Flexing without flexing!
Ah, winter is approaching! It's almost time to throw snowballs at unsuspecting pedestrians, drive recklessly without snow tires, and eat a shit-ton of food.
And, if you're like me, it's time to set some new training goals.
So I'd like to give you a peak into my training schedule for the next month, courtesy of Mike Robertson and Mike Mahler and myself.
A little background:
Mike Robertson
I started working with MR about three months ago after I realized how much my hate for foam rolling, stretching, and any type of "corrective" training was inhibiting my strength, power, posture, and body composition.
As we all know, it's hard to take an objective view and write your own training program -- we almost always leave out important details or skim over things we don't like to do. It's also a great way to stay motivated and accountable. In fact, many of the great coaches have coaches for just that reason. So getting Mike's help was a no-brainer.
Since I've given my body to him, (no, not like that, you pervert) I've seen some amazing changes in not only my posture and shoulder mobility, but in my overall strength, as well. And my girlfriend says I don't look or perform too poorly, either. So thanks for spicing up my sex life, Mike!
Mike Mahler
I started working with MM after I flew to Vegas for a kettlebell seminar. I had an idea for an article (look for it toward the beginning of the year on Testosterone Muscle) where I'd implement a day or two per week of strictly kettlebell training to improve my aerobic capacity, mobility, core strength, and body composition. I won't give everything away, but let's just say it's been an interesting couple of months.
The workouts have been new, tough, and fun as hell.
So without wasting any more time, here's a brief snapshot of what I'm doing on a weekly basis. (Note: To be fair to the Mikes, I'm not actually going to write out the entire program -- just the broad strokes.)
Monday - Lower Body
Soft tissue work (foam rolling and tennis ball stuff.)
Dynamic warm-up
Acute corrective (various exercises and stretches to help "fix" my shit)
Strength training (mostly compound exercises like squat and deadlift variations)
Energy system work (kettlebell swings, sled drags, medicine ball throws, etc.)
Recovery/stretching
Tuesday - Upper Body
Soft tissue work (foam rolling and tennis ball stuff.)
Dynamic warm-up
Acute corrective (various exercises and stretches to help "fix" my shit)
Strength training (mostly compound exercises like presses, rows, and pull-up variations)
Energy system work (kettlebell swings, sled drags, medicine ball throws, etc.)
Recovery/stretching
Wednesday - Off Day
I don't do shit!
Thursday - Lower Body
Same as Monday but with different focus, sets, reps, and exercises.
Friday - Upper Body
Same as Tuesday but with different focus, sets, reps, and exercises.
Saturday - Kettlebell Day
Sample workout, done in circuit fashion with strict rest periods:
Double KB Clean and Military Press
Alternating Renegade Row
Turkish Get-up
One-arm Front Squat
One-arm KB Swing
Sunday - Off
I don't do shit again!
Wrap-up
I get a new program each month from both Mike Robertson and Mike Mahler to keep things fresh and progress at a fast rate.
So what's your current training week like? Let me know in the comments!
PS - Heed these words from Mike Robertson!
"This is a really long-winded way of me telling you to get your stretching, activation and rolling in! I won't stand idly by and watch you train heavy only to get beat up again. I've seen too many good lifters get beat up because they didn't know any better. You do. Bottom line? You absolutely have to stretch, foam roll, etc. if you want to stay healthy. I don't want to sound like the Grim Reaper, I'm just looking out for you."
Posted Nov 10, 2008 by Nate Green.
This entry is filed under fitness and lifestyle.
Most Recent Entries
- 4 Things Currently Rocking My World
- How to Meet and Date Hot (and Smart!) Girls
- Why Haven't You Reached Your Goals?
- 4 Foods I'll (Almost) Never Eat Again
- The Life-Changing 80 / 20 Rule
- $17 Buys You Lunch for Days (Video)
- I Can't Believe People Want to Know This Stuff
- The Ultimate Warrior Challenge (Video)
Where Nate Writes About Muscle
Personal Trainers: How Nate Can Help You
What Nate Wears
Nate's Book
Keep Up with Nate on Facebook
Who Is Nate Green?
Nate Green is an editor at TMUSCLE.com. He's been featured in The LA Times, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and has been a guest on top-ranked radio stations across the US. He's the author of Built for Show (Avery Press) and is 25 years old.
