Extensions — Get a rubber band (not the skinny cheap ones, the fatter version they use in post offices) and place your fingers inside the band. Spread your fingers as wide as possible without the rubber band rolling down your fingertips and then close them. Another method involves just placing the band between two metacarpals (i.e., fingers) and doing the same thing.

Increase resistance by adding more rubber bands on top of each other. This is also an excellent exercise for anyone with wrist or carpal tunnel problems. Adding this exercise to your routine will frequently diminish any symptoms. If you get too strong for the rubber bands, you could also purchase a finger extension band from a sports equipment store. Use this exercise for any of the three methods.

Sand Extensions — Get a five-gallon bucket and fill it with sand. With your fingers straight and closed tight together, thrust your hand into a bucket of sand. Next, spread your fingers apart as quickly as possible. Remove hand and repeat. Depending on your strength levels this could be a maximal effort movement (if you're weak) or a dynamic/repeated effort method (if you're stronger).

As a side note, sand isn't the only substance you can use. I guess you could stick your hand in pebbles, mud or a big pot of Aunt Bessie's Oatmeal if you feel so inclined. (If you're worried about your manicure right now, then you're reading the wrong article!)

Plate Pinch Extensions — Grab a light plate (10 lb or so) and hold it with a pronated (palm down) wrist position. Your fingers should be on one side and your thumb on the other. While holding your arm straight out in front, flex and extend your wrist joint for the recommended number of reps. As your strength increases, add more plates so you're pinching them together with the smooth side out. Until your grip strength develops, use this exercise for the repeated and dynamic effort methods.

"Open Hand" Movements

For those of you who train raw and use your own grip strength for movements like deadlifts and chin-ups, great, but you also need to lift objects when your fingers are more open (i.e., extended). Here are some great exercises for this purpose:

One-Hand Upright Dumbbell Lifts — Stand a dumbbell up on end (so it makes an "I" shape if you look at it from the side). Position yourself so you're standing over the dumbbell with your legs apart. Grab the top of it with your hand like you're picking a softball up off the ground and lift it up to waist level. Lower and repeat.

For a more advanced version, lift it to chest level. I must warn you not to use a dumbbell that opens your fingers any further than 80% of total extension. In other words, keep a slight flex in your hand or you could overly strain the structures of the wrist and hand. Either a dumbbell with hex or smooth ends will work.

Fat Grip Barbell Deadlifts — Buy a pair of EZ grips or wrap a towel around the center of the barbell so that the diameter of the bar is between 2.5 and 3 inches. Since a towel will smash together, initially, it needs to be much thicker than 2.5-3 inches in order to get the right grip. (An even better method would involve making your own fat grip bar at home by placing a 2.5-3 inch piece of pipe around the bar and welding it together.)

Load a small plate (10 or 25 pounds) on each end of the bar. As with any new exercise, it is best to start with a light load instead of injuring yourself on the first rep. Place the barbell in front of you, grab it in the middle with your right arm, and perform a traditional deadlift. Lift and lower 1-3 times before switching to the left hand.

You could also place the bar next to you on the ground and perform the same movement. I know many of you are thinking a dumbbell would work just as well. Trust me, it doesn't because it requires a lot more muscle action to keep a barbell parallel to the ground. This is a great exercise for the maximal effort method.

One Arm Wheelbarrow Walks — This is truly an advanced exercise I came up with (well, maybe someone else is doing it, too, but I don't know about it). Get a small, unloaded wheelbarrow. Grab the handles as you normally would (semi-supinated grip) and begin to walk with it. Easy so far, huh? Here comes the tough part — slowly pull the left hand off the end of the left handle one finger at a time (the pinky comes off first).

Keep sliding the left hand off while still maintaining balance with the right hand. The wheelbarrow must be kept perfectly level or it won't work. Initially, you'll probably only get a few fingers off, but keep at it. Push the wheelbarrow for approximately 30 seconds before switching hands. Maybe someday you'll be in the elite group and push it with one hand. Talk about grip strength!

