#the joint serve here is cray

[dcfcyay]

cause of death: this image

#the joint serve here is cray #chewing at the bars of my enclosure #heart skipped a beat #boygenius #julien baker #lucy dacus #phoebe bridgers

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Stuff That Works But People Think Doesn’t But It Does: Submaximal Training Edition

The movie The Bourne Identity, based off the novel of the same name written by Robert Ludlum, was released in the summer of 2002 and starred one Matt Damon.

Up until that point Damon wasn’t a no-name actor. He was most recognized for his roles in Good Will Hunting, Rounders, The Rainmaker, and Ocean’s 11, to name a few.

I, like many others upon hearing the news Matt Damon was going to be playing Jason Bourne – an iconic, bonafide, badass – had this reaction:

“The fuck?”

Matt Damon?

Matt Damon the same guy who was in The Talented Mr. Ripley and All the Pretty Horses? That Matt Damon?

“Pfffft, no way it’ll work,” I thought. “A piece of french toast comes across as more badass than Matt Damon.”

Clearly I, and everyone else, didn’t know what the hell we were talking about.

15 years and four installments later (five if you count The Bourne Legacy) it’s hard to think of anyone else playing Bourne.

Damon was/is a legit boss.

  Needless to say it worked.

People didn’t think it would, but it did.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I notice the same parallel in the strength & conditioning world.

People think something won’t or doesn’t work, but it does.

Take for instance sub-maximal training.

Sub-Maximal Say What Now?

Loosely described, maximal (or max-effort) training is a load – usually a one, three, or five rep max – that can’t be completed for an additional rep.

For example if you squat 275 lbs for three reps, but attempted a fourth and know you’ll perform the world’s fastest face plant, that’s your 3-rep max.

I.e., you’re unable to complete an additional rep.

Alternatively, sub-maximal training is best described by strength coach Todd Bumgardner:

“Submaximal effort training is simply work done with heavy loads that don’t require maximal effort. The weights exist in the range between seventy-five and ninety percent of one rep maximum and each set finishes with a few reps left in the tank.”

There’s been a shift in recent years of people always training to failure and always utilizing maximal loads, because, you know, #peoplearefuckingstupid.

While I can appreciate one’s desire to want to train hard and at maximal effort, for many, most of time, it’s a less than optimal approach to take (long-term).

For starters, maximal training beats up the body. Now, before some snooty internet warrior chimes in with something like “but Tony, isn’t that the point of lifting weights? To challenge the body and force it to adapt?” let me explain.

Yes, I’d agree with that comment. Most people could benefit from training a little more savagely. Often, when someone says he or she isn’t getting results there’s a convenient correlation to how “hard” they’re working in the gym.

I.e., they’re not.

However, if you’re someone who’s routinely training at “max-effort” and/or training to failure and missing reps all the time I’d garner a guess you’re routinely compromising your ability to recover.

Ergo, unless your name is Wolverine or you’re *cough, cough* taking supplements, sustained max-effort training isn’t a smart choice.

Utilizing loads in the 75-90% range tends to be spot-on for the bulk of trainees. It serves as an obvious option for adding volume, which is an important component to adding muscle.

Moreover, sub-maximal training, when implemented intelligently, won’t brutalize your joints and it’ll allow you to train more frequently.

It’s a win-win.

NOTE: All this is not to insinuate maximal-effort training should be avoided at all costs. Don’t be cray-cray. If that’s how you’re interpreting things please take your face and throw it against a wall.

Training with sub-maximal loads isn’t only great for adding mass, but it’s also a great way to get strong.

Think of it this way: If you make your 3 rep-max your 5-rep max, it’ll also likely result in your 1-rep max seeing a boost too.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a real-world example.

Two months ago I started working with a female client, a coach herself, who walked in on day one with a 300 lb (straight bar) deadlift.

She was already very strong.

She wanted to work with me to help “audit” her deadlift and to help prep for her first barbell competition – not a powerlifting meet.

Some Brief Context: she’s actually a co-owner of a gym here in Boston that specializes in kettlebell training and is StrongFirst certified herself. The name alludes me at the moment (sleep deprivation sucks), but she and a few of her colleagues/co-workers are competing in a StrongFirst “event” that includes some barbell lifts, with the deadlift as the main course.1

Like I said, she walked in on day one with an already impressive pull of 300 lbs. Nevertheless, I was up for the challenge and wanted to see how much progress we could make in two months.

