Periodization is often made way too complicated.
Periodization is simple. But not easy.
A definition of periodization is:
Periodization is a systematic approach to the planning of training by dividing training for intermediate and end goals into multiple different training blocks and programs.
With one major goal: To be able to make consistent progress in training.
And the number one reason why we need periodization is because there is no single program that allows us to make progress forever.
Some beginners can progress with a given program for 8 weeks before they plateau. Some more advanced lifters need to change their program every 10 days to still continue to progress.
Not a single program out there works forever. Thats why we need to change and use different programs.
And instead of just using different programs randomly from week to week and month to month based on what you feel like training, kind of like the gusto of the month, you need to precisely decide which program to choose.
Its like the difference of cruising around in your car with no real destination and hoping to get somewhere. Or using a GPS which will tell you when to switch to which road to get to the choosen destination the fastest way possible.
Rarely one road will take you straight to the destination.
As rarely one program will take you straight your training goal.
You need to know on which corner to go left or right or stay straight.
You need to know which program to choose after the current program is done.
A GPS will give you directions on the road.
And periodization will give you directions in program design.
Periodization will primarily structure the trainingparameters, first and foremost reps and sets, or more precisely the changes in intensity in volume, from phase to phase.
And secondarily periodization also structures exercise selection which is critical and often underrated aspect of periodization. Which exercises to do after you completed the current ones.
Periodization will give clear guidelines based on principles that allow you to make better decisons in choosing which program is next.
That is the single major purpose of periodization, to easily and effectivly guide which is the next program to choose thats gets you closer to your goal.
Through rational planning instead of emotional guessing.
Science is important. Its important to define general statements, correlations and causations, that allow us to make better choices in real life. When it comes to periodization though, its currently pretty much useless. For multiple reasons.
And the two major ones are:
The majority of periodization research is done with a study length of 6 to 16 weeks with very very few studies lasting longer than 6 months. Which is way too short to actually be relevant. Everyone who started out training knows that. In the beginning it doesn’t matter that much what you do, as long as you do something. The longer you train, the higher the odds that you plateau, which means the more thorough you need to plan to bust and ideally avoid plateaus in the first place.
Which will enable you to make more continous progress.
6 to 16 weeks is just not a relevant time frame where planning plays much of a role.
Especially considering the second major downside of periodization research. That is that the largest part of periodization research is done with untrained participants or poorly trained participants like pencil necks that benchpress 80kg.
Which next to the poor length of studies doesn’t correlate well with longer and especially more continuous planning as well as intermediate to advanced lifters.
What gets you from a 60kg squat to a 90kg squat will not correlate well with what gets you from 120kg squat to a 150kg squat. The more untrained and weaker one is the less relevant it will how well training is planned.
„Just do something“ is enough at that stage for the absolute majority.
Thats why periodization isn’t a subject were current science actually matters. As the science on periodization currently available is too limited to be relevant in real life mid- and longterm.
The reaction of untrained or poorly trained pencil neck sports science students to a set of programs in a 6 to 16 weeks time frame just isn’t very relevant in how you approach periodizing programs with Gen Pop clients and athletes for months and years.
There are two primary approaches to apply periodization in general. And ideally you combine them both.
First, learn about and understand the different approaches to periodization. The upsides, downsides and ideal scenarios of application for each one. Every periodization model has its upsides, downsides and scenarios it works best in. Once you know them and their why, you can easily choose which is the ideal periodization model to use in which case.
Second, understand that you need to be flexible in your programming within a periodization model. Nobody can predict the future. You can guess the future. And the more competent you are the better you can guess. Still, things will happen, a muscle strain, a short-notice business trip, a week of the flu, an vacation, a stretch of poor sleep, and many other things.
Once you understood the principles of a given periodization model you can precisly choose which periodization model to use for who and also easily adjust your programming when life throws some rocks on road. And still continue to get progress.
When you don’t know the main periodization models and their principles yet, small problems can completely throw off your training and progress. What you want is to know these main periodization models and their principle so you can easily decide which step to take next and continue to make progress in training.
As there are very few valuable sources out there to learn periodization from, I teach Periodization in the YPSI Semi Private Internship, the YPSI Advanced Program Design & Periodization Seminar that I hold every couple years and I have also created the YPSI Online Module C on Periodization to provide every trainer, every coach and every ambitious athlete who wants to dig deeper into the practical and most up to date approach to periodization a great resource to learn from.
More articles from the „2 Things I Know For Sure About…“ series:
2 Things I Know For Sure About the Incline Press
2 Things I Know For Sure About Squats
2 Things I Know For Sure About Training
2 Things I Know For Sure About Nutrition
2 Things I Know For Sure About Conditioning
Pic: Planning is everything.
]]>Carbohydrates and sugars significantly effect fatloss, fat gain and body composition due to changes in blood sugar levels.
In simple terms, the higher the average blood sugar level and the greater the blood sugar fluctuations, the harder is it to get lean, stay lean and build muscle.
This has been very well documented in research and real life over the years. One thing that is still overlooked is the individual blood sugar response to a certain food by a certain person.
Not all carbohydrates and sugars effect blood in sugar the same.
The concept of the glycemic index and glycemic load shows that different carbohydrates and sugars have vastly altered effects on the blood sugar level.
One of the most commonly used examples is that white bread leads to a greater blood sugar spike than a chocolate bar. On the other hand some sugars like from berries barely effect blood sugar.
The glycemic index and glycemic load is a statistical analysis of the average effect of carbohydrates and sugars of a certain food and their effect on blood sugar level.
One of the biggest downfalls of statistics is that they primarily look at the total average and not at the individual extremes.
For example, statistics show that the average height of a male in the world is 1.75m with a standard deviation of 10cm. That means males are between 1.65m and 1.85m tall. Thats correct. For about 80% of the population. And then there are males with a height below 1.65m and above 1.85m. Statistics miss out on them.
The same is true for the glycemic index/load. It is a statistical assumption which is true in most cases including a standard deviation. In the extremes, the glycemic index/load is highly incorrect.
This is actually one of the main reasons why diabetics have to constantly measure their blood sugar to prevent fluctuations.
If the carbohydrate influence on blood sugar could just be calculated by glycemic index/load it would be a 1+1=2 calculation and measuring wouldn’t be needed. Physiology is not that simple though.
Nutrition — including carbohydrate intake — has to be individualised from client to client. Not all carbs effect everyone the same.
About 6 years ago I experimented with continuous glucose monitoring for the first time. A YPSI A-Licence Trainer received a device from one of his clients who worked in the medical supply industry for free.
The measurements and individual response to foods where in many cases as one would expect. Then in some cases, quite off.
The biggest drawback at the time was the investment for the device of 800 Euro for a four-day measurement. This investment made the technology useless for the average client.
In 2017, Rob Wolf published his book Wired to Eat. The book revolves around the idea of assessing carb choice and intake for each person individually via a glucose meter two hours after each meal.
This was the first time I read from someone making this point in mainstream media. The main message of his book is ‘how one reacts to a certain carbohydrate, sugar and food is highly individual’. Things to consider included:
The drawback of using a regular glucose meter two hours after a meal is that one is only assessing a certain point, not a full curve.
It can be the case that one hour after the meal the blood sugar level shot from 100 mg/dl to 200mg/dl, then two hours after the meal the blood sugar is back to 110 mg/dl. If one just has the number 110 mg/dl looks like the food barely had any impact on blood sugar. An hour before though the blood sugar was through the roof.
In a perfect world, one should at least use a glucose meter every 15 minutes to get multiple points that lead to a curve of response. This is needed to make an accurate assessment of the blood glucose response, but obviously pricking your finger to draw some blood 60 times per day is just not practical.
This is where a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device comes into play.
A CGM device measure sugar levels every couple minutes for a full 24hr per day via a small sensor with a small needle under skin, which then gives one a full curve of blood sugar response to meals and daily life situations. This makes a CGM device the best option to measure blood sugar responses to each individual client.
Previously, CGM devices have been on the high investment side and not practical with clients. This changed about a year ago.
My colleague and friend Roan Heming from the UK dug out a new CGM device that only costs about 59 Euro (or 39 to 99 USD depending on the country you live in) for a full 14 days. This is a much lower investment than before.
Suddenly, the technology can be used systematically throughout the year with clients to create what I consider the highest level of individualised nutrition available today.
Since this new CGM device has become available I use it with every intermediate to advanced client whose goal is body comp changes.
The individual reactions are severe. Two examples of severe reactions include a rise of blood sugar to 194 mg/dl with quinoa and to 165 mg/dl with tomatoes.
Quinoa is statistical a great source of carbs. And tomato is a vegetable with a low starch-content that should not lead to any increase in blood sugar. For those two specific clients it did though.
Tomato is a vegetable. An all-you-can-eat food. What happens if that clients eats tomatoes on a salad every day? Consistent blood sugar fluctuations is the answer. The proven answer in his case.
On the other hand I have seen many clients have an increase of less than 10 mg/dl with foods like dark chocolate, oats and even gluten-free pancakes and more. Statistics still count.
For example I have never seen someone do well on wheat bread in all the measurements I have done with clients so far. Yet, using CGM has been the single biggest addition to my toolbox since starting to use skinfold measurements to bookkeep and accelerate fatloss and body comp changes in 2009.
And the results I have seen with it, especially with being able to give clients much more carbs, will still get lean have been tremendous.
Nutrition is highly individual. Nothing works for everybody. Some things work statistically well in most cases. Then there are exceptions. Some get lean on high carb diets. Most get much leaner faster on low carb diets. Few get blood sugar spikes from tomatoes. Most get no blood sugar spikes from tomatoes.
Determining how a client reacts to what is key in finding what will work for that client. Especially when we talk about the best body comp results possible.
Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) specifically to individualize nutrition and accelerate fatloss is one of the primary topics of the YPSI Online Module B on „Individualized Nutrition“. In these Online Lectures, that are available from anywhere in the world at any time, I look into the science of blood sugar management and explain the protocols I use with clients to effectively implement Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) specifically to individualize nutrition and accelerate fatloss. How to use the device. Which device to choose. How to use CGM for other goals such as sleep quality. And much more. Its a step-by-step guide with many examples and case studies to elevate your knowledge and skills. To get faster results.
Picture: Fitness entrepreneur Roan Heming wearing a CGM device during training.
]]>Here you find the German version of this article.
Gyms are closed around the world. Home Training is limited. Trainers are home.
Fear is a brain-killer.
Learning and productivity are brain-makers.
As John F. Kennedy once said:
Since myself, most trainers and many others have a few quiet weeks ahead, work-wise, time to tackle some other projects.
And one of my main recommendations is: Read books you didn’t take time yet to read.
You ll easily be able to collect 100 hours for that in the next weeks. Start by reading only 4 hours every single day.
After I initially posted this suggestion on social media I get some questions about what books I recommend. These are my favorite ones during the Corona Days:
The Corona Crisis is a Black Swan. A Black Swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives. Next to structural insights, he gives his thoughts on to deal with Black Swans to get the most out of them. Get it here
In these days e-commerce is bigger then ever. And when we talk e-commerce, we need to talk Amazon. Amazon started off delivering books through the mail. But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn’t content with being a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become the everything store, offering limitless selection and seductive convenience at disruptively low prices. This book tells the story of Amazon and Jeff Bezos from Day 1 until today. One of the best business books I have ever read with many pearls taken away. Get it here
I have met Malden 2 years ago when we spoke at the same conference in Sao Paulo, Brasil. Him and Nick Winkelman were the ones who put me on reading and listening to Dr. Jordan Peterson’s work. Which I found to be quite refreshing. As refreshing as reading Mladen’s views on Periodization, the planning of training, especially from a conceptual and philosophical standpoint. Get it here
I read Rolf Dobelli’s essay on „The News Diet“ years ago and it made a profound impact on me. In 2013 Rolf Dobelli stood in front of a roomful of journalists and proclaimed that he did not read the news. It caused a riot. In this book he sets down his philosophy in detail. To sum it up in few words: Consuming News is a destructive waste of time. These days, this approach is more important than ever before. Get it here
Mike Tyson is the one boxer than transcended into pop culture and mainstream. And this books tells his life’s story. The ups and downs, his mental approach to boxing and yes it tells many hilarious stories. Laughing is good for the immune system. Thats a bonus these days. This is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Get it here
Readers are Leaders. Investment Legend Warren Buffet spents about 80% of his working hours reading. And Powerlifting Legend Louie Simmons said one of the best tips he can give anyone about training and getting stronger is „read more“. If you are an avid reader or not. Now its time to invest the extra hours that freed up.
All links are Amazon Affiliate Links. Picture: Books.
]]>Loose fat. Build muscles.
These are the two most common goals of everyone training in gyms all over the world.
And those two goals are summed as Body Comp changes, improvements and eventually Transformations.
Body Comp is short for body composition. This term is used to describe the ratio of fat and muscle in human bodies. And this is relevant as this ratio of muscle and fat tissue, as well as weight, determines leanness and looks. Two people of the same gender and body weight may look completely different because they have a different body composition.
As Body Comp is determined by the ratio of fat and muscle, it not only determines directly how we look. It is indirectly also a great indicator on how we feel and function.
Improving Body Comp is therefore not just a question of looks, its also a question of performance and wellbeing.
Ultimately, yes it is, directly and indirectly.
One might say I don’t care much about how I look, my goal is to run a marathon or cycle up a mountain. That sounds logical. It isn’t though. Body Comp improvements play a huge role in endurance performance. In that scenario its about optimizing the fat to muscle to bodyweight ration. One of the best example is Lance Armstrong, who lost 20 lb. (9kg) in between the early 90s when he was an average pro cyclist and the late 90s were he arguably became the greatest the cyclist of all time (1). Loosing 20 lb. (9kg) from in this case primarily muscle has to be considered a Body Comp improvement in this specific scenario as it improves to kilo to watt ratio which is a key indicator of absolute performace in cycling endurance. The less you weigh in relation to your power output, the longer you can go. And win.
In another scenario, another person might say I don’t care much about how I look, my goal is just to feel better and be healthy. Also in this case, Body Comp is a key indicator. When we talk being healthy, first immune function positively correlates with muscle mass. Yes, more muscle means better immune function. Second, muscle mass and strength are also the top two key indicators for biological age (3). The longer you can improve and maintain muscle mass and strength the younger you are. And of course, total body fat and body fat distribution are correlated to the hormonal system which regulates our wellbeing. Higher bodyfat combined with lower muscle mass has been show to negatively impact blood sugar management, energy level, sleep quality and thyroid function which has been shown to impact well being tremendously.
Improved Body Comp is therefore a fundamental component of performance, health and wellbeing. Improving Body Comp will directly and indirectly affect any physical goal you have.
And of course how you look. If thats your goal.
There is multiple pillars that impact Body Comp. Everyone knows the two most important ones.
Training and Nutrition.
And there is also a third foundational pillar, the most have become aware of, the Mindset.
Beyond those three key components, there are many more that are often underrated, such as sleep quality and stressmanagement. These two have to be managed in the many of cases to get Body Comp improvements. In this article we will focus on the three most important pillars: Mindset, Nutrition and Training.
As a rule of thumb, all physical activities will have a positive impact on Body Comp to some degree.
We are made to move. Movement is life. Moving is essential for vibrant health, vitality and everday performance.
If you prefer a certain type of movement or sport, do it.
As with every form of improvement, there has to be progression.
No progression equals no improvements. That is a logical fact.
Just going for a run twice a week for 30 minutes won’t do much improvement-wise in the mid term.
Whatever you do for physical activity, it needs to be progressive. To get the most out of it. Instead of plateauing constantly, which is what most actually do.
When we take the example of running twice a week for 30 minutes. Intially, you can just go for running a longer distance within those 30minutes every single time you run. Thats progress. Obviously a few runs down the road, depending on your training status, that will be between 4 and 8 runs for most, you will plateau. That means no more progress. And the point were you plateau you have to change your program. A new program means new potential for progress. You might go from the 30 minute run to 10 intervals of 1 minute run and 2 minute walk. Measure the total distance you run in that 1 minute. Improve it every time. Do that until you plateau. Than change your program again. Maybe this time to a 45 minute run. And so on.
Thats whats called periodizing a program. You cut it up into different programs and phases. You do each as long as you can progress on it then you change.
What I have described above is basically steady state running alternated with interval training.
I use a lot of Interval Training to improve Body Comp with clients.
One of the major benefits of interval training is that its fairly easy to be measured. Either run a set distance and take the time. Or run a set time and improve the distance. Those are the two primary options to measure the output and work done in an interval session.
Another major benefits of interval training is its time-efficiency. A good interval training workout rarely lasts or needs to last longer than 20 to 30 minutes. Interval training is about doing the most work possible while you move. Its not about a lot of moving to do a lot of work. 1km total of interval sprints done in 30 minutes, thats about 2,5 minutes work and 27,5 minutes rest, has a greater impact to improve Body Comp that running 30minutes non-stop.
If you do a simple comparison between Sprinter and Marathon runners to illustrate this point and its correlation to Body Comp, my point is clear.
Cardio in the case of steady state runnning is a waste of time for Body Comp improvements. As the time invested in the relation to the results you get is very low.
Intervaltraining is a key component in improving Body Comp as fast as possible.
And the top two options are sprints and Air Bike intervals.
Some say intervals are boring. They rather play. I get that point. If you do a sport like soccer, basketball, table tennis or Jiu Jitsu. Yes, this can definitely be taxing and a lot of energy will be expended, the fundamental principle of progression is hard to be applied.
If you have a GPS watch you could do the math how much distance you covered at what speed above 85% of your top speed, which will be the most relevant for Body Comp.
Fact is, almost noone will do that. Its work. And it takes some fun out of playing.
If you like to play a sport, do it. I like to consider it a complementary activity that I rather loosely measure.
Complementary means, I recommend to add that on top or next to the two most fundamental forms of training for Body Comp. The first one is Interval Training, primarily for its accountability, time efficiency and energy expenditure. And the second is strength training.
Body Comp is loosing fat and gaining muscle. To gain muscle in the form of hypertrophy or strength gain, the most efficient form of training is strength training or in a different term weight training. Training with weights is the most efficient form of training to put on strength and mass.
The strongest man and women on this planet, powerlifters, weightlifters, strongman compeititor and throwers all base their training in lifting weights.
The muscular man and women on this planet, bodybuilders, all base their training in lifting weights.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher’s quote
„Maximal Strength is the mother of all Strength Qualities“
is the base of a modification I have made
„Maximal Strength is the father of Body Comp“
Why? Because the stronger one is the greater the stimulus of any form of Hypertrophy and Interval Training.
The stronger one is and gets, the faster the Body Comp results.
If you focus on pure metabolic adaptations, the greater the strength the greater the output and stimulus.
If we talk a marathon runner for example, there is a need for maximal strength as maximal strength is needed for minimal ground contact time and maximal stride length. Which are key indicators of a great marathon time. Of course, a marathon runner does not need the maximal strength levels of a weightlifter. Precisely, they don’t even have to be close. Nonetheless, maximal strength is needed to run 42km as fast as possible. And often underrated on an Elite Level. Eliud Kipchoge who ran the new unofficial Marathon World Record of 1:59:40h a few months ago said that adding in strength training on 3 days a week made a difference for him in improving his elite level personal best and setting the new world record.
My point is defintely not that one gets Marathon ready to improve Body Comp. Thats too specific of a goal. My point is that Maximal Strength is base for power output. Even in an event that seems far away from Maximal Strength for most as running a Marathon. Power output is crucial in winning a Marathon. The runner that can maintain the greatest average power output for the longest is the one that will win.
Also, the same is true for Body Comp results. The greater the power output which is based on maximal strength the greater the energy expenditure. And the greater the energy expenditure the faster the fatloss results.
And a 500PS car uses up more fuel and energy that a 50PS car.
Thats how Maximal Strength is the father of Body Comp from a Fatloss perspective.
And I use the term father rather then mother as a mother is needed in 100% of the cases. The embryo can not develop outside the whomb of a mother. Yet, a father technically not that necessary as sperm alone does the job sufficiently.
So, using the term father in this case gives credit to that one out of 1000 exception that is weak and still has a lot of hypertrophy, basically the absolute majority of todays profressional bodybuilders. And it also gives credit to that one out of 1000 exceptions that is weak and still has very low bodyfat. Everyone that has been around gyms for a while, knows that type, below average training, below average eating, and is still lean to shredded all year. Exceptions are just that though, expcetions. They are not the rule. Their approach does not lead to reproducible results.
For the absolute majority a baseline level of Maximal Strength will accelerate Fatloss through greater power output and energy expenditure. And greater Hypertrophy gains through greater mechanical tension and muscular damage.
The same counts for Body Comp. The stronger one is or gets, the easier it is to put on muscle mass.
10 reps with 140kg on the Benchpress stimulate more fibers and elevate muscle protein synthesis to a greater degree than 10 reps with 60kg on the Benchpress.
Old School Bodybuilders knew that. Look at every single bodybuilder of the 70s and 80s. They had great physique and excellent Body Comp. Lean and muscular. And every single one of them was quite strong. Even a smaller guy like Frank Zane was known to do 12 reps with 55kg Dumbells in each hand on the Incline Benchpress at about 85kg bodyweight.
And to press 55kg Dumbells on the Incline for 12 reps, one first needs to press 55kg Dumbells for 1 rep.
Maximal Strength comes first.
If you can’t handle higher weights for lower reps, you cannot handle them for higher reps. That is simple physics. And the base of fast and reliable Hypertrophy Gains.
„Maximal Strength is the father of Body Comp“
Not necessarily. Gaining Maximal Strength is a question of progress. Not of a certain rep number. All sport science books will give you rep brackets for certain goals. Which is looking at the world in a very sterile and theoretical manner. It is looking at the world through a straw.
