by Lee Boyce – 4/8/2013
Supramaximal holds
Extended sets
One-and-a-half reps
Ladders

The strength training industry has come up with some pretty cool and innovative ways to pack on muscle mass and increase strength, with the above methods serving as prime examples.

Sometimes, however, it doesn't need to be complicated to make progress. Something as simple as pulling or pushing "dead weight" can help you blast through even the most frustrating strength plateau and get you on track to building muscle again.

The primary benefit of deadstop training is that it shuts off the stretch reflex so that it doesn't offer any assistance during the hardest phases of the lift.

Some salty coaches will go so far as to say this is the best way to measure someone's "true" strength as it's just muscle against load – no assistance from the meddling stretch reflex or any other efficiency hack.

This is partly why powerlifting meets require a full stop during the bench, squat, and deadlift competition – to get an uncompromised assessment of true muscular strength in a given movement. No bounce off the sternum/hope I don't snap a rib technique allowed.

Another benefit of deadstop training is that it gives you a split second to re-establish your technique. On movements like the deadlift, you can physically readjust yourself between reps so that your pull happens from the best possible geometry.

Compare this to training with the stretch reflex where we typically see technique degrade with each successive rep. Better movement always yields better results.

Deadstop training means coming to a full stop at the bottom of a deadlift, squat, bench press, and the like. However, when most lifters think of "deadstop training," they think of deadlifts and maybe a bench press movement.

That's no fun! Not to mention that in sports like football or even sprinting, aggressive pushing movements (blocking from the chest, pushing off the ground for a start) are required, meaning performing dead stops with your pushing and squatting movements can have considerable application.

The truth is, you can apply it to a variety of exercises, and in many different ways. Let's start with the most common applications before touching on the more obscure.

Not only are deadlifts awesome for adding lower and mid-back thickness and size, they're also an awesome way to improve overall force production and develop max strength. Adding a deadstop to the mix makes a "no cheating" exercise even more of a challenge as you must treat every rep like its own set because you take the time to readjust your technique.

Check out the video of my much skinnier self performing deadstop deadlifts:

Yup, there is such thing as a deadstop squat. Cutting off the stretch shortening cycle doesn't have to be limited to only the pulling movements – applying this technique to "push" exercises can be a great stimulus for muscle development and strength gains.

This is the most common deadstop squat variation. Let's forget all the propaganda about lower back muscle and lumbar spine injury – if you stay tight and don't "relax" at the bottom of a box squat, and you don't have any pre-existing conditions or use a box that's too low (taking away ideal pelvic position during your seat), you should be fine.

Here's the bonus: Using box squats with a wide stance allows for a more vertical shin position, meaning lowered knee stress and more glute and hamstring activation.

If you do have issues with your lower back or are just neurotic regarding box squats, then try bottom-up squats. They have the same deadstop effect on the muscles, without the bottom-end compressive forces that a box squat creates.

Since you get to rest the bar right down on the pins, you have the chance to give your lower spine a bit of a break while making any needed adjustments to your technique.

As you'll see in the video below, pin squats are also great for taller lifters since depth issues often plague us. Sometimes boxes aren't high enough to work with to get the right form, but setting up the pins at a level that suits you can be beneficial.

The cool thing is, when you follow up these variations with sets that do incorporate the stretch reflex (like typical full range squats), you'll have amped up your nervous system to recruit its fast twitch muscle fibers much more efficiently and get a hell of a lot more out of your workout.

Using the power rack for deadstop training can work with upper-body work, too. Pin presses for both the shoulder press and bench press are fantastic options. As a tall guy, one reason I like pin presses is that it helps avoid the unwanted shoulder capsule stress that we long-armed lifters often must endure in the bottom range of a heavy bench press.

To mitigate this, setting up the pins a couple inches above chest level can be a huge benefit – not only will it be much more comfortable, but the slightly shortened range of motion usually means more weight can be lifted. Nothing wrong with that.

The same thing applies here. Focus on letting the bar settle on the pins before "bouncing" it up for another rep.

These are often used as a deadstop movement. The difference, however, between a pin press and a floor press (apart from the obvious) boils down to tension. During the "dead" part of the floor press, when your elbows are on the ground, you still need to maintain constant muscular tension. Otherwise, the dumbbells or barbell will fall down and crush your skull.

You don't get a break as you do in dead stop variations, so certain muscles (like the forearms and scapulae) will constantly be holding an isometric contraction – and as the set continues, your rate of fatigue will be faster than that of a pin press.

Long story short, if size and max strength is the goal, then these little things begin to matter. We want to get the most out of every rep.

Too many lifters perform their rowing and overhead pulling exercises with the stretch reflex. At times this can help increase muscle recruitment or rep performance, but often tapping into the absolute strength of the muscle fibers is what's needed.

Deadstopping your pull-ups offers a real indicator of your true pull-up strength and is more humbling than even performing weighted pull-ups.

As for rows, here's the Mountain Dog himself doing a set of deadstop single-arm rows:

The nervous system can take a beating with all this deadstop training, especially since deadstop training is typically paired with heavier lifting.

Knowing this, an easy way to incorporate this method without your neurotransmitters giving you the finger is to kill all your negative reps, where applicable.

In pressing exercises like pin presses and large lower body movements like bottom-up squats and deadlifts, almost "dropping" your negative rep can do your body plenty of good in terms of long term sustenance.

Just make sure you're not reckless about it – be in control when dropping the weight and ensure you still keep some tension on the bar or dumbbell.

Why is this helpful? The eccentric phase of a big lift is the part that's most taxing. One of the reasons Olympic lifters use bumper plates in training and competition is so that they can drop the weight and shirk the demanding (and dangerous) eccentric phase of repeatedly lowering heavy loads, saving themselves for the concentric movement.

By sparing our strongest muscle fibers the negative, we're keeping our nervous system at bay and can train with deadstops more frequently.

I'll concede there were no atoms split during the writing of this article, and I certainly didn't forge new ground in the strength and conditioning world.

Still, not everything you read needs to be the Newest And Greatest Information Ever. Sometimes all it takes is a proven old school trick that's been around for decades to break even the most stubborn plateau.

Try using these variations to shake up your routine and get your nervous system firing on all cylinders again. Let your weight settle to a dead stop so your gains don't have to.

View the original article here

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Tags: Deadstop, Revisited, Training

Everybody wants to train with tires. Why? It looks impressive, it's extremely effective, and who doesn't like saying that they can flip an 800+ pound tire!! There are a few comonly asked questions about tire training though: A. how do I go about getting a large tire and how much will it cost? B. How do I train with a tire so that its effective to work my entire body? Keep reading and pay attention grasshoppers because these answers may surprise you.

First off how to you go about getting a tire and how much is it going to cost?

Here's what you're going to have to do, go to Google and look for tire shops and junkyards around you. Once you find one call them up and ask if they have some large tires, usually they'll have a bunch on hand, but if they don't they should be able to tell you where to go or who to call about getting one for yourself. Here's the key though, once you have found a place to pick up a tire you have to pick up a tire that fits you! Don't be afraid to dig through their tires they wont care if you throw them about and flip them. You're going to need on the minimum two tire for you training. A large heavy one for flipping and then a slightly lighter one for pulls and other miscellaneous training techniques.

OK so now you've gone off on the road of "this guy wants me to pay for two massive tires? What is his problem?" Here's the best bit about training tires, they're free. Yeah you heard me FREE! What's better then free gym equipment! They have to pay to dispose of those tires, so if your taking them they'll be more then happy to give it because you'll be saving them a ton of money. They may even be willing to help you pick a tire and load them up onto your vehicle! What a good deal right?

Now, how to train with a tire so that it's effective in working your entire body.

This is key if you're training with tires. It is always best to have your tire day as your full body day, but you can separate different tire workouts to different days including legs, chest, shoulders, etc. You can also work them into strongman days or however you have your training set up.

OK so the most basic and well known of all the tire exercises is the flip. All you do is get down and flip the tire, not very hard right? Wrong if you flip the tire wrong you run the risk of tearing the muscles in your biceps so be sure to check your form. Next is hammer hits: you get yourself a big heavy hammer and you go at that tire with all you've got, the key is to swing the tire as if you were chopping wood. Once the hammer is on the down ward swing push it harder using your lower back. You can also do tire pulls. What you do for these is hook a rope up to your tire so that you can climb inside of the rope, then you go for a sprint with the tire dragging behind you. A good variation of this pull is to do the same motion except to go backwards. Alright this next one takes two people and what you're going to do is lift the tire up so that it is at chest height and then push it towards your partner, they're going to squat down and catch it on their chest. Keep going back and forth catching the tire and giving it back. Use the same potion you use in your bench press to make it most effective.

These two exercises are main muscle exercises and for both you're going to need to be able to climb under the tire, so make sure its not to heavy but is heavy enough to push down on you. The first one is a high leg press, so what you do in get the tire up and have a partner lower it down onto your legs, from there you just press the tire up extending your legs upwards. If its to light you can have a partner carefully climb onto the tire and add their weight to it. The next is a tire style bench press: in the same way as the last get under the tire but this time put your feet up into the middle of the tire so that they hang free and the weight is resting on your chest. Then you simply press the tire!

