From Olympia to Atlanta: A Cultural-Historical Perspective on Diet and Athletic Training

Galen, the prominent Greek physician, was the doctor to gladiators, and he practiced medicine at Pergamum, in the geographical region now in western Turkey. His principle contributions to athletics are through two essays that consider exercise in general and how to train gladiators. He presents the advantages of exercise using a small ball, as the following selection reveals: The best philosophers and the best doctors among the ancients have frequently stated how beneficial exercise is toward health, and that it must precede eating. ... I say that the best athletics ... are those which not only exercise the body but are able to please the spirit. ... Play with a small ball is so much a people's activity that even the poorest man is able to have the equipment. ... [Such exercise] needs neither nets nor weapons nor horses nor hunting dogs, but only a ball, and a small one at that. ... This kind of exercise is the only one which moves all parts of the body so very equally. ... Many [other] exercises achieve an opposite effect: they make people lazy and drowsy and dull witted. ... [Many] who work out at the palestra [tend] toward being muscular rather than toward the pursuit of excellence. Many have become so weighed down that they have difficulty breathing. ... Perhaps you will suppose that I recommend running and other exercises that slim down the body. ... That is not the case. ... I assert that every [exercise] should be practiced in moderation. ... Accordingly, I do not approve of ... running [with] which people slim their bodies and in which they gain no practice or manly spirit. Victory does not go to those who flee quickly but to those able to persevere in confrontation. ... If you should ask how healthy running is, the answer is that in the same measure that it unequally exercises the parts of the body, it is unhealthy. For by definition [running] has to overwork some parts and leave others utterly idle. Neither of these is good, [and] both nourish the seeds of diseases and render one's forces feeble. Accordingly, I approve of exercise which produces a healthy body and a balance between the various parts of the body, and along with that a fine spirit.

Louis E. Grivetti and Elizabeth A. Applegate

Pushing more, more ways, more harder.

5 Pushup variations worth including in your arsenal.

This Intermitent Fasting - it's a new trend?

“Obese people and those desiring to lose weight should perform hard work before food. Meals should be taken after exertion while still panting from fatigue. They should, moreover, only eat once per day and take no baths and walk naked as long as possible.”

~ Hippocrates 

History

1970s Powerlifters photo set, from the invaluable Bruce Klemens.

Core / ABZ / Waist Training

Get your midsection strong.

Keeping Balance While Specializing

Sane thoughts on what to do with the other aspects of your training when you're specializing on one lift - The REST of Your Program.

BASIC.

Do more pushups.

If you are weights focused, you probably need to do more. Can you do a set of 40 on demand? This is merely maintenance level.

Progress

The smallest steps can be taken the most often.
Productive work can be done frequently.
The deepest inroads take longer to recover from.
It is a power law distribution. Your true max Max MAX cannot be drawn from frequently.
All modes of lifts can lead to strength.

Training Articles

A whole bunch of training articles collected here.

More than lifting something heavy...

Pick it up then carry it somewhere.
The Secret of Loaded Carries by Dan John.

Stone Training in the Gym

4 lifts/techniques on training for the stones in the gym from one of the few men who loads 500lb+ stones.
Atlas Stone Training: Part 1: Gym Training By Craig Pfisterer

Programming - Chase Karnes

Three Common Strongman Programming Mistakes
While there’s endless ways to set things up, here’s a sample:

Week A

Monday

• Log clean and press
• Bench
• Chin-ups
• Accessory work

Wednesday

• Squats
• Romanian deadlifts
• Carries (sandbag or Husafell)
• Accessory work

Saturday

• Circus dumbbells
• Yoke
• Atlas stones

Week B

Monday

• Axle clean and press
• Strict overhead
• Bent-over rows
• Accessory work

Wednesday

• Deadlifts
• Front squats
• Heavy drags (sled or Prowler)
• Accessory work

Saturday

• Keg press
• Farmer’s walks
• Medley of some sort (i.e. carry/drag, carry/load, drag/push)

 

Swings and Pulls

Have you been building strength with swinging? Start pulling. Made progress on pulls and swings? More progress.

400kgx4

Benni.

Getting Exlposive for Your Deadlift

• Grinding through the lockout portion of a deadlift isn't a necessity, nor is it ideal.
• A key to blasting through the lockout is training to be more explosive, which is a skill not exclusively governed by your genetics. (So don't use that lame excuse.)
• The faster you lift the bar off of the floor, the less work you'll need to do during the lockout.
T-NATION channels Louie Simmons.