For eight weeks, we never pulled anything heavier than 250 lbs. In fact, I had her perform all sets based off 90% of her 1-rep max.

This allowed us to utilize a bit more volume (she deadlifted 2x per week: one “heavy” day and one “light” day), albeit under the premise technique was going be at a premium (honing in on attaining a lifter’s wedge) while also ensuring reps stayed snappy.

For deadlifting success (and for a spine that won’t hate you) this is mucho important. Top video = zero lifter’s wedge. You’ll notice when I initiate the pull my armpits are way in front of the bar and subsequently shear loading on spine is significantly higher. Bottom Video = what the lifter’s wedge should look like (a term popularized by @backfitpro). I use the barbell as a counterbalance to pull my chest up (upper back extends) in addition to getting my weight back and armpits above the bar. Likewise I push my feet into the ground to generate more stability and force. Resultantly my back is placed into a much more biomechanically sound position (less shear) and I’m pretty sure this guarantees I’ll be nominated for People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. Pffffft, who needs pecs that can cut diamonds and an 8-figure bank account. Overrated if you ask me. NOTE: load used in both videos was 390 lbs. You should notice a much smoother & faster bar path with the latter video.

A post shared by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on Oct 6, 2017 at 11:24am PDT

The Result?

This past Monday marked the “ten days out” point from her competition and I wanted to test the waters.

Jessica ended up hitting a pretty damn clean 330 lbs (with more in the tank). We’re hoping she’ll match that number (if not add another 15-20 lbs) when it’s go time.

Remember: she hadn’t touched anything heavier than 250 lbs for eight weeks.

I know some of you reading will clamor for the meat and potatoes of her programming. That’s NOT the point of this post.2

The point is that you don’t have to shit a spleen and hoist max effort loads every time you walk into the gym. More often than not you should focus on quality reps (but strain sometimes), end each session kinda-sorta refreshed, and wanting more.

Sub-maximal training is a thing.

And it works.

The post Stuff That Works But People Think Doesn’t But It Does: Submaximal Training Edition appeared first on Tony Gentilcore.

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5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs

Before I melt some faces with my witty banter and (somewhat) intellectual prowess on the subject matter below, I wanted to let everyone know Mike Robertson’s new resource, Complete Single Leg Training, is now available at $50 off the regular price.

It’s legit.

I mean, it’s Mike freakin Robertson we’re talking about here. If you’re a trainer or coach it behooves to add this to your educational library.

Copyright: vadymvdrobot / 123RF Stock Photo

5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs

Single leg training isn’t sexy to talk, much less write about. In terms of excitement factor I’d rank it somewhere between a watching a NASCAR race and picking lint out of your belly button.

I can understand the cacophony of subsequent eye rolls and yawns that are being directed my way.

However, hear me out.

Single leg training is important shit.

Now, more often than not whenever there’s an article written on single leg training it’s under the guise or in congruence with taking a massive dump on bilateral training (think: squats and/or deadlifts).

The implication being one should avoid bilateral or two-legged training in lieu of performing only unilateral or one-legged training.

I think it’s a stupid argument to have on par with which is better: low-bar vs. high-bar squats? or mint chocolate chip vs. mint Oreo ice-cream?

Photo Credit: T-Nation.com

With deference, almost always, the appropriate answer to the single leg vs. bilateral debate (and, really, any question in the history of ever) is “it depends.”

Some people are more concerned with being brutally strong with the “Big 3”  and are only worried about optimal force production. If that’s the case bilateral movements should make up the bulk of training.

Conversely, some people, especially athletes, need to marinate in a diverse pool of movement. In that case single leg training is going to take precedence and play more of an integral part in their training and programming.

Are there people out there who debate ice-cream? Don’t be cray-cray.

Suffice it to say, here’s my take on the debate: BOTH are important, BOTH play a significant role in a well-balanced program, and BOTH should be used simultaneously.

If we’re being honest, though, we generally don’t have to pull any arms behind backs in order to convince people to perform bilateral movements like squats and deadlifts.

It’s pretty much bro-code.

Single leg work on the other hand?

Well, that can be a bit of a harder sell.

It’s unfortunate because even if someone’s goal is to be a brick shit house or deadlift Kansas single leg training has many benefits, mmmkay.

Including but not limited to:

Joint health and integrity (I have yet to find an individual with a history of knee, hip and/or back issues who doesn’t benefit from a healthy dose of single leg training).

Improved balance.