These are the last exercises I have for the tire and they focus solely on your ab muscles. Sit on the side of the tire and place your feet inside the rim area (you may need someone to sit on the edge so that you don't flip over) then grip a medicine ball in your hands resting on your chest. Let your body extend backwards over the edge of the tire (like a sit up except you'll be able to extend your back much farther) then as you sit up extend the ball into the air and lower it down as you extend down again. Next is the same motion except you're going to use your hammer and when you come up instead of extending it out switch the shoulder it's resting on, then come up switch to the other shoulder and go back down again. The last of these is simply to hold a plate on your chest and do short quick extended sit ups.

That's that then!! Get a tire and learn how to work with it!! You'll never regret it!!

Hiyah, so my name is Seth Marcotte, My blog is http://www.fitnessbossflorida.com I first started lifting weights when I was eleven and since them I havn't stopped training or learning about weights, health, and fitness. I have dabbled in all different forms of training ranging from powerlifting, HIIT, MMA, and most recently strongman style training. I have a fairly indepth knowledge of how the human body works while training, how it reacts to different forms of training, creatines, basicly I have a sizable amount of knowledge in all things related to the fitness world. This has helped me alot in my training and even in my daily life. Hopefully right now it will help me to help you understand how to progress on the road of a healthy fit life. http://www.fitnessbossflorida.com

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If there's one word that's gotten all the attention in the fitness/strength and conditioning industry over the last few years, it's "core." Different trainers and coaches have different definitions of it; I use the term to encompass the muscles of your waist (ab muscles and low back/spinal erectors). This new term that, in my opinion, is just an all encompassing word for abs and low back, has led to "miraculous" workout discoveries in new ways to functionally train your body. I used quotes around miraculous because most recent research is suggesting that new age functional core training methods (like putting athletes on unstable surfaces forcing them to balance and stabilize while performing an exercise) are not any more effective at activating and firing the abs/low back than simply putting them under a heavy squat, deadlift, barbell overhead press, or other exercise where the athlete has to stabilize their core to maximize efficiency and safety of the exercise. In fact, a 2009 study performed by Jeffrey Willardson at Eastern Illinois University and published in the International Journal Sports Physiology Performance concluded that during whole body, intense weight training, one must stabilize the core muscles to perform the exercises and the capacity for maximal core muscle activation actually decreases when people exercise on unstable surfaces! This is just the opposite of what these "functional core trainers" have been telling you!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what's a wrestler to do? When looking for new training methods and principles, I like to stick to a phrase one of my best professors always reiterated to me- don't reinvent the wheel. If you want a super strong, bulletproof core, just look to see what people with what you want are doing. Without getting into a big debate on who has a stronger core let's just assume that Professional Strongmen and Powerlifters have the strongest cores in the world. Both athletes put hundreds, if not 1000+ pounds on their backs regularly and either walk with it (various walking events in Strongman including the Yoke and Farmer's Walk) or squat it (car squat for Strongman, competition squat for Powerlifter). Not to mention the stress on their cores during deadlifts, Atlas Stone Lifts, etc. Needless to say, Strongmen and Powerlifters undoubtedly have the strongest cores on the planet.

Because I've had the pleasure of knowing and training with some Professional Strongmen and Powerlifters, I've been able to pick their brains over time. Not only has their knowledge and input helped me improve my competition lifts (to the tune of 500+ pounds added to my 3 lift total in just over 3 years), but it has greatly improved the training and performance of the wrestlers I train. So what's the big secret for an unbreakable core? Heavy duty exercises for 6-15 reps. Think about it- if your goal was to strengthen your biceps, would you go to the gym and do 4 sets of 50 curls? No, you'd pick up a heavy weight and lift it for lower reps. Your abs are no different than the other muscles in your body, so don't train them any differently. Pick a few exercises each time you go to the gym, train them hard, and move on just like you would with any other muscle group or workout. Here are some of my favorite core exercises for wrestling.

Wrestling Workout Core Exercise 1- Ab Wheel

Setup: Kneel on the ground or on a pad and grab the handles on the ab wheel.

Execution: Move the ab wheel away from your body as you lower your hips and shoulders simultaneously toward the ground keeping your core parallel to the ground throughout. Although you should shoot to be fully extended at the bottom (your body from your knees to your hands just hovering over the ground), go as low as you can while maintaining this position before returning to the start by squeezing your abs to pull yourself back up.

Wrestling Workout Core Exercise 2- Pulldown Abs

Setup: Attach a pulldown ab strap or rope to the top pulley of a cable machine or anchor a band on the top bar of a power rack. Position yourself accordingly with whatever device you're using (arms through the straps, or grap the rope or band with your head in between).

Execution: Pull straight down by contracting your abs. Avoid driving your hips back in order to pull the weight down. This will take stress off your abs and the exercise will lose its effectiveness. If, for whatever reason, your gym doesn't have a tricep rope, a towel will work just as well.

Wrestling Workout Core Exercise 3- Suitcase Deadlift

Setup: Load a Hammer Curl bar with your desired starting weight and stand next to it so that it to either side of you (whichever side you want to start with). Squat down and grab the middle of the handle. Arch your back and drive your chest up.

Execution: Begin the exercise by performing a deadlift. Continue to drive up until you are fully standing upright. When you've reached the top of the exercise, return to the starting position, reset your arch and repeat for reps. Make sure to keep your chest tall and back flat throughout the movement and also be sure to take the time to pause in between each rep so you can reset your back arch. We use a hammer curl barbell at my gym because it's shorter and therefore cuts down on the potential for the having balance issues you may have with a standard seven foot bar. If you do not have access to one, an EZ curl bar works ok, or you can just use a dumbbell if need be.

Wrestling Workout Exercise 4- Kettlebell Windmill

Setup: Position a Kettlebell overhead by cleaning and then pressing it so that your arm is locked out and the Kettlebell is directly over your shoulder. Rotate both of your feet so that your toes are pointing away from the Kettlebell (ie if it is in your right hand, point your toes to the left).

Execution: Begin to lower your upper body to the ground by driving your hip in the opposite direction of where your toes are pointing while simultaneously sliding your free hand down the inside of your lead leg. Keep your legs straight as you continue to lower yourself under control until you can touch the ground. Obviously, if you are not flexible enough to touch the ground, don't force yourself to do so which will cause a break in your form. As your flexibility improves work toward lowering your hand so that it is flat on the floor before returning to the start. To maximize your flexibility, it is recommended by most Kettlebell experts to focus on driving your hip as far back as possible. Also, be sure to look up at the Kettlebell throughout this exercise. It may sound like a silly rule to follow, but believe me, this trick helps you to stabilize it overhead and greatly reduces your risk of injury.

Wrestling Workout Exercise 5- Cable Ball Lift

Setup: Position a single handle attachment in the lowest position on a Functional Trainer or an adjustable cable column. Stand alongside the machine while holding a stability ball. Grab the handle with the hand opposite the handle (so if the handle is on your left side grab it with your right hand).

Execution: Begin in a quarter squat position. Squat up while simultaneously rotating back and away from the machine until you are fully extended. Lower the weight back to the starting position and repeat for reps. Maintain a flat back throughout this exercise by focusing on keeping your core tight throughout.

For more wrestling workouts, wrestler-specific strength training exercises, and top weight training training mistakes made by wrestlers visit my blog below and sign up for my free newsletter.

Dickie White is the co-founder of Shamrock Strength and Conditioning, one of the nation's top systems for training champion wrestlers. Dickie is a 2006 graduate of the Ithaca College Clinical Exercise Science program and holds a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). For more information on how you can improve your performance on the mat through his strength training system please visit his blog and sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.wrestler-power.com

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Tags: Training, Workout, Wrestling

I know this is a popular discussion on the internet and many other people have shared their opinion on the subject so I thought I'd share mine. The funny thing about this topic is that to some extent it can really be answered in one sentence - It depends on what your training goals are.

If you are a powerlifter or training for the Strongman competition then doing push ups isn't really going to help you much. On the other hand, if you are training for a military physical fitness test, doing heavy squats won't do much to improve your scores. Of the three methods, kettlebell training is probably the most versatile in that both a powerlifter and a military guy could use them and get really good results in their respective fitness tests. The reason for this is that weightlefting and bodyweight training generally fall on opposite ends of the muscle usage spectrum, while kettlebell training falls somewhere in the healthy middle.

Weightlifting will train maximum strength more, while bodyweight training will train muscular endurance more. You can of course do high rep weightlifting to develop muscular endurance or handstand push ups (for example) to increase maximum strength, but most people don't use these types of training for those reasons. As mentioned, kettlebells are definitely the most versatile because they do a great job at developing both sides of the muscle usage spectrum.

If you don't have very specific muscle usage requirements like the powerlifting or military examples, I would honestly say that the best thing to do is to incorporate all 3 types of training into your workouts. It'll keep your training fresh so you won't get bored and you'll train your muscles (and your nervous system) to respond to a wide variety of stimuli.

