1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1

Had this little gem fly in to my head on a whim, thought you might enjoy it.

 

Load up 80% for whatever lift you desire.

 

Preform 1 rep, rest 30 seconds.

Preform 2 reps, rest 60 seconds.

Preform 3 reps, rest 90 seconds.

Preform 4 reps, rest 120 seconds.

Preform 5 reps, rest 90 seconds.

Preform 4 reps, rest 60 seconds.

Preform 2 reps, rest 30 seconds.

Perform 1 rep, move on to something else.

 

Keeping the load static in the ascending 5 is a good idea, when you start coming back down towards 1 rep again you can choose to lighten the load or keep it static.

 

This is only 25 reps, however it would be 25 good reps.

 

Once you’ve done this you can do one or two additional movements, I’d set it up like this:

 

Main lift – as above

Secondary lift – 3-6×6-8 – 60 sec rest between sets

Accessory lift – 2-3xfail – 30-60 sec rest between sets

^^ You can of course tweak these for varied goals such as fat loss for example.

 

The secondary lift an antagonist to the first for balance or an agonist to the first for strength, the accessory lift can be a weak point focus and hammered for pump.

 

Nice and simple.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

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When you fail, THEY remember.

Regardless of what you do that is good, well executed or just plain awesome, you’ll probably be remembered for your faults, failures and inherent flaws.

 

Good old human nature.

 

While we enjoy sharing in peoples success, sometimes.

 

It is in watching people fail, stumble or fall that really grabs our interest.

 

We know this, painfully so.

 

This is often one reason that people won’t ever really go for the things they desire because if it all goes wrong people won’t be so quick to forget.

 

Knowing what we know, how do we best approach it?

 

Is it in the subtle art of not giving a F**K?

They attitude of ‘this person can’?

Could it be just doing things because we want to?

 

It might be just accepting the fact that people will think, say and act how they want and there is little we will ever be able to do to change that.

 

There are many answers, each of them correct.

 

We are often told not to care what others think, however from my experience this is not useful because we do care.

 

In our lives there will always be people we want to impress, gain respect from or just get a nod of approval.

 

To deny this is foolish.

 

If you truly didn’t what others thought there would be little to no motivation to do anything, well, for many people anyway.

 

It takes a rare individual to be able to consciously achieve anything under the guise of pure self-actualisation.

 

These people of course do exist, yet they are the exception to the rule, people like you & I though we are not the exceptions, we are the ones who the rule applies to whether we like it or not.

 

Guess what…

 

This is okay, being the one the rule applies to.

 

It give your meaning, purpose and focus if you accept what is. People will remember all the bad shit, because that’s just what we are like, it helps us bring people down to the level we think we are on and protects us from feeling like failures ourselves.

 

Knowing this, accepting it, that is what helps you let go of such things and how much they matter. Even if you won’t admit it.

 

You do care what people think, I know you do so there is no sense in lying about it.

 

It’s okay to care.

 

In actual fact, it makes things more worth while, try not to forget that.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Training session structure 101

Don’t get your hopes up, this is nothing special 😂

 

If anything I hope it will give you a better idea/guide of what makes for an easily repeatable session set up and movement pairs.

 

– W/U – Arbitrary movement work to help you RAMP*

– Skill – Lift Practice, say Bent Press or Snatch

– Strength Section – For Hypertrophy, Strength etc

– Conditioning Section – Accessory work or a Finisher

– C/D – Standard cool down and flexibility development

 

Pretty simple, not gospel, just useful for some to know.

 

I would advise that you rotate your training days so that you have a mixture of Hard-Medium-Easy sessions.

 

Often an easy session with precede or follow a heavy session, that is just good common sense and planning, that way the majority of your training will be in the medium effort range, just right for making progress.

 

As for pairing things together, these work well:

 

– Push, Hinge, Loaded Carries

– Pull, Squat, Loaded Carries

– Full Body Lifts, Carries

– Sprinting Endeavours & Movement

 

The above offers a good way to set things up for super sets, tri-sets, circuits and so on.