AS SEEN IN
All content © 2007-2010 The Nate Green Experience | Contact Nate | Disclosures | Website by Ennui Design
Comments for This Entry
My programming is fairly similar
M/W/F is total body with different sets/reps each day. Monday is 2x12-15, Wednesday is 3x8-10 and Friday is 5x3-4. It kicks my ass every day.
I'm doing all compound stuff with some isolation work for my lagging areas (arms and chest)... Hating the snatch grip deadlift right now.
Tuesday is usually some type of interval training. I have recently discovered the indoor rowing machine. It kicks my ass every time I use it.
Thursday is sports day. Its too cold to be outside here in Toronto, so I stick to squash or do some other form of interval cardio if I can't find a partner.
Saturday is a bodyweight circuit. I do 500 reps for time. The goal is to keep the exercises the same, but reduce the time each week. In 4 weeks I've gone from 27 minutes to 25, 21 and now just over 20.
Sunday is the day of rest
@Jon
That bodyweight circuit sounds intense as hell. Do you mind if I ask what exercises you do? Do you do a few in circuit fashion? Or just one for 500 freakin' reps?
-Nate
It goes as follows:
50 squats
50 push ups
25 jumps
25 swiss ball leg curls
50 swiss ball jacknives
50 step ups (16-20" box) - 25 each side
25 pullups
50 alternating lunges
50 Close grip pushups
50 bodyweight rows
50 squats
25 chin ups
My ultimate goal is to be able to do it non stop. I've managed to be able to get up to the pullups before I need to start taking 10 second breaks. The bodyweight rows pretty much kill me and by the time I get to the 25 chin ups at the end I'm doing 1-2 reps at a time.
Give it a try and let me know how you do. Gravity definitely isn't your friend here
@Jon,
That's fucking insane. :)
-Nate
Since Mike put together my program as well, it's VERY similar.
But instead of kettlebells on Saturday, I do ice hockey on Sunday.
That bodyweight circuit looks great for the masochist in me.
May I ask what your mobility workouts look like, and what "shit" you are trying to fix.
Thanks!
Nate,
Interesting. I am about to kick into an off-season program for myself for soccer and I am liking the idea of energy systems work on the lifting days with 2 days completely off. Do you find you like that better than, say, energy systems on days without any lifting? Do you get some extra pop in doing that?
Good stuff.
Kuz
@Josh
My right shoulder was a bit messed up along with tight hips and some lower back discomfort.
I foam roll calves, IT band, quads, glutes, TFL, upper back, and lats. I use a tennis ball for my posterior shoulder capsule and chest.
In terms of acute corrective, I do "YTI's" for upper body after my dynamic stuff (which you can find in Mike's Upper Body Warmup DVD with Bill Hartman); on lower body days, I do some basic stretches, along with glute bridges, X-band walks, and lying clams after my dynamic stuff (which you can find in Mike's and Cresseys' Magnificent Mobility."
@Kevin
I really dislike energy systems work in general, so it's better for me to have it at the end of the workout just because I'll actually do it.
Really, though, I think adding in the conditioning after the strength training is really beneficial for my motivation and compliance, along with being pretty damn challenging which surely has it physiological benefits.
-Nate
You're definitely lucky to have a buddy Like Mike R. to advise you in your training, etc.
Nate, roughly how long do you spend on the soft tissue work, dynamic warm-up and acute corrective exercises?
I prefer to do foam rolling at home when I'm watching the telly, is this still worthwhile?
@Jon-man, that 500 BW rep deal sounds intense. I might have to incorporate that into my own routine, but I'll have to start small, maybe a 250. I love putting my clients through a BW only routine. I show up w/no equipment-get that confused stare from the clients until we get into the routine and they are loving it (hating it).
@Nate-my current 4 wk routine is similar to yours as well.
approx 15 min Dynamic Warm up, stretching/soft tissue work. I find it easier to use the Tiger Tail, love getting that IT band. Ouch.
