Where is you 50%?

Bring up your 50% baseline for better strength progress.

 

This concept isn’t a new one.

 

Marty Gallagher spoke about it in his book the Purposeful Primative, great book by the way, and also in subsequent articles.

 

The short version of the story that spared this this thought for Marty was as follows:

 

Chap squats 500lbs cold, AMrty asks if he should have warmed up a bit, the chap responds – “It was only 500lbs.”

 

The reason for that throwaway comment of it only being 500lbs is because the chap in quest had roughly around 1000lbs squat at the time.

 

Thus meaning it was only 50% of his max and as such no warm up was needed.

 

Now the idea of bringing up your baseline 50% strength has fascinated me for a long time.

 

When you look at it from the standpoint of warming up, it would mean that you’re body has a perpetual level of readiness that is always there, and the higher your 50% is then the more maximal strength you potentially have.

 

Don’t think that I’m saying that by brining up the 50% it means the 100% will go up because for that to happen you’d need to actually practice expressing that 100% or absolute strength due to it being a very specific skill itself.

 

Realistically brining up your starting loads, or the starting load you can handle from cold above is in essence the soul of what many call, Easy Strength.

 

Being effortlessly strong.

 

Achieving this will not only help with sport, general physical ability it will also help with longevity because strength is the most useful human quality we can possess.

 

Well, strength and common sense.

 

Take a moment to think about it for a second.

 

What loads can you throw on any movement and comfortably hit 10reps with that is no fuss or trouble?

 

Now think about boosting that number and all the potential benefits that could also come with it.

 

Certainly food for thought.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Everyone loves a triangle

Knowledge is one thing, application is something else entirely.

The three triggers of hypertrophy in lifting are as follows:

– Mechanical Load
– Metabolic Stress (also metabolite production)
– Muscle Damage

Each of these can form one side of a triangle, because everyone loves a triangle.

Of course you’ve got nutrition, recovery, genetic potential and all the other factors that lead to hypertrophy, however today we shall stick with the three above as these can be applied immediately to training.

Here is how they can work in combination:

Mechanical Tension + Muscle Damage = Low Rep/High Load

^ The heavier loads cause your high-threshold motor units to get involved, this can cause some muscle damage in the concentric phase however you’ll find you get the most from he eccentric.

When you pair these two element together you get something like this on paper: 4-6x4x87% 1RM – 4/0/X/0

This allows you to work towards the minimal amount of TUT required for hypertrophy, however you’ll get all of the stimulus in a set like this from the trauma of the load itself.

Mechanical Tension + Metabolic Stress = <Mid Load/Long TUT

^ You can vary your loading here from 70% right down to perhaps 40%, the real factor that hits the hypertrophy trigger is that you’ll be creating a lot of mechanical tension through a big amount of total work which provides the metabolic stress.

Of course when you’re doing ‘reps for days’ as the saying goes, you’ll find you can’t use heavy loads, not really.

While you get a lot of muscle fibre and motor unit recruitment the higher threshold ones (unless already stimulated) won’t come of the bench and be put into play, instead you’ll be largely focused on the anaerobic glycolysis side of things whereby you get a nice build of lactate, pyruvate, hydrogen ions and that every additive pump/burn.

The lower the load with the more reps and longer TUT the more you burn, this is what a lot of people prefer when training to build muscle typically.

One paper you might get this: 3-4×8-12×70% or 2-3×12-15×60%

Your tempo could vary, yet 4/0/2/0 is what some prefer.

A great way to train that is easier to recover from than the first option due to less systemic load on your nervous system – remember that.

Metabolic Stress + Muscle Damage = Low Load/Deep Stretch

^ This is where things get interesting because the mechanical tension, if you can picture the three elements on a triangle needs to be low for the metabolic stress to be high.

Some will think you can’t get any benefit as endless reps won’t cause the same level of muscle damage that the heavier loads would, and they’d be correct.

However… This is where with a low load, to achieve a high amount of muscle damage you simple need to do this – increase the TUT & deep eccentric loading.

Both of which are easily done with lighter loads, of which we’re talking about <50% because you will be wanting to hold that fully stretched position in a movement (your end ROM) for 2-4seconds (you can do more to disinhibit the myotatic reflex, although that can be quite advanced and will be saved for another day).

These sets will be long in duration, and the ultra deep stretch with sensible loads will cause a lot of muscle damage, meaning ‘Plus-Ultra DOMS’, a bodybuilders dream if they enjoy the feeling.

On paper you might see this: 2-3x10x50% – TUT 6/4/2/0

Honestly a killer.