The reality is this, a beginner can get stronger by doing 2 sets of 15 reps. Thats a fact. That means for a beginner doing 15 reps is training and improving the the maximal strength.
Whats also a fact, is that the more advanced someone gets the lower the average number of reps has to be to continue to make progress in gaining maximal strength.
Elite Level Powerlifters and Weightlifter don’t get stronger by doing 3 sets of 10 reps.
Which doesn’t matter that much to 99%+ of the gym population as they are not Elite Level Powerlifters and Weightlifter.
What matters is that progress in weights is directly proportional to getting stronger.
For Body Comp that bascially means that we develop on a bell shaped curve on intensity and volume.
You start out on higher reps, depending on current strength level and exercise selection and then you progress to lower reps to continue to increase maximal strength and then the progression is back towards higher reps, for great muscular damage and metabolic stimulus.
How long is a rope?
It just depends on so many factors.
For example, this Body Transformation of Martin Gratzer, as a 12 time National Champion in shotput, with a 200kg squat and 160kg for 3 reps on the Incline Press, his training focus on lower reps for Maximal Strength and Explosive Strength for years. When he retired from shotput and he wanted to improve his Body Comp, we basically started out at the top of the bell curve. At a peak of Maximal Strength, increasing the reps and his total workload. With outstanding Body Comp results as the pictures show. That was an 18 week transformation and another 3 years of working with me before that.
The Body Comp Results from Sven Knebel, a competitive IFBB Bodybuilder were quite different. He was training competing for over 10 years before he started working with me. Basically for the whole time he did classic bodybuilding training. Doing high reps. Chasing the pump. Going for feeling the muscle. Which is technically a good approach. He was just weak. He was as weak as every bodybuilder today. So we started out on moderate reps and gradually moved to lower reps building his Maximal Strength. From the average weak bodybuilder he went to a 160kg Close Grip Benchpress, Chinups with 110kg bodyweight plus 60kg added on a belt, 240kg Back Squat and a 280kg Deadlift. Once we hit that strength level we moved gradually back to higher volume approach. Adding in supersets, trisets and eventually giant sets. With outstanding Body Comp results as the pictures show. That was an 18 week transformation on top of another 2 years of working with me before that.
A third example is Sebastian Rudolf. He was rolled in at a gym for years when he started working with me. His baseline strength and muscular development was low. I started hime out on the far left of the bell shaped curve. Moderate to high reps. Lower weights. Progressivly getting stronger. In just 3 phases and a total of 9 weeks he transformed his Body Comp to degree he never had before. These results are shown pictures below.
These are are three examples that all started at different points of the bell shaped curve. And with all of them the goal of progressive training is to progress on that curve towards the right.
And this bell shaped curve actually applies to the development in any form of training or sport. For example in soccer, when you start out you just play for hours a day. With the goal of developing the fundamental skills and understanding the individual aspects of the game. Then you move up the bell shaped curve and move specific components, passing, shooting, handling the ball. And once you reach the your technical peak and eventual play professional it goes back down the curve into to deepening the understanding and refining of the fundamental aspects of game. And the same applies to the development of an elite athlete in every single sport out there.
In summary, we need to train for Fatloss and Hypertrophy in a progressive manner, to create a progressive energy deficit as well progressive strength and total volume.
The main forms of training I prefer are Intervals, for their accountability, time efficiency and energy expenditure.
And the second is strength training. To first, build Maximal Strength as the base of progress in training for Body Comp. And second, to induce mechanical damage, the base of muscle protein sysnthesis and hypertrophy.
Training creates a stimulus for improvements in Body Comp.
Next to training, by now basically everyone knows that nutrition is key to loose fat and gain muscle.
I even go that far to state that training itself is quite useless.
Which is proven in bascially every gym everywhere in the world. People show up, train hard, often get sore. And still have little to no results.
Especially after the initial honeymoon phase of experiencing something new.
Training only stimulates progress. Nutrition is key to facilitate progress.
First, one thing bascially everyone agrees on – protein.
Protein is important for many functions of the body. Including recovery from training. And building muscle tissue. How much protein to eat depends on many factors. A guideline is 2g to 4g per kg bodyweight.
Second, the thing that most agree on – vegetables.
The main reason are the commonly known and promoted health benefits of vegetable due to vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, fiber, prebiotic, polyphenols, flavonoids, chlorophyll and much more. And another one is definetly satiety and vitality. Eating vegetables appears to be boring at times. They do fill one up, depending on total food intake, thats a benefit. And they help with vitality. The scientific and empirical evidence on vegetables is quite clear. They are definetly not magical. And you can even argue that they are not essential. That means that one can easily survive without ever eating a vegetable again. The case for them is quite solid. Eat them.
Third, where to get energy from – fats and carbs.
Historically there are two groups of fatloss diets. High Fat, Low Carb. And High Carb, Low Fat. Both work. Thats a general fact. Research has shown that clearly, too. The question that has to be answered for everyone individually though, is which do you do, feel and train better on. And there is no answer thats true for everyone. Its individual. So, I real life this needs to be individualized.
Everyone that claims anything different or has figured out the holy grail of nutrition lacks real world experience. Bascially they are too far left on the bell shaped curve of the personal development of being a nutrional advisor.
Nutrition for Body Comp is based on these three pillars. They are very simple. Where the art and science of nutrition are key is in indivualization and adjusting nutrition as keeps making progress in Body Comp.
Maybe you do. Probably you don’t. Calories matter. Thats clear. Thats doesn’t mean they have to be measured. And it doesn’t meaning that measuring them is a cost-effective investment.
The CICO or calories in vs. calories out card has been played for years. The are many studies like this one (4) that basically „prove“ that it makes no differences what you eat as far as macro nutrient distribution. Only the calories matter. Sounds simple. Technically its highly oversimplified though. Looking at a study like the one above the participants are obese. One of the main reasons for obesity is overeating or a constant calorie-surplus. Thats correct. Therefore basically just restricting calories will make the obese lose weight and fat. The study proved that. And there are many other example that are often cited that prove the same.
As a rule of thumb, the younger, leaner and more active a person is, the greater the results with a CICO approach. Statistically the majority of people that like to loose weight and body fat while functioning well and feeling great in their daily life are not on the younger, leaner and more active side. They also often are not willing to take the time and making weighing and tracking everything they eat a priority.
Weighing food, tracking food and doing the math takes times. Its too inefficient for most.
If you are willing to do that, do it. Track your food.
Don’t go by only formulas that tell you how many macros and calories to eat and how much to increase or cut. These recommendations are constantly off. Use the tracking as a bookeeping tool. Change macros and calories. Measure the change in bodyfat and weight through skinfolds and calipers. Then adjust.
And always by aware that tracking food can be one thing through your journey of Body Comp improvements that can become mentalls quite taxing.
Success is based on mindset. The greatest training program and nutrional advise won’t lead to great progress if the mindset doesn’t guide its execution. Following three principles are key to develop or mainain a mental approach that facilitates great progress in Body Comp:
1. „There is no such thing as a free lunch“ – the results you will get is the sum on time and energy invested in training, not just the last and follwing weeks, its the sum of what you have ever invested. This quote originated as a foundational principles of economy and is often used by my good friend the Danish manager and entrepreneur Jesper Hojer when it comes to decision making and resource management. In the context of training and nutrition it is crucial to determine the relationship of input to outcome and the height of the end goal. It’s the sum of all meals ever eaten. It’s the sum of all workouts ever completed and training progress ever made. The sum of all micronutrients you ever ate and supplemented. And the sum of all decision and habits ever. Be aware that you can’t change past decision. You can just make the ones now. Invest time and energy with focus, presision and a rough end goal on mind. As a clear rule of thumb the greater the total investment, the greater the end results.
2. Do compare yourself with yourself. Not others. Sometimes it motivates to compare yourself with others. Most of the times it doesn’t, though. In the end, its only about your own progress. A bit better every month. Comparing yourself with exceptional examples and specifically freaks in bright lights is statistically destructive. Compare yourself with yourself from a week, a month and a year ago. Thats statistically much more productive.
3. The Way is the Goal. Focus on progress over everything. Nobody can predict the results one gets. In any scenarios predictions and forecasts are statistically always wrong. Research proven this over and over again. One of my favorites is when Playboy bunnies outperformed Wall Street Investors on the stock market (5). A great example that an Ivy League education is not superior to just looking good in bunny dress, when it comes to predicting the unpredictable, which basically anything that happens in the future. We can barely predict future results. We can actively influence progress though. As progress is what can be assessed, managed and facilitated. Measure progress. Once you stall, change. Repeat. The more consistent you are in this approach, the more progress will pile up. 1% down, and 1kg muscle up a month isn’t much. After one year, thats 12% down and 12kg muscle up, thats a different person.
This article is called „The Ultimate Guide to Body Comp Transformations“ as it gives an conceptual overview over the three major pillars of Body Comp Results – training, nutrition and mindset.
A conceptual overview is key, as it acts like a GPS. It allows you to adjust your training, your nutrition and your mental approach. In this case to make constant progress in Body Comp.
I have been lecturing on Body Comp in Hongkong and Thailand last month, and I will be lecturing in Vienna, the Dominican Republic, Amsterdam and Brugge/Belgium in spring next year. If you are interested in the specifics of my work and methods to improve Body Comp join me in these upcoming lectures.
Also can also get one of my eBooks, join our YPSI Online Coaching and of course our online seminar on the YPSI Online Education Platform for more practical insights.
References:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEfSdPz1WtA
2. Anti Aging, Biomarkers and Strength Training
3. Advanced Trainings Tip, Wolfgang Unsoeld, Riva 2017
4. https://academic.oup.com/jhmas/article/63/2/139/772615
5. https://tradingmarkets.com/recent/and_the_winner_is-674304.html
Picture: Sven Knebel with the epitome of a Body Comp Transformations. More on it here.
]]>Thats a question I have been asked frequently over the last 10 years.
And the answer is not as simple as yes or no.
First, we need to define what „successful“ is. Does that mean you do better than the average at your sport? Or does it mean that you are in elite percentile competing and winning at World Championships and Olympic Games. To argue that a vegan diet is excellent for athletic performance and that there are successful vegan athletes the latter should be the case.
Second, we need to define what a „vegan athlete“ is. Again, sounds simple, it isn’t that simple though. If I compete and win the World Championship today at noon and my breakfast was vegan, does that make me a vegan World Champion? I think everyone will answer with a clear „no“ to that one. Yet, what if one has been a vegan for 3 months or a year before becoming a World Champion, does that make that athlete a vegan World Champion? Despite training and developing in the sport for 5 to 15 years on an omnivore diet including animal products leading up to the win.
One classic example is the Bodybuilder and 4time Mr Universe Bill Pearl. He is known as being the first successful vegetarian bodybuilder. The intersting point here is that during his 19 years of competitive bodybuilding he was vegetarian for only the least 2 years. And won 3 of his 4 Mr Universe Titles as an omnivore. So the clear point has to be that he build his muscles and his body in a span of over 20 years with eating an omnivore diet including meats. Does that make him a successful vegetarian bodybuilder?
And there are many more examples like this were athletes and their success are taken out of context to promote a vegan diet.
To clarify this right away, this is not an anti-vegan post. Even though I don’t recommend a vegan diet, I do see multiple benefits of the vegan diet. And I know multiple people that do well eating vegan. Actually three out of the first seven guests on my The Wolfgang Unsoeld Podcast were vegan at the point of recording the podcast. And I had zero intent to try to convince them otherwise.
The intent of this post is to look at the validity of the examples of „successful vegan athletes“ given.
The first two points I make is:
With the„The Gamechangers“ documentary being very popular, many nutrition experts have taken the time to dissect and research the statements made in the documentary and about successful vegan athletes in particular.
I have come across the following segment, that has been put together by Chris Kresser, who looked at and researched the „successful vegan athletes“ in that movie and beyond.
If you watch the film, you come away with the idea that Baboumian is one of the top strongmen in the world. They emphasize his “multiple world records including the front-hold, keg lift, log lift, and super yoke.”
However, while certainly impressive, Baboumian is not a world-class strongman. He hasn’t even been invited to the top strongmen competitions like Giants Live, World’s Strongest Man, or the Arnold Strongman Classic. Many of his best lifts wouldn’t qualify as minimum weights for the world strongman competitions. A lot of his “world records” are regional in nature.
Baboumian’s top deadlift weight of 794 lb. is not competitive on the world stage. The current world record amongst Strongman is 1102 lb.
He now appears to be injured or retired. There has been no activity on his Wikipedia page since 2015. (1)
Mitchell is an Australian sprinter who was a former champion in the 400m. She went vegan in 2014.
In 2017, she finished in 26th place at the World Championships.
Mitchell no longer runs the 400m because she’s too slow. Her 2019 400m time was slower than 10 American 9th grade girls. (2,3)
Farris went to the Olympics in 2008 and 2012, and built his strength/career before he went vegan. In 2008, his total weight was 362 kilos (between snatch, clean, and jerk) and 2012 a 355kg total both in the 85 kg weight class. In 2016, he was in a higher weight class (94 kg, which is 20 lb. heavier), but he lifted even less weight, 357 kg, on a relative score. He hasn’t competed since then.
A big deal is made in the film about how Diaz, a plant-based fighter, beat Conor McGregor, an omnivore. Diaz is not vegan; he eats fish and eggs. McGregor was cutting down to 155 lb. to fight another opponent (and has only fought at 145 lb. in the UFC before), who withdrew at the last minute. Diaz was fighting at 170 lb., so McGregor had to try to regain that weight in one week. This is very difficult to do, and it decreases aerobic capacity (and conditioning). In a rematch four months later, McGregor won.
Jennings went vegan at the end of 2013. His record was 17-0 before going vegan, and 7-4 after going vegan.
Thanks to Tennessee Titan Derrick Morgan’s wife, Charity, Morgan transitioned to a vegan diet in early 2017. The couple convinced several other Tennessee Titans to make the change as well. A 2018 report stated that 11 players on the Titans adhered to a plant-based eating plan. The report didn’t mention that in 2019, 5 of those players are out of the NFL and most didn’t sustain a vegan diet.
Morgan went vegan in 2017. He had knee and shoulder injuries in 2018. He was unable to recover from these injuries, and retired in 2019 at the age of 30.
When he retired, Morgan was quoted in Forbes as saying, “I’m at a time where, physically and mentally, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to continue.”
Whalen went vegan in the 2013/2014 season. He got injured in 2015 and was waived, signed, and waived by several teams between 2016 and 2019. Whalen signed with a CFL team in 2019, and then was released. It appears he is not playing professionally now.
Orakpo went vegan in 2017. He sustained injuries in 2018, and he retired in 2019.
Casey is not vegan; he still eats fish.
Delgado built muscle on dairy, eggs, and whey—all very highly rated on the DIAAS (Protein Quality Score).
Bausch was a seven-time U.S. champion before going vegan. Bausch became vegan in 2009, and won a silver medal in 2012. Then she retired after that. Bausch appears to have done well for at least three years on a vegan diet.
Jurek appears to be doing very well on a plant-based/vegan diet. That said, a Belgian dentist shattered his 2015 Appalachian Trail record without getting injured (unlike Jurek), while eating 10,000 calories a day of pizza, potato chips, lots of candy, M&Ms, and granola bars. There’s a lot more to performance than diet!
Shieff won the 2009 Barclaycard World Freerun Championship. He went vegan in 2012. He started eating eggs and fish again in 2018 after experiencing severe health problems, including “digestion issues, depression, fatigue, brain fog, lack of energy,” and “waking up stiff” in his joints. “I couldn’t do push-ups without getting injured,” he said. He even did a 35-day water fast. Shieff was originally featured in The Game Changers, but was dropped from the film after he started eating animal foods again.
Newton switched to a vegan diet in February 2019 and had the worst season of his career. He had minus-2 yards on five carries in the first two games this year. He rushed for more than 33 yards in a game only once in his last nine starts. Newton also developed a Lisfranc injury in his foot, which hasn’t responded to treatment, will likely require surgery, and may be career-ending. An article on ESPN speculated that the Panthers are going to release him. (4)
An article in The Charlotte Observer speculated that Newton’s vegan diet was harming his performance and impairing his recovery. “Go back to 2015 Cam, badass Cam. He was a pescatarian,” said Chris Howard, a certified nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach from Waxhaw. “Salmon, shrimp, you get a lot of good fats and complete proteins. In fact, (fish) is one of the best protein sources there is. Now you take away the most valuable part of that.
A vegan diet is lower in bioavailable protein, especially collagen, which is critical for recovery and repair. (diet), and … there’s just no way around it: He can’t recover as well with less nutrients, with less calories and with less muscle mass. It’s just not going to happen.” (5)
The vegan diet is lower in bioavailable protein, especially collagen, which is critical for recovery and repair. Newton also lost at least 10 lb. For ahigh-level athlete like him, losing this
much weight can affect energy and ability to recover from injuries. A 250-lb. highly active person needs almost 4,000 calories. It’s hard to get that on a vegan diet.
Djokovic went dairy-free, gluten-free, and nightshade-free and became the best athlete in the world. After he went vegan, his ranking dropped to number 22, the lowest since he was a teenager. Then he added some meat and fish back in, and his ranking went back to number one.
As of 2019, he has a serious shoulder injury.
Ilyin is a vegan weightlifter who has been more successful than Kendrick Farris (two-time Olympic champion in the same weight class). He was later stripped of his titles after his samples retested positive for anabolic steroids. Could this be why he wasn’t included in the film?
Morgan went vegan in 2019. In an article in Yahoo! Sports in July 2019, she was quoted saying: “I’m knocking on wood right now, but I haven’t had a serious injury [since her last, which was before going vegan] and I credit that to my diet.” (6) But literally on the same day that The Game Changers premiered (September 16, 2019), she announced a season-ending knee injury. (6)
Lewis switched to a vegan diet in 1990, and had great results in 1991. He built his body/speed with a diet containing animal products. But after 1991,
he became progressively less consistent, got injured, and retired. That’s a good example of the “vegan honeymoon.”
Lillard went vegan for five months, and then added animal protein back into his diet due to excessive weight loss. “I did it, but I started to lose a little bit too much weight with all the games and practices and all that,” Lillard said on a podcast. “I had to balance it out, so now I’ve been mixing it up a little bit more, having vegan meals, still mixing it up with other stuff.” (7)
Irving had season-ending injuries in 2015 and 2018.
He missed at least 15 games because of injuries in three of the last four
seasons.
The Porter brothers are exceptional, gifted athletes that seemed destined for bright careers in the NBA. Raised vegetarian, they then switched to a full vegan diet. Michael has been plagued with back injuries, and has played only three college games. He was still drafted by the Denver Nuggets, had back surgery, and hasn’t played a single game in his rookie season. He tried to make a comeback this summer, but suffered a knee injury. Michael’s younger brother Jontay was also expected to go pro, but he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in college. Six months later, he tore his ACL again. He was not drafted by the NBA.
Foster was a very successful NFL player who shocked the NFL by announcing on Twitter that he was going vegan in July 2012. “Officially a vegan now. We’ll see how far this goes.” By November 2012, he was already not 100 percent vegan. In a Houston Chronicle article, he said “I just wanted a piece of chicken. It wasn’t like temptation. I felt like I could use one” (8). In 2013, he added fish and chicken back to his diet because he was struggling. According to his nutritionist: “But the volume of food you have to eat as a vegan is pretty large. If you need 5,000 calories a day, that’s a lot of plants” (9).
Back in 2007, Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez went vegan. Three weeks later: “The 100-pound dumbbells he used to easily throw around felt like lead weights,” the article says. “I was scared out of my mind,” (Gonzalez) said. He had lost 10 lb. Gonzalez ended up adding small amounts of animal protein back to his diet (10).
McCoy, a former vegan, says: “The explosiveness wasn’t sustainable because I didn’t have that extra oomph that I needed, because of the lack of the type of protein I was taking in, so I just added a little bit of animal protein back in my diet and it’s given me that oomph back” (10).
“The Arizona Cardinals star running back went full vegan ahead of the 2017 season, which led to his dramatic—and unwanted—weight loss” (11).
They are not vegan all the time; they still eat animal protein.
Scott Jurek from the film, and Rich Roll. As well as Nineteen elite athletes in various sports (12).
Again, all credit for putting this together goes to Chris Kresser.
Overall it also points out that despite all the media hype the relative of amount vegan athletes is very low. And the actual amount of vegan athletes winning World Championships and Olympics or just competing on an Elite Level is close to zero. And thats not an opinion. Its a fact. And we are allowed to have our opinions and make our own decisions. Yet, we are not allowed to have our own facts.
To clarify this again, this is not an anti-vegan post. Even though I don’t recommend a vegan diet, I do see multiple benefits of the vegan diet. The amount of „successful vegan athletes“ and the validity behind such claims is very low though.
Click here for more english articles on training and nutrition by Wolfgang Unsoeld.
References:
One the most discussed topics in nutrition of all time is „Low Carb vs. High Carb – whats better?“
In the 80s and 90s fat was demonized as causing heart disease and carbs were said to be essential for physical and cognitive performance. What a decade later had been proved wrong, even in the public eye. And the Low-Carb Craze started. Carbs were demonized an the cause of all obesity and nutritional problems. One step further No Carb and Ketogenic Diets promised health, performance and longevity. Basically all of them have some compelling arguments that speak for their approach.
If I d have to give one single option to everyone, assuming that this won’t work for everyone. Still, it would work for the most, I d clearly choose a Low Carb approach.
Yes, I am.
