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"PABST BLUE RIBBON"
Obj: Explosive Power
Warm up: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Squat Jumps
Clapping push ups
Training:
(1) 5 Rounds
5x Power Clean @ 135#
5x Push Press @ 115#
5x Box Jump @ 24"
1 Min rest
(2) 5 Rounds
5x Bench Press @ 185
5x Dips
5x Plyo Pushups across medicine ball
1 Min rest
(3) 5 Rounds
3x Heavy bag clean each shoulder @ 105#
8x walking lunge steps @ 16kg kettlebell
8x jumping lunge (4x each leg)
1 Min rest
(4) 5 Rounds
5x Jumping back squat @ 115#
7x Goblet Squat @ 32kg
5x jingle jangle sprints
1 min rest
(5) 5 Rounds
5x pull up
10x jumping pull up
5x burpees
Comments:
Explosively power movements combined with complex training is in the mix for Pabst Blue Ribbon. Before training I tell
my athletes that I'm going to make them tired, then make them do something fast.
It starts out deceptively difficult with the squat jump/clapping pushup warmup. Beware.
Do the first three exercises of each complex right in a row - no rest - then take the full minute between sets.
The loading listed above are what I used - and I scaled the loads appropriately for my athletes.
For the clean/push press/box jump complex, the push presses will determine the load. If you can't get five, back it off.
Plyo pushups will dictate the bench press loading for the next complex of exercises. If you can't get all 5 plyo-push
ups, lower the bench press weight. We do plyo push ups shifting explosively across a medicine ball - one hand starts on the
ball, then switch hands as you float across.
This is the first time I've used jumping back squats with my athletes. I loaded my women with just 45#, and men with just
75#. This is a great exercise, so great that Westside Barbell's Louie Simmons has written that it should replace the power
clean for building explosive power.
Don't go to a full squat - just a half squat - then jump up explosively.
******
I received the following e-mail from Kelley Cordes, a freelance writer and world class mountaineer from Estes Park, Colorado.
My response/comments follow Kelley's.:
KELLY'S COMMENTS:
I'm pretty serious about my climbing and training, with my goals focused primarily on alpine climbing. Anyway, thanks
for the alpinist.com article and for all the info on your site, and for making the info public – I’ve
learned a ton from reading your workout log. Here in Estes we have a little garage gym (mostly it's a bouldering gym, but
with some floor space; it's called Rod's Gym, after the guy who used to own it, Rod Willard. Rod's dead now, but the current
owners are generous people who still let us use it), and some others and I have contributed equipment and made it a decent
little facility – ya don't need much, really. I hardly ever see anyone else there, and so I usually train alone,
which, though lacking things like external motivation and camaraderie, also comes with its own benefits - you can't fake it
so well if there's nobody around to try to convince.
Anyway, surely you're super busy and you probably get plenty of random emails from folks like me, so I fully understand
if you don't get around to reading my rambly musings below or writing a reply. No problem.
I've always been super interested in training, and did both my B.S. and M.S. in Exercise Physiology (at Penn State and
Univ of MT, respectively). Seems forever ago, but I was CSCS certified, as I see you are, and ACSM certified, and taught at
the Univ of MT for a couple of years on a visiting faculty appointment, then for a bit at a couple of community colleges.
Much of that stuff has since drifted to the attic of my brain, but sometimes I dust it off and find myself babbling about
cellular training adaptations and wondering where in the hell it came from. I';m not at all current with my knowledge, it's
been probably 10 years since I taught it or studied it extensively, though I seem to have retained enough of the basics to
understand the literature and so forth. Mostly I just like it, and use if to guide myself through my training. These days
I make my living as a freelance writer and also as one of the editors of the American Alpine Journal (that's how I know Beckwith
- he hired me to be his assistant during the last year of his editorship there).
Twight got me into these sorts of CrossFit-hybrid-circuit routines several years ago - I seem to remember CF being more
high-intensity circuit based then, and maybe a bit more powerlifter oriented now. Not sure. Personally, I almost always do
circuit-style workouts; I don't do much pure lifting, though I probably should add some of that. Anyway, Mark took me through
a workout at his gym in SLC. Good stuff, and I've been into it ever since (off and on, depending on how seriously I'm training;
it varies throughout the year for me). I pay attention to the CrossFit site some, have spent lots of reading time there over
the years; likewise with gymjones and with your site. I like the feel of your site - great vibe, no bullshit yet no over-the-top
macho stuff either (which is really just another form of bullshit). I'm always wary of the Kool-Aid thing, and though things
like CrossFit have greatly influenced people's lives in a positive way, as obvious by skimming the "comments" under
any given WOD, sometimes I think some of the participants go a little overboard - ya'd sometimes think that founders/participants
of these sorts of routines believe that all you have to do is these workouts, and then you could do anything and everything
at a top level, without any specific sport training. I disagree with that notion, and, as such, also appreciated your noting
the limitations and lessons learned in your article. Good stuff, for sure.