 

As for sets and reps here are the guidelines I follow for myself:

 

– 90%+ lifts 10 reps total

– 70-80% lifts 50-75 reps total

– <60% lifts 75-250 reps total

 

Training 2-7 times per week following the above works quite nicely, just make sure you cover each movement pattern (push, pull, squat etc) equally for general GPP, if you need to add in SPP then hire a coach.

 

Use the above well, it might just make putting training programs tother easier than you currently find it.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

 

*Raise the pulse, Acclimatise to required movement patterns , Mobilise joints, Potentiate the muscles you’re about to use.

 

**The ‘A’ commonly stands for “Activate the muscles” I just don’t like the term so I changed it.

A post for people who need a way to focus their time in training

Do you faff about in the gym?

 

Morning All,

 

While some don’t, the alarming majority do.

 

Not to mention in their faffing they simply cause feeling tired, rather than any form of meaningful progress or quality work.

 

Now while total volume (overload) is the main driver of most things progress related, there has to be some attention given to quality as well.

 

Keeping in mind that we want to get the most out of every gym session, there are many ways to do it, we shall look at two that have you working against the clock.

 

1 – Time Block & Rep goals

 

2 – EMOM (every minute on the minute)

 

Both have their uses to send a jolt of new life in to stagnant training.

 

Each also works on the principle of manipulating the Density/Work Capacity in your training (doing more quality work in the same time limit or getting the same amount done in far less time).

 

Time Blocks & Rep Goals (TB-RG)

 

Easy to create and even easier to apply.

 

Simply take a total number of reps you wish to achieve with a specific weight, then set a time limit in which to achieve those reps.

 

If you hit the reps in the time it may be prudent to increase your load on the exercise, yet say the reps were not hit in the time then this simply means you stay at that weight until you hit them.

 

Example: Squat x50 reps x140kg in 15min

 

🤗

 

EMOM

 

One way in which I have found this to work very well is with one exercise and a rep range to work in, that way you have a goal and definitive way to show when it’s time to progress the weight.

 

Example: Press x3-5 reps x50kg EMOM x15min

 

If the first time you do this you hit solid 3’s for all 15min, great, stay at that weight and aim for a mixture of 3 & 4’s, eventually you will hope to he hitting 5’s each min for the entire time. Once this happens increase the weight and start the process again.

 

😁

 

This style of training can also be very beneficial for those short on time that need focus.

 

You may find you can pair tow exercises in an A1/A2 fashion quite easily in the TB-RG, and while it’s not impossible to do in the EMOM it’s not the most optimal.

 

Here is an example of some 30min sessions (main work set, you’d have a warm up/warm down either side and perhaps some remedial work of say 2-3×15-25 reps for weak areas of postural work which may give you a total 45-60min session).

 

TB-RG: 30min (using agonist pairings for extra nastiness)

 

Pull Day –

 

A1 – Trap Bar Deadlift 50reps

A2 – Chin Up 50reps

 

Push Day –

 

A1 – Overhead Press 50reps

A2 – Dips 50reps

 

Leg Day –

 

A1 – Squat 50reps

A2 – Hamstring Curls 50reps

 

EMOM 2x15mins

 

Pull Day –

 

A1 – Deficit Deadlift 3-5reps

B1 – Pull Up 6-8reps

 

Push Day –

 

A1 – Push Press 3-5reps

B1 – Incline Press 4-6reps

 

Leg Day –

 

A1 – Squat 3-5reps

B1 – RDL 4-6reps

 

There are almost limitless exercises and variations you can do, just make sure you cover the full complement of human movement: Push-Pull-Hinge-Squat-Loaded Carry

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Three important lessons you can learn from athletes & apply them to your life.

Morning all,

 

It’s fair to say we admire athletes.

 

Not simply for the way they can bring people together with their astonishing achievements or world record breaking efforts, it’s also because they’re humans, just like us.

 

They might be faster, stronger, more dedicated and generally better in every aspect, however they’re still human 😂

 

As such here are three things you can take away from them and apply to your life for the better.

 

1 – They do what they need to do regardless of how they feel.

 

Athletes don’t make excuses, not really, they just get on with the task as hand, unlike you.

 

Nothing stands in their way of achieving their goal, now before you start saying “I have a job, house etc etc”, did you know that until they make it BIG, so do they.