First, looking a the research, were I reference Jonny Bowden as he has done the best job so far in his book „Living the Low Carb Life“ (1) at collecting, dissecting and presenting the scientific benefits of a low carb approach. The points are clear, there are many benefits to a Low Carb approach. The human genome and metabolism has evolved on a Low Carb approach. Primarily because to was no access to regular high carb feedings before the invention of agriculture. Without agriculture, we can not consume regular high carb meals and therefore have a steady intake of carbs. As agriculture is only about 6000 to 12000 years old depending on the region. And we humans have been around for about a million years. So the total time that we had access to a potential high carb diet is very small compared to the total time of our existence. We have evolved on a Low Carb Diet. A historical fact.
Second, look at empirical evidence, the majority of people in the western world have experienced that cutting carbohydrates and eating more protein and fats, leads not only to a decrease in body fat, it also leads to an increase in cognitive performance and wellbeing. Many think better and feel better on a Low Carb approach.
The definition of Low Carb is needs to be clearly set to differentiate between Low Carb and No Carb. The major definition of Low Carb is around 20% of the calories from carbs. That means a 3000kcal or 2000kcal daily consumption lies between 150g or 100g of carbs per day. Which is actually decent amount of carbs and therefore a quite sustainable approach to nutrition.
Compared to a No Carb approach which is primarily defined as less than 30g of carbs per day with all carbs coming from vegetables with zero starches and sugars. Even though many do well on a No Carb approach due to the reliable decrease in body fat and an increase in cognitive performance and wellbeing, few will maintain a No Carb approach for long. As these initial improvements often wind off with weeks or months and downsides emerge. Which makes a No Carb approach not sustainable for most.
Especially for the majority of wellness-oriented clients that are not willing to sacrifice as much as more performance-oriented athletes.
Definitely not. Even though the majority does well on a Low Carb approach, some actually experience a decrease in performance, recovery, sleep quality and stagnant fatloss.
Low Carb does not work for everyone.
When considering carbohydrate intake and a nutritional approach there basically three major options. High Carb, Low Carb and No Carb.
All of these actually do get results. For some people. And for some goals.
Lets look at each of the three main options, their history and their definitions
During the second half of the last century the High Carb Low Fat Approach was heavily popularized for improving cardiovascular health. In the 1950’s an American physiologist named Ancel Keys spread the idea that saturated fat caused high cholesterol and that high cholesterol caused heart disease. He did a study called „The Seven Countries Study“(2) that looked at a number of different countries, and correlated their consumption of saturated fat with the risk of heart disease.
He published a paper that claimed that it was a high fat intake that causes cardiovascular disease. While ignoring multiple countries where this correlations actually wasn’t true. Chile had high rates of heart disease and diets low in saturated fat. The Netherlands and Norway had low rates of heart disease and diets high in saturated fat. Those countries were just left out. This form of science led physicians to embrace the low fat diet for heart disease prevention and weight loss. By the 1960s, the low-fat diet began to be touted not just for high-risk heart patients, but as good for everyone.
Were many jumped to the conclusion that if low fat is also better physical performance. Primarily based on the lines of thought. First, fat is bad for heart and cardiovascular health which essential for sports performance, so low fat increase cardiovascular performance. Second, carbs are necessary for sports performance, so more carbs equal more performance. Pre-competition carloading or so called „pasta parties“ were very common in the 80s and 90s. Not just for endurance sports, also for team and individual sports. And if its good for sports it must also be good to loose weight and body fat. And since fat makes fat, it all made sense.
So High Carb Low Fat was heavily promoted as being the healthiest diet. As it improved cardiovascular health and performance.
The High Carb Low Fat approach became an dominant ideology, promoted by physicians, the government, the food industry, and the popular health media. Many subscribed to the ideology of low fat, even though there was no clear evidence that it prevented heart disease or promoted weight loss. Ironically, in the same decades that the low-fat approach assumed ideological status, people were getting fatter, leading to what many called an obesity epidemic. Only in the last two decades scientific and empirical evidence has let to a paradigm shift putting sugar and transfer consumption at the forefront of nutritional risk factors for cardiovascular conditions (2) and as an efficient approach to loose body weight and body fat. And that way initiating the rise of the Low Carb wave.
The initial evidence of a Low Carb Approach being used as a „diet“ dates back the the 1700s.
In 1797, John Rollo reported on the results of treating two diabetic Army officers with a low-carbohydrate diet and medications. A very low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet was the standard treatment for diabetes throughout the nineteenth century (4,5).
In 1863, William Banting, a formerly obese English undertaker and coffin maker, published „Letter on Corpulence Addressed to the Public“, in which he described a diet for weight control giving up bread, butter, milk, sugar, beer, and potatoes (6). His booklet was widely read, so much so that some people used the term „Banting“ for the activity now called „dieting“(7).
The next big step was in In 1972, Robert Atkins published Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution, which advocated the low-carbohydrate diet he had successfully used in treating people in the 1960s (8). Despite reserving plenty of public criticism Dr Atkins paved the way for a Low Carb Approach in medicine and eventually in sports performance.
With research showing that eating fat doesn’t necessarily makes fat and nutritional fat doesn’t equal blood lipids and a high risk for cardiovascular disease, the Low Carb approach caught up again.
And it took over in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the go to approach to loosing body fat and regaining health.
Without looking at any research here and just connecting dots. If one gains body fat and looses health due to an excess of carbs, lower carb intake is a logical solution lower body fat and regain health. Research proved this over and over again. So did success stories.
Important to note here is despite the research and overwhelming amount of success stories there were still cases of people loosing body fat with a high carb approach and sworn by high carbs to improve sports performance. More on this later.
With the new wide spread surge of the Low Carb approach it wasn’t long until some took it further with a No Carb Approach or even Ketogenic Diet. Often fueled by: If low carb is better, no carb is best. And definitely some compelling research about No Carb or Ketogenic Diet.
A No Carb Approach is often a synonym for the Ketogenic Diet. Yes, a Ketogenic Diet involves eating no carbohydrates, for most truly going into ketosis a no carb, low to moderate protein and high fat approach is necessary. Getting more than 30% of their calories from protein pushes many out of ketosis, while its still technically a no carb diet. This can be 60% of calories from protein, 35% from fat, and less than 5% from carbs. At 2500kcal per day that macro distribution is about 375g protein, 110g fat and 30g carbs. Thats a an approach often used in physique competitions such as bodybuilding with great success especially in the intermediate and final stages of a competition prep.
It basically means a No Carb Approach is not always a Ketogenic Diet.
A Ketogenic Diet is always a No Carb approach though.
The Ketogenic Diet has risen to new heights in the last years. And has produced excellent results for many when it comes to fatloss, every day performance and health. An important fact to consider though is that a Ketogenic Diet is rarely sustained over longer period of time such as 6 months and more. The main reason for is because a longterm Ketogenic Diet leads to a negative feedback loop and neurochemistry and the stress hormones. Often resulting in mood swings, a decrease in sleep quality and volume, fatigue, impaired recovery from training and more.
That doesn’t make a Ketogenic Diet a bad approach. It adjust points out that the sustainability of the Ketogenic Diet is low for most. The Ketogenic Diet is actually an excellent approach from a health standpoint especially for people with certain conditions. Of the years science has observed exceptional results with the Ketogenic Diet on brain-related conditions such as epilepsy.
In the 1920s a group of Doctors at the Mayo Clinic with the Ketogenic Diet to mimic the success of fasting on epilepsy with great results. Which was one of the first scientific medical breakthroughs in using nutrition to deal with a medical condition, in this case epilepsy. Proven by several notable medical authorities, the Ketogenic Diet as a treatment for childhood epilepsy found its way into medical textbooks in the 1940s and has remained there until today.
Beyond this example from 100 years ago, many benefits of the Ketogenic Diet have been proven over the last decades.
A true Ketogenic Diet is a rather extreme approach and will work in many for many goals. Its low sustainability is definitely one of its major drawbacks.
Using a Ketogenic Diet for a specific goal over a short- or midterm time frame is how I approach it in my work at the YPSI. Which has shown to provide the advantages will dealing with the disadvantages quite well.
Speaking of High Carb, Low Carb and No Carb another group of nutritional prophets will claim: That doesn’t matter, just go to into a calorie deficit and you will loose fat.
The CICO or calories in vs. calories out card has been played for years. The are many studies like this one (9) that basically „prove“ that it makes no differences what you eat as far as macro nutrient distribution, only the calories matter. Sounds simple. Technically its highly oversimplified though. Looking at a study like the one above the participants are obese. One of the main reasons for obesity is overeating or a constant calorie-surplus. Thats correct. Therefore basically just restricting calories will make the obese lose weight and fat. The study proved that. And there are many other example that are often cited that prove the same, results in for a very narrow target group and a very narrow setting.
Three considerations that are crucial when considering the success rate of a CICO approach are:
This one might seem to obvious. Especially in the context of nutritional success the clear definition of „success“ is a missing piece. Are we just talking weight- and fatloss? Or do we consider wellbeing, sleep quality, recovery from training and every day performance especially brain performance factors that need to be considered? All the sudden a CICO approach will does not produce such great results anymore. Food is energy. Calories are energy. Energy needs to be taken in, to be spent. One needs to eat to work train, train hard and recover. These three aspects that go beyond just weight- and fatloss need to be considered when defining the success of a nutritional approach.
Whats with the ones that still don’t loose fat despite being in a calorie deficit? As a rule of thumb, the younger, leaner and more active a person is, the greater the results with a CICO approach. Statistically the majority of people that like to loose weight and body fat while functioning well and feeling great in their daily life are not on the younger, leaner and more active side. I regularly see clients that consult with me that are convinced that they are fat or can’t get abs because the eat too much. After some analysis is clear that they are far from eating too much or a calorie excess on a daily and weekly base. And clients show me their nutrition history including periods of a severe calorie deficit. And they consult me because they still didn’t loose the body fat they wanted to loose. Whats with these cases? Is there something else that matters beyond calories?
Hormones have an impact, too. So does neurochemistry. If one gets lean and progresses in training while feeling great and having a functioning brain by just going into a calorie deficit, great, keep going. If thats not the case, more factors, such as food choice, hormones and neurochemistry need to be assessed and optimized.
But, calories directly influence hormones and neurochemistry. That is correct. Still calories is only one factor that influences hormones and neurochemistry.
Certain foods have a greater impact on each that others, like 1000kcal from steak and spinach vs. a 1000kcal from ice cream. Certain drinks have a greater impact on each that others, like water vs. coffee. Certain activities have a greater impact on each that others, like working a 14h day vs. lying on a beach all day. And so on.
Calories in vs. calories out for fatloss and results in the gym matters. Its just not the only aspect that matters. Next to hormones and neurochemistry, a definite aspect for multi-faceted success through nutrition is macronutrient distribution.
Many diets play around with macronutrient distribution. And many diets show scientific and anecdotal success.
Lately I hear this one a lot. And its one of the most short-sighted statements that I have ever heard about nutrition.
The main argument on that one is: Research proves all diets work, so you can just choose one and stick to it and you ll get results. So its just about adhering to one diet.
Its like stating: It doesn’t matter if you go north, south, east or west, statistics prove that you ll always end up in Rome.
Thats actually correct. Statistically many will end up in Rome at some point. That questions bearing are: How many end up in Rome, how long did it take, how much effort was invested and how did you feel along the way?
In the sense of a diet, basically everyone that has tried different approaches, has experienced with at least one, were they just didn’t feel and perform good on.
Which is one of the main downsides of the majority of research regarding diets as the majority only measures weight- and/or fatloss completed negating every day wellbeing and performance.
There is research to people have lost weight and body fat on an all-pizza, all-cake and all-McDonalds diet. It proves one point. Yet, imagine only eating pizza for weeks, or only eating cake for weeks, or only eating McDonalds for weeks. How would you feel? How would you function? Most feel miserable after just eating like that for a single day.
How well do you feel and perform on a nutritional approach is crucial and needs to be considered when stating „all diets work“. How is „work“ defined? Just from a pure weight- and fatloss standpoint? Science mostly does that. The Real World doesn’t.
Some will just toughen through feeling worse and having a slow brain for the sake of some weight- and fatloss. Its just not a realistic approach for most.
Carbs are not bad. They are good if you deserve them. Thats a point I made in my „2 Things I know for sure about nutrition“ article a few year ago. I also wrote on a „Peri-Workout Carb Loading Protocol“ and the great success I have had with the recommendation of consuming in between 400g and 600g of carbs just around the workout window with some clients and athletes.
Carbs have many benefits. Yes, they are not Paleo. Yet, being muscular 100kg bodyweight and squatting 200kg is not Paleo either. Carbs applied properly can facilitate progress and allows to get leaner fater, get bigger faster and get stronger faster. Sleep better, think better and live better.
History has proven over and over again that demonizing a certain aspect will turn out as false over time. Just consider the concept of witches.
There are two primary benefits of eating carbohydrates that I constantly address working with clients and athletes:
Carbs have impact on blood sugar levels which impacts neurotransmitter production. Neurotransmitter regulate the signaling in our nervous system which governs the majority of functions in our body. From recruiting muscle fibers and increasing testosterone to calming down the system at night and sleeping better. Carb intake correctly adjusted and timed is a major tool in getting to nutrition and training goals faster.
Glycogen is carbs stored in our muscles. In circa-maximal and maximal efforts below 2 minutes carbs are the primary energy source. Thats because the anaerobic energy system is the primary energy system in this demands which provides us with ATP, the form of energy that all our cells use. And the anaerobic energy system primarily turns glycogen in ATP. The majority of training that one does for strength, hypertrophy, fatloss and conditioning are circa-maximal and maximal efforts below 2 minutes. So they primarily take place in the anaerobic energy system and therefore glycogen levels are crucial to provide energy. And more energy spent means a greater training effect from a metabolic perspective. Using carbs to increase glycogen content in the muscle via muscle glycogen synthesis is essential for many training goals. That way carb intake optimally adjusted and timed is a major tool in getting to nutrition and training goals faster.
The best diet for an individual is the one that allows them to achieve their goals, which is in many cases the loss or maintenance of bodyweight and body fat, combined with a high level of wellbeing and every day performance. While being a diet that is sustainable for them.
Sounds very simple. It is very simple. Its just not easy. And the two major hurdles here are:
One of the downfalls of a sustainable change in nutrition is the lack of objective proof that the change actually led to results. And vice versa, that means we need objective measures that proof if something is working. If its working, keep going. If its not working, time to change. Next to the most popular tool the objective assessment of success through dietary change, which is the scale, we need a more precise tool to assess body fat specifically. That tool of choice for my work is the YPSI Skinfold Assessment. As it not only allows to assess body fat, it also allows specifically assess where one is losing, stalling or gaining body fat. That allows to make more precise choice in changing nutrition to get and keep getting results.
And I choose objective measures such as the skin fold measurement over subjective measures such as the mirror, any given day. As the emotional mind likes to play tricks with subjective measures. And the rational mind dominates objective measures. Which is key to getting results with a wide variety of people in a wide variety of scenarios.
Even for an individual the approach that works right now hasn’t necessarily work 5 years ago, or will work in 5 years form now. Life is reactive, it changes. Many factors influence the currently best nutritional approach. Sleep, lifestyle, stress, activity level, micronutrient deficiencies and more all have an effect. This is why the nutritional approach needs to be adapted. Just cause Low Carb worked 5 years ago doesn’t mean it works now. Just cause Low Carb didn’t work 5 years ago doesn’t mean it works now. And vice versa. The optimal nutritional approach needs to be adaptive to work. And the base of adaption is a thorough assessment.
The intent of this article isn’t to give the ultimate answer to the question of what nutritional approach is best. As trying to answer this one leads to paralysis in many cases. The more one starts to read on nutrition or gets „expert“ advice on nutrition, the more confusion starts to settle in. There is some positive research of basically every nutritional approach. And definitely some positive stories.
Thats the biggest question. What works for me right now, is even more precise. Thats what everyone has to define for the themselves individually. With or without the assessment and advice of a Coach.
The goal for every and every given point is to adjust nutritional habits to the current goal and time. As thats technically the only approach to determine and do whats currently working.
The human genome has evolved on a Low Carb approach, still going No Carb or High Carb, does bring benefits.
Low Carb is the best diet for humans, is like saying Mallorca is the best vacation spot ever. Sometimes its good to go to the top of a mountain in the Alpes or to some ice and rocks in Ushuaia in southern Argentina. Times change. Needs change. Assess and adapt.
References
(1) Living the Low Carb Life, by Jonny Bowden
(2) The Seven Countries Study
(3) https://examine.com/nutrition/low-fat-vs-low-carb-for-weight-loss/
(4) Morgan W (1877). Diabetes mellitus: its history, chemistry, anatomy, pathology, physiology, and treatment.
(5) Einhorn M (1905). Lectures on dietetics.
(6) Banting W (1869). Letter On Corpulence, Addressed to the Public (4th ed.). London, England: Harrison. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
(7) Groves B (2002). „William Banting Father of the Low-Carbohydrate Diet“.
(8) Gordon E, Goldberg M, Chosy G (October 1963). „A New Concept in the Treatment of Obesity„. JAMA. 186 (1): 50–60.
(9) https://academic.oup.com/jhmas/article/63/2/139/772615
Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes of living organisms. Our human biochemistry regulates what happens on a cellular level. It regulates how much energy we have, how fast we recover and how well we sleep.
Biochemistry can be divided in three fields; molecular genetics, protein science and metabolism. Biochemistry has through these three disciplines become successful at explaining living processes. Biochemistry focuses on understanding how biological molecules give rise to the processes that occur within living cells and between cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study and understanding of tissues, organs, and organism structure and function.
… three distinct topics:
1. The structure, production and function of biochemicals– such as macronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
2. The regulation of metabolism – which cellular energy production.
3. The transmisson of information – within and in between cells, through biochemicals like hormones and neurotransmitters
So much of biochemistry deals with the structures, functions and interactions of biological macromolecules, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
Why should I care as a Personal Trainer or just someone who likes to train and be in shape? There two main reasons why everyone who is interested in optimizing wellbeing and performance should in interested in biochemistry and especially applied biochemistry
Biochemistry is what regulates how we function on a cellular level.
Applied Biochemistry is how optimize biochemistry and therefore cellular function through external intervention on areas such as nutrition, supplementation, lifestyle and training.
On of the first breakthroughs in using applied biochemistry was in 1820 when the supplementation of Iodine healed goiter. Taking this example of goiter, which as an enlarged thyroid a few steps ahead and looking at it from the perspective „how does that help me build muscle and loose fat faster?“ We can look a selenium, a trace mineral with multiple biochemical functions that are important for every Personaltrainer.
First and foremost, Selenium plays an essential role in hormone production. The thyroid gland uses selenium to convert thyroxine hormone (T4) into its active form, triiodothyronine hormone (T3). Studies have also confirmed that selenium is an extremely important nutrient for maintaining the quality of your sperm (1), as well as improving testosterone levels (2). That means fixing a selenium deficiency can increase thyroid hormone and testosterone levels and that way our metabolism, fatloss and musclebuilding. Selenium can come from supplementation or whole foods such as brazil nuts.
One can train hard and eat clean, if there is an existing selenium deficiency, it will diminish thyroid function as well as testosterone level and that way slow down progress.
Dozen micronutrients take part in cellular processes. Understanding which micronutrient effects which processes and how to assess and diminish individual deficiencies is crucial optimize biochemistry on a cellular level and therefore cellular function.
Understanding biochemistry, the functions and purpose of macro- and micronutrients as well as cellular pathways such as methylation and hepatic biotransformation, the functions of the immune system, regulation of protein synthesis, neurotransmitter production and the endocrine system in its theoretical base is crucial for any Personaltrainer who focuses on a holistic approach that builds on and goes beyond the „train hard and eat clean“ paradigm.
Throughout the last years I have been asked many times to put together a course that goes through the theoretical base of „Biochemistry for Personaltrainers“ in the practical and efficient format all YPSI Seminars are structured in. In Fall of 2020 I ll put this course together as an Online Module on the YSPI Online Education Platform. Its the A to Z of Biochemistry, cut down in precise segment on the different topics of biochemistry. The course covers Biochemistry as the most important base for a functional approach to nutrition and lifestyle, that builds on picking specific foods and nutrients to optimize biochemistry, for more results in and out of the gym.
References:
1. Safarinejad, Mohammad Reza, and Shiva Safarinejad. „Efficacy of selenium and/or N-acetyl-cysteine for improving semen parameters in infertile men: a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized study.“ The Journal of Urology 181, no. 2 (2009): 741-751.
2. Oluboyo, A. O., R. U. Adijeh, C. C. Onyenekwe, B. O. Oluboyo, T. C. Mbaeri, C. N. Odiegwu, G. O. Chukwuma, and U. F. Onwuasoanya. „Relationship between serum levels of testosterone, zinc and selenium in infertile males attending fertility clinic in Nnewi, south east Nigeria.“ African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 41 (2012): 51-54.
You want to use your tool for a long time? Then maintain it properly!
The YPSI tool is manufactured 100% in Germany. Highest precision and many years of experience in wood processing make it unique. Its made from regional wood, in this case pear, to guarantee the best possible quality. For the protection and the intended use the wood is oiled several times. Oiling is (again) an absolute quality feature. For the furniture industry, however, this process is extremely time-consuming and therefore reluctant to use. Oiled furniture is particularly advertised and is extremely expensive. But also the correct oiling is a small art for itself.
We use a natural oil based on flaxseed oil from a Swabian company in several steps. This oil meets the highest safety standards in Germany, as it is also used for children’s toys and is verified with the important seal of approval „sweat- and saliva-stable“ (DIN 53160-1:2010-10).
Since the YPSI tool or wood is antimicrobial by nature and can easily change in colour, it should be maintained regularly and properly. During massage or scraping, the wood may appear somewhat paler. However, this is only a visual impression, because the function and positive properties of wood are completely preserved.
At this point it should be mentioned that we only recommend the following points for the care of the YPSI tool.
Important, please do not use a disinfectant spray on the wood!
