Reflections after another year under the bar

[El Exorcisto]

Another year has come to pass since that fateful call phone conversation with my wife. I posted about it last March here. Since then I've learned a lot more lessons from the barbell, been hurt almost as much as not, and just tied up my first of many strongman contests. To the newcomers to the rebellion and the old farts alike that may not know where they are going, here is some of what I've learned in the past 13 moons.

1. Cutting sucks. If it doesn't suck then you are doing it wrong. Period. I did two serious cuts through the past year and got better body composition than I've ever had in my life. I'm still not where I want to be yet but that's by choice, not because cutting doesn't work. If you start on the path fat like I did then realize that all those times that you got to be a complete glutton and never want for a thing are all going to need to be balanced somehow. Excess needs to be balanced with suffering so strap in and embrace the suck.

2. You are definitely going to get hurt. I said it last time and I repeated it a shitload in the past year. I finally got a handle on how I was constantly hurting myself but I have no doubts that something new and evil will be crawling out of the woodwork in the coming months. When you do get hurt, start reading. Everything. Kelly Starrett is a good place to start but there are a whole host of great physical therapy resources that can be tapped on the intarwebz. Get acquainted with anatomy and how to fix what's broken. Rarely is the thing that hurts the thing that is hurting you.

3. Major in the minors. I started on Stronglifts and loved the program. I got stronger, got hurt, and got stronger some more. Then I stopped, abruptly, at a point that I had no business failing at. Whenever I've added a shitload of assistance work the lifts I care about go up. When I go back to being a minimalist and just hammer the big lifts shit stalls in a few weeks. Volume is king and the easiest way to put a shitload of volume on your triceps is to do 100 band pushdowns. The fastest way to put volume on your shoulders is with 3-way raises. A pile of curls can get knocked out a lot faster than as many chin-ups. Minimalist programs stick with the main lifts because adding "fluff" isn't popular, not because it doesn't work. Look at the training of any big or strong person and they pound volume above everything else unless peaking for a competition for a reason. Do your fluff.

4. Everything builds everything. Doing ring flyes will help your front squat. Front squatting will help your deadlift. Your deadlift will help your press. Curls will help your bench press. Everything you do in the gym will help you pick up heavy stuff and put it on a platform or over a bar. It's good to know what will have direct carry over to the lifts that matter but outside of powerlifting that idea is pretty damn vague.

5. Compete. So you want to do a Tough Mudder? Do it. You want to do a Crossfit comp? Do it. You want to step up on the platform in a singlet and grunt out a squat that might leave you dead in a pile? DO IT! I can't describe what competing did for my trainign in the lead-up and how I feel about myself and my sport since my contest is even more incredible. The big people want you to succeed more than you do. They want you in their game and they want you to talk to them. Don't be afraid of them.

I'm looking forward to another year in the game. I have another contest lined up for August and then I have no idea where I'll be headed. What I do know is that training can't stop any more than I can stop eating.

[Drazen]

I just read both of your yearly updates.  I think I am right now where you were about 18 months or so ago, not a total noob but just trying to get into the right groove and progress steadily.  

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

This is awesome. So many good points. 10/10. I'm just learning the volume and assistance lifts points myself. And yeah, relly need to get around to embracing the cutting suck instead of spinning my wheels.

[Rurik Harrgath]

Both of your posts remind me of some of the articles that popped up on Animal Pak.  I don't check in around there much anymore because I'm not terribly bodybuilder-minded these days but I love their harsh, intense, and also neurotic sense of iron focus toward fitness.

 

This is probably the most progress I've made with a health program ever.  Not the longest I've stuck at it (although certainly the most regular of attendance so far) but I'm getting close to that mark.  Some days I'm overrun with motivation and enthusiasm and could take on the world, and then others I'm hungry and unfocused and struggle under mediocre weight at the gym.  Signing up for the Crossfit Open this year after only a month and change of attendance at the box was the smartest health decision I've ever made.  Those workouts broke me down and built me up through the encouragement of all the other people going through the workouts with me.  It's the journey, not the destination.

 

Thanks for the motivation and the words of wisdom, El Excorcisto.

[Zorch]

Nice Post.

 

As a corollary to #3/#4, I've found immense value(and progress) in varying rep ranges.  A simple 3-workout cycle going from Light/High-rep -> Medium Weight/Medium Reps -> Heavy Weight/Low Reps has yielded fantastic results for me, particularly with respect to pull-ups and overhead press.

 

Similar to how "accessory" lifts can add volume and hit muscles one does not emphasize as strongly in the "main", compound lifts, varying rep ranges stresses one's body/energy systems in different ways, and produces a greater overall effect than a more narrowly-focused workout.

[Oramac]

3. Major in the minors. I started on Stronglifts and loved the program. I got stronger, got hurt, and got stronger some more. Then I stopped, abruptly, at a point that I had no business failing at. Whenever I've added a shitload of assistance work the lifts I care about go up. When I go back to being a minimalist and just hammer the big lifts shit stalls in a few weeks. Volume is king and the easiest way to put a shitload of volume on your triceps is to do 100 band pushdowns. The fastest way to put volume on your shoulders is with 3-way raises. A pile of curls can get knocked out a lot faster than as many chin-ups. Minimalist programs stick with the main lifts because adding "fluff" isn't popular, not because it doesn't work. Look at the training of any big or strong person and they pound volume above everything else unless peaking for a competition for a reason. Do your fluff.

As a corollary to #3/#4, I've found immense value(and progress) in varying rep ranges.  A simple 3-workout cycle going from Light/High-rep -> Medium Weight/Medium Reps -> Heavy Weight/Low Reps has yielded fantastic results for me, particularly with respect to pull-ups and overhead press.

 

I needed this.  Thank you!!  My Big Lifts have been progressing at a glacial pace, and I've been struggling with why.  I'm gonna try this out and see where it goes.  Plus, I'm running my second Tough Mudder in about 6 months, so I know I need the accessory bodyweight training as much as the barbell training.  Two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.