Back
to the Basics: Big Movements for Better Results!
By George Stavrou
Not
getting the results you are looking for? Are you
bored with your current routine? Have you spent
countless hours exercising and you still look the
same? It may be due to the fact that you are not
on the correct program for your particular goals.
I
have been training individuals for over 15 years
and I am still surprised to see that there are a
number of people performing mainly isolation movements
instead of the larger and more beneficial compound
movements. These are the same people that complain
that they are not getting any results from their
workouts. If you are interested in a program that
will help you gain functional strength that you
can use in your athletic endeavours I suggest you
read further. I have used this basic program with
a number of people over the years and have experienced
great success with it.
Before
we see the program in action it's important to know
the difference between compound movements and isolation
movements.
Compound
movements are multi-joint movements consisting
of two or more joints moving and therefore many
muscles are involved. One example is the Dumbbell
Bench Press. In this exercise you are moving
at the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. You are utilising
the muscles of the chest, shoulders, triceps and
a number of other muscles (i.e. synergists, stabilisers,
antagonists, neutralisers, fixators) to complete
the movement.
Isolation
movements involve only one joint and usually
less muscles are recruited to perform the movement.
An example of this is the Dumbbell Fly. There
is movement in the shoulder area alone and the main
muscle being used (or the prime mover) is the chest
muscle.
If
you want to live in the gym and waste your time
then I suggest performing isolation movements for
every angle that you can possible think of. If you
want your body to function as a powerful integrated
unit (as it was originally designed to do) then
I suggest that you concentrate on compound movements
such as squats, presses, chins, rows, etc.
Not
all compound movements are created equally!
Now that I've got you sold on the benefits of compound
movements I should let you know that not all compound
movements are created equally. For example, many
trainees load up the leg press with all the plates
that they can find in the gym and perform countless
repetitions with this exercise. A much better choice
of exercises is the Squat. Many experts believe,
and I concur, that the squat is one of the best
exercises that one can do for the lower body. In
fact some call it "The King of Lower Body Exercises".
This great exercise trains the quads, hamstrings,
hips, calves, lower back and the abdominals. While
the leg press appears to exercise the same muscles
as the squat it leaves out the core region, which
is very important to train.
Free
Weights vs. Machines
When deciding on which exercises to choose from
ask yourself this question: "Is this an exercise
that has benefits that carry over into every day
life?" If the answer is "YES" then
it's a functional exercise. Looking back at our
previous example of the Leg Press vs. Squats we
can plainly see that since the stabilizer muscles
are taken out of the equation in the Leg Press;
therefore, it is a less useful exercise than the
squat. Also, ask yourself this question: "How
often in everyday life do you place your back against
a fixed object and push against a weight using just
your legs. On the other hand, the Squat movement
(pushing yourself away from the ground with your
legs) transfers into every day life: going to the
bathroom, standing up from a seated position, getting
in and out of your car (you are doing a variation
of a one-leg squat to get in the car and sit down),
etc. It also carries over into various sports: basketball,
volleyball and football to name a few. The final
word on the above is use Free Weights as much as
possible in your quest in developing a functional
body.
Enough
theory - it's time to move on to the program.
The
program that I have outlined below will give you
some great results in a relatively short period
of time. I have split it into 4 Days where you train
each body part one time per week.
| Day |
Body
Part |
Exercises |
| 1 |
Quad
Dominant |
Lunges
and Squats |
| 2 |
Upper
Back (Pull Day) |
1
Arm DB Row
(Scapular Retracted) and Chins |
| 3 |
OFF |
|
| 4 |
Hamstring
Dominant |
Single
Leg Semi-Stiff Deadlift and Deadlift |
| 5 |
Chest
(Push Day) |
Incline
DB Bench Press and Dips |
| 6 |
OFF |
|
| 7 |
OFF |
|
| 8 |
Repeat
Program |
I
have also given you guidelines on the exercise scheme
and the reasoning behind it. See the table below.
| Workout
Scheme |
Reasoning |
| #
of exercises per session: 2 |
Fewer
exercises - more focus per movement |
| #
of sets/exercise: 5 |
More
sets - greater skill development/exercise |
| Total
Sets: 10 |
Optimal
# of sets vs. Maximal (Coach Ian King recommends
from 5-15 total sets per workout when training
for Maximal Strength & Power) |
| Reps/set:
5 |
Lower
Reps to near failure - higher intensity/set |
| Rest
period: 3-4 minutes |
Near
complete recovery ~ 98% of ATP replenished |
| *Tempo:
50X0 |
Focus
on Maximal Strength, Explosive Power & Quickness |
| ^TUT
(Time Under Tension): >25 s |
Lower
TUT- focus on Maximal Strength w/some Hypertrophy |
*For
those of you unfamiliar with tempo the numbers represent
the time in seconds for each part of the movement.