Improved foot/ankle/hip stability. Or, stability in general.1

A fantastic way to train rotary stability (<— a fancy schmancy way of saying something will work your core).

Greater specificity to sport (and real life).

Improved strength & hypertrophy (depending on how it’s implemented).

Helps address weaknesses and imbalances from limb to limb.

Reduced wear and tear via less axial loading.

More exercise variety.

And the list can go on.2

Below are (some) ways I like to include single leg training in my programs.

1) Treat Single Leg Training Like Eating Broccoli

It’s just, you know, something that has to be done.

It’s hard for me to peruse the list I made above of all the benefits and not include some semblance of single leg training in a program (regardless of someone’s goal).

There aren’t many scenarios I can think of off-hand where it won’t help.

Be a better athlete? Check

Be a better lifter? Check

Beat Jason Bourne in a knife fight? Check.

All the bases are covered.

That said, one pet-peeve of mine and something I notice all….the…..time as a coach is that people tend to go way too heavy.

I’ll watch some guys grab the 80+ lb DBs and perform walking lunges and think to myself “why?”

Their knees are caving in every which way and it’s evident most are unable to control the load. This kinda defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place.

Stop training your ego and lower the load.

I’d rather people use a load they can control and perform it for high(er) reps than to grab the heaviest weight possible and make perhaps do more harm than good.

ALSO…..

It’s my own preference as a coach, but I much prefer people to adopt more of a forward lean when performing lunge variations.

  When you assume a more upright posture during lunges it makes it easier to crank through the lower back which can also result in excessive rib flair; I.e., a more unstable position.

The inner dialogue should be more “shoulders over knees” than “shoulders over hips.”

2) Potentiation (Or, Turning “Stuff” On)

I often have my clients perform a single leg movement before squatting or deadlifting.

  I find it’s a nice way to turn “stuff” on and to prime people for the heavier shenanigans going down shortly thereafter.

Goblet variations are my go to here (less grip intensive): Goblet Reverse Lunge, Goblet Forward Lunge, Goblet Reverse TO Forward Lunge, Goblet Split Squat, Goblet Bulgarian Split Squat, Goblet Whateverthefuck.

  The idea is to go LIGHT and to OWN the movement.

I like to use 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps per side.

Pants optional.

3) Adding Isometric Holds

If you really want to humble someone (and to make their glutes scream for blood mercy) try adding in some isometric holds.

  I LOVE using these with my clients/athletes as it forces them to use sloooooow down, to stay more cognizant of body position, and it also aids in more time under tension.

The 1-Legged RDL Hold to Reverse Lunge (video above) – which I “stole” from Joel Seedman – is one of my favorite go to’s of late.

4. Combo Movements

Pigging back on the RDL Iso Hold to Reverse Lunge, another way I like to include single leg training into my programs is to combine two movements into one.

This is a fantastic way to make the movements a bit more challenging and also serves as a way to make people feel like a bag of dicks.

You want sore, I’ll give you sore.

1-Legged RDL to Squat

  Bulgarian Split Squat to RDL

  5) Fake Single Leg Training

Least we forget single leg training can be too advanced of an option for some people. Whether it’s due to novelty or “just because” we can incorporate “fake” single leg options to help ramp people to the real thing.

I’m more concerned with setting people up for as much success as possible rather than making them feel frustrated.

In that light here are two excellent options I use all the time:

Split Stance Trap Bar RDLs

  Here, with the split stance, we can hinge back into back leg placing a bit more emphasis (loading) into the front.

For those who have balance issues this is an excellent choice.

B-Stance Squat

  With the offset (or B) stance, we place more load on the front leg. Again, this is a great option for those with stability/balance issues and who aren’t quite ready for actual 1-legged squats (you sadistic bastard).

Do Your Single Leg Work, Yo

If’ I’m not able to convince you, I know Mike will.

Complete Single Leg Training is on sale now at $50 off the regular price (offer only lasts till this Friday, 9/22).

Mike’s entire philosophy and system on single leg training is covered. Whether you want a better understanding of the role of single leg training plays in programs, how to streamline progressions and regressions, or you just want to have a plug-and-play list of exercises to use, this would be an excellent educational resource for any personal trainer or coach to consider.

Quite bluntly, Mike’s one of the best coaches I know and you WILL get better.

Get your copy before the price hikes back up.

—> Save $50 on Complete Single Leg Training <—

The post 5 Ways I Include Single Leg Training In My Programs appeared first on Tony Gentilcore.

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