 Purple Belt
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Some additional information Carnal posted in another thread aimed at beginners...
Random Training Thoughts
This post is nothing but a collection of various ideas rolling around in my head. Blurbs of training advice. I am taking into account that many of the boards members are what I would consider novice lifters, if you’re beyond this stage, don’t get all huffy because you think I’m talking to you when I’m not. Cool.
Experiments:
There’s nothing wrong with using other peoples basic outlines for training in order to get a sense of what real training is or to build a foundation of strength. Some programs work for almost everyone. In other words, there is nothing wrong with standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to lifting weights. That being said, personal “experimentation” seems like a lost art in the iron game. People are so busy with keeping up on the latest trend at Westside Barbell, or finding Ed Coan’s workout that they forget that they are unique individuals, and that therefore their training must be equally unique to yield optimal results. However far the “science” of lifting has come, those who have come to believe that lifting weights is science are incorrect. It is an imprecise practice and as such what is “textbook” is not always what is “for you”. I advise learning proper form on the basic lifts, and practicing a solid, basic routine for long enough to build a decent strength base before stirring the pot. There are all sorts of ways to tweak things in order to see if something works for you or not. It could be as major as doubling your total volume, and completely overhauling your approach to lifting weights for six weeks or as simple as adding in an extra exercise on one of your bench days. I’ve found that small scale experiments tend to yield better results in terms of learning what works for you because it’s easier to isolate what’s making a difference and what’s not. If I change my whole routine, it could be the chin-ups instead of rows that make my biceps bigger, where as if I simply add a few sets of hammer curls in somewhere, the cause of bicep growth would be obvious. I’d have found something that was working for me. Don’t be afraid to try “outlandish” things that everyone tells you will fail either. A lot of people thought Chris Colombus was gonna sail off the edge of the earth, fuck what “they” have to say, lifting is an individual pursuit and a herd mentality does nothing to improve your chances of making great gains.
Two examples of somewhat unconvetional training that come from gym:
Me: My squat routine for the past two years has been very simple, I start with 1 plate and go up by a plate per side each warm-up and work up to a single heavy 1-3 rep set on squats or box squats. I do no assistance on squat day. I perform well under 20 reps on the squat even including warm-ups. Often times as few as 15 reps. That’s my whole squat workout. But the squat is almost certainly the lift I excel at most.
Alice: The gym’s resident bodybuilder. Alice is 53 years old, and weighs anywhere from 185-230lbs. At 200 with visible abs he still has 18" arms, which I think is pretty good for a guy his size and age. He’s got big tri’s from heavy benching, but he’s also got some bulging, striated biceps. In prepping for a contest Alice will often do things like 200 reps (10X20) on a bicep machine, or using cables. Most of us would scoff at that and laugh. Too much volume, not enough weight. Well, for whatever reason, that’s what makes Alice’s biceps grow the most.
Ok, moving on
Psyching Up:
This is a question I get asked a lot, and never really have a good answer for, but I’ll make an attempt to outline some of the methods I use or have used to psyche myself up and/or prepare for lifts. Before I get to that though, I’d like to talk a little bit about psyching up in general. Increasing your mental arousal can greatly improve your physical performance, way more than most athletes realize. This is especially true for a feat which requires very little time to perform, like a 1RM. However, when you “psyche” is just as important as how you psyche. Working yourself into a wicked angry froth before every heavy set you do, week after week will burn your CNS pretty quickly in most cases (I seem to be able to get away with this more than most people, and if you can too, run with it, but I’m warning ya, most people will fry fast). Also, don’t go getting all pumped up to do your assistance, because it’s just that, assistance. Another important note to make is that I’ve found that the squat and the bench press benefit most from a most “focused” approach, while the most effective deadlift preparation can be much more intense and angry.
