The most successful method of long-term strength gains I’ve come across: gaining ground. Here’s how it works: You get a plate&quarter weight that you absolutely own (i.e. 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, etc.). That’s your weight. It’s not your PR. It’s a weight you can hit every time you enter the gym, regardless of circumstances. […]
What I learned to squat 500
Before we get into this post, I want to let you know about our giant How to Squat guide. It covers everything you need to know about every aspect of the squat – from biomechanics to correcting weaknesses to technique. Click here to open it in a new tab so you can check it out after you’ve finished reading […]
A really simple tip to improve your workouts
Really simple tip: Drink more, especially around your workouts. The difference for me is always night and day when I make an effort to drink more. I’ve blogged about this before, but I fell off the gallon-a-day wagon when I started reading about the dangers of BPA and was subsequently unable to find a BPA-free […]
Obsession vs. focus
Continuing the theme of goal setting, tonight I want to talk about obsession vs. focus. Just to recap, first you want to set a goal (that’s objective and time-constrained). Next you want to have a plan to get there. For both of the first two steps, you need to be accountable to someone, whether it […]
More on goal setting
Now that you’ve (hopefully) set a goal and made it public, the next step is to make a plan. A goal without a plan is a dream. Dreams are for when you’re asleep or for five year olds. Goals are for people with real aspirations. Many people will say that without a plan you’ll never […]
Accountability, plus the journey of 1000 miles
Actually, it was the journey of 760 miles. Back to school. Combine 13 hours of being totally sedentary with the worst DOMS I’ve had since the newbie DOMS went away 2 years ago, and I was quite uncomfortable by the time I arrived. However, 100 bodyweight squats later and my hips feel much looser. DOMS […]
My bench program
Since several people expressed interest today, here’s the bench program I used for the past few weeks to hit my 20 pound PR: Week 1 Day 1 – 75% 4×3 (four sets of 3 reps) Day 2 – 80% 3×2 Day 3 – 70% 4×4 Day 4 – 85% 3×1 Day 5 – 65% 5×5 […]
Some thoughts about training beginners.
Regarding training beginners, I think that almost every program out there overcomplicates things. That includes SS or SL. Something I did with Lyndsey and Rachel this summer that worked fantastically was simply to work up to a “rep max” once per week with each lift (in reality until form broke town or until it looked […]
Time frame
Today was a day away from the gym. Doesn’t happen often, but I’ll definitely take time off when I need it. The bulk of this cycle is behind me, so my top training priority is just to rest up for a new rep max with 545 this week. If I get more than 3 I […]
The dangers of orthodoxy
Orthodoxy: One thing I truly despise is orthodoxy. When free thought is not expected, or it is even scorned, you have a major problem. The reason why this is on my mind stems from some conversations I’ve had recently. I’ve been reading a lot of research on nutrition because of how unorthodox my diet is. […]