Personally, from the age of 15 to about 21 I swore by the iron. Back then we hadn't even heard of kettlebells and bodyweight training was limited to plyometrics. I was all about squatting, benching, deadlifts, etc. My senior year of high school I was able to leg press over a ton, could do 10 dips with two 45lb plates attached to me, and I used 120lb dumbbells in each hand to do chest presses. I loved it but looking back I realize that it left me open to injury and created a lot of muscle imbalances.

These days, though I still hit the weights, it is primarily to increase my strength in the main compound lifts - bench, squat, clean and press and deadlift. I always stay under 7 reps on bench and I rarely find myself doing cleans with the barbell anymore because I get enough clean work in with kettlebells - same goes for squats.

I would say my workouts now are 75% bodyweight, 15% kettlebell and 10% weightlifting. I love bodyweight training because it makes me physically feel better. I feel strong, fit, and most important to me personally - balanced. I think by nature, bodyweight training makes it very hard to have muscle imbalances because almost no bodyweight exercise is an isolated movement. Your nervous system has to recruit a wide variety of muscles to get you to move your body around in all kinds of ways. I also don't feel like a heavy, inflated balloon all the time. Some people love that feeling - I know because I used to love it - but now feeling like that would make me feel slow, less agile and out of shape.

Like I said, I used to be able to leg press over a ton but I also would have struggled with running 3 miles. Now I can do that with ease. I also think that the strength from bodyweight training translates over to weightlifting much better than the other way around. A guy that can do 10 free standing, handstand push ups will be able to put up some good weight on the military press but a guy with a strong military press won't necessarily be able to do even one handstand push up. Another advantage to bodyweight training is that I can get a workout in anytime, anywhere. I don't need any equipment and I can progress the difficulty of the movement simply by changing angles.

I love kettlebells too but I feel like overall I have the most fun with bodyweight training and that is perhaps the best answer of all to the question in the title - the best form of training is the one that you personally enjoy doing the most. If you don't like doing something then it becomes a task. Your training should be fun so pick one of the methods or pick all three and get to it!

I am a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I have approximately 15 years of fitness / exercise experience with a wide range of knowledge on different types of training.

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Tags: Better, Bodyweight, Kettlebells, Training, Weightlifting, Which

This site may not function properly in the version of Internet Explorer you are using. Please upgrade to the latest version. Or download the latest version of Firefox or Chrome. by Bret Contreras – 10/29/2012

Gene Lawrence is a 73 year-old powerlifter who stays up-to-date with the writings and recommendations of his favorite strength coaches. Like many lifters, he finds the conflicting advice extolled by the various experts to be downright confusing.

I've been training with Gene for the past several months, watching him bust out 365-pound deadlifts like it ain't no thang. Just recently he said to me, "I really wish someone would just write an article that taught me the rules. What are the things you have to do versus the things that are just nice to do?"

I pondered his question for several days, and came to the conclusion that there are only 8 laws in strength training.

At first I figured there'd be more, but almost every time I thought up a potential law, a refuting argument came to mind.

Now of course, it's difficult to make hard-fast laws due to varying goals and genetics. However, in the end I feel that I was fair with my determinations.

These laws are based on what I've learned both as a lifter and researcher, and they're formed by my current level of scientific understanding, meaning they're malleable and subject to change.

Bear in mind here that I'm assuming that since you read T Nation, you care about both your strength and your physique.

In Part II of this series, I'll give you the 8 laws, but in this article I'll set the stage and present 20 potential laws that got shot down. Many coaches and trainers might determine that some of these are indeed laws, but not me.

The following 20 things are "nice" to do, but not absolutely necessary.

Foam rolling feels good. Ask any foam rolling lifter if it makes them feel better, alleviates pain, or prevents injury, and the resounding answer will be yes.

However, there are millions of lifters who don't foam roll who do just fine. To date, there are only a couple of studies that have been conducted on foam rolling, and to be frank, we really don't know much about it as far as what it does and doesn't do (Miller & Rockey 2006, MacDonald et al. 2012).

Right now we can speculate as to what it does, but at this point it's just that – speculation.

Stretching usually feels good too, and intuitively most lifters feel like it's a good idea. Nobody wants to lose their flexibility, and it's no fun being tight.

However, proper strength training itself involves stretching. Research shows that strength training is as effective as stretching at building flexibility, due to several factors (Aquino et al. 2010, Simao et al. 2010; Morton et al. 2011, Nelson & Bandy 2004).

First, the eccentric component of exercise, along with exercises that place sufficient tension on muscles at long lengths, induces sarcomerogenesis and actually increases flexibility through creating new sarcomeres in series and lengthening muscle (Brughelli & Cronin 2007). So resistance training is a viable form of loaded, active stretching.

Next, passive stretching can indeed decrease stiffness and increase pain tolerance to stretch, but it doesn't regulate muscle length like active stretching does (Weppler & Magnusson 2010, Riley & Van Dyke 2012). If you regularly perform exercises like full squats, Romanian deadlifts (RDL's), lunges, chin-ups, dips, and calf raises with good form through a full range of motion, you'll possess good overall flexibility.

Cardio sounds good in theory. After all, the heart is the most important muscle, right? But what exactly is "cardio?" Doesn't the heart beat quite hard during strength training?

While prolonged low-intensity cardiovascular exercise does indeed have its own merits, strength training – particularly performed intensively close to muscular failure – provides many of the benefits that cardio does (Steele et al. 2012).

As long as you have an active lifestyle and lift weights frequently with sufficient intensity, cardio isn't mandatory. If you've ever performed a set of 20-rep walking barbell lunges with 225 pounds, then you know that resistance training works the cardiovascular system very well.

Over the past decade, exercise scientists have raved about HIIT, pointing out that it leads to greater metabolic expenditure and fat-loss over prolonged periods compared to steady state cardio due to the effects of EPOC (Tremblay 1994, Hazell et al. 2012). However, lifting weights is a form of HIIT, as long as you train intensely.

Recently, it's been shown that lighter weights performed to failure can indeed provide a potent muscle hypertrophy stimulus, perhaps even greater than heavy weights (Mitchell et al. 2012).

It's too early to tell as the studies have relied on beginner subjects, but at the very least the newer research shows that you can certainly build muscle without using heavy weights.

Ever seen Kai Greene train his glutes? He uses light weight for high reps and focuses on feeling the glutes moving the loads. Jay Cutler doesn't go nearly as heavy as he did earlier in his career, but nevertheless he's more muscular due to a shift in focus on muscle contraction.

Few bodybuilders go lower than 6 reps, and for lower body most stick to sets of 10-30 reps. For the most part, Andy Bolton, the first man to deadlift over 1,000 pounds, relies upon Dynamic Effort deadlifts to build his world class deadlifting strength.

Many lifters benefit from the Dynamic Effort method. Explosive lifting increases muscle activation at the start of the lift and allows for morefrequent training due to lighter loads being used.

However, explosive lifting also diminishes muscle activation in the latter half of the lift due to requisite deceleration of the load (Frost et al. 2010).

Most bodybuilders lift semi-explosively, yet they're sure to control the weight through the entire ROM. Many seek to keep more constant tension on the muscles to maximize the pump effect.

Furthermore, many powerlifters have gained plenty of strength having never focused on lighter weight for maximum acceleration. Dynamic Effort work is a great idea for Olympic lifters and athletes, but it's not mandatory for general lifters.

Growing up reading strength training articles, I was led to believe that the last rep of a set was the only one that counted and the only one that built strength. Now I realize that it was hogwash.

You can build incredible strength staying far away from failure. Sure you won't build maximum strength if you don't push the boundaries from time to time, but you can leave a rep or two in the tank and still be quite strong and muscular.

In fact, a recent article showed that maximum muscle activation during a set was reached a few reps prior to failure (Sundstrup et al. 2012). A decent case could be made that by avoiding the increased wear-and-tear on the joints and nervous system induced by going too heavy or too hard might lead to increased progress through decreased stress, pain, and injury, along with increased recovery.

The squat is the king of lower body movements, no doubt. But do you have to squat? Some lifters never seem to dial down their form on squats, and this has much to do with their anthropometry.

Ben Bruno has shown that it's indeed possible to make steady progress with squatting strength through intensive focus on single-leg strength. Research has shown that single-leg strength and power training led to slightly better performance effects than double-leg strength and power training, though the effects weren't significant (McCurdy et al. 2005).

Strength is highly dependent on the movement pattern, so as long as you perform a single-leg squatting movement such as a Bulgarian split squat or a reverse lunge, your strength on the squat won't suffer dramatically.

Let's say that week in and week out you performed a bilateral deadlift or good morning variation along with a single-leg squat variation, yet you never did bilateral squats. Your quads would still be muscular, your spine stable, and your hips strong.

If the squat is the king of lower body movements, the deadlift is the king of total body movements. Therefore you must deadlift to see great results, right?

Westsiders showed long ago that a lifter could build a very strong deadlift without deadlifting. They performed tons of box squats, good mornings, back raises, pull-throughs, reverse hypers, and glute ham raises – and their deadlifts were incredibly strong.