Mon-lower body. About 4-5 exercises total: Various deads (sumo, snatch, regular, speed); various barbell squats (front grip, back, box); lunges (fwd, reverse; elevated-I'm really diggin elevated reverse DB overhead lunges-they will really tax your core); Stab Ball leg curls/Valslide leg curls; box jumps; med ball burpees; 1 or 2 ab moves-planks, stick rev crunches, med ball toe touches, trunk rotation work
Tues-upper body. About 4-5 exercises totatl: Flat bench presses, incline DB presses, push presses, T-bar rows, 1arm DB rows, Face pulls, chin ups, pull ups, inverted rows, push ups w/various grips; about 7 min of jump rope; 4 min tabata on exercise bike-gotta get a gymboss interval timer-these are ideal for tabatas.
Wed-OFF or might throw in 2 sets of bi/tri work; calf work
Thurs-lower body; About 4-5 exercises total. Similar to Mon, I rotate whatever didn't peform on Mon: Various deads (sumo, snatch grip, regular, speed deads); various squats (front grip, back, box); lunges (fwd, reverse; elevated); Hyperextensions; Mountain climbers; throw in a 5 min interval run on treadmill or stairstepper; 1 or 2 ab moves-planks, stick rev crunches, med ball toe touches, trunk rotation work
Fri-upper body; About 4-5 exercises total: Similar to Tues. again-will rotate exercises I didn't perform on Tues: Flat bench presses, incline DB presses, push presses, T-bar rows, 1arm DB rows, Face pulls, chin ups, pull ups, inverted rows, push ups w/various grips; scap push ups; again-about 7 min of jump rope; 4 min tabata on exercise bike/stair stepper
Sat-off
Sun-off
Repeat the fun on Monday.
@Dave
It takes me about 15-20 minutes to go through all my rolling, mobility, and acute corrective. I also so static stretching at the end of my workout. Good idea with the foam roling while watching TV -- I'll have to do that, too.
@JMJ
That's a solid schedule. I like your conditioning work at the end of the workouts. It's a relatively new thing for me (I usually avoid "cardio" as much as possible because I used to hate it), but now its something I look forward to.
And the body composition results have been great!
-Nate
wondering what any of you guys think of 'real' soft tissue work. in the form of massage therapy, physical therapy, ART manipulations etc
i mean they're fine if you have the money or have a really serious injury. i'm getting the impression however, that daily foaming/stretching/mobilising(as prescribed in Mike Robertson's knee manual), along with the corrective work that these guys promote, will probably yield better results overall. as opposed to attending a soft tissue expert and paying through the nose. and this is coming from a future massage therapist. what i'm studying seems like a load of balls, frankly.
i'm really interested to see a review of pavel tsat's beyond stretching. in the sales pitch he uses the phrase 'debugging your hard drive', but i prefer 'fixing your shit'.
@dr dave,
Personally, I see great value in ART and massage, however they are pretty damn expensive.
I also think regular foam rolling, mobility and static stretching will provide 95% of what you're looking for.
But there's nothing like a strong chick putting her elbow in your scapula. :)
-Nate
Thanks for the info on the timing of your foam rolling etc. Nate. Can you recommend a good resource for energy system work?
Cheers,
Dave.
@Dave
Check out this link:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_tabata_method
Nate, while reading the beginning of this blog I became aware of some of the factors that are holding me back the most...
a) Lack of education about training/conditioning
b) I do (pretty much) the same workouts all the time
c) I make up my own workouts
So my question for you is how did you get associated with the Mikes to help you with your training? And do you know anyone in the Orange County area that you could recommend to help me out with my training?
Some info about me... I'm 19, in college, broke, and I swim/play water polo (goalie). Any help/advice you can give me would be great. Thanks
Nate, Jon -
Similar to your workouts, this is something I created as a high-intensity warm up for my clients but tweeked it into a killer 10 minute workout;
30 reps with jump rope
30 reps with jump rope - right leg
30 reps with jump rope - left leg
75 push-ups
30 jumping jacks
30 squat jumps
30 up-downs
30 mountain climberrs
@Dalton
Hey, man. I really don't think you need to hire a coach or anything if you're a broke college kid! If you're currently making the workouts up as you go, I'd highly recommend picking up a fitness book by a guy you trust and following it to a "T".
Obviously, I'd suggest Built for Show. (Shameless plug over!)
Other than that, I'd suggest checking out Lou Schuler's and Alwyn Cosgrove's book "The New Rules of Lifting".
Some good, quality programming and a positive mindset and is all you need to get started.