The optimal care of the YPSI tool:
1st Place goes to the natural natural products salt and lemon. Wipe the tool with sufficient salt and lemon. Done! Both have an antibacterial effect and thanks to the lemon your tool gets a beautiful shine again.
2nd place goes to the tried and tested household remedy „soda powder“. At the moment it is celebrating another big revival and is used as the care and cleaning agent par excellence. It is cheap to buy and easy to use. Simply rub the tool with soda powder and wipe with lemon again. Done.
3rd Place and thus bronze goes to a damp cloth. If it has to go fast and you have neither salt nor lemon at hand, take a damp cloth and wipe your tool briefly. Important, your cloth should be damp and not wet.
Finally, you can oil the tool at regular intervals – 1 to 2 times a year when using it as a PT for a couple minutes every day. Give your tool the finishing touch and instead of tipping your linseed oil into the salad, take 1-2 drops and rub it evenly into your tool. Important: don’t take too much flaxseed oil and wipe it off with a dry cloth after 1-2 minutes. Done!
Follow the tips to maintain your YPSI tool and you will be able to achieve excellent results with it for many years while it still looks great!
More information about the YPSI Tool and its optimal use to optimize mobility and stability can be obtained directly at a YPSI Tool Seminar.
You can order the YPSI Tool right here
Picture: The YPSI Tool with some salt and lemon.
]]>The Definition of Muscle Testing: “Manual Muscle Testing is a procedure for the evaluation of the function and strength of individual muscles and muscle groups based on effective performance of a movement in relation to the forces of gravity and manual resistance.”
Muscle Testing is often a misunderstood diagnostic procedure. Especially in the training world it is highly underrated procedure. Muscle Testing is a viable means of evaluating the musculoskeletal system to determine muscle/s that may be inactive. It is also used to determine the level of nerve interference from the brain to the neuromuscular junction. Typically, removing the interference brings strength back to the previously weak muscle. The return of strength is felt by the person tested and the tester. This is well accepted.
Muscle Testing is not a strength test. It tests the electrical tone of the muscles. It tests muscle activity. Many muscle in the arms, legs and torso can be tested. To give you an idea of what it feels like. Imagine standing upright and extending your arm out to the front. The person tests you will slightly push the hand down. This tests the strength of the anterior deltoid, the front part of the main shoulder muscle. Can you easily resist a slight increase in pressure or does your arm go down immediately? This is an excellent indicator of the activity of a muscle. Of course, if one goes from a slight increase of pressure to putting a lot of weight on the hand it will basically be impossible to hold the arm straight in front of you. How much pressure you can maintain is a strength test. How well you respond to a slight increase in pressure is an activity test. Which is the primary focus of muscle testing. Assessing the current function of a muscle.
And the function of a single muscle correlates of the whole muscular system, which correlates with the organ, endocrine, immune und nervous system. Therefore the assessment of the muscular system via muscle testing can be used to assess an individual response to foods and supplements.
The human body works much like a computer. Your body knows, at any moment and at some level, what is wrong and what it needs. From the perspective of quantum biology, the human body is a hologram composed of intersecting lines of electromagnetic fields – short EMF’s – known as bio-energy.
These EMF’s govern the physical functions of the body and have an intimate relationship with systems, organs, tissue, cells and even DNA. This “bio-energetic field” also serves as a sort of data base for everything that has impacted our health throughout our lives.
If anything impacts the physical body or the electrical grid, either positively or negatively, there is a change in the frequencies or EMF’s. All the organs and systems of the body including the endocrine and immune systems are directly linked to the neurological system.
The nervous system controls muscle contraction. Therefore, any change can be registered in neuromuscular responses. In this way one can evaluate the specific needs of that individual. This electrical/muscular relationship is a natural part of the human system. There is a wealth of peer-reviewed research that confirms the presence and significance of these bio-energetic fields. Everything in the universe has a specific EMF based on its atomic structure. In fact, the basis for all interaction in the universe are governed by EMF’s. Applied Muscle Testing is a process that allows the Trainer to access this natural phenomenon and utilize it for the benefit of the clients well-being and progress in training, specifically for Maximal Strength and Fatloss.
This makes muscle testing an excellent assessment tool primarily for muscle testing and secondarily for foods and supplements.
Wolfgang has demonstrated different muscle testing procedures at seminars over the last 10 years and has urged many students to look deeper into this topic. As the interest into this topic has grown over the last years we will host Bob Guiel at the YPSI for the first time. He has taught Muscle Testing for over 10 years all over the world, from Canada and the US, to Sweden and Australia. He will teach the YPSI Applied Muscle Testing Seminar (Level 1) in September this year in Stuttgart.
To use muscle testing for food and supplements it is crucial to possess sufficient knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. For example, it’s not possible to test the liver’s ability to complete Phase I detoxification without knowing what that process entails, why your body does it, and what biochemical compounds it needs to do the job. These is why Bob Guiel will also teach the YPSI The Alphabet of Functional Nutrition Seminar to give a deep insight into the function and role of minerals, trace minerals and vitamin on a cellular level, the different aspects of hepatic biotransformation, the function of the immune system and methylation as well as many other metabolic pathways.
Picture: Bob Guiel teaching Muscle Testing to a group of Australian Students.
]]>The classic Sots Press is a behind-the-neck press with a snatch (very wide) grip in the bottom position of a squat with flat heels. It is an assistance exercise popularized by Russian weightlifters to increase the ability to stabilize the barbell in the bottom position of the full snatch.
It is named after Russian weightlifter Victor Sots who was known to use 170kg.
The classic Sots Press has a carryover to weightlifting. I primarily use a modified version of it for a different purpose. This modified version of the Sots Press is a behind-the-neck press in the bottom position of the squat with a shoulder width grip and heels 15cm elevated.
The purpose of the Modified Sots Press is to improve extension of the thoracic spine. Improving the thoracic extension is a challenge to basically every single client and athlete I see. And I use a hierarchy of exercises to continuously improve thoracic extension through training. And the Modified Sots Press is in the mid-range of that hierarchy
While mobility drills for the same purpose use up a lot of time with minimal sustainable progress and manual therapy and chiropractic adjusting being great yet often not available, the Modified Sots Press forces the thoracic spine to extend and the load teaches the system to maintain this gain longer
The mechanics are what makes this variation great. Technically all behind-the-neck press variation will improve the thoracic extension to some degree. Still compensating for the lack of thoracic extension by lumbar extension is very common. When I put someone in the bottom of the squat, the high level of flexion in the hip will eliminate the ability to compensate with lumbar extension and therefore force the thoracic spine to extend
The highly elevated heels will eliminate the ankle mobility as a factor. Can this done with flat heels, too? Yes. Yet, outstanding mobility in ankles and thoracic are needed to do so. Which almost no one has. So I eliminate the ankle from the equation and fully focus on the improvement of the thoracic extension with this variation of the Sots Press.
The video shows my training partner Manuel Exner during a training session at the YPSI with 60kg for 6 repetitions. His current PB is 85kg for 2 repetitions.
Where to put the Modified Sots Press in a program
Depending on the individual strength level the Modified Sots Press can be put at any point in the program. I often use it in the A series for more advanced clients and athletes to improve maximal strength and functional hypertrophy of the shoulder girdle in the most optimal posture available. Compared to when I introduce the Modified Sots Press the a beginner client where its put either in the B or C series of a program to primarily focus in improving thoracic extension.
Here are two programs that put the Modified Sots Press in different position of the program.
An example programs to primarily improve thoracic extension
A1 30° DB Incline Press, neutral, 5 sets of 6-8 reps, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
A2 Pullup, close, neutral, paused, 5 sets of 1-3 reps, 4012 Tempo, 120s rest
B1 Modified Sots Press, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
B2 Seated Rope Row, to neck, pronated, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, 3013 Tempo, 120s rest
C 45° DB Comerford Curl, supinated, 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 3010 Tempo, 180s rest
An example programs to primarily increase Functional Hypertrophy
A1 Modified Sots Press, 6 sets of 6,6,4,4,2,6 reps, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
A2 Pullup, pronated, mid grip, 4 sets of 2-4 reps, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
B1 Dips with Fatgripz, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, 3010 Tempo, 120s rest
B2 45° Prone Lateral raise with external rotation, 4 sets of 6-8 reps, 2012 Tempo, 120s rest
The Microperiodization System for both programs is „working up to one heavy set“.
The Modified Sots Press is an excellent exercise to improve posture and muscular balance while improving strength and functional hypertrophy. Its a staple of my programming as it targets one of the statistically most common structural weak links of the clients and athletes I see.
The ability to use high loads with proper form in the Modified Sots Press is an excellent indicator for the health and strength of the shoulder girdle.
Picture: Manuel Exner at the mid point of a repetition of the Modified Sots Press.
]]>Giant Sets have become known as a Hypertrophy method. Technically, based on the length of the set, its not a hypertrophy method though. Sets of a length of 40 to 70 seconds with a load that is close to maximum or the maximum are defined as strengthtraining for hypertrophy. Technically Giant Sets are endurance training and in advanced versions of Giant Sets even aerobic training.
A Giant Set is 4+ exercise done in a row with less than 15 second rest in between the exercise.
A Giant Set with 4 or more sets done in a row of usually 10 reps or more each will last longer than 120 seconds. Which disqualifies the Giant Set as a method of strengthtraining for hypertrophy based on classic terminology.
Still Giant Sets will lead to do increase in hypertrophy when used at the right time with the right person. I even consider Giant Sets the most elite form of hypertrophy training. Thats because no other form of strengthtraining will tax the local muscular metabolism to the degree that Giant Sets do which forces the muscle to grow, if the muscle can recover from it.
So based on classic terminology Giant Sets are not a method of strengthtraining for hypertrophy. To be specific, Giant Sets are a method of increasing local muscular work capacity which leads in combination with the right nutrient intake to the most severe hypertrophy gains that I have ever seen. So why do I not put everybody who wants to gain muscle on it?
Giant Sets are to strength training what a marathon and ultra marathon are to running. The metabolically most demanding and elite form of training. I consider Giant Sets of up to 6-10 exercises depending on the body part similar to a marathon and more than 6-10 exercises depending on the body part similar to a ultra marathon. Which leads directly to the main drawback and misconception around Giant Sets. Giant Sets are an elite form of training, same as a marathon and ultra marathon. One doesn’t start out running and goes straight into these distances. The capacity to endure this volume of demand needs to be built. The capacity to endure this volume of demand needs to be earned.
Local muscular work capacity depends on two primary factors, mitochondrial efficiency based on genetics and training history as well as absolute glycogen levels based on training, nutrient intake and size of the muscle.
So, same as with running a marathon, one needs to built up capacity, specifically in this case the ability to handle loads and increase local muscular work capacity to increase absolute and relative glycogen levels by increasing glycogen storage ability and muscular size.
Once you can run 5k, go to 10k, then a half marathon and then a marathon. And eventually, if its the goal, go for an ultra marathon. The exact same progress is relevant when working up to the use of Giants Sets in training for hypertrophy.
Increasing work capacity can be achieved by doing more reps and more sets for a given exercise selection or just by doing more exercises per training session. In the context of Giant Sets the option of adding more exercise done in a row is the most logical and specific approach.
Moving from Supersets, which are 2 exercises in row with less than 15 seconds in between, to Tri-Sets which are 3 exercises in row a row with less than 15 seconds in between (also check the article on Devils Tri-Sets here) , and to Giant Sets, which are defined above, a program for Biceps can look like this:
A1 DB 45° Incline Curl, supinated grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A2 DB 85° Incline Curl, neutral grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180s rest
A1 EZ Bar Standing Curl, pronated, mid grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A2 DB 45° Incline Curl, supinated grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A3 DB 85° Incline Curl, neutral grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180s rest
A1 EZ Bar Standing Curl, pronated, mid grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A2 EZ Bar Standing Curl, supinated, mid grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A3 DB 45° Incline Curl, neutral grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 10s rest
A4 DB 85° Incline Curl, supinating grip, 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180s rest
A1 EZ Bar Standing Curl, pronated, mid grip
A2 EZ Bar Standing Curl, supinated, mid grip
A3 DB 45° Incline Curl, neutral grip
A4 DB 85° Incline Curl, supinating grip
A5 DB 45° Prone Incline Curl, neutral grip
A6 BB Standing Drag Curl, pronated, mid grip
A7 DB Curls, standing, neutral grip
A8 Standing Low Pulley Curl, supinated, mid grip
A9 Lying High Pulley Curl, supinated, mid grip
A10 Seated Db Curl, supinated, with 2 seconds pause at the top
*mid grip = shoulder width grip
All exercises are done for 8 to 12 repetitions with 2010 Tempo and 10s rest between, take 3 to 5 minutes rest after completing all 10 exercises, do 3 to 4 rotations of the Giant Set.
The metabolic demand increases tremendously from option to option. With the Advanced Giant Set being the most challenging.
The foundation of training is adaption. Adaption is measured in progression. In a volume oriented approach the volume is primarily measured by reps times load. That means to progress on such a training approach one needs to do more reps and eventually more load on the exercises to achieve progress with such an approach. Vice versa, this means if one of these options does not allow any measurable progress its not useful training system for given person at a given time. Try these options for 2 to 3 trainings sessions in a row and measure progress to see which options allows progress.
One can use one option for one month to increase work capacity and tolerance to volume and then move to the next option. Same as first getting to run 5km in one go, then 10km, then a half marathon and eventually a marathon. And maybe even an ultra marathon.
If you like to do Giant Sets because they are „fun“ or „different“ or „sweaty“ or because of any other emotionally based reason, thats ok. Still if there is no measurable progression, than its: First, not training based on the general definition of training as „following a structured program to increase performance“. And second will definitely not give you the results you are aiming for.
Giant Sets challenge local muscular capacity and glycogen storage to greater degree than any other training systems in strength training.
If maximal hypertrophy is the ultimate goal, built up to handle giant sets – which will take years for most – and you will set yourself up for the greatest change possible.
Picture: Dominican Personaltrainer Miniefly Valdez during a Giant Set for Arms, which is the first type of Giant Sets one should work up to as it involves the least total amount of muscle tissue. The pictures was taken during the JC Simo & YPSI Training Camp in the Dominican Republic in February 2019.
]]>This past weekend one of the most important sports scientist in strengthtraining history Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher spoke a the YPSI for the first time. I have followed Prof. Schmidtbleicher’s work for over 10 years and the fundamental concepts of my approach to strengthtraining are based on his work in the 80s and 90s. He has published more than 450 articles in various publications and magazines between 1977 and 2015. His work on strength training and strength qualities specifically in the area of maximal strength, explosive strength and speed has had a great influence on personal trainers and strength coaches worldwide, especially in North America. He also came up with one of the most famous quotes of strength training:
„Maximal Strength is the Mother of all Strength Qualities„
Prof. Schmidtbleicher is almost 70 years old and looks back on over 45 years of working as a sports scientist, constantly assessing a multitude of high level athletes, teaching at the university, at conferences, for the IOC and other governing bodies all over the world on strength training, as well as staying sharp and on the edge of the most progressive and innovative findings in the modern era of sports science.
During the seminar he addressed many topics such as the neural and metabolic components of increasing maximal/explosive strength and hypertrophy, the value of electro muscle stimulation training, occlusion training, flossing, vibration plates and much more. His great sense of humor and his teaching abilities from working on university level for 40 years combined with his wealth of sports science knowledge made it a great day at the YPSI.
And I took away over 15 new pearls during his seminar at the YPSI. And three of them are:
95% of all German World Champions and Olympic Champion have the „Abitur“ which is the highest school degree in Germany and received after 13 years of school and an exam. That makes a clear point. Athletes with a high level of education have a higher chance to succeed on a high level of sports. The assumption can be that a higher level of education is the base to make better choice in important aspects of sports such as training approach and decision making during competition.
There is german research that has shown that training for strength endurance will decrease endurance due to damage of membrane of the mitochondria from oxidative stress which is a side product of stressing the lactic acid system. Prof. Schmidtbleicher presented research that has shown a 6% to 9% decrease in ATP Production in the aerobic energy system due to strength endurance training. Personally working with cyclists, triathletes and a runners I have never focused on strength endurance work for other reasons such as low maximal strength levels in this clientele, lack of muscular balance, poor posture and of course a low level of specificity of strength endurance for an endurance athlete. This makes strength endurance work as a waste of time to improve endurance. Yet, as Prof. Schmidtbleicher pointed out in this research it goes further than a waste of time, it has actually a diminishing effect on endurance. That means, training for strength endurance will make an endurance athlete slower. I repeat, training for strength endurance will make an endurance athlete slower.
A statement that many will answer with a smile is actually a very profound statement. There is zero research that has shown that warming up decreases injury. There is plenty of competition analysis though, that shows that the majority of injury happens in the later parts of the competition which automatically solidifies the first statement as in the later part of a competition the „warming up“ effect is sufficiently achieved. On the same topic he pointed out the high value of post-tetanic potentiation as a neural activation method to increase neurotransmitter levels at the neuromuscular junction, which has been clearly shown to increase performance in primarily explosive strength and secondarily maximal strength. This makes two strong points for everyone that believes in the necessity of „warming“ up the body to prevent injury, science shows this is clearly not the case. Second, this highlights the effect of activating the nervous system through strength training to maximize the performance output in regards to explosive strength.
I had the pleasure to talk to Prof. Schmidtbleicher before the seminar and over lunch where he had some great stories, from assessing athletes like the first United German Bobsled Team in 1991 and their severe differences in Max Strength and Explosive Strength levels between East German and West German Bobsled athletes as well as their training methodologies at the time, to teaching Olympic Trainers for the IOC in exotic places like Uganda, Nepal and Katmandu. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in sports science that many more trainers should learn from.
And therefore I am happy to host Prof. Schmidtbleicher a second time at the YPSI this year, this time in english, for the YPSI Strengthtraining & Sports Science Seminar with Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher on July 10th 2019.
Picture: Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher speaking at the YPSI in march 2019.
]]>In the article „Anti Aging, Biomarkers & Strength Training“ I have looked at muscle mass and muscle strength being an excellent indicator of biological age. Another study published in the American Journal of Medicine has gone even more in detail and shown that grip strength is an indicator for mortality – and therefore health and age.
Grip strength is a simple measurement used to estimate overall muscle strength but might also serve as a predictor of health-related prognosis. The study investigated grip strength-mortality association in a longitudinal study.
The study started in 1970 and was concluded in 1999 with over female and male 4900 participants.
And he study concluded that grip strength is an accurate and consistent predictor of all causes of mortality in middle-aged and elderly persons.
That is the most logical question to ask now. And the most efficient answer I can give is: To use and challenge your grip.
Do chinups/pullups. Do deadlifts. Use fat grip dumbbells and specialty bars. Add in extra grip work.
During the YPSI Functional Anatomy seminars I speak on methods and systems to develop grip strength and its importance, not just in health and age, also in overall training progress.
There is also a great book by John Brookfield that I like to recommend which you can get on amazon here – The Mastery of Hand Strength
I havn’t. So its crucial to train your grip to get stronger overall. From a performance and from a health standpoint.
Reference:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002934306004475
Picture: At the YPSI we have two different sets of Fat Grip Dumbbells which is one of the most efficient tools to integrate grip training into regular workouts.
]]>The primary mover are the hamstrings. The secondary movers are the glutes and the erector spinae.
Due to the ratio of the concentric to eccentric overload this is neither a strength nor a hypertrophy exercise. It primarily trains the hamstrings in their accelerating function.
The most commonly seen compensation pattern is initiating kneeflexion without full hipextension and therefore missing out on range and contraction of the hamstrings is what makes the GHR on a GHR machine an intermediate to advanced exercise. Strong glutes and decent hipflexor length is essential to not compensate with lack of hipextension
The GHR is great to train the hamstrings at higher velocity and synchronizing kneeflexion and hipextension while deloading the lower back and central nervous system.
Comparing the GHR to a Floor GHR – short FGHR – the exercises got a similar name and look similar, yet they are quite different in execution and training effect.
On the FGHR only the knee is supported – compared to the thigh in a GHR – which significantly increases the lever and therefore the force. The #hamstring is also primarily loaded in kneeflexion not hipextension. Looking at the ratio of concentric to eccentric overload this leads to very high eccentric force on the hamstrings
Doing higher reps on the GHR and FGHR to induce greater metabolic stress is not preferred as in a fatigue state the compensation pattern of breaking the hips is even more prevalent.
The GHR is an intermediate to advanced exercise done at primarily moderate reps of 6 to 12. A fast concentric tempo is the primary objective to teach the hamstrings to contract at a high velocity.
The FGHR is an advanced exercise done at primarily lower reps of 1 to 8. I also prefer a slower concentric tempo especially in the beginning to increase control during the eccentric and avoid the common compensation pattern of a break at the hip.
The GHR can be either put at the beginning of a program to activate the hamstrings or at the end of a program as an assistance exercise to finish a leg workout with contractions at a high velocity which is especially beneficial in pre-season and in-season workouts for athletes
The FGHR can be either put at the beginning of a program to activate the hamstrings or at the end of a program as an assistance exercise to finish a leg workout with high eccentric overload which is especially beneficial in the early and mid offseason for athletes that needs a high level of hamstring strength as the base of the ability of the hamstrings to contract explosive and to endure the demand of high eccentric forces to avoid hamstring strains.
The FGHR is also often called Nordic Hamstring Curls.
In the following video Dominican Coach Laura Minaya demonstrates a regression of the FGHR using bands to match the resistance curve with strength curve and allow greater control at the bottom
To progress the exercise band tension will be reduced by using less or lighter bands once the required reps are achieved
Instead of using the bench as shown in the video to hook in the feet, one can also use a pad below the knees and a training partner or personal trainer to hold the feet at the heel.