 

The difference is that they kept moving forwards, even when life problems cropped up, they still struggled on.

 

This is a lesson you’d do well to listen to and apply.

 

2 – They always have a plan.

 

Now this plan might not be of their of imagination, it might be something of a coaches/mentors design.

 

The point is this, the have one and as such also have answers for when the plan starts to fall apart or needs adapting.

 

Average people don’t have a plan, they try and wing it, unsuccessfully I might add.

 

If you can’t create a plan yourself, don’t stress, ask someone for help, get yourself a mentor/coach, in the long run it will be worth it, trust me.

 

If you want people to put their faith in you, you must also eb willing to put your faith in others.

 

3 – There is only the next mission.

 

Now I could have used the word goal, however goal is meek because everyone has a goal, several in fact, of which many go unachieved.

 

Athletes have a mission, one that is fuelled by a passion and drive that is above and beyond what many can comprehend.

 

They just do things because it’s just what they do.

 

It’s all they know.

 

Taking a page out of this book and developing your own indomitable spirit is something that would benefit you in a multitude of ways ranging from more conviction in your decisions to an unwavering resolve to stick with something, for better or worse.

 

If you take these simple lessons and apply even on to your life, you’ll be several steps ahead of a great many people, just have some faith in yourself and do it.

 

Bonus lesson – They know when enough is enough.

 

Now it would be great to think that we can overcome any limitation, any barrier, break any & all plateaus, however that is just not true, it’s a fools dream.

 

This also relates to being at the top too.

 

Even the worlds best athletes know they have limits that they will not exceed, this is where they have a large support network of coaches, mentors, friends and close family to help them see the perspectives that they might be blind to themselves.

 

Sometimes a dream might just not be in your grasp, however that doesn’t mean you give up entirely, you just accept that enough is enough and rather than giving up, you refocus and look towards the next mission.

 

You might be the one to do it all and change the world, even with such an achievement there will be a limit to how long you can stay their, int he end you will need to accept enough is enough and step down.

 

Just like a world champion that retires so the new blood can come through, they don’t disappear, they just change their place in the play and become the mentor/coach.

 

Giving up never did anyone any good, however neither did trying to achieve something that was never in their reach to begin with or holding on to a glory longer than they should.

 

Learn to accept what is, what isn’t and what will never be.

 

Smile at these things, embrace or let them go.

 

All glories must fade, enjoy them while you can and let go when you must.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

1/2 a kilo per session = long term progression

Half a kilo each session.

 

That’s all you need to add to the main lifts.

 

Devilishly simple, some may even say dull, yet super effective.

 

It give your body plenty of time to master the weight.

 

You will not miss any reps (well, you shouldn’t if you start at the correct load).

 

Here is how it’s laid out:

 

Main lift:

 

– Working set/rep options 2×5, 3×3, 5×2

– Warm up sets are as needed

– Pick a large compound movement e.g: Squat, Press, Deadlift, Chin etc

– Rest 3-5min

 

Loading & Progression:

 

– 2x5x70%, 3x3x75%, 5x2x80%

– Add half a kilo to the main lift each session without fail, hence the low starting weights.

 

Accessory work:

 

– 1-3 lifts depending on your time available

– 2-3 sets

– 6-25 reps

– Loading will be dictated but the reps chosen

– Rest 1-2min

 

Split:

 

– Legs/Push/Pull

– Hit each every 3-5 days ideally

 

This can last for months and months and months, I’d change up the accessory lifts every 2-3 weeks to keep things interesting, however the main lifts can be milked for all they are worth as it will take 20sessions to add 10kg to the weight you’re starting at.

 

Avoid the temptation to rush.

 

That’s it.

 

Nothing fancy, however it works very well for developing strength skill, your accessory work will give you either a bolster on strength, hypertrophy, fat loss etc depending on how you plan those.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

Did you achieve your goal this year?

New Years Eve…

Time to wave goodbye to 2017 in style.

Well, more like a blurry mess of alcohol fuelled rage.

Then it’s 2018 and all those goals that didn’t get achieved can be forgotten and new ones can be written down.

A little tip for your resolutions –

Write them out by hand in 300 words or less.

This will take less than 5minutes to do and hopefully give you some accountability.