-Nate
Nate, I just picked up Built for Show and, since the workout plan is only 3 days a week, what about some cardio work on the off days (Tuesday and Thursday, probably)... I usually take a break on the weekend, anyway.
@MIke
It depends on what your goals are. Do you have a lot of extra fat to lose? Either way, I'd suggest you try the three days per week for three weeks before adding in any extra days.
I think you'll see a major improvement in those three weeks so keep me posted.
-Nate
i like the idea of upper/lower splits but can only really workout with weights three days a week - what do you think do Upper/Lower/Full Body? I've been using push/pull/legs recently
also, does it matter on when you do soft tissue work in relation to the workout? it would be easier for me to do this at home [the day before my workout] than in my gym. For instance, mon- soft tissue upper body, tuesday-upper workout etc
Hey Nate,
My bro picked up your book for me for Christmas and I quickly finished it and started the plan. I have only done 2 weeks on the plan so far. I did occasional hap hazard "workouts" before I read your book. My question is this. I'm in the military and stationed over seas and have tons of free time and I’m pretty out of shape. Two days after I started lifting I could barely move, being young though I recovered pretty quickly, and now just feel a bit stiff after work outs. I know in the book you said to make sure you rest on off days and don't do extra, but in two weeks I have a Physical Readiness Test (PRT) and I’m pretty damn nervous about the run. 1.5 Miles and I need to do it in 12 min or less. Easy for some or most but as I said I’m out of shape. Would you suggest incorporating some cardio?
Hey Nate,
I just have a quick question. You said you started soft tissue work after experiencing "tight hips and some lower back discomfort". I'm just curious what do you mean by "lower back discomfort", because lately I've been having the same thingand I've been wondering could it be removed with foam rolling. (Also got tight hips but massage usually takes care of it.
Although I agree that ART and other manual therapies can be expensive, I have to say that as a patient and future practitioner these therapies along with manipulation play an important role in keeping me extremely active. I perform dynamic warm-ups, foam/ball roll, and stretch and still cannot treat my problem areas (hips and low back) completely with these alone. Do yourself a favor and keep self-treating but schedule an appointment every now and again and take advantage of the benefits of ART.
-Mike D.
I usually do M-W-F total body workouts from Robert Dos Remedios' book. Also, I've been implenting the kettlebell circuits you put up on T-Nation on T-TH. Sat-Sun I usually go off how I feel. Right now, since a)im injured and b) am training for my ocean lifeguard requal swim in Huntington Beach, Ca, I've been swimming M-F and doing kettlebell circuits M-T-TH-F to boost my conditioning.
P.S. I realize this is an old blog, just thought I'd share. BTW, rhose circuits are pretty damn intense.
monday
warm up/foam rolling (I am a nasm PT)
Deadlift 1 1/2 body weight
Benchpress Body weight
Powerclean 3/4 body weight
Move through 10 reps of each,9,8,7 etc to 1 for time
stretching
Tuesday
warm up as monday
100 pull ups
100 press ups
100 sit ups
100 squats
move throught the sequence for time
Wednesday
Bleep test for score
Thursday warm up as monday
The Bear
1 rep = powerclean to frontsquat to push press to back squat to push press
do 15 reps wioth the heaviest weight you can for 15 reps without letting the bar rest on the ground (a tap is ok going into the power clean)
Friday warm up as monday
100kg deadlift
Handstand pushups
21 reps,15 and 9 of each for time
Saturday nowt
sunday warm up as monday
5km run for time.
I ripped off the toughest crossfit workouts I could do in the globo gym where I work to get in shape for my wedding this summer. will do this for 5-6 weeks, decondition for a week then move onto a squats and milk variatuion for 6 weeks.
Hey Dude,
Good routine here, I especially like your leg day.... Squats and deadlifts are by far the best exercise for anyone looking to seriously buff up... They are really underrated out there, everyone always focuses on their upper body.
My one question is it looked like you were doing your heavy squats and deadlifts twice a week, are your legs fully recovered for both that workout and the next weeks workouts?
Let me know,
Hey there guys,
This seems like an all male blog. Ladies are catching up with the kettlebell craze mainly because it is great for toning the muscles without getting all buffed up, at least when done right. But I'll make sure to point your blog out to my readers coz you have seriously hot looking guys in here :-)
Post a Comment
Want to show your face? Get a gravatar!