When it comes to arranging a training session utilising these principle above, you can use all three in one go, however that would then require a good amount of recovery & nutrition to be factored in as well.

Keeping that in mind, here is an example:

A1 – Bench Press: 6x4x87% – TUT 4/0/X/0
B1 – Incline DB Press (pro to sup): 3×8-12×75% – TUT 4/1/X/0
C1 – DB Fly: 2-3x10x50% – TUT 6/3/2/0

A1 the goal is maximal tension & force production
B1 the goal is sustained tension & pump
C1 the goal is maximal stretch & deep mind muscle connection

Persoanlly I would choose two out of the three each session, however you can do all of them if you think you can sustain it (pro-tip, chicness are you can’t ).

Be sure to dig into all of the above as there is plenty of literature surrounding it.

Enjoy,
Ross

 

Overthinking 101

Do you get stuck in your own head?

 

Throughout my years in fitness there has been a lot of people that tend to really overthink and get in their own way.

 

Usually a panic will set in from one simple mistake.

 

From here they blow things out of proportion and often say things like this:

 

“Oh god, I’m so useless, I always do something like this.”

 

“I try so hard yet always find a way to F**K things up.”

 

“Well now X has happened counting to do Y is pointless.”

 

Alternatively they try and run away from a situation highly embarrassed all while holding back the tears. The proceed to sit in their car and have a good cry.

 

Deep overthinking is common.

 

 

So is the anxiety that comes with it, and most think they’re the only ones who experience it, when in reality it’s more like one in ever three people that do.

 

In some situations it’s also easier for them to default to this than it is to face up to what is actually going on.

 

It’s safe to say that no one likes feeling this way.

 

The embarrassment, wanting the ground to swallow you up whole, it’s all quite common and in the end you simply need to ee it for what it is – a problem that isn;t there, you’re simply having a wobble because it’s more comfortable than the alternative, acknowledgement.

 

I’m sure some will read that and spit feathers because I clearly don’t know what it’s like, or at least that is what they want to think.

 

Truth is that once you’ve worked with a lot of people that find themselves in this place regularly, it starts to put things in to perspective for you.

 

We all have mini-panics, the only difference is that some will accept the uncomfortable situation and deal with it head on, where as others would rather the familiarity and comfort in the habits they know.

 

Think about it for a second.

 

If you’ve had these wobbles what tends to happen regarding the people around you?

 

Do they run to your aid with words of comfort, sooth you and tell you it’s not your fault, validate you and ensure you’re a good person and provide all the emotion you desire?

 

The answer is probably yes, at least in most cases.

 

There are specific behaviours we will adopt and repeatedly act out because they give us something we want or perhaps need emotionally.

 

While there will be more depth and nuance person to person, usually it’s all going tits up for no reason and things are being blown out of proportion just because people don’t want to feel stupid for making a fuss out of something that is often innocuous.

 

True it’s not nice to be stuck inside your own head.

 

No one likes feeling useless, anxious or panicked.

 

Yet this is where many need to take a step back and really look at the situation as ask themselves this: is it as bad as I think it is?

 

Harsh thing to say, maybe, yet it’s still necessary to hear.

 

Give some thought to the above.

 

It’s okay to make mistakes, get things wrong or generally make a hash of something, just don’t let yourself then get consumed by a monster you create that was never there.

 

Sometimes you may need to run through all the possible outcomes in your head if that’s just how you think, just be sure to do it quickly and then put it to bed because dwelling on such things longer than a minute is often pointless.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

How to achieve constant change in a training program without really changing much at all.

People get bored doing the same things. 

A long held belief in fitness is that you need to constantly try what you’re doing otherwise you’ll stagnate.

This isn’t untrue, yet some people take it a little too literally.

As such they chop an change what they’re doing all the time and don’t give their body a chance to bask in all the potential adaptive stimulus available to it from a training protocol.

It’s why many talk the talk and have very little to show for it. 

Keeping this in mind, I do personally understand that repetition, while the mother of skill, it can be the arbiter of boredom.

As such here is how you can change that. 

Let us say you can only train two days per week, Monday & Thursday or something like that. 

You can set up a rotating session system that will not only keep your mind stimulated, you’ll also not train the same things on the same day for a while.

Here’s how it works:

Session A – Squats 

Session B – Presses & Pull Ups/Rows 

Session C – Deadlift & Dips 

Based on training two days per week this is how things would look:

Week 1 – A & B

Week 2 – C & A

Week 3 – B & C

Week 4 – A & B – Cycle starts again

Lovely, plus it helps stave off the monotony 👍

You can of course take it further and go beyond.

