Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I borrowed the title of this email message
from an old article by Peary Rader. He used
it when he answered a question from a
reader that is very similar to the one I'm
going to cover today.
The question comes from a very strong
27-year old lifter who competes in all-
around weightlifting comps.
He has a very demanding job. He works as
a refuse collector, and he walks 8 to 12 miles
a day and spends most of the day lifting things.
And so, as you might imagine, he needs a
good abbreviated program that he can use
after one of those very long and very
demanding work days.
He wants to train on five exercises:
1. Squat
2. Bench press
3. Deadlift
4. Power snatch
5. Power clean and jerk
His question is -- how to work them into a
realistic program, given the extreme demands
of his job.
He tried doing one power lift and one Olympic
lift each workout, but that was too tiring.
Here's a better approach:
1. Train 3x per week.
2. Do 1 exercise in each workout.
3. Do multiple sets of low reps or
singles, starting light and working
up to your top weight for the day.
a. Your top weight for the day should
be a heavy, demanding weight, but
not a maximum effort.
4. Spread the five different exercises
over five training days. Start the cycle
over again in the sixth workout.
a. Remember, you train three times a
week, so you will do three exercises in
week one, and the other two exercises
in week two.
5. If you prefer, do three workouts in
week one and two in week two.
6. Alternatively, include the two dumbbell
clean and press so you are doing some DB
work (since they do dumbbell lifts in the
comps) -- and make it a six day cycle
spread over two weeks -- with three
workouts in each week.
a. If you prefer, do the one dumbbell clean
and press (or push press) as your dumbbell
exercise.
7. Drink lots of water during the work day,
and drink lots of water during the workout.
You need to stay hydrated when you're
working a tough physical job AND hitting
the iron.
I know that doesn't sound like very much
work, and it's not. That's the whole point!
It's an ultra-abbreviated workout for a
working man -- and it will definitely do
the job!
As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. I cover abbreviated training and ultra-abbreviated
training in STRENGTH, MUSCLE AND POWER. Go here
to grab a copy:
http://www.brookskubik.com/strength_muscle_power.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and DVDs --
and links to my e-books on Kindle -- are right
here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "In the real world,
you work for a living -- AND you train. Learn to
do both, and do them well." -- Brooks Kubik
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