No Rules Training

I apologize for my lack of posting lately, but I guess I’m in more of a “doing” phase (training and coaching) than, uh, writing about doing. I just finished my second week of 5/3/1 , and while its too early to really report back anything, it is nice to have an actual plan and I reccomend that more people start having one.

It’s fun to kind of train as you go (I did a lot of that in the past year), but there needs to be some attainable goals and a serious action plan to get there.

I’m no Floyd Mayweather or anything, hell, I’ve only fought in one ammy Muay Thai event a couple of smokers, but for what its worth I’m probably a better striker than I am anything else in life. I still have a ways to go, technically, and I’m never satisfied, but one thing I’ve always done is just grind on the basics and I’ve always had concrete goals (”I want to work on my footwork, my handspeed, balance, headmovement”, whatever) and did what was necessary to acheive them. I would work on ONE or TWO goals at a time, get them, and then move on/work on adding my new skills to my game. Nothing got in the way of those goals – not the latest internet craze or radically different training philosophy – just a lot of hard work and refinement of the basics.

Lifting, or strength and conditioning,  needs to be treated the same (more or less just repeating this to myself). While most of my goals over the past 6 or 7 years have been geared towards becoming a better fighter/martial artist, it’s sad when I look through my old training logs and realize that I haven’t made THAT much progress (is that you, too?). My biggest problem has always been trying to run my head through a wall and never taking the time to actually deload and give my body a break. Looking back to old journals of when I was 17-19 years old, I was on my way to becoming scary strong…what the fuck happened?! Sure, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve made vast improvements in overall athleticism, mobility, speed, etc…but enough is enough – I need to get stronger. One, because it will help me become a better, more powerful athlete (human being), and two – it’s awesome.

So, get stronger I will. I’ve even cut down my warm ups to just foam rolling and one of Cressey’s mobility/activation series – dropping the complexes, calisthenics, and whatever else is allowing me to focus more on the meat of my training session. Extensive warm ups are all good and everything, but there’s a time and place. Anyway, lifting is a lot of fun again and I’m loving setting PR’s and having a focus again.

Since starting up with Wendler’s 5/3/1 for the press and deadlift, I’ve realized how much I love strength training. I know that “all of this” kind of gets chucked under the realm of “strength and conditioning”, and as an athlete I have sometimes forgotten that it’s called STRENGTH training for a reason. Real strength training requires planning and diligence and gives you daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.

So last week was my first week of the program, and for once in my life I actually took the advice of starting “too light”. I’m using the “boring but big” assistance work, which by the way, looks much easier on paper. Things are looking good and it’s nice to have everything mapped out. Also, 2 days a week is perfect for right now and I’m definitely more motivated to train on those days.

As far as conditioning work, I’m currently not doing any, other than whatever conditioning I get in from striking and bjj sessions 2-3 times a week. My goal is to continue with 2 or 3 sessions a week while getting as strong as I can. I’m not going to be beating up on GSP anytime soon with this schedule, but I’m finding this to be a good medium to continue to build on my skill set.

And the last pieces of my “how to become psuedo elite with minimal work” puzzle are the daily attention I put towards joint mobilty and nutrition. I’ve been foam rolling (and lacrosse balling) daily, along with doing a number of mobility and corrective exercises and I really do feel great. These 10-20 minutes a day really do make a difference.

Nutritionally, i’m pretty dialed in on a low carb – paleo/primal approach with a cheat meal (not day) once or twice a week. Supplements are currently just fish oil (6 grams of epa/dha per day) and zma before bed, but I’m waiting on some L-Leucine from Biotest which I’ll have pre/post workout as an experiment.

Here’s to snapping necks and cashing checks!

and I’m afraid final day.

I thought I would be able to stick it out, but recently my work schedule has taken a different turn and things might be crazy for a little while (but good!). In in times of chaos, simplicity (and brief workouts) always win.

After spending the last 8 weeks or so not lifting anything heavier than a 53lb kettlebell, it’s time to start getting strong again. I’m very pleased with the way things have been going since about mid october, and I’ve had an opportunity to get my shit together. Doing nothing but get ups, swings and a few goblet squats for 20+ straight workouts was one of the best things I’ve ever done, and these first 3 weeks of the ROP have been a great way to build a base for the rest of the year. But I know that the number one factor to acheiving my performance and even body composition goals will fall back on just simply getting stronger.

 So that I will do.

 The plan is to train just twice a week using Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 template with standing presses and deadlifts (at first…might add front squats and benching down the road). I’m going to start super conservative and hopefully run through a few cycles and hit some big lifts around summer.  I’m going to lay low on the conditioning for at least the first 4 week cycle and see how things feel in conjunction with my martial arts training and go from there and possibly add in some swings or vo2 max snatch work.