Anyway, where was I? The honesty of your article, in noting limitations and that it's not for everyone, reflects well
on you and only adds to your credibility. I'm impressed by your devotion to the discipline, and for making it happen with
Mountain Athlete. Seems apparent that you're dedicated to learning and improving, which, at least as far as I can tell, is
important for anything in life (but too often ignored). Again, nice going there. Your example with Brian Harder, the ski mountaineer,
reminds me of how I've thought of these training sessions: they're a supplement to my climbing, not a substitute. It's like
a compliment to my time outdoors, and if I have time/energy for one and not the other, I go climbing - not to downplay the
importance of gym training. One of the wonderful things about these workouts is the time efficiency, which allows them to
be a very reasonable supplement in terms of practicality. In terms of time investment and return benefit, I think it's hard
to beat.
Seems like one's goals (as with any training program) relate to the relevancy of this type of training. No surprise that
Eric Horst doesn't believe in anything not rock-climbing-specific. Wouldn't seem that important for a high-end rock climber
to do this sort of training. (I know of some phenomenal, world-class boulderers who literally can't keep a good pace running
around the block or hiking up hill - but they never need to do that anyway, so no worries for them.) The total body efforts
required for climbing or skiing in the mountains, well, that's an entirely different beast requiring a different type of training.
Certainly the type of climbing/activity a person does will affect the type of training they should do.
BTW, you noted the lack of climbing specific/grip exercises. One thing I've done a little bit of is mixing in Tabata intervals
on the climbing wall. Both with regular rock holds and dry-tooling, on a short overhanging wall. Good stuff, I thought. I've
included this in the 4x Tabata sessions (so, 16 minutes) I often do. I like doing the climbing Tabata intervals right after
a metabolic interval set (like the Air-Dyne, or burpees; maybe I'll go: AD, climb, burpees, climb), likening it to alpine
climbs where you're moving fast up easy ground, and then come to a steeper, cruxish section and keep climbing through.
One devil's advocate thing with stuff like the Exum guides and high-end people you train: these guys are already badass.
Does this training additionally help someone like Nat P, who already rips, etc? Hard to say, I supposed, but anecdotal evidence
points to a benefit, with participants saying they feel better.
I used to come from that academic school of "must be scientifically proven," but subsequent years and life experiences
have shown me how that can be quite limiting. Myself, I sometime struggle to objectively explain - as the scientific side
of my brain starts to question the training benefits of these workouts - given their lack of specificity (how can you be super
specific to something as varied as alpine climbing, though?).
My feelings are largely subjective: I know it feels right and I like it, but that's not objective proof. I realize that
objective proof doesn't/won&'t exist - of course we have no double-blind, controlled studies - it'd be impossible to control
all the variables anyway. Things like the examples in your "feedback" part of your article are similar to my feelings,
and feelings of others I've chatted with.
It's odd, though, in a sense, in that the proven scientific benefits of various training modalities all point to specificity.
These things are easily explained, down the cellular level - the specific things, from neural pathways to muscle cells, that
get repeatedly stressed, they're the ones that adapt. Obviously, there's more to it.
I've learned a ton from your site, and mimicking some of your workouts and using some of your exercises. Usually I create
my own workouts, but none of us exist in a vacuum, and I've benefited greatly from looking at your workouts - thanks. One
of the most brutal exercises I picked up from you are those damned Curtis P things. Sweetjesusman. One time, and only one
(therefore, note to self: Kelly, get your sorry ass back in there doing these things), I thought I'd get clever and make a
variation of them. I'd often done these lunges where, instead of dipping my back knee to the ground and then switching legs,
I dip that back knee down three times before switching legs. Sometimes I'd do them lighter weight, faster, a bit more metabolic
style with higher reps. Other times, heavier weight. They always felt like they were good for me, especially for knee strength
and stability. (BTW, I had major spinal surgery 3 yrs ago, followed by a more minor knee surgery.) Anyway, so I put my 3-touch
lunge version into the Curtis P exercise, calling it either Curtis P3 or "Curly P" (no idea why I liked the sound
of "Curly" for this, but it made me chuckle). Arg, just wrecked me. Hard to stabilize myself on the 3rd dip of each
lunge, I nearly fell over. Funny, too, the "micro-psychology" (to invent a term) that goes on in sets of hard exercise.
