July 2009

Thoughts on Training

I admit that I am not the most informed when it comes to weight training. I do know, however, that I have learned much in the last year that can be helpful. I have been both dumbfounded and disconcerted over the abundance of lifters offering the magic pill type of systems for only $47 or $77 if you buy all their journals and web memberships It bothers me most to find they all have the same type of marketing site. You know the one, the cheap looking website with testimonials, little information and a pop up begging you not to leave when you click out of the site.

The truth is, lifting is a lot like Biblical interpretation. There is not a whole lot that you can come up with that is new, only new ways to communicate the information. Think about it. Every good routine will include; Horizontal Pushes and Pulls, Vertical pushes and Pulls, Quad and Ham work, maybe a twisting movement and possible some isolation work. You can lift explosively or slowly, 1,3,5,10, 15 or 20 reps or a timed sequence. Most agree that 24-30 reps are optimal for muscle stimulation and muscle growth. Diet is as important as the lifting routine. About the only area we can expect any real new info is in the communication. Frankly, I am tired of horrible looking websites. If I want something new, I want new not rehashed retro theories. Where are the creative minds in training?

Okay, I am off my soapbox now.

5 Minutes of Glory Update

After my first week of integrating 5 Minutes of Glory, I wanted to give a brief update. At first glance, the prinicipal looks easy: do as many 8 rep sets as possible, as quickly as possible, with good form in 5 minutes. After the first week, I have to say that it is not as easy as it looks. I am trying to use antagonistic sets, meaning I use movements that are opposites as part of the superset. For instance, if I do a horizontal press, I will do a horizontal pull superset with it for 5 minutes. I have found that this really pushes me. I am enjoying the short burst toward a goal, but must admit, I have failed to reach it twice. Twice I have just run out of steam at the 3 minute mark. That said, I am really enjoying the test. It is allowing me to work faster, giving me a little cardio blast at the same time. I will let you know of my results in a few weeks.

Baby Got Back 5 minutes of Glory Training

I have been reading a lot lately, probably too much on training and not enough on ministry and the Scriptures. In all of my reading I have been learning a lot about various training systems. As you read in The New Rules of Lifting, there are only so many body parts to work and so many exercises to work them. The key is to find new ways to put them under tension, stress, work or what ever other word you want to use. Through all of my reading I have been thinking about how I could shake my own training up and push some new growth. So for the next month I am experimenting.

I have enjoyed and seen gains from my time doing Baby Got Back . I wanted to keep the basic routine, but push myself in a way different than I had seen on my first 12 weeks doing BGB. I arrived at my 5 minutes of glory. It is a hybrid of Waterbury's Men's Health Huge in a Hurry , Christian Thibaudeau's HSS-100 and Charles Staley's EDT . I am superseting the 5 x 5 strength portions of BGB and then using the remaining movements in antagonistic timed supersets. For instance I might do Squats and Bench Press as a 5 x 5 superset, lifting as heavy as possible. I will then do a 5 minute super set of Bent Rows and Incline Dumbbell Press. During the five minutes I try to do as many 8 rep sets as fast as possible, with good form, in the five minutes. I use less weight as I will be doing more reps. When I reach a total of 50 reps for each exercise, I either increase time or weight.

My first day was quite a shake up. I admit that I had originally decided to do 10 minutes sets but very quickly I saw that I would struggle to do that and keep my other two goals, speed and form. The five minutes seemed like forever, but then the adrenaline kicked in and I was pumping to see how many reps I could churn out. While i worked my butt off, I had fun and felt great after finishing. I will keep you updated as to my gains over the next few weeks.

Routines

Here are some links to various routines to use in your training.

NROL  - This should be in your library

TNT Workout/Diet  - While you can get started from the website, this is another must have for your library.

Starting Strength  - again, you can get started from this site, but buy the book. You won't regret it.

Madcow 5 x5   - Many recommend this after completing Starting Strength

Baby Got Back  - This is the routine I am currently using. I like the variation, the emphasis on the back and legs and the adaptability of this routine.

When will this ever work?

Today I had an epiphany (a moment of sudden revelation or insight). I have been frustrated as I have read log after log, discussion after discussion about gains. It seemed that everyone was getting ripped and strong but me. I began my journey in November of 08 with a goal of losing weight and bringing my cholesterol numbers down. I did that in 12 weeks and set new goals; to get to 180 and get the "you have been to the gym" look.

I have watched my diet, tried to maintain a caloric deficit, worked hard. Frustration has set in, "why am I not seeing changes?" To make matters worse, I weighed myself yesterday and found I have gained almost 20 lbs. While there is a slight snugness on some of my pants, my waist line has not really changed. I am beginning to finally see some body composition changes that point to my work and have seen some strength gains. Then today, epiphany.

I realized that I was getting frustrated looking for changes that take most folks months if not years to attain. My first year on TNT I worked out with body weight or dumbbell exercises. I did not lift my first heavy weight until near the end of January 2009. The reality is that I have only been doing heavy squats and dead lifts for five months. I have been frustrated because I wasn't looking like the guys who have been training for years, and I have only been training for a few months. The lesson learned? Work hard, eat right and be patient!