The FGHR is basically to the Legcurl machine what the Chinup is to the Latpulldown. A more complex and advanced variation with a recruitment and overload of the specific musclegroups involved. Try this exercise once you can use most of, or the whole stack of your legcurl machine
Picture: Personaltrainer Roan Heming doing a Floor Glute Ham Raise during the JC Simo & YPSI Training Camp at the Human Performance Center in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in February 2019.
]]>
Around 2009 I have heard the first time of a group of Trainers from the Dominican Republic, their „Maestro“ Juan Carlos Simo and their enthusiasm, passion and hunger for good training. Juan Carlos is known to produce big and strong girls and guys. Girls that can do 18 chinups. Guys that can Incline Benchpress 220kg for 6 reps. While building his Personaltraining gym to 250 sessions a week with 15 Trainers. Juan Carlos is the driving force behind these trainers, the results and the gym as well as half a dozen other successful PT gyms in Santo Domingo, the capital of a third world country, so definitely not the classic fertile soil for a flourishing personal training business. He is basically the godfather of caribbean personaltraining.
It wasn’t until 2012 that I met Juan Carlos in person when we were both attending an Invitation-Only Seminar in Toronto. Sharing the same obsession, passion and hunger for more knowledge and applying that knowledge to get results we have been in contact since and became good friends. I visited him multiple times in the Dominican and taught the first YPSI Seminar there in winter of 2016.
I am at the Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo right now waiting for the flight back to Stuttgart after a full week in the Dominican teaching a Training Camp at the Human Performance Center together with Juan Carlos.
And since I like recap and structure info in my brain in 3s, its was time for a another „3 Things, that I have learned…“ article. Three pearls that I learned from him are:
On the first day of this trip we trained shoulders and back together with two of his junior coaches. The first exercise of the workout was a mid pulley seated fly for the rear delts. Basically a bent over lateral raise with cables. And JC gave is trainers a great cue: „Push out, not back“. Why? The most common compensation pattern in standing and bent over lateral raises is the engagement of the scapula. In the standing lateral raise it is elevating the scapula to fire the upper traps. In bent over lateral raises its the retraction of the scapula to let the mid trap take over. Both of these compensation patterns are based on the intent of moving the dumbbells upwards to the ceiling. Initiating the movement with the intent of moving the dumbbells outwards instead of upwards, basically in a backhand b*tch slap pattern, eliminates this compensation pattern and increases the recruitment of the delt. A great cue and one of many that JC uses to ensure optimal recruitment of the target muscle from a biomechanics standpoint.
Using a Carloading approach like the Peri-Workout Carloading Protocol is a key element of fast hypertrophy gains. A high carb intake brings some negative side effects, potentially even in the carb-tolerant people that metabolize carbohydrates in general very well. One of these side effects is glycation.
Glycation, sometimes also called glycosylation, is the result of the bonding of a sugar molecule to a protein. Endogenous glycations occurs mainly in the bloodstream to a small proportion of the absorbed simple sugars: glucose, fructose, and galactose. It appears that fructose has approximately ten times the glycation activity of glucose, the primary body fuel.[ Glycation creates advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), with some of more reactive than the sugars they are derived from, and are implicated in many age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (the endothelium, fibrinogen, and collagen are damaged), Alzheimer’s disease (amyloid proteins are side-products of the reactions progressing to AGEs),[ peripheral neuropathy (the myelin is attacked), and other sensory losses such as deafness (due to demyelination).
Red blood cells have a consistent lifespan of 120 days and are easily accessible for measurement of glycated hemoglobin. Measurement of HbA1c—the predominant form of glycated hemoglobin—enables medium-term blood sugar control to be monitored and is therefore an excellent indicator of midterm blood sugar management. Medical doctors often use this marker as an indicator for diabetes as it represents an average blood sugar form the last three months. Many functional medicine doctors consider a level of 4.8 or below as ideal.
Back to the practical aspects of this. Based on the above facts, a consistently elevated blood sugar leads to the formation of AGEs which can be measured through HbA1c. Carnosine is a di-peptide that is naturally occurs in many tissues of the body including muscle tisse. The Supplementation of Carnosine has been shown to decrease AGEs specifically HbA1c (1,2,3,4,5).
Therefore Juan Carlos likes to Carnosine specifically to a Peri-Workout Carb Loading Protocol to negate the potential side effects of high-carb intake.
I have touched on the concepts of Challenge Sets in a chapter in my Improve your Arms Ebook and went into different approaches. One of the approaches is a volume oriented one that I have learned from JC when I visited the Dominican Republic for the first time. In short what he likes to do is pick a lift like Chinups/Pullups, Dips, 65° DB Incline Press and Squats at the end of a workout, choose a load one can do about 15 reps or get max. reps with bodyweight in the case of dips and chinups/pullups. One set is done. This set is repeated after every workout and sometimes he throws in one of these challenge sets during a regular work day at his gym and all trainers have to get in and do one. The load always stays the same. The goal is to get at least one more rep each time its done. The effect: His clients and trainers can do a lot of reps in chins, dips, squats, etc. This approach builds work capacity without taxing the system with too much overall volume. Its great to boost muscular metabolism and to stimulate hypertrophy. Thats one major reason why there are many pairs of strong legs and plenty of well developed backs, pecs, shoulders and arms at his gym. And the all-time Challenge Set Record is still held by himself with 32 close, neutral pullups at the end of a full hour of upper body training.
Juan Carlos will turn 50 this year. In over 30 years of training, training clients and traveling the world to learn he has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Juan Carlos alsoopened his 5th gym in January 2019 – the „Human Performance Center“ – and it is packed with clients, from Gen Pop that have been with him for 19 years to Baseball Superstars like Jean Segura and Robinson Cano which make 14 and 24 million USD a year in the Major League. And he is still at his gym 6 days per week doing personal training sessions and consults with his clients.
This year Juan Carlos will also teach again during the „English Week at the YPSI 2020“, more infos here
Click here for more „3 Things, I have learned…“ Articles
References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29858687
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008226/#r19
(3) https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/29/3/207/36316
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531717303652
(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycation
Picture: Juan Carlos with Wolfgang during the JC Simo & YPSI Training Camp in February 2019.
]]>Serge Nubret is a successful bodybuilder and actor from the 70s. And he was known for his unconventional approach to training. Back then there were basically 3 groups of training philosophies in bodybuilding. There were some bodybuilder that built their physiques by a low-volume high-intensity high-loads approach like Mike Mentzer and Boyer Coe. Then there were bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Platz which used to rotate and mix a variety of approach from high-rep high-volume to low-rep high-load training. An then there was Serge Nubret who led the third type of training approach to bodybuilding in those golden days of Bodybuilding which was high-volume low-intensity approach. That means he would do up to 54 sets of 12 to 20 repetitions with 30 to 50% of his 1 RM per training.
Before going deeper into his approach one important factor to note when analyzing and applying his approach is his training foundation. Before he started bodybuilding he was a quite successful track athlete, sprinting 100m in 10,5 seconds, being known as a good shot-putter and bench pressing 225kg for reps at a bodyweight of about 85 kg. He was strong to begin is bodybuilding career. Which was a great base to succeed with the high-volume low-intensity approach he used.
His main point was that lower weights lead to less injury risk. Yet, based on stories he would occasionally lift really heavy if someone doubts his strength. And second point thats the be made here is the importance of a metabolic stimulus for maximal muscular development. Its primarily Glycogen Supercompensation that will lead to sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which is a key driver in bodybuilding. With some workouts being over 1000 reps the metabolic stimulus of this training approach is tremendous and even exceeds Milos Sarcev’s highly effective giant set approach in total number of reps done per training.
Serge Nubret didn’t start out training like that. And he also had at least one longer break from training every year due to his job as an actor. After these breaks for shooting a movie he would go a start at 3 sets per exercise again and the work up to the 6 to 8 sets per exercise that he would do in peak condition. Thats 18 to 24 sets per workout at the beginning, which is a quite average approach to training. And then instead of increasing the weight he would add sets to build volume backup by adding sets. Up to about 50 sets of 12 to 20 reps total per workout.
This is how one of his actual workouts looked like:
A BB Back Squat, 8 sets of 12 to 20 reps
B Legpress, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
C Legextension, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
D BB Flat Benchpress, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
E DB Flat Flies, 8 sets of 12 to 20 reps
F BB Incline Benchpress, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
G DB Incline Flies, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
H DB Pullover, 6 sets of 12 to 20 reps
He would train 6 days per week. Always two body parts per day. One for the upper body and one for the lower body. Most sets would not be to failure by leaving one or two reps in the tank. He took as much rest between the sets as he needed with workouts often taking up to three hours.
The following program is an adapted version of what Serge Nubret originally did with a total number of sets and exercise as well as a double station – A1 A2 – approach and Upper, Lower, Arms & Shoulders Split to fit this approach into the most efficient training time of one hour and the recovery ability of most intermediate to advanced lifters.
Day 1 – Upper Body
A1 DB 65° Incline benchpress, neutral grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
A2 Latpulldown, supinated, shoulder width grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
B1 DB Flatbenchpress, neutral grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
B2 Seated Row to the sternum, straight bar, pronated, shoulderwidth grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2011 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
Day 2 – Lower Body
A BB Back Squat, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 3010 Tempo, 180 seconds rest
B DB Romanian Deadlift, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180 seconds rest
C 45° Backextension, Db in front of your chest, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180 seconds rest
Day 3 – Rest
Day 4 – Shoulders & Arms
A1 Standing EZ Bar Curl, pronated, shoulder width grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
A2 EZ Bar Flat Bench Triceps Extensions, pronated shoulder width grip, , 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
B1 Standing BB Curl, supinated, shoulder width grip, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
B2 High Pulley Triceps Pushdown with Rope, 5 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 60 seconds rest
Day 5 – Rest
Day 6 – Repeat Day 1
The only Microperiodization system that makes sense with this set-rep-scheme is to start with the heaviest set and then decrease the weight from set to set. I recommend 1 to 2 warmup set for the first two exercises of each program.
This is definitely not a beginner program. Even though the sets and reps look similar to what many beginners get once they sign up to a gym. A beginner will barely make any progress with this training approach. To do this approach and get results there are two primary prerequisites.
First, one needs decent amount of strength and muscle mass. Serge Nubret could benchpress 225kg, yet he only used around 70 to 100kg for this amount of set and reps. So the absolute weights he used for this high-volume approach were fairly high, because of the high level of strength he had in relation. Doing benchpress with 40kg for these sets and reps will not give one the aspired results. You can see that in every gym all over the world.
Second, one needs a high level of work capacity. This is important to not drop too much load during a training session due to fatigue. Most will experience a drop in performance at around 15 to 20 sets per session. That is an average work capacity. To maintain a high work rate at 50 sets per session one needs a high level of work capacity. Compare it with running, doing one kilometer at 15 km/h is not that hard, doing 42 kilometers at 15km/ is quite hard, as its a marathon time of about 2:45h. Same counts for training volume, it only makes sense to use high volume if one can handle high volume which means one can progress in training with high volume.
If someone has the work capacity and strength to handle this program well, one can do this program 6 workouts in a row, which is a full 30 days based on the split shown above. How long someone does this program is determined by how long one can progress from workout to workout that means use more weight or do more reps in every exercise from workout to workout. Once one cannot increase total or average weight or the reps, its time to move on to the next program.
This program is a great variation that I like for intermediate and advanced clients that have Body Comp goals and a work capacity that allows them to make progress from workout to workout.
Its a also a good approach for a once in a while workout right before a longer break like a vacation or a carb feast. As the high volume will increase insulin sensitivity a lot which improves blood sugar management and glucose metabolism.
To conclude an insight into Serge Nubret’s approach to training its with to also look at his food briefly. He was known have a fairly caribbean diet rich in meat, fish, vegetable, fruit and rice. He was known to eat up to 3kg of meat with rice and beans per day during his high volume training phases. He was a big believer in eating huge amounts of food to facilitate the recovery from this training approach. Which is definitely a critical point to consider for everyone trying this type of high-volume training.
Reference:
Legendäre Trainingsprogramme, Novagenics, 2009
Picture: Serge Nubret showing the results of his high volume approach to training (source: tumblr)
]]>The Petersen Split Squat is one of two Split Squat variations that I use were the rear leg is the primary mover. In the case of the Petersen Split Squat the primary task of the exercise is to activate the Vastus medialis
The Petersen Split Squat is named after Canadian Physiotherapist Carl Petersen who traveled with the Canadian Alpine Ski National Team for 15 years and became known for using various exercises variations – most famously the Petersen Stepup – to strengthen the Vastus medialis and that way increase knee stability dramatically which led to a decrease in the very common knee injuries in Alpine SkiingDue to the ratio of concentric to eccentric overload the Petersen Split Squat is not an exercise that will strengten or hypertrophy the Vastus Medialis much. Its a exercise that is excellent to activate the fibers of the Vastus medialis. Which will combined with an exercise group like the squat that overloads the Vastus medialis in the eccentric over a great range, lead to a stronger and bigger Vastus medialis.
When executing the Petersen Split Squat following pointers are essential to get the desired training effect:
The Petersen Split Squat is a excellent exercise to put in the beginning of the leg workout for 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 15 reps at a fairly fast tempo for the intermediate to advanced lifter to activate the Vastus medialis.
A combination I like to use to specifically activate and train the Vastus medialis which is the primary knee stabilizer in combination withtraining the Hamstrings which are the secondary knee stabilizers is following program:
A DB Petersen Split Squat, 4 sets of 6-8, repetitions, 2011 Tempo, 180s rest
B BB Quad Squat, 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions, 5010 Tempo, 180s rest
C Lying Legcurl, dorsiflex, toes neutral, 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions, 4010 Tempo, 180s rest
With executing the Petersen Split Squat the primary objective is to contract the Vastus medialis in the terminal extension of the knee to activate the Vastus medialis. The better you feel the muscle from rep to rep, and set to set, the better this exercise did its job.
Picture: Roberto Gutierrez, Senior Coach at the JC Simo Human Performance Center in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is demonstrating a Dumbbell Petersen Split Squat right before the YPSI Training Camp in Spring 2019
]]>Functional Hypertrophy is a term that I often use. The main reason for that is the importance of Functional Hypertrophy for success in strengthtraining. And its importance makes Functional Hypertrophy a cornerstone of my work as a strength coach.
The term consists of two words whose definitions based on the Cambridge dictionary are:
Functional = designed to be practical and useful rather than attractive.
Hypertrophy = the enlargement of a tissue.
In the context of training Functional Hypertrophy basically means that we increase the muscular size while making it practical and useful rather than just attractive.
A great example for hypertrophy without the functional component is a bodybuilding approach to training. In bodybuilding no-one cares about the function and practical use of your musclemass, all one wants is the muscle to be big and well developed. Most have seen the bodybuilder that weighs 135kg and his 6RM on the Close Grip Benchpress is 140kg. 140kg sounds like a decent weight, yet in relation to bodyweight, thats nothing, its like a 80kg male bench pressing 82,5kg. Still the Bodybuilder at 135kg bodyweight will have a high level of muscular development and hypertrophy. Just no strength. Nonetheless Functional Hypertrophy still has an effect and advantage for pure hypertrophy and bodybuilding, more on that later in this article.
A simple indicator of Functional Hypertrophy is the 6RM, thats the weight you can use for 6 repetitions, of an exercise. The greater the 6 RM the greater the development of Functional Hypertrophy. From a functional and a visual standpoint.
How will the back development of a 60kg female or 90kg male look if she or he can deadlift 100kg resp. 220kg for 6 reps?
How will the back development of a 60kg female or 90kg male look if she or he can chin-up +15kg resp. +40kg for 6 reps?
How will the arm development of a 90kg male look if he can Incline Curl 35kg for 6 reps?
How will the glute development of a 60kg female look if she can back Squat 90kg for 6 reps?
Everyone with a high level of training experience will agree on the general answer to this question: It will look great and well developed.
Functional Hypertrophy is an overlooked aspect of training as its basically an in-between of the two most popular approaches to strengthtraining which is bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Functional Hypertrophy has actual been the foundation of the muscular development of the greatest bodybuilders of the past, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbo, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler. They were all known to be very strong and use this strength in combination with bodybuilding methods to development a muscular pyhsique.
Functional Hypertrophy the foundation of consistent results as it allows much more continuous progress in training.
Maximal Strength is defined as the maximal force the neuromuscular system can develop against a high load. „Maximal Strength is the mother of all strength qualities“ as legendary sports scientists Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher stated decades ago. And Maximal Strength correlates with hypertrophy, that means the bigger a muscle the greater its potential for maximal strength. A simple example of this is to look at the weight classes and world records in powerlifting. The greater body weight and therefore the hypertrophy the higher the world record and therefore the maximal strength. Functional Hypertrophy allows to build more Maximal Strength.
Explosive Strength is defined as the maximal force the neuromuscular system can develop against a moderate load in the shortest time possible. The level of Explosive Strength one can develop is limited by the level of Maximal Strength one has as „Maximal strength is the mother of all strength qualities“ as legendary sports scientists Prof. Dr. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher stated decades ago. Since Explosive Strength correlates with Maximal Strength it also correlates with hypertrophy, that means the bigger a muscle the greater its potential for explosive strength. The most explosive athletes on this planet such as Sprinters, Bobsled athletes and American Football Players all carry an impressive muscular development and hypertrophy. So a bigger muscle increases the potential for explosive strength. Thats a fact of physics, a bigger car can carry a bigger engine which can potentially create more acceleration, just look at a dragster. Another great realize example of this is to look at the weight classes and world records in Olympic weightlifting. The greater body weight and therefore the hypertrophy the higher the world record and therefore the explosive strength, which is the number one strength quality needed in Olympic Weightlifting. Functional Hypertrophy allows to build more Explosive Strength.
One of the key drivers in hypertrophy is the amount of absolute muscular damage, that one can recover from, that is induced through training. And Functional Hypertrophy has a clear positive correlation with that from two direction. First, the bigger a muscle, the more fibers can be activated, fatigued and „damaged“. Second, the stronger a muscle, the greater the average load that can be used in training, the more fibers can be activated, fatigued and „damaged“. Doing 10 sets of 6 reps of the Benchpress with an average of 150kg will lead more fibers can be activated, fatigued and „damaged“, than doing 10 sets of 6 reps of the Benchpress with an average of 50kg. That means a greater level of Functional Hypertrophy will increase the potential to gain more hypertrophy. Thats the reason why the greatest bodybuilder of all-time Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman were also very strong. Both could deadlift over 300kg and bench over 220kg.
Strength Endurance is defined as a maximal effort of about 75 to 120 seconds against a moderate load. Thats is for example 20 repetition of the BB Back Squat at a 3010 Tempo. The greater the load used for these 20 reps, the greater the strength endurance. Which is primarily limited by the maximal strength one has, so statistically someone who has a 1RM in the Back Squat of 200kg will use a greater load for 20 reps, than someone who has a 1RM of 100kg. The second factor is the energy reserve a muscle has. Which is limited by multiple factors that can be generally summed up in the term work capacity. And work capacity correlates positively with hypertrophy on a local muscular level. Ever seen a „small“ Crossfit competitor, either male or female? There are none. Why? Because a decent level of muscular development and hypertrophy is crucial for maximal work capacity especially on a local muscular level and especially in the range of strength endurance which is a maximal effort of 75 and 120 seconds against a moderate load. Thats means the greater the level of Functional Hypertrophy one has the greater the strength and local work capacity and therefore the potential for high levels of Strength Endurance.
Functional Hypertrophy is one of the two most crucial aspects of injury prevention from a training standpoint. In simple terms, the bigger and stronger the muscle is the lower risk of a tear or injury. Thats why one can rip a piece of toilet paper apart but not the sail of a sailboat.
That is a simple question which a very complex answer. Program design is a quite complex topic. The goal of this article is to define the term Functional Hypertrophy and give the reader some insight into its benefits. Functional Hypertrophy is nothing new. Its been around as long as strengthtraining has been around. Functional Hypertrophy has been forgotten by most in the last decades though.
To give more insight into a training program for Functional Hypertrophy I have added two examples below. As there is no cookie-cutter approach to program design that will work on everybody. This is one reason why I teach so much on program design during the YPSI Trainer Certification and why also one of the first courses of the YPSI Online Education Platform that will be released soon is a a source of program design. And program design is like learning how to cook. There is never gonna be the point where you have understood every cooking method, every ingredient and were you know every recipe there is. Master the fundamentals first. Then add to it to the height of expertise by applying the fundamentals and understanding the finer details For that one always master the fundamentals first. Just like when one wants to get good a cooking and become a great chef. More on a systems-based approach to program design for strengthtraining in my article „Programs vs. Systems„.
And the most fundamental program design principle for Functional Hypertrophy is to periodize training programs where one phase will be designed to primarily increase strength and then be alternated with one phase that will be designed to primarily increase hypertrophy. A phase can be 1 to 4 weeks and is 3 weeks on average.
As this bridges the gap between the two facets of Functional Hypertrophy which are Maximal Strength and Hypertrophy.
The most simple answer that I can give in regards to the question „ How do you train for Functional Hypertrophy?“ is: Increase your 6RM on the main lifts such as squat, deadlift, benchpress and chin-up.
Thats is how to train for Functional Hypertrophy. Simple, but not easy.
