Pull, squat and press everyday? Narf!
I was warming up the other day at the gym when one of the
Crossfit trainers sauntered over and asked, "What you working on today,
Rich?" I responded, "The same
thing we do every night, Pinky . . . try to take over the world!" A look of confusion raced across his
face. I elaborated, "Pulls, squats
and presses [this particular workout called for power cleans, back squats,
clean pulls and bench presses].”
My training philosophy is simple – squats, the Olympic lifts
and presses, listed in order of importance.
Repetitions remain in the 1-5 range, though once or twice per week,
higher repetitions (10+) are used as back-off sets in the squat. And high-repetition squatting has its place –
it promotes hypertrophy, advances cardiovascular conditioning and serves as a
"tonic," to quote Dan John – but such work is not a substitute for
heavier weights. Deviations from the
basics, e.g. back squats, front
squats, the Olympic lifts and overhead presses, and lower repetitions come at a
price, for all athletes must be strong.
Each of my workouts begin with either an Olympic lift or a jumping
variation, with early morning training sessions being the sole exception. In such instances, I overhead squat or front
squat first. Changing the order as such
affords my body extra time to warm up, especially the ligaments, tendons and
connective tissue. I adopted this
recommendation from Jon Broz. But
assuming a normal workout structure, I then perform my strength work – squats,
press and pulling variations of the Olympic lifts. Alternating between squatting and pressing
movements is a good way to increase “training density” and keep the heart rate
elevated, an important benefit for someone who often neglects conditioning.
The "magic" of this program lies in the simplicity
and the consistency. Stick to the
basics, and add one, maybe two, assistance lifts afterwards. This should not take more than ten to fifteen
minutes. Glute ham raises or reverse hyperextensions, coupled with abdominal, e.g. strict toes to bar or evil wheels,
are my first choice. Pull-ups or any other type of rowing movement, especially
Pendlay rows, are good, too.