I've found that heavy-ass kettlebell swings can do wonders for building and maintaining deadlift strength. Max Shank can single-leg RDL 315 pounds for reps, which provides a huge training effect for the hip extensors, keeping the deadlift pattern strong while sparing the low back.

In terms of bodybuilding, many lifters prefer the blend of bent-over rows, T-bar rows, and back extensions for their mid and lower back development rather than deadlifts, as they've found that the deadlift just isn't worth the risk to their body.

If your program contained heavy KB swings, box squats, good mornings, bent over rows, T-bar rows, and back raises, your deadlift would be plenty strong, and your back and hip extensors would display impressive muscularity.

Now let's move on to the king of upper body movements, the bench press. The bench press is without a doubt the most popular exercise in the world, but do you have to perform it? Many lifters' shoulders just don't agree with the bench press, and therefore, they need not include it in their programs.

You can build a strong bench press through other pressing movements. For example, a lifter who performed lots of weighted push-ups and/or dumbbell pressing from different angles will have muscular pecs and triceps, not to mention a reasonably strong bench press.

Let's say a lifter only performed squats, leg presses, deadlifts, hip thrusts, back extensions, glute ham raises, bench press, military presses, dips, push-ups, bent-over rows, chins, and barbell curls for his entire lifting career. I think we'd all agree that he'd be incredibly strongand muscular, provided of course that he gets strong on those exercises.

Conversely, let's say a lifter only performed Bulgarian split squats, reverse lunges, single-leg RDL's, sled-pushes, single-leg hip thrusts, single-leg back extensions, single-arm db bench presses, single-arm DB shoulder presses, one-arm DB rows, single-arm pulldowns, and alternating DB curls for his entire lifting career. He'll also be incredibly strong and muscular, provided he gets strong on those exercises.

Free-weight compound exercise does a good job of activating the core musculature. Getting an aesthetically pleasing mid-section has more to do with being lean than possessing muscular abdominals anyway.

If you perform exercises such as chin-ups, push-ups, squats, deadlifts, farmer's walks, military presses, and barbell curls, your core will be plenty strong and muscular. Combine this with proper nutrition and your midsection will look great.

Free weights reign supreme in the strength training world. They allow for natural movement patterns and require real-world stabilization. Therefore they're absolutely necessary, right? Not so fast.

Prime-mover muscle activation can be matched with machine training, and a lifter can gain incredible strength and size this way.

Moreover, there's a big difference between a crummy machine program and an optimal machine program.

For example, if a lifter simply performed leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises, pec deck, straight-arm pulldowns, and lateral raises, he probably wouldn't get very far in terms of total body strength and muscularity.

However, if a lifter performed Lever squats, Hammer strength deadlifts, leg presses, lying leg curls, Hammer strength upper body presses and pulls from various angles, and cable curls, he'll be incredibly strong and muscular, provided he gets strong on those exercises.

Earlier in a lifter's career, progressive overload is mandatory. But later on, there are other ways of progressing. For example, you can use better form, emphasize a particular muscle, or exert better control.

Many bodybuilders, in an attempt to spare their joints and decrease the likelihood of injury, actually place heavy squats and/or deadlifts toward the end of the workout so they can achieve a training effect while not relying on such heavy loads.

Let's say you've built your strength up to a 300-pound bench, 400-pound squat, and 500-pound deadlift, and you decide to stay there for a year while improving upon your form and honing in on your diet. You'd look better despite not using progressive overload. Progressive overload is critical, but it's not always mandatory.

Variety is the spice of life. Training can be quite mundane, and it's always nice to spruce your programs up with new exercises, altered stance and grip widths and ranges of motion, or other tweaks such as pause reps or drop sets. Failure to vary your workouts is said to lead to stagnation and "habituation".

However, is variety truly necessary? Plenty of Olympic weightlifters from Bulgaria didn't fall into this trap – they performed around six exercises year-round. And this is the crux of John Broz's system – back squats, front squats, power cleans, power snatches, clean & jerks, and snatches.

Let's say that a certain lifter performed the same five exercises his entire lifting career, and for 30 straight years he only did back squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, and bent over rows. He'd probably have better strength and development than 90% of lifters.

Variety is nice – we all like it, it breaks up the monotony, and it keeps us interested in going to the gym, but if you don't like change, then you don't have to change in order to see excellent results.

Periodization is essential for lifting success, right? The Russians were all about it, and American sports scientists have gone to great lengths planning detailed cycles of varying lengths. So it has to be mandatory for success, right?

The fact is, periodization is debated in the literature, and studies don't tend to show a huge difference in gains between varying periodization models (Kiely 2012, Issurin 2010).

If you're in tune with your body, you possess ample "common sense", and you know the basics of program design, then you don't really need to "periodize" your training.

But first let me clarify this statement. What is "periodization" anyway? It's "planning". How can any sensible lifter not perform some sort of planning when he trains? Even the biggest fools at the gym know what their "go-to" exercises are for the chest and biceps.

The vast majority of respectable lifters plan their training splits, training frequency, exercise selection, and order. Based on intuition and biofeedback, they tend to vary the intensity and volume on a particular day, but there's some structure and planning to their methods.

Therefore, every single respectable lifter does in fact periodize his training. But do you need to jot down an annual plan full of cycles and phases? The vast majority of bodybuilders don't do this, especially the top dogs.

Furthermore, "life" tends to force you into cycles and phases. Stress, new jobs, vacations, injuries, parties, holidays, work, deadlines, new relationships, and travel force lifters into varying their programming.

Moreover, periodization doesn't allow for "on-the-fly" adjustments and can be too rigid. Chuck Vogelpohl was notorious for maxing out on his Dynamic Effort day; once he got ramped up he couldn't resist going heavy. Are you going to tell him he's not lifting correctly?

As mentioned above, life forces you into fluctuating your training stress. Nevertheless, should you plan recovery weeks? Probably, but what if you're the type of lifter who simply "nails" the optimal training variables each week?

Some lifters lack testicular-fortitude and never overreach. These folks don't need back-off weeks. Some lifters train balls-to-the-wall and are prone to overdoing it. These folks benefit greatly from deloading.

But there are certain lifters who intuitively understand just how hard to push things. They might slightly overreach by Friday, but after taking the weekend off, they're good to go by Monday. They make steady gains despite never taking a week off or even taking a back-off week, due to the fact that they perform just the right amount of frequency, volume, and intensity for their body week in and week out.

I'm a huge fan of HFT. But is it absolutely necessary? Some of the best gains I ever made were from a HIT program. Every five days, I performed a full-body workout consisting of big basic movements such as squats or front squats, deadlifts or sumo deadlifts, bench presses or close grip bench presses, and chins or rows. I got incredibly strong and gained a lot of muscle. Mike Mentzer saw great success from infrequent, full-body, intense training, as have plenty of other strong lifters.

One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that you have to be in the gym all day long in order to see results. If more aspiring lifters knew that they could in fact see incredible gains from lifting just six days per month, they'd probably embark on a resistance training regimen.

The caveat is that you have to do it right – no wimpy isolation lifts allowed. Hammer the big basic movements every five days and you'll see great results.

The vast majority of bodybuilders split their programs. Many powerlifters split things up too. Total body training works for many individuals, but no single system is ideal for every individual and goal.

On the contrary, Olympic lifters don't split their workouts, nor do most strongmen or athletes. There are prisoners who've gotten incredibly jacked from daily full-body workouts. Split training works for many individuals, but no single system is ideal for every individual and goal.

Research clearly shows that multiple sets trump single sets for strength and size (Krieger 2009, Krieger 2010, Rhea et al. 2002). However, think of it this way:

Let's say that a lifter did one exercise per workout and squatted on Monday, benched on Wednesday, and deadlifted on Friday. He performs five sets in each session.

Let's say another lifter did one set of five compound exercises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They're both doing 15 sets of exercise per week. Do you really think that they'd be much different in terms of strength or size?

Aside from a couple of warm-up sets, Dorian Yates performed one set to failure, and he had one of the best physiques in the history of bodybuilding.

The first set is by far the most important, with each subsequent set being less and less important. And if you end up hitting the muscles from more angles due to more exercises being performed, a case could be made that you can see even better results in terms of hypertrophy with single-set protocols versus multiple-set protocols.

If you don't go all-out every session, you won't progress, right? Maybe not. Many experts feel that overdoing things holds more lifters back than underdoing things. Leaving a rep or two in the tank, choosing less-taxing exercise variations, and performing Dynamic Effort work allows lifters to train more frequently by sparing the nervous system and the joints from heavy pounding.

Pavel Tsatsouline advises lifters to "grease the groove" and quit obsessing about maximal performance on every set of every exercise.

Let's say you train five days per week, never quite going to failure or maxing out on chain close grip bench press, feet-elevated inverted rows, chain front squats, heavy kettlebell swings, and farmer's walks. You'd be very fit, strong, and muscular, and your joints would thank you.

I'm definitely not telling you that you shouldn't do the things mentioned in this article. However, some of the tenets listed will be more or less important for you depending on your particular genetics and goals. Just keep in mind that these 20 items are nice to do, but not absolutely mandatory for success.

