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BUDDHIST GENERALS
Obj: Total Body Strength/Power Endurance
Warm up:
5 Rounds
3x Power Clean @ 55#
3x Hang Squat Clean @ 55#
3x Push Press @ 55#
3x Shoulder Dislocates with PVC
3x Overhead Squats w/PVC
Training:
(1) Work up to 1RM Squat Clean
(2) 5 Rounds
3x Squat Clean @ 80% 1RM
10x Weighted Dips @ 16kg Kettlebell
(3) 5 Rounds
400m Run with Hill
10x Hang Squat Clean @ 95#-Men, 55#-Women
10x Ankles-to-Bar
Comments:
Sometimes I'll surf the net checking out other hybrid training sites, see a bunch of exotic-looking exercises, and wonder
if I'm up to speed on the latest and the greatest.
Then I'll hunker back to Dan John, Joe Kenn, and some of the other meat & potatoes strength coaches I refer to again
and again, and realize that exotic exercises do not make a good strength coach - results do.
This was my inside struggle as I programmed this session's power endurance effort. In general, I design power endurance
efforts to last more than 10 minutes, and push strength limits so during the latter rounds, sets have to be broken.
This session's effort of a run, hang squat cleans, and ankles to bar fit the bill. During the warm months, I try to include
running as much as possible in my session design - mainly because running is directly transferable to what my athletes are
doing in the field. I noted that UC Davis Strength Coach and CrossFit mutant Josh Everett programmed in "running based
crossfit" for his varsity women's basketball team - every other session, and guessed that he had the same "transferable"
goal in mind.
I've always like the hang squat clean as a lightly-loaded, metabolic exercise. These can simply be devastating to the
legs and lungs.
And those damn ankles-to-bar are deceptively difficult - especially when the athlete makes it to the bar already fatigued.
We used to do knees-to-elbows, but there is a way to "kip" this exercise, and therefore, cheat. I've yet to see
anyone kip ankles-to-bar, however.
So the result is a simple, effective, 3-exercise circuit for time. I remember reading someplace where Coach Glassman cautioned
his trainers about getting overly fancy with their workouts. He urged them to keep things to a "tight" circuit of
two or three exercises. While there are exceptions, and sometimes my design could be better, in general this is my aim - simple,
tight, and effective.
I received the following email from Jerod:
Rob,
I had e-mailed you awhile back complimenting you on your program. I had a question/questions that I am hoping you can
help me with. First, let me reiterate that I really like your program, and can see the benefits of it and the hard work you
and your athletes put into it.
My question is how long do you think this type of program will continually produce results? The reason I ask, is because
my sport of choice from grade school through college was wrestling (age 5-22). I am now 29 and have been doing these types
of workouts again for the past 3 years (took a little time off after college). Although some of the movements were and are
different, the basic premise of my workouts from high school through college til now are the same as yours. So since I have
built my body using these types of workouts for 13 years, what potential gains could I possibly attain by continuing to train
this way?
I feel like for the past six months to a year, I have been in maintenance mode in terms of strength and overall fitness.
Maybe I am feeling the effects of aging a bit?? I have really switched the focus of my overall training to more endurance
based sports (tri's, trail runs, etc). My switch was due to the fact that I needed a new athletic challenge, and endurance
sports is where it came from. I cannot work out just to work out, I need the feeling of accomplishment competition provides.
I'm seeing much improvement in this area, so that is encouraging.
How would you suggest I scale the Mountain Athlete workouts to be included in an endurance type program? I know you include
a fair amount of running in the program, but I am looking to bump my miles up considerably in the next couple years (I take
it slow). I am a firm believer in the run to run, bike to bike, etc. philosophy. But maybe I've been wrong? I cannot, however,
neglect a strong body look and feel. It's been part of my psychie for way too long! Any suggestions for going about this?
Thanks, Jerod
ANSWER/COMMENTS:
Jerod - One of the maxims of strength and conditioning is: "everything works, but nothing works forever." This,
and the principle of overload - meaning you must continually stress your body to grow, could both be applying to you. Plus,
it simply sounds like you are bored training this way - which happens.
Obviously you need a change and the shift to endurance training is how you've decided to go. In general, I'd recommend
you cut back your gym training to 2x/week. In one session, I'd do a heavy total body strength lift - such as squat clean,
clean and press, or dead lift and a long "grind" of bodyweight upper body work and loaded core work
In the other session I'd recommend a heavy front squat combined with two short, hard metabolic conditioning circuits,
one of which had a push press.
The other days of the week you should be training your endurance - long slow one day, plus interval running and biking
to build aerobic capacity and mode-specific lactate threshold.
You could also combine a heavy but short lifting session, skip the grind or the circuit - and head out on a long run.
You're going to lose some of your upper body mass and your "strong body look and feel" - whatever that means.
If it makes you feel any better, I cut out a page from last month's Men's Health magazine which had a photo of one of
their male models with a statistic that read, "Women prefer men whose shoulders are 1.6 times the size of their waists"
- gave it to Brian Harder and said "take that buddy!"
His response was twofold. First, he said, "What do I care. I'm married!" And second, he added, "The only
thing I care about is passing those big chested guys on the way to the finish line on the bike!"
- Rob Shaul
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| Tony |
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| Claire |
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| Brian, A2B |
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| Kim |
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| Kevin & Brenton hammer 1-arm bench presses last Friday. |
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