How many of you out there are tired of the same old press routine?
I know that as a coach, I find myself becoming bored with all the usual training methods. So, I always take it upon myself to mix it up as often as possible for my athletes as well as myself. I can't stand doing the same, lame shit all the time. That's why I love the Conjugate System that Westside Barbell utilizes to build the strongest mothas on the planet! The same goes for Zach Even-Esh's, Underground Strength training style - that shit is intense, but is varied enough that athletes see huge gains quickly.
My point here is that if you are using a routine, you are not tapping into your true, ultimate strength.
Here is one way to throw your body a major curve ball and elicit a potent response...
I am willing to bet that most of you out there have not heard of the Lightened Method, right? Understandable. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to "lighten" something when you're trying to get sillystrong. But, today, at the Red Black Gym, we hit a crazy-ass SWOD centered around exploring the Lightened Method for the first time---It did not disappoint!
So, what is the Lightened Method? Well, to put it simply, it is a form of training that allows athletes to actually lift more than what they are capable of otherwise. This already sounds pretty badass, right? Well, before you get too excited and run to your nearest gym, let me dive in a bit more.
I'll show you a video of us knocking out some deadlifts using this technique so that you get the idea of how to set this up. The first time you set this up it may be a little tricky to get it just right, but once you have a system, it's all good.
Here's are SWOD...
Looks pretty badass, right? It also appears to be pretty straight forward if you don't have the "WHY?" that drives it, so let's talk about that right now.
You see, your body is freaking awesome in the way that it works....AND... if you train smart enough, you can use it's amazing ability to adapt to get sillystrong.
The Lightened Method is one way that we can trick our bodies into building lean mass and increasing strength. As far as your body is concerned, it only remembers certain segments of any lifting effort; the top or finishing position. It remembers the external load it experienced as well as the speed at which it moved to get to the end range of motion. So, as you are probably figuring out, by adding the bands that assist the lifter the most in the bottom and the least at the top, the athlete is able to move heavier loads than their 1RM. Doing so allows the body to only remember holding X weight in the finish position. This training phenomenon, when supplemented properly with the Lightened Method, stresses the body and CNS - forcing it to adapt to the new, heavy weight that it just experienced.
Badass, right?!!!
Now, I understand that a lot of you probably don't have access to gym that accomadate this training method, but it is important that you know it's out there. There are also other, more accessable was to get the same end result that I will share with you later, but until then....
If you haven't figured it out by now, I am going to be posting a video each week of hard-working people bustin' their ass to get STRONG!
This week, it's all about my Tuesday/Thursday 7am Strictly Strength crew.
These guys never let up, and are always ready to take on the next SWOD I throw at them.
Great work, guys(and Mary)!!!
Y'all are killin' it!!!
I see the result of your hard work paying off BIG TIME.
In the video below, you'll see the crew hitting some sumo deadlifts(20sets of 2 reps each) for a Dynamic Effort Day, which basically translates in to SPEED work!
--We will be discussing the dynamic effort days, as well as the complete Conjugate Method in the near future....Definitely look forward to that!!!--
For now, though, I'll let you see what it's all about.
You will also see a clip, later in the video, of the fellas bustin' through the second part of our SWOD. This is a perfect example of what STRICTLY STRENGTH is all about;
Hardcore, Bust-You-Up-type workouts!!!
Check out these studs wreckin' shop at Red Black Gym.
Tonight, I want to give a shout out to Brannon Muska of CrossFit Texas. He is the owner and head trainer of the gym and just a badass guy.
It never fails...whenever I see Brannon, he always walks right up to me, asks how I'm doing and shakes my hand.
You couldn't find a more humble, or nicer dude.
Well, this past weekend was no different. The first day of the CrossFit Powerlifting Certification, Brannon walked right up to me, shook my hand and asked how everything was going. This time there was an added bonus, though. We got into a conversation about my Strictly Strength program, and my blog project, 365 Days of Strength. During that conversation, Brannon called me the "regional strength expert"!!!
Now, you have to understand, Brannon is a massive human-being
(You'll see a video of him pulling a new deadlift PR of 565# here soon - for now just take my word for it.) For him to call me the "strength expert" was a huge compliment!!!
It is something that I aspire to be, for sure, and I definitely feel like I am on my way!!!
Nothing's getting in my way to the top!
Just like Brannon pulling a massive deadlift PR, I too, am setting new standards for myself - both as an athlete and as a professional.
As I reach new benchmarks and standards, I will bring you all with me.
You have to keep pulling BIG if you want to move the world!
Just think about that...As you do, watch Brannon take it to the next level!
This past weekend was FREAKIN' AWESOME! Ihave come away with a new insight into how to train OPTIMALLY....and the prospects are exciting, to say the least.
L-->R: Me, Laura Phelps, Shane Sweatt, Jeff McKinney, Conner Moore
In my post yesterday, I mentioned that a lot of the information covered during Day 1 was actually a refresher for me. Well, today had tons of new information that I soaked up like a sponge!
I gotta say, I am stoked to begin implementing moreof the Westside Barbell/Conjugate Method into my Strictly Strength Project and Strictly Strength Classes. I have no doubt that my athletes, as well as myself and the CrossFit Central coaches that I train, will see some amazing progress during the next few weeks and months....and that's just the beginning!
BIG THINGS ARE GONNA HAPPEN!
Ask anyone in my Strictly Strength Project/Class what they enjoy most, and I am willing to bet that their response would have something to do with the huge variety of training modes and tools we use.
Well, it's the very same thing for the Conjugate Method. They rotate through a crazy amount of exercises, all with tons of different variables that allow for consistent and massive gains while staying mentally and physically healthy and fresh!
Pretty amazing stuff when you consider the amount weight they move and the intensity at which they work!
My point here is this: This weekend definitely validated the type of training that I utilize for myself and my athletes. On the other hand, it opened my eyes to where my programs are lacking. All in all, this weekend was one of the best investments I could have made in to Strictly Strength, the Coaches' SWOD, and myself!!!
Thank you, Laura, Shane and especially, Louie Simmons for providing this opportunity!
All I can say is that you all better be ready for some SIC content coming your way!!!