In Part 2 of this series I will disclose the things you must do to ensure optimal gains in strength training.

Bret Contreras has a master's degree from ASU and a CSCS certification from the NSCA. He is currently studying to receive his PhD in Sports Science at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ) at AUT University in Auckland, New Zealand. Visit his blog at www.BretContreras.com and his research review service at www.StrengthandConditioningResearch.com.

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Tags: Almost, Strength, Training

Boris Sheiko is a Russian bodybuilding coach and renowned powerlifting expert. Several of his trainees have won national and international competitions. Along the path to prominence in the powerlifting world he developed his own training regimen, which came to be known as Sheiko Training.

Boris' training philosophy flies in the face of what most training regimens where you train each muscle group once each week. In contrast to this, Boris believes that frequency and volume performed at low intensities can drive progression and gains. In Sheiko Training, you repeat lifts several times a week, which both improves your form and drives growth. The key though is that the weight must be kept relatively low in order to allow your body sufficient time to recover.

I'll tell you straight up that the program is complex and if you're not into keeping a journal then this is not the plan for you. Measured progress is the underlying principle of Sheiko Training. In Boris' program, frequency refers to the number of days you train a muscle group each week, volume refers to the number of reps you for each muscle group and intensity refers to the weight-specifically, the percentage of your max weight that you're lifting. With so many things to track, you'll need to log your training sessions each week so you can see your improvements.

For the beginner, Sheiko Training can be confusing-especially since it has not been that long since it was first translated from Russian and most of them have been literal translations such as, "Trainings of arresters in the preparatory period." As a result, some of the terms and phrases can be difficult to understand for the layman. Also because its translation to English is relatively recent, it can be a bit tough to find detailed explanations of the program and its philosophies.

Sheiko Training uses percentages to manage your lifting volume. You start low and work your way up, increasing the percentage as you go along. For the beginner, the first bench press set might be 50% of max lift, then 60%, 70% and the finally 75%. Remember that although the weight may be lower than what you're used to doing, you'll be doing more reps (volume) than in a normal workout. In fact, with Sheiko training you may be going anywhere between 850 - 1000 reps each month, sometimes more.

In addition, there are three periods in Sheiko Training: the preparatory period where the foundation is established, the emulative period, which is more advanced and the transitive period, which prepares you to renew the cycle again. During the preparatory period volume is higher and intensity lower. Conversely, during the emulative period, intensity is higher but volume lower. And finally, during the transitive period, volume, intensity and the number of weekly workouts are all reduced in order to give the body time to recuperate.

There are a lot of different Sheiko Training templates to choose from depending on your level of familiarity with the program. Most Sheiko experts recommend that beginners start with training routine #29. This is a three day a week program that will help you get accustomed to Sheiko. This routine has you doing about 964 lifts (reps) per month.

As you progress through the templates things get tougher. For instance, in Sheiko Training template #37, the total number of reps for the month is 1093. Gains are also achieved by increasing the weight (percentage of max lift) lifted in the templates. Because of the complexity of the routines-keeping track of all those percentages and lifts can be a real chore, some guys have taken the time to make spreadsheets that automatically calculate the appropriate percentages for you, based on the one-rep max you enter.

Opinions on Sheiko training run to extremes. Some guys swear that they've made incredible gains following Boris' training templates with others saying that it's just too complicated and that any gains they made are negligible. Keep in mind though that because Sheiko Training is relatively unknown here in the United States, there really isn't enough information out there to say that the program isn't really effective.

Also, remember that the Russians have long been known for their expertise and success in developing some of the world's most powerful lifters and if you take the time to read the science behind Boris' training philosophy you'll see that he knows what he's talking about. So given that, I definitely believe that we'll be seeing and hearing more about Sheiko Training in the future.

ATTENTION! FOR "SKINNY GUYS WHO CAN'T GAIN WEIGHT" : Are you following the so called "experts" advice and still not gaining the muscle weight you want?" At Last... Mike Westerdal Has Unlocked The Secrets of Gaining Weight Fast. Learn Exactly How To Overcome Your SKINNY-GENES and how to gain muscle weight fast.

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Tags: Routine, Sheiko, Training

Nutrition and training expert John Parrillo is an innovator who has been on the cutting edge of bodybuilding for more than two decades. His ideas go against conventional wisdom and have been hailed as revolutionary by some and dismissed by others. Some people think he's an exercise and nutrition genius who knows more about maximizing muscle growth and losing body fat than just about anyone else around, while others think he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. In any case, John was among the first to embrace the idea of Super Hybrid Muscle. In fact, he was really the first one to develop the first hybrid training system.

More than 15 years ago he caught on to the idea of Super Hybrid Muscle and began having his bodybuilders doing really high intensity cardio. John realized that by doing this, his guys were actually altering the composition of their muscle fibers. He called this form a resistance training the "100 rep extended set," saying that it helped the body to construct more mitochondria-the muscles' "cellular blast furnaces," while also increasing muscular growth by developing the circulatory pathways that provide nourishment to the muscles. As the cellular blast furnaces, mitochondria are extremely important to muscle because they're the energy-supplying systems of the muscle cells.

Every muscle has a certain number of mitochondria-the more mitochondria in the muscle, the greater its potential for growth. So by forcing the body into creating more mitochondria, you're setting the stage for big increases muscle strength, stamina and endurance. Ordinary muscle fibers are either built for strength or endurance-not really for both. By forcing the body to increase the number of mitochondria in the muscle cells, you're also causing a metamorphosis that converts ordinary muscle fiber into Super Hybrid Muscle fiber. And not only that, but a human body loaded with mitochondria is far less likely to accumulate body fat than a body with fewer mitochondria.

While researching ways in which to reconfigure the composition of muscle fiber, John realized that the answer could be found in the past. Looking back, he realized that prolonged, intense physical effort causes a working muscle to build additional mitochondria, resulting in big gains in muscle strength and stamina. Part of this realization came from looking at railroad workers from the 1860s. These guys would lay track all day long using a 4-pound sledgehammer developing powerful arms, forearms and shoulders loaded with mitochondria, strength and endurance. But because their legs weren't being exercised as intensely, they stayed the same.

So basically, John's 100 Rep Giant Set training routine recreates this kind of super intense, prolonged workout.

Here's how it works. You start by picking a single muscle group, doing 20 reps of an exercise, then launch right into 20 reps of the next exercise. Immediately after that, you do 20 reps of another exercise, followed by 2 more sets of 20 reps each of two different exercises. There is no rest allowed between the 20-rep sets. At the end of all this, you've done a total of 100 reps, almost sequentially. Now you can rest for no more than 1 minute before starting the whole cycle again, repeating it at least 2-3 times total.

That is one hell of a tough workout - especially when you realize that you've just done 200-300 reps for a single muscle. In a normal workout, even on a high rep day, most guys aren't going to even hit 100 for a single muscle. The important thing to remember here is that the workout needs to be intense. You don't want to be screwing around wasting time by not making it challenging. At the same time though, you don't want to start out with a weight that's too heavy because once you start, you need to commit to finishing with the same weight. No drop sets here.

You can do 100 Rep Giant Sets for any body part-you're not limited to just certain muscle groups. You can also do it whether you use machines or free weights but you'll always get the best results from free weights because they force each limb to carry its fair share of the total weight, requiring each muscle to perform equally, making free weights far better muscle-building tools than machines. You should do the 100 Rep Giant Sets once or twice a week, rotating body parts for about eight weeks.

If you tell most bodybuilders that you're going to be doing 100-rep sets to build strength, stamina and size, they're likely to ask if you've gone out of your flipping mind. Most hardcore bodybuilders reject this philosophy entirely because it runs directly contrary to the all-known logic - fewer repeats, bigger weights - equals bigger muscle growth.

Even though the path to getting there is a bit different, the underlying principle and ultimate goals of 100 Rep Giant Sets and Lean Hybrid Muscle training are the same. Both rely on grueling workouts that combine resistance training and cardio activities to force the body to increase the number of mitochondria to build Super Hybrid Muscle.

Get my free report entitled, The Warrior Physique - Building The Super Hybrid Muscle. Click to learn how you can rapidly build muscle and burn fat at the same time.

Mike Westerdal is the founder of Critical Bench, Inc. A free online weight training magazine.

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This site may not function properly in the version of Internet Explorer you are using. Please upgrade to the latest version. Or download the latest version of Firefox or Chrome. by Chris Colucci – 7/05/2012

"Good bodybuilders have the same mind, when it comes to sculpting, that a sculptor has. You have to analyze. You look in the mirror and say, 'Okay, I need a little bit more deltoids, a little bit more shoulders to get the proportions right.' So what you do is, you exercise and put those deltoids on." – Arnold in Pumping Iron.

What do Frank Zane, Flex Wheeler, Dexter Jackson, and Phil Heath have in common, other than being four guys you'll probably never get to talk training with over a beer and some wings?