The following training program was one phase of Timo Stein’s development over 2 years that you see in the picture above this article. It was his 19th training phase that used a step loading system combined with a back off set and it looked like this:
Day 1 – Upper Body
A1 Pullup, close, neutral, 6×3,3,2,2,1,6, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
A2 BB 30° Incline Press, mid grip, 6×6,6,4,4,2,6, 4010 Tempo, 120s rest
B1 Lat Pulldown, pronated, wide grip, 4×8-12, 3011 Tempo, 90s rest
B2 Dips, 4×6-8, 4010 Tempo, 90s rest
Day 2 – Lower Body
A BB Back Squat. 6×6,6,4,4,2,6, 4010 Tempo, 180s rest
B1 BB Ab Rollout, paused, 4×25, 2210 Tempo, 120s rest
B2 45° Backextension, DB in front of your chest, 4×12-15 2012 Tempo, 120s rest
As mentioned above the key to developing Functional Hypertrophy is to periodize training programs where one phase will be designed to primarily increase strength and then be alternated with one phase that will be designed to primarily increase hypertrophy. This called undulating periodization and one of the primary periodization models to use, especially if Functional Hypertrophy is the goal.
Picture: Timo Stein has competed in Ju Jutsu for 12 years on international level, been part of the German Nationalteam and won many tournaments before he has started working with Wolfgang 2 years ago. This picture shows his physical development within these 2 years, where he gained over 12kg of Functional Hypertrophy by increasing his bodyweight from 72kg to 82kg and decreasing his body fat slightly. He now started to train for MMA.
]]>Crossift has been one of the greatest trends in the Fitness world in the last two decades. Crossfit is based on the idea of becoming good at everything – of becoming the fittest. Crossfit involves aerobic endurance work, lactic acid conditioning work, strength work with barbells, gymnastics elements such as rings and much more. Crossift started out as a form of training for hardcore training enthusiasts and spread through the world quickly. As Crossfit was so young at the time it made some mistakes, especially when it comes to programming. But hey, which infant doesn’t make mistakes. Especially in the Fitness world that led to a lot of criticism and millions of clicks on youtube for „Crossfit Fail Compilations“. Especially trainers and coaches made a lot of fun of Crossift specifically its programming and exercise execution. Some of that criticism was on point, no doubt, yet Crossfit and training for Crossfit adapted fast. As every infant that burns its hand by placing it on a hot stove.
… do not make Crossfit bad. What is bad is how people are training for and looking at Crossfit. Those two biggest points of critique for Crossfit are:
This is common sense. Still the problem with common sense is, that its not that common. And if this is ignored when it comes to Crossfit, what comes out of it are „Crossfit Fail Compilations“ on youtube and injuries. And Crossfit had plenty of both.
Lets look at this point from two angles and two different sports. The first angle involves low injury risk. Imagine you get 10 of your friends together and you gonna play 90 minute football this Sunday. Against a German Bundesliga Team. How is that gonna end? First, you are not even gonna get close to scoring a goal. Second, you probably gonna loose around 0 to 45 goals. Why? Thats common sense for most. Because you and your 10 friends are not prepared to play against a German Bundesliga Team. In this case, luckily the risk of injury will be low.
My second angle at the same scenario involves high injury risk. Fighting in general involves high risk of physical injury, thats why most never get in fights. Nonetheless MMA and the UFC are popular these days. So you will sign up to a gym like the Planet Eater Gym and will ask Head Coach and UFC Fighter Peter Sobotta on day one to train like an Pro MMA Fighter, that means that you do no-pads full-contact sparring. Assuming that Peter will take this serious, which he will not, just to be nice, you will not last 5 seconds. Because all it will take is one leg kick or one body shot. And the sparring will be over. You will be in pain. And maybe even injured.
Many will say, sure, fighting is dangerous. I highly disagree. Fighting is only dangerous if you are not prepared to do it. Take the example above. If we take this example and change the steup to: Peter can only defend, not attack, and the goal for you is to hit him, very likely you will not hit Peter clean a single time within a 5 minute round. Why? Because he is prepared to fight and therefore competent enough to avoid and defend your hits.
So fighting is not dangerous, if you are prepared to fight, like Peter Sobotta.
And playing football against a German Bundesliga Team also doesn’t mean that you gonna loose with double digit goals, if you are prepared to play a team on that level, like Bayern München.
That means that people can not sign up to Crossfit gyms and do WODs and demanding workouts with highly technical components such as Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnastic Elements or grueling conditioning work like Tabata Workouts if they are not strong, mobile and conditioned yet. I have gone into detail here „Why Tabatas are a waste of time for 99% of the population“. And one needs to be prepared to do these workouts first before one can do them.
If you are interested in Olympic Weightlifting, thats good, work your way up.
First, built a decent level of muscular balance in the shoulder girdle and the Erector spinae muscle, which is the main stabilizer of your spine. Two benchmarks we can set here is a 45° Backextension with a 35kg Dumbbell in front of your chest for 6 to 8 reps as well as a Seated Barbell Behind-the-neck Press with 50% of your bodyweight on the bar for 6 to 8 reps.
Second, once you have achieved those benchmarks. You need to learn how to deadlift properly. How to do so I have detailed in „The YPSI Deadlift Manual“. Being able to deadlift is crucial for all Olympic Lifts as a deadlift is the initial part of all of them. Once you have achieved the benchmark of a Deadlift with 1,5 times bodyweight, move on to learn the techniques of the Olympic Lifts.
If you do not have the overhead stability and mobility assess by the Barbell Behind-the-neck Press, the lower back stability stability assessed by the 45° Backextension and the strength and technique of a deadlift, do not even consider getting into Olympic Lifts. You are not prepared to do them. You will most likely injure yourself. Or maybe even end up in one of those „Crossfit Fail Compilations“ on youtube. And thats not the fault of Olympic Weightlifting, which is statistically in the top 2% of sports with the least risk of injury. Its your fault because you are not prepared to Olympic Lift.
And the same counts for the majority of aspects of Crossfit. Yes, its fitness. And yes, its just a barbell, a bike, some burpees and a few other basic gym tools. It looks easy. Yet, its not. 99% of the population and a big chunk of members of Crossfit Gyms all over the world are not prepared to do full Crossfit workouts.
One needs to built up to do them. One needs to be prepared to do them. If you are in second grade, math is easy for you and you think math is cool, so you sit into a math lecture in university, how is that gonna go? You will understanding nothing. Because you are not prepared to understand math on that level. Work your way up scoring good to great grades every year in math, the you will eventually sit in a math lecture in university and get what the Professor is talking about.
Training is as everything else, one needs to be prepared to do it. And once you are prepared for Crossfit its an excellent option for interval training that will elevate your work capacity to the next level while having a great effect on fatloss and developing your physique.
So, go do some all-in Crossfit workouts if you are prepared for them and if they will get you closer to what your goal in training is.
Crossfitters often get a hard time for doing stuff like „60kg Overhead Squats as many reps as possible in 2 minutes“ and WODs like „Grace“ which 30 Clean & Jerks for time or „Helen“ which is 3 rounds of a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 pull-ups, for time. Everyone who has a decent level of program design knowledge and experience will tell you that these „workouts“ don’t make much sense based the most logical principles of program design. That is correct. What most miss ist that Crossfit is a sport. And a sport has disciplines. These workouts are disciplines. Running 42km doesn’t make much sense either, yet, thats the marathon discipline. Thats what one has to do compete and complete a marathon.
A discipline has to be separated from training. You want to improve your marathon time? Running a marathon once or twice a week won’t do that. You want to improve your 100m Sprint time? Running a dozen 100m Sprints a few times a week won’t do that. Training improves disciplines. And Training rarely overlaps with disciplines, especially on a high level.
Disciplines need to be be dissected into components and each components needs specific attention.
Three components of the 100m Sprint are the start from 0 to 30m, then the second part of acceleration from 30m to 60m and then the speed endurance component from 60m to 100m. Each need a certain level of individual focus.
Three components of the Marathon are the aerobic capacity, the speed component and the lactic acid threshold. Or in simple terms, how long one can go, how fast can one go for long and how fast can one go with exhausting the lactic acid system.
Transferring this to crossfit and „60kg Overhead Squats as many reps as possible in 2 minutes“ the three key components are:
1. Specific Mobility – that is, in this case the mobility for optimal positioning in the Overhead Squat, as if one doesn’t have the mobility, there will be too much energy wasted on maintaining an upright position.
2. Specific Strength – that is, in this case the strength of a wide grip behind-the-neck press for overhead stability, as if this strength lacks, the fatigue in the shoulder girdle will lead to too much energy wasted on maintaining optimal position of the barbell above the head.
3. Specific Work Capacity – that is, in this case the work capacity of the quads and posterior chain determined by Back Squats, as if this work capacity is missing, one will not be able to do a sufficient amount of reps within the given time.
Dissecting a discipline like that is crucial especially on an intermediate and advanced level to get the most progress possible.
Don’t just do that. Only beginners will see some results with that approach. Dissect the discipline. Train each component of the discipline with a focus on the weakest link. And then you will make big jumps in performance.
Crossfit is a sport. Consider Crossfit more of a sport with individual disciplines rather than a form of training. In this case one not only gets a much more positive view for the individual WODs and competition events, it also gives an excellent outlook on the next level of programming for Crossfit athletes.
Crossfit has done more for training with a Barbell and especially for Olympic Weightlifting than anything else in the last 20 years. Crossfit has done a good job at popularizing an enthusiastic and demanding approach to gym training. And Crossfit has built some incredible physiques.
Crossfit is a sport of work capacity. The girl or guy that can do the most work in the least time will win. Crossfit competitors are high-level athletes and need to be considered as such. As in every sport don’t start and try to train like a high-level athlete right away. As you wouldn’t start with football and play with a first league time right away, or step on the mats to do no-pads full-contact sparring with a UFC Fighter. Both cases won’t end well. And it won’t end well in Crossfit either. Thats doesn’t make Crossfits bad though.
Crossfit is still a very new movement that has probably just hit puberty. Crossfit-type workouts that focus on work capacity is an excellent option for intervaltraining that I recommend my more advanced clients to do a one or twice a week if they have a Crossfit box close and have the desire to do that training.
How to plan MetCons and Energy Systems Work for Crossfit will also be a segment of the YPSI Intervaltraining Program Design and Periodization Seminar, that will be held for the first time in english in Hasselt, Belgium on February 23rd and 24th. As well as in May during the YPSI Intervalltraining Programm Design & Periodisierung in German in Stuttgart.
Picture: This picture shows Antonio Barrias a Crossfit Competitor during a Dumbbell Snatch in a Crossfit competition. This is an excellent example of point one made in the article above, as the Dumbbell Snatch is a quite useless and at the same time dangerous exercise for training based on the low load used to train the posterior chain and the side bent of the spine combined with the high volume wear and tear on the overhead shoulder position. Still the Dumbbell Snatch can be an exercise during a Crossfit competition which makes it a discipline. Antonio also owns Crossfit Macau in Macau, China, is currently completing the YPSI Trainer A-Licence and working with Wolfgang to prepare for the Crossfit Games 2019.
]]>Tabata intervals are popular. And just because something is popular doesn’t mean its smart and leads to actual results. Especially in the world of training. Over 99% of people in the training world that do ab work and crunches have no abs, the same counts for amount of people that go to the gym and get no results, or do HIIT and still don’t loose fat, and more. And the rise of popularity of the Tabata protocol is another example.
Tabata are a popular interval training protocol popularized by Professor Izumi Tabata who published a study in 1996 and did his initial work with elite level speedskaters of the Japanese Speedskating National Team that showed significant improvements in performance in aerobic and anaerobic capacity tests using this protocol, which was then named after him. The Tabata protocol asks for 20s work and 10s of rest for 8 rounds which is a total of 4 minutes at about 170% of VO2 max. The first four of this variables is whats commonly known, and the last is not, and thats the one that makes Tabatas a waste of time for 99% of the population.
No, it is not. It is great. It works as the main study has shown (1). Just not for over 99% of people. Its like saying that one has to run 100km a week to run a marathon. Thats also quite correct. Yet, over 99% of people can not run 100km a week.
In one simple statement: The average output of work.
As the program design and periodization of Intervaltraining are highly neglected by almost everyone, lets apply the same protocol to strengthtraining which most can visualize better. The Tabata protocol is 20s of work and 10s of rest for 8 intervals. That would be 4 repetitions at a 4010 Tempo as 20s of work. Lets pick the squat as a full-body exercise. Everyone 20s work are done with maximal effort, that means in strengthtraining is going to be RM. So 4 reps is a 4RM (repetition maximum), so a 4RM is weight where one cannot do more than 4 repetitions.
Set 1 – 4 reps at 100kg
10s rest
Set 2 – 4 reps at 90kg
10s rest
Set 3 – 4 reps at 80kg
10s rest
Set 4 – 4 reps at 70kg
10s rest
And so on, until one gets all 8 sets in.
What is going to be the weight on the 8th set? And whats going to be the average weight lifted over all 8 sets? One can assumed that the last set will be somewhere in between 40kg and the empty bar. Which leads to an average load of less than 60kg or from a percentage standpoint 60% of 1 RM. Which is not only from a training standpoint a waste of time with minimal adaptations and a very high level of subjective fatigue, its is also far from the required high average output determined in the Tabata protocol.
Some readers will now point that this example is based on strengthtraining and not intervaltraining. A point that is invalid.
First, intervaltraining will create higher levels of acute fatigue compared to strengthtraining as its more concentric dominant. So the drop-off will be even greater with intervals compared to strengthtraining.
Second, all training is based on the same principle of adapting to a stimulus, if the quality of this stimulus is too low the adaption is inferior. Running 100km a week at 3 m/s will not make you run a marathon in 6 m/s. Sprinting 1km a week at an average time of 11.0 seconds will not make one sprint 9.9 seconds. And back to the 400m Sprint example from this article running 400m in 120 seconds will not get one lean.
Still, I also like to give an example from intervaltraining, a bike was used in the original study, here I like to give the example of the Air Bike, as most can relate to traininig on an Air Bike these days. The Tabata protocol is 20s of work and 10s of rest for 8 intervals. At the given intensity of 170% of your VO2 max these intervals are all-out. An example performance will look like this in most cases.
Set 1 – 20s at average of 1000 Watts
10s rest
Set 2 – 20s at average of 900 Watts
10s rest
Set 3 – 20s at average of 800 Watts
10s rest
Set 4 – 20s at average of 700 Watts
10s rest
And so on, until one gets all 8 sets in.
What is going to be the average watt on the 8th round? And whats going to be the average watt pushed over all 8 rounds? One can assumed that the last set will be somewhere in between 200 and 400 watts. Which leads to an average demand of less than 60% of maximal output. Which is not only from a training standpoint a waste of time with minimal adaptations and a very high level of subjective fatigue, its is also far from the required output of 170% of your VO2 max determined in the Tabata protocol.
What most people will do, that diminishes these, is to decrease output in the beginning, so they start fairly easy in the first intervals to not „blow out“. That makes sense. Yet, again going easy on the first intervals will not need lead to the required output of 170% of your VO2 max determined. As going „easy“ is not stressing the system, an based on Hans Selye’s principle of Supercompensation a system will only adapt and the training effect can only manifest if a system is stressed. One can also run 400m in 120 seconds, thats easy, and will definitely not lead to the same training effect as running 400m in 60 seconds.
Quality of stimulus if crucial. In any form of training. And that also exactly what Izumi Tabata pointed out in his protocol and also critiqued multiple times when the Tabata protocol gained popularity. Here is what he said:
Following quotes by Izumi Tabata (2):
„While I am honoured that people are doing it (the Tabata protocol), some are doing it wrong because they don’t realise the intensity you need to work at,“ says Tabata.
„All-out effort at 170% of your VO2 max is the criterion of the protocol“ says Tabata, too.
This is the question that will come up when considering the setup of the initial study and Tabata’s statements above.
VO2 max is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise; that is, exercise of increasing intensity. One of the most common tests is a ramp test or beep test where either watts on a bike or running are increased in increments. The longer an athlete can maintain the greater VO2 max the which can also be called maximal aerobic capacity.
So 100% of the VO2 max is where the aerobic energy system works at full capacity. Beyond that the anaerobic system takes over. Which means efforts past 200% of VO2 max are possible.
A great real life example is the marathon a discipline that highly taxes the aerobic system compared to the 100m Sprint a discipline that highly taxes the anaerobic system. The marathon world record is run at about 6 m/s compared to about 12 m/s of the 100m Sprint world record. And for most elite marathon runners these 6 m/s are roughly 85% of their Top Speed. Which means they can maintain 85% of their Top Speed for over 2 hours. That means that can go 2h out about 95% of their VO2 max. Consider that a Sprinter will have a VO2 max that is even much lower the Sprinter will go easily at above 200% of VO2max during a 200m Sprint which would be roughly 20 seconds of work.
In the main study published by Tabata, the percentages of VO2 max were determined. A 30 minute effort on a bike was considered 70% of VO2 max. And then the Tabat protocol was done at 170% VO2 max.
Using a bike for this example, most athletic males, such as used in the study can maintain 250 watts for 30 minutes, that calculates up to an average watt of 607 Watt for the Tabata protocol. Go to the gym and try that yourself.
For some the criteria of 8 times 20 seconds effort at 170% of VO2 max sounds slightly absurd, still its definitely not. Do following experiment, go to the gym, get on a treadmill, start running, and increase the speed to 20 km/h. Then see how long you can maintain that speed. The current marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and hundreds of other runners who ran the marathon in under 2 hours and 10 minutes basically maintain these 20 km/h for a full marathon.
So 170% of the VO2 max for a 4 minute Tabata protocol is definitely possible, just not for over 99% of the population.
Most likely the one person that be most commonly found in gyms all over the world are high-level Crossfit Regionals competitors. Get them on an Air Bike for a Tabata protocol, take the numbers, do the math and you will be most likely surprised how well conditioned they are, which means how good they can maintain their power output even with the high-density demand of a Tabata protocol. So, for them a Tabata protocol actually makes sense from a general training perspective.
Yes, there have been. And they also showed some results based on aerobic and anaerobic tests. Yes, its exercise so it will have a effect. There is a study that showed that 200 reps three times per week of curls with the big toe will increase the vertical jump. Which begs the question: Results in who?
The Tabata protocol is not a bad protocol. Its just misplaced and misinterpreted. And will not lead to significant results in fatloss which is the number one reason why people train and go to the gym.
Its similar to „The 400m Sprint Myth“, it works well, if you can do it. And being able to do a program is not defined as surviving it. Training means progressive performance. Everything else is technically a waste of time.
The simple answer: In the case of an athlete being conditioned enough to maintain a high average output during the 4 minutes of a Tabata protocol. Coming back to the initial study group of the Japanese Speedskating Nationalteam, these athletes have outstanding aerobic and anaerobic capacity. If have worked myself with Hungarian Shorttrack Speedskating Nationalteam including a Jr. World Record Holder and six Olympic Finalists as well as many high-level Speedskaters with senior from countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Lativa, and juniors from over 15 countries, and all of them had „cardio“ for days. Its common to reach lactic acid levels of 25 mmol/dl in training and its common for them to get in 15 to 25 hours of training per week. They are highly conditioned athletes. The protocol was designed for them. They can do it with minimal fatigue. They can do it with minimal fatigue between the first and the eight interval.
If you are conditioned to do that, you can use the Tabata protocol as a very time-efficient training option, too.
If you are NOT conditioned to do that, you can NOT use the Tabata protocol. It will make you tired. But not necessarily better. Especially when it comes improving conditioning and increasing fatloss.
The efficiency of the Tabata protocol is a common misconspetion. Primarily based on one factor, the lack of measuring and structuring interval training programs. If people would track their interval training 99% would have figured out that the Tabata protocol is a waste of time for time, because they don’t make progress.
Intervaltraining needs to be programmed and periodized as every other form of training. Or one will waste time. Intervaltraining is not about getting tired and hurt. Doing barefoot downhill 400m Sprint will make one tired and hurt, too. It won’t make one better though. Which makes it a waste of time.
Do Tabatas if you are conditioned to do them. 99% of the population are not. If one is part of that 99%, one needs different protools to make progress with intervals. Especially when it comes to using intervals to increase the rate of fatloss.
Trainers and coaches need to start to respect interval training. And trainers and coaches need to start to program and periodize interval training much better. This is why I have designed the YPSI Interval Training Program Design & Periodization Seminar, which will be held for the first time in english on February 23th/24th in Hasselt, Belgium.
Here another article on „2 Things I Know For Sure About Conditioning“
And another article on „Conditioning through Strengthtraining for Athletes“
And another important article on „Endurance & Conditioning“
References:
(1) Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al.(1996). Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Med Sci Sports Exerc 28 (10): 1327–30.
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/mar/25/tabata-harder-faster-fitter-quicker
Picture: Rowing machines are a common option for Tabata Training.
]]>A 400m sprint is often called one of the best ways to loose fat.
400m sprinters are athletes with a very low body fat percentage which confirms this statement from a purely observational point of view.
The high lactic acid production of a 400m sprint is often mentioned here as the reason for the effectiveness of the 400m sprint for fatloss. Lactic acid is a by-product during vigorous exercise. Especially with maximal demands in the range of 20 seconds to 70 seconds. A decisive point here is the focus on „maximal demands“. 60 seconds jogging is a load of 60 seconds but not as intense and therefore not as close to the maximum and performance and energy-demanding as 60 seconds sprint. A 60 second sprint is about 400m for most trained athletes.
The statement on the 400m sprint and this excellent effect on fatloss is basically true. In a theoretical world. In real life, its not. Its true for for less than 1% of the population who can actually sprint 400m. For over 99% of the population it is 400m with a mixture of walking, jogging or running. This is due to the low load in relation to the maximum and considering the work done basically not effective. It made feel demanding from a subjective standpoint, yet the output and there energy-demand is too low paired with a higher risk for energy which eliminates 400m Sprint as a valid option to speed up fatloss.
Still, one question has to be answered: Why does short exercise with high intensity and high lactic acid production have such an effective effect on fat loss?
The most overlooked answer is: The Cori cycle.
