Beginners Guide To Training – The 8 Rules

I get a lot of questions about dead lifting and squat from guys that are 100 percent new to training.  I love dead lift and squat, don’t get me wrong, but I hate when people try to go heavy with no form and relative body strength.  It looks terrible and the only results they get are injuries.

However, I can’t always blame them.  You glance at the magazine rack and its packed with bodybuilder and star athlete’s training programs.  Ask yourself this, who are they marketing to?  Do they expect other start athletes to pick up the magazine and try out the programs?  No! 

They are marketing to youth and guys that are new to lifting.  Unfortunately, these programs SUCK for someone at that strength level. 

I’m going to try to lay the ground work that these new lifters SHOULD follow, not some marketing BS!

The Great 8 Rules of Strength Training

1. Relative Strength – Some people might call this ‘a strength base.’ What I am talking about is an ability to control your own body weight through exercises like push ups, pull ups, dips, body weight squats etc.

Long story short, don’t bench if you can’t do push ups well. Don’t squat if you can’t do bw squats efficiently and with good form.

2. Compound Lifts - Focus on compound lifts for quicker results. Don’t get obsessed with all the fancy machines. Keep basic.

3. Form - Especially with compound lifts, form is essential for maximum gains and safety.

4. Plan - Write down your workout before you go to the gym. Don’t just choose a body grouping and go.

5. Test - How strong are you now? What’s your goals? Choose a few lifts and test them. Perform your strength training program and then test to see if you are stronger. If not, it’s time to re-evaluate your program.

6. Don’t Obsess with Numbers - Compare yourself to yourself, not to some pro athlete or someone that has trained for months. Along with #5 and #6, don’t lie to yourself. If your bench is 50 lbs, don’t write down 100. Keep things relative.

7. Don’t Train Like a Pro - I don’t care how the top athletes train via their magazine articles (which is only a glimpse at their program, if that). Train to your own strength.

8. Ask Questions - Get on sites like this and ask your questions!  Check my post on Top Strength Sites, but don’t get overwhelmed, that’s why I’m stopping at 8.

Follow these simple rules to set up your program.  There is no doubt that this will be effective.

Final words of wisdom – enjoy training, be passionate, work hard AND smart.

- Joe Hashey, CSCS –  

If you couldn’t tell by my list name, I enjoy a good rhyme (I’m one of those guys that thinks all poems should ryhme, get that “near rhyme” garbage out of here…but we will leave English class out of this).  GET TO TRAINING!

This is how you finish a workout!

I’ve received a lot of compliments about the “Finishers” section in Bull Strength.   People  seem to love that section and want to know the limitations of finishing a workout. 

I’ll answer it simply – there are no limits when it comes to finishing up a training session.  It is all relative to how you feel. 

I laid out some great ways to maximize your gains at the end of the manual, however there are many more choices!

One other option is challenges.  Go around the gym and try to do something, then have the next guy tries it.  Pretty simple.  It’s like in Zoolander (video approximation due to copyrights):

Synergy Athlete Finishers – Old School Rules:  First athlete lifts, second lifter has to duplicate and then elaborate.

Here is one from last week, where I tried a one handed rolling thunder pull up (new handle, and I missed it) and then an 8th grader Mike C went ahead and gave it a try.

Amazing Relative Body Strength

The end of a workout is a great place to get some of these challenges in.  Lifters are usually tired by the end (if they lifted correctly) and are ready to call it a day.  How do you get the energy for a few more lifts?  Make them fun and challenging. 

Note:  These aren’t for EVERY workout session.  You need to know when to tack on some, and when to back off.

I hope no one minds I’m having a little more fun with the posts lately!  Those legos crack me up.

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

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Two Great Workouts

I haven’t posted yet today, because I’ve just regained feeling in my arms and legs. 

The gym has been packed with athletes all evening, a great atmosphere, and then it is our turn to play.   This week brought two new visitors – Lee Jephson and the legendary one handed tire flipper himself, Shane Conolley. 

Add in my brother and myself, and we have 4 people bent on killing the weights.  I wish I had some video for you guys, but we were all too in the zone to bother with that. 

Instead, let me give you the workouts to try out (I linked to examples of the exercises to help people out).

ME Upper Body

• Bench Press 6 x 3.  We used chains – 2 on each side, and worked up to some heavy weight.  Finished it off with a set of Triceps Death with 225.
• Medicine Wall Passes – 1 x 30 seconds.
• Pull Ups 4 x 6 (Using Softball Grips)
• 3 Inch Thick Bar Supine Rows super set with Hindu Push Ups - 3 x 8.
• 2 Inch Thick Rope Battling and Mace Swings- Tabata Style – 8 sets of the exercise for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off.

Finished it off with some running of the rack hammer curls. 

DE Lower Body

• Dynamic Effort Deadlift – 5 x 3 against bands. 
• Atlas Stone Shouldering – 4 x 5 - You can set up your own gym variation using a bar end.
• Prowler -4 plates uphill, 6 plates uphill low bars, 6, 4, 2, uphill dropset with no rest  (prowler suicides).

What a three exercise workout!?  Absolutely.  All four of us were laying on the driveway for a good 10 minutes until we could regain enough energy to unload the weight and call it a day.  I though I would find Lee still on the floor the next day. 

Often, quality over quantity is more important.  Two huge compound lifts followed by the prowler was a great training session.

It literally felt like my legs were hit by a bomb.

Anyone else have any good quality over quantity training sessions?  Post them up in the comments!

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -

Get These In Your Muscle Building Program!

I have been experimenting with Hindu Push Ups for my athletes over the last few months, and I have nothing but good to say about them. 

The movement requires strength, flexibility, and utilizes many of the major muscles in the upper body.  You will feel these in your chest, shoulders, and triceps for sure. 

Plus, being a body weight - relative strength – movement, it can be used with athletes of all ages safely. 

Here is a video of Jake performing Hindu Push ups on the back end of a super set.  If I were to add any critique, it would be to keep the lower back from rounding every so slightly at the top position.  Either way, Hindu push ups get the job done.

Hindu Push Ups

I also shot some video of some other variations of the hindu push ups, including a partner variation. Let me know if you want to see those as well.  If you want the videos, they will be up on my StrengthVIP YouTube channel. 

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -
PS. Someone tell their friends about the newsletter deal so I can send out this free bonus! We have stalled with 8 or 9 slots left!  Thanks to all the supporters.

Strength Training Basics

When you train, you must include basic or primary lifts.  If you are an olympic lifter, that would include exercises such as the clean and snatch.  Powerlifters would include the bench, squat, dead lift, and variations. 

Primary exercises are usually going to be compound exercises.  Therefore, straightbar curl in a power rack is not a primary exercise for the simple reason - it works a small muscle group. 

In other words, show up to the gym and choose an exercise that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. 

Another strength coach, Dan Allison sent me a guest video compilation of primary lifts and variations.  Take a look and SUBSCRIBE TO HIS YOUTUBE – www.youtube.com/strengthcoachdan.

Strength Training Basics

What is your favorite primary lift? Post your thoughts in the comments!

- Joe Hashey, CSCS -