Hail to the Dinosaurs!
For the last couple of days, we've
been talking about ways to increase
the conditioning value of your regular
weight training workouts, and it has
reminded me of some good tips from
Bradley J. Steiner.
Steiner used to write for Peary Rader's
old Iron Man magazine when I was a
kid. He was my favorite Iron Game
author by far -- and ranks as one of
the most popular and most influential
Iron Game authors of all time.
Steiner taught self-defence, and used
his strength training workouts to help
his martial arts training and enhance
his self-defense skills. So he always
focused on ways to make you strong,
fit, and rugged -- and ready for anything
that might happen!
Steiner liked to integrate some basic
conditioning work into his barbell and
dumbbell workouts.
Here are some of the things he did to
maximize the conditioning value of his
strength training workouts:
1. Steiner liked to begin and end his
workouts with two or three "rounds" of
double-unders with the jump-rope. This
is a staple of training for boxers, and it's
an excellent conditioner. It also doubles
as a warm-up and a warm-down.
Use a high-quality leather jump rope --
the kind that boxers use.
Each "round" should last two or three
minutes. Start at 30 seconds and work
up.
2. Steiner liked to include some sort of
all-out exercise, such as power cleans,
power snatches, or the clean and press.
Doing 5 x 5 in the clean and press is
a great conditioner -- as well as a terrific
strength and power builder. You can use
a barbell or two dumbbells. Do one clean
and one press on every rep.
This was taken from the old York Training
courses -- in particular, the "repetition
weightlifting exercises" of course no. 3.
3. Steiner always included leg work, i.e.,
squats or front squats, which have plenty
of conditioning value.
We always think of 20 rep squats when
we think of conditioning workouts, but
any number of reps will have some degree
of conditioning value.
4. Steiner always followed the squat with
the breathing pull-over to help expand the
rib-cage and get your breathing back to
normal.
In essence, this was a deep breathing
exercise.
Note that you use LIGHT dumbbells for
pullovers. It's not a muscle builder or a
strength movement -- it's a breathing
exercise.
5. Steiner included stiff-legged deadlifts
in most of his workouts. Like the squat,
the stiff-legged deadlift has plenty of
conditioning value.
6. Steiner urged trainees to train at a
fairly fast pace, and to keep their rest
times to a minimum. You didn't rush
things or race the clock, but you
worked at a steady pace and didn't
waste any time.
7. To maximize point no. 6, Steiner
suggested that you try to cut 10 or 15
minutes off your total training time --
while performing the same exercises,
sets and reps.
Doing a 60 minute workout in 50 minutes
means that you're resting much less, and
ensures that you maximize the conditioning
value of your workout.
So there you have it -- seven training tips
from Bradley J. Steiner -- and seven ways
to maximize the conditioning value of your
strength training workouts.
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. See Gray Hair and Black Iron for more
ideas on how to combine strength training
and conditioning in a single workout:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Simple changes
can have profound benefits." -- Brooks Kubik
***********************************************************************************