They stood out from the rest of the big guys on stage because of their constant focus on building symmetry rather than simply adding muscle regardless of proportion. They paid deliberate attention to developing each side of the body relative to the other – front, back, left, right, upper, and lower – as well as only building each individual muscle as it relates to "the total package."

Whether we're talking about the delts, arms, calves, or any other bodypart, symmetry and proportion are aspects of bodybuilding that often get overlooked by the recreational lifter. It's considered something only the pros have to be concerned with, or "not important right now because I have to get big before I worry about that detail work." That kind of thinking is as inaccurate as it is shortsighted.

Muscular size without balanced symmetry is like a gym with seven squat racks and only two barbells. The potential for something great is there, but it ends up totally missing the mark because of poor planning.

Not to mention the strength and health benefits of a balanced physique. Healthy joints, surrounded on all sides by well-developed muscle, will be better protected and more resistant to pulls or strains.

As far as using that strength, show me a powerlifter who doesn't think a big, strong back is required for a big bench press and I'll show you a guy who needs to increase his bench.

Let's figure out how we can implement symmetry training into your current plan for even better results.

There are a bunch of examples throughout the body where muscular symmetry, or a lack of it, can be either impressive and noteworthy or laughable and embarrassing.

On a large scale:

Front and back. Take a "big picture" view and compare the chest, abs/waist, and quads to the back, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. "Training the mirror muscles" is the common motto to remind lifters that what you can't see does still exist, and it can have a huge effect on your overall look and performance. One of the biggest indicators is your posture. If you're a sloucher, it's a safe bet your training needs fixing.

Left and right. Look at the right arm versus the left, as well as the right and left legs. The majority of people have one limb slightly larger and/or stronger than the other simply by being dominant on that side. It's normal and expected, but for 100% maximal gains, work to minimize any discrepancy in size or performance.

Upper body and lower body. This should be self-explanatory. Let's all do our part to kill the chicken-legged bodybuilder stereotype by the end of the decade. If you know a guy who gives any excuses for avoiding or minimizing leg work, kick him in the nuts and tell him when his legs are bigger than his arms, he can kick you back.

On a relatively smaller but still significant scale:

Calves and arms. The classic bodybuilder's goal is to have the calves measure the same as the upper arms (biceps/triceps) for a balanced look from head to toe. So find the measuring tape, check your arm size, feel a moment of awesomeness, then immediately check your calf size and feel terrible.

Biceps and triceps. Speaking of arms, it's often pointed out that the triceps take up the majority of space on your upper arm. Then why do you see people in the gym doing "arm routines" that use four different types of curls and only one or two types of extensions? Because most people are, well, dumb. Don't be satisfied with big biceps, make sure you're building big arms.

Traps and shoulders. The traps are one of those muscles that can warn people from a distance, "Do not aggravate this dude." However, if we consider the entire shoulder, trap, and neck region, bodybuilders with a keen eye will point out that overwhelmingly high traps will encourage the illusion of narrow shoulders, and nobody wants that.

Deltoid heads. Check out the shoulders around your gym and you're most likely to see overdeveloped front delts, everyone struggling for side delts, and invisible rear delts. In reality, simply reversing the priority – a focus on building rear, side, and front delts, in that order – would practically be a miracle cure for most folks' physiques and their shoulder health.

Triceps heads, lateral, medial, and long. If your tris look less like a horseshoe and more like a half parenthesis, you've got work to do. There's more to triceps training than just straight bar pressdowns, v-bar pressdowns, and rope pressdowns. If you're skipping overhead work, you're missing a big piece of the puzzle and a big piece of your total arm development.

Forearms and upper arms. While you might not expect to see many underdeveloped forearms, they're used to some degree in almost every exercise, from rows and pulldowns to deadlifts and heavy bench presses. If you look around, you'll find plenty of guys who could use more meat between the elbow and wrist. And a stronger grip never hurts, either.

Calves, gastrocnemius and soleus. If you even train calves on a regular basis, congrats, you're in a small club. If you take the time to include straight-leg work and bent-leg work to address both calf heads, you're in an even smaller club, slightly smaller than the number of people who still consider Nicolas Cage a talented actor.

Now admittedly, those last two examples are a type of fine-tune work that only deserves major attention if you're actually closing in on your physique goal. However, the general idea is worth keeping in mind for the long run so you have that much less catch-up work to do when the time comes.

Other multi-headed or "multi-muscle muscles" such as the quads, hamstrings, or biceps don't necessarily require the same particular attention because it's much more difficult to significantly target or prioritize those heads with special exercises or techniques.

Once you've taken a cold, hard, truthful self-examination, we need to figure out how to fix whatever needs fixing. Now that you've analyzed your physique and noticed what's disproportionate, the first step is to try to figuring out why.

Consider the body part and think back to remember how long it's been slacking and then look at how you've been training it recently (the last month, three months, year, whatever). This is why keeping a consistent, detailed training log is so important.

Your thought process should be along the lines of, "Hey, I've almost got a straight line from my ass to my knee. There are supposed to be hamstrings there. Oh, wait, I haven't deadlifted or done a leg curl since Chappelle's Show had new episodes." Ta-da.

If it's an issue of left/right asymmetry, which is probably the most common discrepancy around, that calls for a different plan of attack. If you ask most lifters the best way to address that issue, they'll shoot you the obvious answer, "Just add some extra sets for the smaller side."

This is like telling a 270-pound lady the best way to lose weight is, "Just eat a little less at each meal." Thank you, Sherlock, I truly wish I'd have tried that first. That method might deliver some results in the short term, but it's not the most effective way and it doesn't really solve the problem.

Arbitrarily doing "a few more sets" for the lagging side just doesn't make sense. How many more sets? Should I keep the same rep range? Do I add the sets at the end of the regular workout or do I add a small-side-only training day later in the week?

At best, you're going to waste time and energy putzing around instead of addressing the issue efficiently. At worst, you'll flip the discrepancy because you lost track of the goal and end up with a new dominant, overpowering side.

If your problem is as simple as one underdeveloped muscle (tiny calves, lagging rear delts, etc.), the most direct way to get things back on track is to attack it head-on with a short-term specialization program designed to give the muscle enough time in the spotlight to get where it needs to be.

John Romaniello wrote a pretty solid guide to specialization workouts here. If you're looking to give a significant boost to one bodypart, you can make a big difference with four to six weeks of targeted work if you go after it with 100%.

If you've got more than one bodypart that needs to be evened out, prioritize. By definition, you can only have one "worst" bodypart at a time. Figure out what needs the most work or what will have the biggest overall impact on your physique or strength, and address it. Then, once you're one step closer to being balanced, work on the next issue.

However, remember when I pointed out that left/right asymmetry needs to be corrected differently? Well, the solution is kinda simple and also kinda counter-intuitive. You're going to focus on the lagging side to an extent, while putting the "good" side on maintenance.

Oh no – gasp and double-gasp – the dreaded "M" word. Surely that means wasted time, several weeks when our strong side does next-to-nothing, practically withering away while we go on and on trying to improve the lazy, lagging side? Hardly.

This approach makes the most sense because the lagging side needs the extra attention without the stronger side coming to the rescue. If you're like most people, when you lift with both limbs and there's a noticeable difference in strength, the weaker side will (obviously) fatigue first and the stronger side will compensate enough to let you finish a few more reps.

However, this is the same as doing a barbell bench press, approaching failure, and then lifting your ass a foot off the bench and bouncing the bar off your chest to continue repping out. Yes, technically you're doing more work than if you'd ended the set sooner, but it's much lower quality work that isn't benefiting you in the long run.

To really give the lagging side a chance to catch up, we need to strategically use unilateral exercises that let one limb, and only one limb, do all the work. We also need to let the problem side dictate the weight and reps used, which it likely hasn't been able to do for quite a while.

If your legs need to be evened out pronto, give these workouts a 6-week trial run, working the rest of your body in two or three sessions the rest of the week.

* Hold each peak contraction for a count of "one-one thousand" and, if possible, touch the target muscle with the fingertips of one hand to improve the mind-muscle connection.

Leg Press (high foot position)* Hold each peak contraction for a count of "one-one thousand" and, if possible, touch the target muscle with the fingertips of one hand to improve the mind-muscle connection.

Begin each set of unilateral exercises (the leg extension, lunge, leg curl, and standing calf raise) with the weaker/smaller leg and perform reps until near-failure, then switch to the stronger side and only complete the same number of reps, even though it should seem "too easy."

If your arms are most noticeably uneven, give this twice-a-week plan a shot for a month or so. The rest of your weekly training shouldn't over stress the upper body too much or else you'll dip into the arms' recovery time. Something like legs/chest-shoulders/back or even a basic upper/lower body split would allow the arms enough rest between direct sessions.

One-arm (not alternated) Supinated Dumbbell CurlOne-arm Horizontal Cable Triceps ExtensionSeated Overhead Triceps Extension* Hold each peak contraction for a count of "one-one thousand" and, if possible, touch the target muscle with the fingertips of one hand to improve the mind-muscle connection.

Begin each unilateral set (the one-arm curl and the one-arm triceps extension) with the weaker/smaller arm and perform reps to near-failure, then switch to the stronger arm and only complete the same number of reps, even though it should seem "too easy."