The Cori cycle – named after its discoverers and Nobel laureates Gerty Cori and Carl Cori – describes the cycle of glucose and its degradation products between skeletal muscle and liver. This process takes place in the liver because the skeletal muscles themselves cannot produce new glucose from lactic acid. The muscle lacks the enzymes for gluconeogenesis. As we have already seen, lactic acid is produced under anaerobic conditions when glucose is broken down. On the one hand the conversion from one molecule glucose to lactic acid costs 2 molecules ATP – the cellular energy substrate – on the other hand 6 molecules ATP are necessary to convert one molecule lactic acid in the liver back to glucose via the Cori cycle. Lactic acid is therefore a very energy-demanding process from several directions.
This is an important reason why sprinters, especially 400m sprinters, have such a low body fat content, although they only cover 1 to 5 km, depending on the sprint distance, even in high volume training weeks. With 100m sprinters it is 1km to 2km in the most training high volume weeks of the year. For 400m sprinters up to 5km per week, depending on the training approach. In comparison, a marathon runner runs over 100km in training intensive weeks.
So a marathon runner completes about 100 times the amount of work measured in kilometers. Still, the marathon runner is not even close to as lean as the sprinter. Why? Because the sprinter puts much greater demand on the Cori cycle.
So, the practical question at this point is: How can one use this fact to program and periodize intervaltraining that maximize fatloss with personal training clients based the energy demand created by lactic acid and the Cori cycle considering that 400m Sprints are not an real option?
And Tabatas are definitely not the answer.
More about optimizing the training based on the Cori Cycle during the YPSI Interval Training Program Design & Periodization Seminar, which will be held for the first time in english in February this year in Hasselt, Belgium
Picture: Preparing for sprints.
]]>Since 2018 is over, its time for a recap. Its been a very busy year again, seeing 40 to 60 clients every week, releasing 4 books and teaching on the road in Berlin, Munich, Hasselt, Brugge, London, Sao Paulo, Melbourne and Sydney. As in every year there were many new pearls picked up.
Three pearls from 2018 are:
1. Instagram is basically a photo-centric mini-blog
Almost everyone has realized by now, Instagram has took over. Higher interaction rates, more users and definitely less spam compared to other social media channels. It started out in 2010 as a photo-centric social media channels is now used by many as a mini-blog. Throughout the last year I have observed Instagram much closer and got some very good insights on how to run a great Instagram account. Especially Australian Coach Mark Carroll who does a great job on Instagram gave me great insights, stats and examples of his and various other accounts, that made me release how powerful Instagram has become in the fitness world. He and some others in the training industry use Instagram to post mini-posts with high value to provide some additional content next to the visuals. Especially in the personal training industry this can be a great one to provide a further service to facilitate commitment and compliance in customers. Statistically over 60% of all Instagram users go online every day which makes this mini-blog a great option to provide some content and bits and pieces for your current, past and future clients to stay on track. Training videos, pictures, recipes, quotes, etc. whatever spreads your messages.
And yes, most followers only look at the pictures and not whats written in the caption below the picture. That is statistically true. Its also based on the fact that most don’t focus on the caption that much. Its like saying that Porsche doesn’t sell well. Which is correct compared that to total car sales, where Porsche only sells 0,28% of all cars sold in the world per year. That means 99,72% of all cars sold are not Porsche. Sp Porsche doesn’t fit statistical success based on these numbers. Still Porsche does very well as they make cars for a very specific target group that highly values the car Porsche makes. And the same counts for captions on Instagram. Make them valuable for your target group, which as a personal trainer will primarily be your current, past and future clients. Instagram allows you to connect with people. More than ever before. Use it.
2. Finally Personaltrainer recognize the business aspect has a weak link in their work
As I always say, we all become trainers for the same reasons: We like training and we like to spread that passion for training. Thats true more then ever before. Based on current statistics with the length of time that one will have to work until retirement that average amount of careers one will have is three. I consistently see that during the modules of the YPSI Trainer B-Licence, our introductory trainer certification where over 30% of the attendants had or currently have other jobs trying to make the transition to become a part- or full-time personal trainer.
And with this trend more and more coaches realize the importance of the business aspect of being a personal trainer. Which in simple terms is: How to pay the bills as a personal trainer to at first stay a personal trainer. Giving clients value and getting them in shape is the backbone of becoming a successful personal trainer. Mastering the business aspect is the backbone of staying a successful personal trainer. And the career length of the personal trainer is still very short. One reason is definitely that many trainers miss the technical skills to actually get their clients in shape and get their clients to achieve the goals they have. And another reason is making a living as a trainer. And last year was definitely the year I have seen most trainers seek out to master that business aspect.
3. Yes, the deadlift is a great exercise, too
Over the years I have become a very public fan of the squat, writing a squat book, hosting over 20 squats days at the YPSI, publishing the Squat Holiday, teaching „The perfect Squat“ Workshop at conferences and seminars all over the world and consistently promoting the benefits of the squat. And sometimes I get asked if I like the deadlift, too. Of course, I do.
The deadlift is an outstanding exercise. I consistently program it. Looking through my program database, in 4 years between January 2015 and December 2018 I have written 8891 programs. 1599 of them contained a variation of squats. 1639 contained variations of the chin-up/pull-up. 983 contained a variation of the benchpress. And 427 contained a variation of the deadlift. So I use the squat about 4 times as often as the deadlift. Why? Not because the deadlift is an inferior exercise. In many aspects the deadlift is superior to the squat. The reason why I use the deadlift less is because one has to be prepared to deadlift safely and consistently. Want to hurt a beginner? Just start them on deadlifts.
So before adding deadlift one has to be prepared to deadlift, which is to meet certain benchmarks and go through progressions to get the most out of it and not hurt your back. Once these benchmarks are met, lets deadlift, and deadlift more safely.
The deadlift builds strength in the whole body. The deadlift is an underused exercise to build muscle. And definitely an underused exercise to increase fatloss. The deadlift is a great exercise. And its always been a great exercise. Since its a more advanced exercises I have talked about it a lot less than the squats. Thats one reason why I wrote a whole book on the deadlift in 2018 – The YPSI Deadlift Manual.
2018 was a great year. I have seen many clients make outstanding progress. I have played around with new devices such as a continuous glucose monitoring device, which led to fascinating results. Travelled the world to spread some knowledge. And taught over 1000 trainers at various conferences and seminars. Now its time to look forward to 2019! See you.
Picture: At Sydney Airport.
]]>With the release of „The YPSI Deadlift Manual“ here an overview over frequently asked questions about this ebook.
You can order „The YPSI Deadlift Manual“ directly here
If you have any questions that are not cover here, sent us a message here or comment below
Can I do the programs of the YPSI Deadlift Manual in my home gym?
Yes, depending on the equipment you have at home. What you need is:
Can I do programs of the YPSI Deadlift Manual in a regular public gym?
Yes, depending on the equipment the public gym has. What you need is:
Does this book contain any nutrition or supplement chapters or recommendations?
The whole YPSI Deadlift Manual is built around the deadlift including detailed information and training programs. Therefore this book does not contain any information on nutrition or supplements.
I don’t have access to a Horizontal Backextension, whats the alternative?
What you need is a flat bench, set the bench horizontally in front of a rack about the length of you lower leg between the rack and the bench. Place a barbell in the rack at a height slightly above the height of the bench. Add some plates to the bar. Optionally you can a the bar padding that some use to squat. Now put the front of your thigh on the flat bench and the achielley tendon on the back of your heel below the barbell. This way you can fix yourself in the exact same position as a Horizontal Backextension.
I don’t have access to Dumbbells, whats the alternative?
Just use plates instead. Plates work well for all options were you need dumbbells in the three 6 Phase Programs contained in this book.
I have back pain, can I still do the program?
If you have acute pain, do not deadlift or do any other exercise were you feel the pain. From a soft tissue perspective, pain is based on dysfunction in the relation of flexibility, mobility, stability and ability. That means, the main reason to get hurt is doing something that one isn’t prepared to do. To improve mobility and stability consult with a qualified personal trainer, fascial stretching expert, physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath or any other expert in these two areas.
I have never done a deadlift before, is this program ideal for me?
Yes, the beginner part of this program is tailored to someone who has never deadlifted before. The program is built on a step by step approach to introduce deadlifts safely into the program.
Do I need a personal coach to do this program?
No, all three 6 Phase Programs contained in this book will provide a detailed prescription on how to read and do the programs and clips and videos of each exercise as well as benchmarks in the programming that guide one from one program to the other.
I don’t think my body type is ideal for deadlifts, can I still do the program?
Yes, all three 6 Phase Programs contained in this book are tailored to different body types, as well as a whole chapter on how to adjust setup and technique based on your body type.
I currently have a different training program that I will do for the next years, does it still make sense for me to order the book?
Yes, one reason to get this book is the information beyond the three 6 Phase Programs contained in this book. And of course, all programs will provide an educational component on how to program design for the deadlift and beyond.
What are the best shoes to use for deadlifting?
That is a good question and there is no general answer. There is three answers for three target groups. First, for competitive powerlifting it makes the most sense from a perspective of physics to use a shoe with a flat and very hard sole. The hard sole will enable optimal force transmission from the ground into the foot, hip and bar. A soft sole will do the reverse, try deadlifting in Nike Frees. The flat sole will allow to put more pressure on the heel and therefore recruit more fibers of the posterior chain the prime movers in the deadlift. Second, for the weightlifter or athlete I recommended weightlifting shoes to deadlift. The hard sole of a weightlifting shoe allows optimal force transmission and the slight elevation of the heels will enable greater quadriceps recruitment and leg drive starting from the bottom and maintain the angle of the spine until the bar passes the knees which is a key component of deadlifting for gen pop and athletes as explained in detail in „The YPSI Deadlift Manual“. Third, for a gen pop lifter who just likes to use the deadlift as a great exercise to built general strength and fitness, any shoe that allows a stable stance and no gliding of the foot in the shoe will fulfill the basic prerequisites of an ideal shoe for deadlifts.
You can order „The YPSI Deadlift Manual“ directly here
If you have any questions that are not cover here, sent us a message here or comment below
]]>Rudolf Pflugfelder is a former Russian weightlifter who has won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and a former Russian weightlifting coach who produced many Olympic Champions, World Champions and trained athletes that broke over 200 world records.
When he started out weightlifting he was working in a mine 12 hours a days, 6 days a week and then trained 3 times per week weightlifting himself without a coach. His highly critical approach to his own training and consistent experimenting with new variations of exercises and setups led him to win the World Championships and an Olympic Gold Medal. Pflugfelder started weightlifting at 22 years old and with just 3 training sessions a week, while working 72h a week he made very quick progress. While lifting himself he started coaching a group of lifters in his hometown that also started to move serious weights. This and him winning the Worlds while still working full-time in the mine gained the attention of the Russian Weightlifting Federation which eventually decided to give him a training hall with bars, plates and platforms and over 200 lifters to coach.
A few years later his hometown of Schachty had 7 Olympic Champions with 6 of them being weightlifters, one himself and 5 that he trained. Amongst the lifters he worked with were Vasily Alexeev, the first name to Clean & Jerk 500lbs and David Rigert, the current Russian Weightlifting, National Team Coach.
A couple days ago I wrote an Instagram Post that quoted Rudolf Pflugfelder which reminded me of looking through my notes that I took on February 13th in 2010 when I visited him at his home in Zierenberg, Germany where he resides with his wife. It was a great day, his wife and him were great hosts, we had two meals together, where he insisted both times that I need to eat more to get stronger and he was willing to answer all my questions. And I had many.
We went deep into exercise selection, program design and periodization as well as some very cool, yet simple assessments he used to select lifters for his team. Three of many gems I took away are:
One of the questions I asked him was why he believes that he had such great success as a lifter and coach. His answer was: „They gave me a training hall with over 200 lifters, and all I did was be there all day and experiment, observe, analyze, repeat. Consistently trying to figure out what works better and what works best. He also considered this the backbone of great coaching. And we would not just observe his own lifters, he even would also get insights into the training log of other camps and countries to get greater insight on frequency, exercise selection, sets/reps and tonnage. A constant approach in consistently refining his methods and systems. That eventually led him break 13 world records himself and over 200 world records with the lifters he worked with. Success leaves clues.
Interestingly almost the identical statement was made by Weightlifting Coach Ivan Abadjiev during a seminar that I attended with him in 2010. The lack of a clearly structured system on different levels creates a lack of progress. Especially in a sport like weightlifting or any form of training such as strengthtraining that is a rather dull practice. Clearly structured systems are crucial to success as I also explain in more detail in this article „Programs vs. Systems“. On top of a systems approach to training the clear distinction between athlete and coach is crucial for longterm success of an individual athlete as well as a whole team, organization or nation. Many countries prove so consistently. Yet, its a missing aspect in many organizations and definitely gyms all over the world. There has to be multi-level structure to achieve success in width and height.
He calls it „Blitztraining“: Post-tetanic potentiation has been shown in sports science for the first time in the late 1980s and then has proven over the decades after. Post-tetanic potentiation is basically an effect observed after lifting a certain submaximal load with minimal fatigue in total workload that has a stimulating effect on the nervous system at different levels for minutes, for 4 to 6 hours and up to two days. He observed this in the early 60s when on official from his hometown came to the morning training and asked if the lifters could do a performance during an official event in the same night. Training was immediately stopped half way through the session and all lifters had to rest until that night. And then that night almost all of them were hitting new PRs. That made him think. And from then on for every competition lifters would perform half of a training session in the morning before the event. To use the post-tetanic potentiation, fire the nervous system and increase power output to set new PRs and obviously win.
It was a great day that I spent with him. Unfortunately we haven’t met since. Recently I read an article about him that said that he can still trains 3 days per week and can still press 90kg at age 89, which made me smile as this sums up Rudolf Pflugfelder relentless, mathematical and methodical approach that made him one of the most successful coaches in weightlifting history. Unfortunately due to political reasons he never received the press and platform to spread his work to a broader audience.
On top of the three gems above he made many great points that resonated with myself. From a the emphasized of strengthening the lower back, building base qualities first, to squats and deadlifts as the ultimate strength builders and his take on how is 10 year old grandson is getting trained in football.
He even coined the term „Schlagtraining“ for overloading the system with very high volume – in his case he would double the sessions and sets for each lifter – for one week and then recovering a few days to supercompensate, an approach he started to use in the 50s that has surfaced in the last years again, as in the Squat Holiday and the Strength and Mass Holiday.
To finish this article and my day at his home, a great quote of his: „Don’t read too much, instead talk to people“.
Picture: Rudolf Pflugfelder himself at the bottom of a Split Snatch, a variation of the Snatch that has disappeared in modern times. (Picture: ftaro.ru)
]]>At the airport in Sydney right now on the way back from a 10 day seminar tour through Australia with three seminars in Sydney and Melbourne. The Fitness scene and personal training industry in Australia have evolved to one of the most progressive in world in the last decade. After postponing an invitation to teach down under for two years I finally made the trip this year. And its been a fantastic time with great weather, lots of sun, great food, some great gyms and really good groups of attendants. Observing a local industry there are always pointers to pick up and three of many that I picked up on this trip are:
Australia’s is known for its ambitious and progressive gym culture with especially the females leading the worldwide standards in body composition and strength. There are Physique and Bikini Competitions almost every weekend with an average 40 to 50 girls competing which shows in the gym those girls do lift real weights. One morning at breakfast I chatted with Lauren, the wife of my host Daine McDonald, on training and she told me that she did 10 sets of 5 reps on Snatch Grip Podium Deadlifts with a 50×0 with 120kg on every set before giving birth to her last child. And she was 54kg with 11% body fat at the time, with a personal best in the deadlift of 170kg with a shoulder width grip of the floor. To back it up she showed me a video of her doing 3 reps with 160kg also with a shoulder width grip of the floor. For lean and strong females this is clearly a new standard. What do girls deadlift around the world at that bodyweight and body fat?
Not new, still a point that needs to reenforced constantly. Before each of my two-day „YPSI Body Comp Weekend“ seminars there was a one-day „The Art of General Population Transformation“ seminar held by Mark Carroll, who is the Global Head of Education of my host the Clean Health Fitness Institute, did the YPSI Certification 2 years ago, and coaches of some of the most successful Bikini Competitors in the world including the current WBFF Bikini World Champion Lauren Simpson. In his course he gave insights into how he trains his Bikini girls. And they squat, deadlift and chinup. And he fixes their nutrition, sleep and lifestyle. They master the basics for months and years. And get amazing results. Results that most females in the world that train in gym would love to get. Yet, what most of those girls all over the world miss is constantly and consistently mastering the basics.
Thats a point that I emphasize regularly as being a weak link in strengths of most personal trainers around the world – except Australia. During the trip I have talked to many personal trainers about their development and their career and I was surprised how many of them have business coaches and invest in business development. Passion for training is important. Passion for training and the ability to transfer that consistently into your client is a key pillar in becoming a successful personal trainer. And then the business aspect is a key pillar in staying a successful personal trainer. As being able to pay bills and provide for yourself is the base of any profession. To become and be a successful personal trainer the development of each pillar with a focus o the weakest is key to longterm success, growth and happiness.
Australia has been an amazing trip. And I am excited to see where the personal training industry is growing towards overall in the next years. Looking back at where the industry was 10 years ago and realizing how much it has grown globally, gives an idea on where the personal training industry will be in 10 years from now. Consider there was basically no Netflix 10 years ago and Netflix completely changed how we watch tv shows and movies today. Personal trainers got a great future ahead.
A thank you to Daine and Mark from Clean Health and Tim from Bodyseek for the support on this tour and all the trainers and coaches that came out to the events to get better.
Picture: Teaching the „The perfect Squat“ Workshop in Sydney.
]]>Bulgarian Split Squat is a term that is often used for a rear-foot elevated Split Squat. This term originated when the Assistant Coach of the Bulgarian Weightlifting National Team Angel Spassov toured the US in the late 80s to speak on the training methods of the highly successful Bulgarian Weightlifting System. During the 70s and 80s the Bulgarians who only had about 5.000 competitive weightlifters were going toe to toe with the Russians and often beating them in total medal count at the World Championship and Olympics who had 300.000 competitive weightlifters.
Angel Spassov was promoting that the Eastern Block Weightlifters had dropped all back squats from their program and replaced them by Step ups and Split Squats. There is also the famous „The Bulgarian Leg Training Secret“ article that is found online written by Angel Spassov and Terry Todd which promotes this idea. The article and Angel Spassov’s teachings suggest that back squats as a base of the super strong Bulgarian weightlifters are a myth and outdated and were replaced by Step ups and Split Squats. This eventually led to the Bulgarian Split Squat being promoted over the years as a superior exercise for leg development over the squat. Yet, thats a fairy tale.
In 2011 I have attended a seminar with Ivan Abadjiev, the Head Coach of the Bulgarian Weightlifting National Team, mastermind behind the Bulgarian Weightlifting System and former boss of Angel Spassov. He was asked during the seminar about the use of Step ups and Split Squats in their training. And he shook his head. And he made it clear that the Bulgarians never used any Step ups and Split Squats in their training. The idea to use them was solely Angel Spassov’s idea and he, Ivan Abadjiev, did not like the idea, mainly because step ups and split squats are too unspecific to weightlifting. And one of the corner stones of the Bulgarian Weightlifting System was the idea that the two olympic lifts are two specific skills that need to be specifically trained. Therefore there only 6 exercises used in training, the Clean & Jerk, the Snatch, Front Squats, Back Squats, Power Clean and Power Snatch. And on the elite level he would even cut down to 3 exercises the Clean & Jerk, the Snatch and Front Squats.
A hurt ego could be the simple answer. With the great success of the Bulgarians they received an invitation to do a seminar tour in the US. As Abadjiev did not speak any english the Bulgarians sent Spassov to the US to teach their system. Abadjiev did not like and use Spassov’s idea, yet, so when Spassov came to the US someone finally listened to him. And he sold his ideas as what the Bulgarians were supposed to be doing to be so successful. Well sold. Unfortunately neither effective nor the truth. Just a fairy tale.
Neither Bulgarians nor the Soviets ever abandoned the Squat from their program. Some Russians used them as assistance lift and the Russian used many assistance lifts in general. The Bulgarians did not use any Step ups and Split Squats in the training that made them so successful.
While the rear-foot elevated Split Squat is an exercise with many advantages the way it got the name Bulgarian Split Squat is technically not correct.
There are also two main versions of rear-foot elevated Split Squat. One were the ball of the back foot is placed on a low platform as shown in the picture above. And the second version that is more often seen online were the top of the foot is placed on a bench thats about knee height. Both versions allow different executions of the exercise. During the functional anatomy segment of the YPSI Semi-Private Internship I go into detail about the distinct differences and why I only use the first version were the ball of the back foot is placed on a low platform. Which is also actually the version Spassov originally promoted.
The Split Squat is an excellent exercise group that has primarily two main advantages and tasks. In my article „Deconstructing the Split Squat – one of the most misunderstood exercises in todays training world“ I go into detail on both of them.
When comparing the Split Squat to the Back Squat to primary argument for the Split Squat is that puts less pressure on the lower back. Which is correct. Yet, this is my primary argument against the Split Squat. Lower Back Strength is essential. Lower Back Strength is the primary limiting factor of the posterior chain which is the base of all power produced and transferred. To get the lower back, specifically the lumbar erector spinae, stronger the Squat and the Deadlift are the two main exercises that get the job done. Done better and more functional than any other exercise group there is. Split Squats do not strengthen the lower back as they put less pressure on the back. That doesn’t make the Split Squats a bad exercise group. It just makes them an inferior choice when it comes to one the most general goals in strengthtraining – strengthening the lower back.