Rotating Protocols:

Protocol 1 – 2-3×20

Protocol 2 – 8,6,8,6,8,6,8,6

Protocol 3 – 5×10

Apply this to the 3 days above and you’ve got even more variety as you’d want to complete each of these protocols at least 2-3times per session. 

Week 1 – A, P1 & B, P1

Week 2 – C, P1 & A, P2

Week 3 – B, P2 & C, P2

Week 4 – A, P3 & B, P3

Week 5 – C, P3 & A, P1 – Protocol cycle starts again. 

That is if you have all of them on the same protocol, you might have them all on different ones. 

Week 1 – A, P1 & B, P2

Week 2 – C, P3 & A, P2

Week 3 – B, P3 & C, P1

Week 4 – A, P3 & B, P1

Week 5 – C, P2, & A, P1, etc.

As you can see there are plenty of ways to keep things the same yet different. 

The truth tends to be that the majority of people lack conviction and the ability to see something through until the end. 

Reread the above and try having  go at writing your own below. 

Enjoy, 

Ross 

7 Reasons looking better can improve your health.

Like it or not we’re a species that does value how things look.

Some people will rage against this.

Others won’t care because they’re too busy getting on with life. 

When all is said and done for the majority of people it is important to feel comfortable in themselves, in their own body if you will and what that means to each person will differ.

This is where ‘looking good’ to an individual can be subjective.

Of course there are universal beauty standards too, simply based on maths, symmetry and the simple notion that you can see someone and think – “Damn….”.

In a modern world where you are likely to be burned at the stake for having a physical standard of particular look you aspire towards, we shall look at some reasons why looking better (whatever that means to you) can improve your health.

1 – Improved confidence 

2 – Less stress/anxiety 

3 – Better lifestyle habits 

4 – The ability to ignore the haters 

5 – Higher belief in ones self-efficacy 

6 – Better quality of life & treatment from others*

7 – Having sex with the lights on 

*This is not simply based on your look, choice of clothing etc, it’s also because as a person you will resonate an aura of “I am here’ and that can knock down barriers to promotions in work, attracting a partner and even just making people smile around you because you’re not being a droopy draws anymore.

Not everyone will agree, and that’s cool. 

Some have come under harsh critique for the way they look for years, and ended up never pleasing anyone which left them feeling lost, confused & alone, however that is where they went wrong. 

You do it (look better) for you, and only you.

Enjoy, 

Ross 

Your Wisdom is Required

Have you gotten results worthy of the effort you feel you’ve put in to your training?

Being as objective as you can by looking at the evidence it’d be good to hear your answer down below.

In addition to that it’d also be good to know why you feel the amount of training you do is the ‘right’ amount.

Is it based on current literature, feeling, sage advice from your peers or something else entirely.

The reason I ask is that I’m looking to gain a perspective from some of the newer trainees to the realms of fitness because in my experience 98% of people invariably make the same mistakes.

Namely these ones:

Doing too much at too low an absolute intensity
The don’t stimulate grow/adaptation
Nutrition is based on fads rather than facts
Training is being used as a band-aid for poor lifestyle choices

I’ve made these mistakes, so trust me I’m not above reproach when it comes to such things, it’s just a case that muggins here has already been there and would rather you didn’t fall into the same trap for the best part of a decade.

Please do leave your thoughts below.

Enjoy, �
Ross

On the Spot Fat Loss Training, Literally 👍

These three tools allow you to not move a single inch and not only strip fat, they also can provide many other benefits too.

Such as strength, hypertrophy, power-endurance and more.

The tools:

– Skipping Rope
– Kettlebell
– Barbell

You can do a lot of things with these, however today I’m going to give you three options to try out, one for each.

Skipping – 30-45min solid skipping
Kettlebell – Swings (double hand) 5min work, 5min rest x6
Barbell – *Complex 8-6-4 (repeat up to 3 times)

*RDL, Clean, FS, Push Press, Row

Hit these not he following days and what your body change.

^ Providing you also make sensible & appropriate nutrition choices that allow you to sustain a calorie deficit and good health that is.

Monday – Swings
Wednesday – Skipping
Friday – Barbell

Enjoy,
Ross

Ford or Skoda?

Fitness is the vehicle.

What style of fitness you choose is the make & model.

Your destination won’t change, however based on what you choose above to get you to there it might be quicker, slower or not as easy as you’d imagine.