Train Gripping Muscles Explosively

So far, we've hit the extensors of the hand and forearm along with isometric muscle action. Now we need to do some dynamic training for the flexors. Here are some great exercises:

Captain of Crush Gripper — Purchase one of these grippers from Ironmind.com Depending on your strength level you could use anywhere from a Trainer (100 lbs resistance) to the mighty No. 4 (365 lbs resistance). Use a gripper that allows you to perform the recommended rep ranges for dynamic and repeated effort methods. If you're unsure of your strength, purchase the No. 1 gripper. Slam the gripper shut using explosive action for the dynamic method or moderate muscular action for the repeated effort method. Depending on your strength level, you might need to use the Trainer for the maximal effort day.

Sand Grabbing — I learned this exercise from John Brookfield's excellent book "Mastery of Hand Strength." Thrust your hand into a 5-gallon bucket of sand, pebbles, steel shot or any other resistive substance and grab a handful as explosively as possible. Remove hand and repeat. Those of you who want to be less "rugged" can use a pair of thin gloves. Use this exercise for the dynamic or repeated effort method.

Alligator Smash — Find a piece of foam; a mattress; a seat cushion or anything else that fits your hand. Place hand so fingers are straight (extended) on one side and the thumb is on the other. Smash fingers and thumb together (if you can't picture this, imagine your hand was in a sock making a puppet and you were making the puppet's mouth move). Use this exercise for any of the three strength methods.

If you're having a difficult time developing strength and/or size on one side relative to the other, you may have a nerve problem in the C6-T1 area of the spine. Check with a reputable chiropractor for an accurate diagnosis. Another possible cause could be adhesions on or between the forearm and hand muscles. Frequently, we abuse our gripping muscles with repetitive trauma throughout the day. This problem can be easily treated by an Active Release Technique practitioner.

Incorporating this information with the guidelines in "Get a Grip" will build a world-class grip that is both aesthetically pleasing and extremely functional and strong. So if that dude from the old Charles Atlas ad comes up to you on the beach, kicks sand in your face and tries to take your girl — you can grip his neck with one hand and practice your Alligator Smash movement by pretending he's a sock puppet!

It's Football Sunday and I'm enjoying another great afternoon watching the National Football League. With football comes the cold football weather. With the cold weather, you'd like to eat something to warm your bones. For me, my chili consumption increases dramatically. Because of this, I always like to go healthy but without sacrificing taste. Check this out! Only 150 calories per serving! Sounds great to me!

Here is a chili recipe by Rebecca Scritchfield of Balanced Health and Nutrition

Healthy Chili Recipe – Only 150 Calories Per Serving

Here’s my latest recipe creation. It’s hot and spicy – and very nutritious. It’s delicious on its own. Try it with some corn mini muffins as a meal. We had it over 97% fat free kosher beef franks. (yum)

Serving Size: 3/4 cup

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories 148

Fat 2g

Protein 10g

Carbohydrate 23g

Sugar 5g

Fiber 7g

Sodium 466mg

_________________________________

Ingredients

- 1 tsp olive oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 oz 93% lean ground beef (optional)

- 2 carrots, grated

- 1 can whole plum tomatoes

- 1 can light red kidney beans

- 1 can dark red kidney beans

- 1 tsp each cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin

- 1 bay leaf

Directions

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat

Add 3 cloves garlic, minced

Add 4 oz 93% lean ground beef (optional) and sautee until brown, about 3 minutes

Add 1 onion, chopped

Grate carrots over pot and stir all ingredients

Add 1 can whole plum tomatoes with liquid, stir and chop with your spatula (there should be big chunks of tomatoes, they will cook down)

Add 1 can light red kidney beans, drained

Add 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained

Add 1 tsp each cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin

Add 1 bay leaf

Stir, lower heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes

Remove bay leaf and enjoy!

(note: I had some fresh herbs on hand so I also added sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary – all “woodsy” herbs that pair nicely with spicy dishes. If you have fresh herbs on hand, go ahead and use them!)

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Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it!

Ron Baguisa

Selected Strength

This might really strike a nerve with plent of people but here it goes!

"Your local commercial gym sucks!!" 

It's been many years since I actually worked out at one of those franchised commercial gym. A while back ago, a friend of mine wanted to try this particular gym out but didn't want to do it alone so I tagged along for the free one week trial. I figured why not! It would be nice to train with some heavier weights. Because the gym I had belong to at the time, only went up to 100 pound dumbbells. Anyways, the gym was nice and clean. From the front, I see two long rows of treadmills and ellipticals and another two long rows of nautilus-type machines. TVs all around. You're probably asking yourself..."Ok, sounds like a nice place"!" What are you complaining about Ron"??