In this 300 words you want the following:

– What the goal is
– Why you want to achieve it (feeling/emotion)
– The good behaviour you need to achieve the goal
– How you will make lifestyle changes to achieve the goal
– Which methods you will use to track your progress
– Time targets

Once you’ve done this print 3 copies.

One to be placed somewhere at home you will see it everyday.

One to be given to someone your trust to help you stay accountable.

One to be kept on your person at all times so you can give yourself a reminder of why you’re making a change.

By doing this little task you will give yourself some more accountability.

The funny thing about goals that people never tell you is that for them to actually stick, they have to give you an insurmountable amount of pleasure that can’t be drowned out by the pain of change.

Yep, people fear change because it’s painful.

All that aside, it’s in your hands now, it’s your play, try not to make it a tragedy.

Happy New Year 🙂

Ross

Three things you don’t do that you should

Been away for a few days.

 

Did you all miss me?

 

….

 

Of course you didn’t hardly anyone reads these posts anyway 😂

 

Morning All,

 

There are a lot of underrated exercises out there.

 

The reason most people won’t do them is because they’re hard, put simply.

 

Not to mention everyone is caught up in doing all the standard isolation/mirror muscle work.

 

3 such movements that will literally change how your feel and perform are:

 

– Kettlebell Swings (Kettlebell snatch when you know it)

– Turkish Get Ups

– Loaded Carries

 

Let us take at look at all three, their benefits and how you can apply them in to your training.

 

Kettlebell Swings –

 

If you know me you’ll know I love these because they load your posterior chain, teach you how to hinge, improve your grip strength, VO2 max and are great for posture too.

 

Once you have the adequate skill requirements I would advise moving on to the kettlebell snatch, it offers all the same benefits with the added bonus of anti-rotation and shoulder stability/strength/ROM+Health.

 

They’re not easy when done properly.

 

That said, you should have them in your workouts, especially if you work at a desk.

 

10-20min per day will be enough to literally change your life.

 

Turkish Get Ups (TGU’s) –

 

A great way to warm up and start your workouts because they will mobilise and activate pretty much every muscle in your body.

 

They’re easy enough on paper, however once you start doing them and progressing to a heavier weight you’ll find this soon changes.

 

Balance, core strength, coordination, mobility, strength and most of all fun, that’s what TGU’s will be to you.

 

You might think that simply standing up and then reversing that movement is easy, you’re welcome to think that, even if it is incorrect, 😁

 

On a serious note, 10min of alternating side TGU’s as a warm ups will change how your workouts feel and make your body feel 10times better, or at least 7 times better.

 

If you want challenge in the 10min block aim to do 3 TGU’s consecutively before swapping arms.

 

Lastly we have a favoured movement of Strongmen the world over.

 

Loaded Carries –

 

Want to strip fat? Loaded Carries.

 

Want to build some muscle and an impressive back with an iron clad grip and legs that won’t buckle when the going gets tough? Loaded Carries.

 

Want to build mental resilience? Loaded Carries.

 

These are literally one of the most under utilised movements and it shows.

 

In daily life we are always having to pick things up and having to take them from point A to B, yet when people go to the gym the sit or lay down to move things.

 

Madness.

 

Did you know that in an idea world you should be able to carry your own bodyweight at least 100m?

 

^^ Okay, that’s not an absolute thing, however it’s a good test of your strength.

 

Picking things up and wandering around with them is primal and one of, if not the most effective movement/exercise you can do, especially if you’re short on time.

 

You have many various of loaded carries, you can hold something close to you, by your sides, over your head, one by your side one over head, with bars, bags, dumbbells, plates, anything, just pick it up ann move with it.

 

If you want to make yourself robust and strip fat, try doing 10-20min of carries at the end of your usual workout, trust me, you won’t regret it.

 

If you don’t do these three things, you should.

 

They will make you feel healthier and help protect your from injury.

 

If all you did was Swings (or snatches), TGU’s and a variety of Loaded Carries, you’d be strong, conditioned and look pretty dam awesome too.

 

Give it some thought.

 

Enjoy,

Ross

The beauty of the ‘3-5’

Morning All,

Over the years I’ve encountered many a confused lifter.