Specializing in the Deadlift - Louie Simmons

" Even great deadlifters have to do rack pulls or pulls off boxes. Those better built to deadlift, i.e., long arms, short torso, fairly long legs - don't need to do as much assistance work because of good body mechanics. I was not blessed with great leverage for deadlifting yet did fairly well: 670 at 181, 710 at 198, and 722 at 220. I was going nowhere fast until I read an article by Bill Starr. He had a program that was designed to increase the deadlift by not doing the lift in the usual manner. This, along with learning the conjugate method of training used by the Russians, was and still is the foundation of my training philosophy. To increase the deadlift, you must gain strength in the legs, back, abs, and glutes, as well as address all aspects of strength: explosive, accelerating, and, of course, absolute strength."

Dead Serious - Taylor Wilson

The deadlift is the easiest lift to perform, and the most difficult to train, for me. It lends itself to over arousal, since there's really no "over" with deads, and I love that. But, past the novice stage, I've always burned out pulling heavy from the floor. The result was that I was forced to consider one of my least favorite things: conjugate periodization. My deadlift is really the only lift I figured out, and trained, alone.

Protein, The Bible

Examine.com has shared some core, easily digestible info on the all important macronutrient at schwarzenegger.com. Some sample takeaways:

• If you are working out and are not fasting, your total protein consumption matters, not your timing.
• If you are working out and are fasted, then timing can matter. However, pre-workout protein is more beneficial than post-workout.
• Worrying about the speed of absorption is a waste of time.
• Glutamine is useless if you eat enough protein.
• BCAAs are useless if you eat enough protein, except when fasted training.
• HMB is useful when cutting.

Solid point to help make life easier:  
As long as you get enough protein and are training after having eaten in the day, protein timing is NOT important.

 Article series starts here.

Twitchy

Table 2 summarises the best methods for enhancingfast-twitch motor units. Conversely, the wrong training – and even what might in some cases seem to be the ‘right’ training – can compromise their development.

Table 2: The best training methods for fast-twitch motor units
Method	Comments
Lifting weights in excess of 60% 1RM	The heavier the weight, the greater the number and size of fast-twitch motor units recruited. A weight in excess of 75% 1RM is required to recruit the largest units
Performing a physical activity flat-out – eg sprinting, swimming, rowing or cycling as fast as possible	Good recoveries are needed to maximise effort. The short-term anaerobic energy system will positively adapt. The minimum speed needed to contribute towards absolute speed development is 75% of maximum
Training your muscles eccentrically	Research indicates that this form of training increases fast twitch motor unit recruitment.(6) An eccentric muscular contraction generates force when muscle fibres lengthen (see plyometric training, below)
Plyometric training	These exercises utilise the stretch-reflex mechanism, allowing for much greater-than-normal force to be generated by pre-stretching a muscle (the eccentric contraction) before it contracts. A hop, bound or depth jump is an example of a plyometric conditioning drill; a long jump take-off is an example of a plyometric sport skill.
Complex training	This can induce greater recruitment of fast-twitch motor units by lulling the protective mechanisms of a muscle into reduced activity, allowing it to generate greater force. Complex training involves combining weights exercises with plyometric ones in a systematic fashion (see PP 114, Feb 1999). A good example is: 1 set of 10 squats at 75% 1RM followed, after a 2-minute recovery, by 10 jump squats, repeated 3 times
Over-speed training	This will have a transferable neural effect only if the athlete consciously moves his own limbs at the increased pace. It includes downhill sprinting and hitting or throwing sports using lighter implements
Good recovery	24-48 hours’ recovery should be taken between very intense plyometric/complex training and speed work sessions. A further 24-36 hours’ recovery will result in an over-compensatory peak – ie opportunity for a peak performance
Sport specific warm-up	This will reduce the risk of injury, increase the receptivity of the neuromuscular system to the ensuing work and reduce the potentially contradictory effects of non-specific preparation on fast-twitch motor units
Mental preparation	Maximum fast-twitch motor unit recruitment can result from specific mental preparation before and during competition

More x More

Two, three, four, five plates.
For 2, 3, 5, 10 reps.
For 20 reps.
30 reps.