Another myth regarding the rear-foot elevated Split Squat is that it opens the hip and provides a stretch on the hip flexors and adductors. Which is correct, to a small degree. The higher the position of the rear foot the lower the stretch on hip flexors and adductors as the lower the range. So vice versa, lower the position of the rear foot the higher the stretch on hip flexors and adductors as the greater the range. Which makes the front-foot elevated Split Squat the superior exercise choice when opening and strengthen a greater range is the goal.
To conclude, the rear-foot elevated Split Squat is a great exercise, is technically not a Bulgarian Split Squat, though. And while it has some distinct advantages, these advantages also bring downsides that need to be considered when making the ideal exercise choice for a certain clients on a certain program.
Picture: YPSI Coach Wolfgang Hattingen in the bottom position of a rear-foot elevated Split Squat.
]]>Vor 3 Wochen wurde das „Mach dich schneller“ Buch von Sven Knipphals und Wolfgang Unsöld samt Trainingsprogramm auf der Bahn und im Kraftraum sowie sprintspezifischen Mobility Übungen und einem Kapitel zur Optimierung der Ernährung.
Das Ziel des Buchs ist es Hobby- und Amateursportler einen Einblick in das Training eines Sprinters zu geben und gleichzeitig direkt ein Programm zur Verfügung stellen, das Jeder mit 2 bis 4 Einheiten pro Woche in sein eigenes Training einbauen kann, um schneller zu werden.
Sven ist einer der schnellsten deutschen 100m Sprinter in der Geschichte, war zweimal bei den Olympischen Spielen und hat mehrere Medaillen bei den Europameisterschaften gewonnen.
Um einen tieferen Einblick in das Buch und die Hintergründe zu geben, hier ein kurzes interview mit Sven:
Welche Intention liegt hinter deinem Buch? Was war dir persönlich wichtig?
Sven: Die Idee kam mir tatsächlich nach einer Begegnung in der Disco, als mich ein Fußballer in munterer Feierlaune ansprach und meinte „Ey, du bist doch der Knipphals! Über 100m hau ich dich weg.“ Das war jetzt nicht der Einzige, der sich aus dem Eifer des Gefechtes heraus mit mir über 100m messen wollte, um zu zeigen, dass er mich „easy weghaut“. Aber diese Äußerung hat mich letzten Endes dazu bewogen, meine Erfahrungen aus dem Sprinten einfach mal niederzuschreiben. Das Buch war dabei anfangs noch nicht in Planung. Mit der Zeit kam aber das ein und andere Wissen zusammen, sodass es sich anbot, näher auf das Thema ‚Schnelligkeit‘ aus unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten einzugehen und in einem Buch festzuhalten. Mir persönlich war es wichtig, dass ich praktische Tipps gebe, also das jeder wirklich schauen kann, wie er an seiner Schnelligkeit arbeiten kann.
Worum geht es in zwei, drei Sätzen?
Sven: Jedermann bekommt die Chance, möglichst effizient, kurz und knapp das Beste aus seiner Sprintleistung herauszuholen. Also insbesondere alle, die nicht schon 10,5sek auf 100m rennen oder grundsätzlich eher im Marathon Zuhause sind. Aber alle, die sich dazwischen bewegen, können einen persönlichen Anreiz für die eigene Schnelligkeit gewinnen und umsetzen.
Welche Zielgruppe sprichst du an? Wer sollte sich das Buch kaufen?
Sven: Geplant war es am Anfang für den klassischen ‚Fußball-Kreisliga-Ronaldo‘, aber jeder kann von den Tipps zehren, der an seiner Schnelligkeit arbeiten möchte. Die eigene Schnelligkeit lässt sich in unterschiedlicher Trainings-Spezifika integrieren und kann dort weiterhelfen. Aber auch das Wissen drumherum, also was die eigene Schnelligkeit bedingt (ob eine angepasste Ernährung oder die körperlichen Vorraussetzungen) sind informativ und lehrreich.
Mit wem/welcher Hilfe ist das Buch entstanden?
Sven: In Zusammenarbeit mit Wolfang Unsöld, Strength und Personal Coach aus Stuttgart, der sich bereits auf internationaler Ebene einen Namen gemacht hat und Ingo Bartels von TalentEntdecker, der das Lektorat und die Vermarktung übernommen hat. Ich selbst habe den Sprintteil und die Pläne geschrieben.
Wie viel Sven (als Mensch und Sportler) steckt in dem Buch?
Sven: Ich glaube, das kann man gar nicht mehr groß trennen bzw. ich würde fast sagen, dass der Chiropractor sogar das meiste Sagen hatte. Das Buch spiegelt jedoch in gewisser Weise meine Art wieder, also wie ich an die Dinge herangehe: zum Teil recht Detailversessen aber zum anderen auch kurz und knapp auf dem Punkt bringend.
Welche sportlichen und beruflichen Erfahrungen als Chiropractor fließen in das Buch mit ein?
Sven: Die sportlichen Erfahrungen sind natürlich die praktisch erlebten Erfahrungen, auf dem alles Weitere aufbaut. Als Kernpunkte sind hier zu nennen, dass man es als Sprinter oder beim Sprinten nicht übertreiben soll – Intensität ist das Stichwort. Das bedeutet: 100x100m ist Quatsch aber bereits 9x60m geht schon ordentlich an die Substanz. Es mag zwar wenig klingen, aber wenn du über 60m alles mobilisierst, was sich an Kraft abrufen lässt, dann ist solch ein Training sehr anstrengend. Nur wenn du im Training einen vernünftigen Reiz setzt, kannst du deine Sprintfähigkeit verbessern, wenngleich du es auch nicht übertreiben solltest.
Der Chiropractor hatte insbesondere dort seine Finger im Spiel, wo es um die sportlichen Voraussetzungen geht.
Wenn du drei Punkte nennen müsstest, worauf es in Sachen Schnelligkeit ankommt?
Welche Voraussetzungen sollte man mitbringen?
Sven: Wir haben versucht, das Buch so breit wie möglich aufzustellen. Wer hingegen lange gar nichts gemacht hat oder sich eher im extremen Ausdauerbereich bewegt, für den ist das Buch natürlich weniger geeignet. Aber der Teil über die Ernährung kann wiederum für jeden interessant sein (Stichwort Regeneration). Aber wer von dem Buch wirklich einen trainingstechnischen Benefit abgewinnen möchte, der sollte schon eine Grundfitness mitbringen.
Gibt es etwas, was du heute rückblickend anders machen würdest? Gerade bei all dem praktischen Wissen, welches du dir angeeignet hast?
Sven: Grundsätzlich eigentlich nicht viel. Nur die absolute Konsequenz in Sachen leistungsorientiertem Training konnte ich aufgrund meines zeitgleichen Studieren und später Arbeiten nicht gerecht werden – aber schließlich muss jeder sehen, wo er bleibt und wie er als Leichtathlet auskommt. Ich hätte vielleicht auch gerne in einem noch professionellerem Umfeld trainieren wollen, aber das hat sich nicht ergeben und das konnte man auch zeitgleich nicht groß beeinflussen. Die Umstände waren wie sie waren und man hat dennoch das Bestmöglichste daraus gemacht. Deshalb kann und bin ich zufrieden, was dabei herausgekommen ist. Sicherlich kann man im Nachhinein hier und da an Facetten schrauben, aber letzten Endes machen uns all diese Auf und Abs, alle Erfahrungen stärker und zu der Person/dem Sportler, der wir sind.
Genau das bedeutet Training: Entwicklung! Und diese ist von Höhen und Tiefen gezeichnet und es geht selten nur geradeaus. Es verlangt unermüdlichen Einsatz, Selbstvertrauen und ehrliche Leidenschaft, seine Ziele zu erreichen. Eine Zeit, die Emotionen, Erfahrungen, Erkenntnisse und Einsichten mit sich bringt und die wiederum prägen. Und all das wiederum macht den Erfolg am Tag X erleb- und nachempfindbar.
Was empfindest du, wenn Du Dein Buch in den Händen hältst? Werden Erinnerungen wach, kommt Wehmut auf oder ist es nur der Anfang eines neuen Kapitels (wortwörtlich)?
Sven: Natürlich war ich sehr happy, als ich das Buch in den Händen hielt – auch wenn die letzten Wochen sehr anstrengend waren und ich das Buch zig Male gelesen habe und am Ende fast schon blind war. Aber es hat sich gelohnt und ich bin auf das Feedback gespannt, was nun zurückkommt. Und ja, jetzt beginnt wortwörtlich ein neues Kapitel, aber ich freue mich darauf.
Das liegt wohl auch in der Natur einen Sportlers: man möchte nicht stehen bleiben oder stagnieren.
Sven bleibt dem Sprint trotz Beendens seiner aktiven Karriere als Sprinter weiter erhalten, denn er betreut die Trainingsgruppe vom DLV-Bundestrainer Ronald Stein im Athletik- und Krafttraining und übernimmt die Therapie als Chiropractor. So kann Sven zeitgleich Revue passieren, wie er es einst als Sprinter erlebt und praktiziert hat und kann dies wiederum in seine Arbeit/Betreuung mit einfließen lassen.
Das Original des Interviews ist hier zu finden
Das „Mach dich schneller“ Buch kann man direkt hier als Print Buch oder Ebook bestellen.
Bild: Das „Mach dich schneller“ Buch.
]]>Some of the craziest training stories there are, are about training legs.
There is the one about Olympic Bronze Medalist in Shotput Dylan Armstrong squatting 300kg in the first leg workout after a 4 month lay off.
There is the one about 8time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman deadlifting and squatting over 360kg leading up to the 1999 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest.
There is the one about Olympic Gold Medalist in Shotput Adam Nelson squatting 300kg for 10 reps leading up to the 2004 Athens Olympics.
There is the one about a Hungarian wrestler who squatted 60kg for 6 minutes.
There is the one about an female Alpine skier doing 60 reps in 60 seconds with 65kg on the squat.
Some are about strength. Some are about volume.
And when speaking of training volume the first story that comes to my mind is from my colleague and friend Juan Carlos Simo who runs a Personaltraining Gym in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The story is about giant sets with legendary IFBB Pro/Coach and his training partner at the time Milos Sarcev. Milos is known for extreme, yet highly effective idea on training, nutrition and recovery. He has himself entered over 80 IFBB Pro Contest and is also the who has popularized the use of giant sets for Hypertrophy. A giant set is per definition 4 and more exercise done in a row without any rest. The longest giant set I have ever heard of done successfully were 23 exercises in row. The most extreme giant set I have ever heard of is the one below.
Juan Carlos told me about this leg program in fall 2015 and I couldn’t believe my ears. My question for him over dinner was „What was the craziest thing you have ever seen in the gym?“ and one of his answers was seeing Milos do 10 sets of 10 reps on the squat with 180kg and only 60 seconds in between sets. If someone else would have told me that I would have taken it with a grain of salt. Yet, Juan Carlos was serious. We spoke about the progression leading to this and he then told me the full program they did.
And that was the craziest leg workout I have ever heard of.
And the full program was this:
A Back Squat 10 sets of 10 reps, 2010 Tempo, 60s rest
B1 Front Squat on the Power Squat machine, 8 reps at a 3010 tempo, no rest
B2 Back Squat on the Power Squat machine, 12 reps at a 3010 tempo, no rest
B3 Hack Squat Machine with bands, 20 reps at a 3010 tempo, no rest
B4 Pendulum Squat machine, a double drop set with 3 reps at a 10-0-10-0 tempo each drop, no rest
B5 45° Legpress, 10 reps close stance, followed by 10 reps mid stance, 10 reps wide stance, no rest
B6 Legextensions, 100 reps, then 4 to 6 minutes rest and repeat this giant set for a total of 3 rotations.
Basically Low Rest German Volume Training followed by 3 rotations of a 200 rep giant set
This was done once a week.
And it took over 6 months to build up to this specific volume by adding exercises, sets and rotations. And it took that long for someone like Juan Carlos and Milos who had training experience of over 60 years combined at the point did they this crazy leg routine.
This is the craziest leg program I have ever heard of. And heard of by someone to complete it with success which is even crazier. Juan Carlos was 110kg at 1,72m with veins on his abs at the time preparing for a bodybuilding competition. Check the picture on the right above, it was right before getting on stage at that competition.
In July 2019 we will run a two-day YPSI Bodybuilding in Personaltraining Seminar with Juan Carlos Simo during the „English Week at the YPSI 2019“. The camp includes multiple workouts, some are giant sets, yet none as crazy as the above one, as well as lectures on advanced training & nutrition topics.
Picture: Juan Carlos’s legs after training (left). Juan Carlos getting ready backstage for the bodybuilding competition with Milos (right).
]]>I am a big proponent of the Lime-Salt-Water. Actually the first ever article I published back in 2009 was on this tip and since then it has taken off. I frequently see statements about it. And some make me wonder. Specifically about the Himalaya Salt as being overrated. As these statements lead to a slight level paralysis in some, here a brief Q&A on Himalaya Salt:
The simple answer is no. I still prefer colored salts.
The color of the salt comes from the minerals the salt contains. Some call these minerals and trace minerals contaminants. A contaminant is something that makes a mixture inferior or impure. Adding further minerals to a mix of minerals which salt is, makes it impure, or upgrades it? The pink color that the Himalaya Salt has comes from iron. Iron has many important functions in the body. And is one of the most known minerals for good reason. So do many other minerals and trace minerals.
Because it was the easiest available colored salt in Germany for years. Most supermarkets carry it which increase client compliance. Flavor-wise I am actually a bigger fan of Celtic Sea Salt which has just been easily available in Germany for the last few years. To do a bit of promo for it, you can get it on amazonhere. Any other colored salts. The color comes from a slightly broader mineral spectrum.
Getting slight amounts of minerals other than just sodium chloride through salt is actually very normal. Rock salt and sea salt are our most traditional and original forms of salt. Eaten with food and also taken up by the skin from air and water. Both contain a wide spectrum of minerals and are not purified like table salt.
Purified table salt actually contains up to 2% of anti-caking, conditioning agents and even dextrose in some products. And 98-99,5% sodium chloride. The above mentioned chemicals actually provide little benefit to the body compared to minerals such as potassium, magnesium, etc that are found in natural salts. So from this perspective one can even make the statement the purified salt has a higher level of chemical contaminants due to the process of purification than natural salts that are not purified.
Himalaya Salt costs about 3 Euro per 500g. Regular salt costs about 60 cents per 500g. Yes, in a relative comparison that is more. Yet, definitely not expensive. In an absolute comparison of price and considering how long it takes to use 500g of salt, the argument of Himalaya Salt being expensive is mathematically irrelevant. Both, salt and Himalaya Salt are far from expensive.
Yes, technically, you can. The main benefit of the Salt-Lime-Water actually comes from sodium chloride which is the main mineral in any salt.
In the words of the great Dr Peterson:
„Dr Peterson, what’s your favorite color?”
“Well that depends on what you mean by favorite. And it also depends on what you mean by color. This is a very complex question…“
Two fun facts on salt:
1. The word „salary“ comes from the Latin word for salt. The reason for this is most likely that with the spread of civilization, salt became one of the world’s main trading commodities.
2. The word „salad“ literally means „salted“, and comes from the ancient Roman practice of salting leaf vegetables.
Reference:
If you are looking for the specific mineral analysis of the salt you use many brands supply it as a confirmation of quality.
Picture: Himalayan Salt.
]]>When considering strengthtraining and program design one of the most important distinctions to make is differentiating between a training program and a training system. And therefore a programs-based approach and systems-based approach.
Program Design is often explained and taught by individual programs. Which is just an isolated view on one training method. You take an exercise from this exercise group and combined it with these specific training parameters to end up with a program based on this method.
An example is the 6-12-25 system which was original popularized by Dr. Fred Hatfield, the first man to ever squat 1000lbs. The described it as a holistic approach to training as one will train muscle group in three distinctively different repetition ranges. The 6-12-25 program for an Upper Body workout can look like this:
A1 Pullup, close, neutral, 4 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions, 4010 Tempo, 10s rest
A2 Latpulldown, supinated, shoulderwidthgrip, 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions, 3010 Tempo, 10s rest
A3 Seated Rope row to neck, pronated grip, 4 sets of 20 to 25 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180s rest
B1 Dips, 4 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions, 4010 Tempo, 10s rest
B2 DB Flat Benchpress, pronating grip, 4 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions, 3010 Tempo, 10s rest
B3 DB 30° Benchpress, neutral grip, 4 sets of 20 to 25 repetitions, 2010 Tempo, 180s rest
Using such a program or teaching program design by just handing out a program like that will lead to very mixed results. And by mixed results I don’t mean that you cardiovascular system might not be challenged while doing the above program or that you won’t be sore after doing a this 6-12-25 program, because both will definitely be the case. By mixed results I mean that most will not progress from training to training with any given program, more precisely progress towards their goals, which is the essence of successful program design.
This lack of results with this programs-based approach is primarily caused by a lack of orientation of where, when and with who to use the program. And also by creating variations of a program that are far inferior of the program originally handed out. Classic examples of such useless variations are 10 sets of 10 reps German Volume Training programs using Front Squats or Split Squats which will lead to basically to zero relevant results. On front squats the upper back will be the limiting factor to use and progress appropriate loads and with the split squat the cardiovascular system will diminish almost all neuromuscular adaptions. Still I see these two options all the time. Such inferior programs are based on a program-based approach. Which only works if that one program one uses is specific to the current status and goals.
Having directions that lead you from Stuttgart to Rome is great. Yet, only when you are currently in Stuttgart and your current goal is to get to Rome. If one of these variables are not in place, those directions are useless as they will not lead to the desired results.
What one needs is a map, which is systems-based approach.
The two most important aspects of a systems-based approach a clear consequential progression and completeness.
For the success of one program and multiple programs build onto each other its absolutely necessary these programs are designed to take someone from the current status to the desired goal. And these has to be done in a step-by-step approach that builds on top of the last step, as the height of each step is determined by the stability of the step before. Or a simple analogy, if one has a hard time learning math in elementary school the odds of becoming a Phd in mathematics are very low. In the context of training that will for example mean to if your scapula retractors are to weak to maintain the proper position of the scapula and therefore upper back during front squats, one will never excel at front squats, so training the scapula retractors to a sufficient level of strength as an important step preceding a superior performance in front squats.
Next to such a consequential progression a system needs to be complete and complex enough to be able to adapt and overcome the various hurdles, setbacks and problems that will appear along the way of the career of everyone who trains in any form of training, on the road, field, track, gym and so on.
Understanding a system is primarily based on the aspect of problems and the aspect of goals. With the current status of someone who trains being a given, the problems are what lies between the current status and future goals. The complexity of the problems is the main reason why there is no such thing as a program design software that actually works. Every problem is another variable in the equation. Some problems will constantly pop up, like weak scapula retractors, weak lumbar erectors and a weak vastus medialis. Some problems are more exotic, like adhesions in the popliteus, fascial constriction of a muscle or a nerve entrapment. The goal of any system is to systemize certain methods that will address these problems. The base of this systemization is a clear definition of the purpose and prerequisites of each method.
A prerequisite is for example that someone needs to able to back squat 1,5 times bodyweight before starting any plyometric training to improve reactive strength, as a lower level of maximal strength will diminish the improvement of reactive strength and increase the injury risk. So, if someone can’t properly walk, don’t teach them how to run. And not meeting prerequisite is one of the most common reasons for a program to fail.
Then the aspect of the purpose of a method is its training effect. The training effect is what a certain method will force the body to adapt to. Based on the above example of the 6-12-25 method it is local lactic acid capacity, or the ability to of one muscle to exert and maintain high force primarily in the anaerobic lactic energy system. As the 6-12-25 program that will pair three different exercise for the same muscle group with decreasing complexity at each of the three specific repetition range of 4-6 repetitions, 8-12 repetitions and 20-25 repetitions, hence the name 6-12-25. These roughly 43 repetitions in a row with three points of circa-maximal fatigue will produce high levels of lactic acid in that specific muscle group. And therefore improve the muscles ability to exert and maintain high force primarily in the anaerobic lactic energy system. Which makes 6-12-25 an excellent training system if exactly this is your goal. Of course, at any point this system will make one tired, hurt and sore. To achieve that, one can also just do 400m sprints with bare feet down a hill.
To sum it up, a systems-based approach uses a clear consequential progression and completeness to determine what method to use based on status and purpose at the current point to ensure progress towards the end goal.
A systems-based approach is basically picking and choosing whats the most appropriate methods and training program to use at one point. When I teach the Module 3 of the YPSI Trainer License on the topics of program design and periodization part of my introduction of the course is always the distinction between a cooking course and a cooking school. The cooking course is learning how to cook a set menu. Its like taking a training program and doing that training program. And the other hand in a cooking school its not about specific menus. Its all about analyzing, understanding and experiencing different ingredients (exercises) and methods of preparation (training parameters). With the goal of ultimately creating dishes and menus in your own that taste great. In cooking school its all about the systems of food preparation. In cooking classes its all about one program in this case learning how to cook a set menu.
Both have their advantages. The most obvious is the time invested. Its much easier to take one menu, learn how to cook it and then cook it for guests, families and friends on occasion. With cooking school the time invested is much greater. And the same time though, it allows one to consistently create programs that work consistently. Obviously, the later is important for a coach and trainer or someone who wants to become a coach and trainer as writing programs that lead to progress is an essential component of a career and success as a personaltrainer.
Programs are a great way to start out in training. Its exactly the way how everyone starts out in training. You get a program and you do it. The more you will go into the finer aspects of training and greater heights of progress and results the more important it is to follow a system to continuously get further progress and results. Which is what everyone wants.
All the Best going from Programs to Systems in Training to get the most continuous Success!
The english Module 3 is part of the YPSI Semi-Private Internship.
Picture: A navigation system is a excellent example of a systems-based approach as its uses a detailed and broad map that constantly adapts its recommendation where to go based on your current location, the traffic and the destination.
]]>