As an example, let us say your goal is to run a marathon just because some people like to tick it off the bucket list.

Now your chosen vehicle might be in the form of a powerlifting style make &model. 

Will it get you to your goal of running a marathon?

Well, potentially however it’s not going to be very effective, and it may take a very very long time to do so, with the addition that you may only be able to do it once which would come down more to sheer force of will than the efficiency of your respiratory system.

It’s amazing how many people choose an ineffective way in which to travel towards their desired goal. 

Of course this doesn’t make it wrong, just not the best possible choice. 

Have you ever given any thought to the above?

To get to where you want to go there are endless options/routes to take, however that doesn’t mean they’re all good ideas. 

You’d do well to investigate this thoroughly.

Enjoy, 

Ross 

Concurrent or Block?

Training for  multiple goals at the same times isn’t easy. 

When you look at the technical term – Concurrent Periodisation/Training.

You’d be easily duped into thinking you’d found the holy grail of training philosophies.

The ability to train literally everything and peak it all at the same time covering a broad and multifaceted approach to fitness, well, it’s the dream for all those people who like ‘work’.

Sadly in terms of effectiveness it’s not a good as you may be lead to believe.

At least not for us mere mortals that don’t have a high base stat in multiple elements of fitness anyway that is. 

This often leads to people trying to train multiple element of fitness and being less than mediocre at every one of them.

Dig in to the history of the Soviet style training, you’ll see once they swapped from Concurrent to Block their performance shot through the roof, regardless of drugs the training methodology of focusing on ONE THING to build a massive base and peak with it so that it’s easily sustained before moving onto other elements is a time tested way of improving performance.

It might not be what people want to hear, however it’s often the case. 

This is where you’ll find true sports coaching has the athletes do 2-3 sessions of S&C per week.

The rest is skill work for the sport.

You’ll find younger coaches (in terms of experience, not chronological age) forget this one piece of information:

You’re working with athletes that lift, not lifters that also do athletics.

Too many get stars in their eyes and focus on increasing people numbers in the gym or in they interval/conditioning style of training without really knowing if it’s helping the sport.

Now if all someone wants to do is lift weights, great then programming is easy. 

When there are multiple goals though you’ll need to set an order of priority, along side also establishing what supplementary training (the S&C stuff) will actually be a benefit to your client (or yourself) and what will be nothing more than a waste of time.

Asking these three questions will help you in this endeavour:

1 – Will it make the boat go faster? (This is also a good book to get a hold of & read)

2 – What will the be ROI and is it worth it?

3 – Am I doing XYZ because I need to or because I want to?

Before delving in to programming itself you must first establish what you need to achieve from it. 

It’s easier it get to your destination when you know where you’re trying to go. 

You must investigate this thoroughly.

Enjoy,
Ross 

Alternating Blocks

Alternating blocks of training are useful for a lot of people.

Accumulation
Intensification

This is how they were often spoken about by Poliquin.

Other authorities have them as strength building & strength releasing blocks.

A few will alternate the slower movements the are high in force development yet low in velocity with blocks that are again still high in force development and in addition to that that also high in velocity.

Based on a lot of the literature and also the experience of various coaches, this fits the bill.

Personally I enjoy a 3 week rotation of work for most people, t least in the beginner/early intermediate stages of things.

Then it gets into standard block periodisation, and finally once they’ve reached a certain training age, base level of strength etc, the 2 week alternating blocks can come into play.

One great thing about them is that you can build on what you’ve got, then further potentiate the subsequent blocks after, essentially creating a knock on effect of laying solid foundations and expressing what has been gained.

As an example: two weeks for each block for a strength/hypertrophy goal

Accumulation – 6×6-8
Intensification – 4-3-2-4-3-2
Accumulation – 6×4-6
Intensification – 3-2-1-3-2-1
Transmutation – 1 week to aid recovery/adaptation
Realisation – Testing week

From here you’d perhaps have a one week of a transmutation phase where you take the volume way down to perhaps 1/3 of the pervious total while the intensity stays consistent, pus you can do some restoration work and add in some extra recovery methods.

The week after you have your realisation week where you can test for new personal bests or performance increases.

While this looks quite cool and useful, you may only have 4 of these per year as that gives you 40week of training, in which you need to factor life, holidays, competition and full delaod periods.

That is without delving into the nuance of who you may also apply specialised variety, plan your supplementary/assistance or overall restorative work either.

Still though, it’s certainly worth knowing and then if you choose to level further than this ultra basic breakdown you can.

Enjoy,
Ross