One-arm Thick Rope Triceps PressdownOne-arm Thick Rope Cable Hammer Curl

Perform one set of each exercise with each side before switching. For example: A1 left, then A2 left, then A1 right, then A2 right, then rest.

Again, as with the other arm day, begin each set with the weaker/smaller arm and work to near-failure, and then switch arms and match the same number of reps.

If you haven't learned that balanced bodybuilding is better bodybuilding, you might be a lost cause. Or you might just be forgetting that there's a bit more to building muscle than picking things up, putting them down, and making the scale read higher.

Whether your current goal is massive size, raw strength and power, or super-crazy-deep abs, maintaining an aesthetic eye in your program design will always pay dividends. You'll still get where you want to go, but you'll end up stronger, healthier, and with an even better-balanced physique to show for it.

If you've had luck dealing with a strength or size disparity, let me know what worked for you in the LiveSpill below.

    @Tony: And while you certainly know your wifey better than me, here's an observation I've made about people in general: many don't WANT to train. They want the results, sure, but they do not want to go to the gym, work hard, make time for it, etc. So they look for excuses. Sometimes that excuse is: "Well, I don't like supplements (swallowing pills, drinking things that aren't Dairy Queen Blizzards, whatever), so I can't workout..." Just make sure she actually wants to train.  

When he's not studying early physical culture, experimenting with new training and nutrition theories, or editing articles, Chris can often be found in the T Nation forums where he uses his 10+ years of teaching and coaching experience to help guide beginners towards the best path for their goals.

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Tags: Strength, Symmetry, Training

For almost 30 years, I’ve been a member of Gold’s Gym in Venice as well as the old World Gym owned by Joe Gold. In that time, I’ve seen massively huge people come and go at both places. When I first joined those gyms in the 1980s, I saw guys and gals in their bulking up stages who were bigger than you can ever imagine. I’m not talking about the pros like Tom Platz, Lou Ferrigno, or even Arnold (people that I would see regularly). No, it was the amateurs that I was most impressed with. Some of these guys came out of nowhere and were up to a hundred pounds bigger than the pros. They would make your jaw drop if you saw these exaggerated masses of muscles.

I thought for sure that some of these no-name colossal monsters would be the next world champion bodybuilders. However, to my surprise, only a couple of them ever won anything significant. Some of the hard luck amateurs continued to beef up and train at the gym, but after losing a contest, the majority of them withered away and then disappeared. I would frequently hear stories about how some of these big monsters would shrink back to normal size when they got off the drugs, becoming fat and out of shape and then vanishing from the face of the earth.

Lou Ferrigno staring in awe at Tom Platz’s amazing quadriceps development

I’m not just picking on bodybuilders either. Living for 30 years in Los Angeles, the home of broken dreams, I’ve seen weekend warriors, models, and actors who were great looking and in shape slowly fall apart from constant disappointment and rejection. Some survived and continued to pursue their dreams, but others never recovered from the cruel pain and adversity associated with the pursuit of stardom.

Unfortunately, for those who cannot handle life’s hardships, a long and horrible road to self-destruction can be all too common. It doesn’t matter how big or beautiful you are; if you are mentally weak, you will always be vulnerable to mental collapse. Personally, I refuse to ever be that weak again. Through hard work, discipline, and dedication I have successfully changed my mindset and strengthened my mental and emotional resilience.

An Interesting Journey

I love training and building up my physique. For twenty years, I was extremely dedicated in my goal to get as massive as possible. I was never a bodybuilder…I just trained like one. However, I always felt like something was missing. I could never pinpoint what I was lacking with my lifting, but it definitely seemed as if there was a certain emptiness to it.

Then, about eight years ago, I stumbled upon a book written by Coach John Davies and experienced a deep connection to the “renegade training” philosophy that he created. His system was about more than just lifting or building muscles. The heart of renegade training was about becoming mentally tough, a whole cerebral philosophy built on seeking out challenges and overcoming adversity.

It was then that I finally found what was missing in my twenty years of training: the mental aspect. Coach Davies’ philosophy had a strong impact on me and made me question how and why I was training. I was always physically building muscle and mass, but I had never thought about the psychological aspect of my workouts. I knew my training made me physically more attractive, but other than looking good, I didn’t see how my workouts made me mentally stronger. Training was supposed to make you feel more confident, but being self-assured wasn’t always my strong point. At different stages in my life, I was mentally weak and would give into fear. In other parts of my life, however, I could be a fighter with a very strong sense of will who would stubbornly refuse to quit.

In other words, I was inconsistent in activating my will and desire. I didn’t realize at the time that mental toughness was a skill that one can learn and develop. I soon became obsessed with the work of other mental toughness teachers, such as football coach Vince Lombardi, “Miracle On Ice” coach Herb Brooks, and wrestling great Dan Gable. What I learned was that perserverance can be learned through grueling and challenging work. Mental toughness training is not for everyone, but it should be because it is woefully needed in everyday life, inside and outside of the gym. Without mental toughness you are always vulnerable to breakdown, now matter how big you are or how good you look.

New Goals

Approaching the age of 40, I was overweight and had developed hypertension, but I now had a new goal for my training: to become mentally stronger than ever. In my quest, I started reading about the effectiveness of Crossfit and reluctantly started to incorporate those classes into my workouts at least once a week.

Legendary coach and motivator Vince Lombardi

Most of the Crossfit workouts were heavily cardio-oriented, so I struggled mightily. In all my years of bulking up, I had never done any cardio. The only aerobic exercise I got was reading the sports page while pedaling very slowly on the bike machine. For me at that time, the workouts always seemed like a competitive race and, except for when that pregnant lady was in my class, I was always the last one to finish. Yet I also found that there was something new and exciting about this weekly training adventure.

Many people develop mental toughness by playing a sport, but I wasn’t a very good athlete growing up and had never played much. With Crossfit, however, I experienced real physical competition for the first time and found that I loved it. Haunted by past failures on the playground and reliving the shame in Crossfit classes, I defiantly took a stand: I was tired of getting my ass kicked.

I pushed myself harder that I ever thought my body could take. As physically fatigued as I was during the workout, my mind was not tired; instead, it was stimulated. I pushed my body, striving to be aggressive and relentless in my workouts. I had no idea what the hell I was doing or where I was getting this new level of determination and strength. In retrospect, what I was learning was how to activate my will. I was making the physical connection with my thoughts and letting my mind lead my body. I started to crush my times and finish not only first, but way ahead of everyone else. No one was more shocked than I was at my sudden burst of athleticism in my early 40s. I felt a sense of confidence after the workouts that I never had before (unfortunately, my strut didn’t transfer to the singles bars).

I give Crossfit all the credit for getting me into the best shape of my life by pushing me to a level that I never knew existed. Through all of the suffering, I began to see how vital the mental aspect of training was for me. Everybody else was stronger, faster, and more athletic than I was, but now I felt that I had an advantage…I knew I was mentally stronger than everyone else in the class.

The Greatest Strength of All

The stated goal of Crossfit is to get you in badass shape; it did that job for me and more. However, as with my bodybuilding workouts, I needed something more than just a physical challenge. In my quest for more stimuli to feed my awakened mental hunger, I started to create my own workouts with the priority of first challenging my mind. I didn’t invent a new system. In fact, I went back and did traditional full-body strength workouts and said good-bye to the isolation work that had dominated my first twenty years of training. I continued to do to Crossfit (and also Krav Maga) and kept pushing myself to do things that I hated and sucked at, like running and climbing rope.

Over the past three years, my goal in the gym has been to get physically stronger, but more important, I have also gotten stronger in my personal life. I believe that having the confidence that you can overcome any adversity is the greatest strength of all.

Problems of Teaching Mental Toughness

As a result of my personal growth, I have searched obsessively for more ways to address the mental game. I read as many articles and books as possible, and one deficiency I observed is that most of the literature out there on this topic is aimed at a professional athletes. However, my main criticism of just about all the mental toughness training I’ve seen is the emphasis on lame positive affirmations. Telling yourself that you’re a fighting machine over and over again is just a waste of time and gives you a false sense of security. You can say these positive affirmations until you are blue in the face, but once you have to throw down in an octagon, it’s more than likely you will get your teeth kicked in.

Other techniques in the strange world of mental toughness training include self-hypnosis, subliminal training tapes, and for thousands of dollars, you can also try brain wave-altering machines. I’m not making this stuff up; professional athletes will pay mega dollars to try to improve their mental game.
The harsh reality is that there is no easy way and no shortcuts: mental toughness is not for sale. The only way to get mentally tougher is to earn it through sweat equity in the gym and in the school of hard knocks (a.k.a., “life”). Everyone wants to be mentally strong, but very few are prepared to pay the price for it. The second half of this bad news is that you often have to go through some pretty awful shit to earn it too: it won’t be fun and it’s going to hurt. I wish there were an easier path to toughening up your mind, but only through suffering can one truly learn character issues that cannot be taught any other way. To put it in perspective, as scores of philosophers have observed from ancient times, the wisdom gained is well worth it the pain.