Here was today’s session:

- SMR and mobility work earlier in the day (and more foam rolling immediately before lifting)

Warm Up:

1a. Goblet Squats 2×10

2a. Get Ups 2×1 (each side)

a1) Clean and Press Ladders 5×1,2,3

a2) Pull Up Ladders 5×1,2,3

b) Swings: 5 minutes (20 on the minute = 100 total swings)

…and remember – keep your pants off the ground

As a trainer, coach, and now self proclaimed internet guru (kidding…), I think that I get asked what I think about p90x on at least a weekly basis. Now, usually I get this knee jerk eyes rolling reaction and just kind of play along, but today I’m giving my final, diplomatic answer: it’s crap.

Ok, ok, I take that back…it’s only crap if you’re…

1. A sendentary individual looking to start an exercise program for the first time.

2. Your average gym goer or otherwise “fit” individual who is most likely focusing on fat loss and/or hypertrophy (among basic health parameters, joint mobility, general well being, etc)

3. A wannabe athlete/weekend warrior type (you play rec basket ball on the weekends and go to jiu jitsu class a few times a week, whatever the case may be).

4. An elite level athlete or someone looking to become an elite level athlete.

Um…I guess that doesn’t leave much else.

But why all of the hate? Well, I don’t “hate” the program. I guess if you’re looking for sub par results, then Tony Horton is your man. My main beef with p90x has to do with the most underlying principle of strength training…

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD.

Now, progressive overload applies to both sides of the coin. Your fitness newbie and even “in shape” regular guy (or girl)  is simply NOT ready for many of the exercise variations or  “plyometrics” (don’t get me started) that they toss in. These people generally need a long steady progression to get to that level. They need to learn how to move correctly, how to perform the lifts correctly and how to adjust when they run into trouble. To paraphrase Grey Cook, you can’t build strength on dysfunction.

And progressive overload also applies to our “advanced” trainees. In order to continue to make gains, there needs to be some kind of progression, and that usually means ADDING MORE WEIGHT. Yes, you can increase the difficulty of certain exercises, but if you’re using 15lb (or 25’s or 35’s)  dumbbells for lunges, you’re still using a light weight and just going through the motions. At some point people need to get STRONGER.

I’m sure I can think of more points why I don’t like it, but I think my point is clear. There are simply better ways to go about acheiving your goals. Check out the links that are in my sidebar for some great examples.

And so it continues…

Monday (Light day)

warm up: goblet squats, hip flexor stretch, bootstrapper squats, elbow-instep stretch, kalos sthenos get up series

a1) clean and press 5×1

a2) pull ups 5×1

b) snatches: 8 minutes (5 on the minute each side)

Today (Medium):

warm up: same as monday

a1) clean and press ladders 5×1,2

a2) pull up ladders 5×1,2

b) swings: 10 minutes (15 on the minute = 150 total swings)

Also, here’s a random day (today) in terms of diet. The last few weeks have been fairly focused and I’m starting to dial things in a little. I enjoy following a low carb paleo/primal approach, because I feel better, look better and perform better. Some people can get decent body comp and perform well with a good dose of carbs, but just not me.

Meal 1: 5 omega 3 eggs cooked in olive oil

Meals 2/3: I cooked up a bunch of chicken wrapped in applewood smoked bacon, and I peeled an avocado and ate that over the course of 2 meals.

And still to come…Meal 4: a big ass salad with some kind of meat and drenched in olive oil. Probably a table spoon of coconut oil at some point in the evening as well.

Supplements: Fish oil (flameout caps) with each meal and ZMA before bed.

Also, if you’re all geeked out (or want to be) on all this nutrition stuff, I highly reccomend Robb Wolf’s podcast The Paleo Solution. You can find the archives here http://robbwolf.com/?feed=podcast

I think I’m officially over whatever I had last week – sleep is back to normal, and the cumulative effect focused nutrition, a smart training program and daily maintenence work like foam rolling and the Eischens Yoga has me  feeling very good. So far this week I’ve been able to get in a striking session and a bjj session (done today) and I’ll be at a seminar on Saturday covering a lot of Larry Hartzell material/upper body wrestling and trapping, and then imbct fight team practice on sunday…so my martial arts training is picking back up.

Today’s session went as planned, and I think that I might take more a “shotgun” approach to the program. In other words, I’m going to try and do the 5×1,2,3,4,5 ladders in week 5 rather than stretching the cycle out to 9 weeks as I originally planned. Maybe if I was using the 62 or 70 I would need a full 8-12 weeks, but the 53 – although challenging – just won’t take that long to get those ladders up.

So the session looked like this:

- SMR (foam roall/lacrosse ball)

warm up:

10 sumo deadlifts

5 goblet squats (w/curl)

5 bootstrapper squats

half get up progression

a1) clean and press ladders 4×1,2,3

a2) pull up ladders 4×1,2,3

b) swings: 7 minutes (20 on the minute x 7 = 140 total swings)

Since I’m trying to fit my strength workouts and my martial arts training in on the same days (so I can rest on the other days), I’m experimenting with early morning strength sessions on tuesdays and thursdays.  

Today’s workout started at 4:15 am, and to put it lightly was done by sheer force of will. Over the past few years I have become more of a morning person, but that usually means sipping on coffee, eating breakfast, writing, or surfing the net…not picking up weights and putting them overhead.