Often all seeking the holy grail of programs.

You know the one, it is fun, constantly appealing to their ever changing whimsical attitude and allows them to live/eat the way they always have and get the results they desire.

Sadly like the real grail on the pure can attain this.

For the rest of us, the ‘3-5’ can and often is enough.

What is it?

Something adapted from years of old and is the brain child of experience, anecdotal, evidence and application.

All you need do is…

– Train 3-5 days per week
– 3-5 sets of 3-5 rep
– Using 3-5RM
– Resting 3-5min between
– Hitting 3-5 exercises each session
– With a body part frequency of every 3-5 days

Progression is very easy too, here is an example:

– Session 1 = 3x3x5RM
– Add 1 rep each session until you hit 3×5
– After this add 1 set and do 4×3
– Build to 4×5
– Repeat until you hit 5×5, then add weight to the bar and start over at 3×3

You can do this until 5×5 isn’t sustainable on that lift, then simply change the lift variation and begin again, simple.

You’ve also got the progression options of

– Reducing rest
– Adding a day (if you’re doing 3xPW, which is where you soul start)
– You can do 3 days on 1 day off and build up to 5 days on 1 day off (changing your training split).
– Changing the specificity of your training

The idea of ‘3-5’ is to show you just how easy training can be.

You could choose to do the 3×3 progression described above for a 3 lifts and have the other set at 5×5 for accessory work, there is so much variation and potential.

EG: 3×3 Prog = Front Squat, Push Press, Snatch Grip Deadlift

^^ Those might be in a Pull-Push-Legs rotation, meaning you’ve got 2-4 other lifts you can do on those days using 5×5 for accessory lift, if we took the DL day you might do the following:

DL – 3×3 prog
Chin Up 5×5
Barbell Curl 5×5

^^ The 5×5 can change session to session IF the deadlift is the main focus, be bold of the same exercises no more!

This is something so simple and effective that people will ignore it.

It is of course not the only training method in the world, there are literally thousands and they all work.

I could go on however I feel I may end up leaving some more confused, I apologise for my rambling.

If you’ve got any questions on this pop them below, I’d love to answer them.

Enjoy,
Ross

5 exercises you’re not doing that will change your life.

 

In the modern age the mentality of training is heavily influenced by body building.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about this, however not everyone wants to be one, some want strength, others want performance and a few just want to move better and enjoy life.

 

Give the influence of BB’ing most peoples training is constructed around open chain isolation exercises.

 

Again, nothing wrong with this, however there’s so much you than you know.

 

The 5 movements below will literally change your life in the following ways:

 

– Add slabs of lean muscle

– Build strength

– Increase mental fortitude

– Strip fat

– Improve movement patters (mobility, flexibility etc)

 

Be prepared, chances are you don’t do these at all.

 

1 – Clean & Press

 

2 – Turkish Get up

 

3 – Loaded carry (farmer walk, bear hug, overhead hold, sled drag, prowler push)

 

4 – Rope climbing (or climbing in general)

 

5 – Front Squats

 

Why these 5?

 

Apart from he fact people don’t really do them I will list some benefits in correlation with their number:

 

1 – Explosive power & strength

2 – Full body coordination, improved ROM, stability, strength

3 – Conditioning (strip fat), strength, stability, mental toughness, power

4 – Helps you climb trees to get down your kite

5 – Strength, stability, ROM, posture

 

Now there is one movement that you may feel also needs to be in there and I’d agree, the deadlift should be in there as well.

 

6 – Deadlift – snatch grip variation especially :3

 

You’d be surprised the body you could build doing those exercises, however many of you won’t because they don’t fall in to the norm and fit the status quo, shame.

 

If you’re one of those who has the courage to brea away from the norm here’s a protocol you can use to make that change you’ve been looking for –

 

*Number to correlate*

 

– 5-25 total reps per movement (1,2,5,6)

– 80% + 1RM loading

– 10-20min total distance covered (3/4)

– Train 2-5 times per week

– Session length 45min tops

– Track everything and aim to progress where you can

 

Seems simple, however you have your movements, you can choose to do them with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, odd objects and much more.

 

Just aim to break the norm if you really want to get some results.

 

Enjoy,

Ross