With Curts/Curly P - do I set the weight down and rest, b/c I'm nearly dying here, but then, after a few seconds rest, I'll
have to put forth the effort to pick up the bar again and raise it to where I am now, damnit!
Sometimes I wonder if the most important part of these workouts might be the mental toughness required. Certainly that's
a huge benefit, regardless of where it ranks in the list of benefits.
If you're still reading through my disjointed email, again, just wanted to say thanks. Fun to talk about these things,
and if you ever find yourself in Estes Park, we can hit Rod's Gym for a workout.
Take care, - Kelly
ROB'S RESPONSE/COMMENTS:
Kelly,
Thanks for the note. A few months ago I saw a video on the patagonia website about you and your training. In it you spoke
of the importance in fast/light mountaineering of "moving fast on moderate terrain."
So the next day I took my three young climbers, Neil, Will and Andy to the climbing gym, slapped 25# packs on them and
put them through a couple "Team" metabolic circuits. Each time, the "timer" was the guy on the auto belay
doing 2 laps on the climbing wall (easy 5.7 climbing, but the wall is slightly overhung). The other two were either running
up a flight of stairs, or doing burpees, or something else metabolic. When it came time to switch, I wanted the guy moving
to the climbing wall to be breathing heavy already, forcing him to "move fast over moderate terrain" - when winded.
To add incentive, I timed the combined climbing wall laps, of of course, testosterone kicked in and Andy, Neil and Will moved
faster and faster trying to get the best time.
I worked really well, but we sure did get funny looks in the climbing gym, and the manager was a little upset with us
...
Some response to your comments below:
(1) Sport Specificity - Very important, and for some people, all that's needed to perform at the highest level. Certainly
the annuals of greats in any mountain or endurance sports are full of athletes who never bothered with gym training. I think
those days are coming to an end in the mountain sports, but I could be wrong.
(2) Gym training vs. Climbing - You wrote that you see gym training as a "supplement" to your climbing, and
if you have only time and energy for one or the other, you go climbing. I guess we're trying to create programming that better
integrates the two.
One approach I think of is that training in the "artificial" environment of the gym where you can get the bulk
of your foundational fitness, thus making your time in the mountains more efficient by allowing you to do technical training
there, not so much basic fitness.
Second, I hope that through training in the gym we can identify and fix general weakness and strength imbalances from
sport specific training which can lead to injury - therefore making my athletes more durable - in Twights's words, "harder
to kill."
(3) Nat Patridge - Nat is certainly a badass, but when he and I talk in the gym about the training, he never mentions
improving mountain performance. He wants to get healthier, and be more durable. Over the course of the busy summer guiding
season, Nat, who's already super lean - loses weight, and by the end, just feels really run down. We're trying to make him
stronger, put some muscle on him (armor) and change his home and at work diet to keep him more healthy. He is a great example
of the "Industrial Athlete" I mentioned in the Alpinist piece.
(4) Effectiveness of this training - You are right. I can easily measure weights lifted and workout times in the gym,
and show improvement there. But how does this improve stuff on the mountain? Much harder to prove. A couple thoughts ....
Getting stronger has effects beyond physical. It makes you a stronger and tougher person overall, not just strong in the
context of working out. The physical strength gym gains empower my athletes in other areas of their lives - including work
and family. Confidence blossoms - I see it in the way they walk, changes they make in their lives, etc. And because our training
isn't easy, this confidence isn't cheap - it's hard earned, and real. My guides and climbers report that this confidence transfers
to their mountain pursuits.
There's a difference between "working out" and "training." Working out has no long term goal or focus.
"Training" does - this in one reason on the website the stuff we do that day is labeled "training." Many
of my mountaineers were collegiate athletes or high school athletes, and often they tell me they haven't "trained"
like this since their old school athletic days. Somehow - I haven't thought it through yet - when mountaineers stop "working
out" and start "training" in our gym, it helps them feel more prepared and more professional because of it.
(6) Lift heavy - you hint that you do hard circuits, but never lift heavy. I'd encourage you to start. You'll quickly
see the link between strength and better performance on the circuits.
(5) Curly Ps - You suck. Now I've got to try these ...
Thanks for the e-mail. Our doors are likewise open to you if you are ever tooling around the Tetons....
- Rob
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| Box jumps are a basic plyo exercise, and in high reps, very metabolic. But here they train power. |
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| Jumping back squats - Louie Simmons love 'em. |
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| Bag cleans combine exposive power with strongman training. |
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