CrossFit gets you in shape!

Tips to Help You Incorporate Mental Toughness Training

The good news in all of this reality check is that you don’t have to give up your current bodybuilding workouts. Adding mental aspects to your training can be very easy, and training your mind and body should go hand in hand. The number one factor that will determine whether you will become psychologically stronger is your determination. For me, I didn’t want it — I needed it. If you understand this statement, then you have what it takes.

Tip #1: You Must Believe That Perseverance is a Skill

As with any skill, perseverance can be practiced, honed and strengthened. Think of perseverance as a muscle: the more you work it, the stronger it will get, and if you don’t use it, it will shrivel up. If this all sounds too elusive, think of perseverance as your will. Your will is the transfer of your desire into behavior and it is powerful. A strong will can lead you to accomplish extraordinary things or can get you out of a terrible situation. Through constant testing and practice, you can gain a better connection with your will.

One of the best ways to practice activating your will is by working out. The more determined your will, the less likely it is that you will give up. Get it involved in your workouts as much as possible. For example, if you’re doing bicep curls and struggling with the last reps, instead of feeling “the pump” of your muscles, focus on engaging your will. See how many more reps you can get by mentally willing yourself to do more. It’s a slight distinction from what you already do; however, you should give more credit to your will for doing the hard stuff than to your body parts.

Tip #2: There is a Direct Relationship Between Your Mental Toughness Training in the Gym and Your Personal Life

Too many people separate how they train or what they do in the gym from how they live. They categorize “strength” as only what they can physically do in the gym. They may be very strong in the bench press, but are pushovers in their relationships and professional lives. They may have huge arms, but are mentally fragile. They don’t see the connection with how physical strength training can improve mental power.

With mental fitness training, you should strive to nuture the connection between what you do in the gym and how you live your life. The strength you feel at the gym should carry over to your inner strength when you have a job interview or a blind date. Your confidence should rise across the board and not only after you bench press.

The reverse is true as well – how you handle getting through an awful ordeal in your personal life should bring out the animal in you the next time you have to do a brutal workout. The goal is to have no separation between the activation of your will and whatever situation you face. Your will is blind and indifferent to the circumstances at hand. It does not discriminate between how much mental strength you must draw on to set a bench press PR and what you must do to get out of a life-threatening situation.

Your will responds by doing the same thing for either situation – it will overcome the challenge with aggression and relentless action. This aggression does not mean that you must become high-strung, violent, or frantic. On the contrary, you must be centered, methodical, and able to focus with complete determination. You are on a mission with only one goal – to get out of the mess that you are in.

You need your will to be available and ready to be called upon immediately, anywhere, at any time. You need to train your will not to care who your opponent is, but only how to whip that opponent with fierce tenacity. This is the aggressive mindset you need when you walk onto the playing field and when you walk out to face the unpredictable and cruelest of these games — life.

Tip #3: You Must Learn To Do What Is Uncomfortable For You

To develop a psychological edge, you must develop extreme discipline in order to leave the comfort zone that you train and live in. Delaying immediate satisfaction is the ultimate sacrifice that all warriors must choose. The feeble mind is all about the immature joys of the now and has no regard for the long term. To develop mental hardness, you must learn to do what the weak general population has not. You must deny the temptation of immediate gratification in favor of the rewards of the long haul. To separate yourself from the pack, you must put yourself into an uncomfortable state, and you must do this often, very often.

Going to the gym is one of the best ways to practice. Challenge your tolerance to physical and mental anguish by doing a high intensity anaerobic workout once a week. The best part about high intensity anaerobic workouts is that each set should last less than two minutes. These workouts also give your testosterone levels a boost, so you’ll also build muscle. The down side of high intensity workouts is that you literally learn what it feels like to almost die.

Twenty-rep squats, extended drops sets, and breathing squats are all classic old-school, brutal, anaerobic workouts that many of today’s lazy gym rats avoid. However, if they want something more hip to kick their asses, Crossfit is the newest trend. One of my favorite Crossfit workouts is called Fran. I like the simplicity of this workout because it combines two compound movements into one metabolic session. You load 95 pounds on a barbell and superset barbell squat to an overhead press with pull-ups, completing three sets of 21-, 15-, and 9-rep schemes in the quickest time possible, which means if you want to be an elite bad ass, you won’t have much time to rest. You can get big and ripped by doing this workout, if you survive the extreme breathlessness. If you want to test your perception of being a bad ass, Fran is good place to start.

Champion powerlifter David Hoff knows how to get intense!

Another simple but brutal anaerobic workout is the Litvonvi workout, created by Dan John based on the methods of a Russian hammer thrower. I highly suggest the Litvonvi for those who fear that cardio work will make them lose muscle. Like Fran, with the Litvonvi, you can gain muscle, increase testosterone and HGH production, and earn mental toughness points if you finish. In this workout, you do six reps of heavy front squats followed by a 400-meter run or 100-yard dash. Three sets and that’s it! It sounds easy, but this workout is extremely vicious. My reaction to the first time I did the Litvinov workout was, “God, help me.” It was by far the hardest workout I’ve ever done.
Now if this all sounds too intimidating, six sets of hill sprints is a fine substitute. As long as the anaerobic workout can wreak havoc on you mentally and physically, it has done its job. The good news is that the effect that you’ll feel isn’t all bad. Physically, you should feel spent, but finishing the gruesome workouts should be emotionally fulfilling. You should feel a great sense of accomplishment after reaching the finish, and mental toughness training is accumulative in that each victory builds upon the others.

A strong will is crucial to getting you through these challenging workouts. If you have no connection with your will, you will falter and fail. The fatigue that your body will feel will be excruciating, but remember, just because your body is fatigued does not mean that your mind is tired. Use your mind to will your body to be aggressive and relentless in the face of exhaustion. Learning to be mentally energetic even when your body is weak is a sign of an indomitable will.

Tip #4: Your Own Worst Enemy

As you begin the journey to empower your mind, you will be constantly tested. Your worst enemy will not be your competition; unfortunately, you will be most often be low-balled by your very own self. Your body will look for an escape route for what seems like the unnecessary pain it has to go through. For me, the actual physical pain wasn’t the most daunting part of the training, but the anticipation of it. Hours before the workout, I would be mentally drained from dreading what was to come.
To relieve myself of this self-imposed psychological torture, my mind would begin to procrastinate and look for excuses. I would always come up with logical reasons or rationalizations as to why I should ditch the workout. This process represents a mental chess game between you and yourself, and it is your job to distinguish between truth and lies. What IS true is that mental toughness training is not easy. You are preparing yourself for the worst-case scenario, and the pain you are feeling in the gym is nothing like the cruelties that life offers us. Feel shitty now so you can be stronger tomorrow; this is the stark logic of those in the mentally tough club.

You will need to learn how to identify and defuse many negative thought patterns during your trial of cerebral improvement. Challenge yourself to change the negative thought patterns into positive self-talk. Instead of saying, “I’ve got three more sets to go. I can’t do this,” say “I’m getting mentally stronger. I did five sets so three more will be easy for me.” Learn to reformulate the negativism to something reachable, specific, and with a possible solution. Instead of saying something cynical like “I’ll never find a job again,” change it to something positive like “If I spend two hours on monster.com, I know I should fill out at least five job applications.” Mental toughness is all about your thought process. Your thoughts can make you do what most would consider unconceivable, and this is what this training is all about.

Mental conditioning and discipline in the gym is only half of the process. Just as you need to face down discomfort in your physical tests, you also have to confront emotional stress and fear in your personal life. Make a list of things you have been avoiding or problems that you have a difficult time dealing with. We avoid confronting these issues because of the pain they cause us. However, the more we deny these negative issues, the more they have the potential to destroy us. We sit back and wish they go away, but they don’t. We become passive due to the fear that we overwhelmingly feel. Fear is an emotional response, sometimes irrational and often blown out of proportion, and life is full of disappointments and letdowns. It’s not easy to get over any shattering experience, but with guts and determination, you can get over any painful ordeal. When we don’t get what we want, the consolation is that we gain experience. This doesn’t seem like a worthwhile prize, but the adversity can enlighten you. It may not be obvious, but take a hard look at any negative experience as an opportunity for personal growth. Take in the life lesson and move on.

Facing your fear is a necessary quality to developing mental strength. By facing fear, you will learn courage. Absence of fear is a misconception; fearlessness is not realistic nor does it provide any benefit to becoming a mentally tough beast. Being threatened by fear is the catalyst for you to change, and confronting fear with brave actions is how you get tough. In summary, whether in the gym or in your personal situation, a tough mental stance will pay off in both places. Your goal is to be mentally invincible regardless of where you are.

Your Journey to Mental Toughness

In conclusion, you work hard in the gym to build a better body and become as physically strong as possible. Becoming mentally tough as well can help to sustain all of the work you put into improving your body and your strength, but more importantly, being mentally tough can improve your quality of life as a whole. It is a very challenging adventure but a worthwhile one. Good luck with your journey.

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Tags: Incorporating, Mental, Psychology, Strength, Toughness, Training