"I'm glad you asked! Here you go!"

These are my true observations! I'm not exaggerating to make my point. No exaggeration necessary!

• People having a big gabfest amongst each other from machine to machine.
• A lady was walking leisurely on the treadmill while talking on her blackberry.
• Another lady was reading a magazine while cruising on her elliptical.
• A guy was reading a newspaper while his arms are draped over the top of the treadmill while he was plodding along on it.
• I walked into the free weight area. I saw a guy squatting with a couple of plates and only squatting a quarter of the way down.
• Another guy sat on a bench working on his concentration curls. Ahhh...looks like he is texting someone now. That takes talent! Curling with one arm and texting with the other. Don't bruise your thumb, pal! That would be a shame! 
• I worked my way around the place to check out what I want to use. I saw a sign on the wall stating the some of the gym rules. Rule #2: "No loud grunting noises. Noises will disturb the people around you." What?!?
• I saw three young guys huddled around the power rack, joking amongst themselves, while watching their buddy doing barbell shoulder shrugs. Shoulder shrugs!! In the power rack!!!!!

Up ahead, I saw a small open area with a line of kettlebells along the wall and medicine balls on a vertical rack and "no one around using them"! "YES!!! Salvation!!" After a warm-up, I went to town doing circuits using both kettlebells and medicine balls. I grunted and groaned loudly because I was busy getting jacked! I was sweating bullets! I was doing all these different swings and slams.  I even did various farmer walks throughout the aisles of the gym. I got some funny looks but so what!! To finish off, I did a barbell complex of 8 movements for 8 reps for 3 rounds. Did some static stretching for a cooldown and I'm done under 50 minutes.

Going to the gym isn't social hour. Time is a valuble commodity and you need to work hard for everything you want. Don't waste your time getting distracted with other things. Get down to business and get the most out of yourself. Be in the moment!

As you might be able to tell, I'm not into those fancy gyms. For the most part, I do NOT find the atmosphere is very conducive for REAL hardcore training. I believe in real world stuff, like working out outdoors. Enjoy the fresh air. No need to breathe that stale enclosed air within a gym. Don't get me wrong, You can't always go outside for a workout either. I'm no different. I was using a gym membership at that time. But the difference is that the gym I belong to has the atmosphere I need to get real hard work done. It had your basic barbells and dumbbells. But it also had other unusual equipment that I could use, like kettlebells, medicine balls, sledgehammers, and tractor tires. At home along with the basic workout equipment, I also use some homemade workout equipment like a bulgarian bag, sandbags, and clubbell. Open yourself to alternate ways of training. Your body will not continue to improve if you don't challenge it and vary your habits. If you keep doing the same routine all the time, the changes in your body will become stagnant because your body will adapt. Let me end with these final thoughts.

1. “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” - Bruce Lee
2. Check out these videos below brought to you by Zenkahuna. You can get a good look at some alternate types of workout equipment. I hope one day will have a chance to visit Zenkahuna's gym for Primal Moves.

http://selectedstrength.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/10603072-zenkahuna-primal-moves-60th-birthday-round-one

http://selectedstrength.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/10603130-zenkahuna-primal-moves-60th-birthday-round-two

http://selectedstrength.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/10603158-zenkahunaprimal-moves-60th-birthday-round-three

Train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins! 

Ron Baguisa

Selected Strength

Coach Minney's original article can be read in its original entirety at :

http://ryanminney.blogspot.com/2010/08/never-ending-cycle-of-function-and-form.html

The never ending cycle of function and form

As I grow and mature as a strength coach and personal trainer, I keep getting more and more calisthenic oriented . At the same time I keep dialing and ratcheting down my weighted (plate loaded) exercises. Today I am going to talk about body weight and the importance of form because when done right body weight can be almost superior to 90% of plate loaded exercises for a number of reasons. To me the most important reason is one tool accomplishes several things at the same time. In the world of body weight training, the goal is to progress through movements continually increasing torque on the focused area until you can lift the entire weight of your body with just one appendage. The difference in body weight is you can't start with the hardest exercise and add 5 pounds at a time until you have mastered it. You have to start with a remedial movement and earn your way to the hardest movement. Through this process a lot of things happens all at the same time with not one ounce of thought.