5 - lowering (eccentric portion of movement)
0 - no rest at bottom of movement
X - lifting the weights (concentric portion of movement)
as quickly as you can (explosive movement)
0 - no rest at top of movement
^For
those of you that are unfamiliar with TUT - it can
be loosely defined as the total time of a set from
start to finish. In this case our TUT is > 25
seconds. This is determined by adding up each component
from the Tempo and multiplying by the number of
reps in the set - (5+0+X+0)*5 = >25 seconds.
Some of you may have expected an exact number but
since we are dealing with an unknown with "X"
we can say what the minimum TUT is, not the maximum.
You
may have noticed that each day begins with the limbs
working individually (unilaterally) followed by
an exercise that uses both limbs (bilaterally) together.
I chose this method for several reasons. 1) Often
times there is a strength discrepancy between the
limbs. It is rare to find an individual that is
equally strong on both sides. Training the limbs
individually gives the weaker side a chance to catch
up to the stronger side. 2) By following with an
exercise that emphasizes both limbs working together
you are training the limbs to work as a team.
Train
your weakest body part first in the week!
The split that I suggested above is just an example
of how one can train their body. You may have noticed
that I put Quads on Day 1. In my case, my quads
are my weakest body part. Therefore, I put them
first in my training week. This is something that
I learned from Australian Strength Coach Ian King.
Many individuals make the mistake of training their
stronger body part first in the week when they are
at their strongest. Don't worry if you are one of
these people - I used to do this in my training
as well. If you always place your strongest body
part at the beginning of the week your weak body
part will always remain weak. The idea about training
is to ensure that your body is balanced. Below is
a favourite quote of mine from Ian Kings' "Get
Buffed" pg. 77.
"There
is really one simple rule here. The exercises you
do first in the workout and first in the training
week are the exercises that get the best effort,
and therefore the best result. It is human nature
to put one's favourite exercises first in the week
and first in the workout - year in and year out
- and then wonder why muscle imbalances occur!"
Look
at the above program and determine which of your
body parts is the weakest. Change the order of the
training days to reflect this. Keep in mind that
the leg workouts should be separated by an upper
body workout to ensure greater recovery between
sessions.
Before
you go gung ho on the workout there are a few more
guidelines that I would like to share with you.
1)
Warm-up: do a warm-up of light cardio and dynamic
stretching prior to your workout. Dynamic stretching
will prepare the nervous system (NS) for the workout
ahead.
2)
Warm-up sets: Depending on the load that you are
using I suggest the following warm-up sets - 1 (set)
X 5 (reps) X 50% (of 1RM), 1 X 5 X 60%, 1 X 5 X
70%.
3)
10 minute cool-down (static stretching). Static
stretching will help your NS to return to pre-workout
status. You can also use this time to reflect on
your workout and decide what changes need to be
made for your next session.
4)
For the 1 Arm DB Row I suggested that you keep your
scapular retracted. I have come across many people
that have over-developed the pecs and anterior delts
to the point where their posture resembles that
of a caveman. By keeping the scapular retracted
in the 1 ARM DB Row you will help to re-align your
body to a more neutral posture.
5)
In this program you are using the popular 5 X 5
method: 5 sets of 5 reps. I do not want you to take
all the sets to failure - I want to be certain that
you are able to complete all 5 sets of 5 reps. If
you are unsure about how much weight to use I recommend
that you use approximately 80% of your 1RM. When
in doubt - guess lighter as opposed to heavier.
The strength will come down the road.
6)
Progression - when you are able to do 5 sets of
5 reps successfully it is time to add more resistance.
Add 5 lbs. or 5% to the load (whichever is lower)
to your next workout and repeat the cycle. For exercises
using body weight e.g. dips & chins, I suggest
investing in a dipping belt. This is a weight belt
that goes around your waist and you can add weight
to it via a chain.
7)
Keep track of all the exercise variables in a training
log. A sample log is shown below.
| Exercise |
Weight |
Sets |
Reps |
Tempo |
Rest |
| Squats |
300
lbs |
5 |
5 |
50X0 |
3
min |
Now
that you have the plan in front of you it's essential
to work it. Don't be a reader - take action, NOW!
The results will be worth the effort.