Visualization: Yeah, the whole “minds eye” thing. This is a tool you can use week after week without burning out because it doesn’t induce an intense response, it simply improves ones mindset and confidence. I stare at the bar, and play the lift like a little video clip in my head. The reps go well, my form is perfect. It’s important to really get the details into the “fantasy”. The feel of the bar in your hands, the pressure of the weight on your joints. Imagine it to the closest detail. Focus is key to visualization as well. You must learn to really hone in on the bar, and block out all but essential stimuli. When I lift I am aware only of trying to perform the lift, and my coaches voice. Or that’s where I am mentally when I am most succesful anyhow.
Channel: I dunno about most of you, but my life sucks. I get pissed off about petty shit all the time, but instead of letting it get to me, I just pack it away. Oh no, don’t bottle it up, the little self help shrink inside you is screaming. Well it only stays in the bag until the next time I hit the gym. Boss pissing you off? Girlfriend cheating? Worried about paying child support? Take it out on a barbell with a buncha plates on it. Before you lift, let yourself sit and stew. Focus on those things in your life which are causing you distress, the things that make you sad, angry, jealous, murderous, and turn it all lose on your soon to be new PR. Lifting can become a cleansing, therapeutic ritual of exertion and pain.
Anger: This is just getting flat out pissed. If you’re training for a fight or meet, imagine your opponenet(s) out there lifting, imagine them laughing at you, hefting more iron or landing more right hands than you. Think about you old lady diddlin’ some guy you hate. If you have a heart of darkness, a closet full of secrets, even better. Reach back into your tortured past and yank all that shit back to the surface. This is different from channeling your everyday stresses into lifting for two resons: it can involve imaginary stimulus, and it requires a greater deal of mental focus as the end emotional response should be stronger than the prior method. If used properly you should be getting pissed off enough to get tears in your eyes.
All of the above methods take practice. Eventually you’ll be able to turn “on” with little time or effort, but initially the process can be difficult and mentally exhausting. But remember what I was just talking about earlier. These are the methods that work for me, what gets you psyched might be different.
Another mental issue I’ve found key to my performance is not attaching external factors to the feat I am about to attempt. For example, lifting is pretty much my life. I like lifting more than anything except fucking, and is often times my primary source of self worth. As a result I tend to get bummed about missing lifts/having bag workouts. Like it’ll ruin my day bummed. I’d find myself worrying about missing lifts when I should have been focusing and channeling some petty anger or something. If you are thinking “Man I’m gonna be pissed if I fail” “My nights gonna blow if I miss this” “I’m gonna be embarassed if I fail” you’re limiting you ability to perform. Don’t allow yourself to be unsure. Approach every max effort with confidence and bravado, because you are preparing to master a new weight. You might feel a tad silly having a weight pulled off your chest that you were just screaming you were gonna OWN, but if you’re doubting yourself before you even touch the bar, stop and get your head screwed on right.
Instinctual Training:
This is a concept similar to what I was talking about regarding experiments, only it applies mostly to people who have already done some experimenting. I don’t believe in entirely fixed training cycles as the optimal way for a lifter to train. Having a good, solid routine is hugely important, nothing but the will and the heart matter more, but as a person advances as a lifter, I feel they are mostly held back by fixed and or pre-planned weights/reps. I go into every workout having an idea of what I want to do. The weight I want to do for X ammount of reps and sets etc. But if I am feeling off that day, I might just go heavy (nothing special) on the main lift and call it a day. If I feel great, I might scrap that days workout in favor of working up to a new 1RM and stop there. If I feel rundown, I take a few workouts, or even a couple weeks off. I believe in training with high intensity (as in % of 1RM) as much as your body can take, and this philosophy requires more rest than many others in order to be effective. But once again, it’s what works for me. I also don’t have set rest periods. I might rest anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes between sets (no exageration). I am a believer in regular, consistent training obviously, but unlike most people I also think a single workout can make a difference. For example, last week after rack pulls I scraped my normal assistance, and instead did some high lockouts and really focused on retracting my upper back at lockout. This was to help my back get used to heavy weights again. I probably won’t do it again for a while, or if I do it will be part of a short microcycle.
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WE'RE TEAM SKULL HARVEST. WE WILL GOLLY GOSH-DARN DESTROY YOU. WITHOUT USING PROFANITY, I MIGHT ADD.
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