• You get stronger
• Your cardiovascular levels increase
• You gain muscular endurance
• Thousands of stabilizers you could never work out individually get stronger
• You develop a rock hard physique.

Ligaments are strengthened and reinforced to point that they are almost indestructible

It's amazing what all is going on in the background!!! "Why?" you might ask because with calisthenics there is no easy way out!! There is no 5% increase in weight once 5 reps are mastered. You have to put the work in and earn every strength progression through thousands of reps over the course of time. Taking that one single movement from strength reps, to Mass reps, to strength endurance reps. Then when you develop it into strength endurance you move up the food chain to next step in the sequence. Every time you move up you reinforce your muscular foundation like pouring shredded fiberglass into wet concrete then adding re-bar, then adding hardening agents. What do you have at the end of the day??

AN ATOMIC BOMB SHELTER OF A PHYSIQUE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS DESIGNED BY DAVINCI HIMSELF!!!

So here is the number one commandment you you must set for yourself and promise never to break!! Say it with me out loud....

I (state your name) promise I will never do myself or anyone else the disgrace of performing a calisthenic with bad form. I will not let my shoulders unpack, I will not let my scapula go where ever the hell they want. Under the penalty of death and dismemberment I so solemnly swear to not let my back sway, my butt dip down or hump up. I promise to not jerk or cheat reps ever. I have more respect for myself than to cheat and tell people who know I was cheating they where "kipping sets".

Further more if my form begins to sucks I will stop 2 reps before I suck. I will take a break and get some more when I am able to perfectly. I will get more perfect reps every session until I am ready for the next progression. I do this because my goal is not to just to do reps, it is to have a perfect Fired, Hammered, and Hardened peace of steel and refer to it as "My Body" and I will have earned the right to refer to it as my "My Body" because I earned it through sweat, perseverance, and pride.

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Posted by Ryan Minney

Here is a guest article from Zach Even-Esh that he originally posted on September 2, 2010.

I love the message of success that Zach is eluding to here. I thought the message within the video clip was VERY powerful. It made me re-evaluate what I'm doing or more importantly, what I'm NOT doing enough of . I suddenly experienced such a rush of mixed emotions within me. I was beside myself. It hit home. Read on and you will I understand what I mean.

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Are YOU Full of S**T? The REAL Truth About Success

September 2nd, 2010

· by admin · Filed Under: Articles · Kick Ass Life · Success

I get tons of questions EVERY DAY via e mail, facebook, my blog comments, at seminars…. everywhere.

Most people are full of sh*t. They talk a BIG game yet do little or nothing to back up their words.

I also get requests for business coaching and training at my gym. Those who follow through after they “Talk” are far and few between.

Athletes ask me to train at my Underground Strength Gym, then I get a follow up e mail from their Mom / Dad saying it’s too expensive. I ask if their son has a job, 99.9% of the time, they have NO job. Neither do they have the desire to GET a job to help their parents to make this opportunity happen.

Just another talker.

Aspiring Strength Coaches e mail me or message me through facebook or see me at seminars. They talk about how hungry they are for success, tell me they want to attend my Underground Strength Coach Cert or invest in Coaching.

They don’t follow through.

Just Another Talker.

College athletes tell me they want to be All American or a National Champ…. they show up for a few weeks and disappear.

Just Another Talker.

What you WANT and what you DO MUST be in alignment if you want to achieve Abnormal success. Do what everyone else does and you are normal. You need to do what others are NOT willing to do.

Normal actions = Normal success.

Just another talker.

I’ve done A LOT to create my success and I ain’t stoppin’. I stay up late, wake up early, go the extra distance, sweat more, work harder, run faster, push through brick walls and keep charging.

NO Excuses.

Pay attention to the video below, watch it 10 times and let it sink in.

The only thing holding you back is YOU and the circumstances YOU have created for yourself. Period.

Lead from the FRONT

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Underground Strength Coach Certification (Last Cert of 2010!)

Underground Inner Circle 30 Day Trial

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Tags: the truth about success, zach even - esh