My reasoning behind getting the workouts done early in the day is so that I’ll have a little bit more time and “mental energy” left in the afternoon to either get other things done or just simply take a nap (something I’m trying to do more in 2010). We’ll see…

So anyway, I had a cup of coffee, downed a scoop of metabolic drive in water and went at it

Warm Up:

10 sumo deadlifts

5 goblet squats (w/curl in bottom position)

5 bootstrapper squats

1 half get up progression (l&r)

a1) clean and press ladders: 4×1,2

a2) pull up ladders: 4×1,2

b) swings: 5 minutes (15 on the minute x 5 = 75 total swings)

I’ll be doing some foam rolling and the 12 minute Eischens Yoga routine at some point during the day.

Also, last night I taught what I thought a pretty good boxing and muay thai  class (as I do every monday at http://www.imbct.com) and because of the odd number of the people, I was actually able to participate. Really, nothing beats when you’re training with basically a bunch of your friends and having a blast doing it. The room was packed and the atmosphere was that of just a love for martial arts and the process involved for learning. I’m reading Born to Run right now by Chris McDougal and one of the outstanding features of the tribe that he is basically digging for information about, is not only their footwear and style of running, but how much joy they have when they’re running. They run purely because they can and because they want to…it’s a “game” more than a sport and they are some of the best ultra distance runners in the world. This attitude ties right into how I’m trying to view my martial arts and how I want others to…it’s play, but “serious play”.

I decided to start the weekly training cycle a day early this week, so that my strength training workouts coincide with my martial arts training (just to allow for a little more recovery).

Today was the “light” day, and while a few years ago I would have scoffed at the idea, I’m finally taking the advice of those much wiser than I and actually embracing deloading periods (whether within the training cycle, or taking an entire week to deload every few weeks). If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to periodize your training and actually give your body the time it needs to recover and supercompensate. If you look around the strength and conditioning world right now, some of the most popular programs like Rip’s linear periodization, Wendler’s 5/3/1, Glenn Pendlay’s 5×5, Pavel’s stuff…they all incorporate some sort of deload…LISTEN TO THESE GUYS!

On to the workout…nothing special to report, but as I mentioned before I’m using this blog as a way to keep myself on track and stick with the program…there is magic behind making your goals public. Although I want to stick with my original goal of just completing the 9 week ROP with first the 24 and then later in the year the 32, I have this sick idea of doing the program for an entire year and doing 9 week cycles with the 24, 28, 32, 36, and finally up to the 40kg. I’m not even sure if it’s possible but for now it’s just an idea swirling around in my head, and it would be kind of cool.

- 12 minute Eischens Yoga routine

- Kettlebell Warm Up:

10 sumo deadlifts

5 goblet squats

5 bootstrapper squats

1 progressive half kalos sthenos get up each side

a1) clean and press: 4×1

a2) pull ups: 4×1

b) snatches: 7 minutes (@5 reps on the minute for first 2 and then 4 reps on the minute for last 5 = 60 total snatches)

- Finished w/SMR (foam roll/lacrosse ball)

- Foam Roll / Lacrosse Ball

- Kettlebell Warm Up:

Goblet Squats x 10

Kalos Sthenos Get Up x 1 each side

a1) Clean and Press Ladders: 3×1,2,3

a2) Pull Up Ladders: 3×1,2,3

b) Swings: 6 Minutes (20 reps on the minute = 120 total swings)

- Finished w/12 minute Eischens Yoga Routine

I’m starting to finally feel better after that little cold I ran into, and after having my nutrition dialed in for the past week, I’m officially feeling back to myself.

I’m looking forward to getting back to my martial arts training and tackling a few goals for the year. Most of them are behavior based rather than outcome based…I mainly want to get back to being consistent, but I am going to work towards earning a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. On top of that, I’m going to make sure I get some Kali/Escrima work in at least weekly…the stick work is something I have ignored, but the skill set would carry over to everything else that I do.  I also have an “odd” goal of getting my striking just as good from the southpaw stance as it is from orthodox. So, this will require me to do EVERYTHING from the southpaw stance, at least for the next few months, and will help me maybe discover some new details that I hadn’t picked up yet.

All in all, I feel good and I’m focused for what’s ahead.

I’m still feeling a little under the weather, but the volume in these first few workouts is easy enough to handle. Today was “Medium” day and looked like this

- 12 Minute Beginner Eischens Yoga routine

- SMR w/foam roller & lacrosse ball

-  Kettlebell  Warm Up:

10 goblet squats

1 kalos sthenos get up each side

a1) kettlebell clean and press ladders: 3×1,2

a2) pull up ladders: 3×1,2

c) swings: 7 minutes (15 reps on the minute = 105 total repetitions)

I know that it’s only day 2, but I’m wondering why I wrote off this program for so long. Seriously, it looks pretty easy on paper, but even after my itty bitty total of 9 clean and presses and pull ups today I’m seeing how the volume in the coming weeks is going to be pretty impressive.