AmpedTraining Blog
2009 August 5 | 4 Comments »
By Matt
I complain a lot about people and workout programs. Specifically, I complain about how people look at programs. And diets, for that matter.
Most people go about it wrong-headed. They place emphasis on the actual protocol they’re following, as opposed to why that protocol is actually working.
Your workout and diet are not important. There, I said it.
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2009 March 23 | Comments Off
By Matt
I’ve been a big fan of Jim Wendler’s writings on strength for awhile. For those that aren’t aware, Jim’s one of the big boys over at EliteFTS, a former football player and competitive powerlifter. Like most of my favorite strength-writers, Jim’s always managed to keep things simple, to the point, and effective. There’s a definite trend towards overcomplicating things; it’s the people that can explain strength training in simple and practical terms that will benefit you the most.
Recently Jim’s released a new ebook simply called “5-3-1″. What the hell is that, you ask? In simple terms, it’s a program. However, I hate to use that word because of all the negative connotations involved. It’s better to say that this is a strategy for training.
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2009 March 13 | Comments Off
By Matt
I’ve noticed that people seem to be a bit confused by the concept of nonlinear or undulating periodization, so I added a new workout article to cover it.
http://www.ampedtraining.com/workouts/physique-workouts/undulating-periodization-bodybuilding/
Come discuss it on the forum
2008 November 28 | Comments Off
By Matt
Slow week this week; even though Aussie doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, we still ended up celebrating. By celebrating I mean drinking, and that means I don’t hit the gym like I should. Oops.
I still got my core lifts in at least, max effort and dynamic effort for both upper and lower body. The assistance was completely slacked on, but that’s not nearly as big a deal.
Tuesday 25 Nov
Incline BP (close-grip) – 4 warmup sets, 105 (231) / 2×1, 107.5 (236.5)x1
Rack DL (pin 2) + chains -140 (308)x2, 160 (352)x1, 180 (396)x1, 200 (440)x1
Called it a day here. This wasn’t such a great session. I didn’t sleep well the night before, getting to bed way late and up way early. Combine that with the unholy swamp heat up here right now and it wasn’t a great day. I’d planned to do a little core work, but oh well.
Friday 28 Nov
Box Squat (belt) – 4 sets of warmup, 135 (297) / 6×3
Floor Press – 4 sets of warmup, 107.5 (236.5) / 6×3
“Speed” DL (belt) – 170 (374) / 10 singles
one-armed DL – 60xR/L, 90xR, missed left side, 80 / 2xR/L
1. KB clean + press – 32kg / 3×1+2
2. Hammer curls – 20kg / 2×8
This on the other hand was a pretty damn good session. Everything felt strong and smooth, if not necessarily fast. Wearing the belt makes an amazing difference in the RPEs of these weights.
2008 November 21 | Comments Off
By Matt
Monday 17 Nov
Incline Bench (Max Effort) – 100 (220) x3, 105 (231) / 5×1
Plate raise – 20kg / 2×8
DB row – 100 lb x8, 110 / 3×6
DB curlz – 50 lb / 2×6
KB swings – 24kg / 5×6 per arm
Tuesday 18 Nov
Deficit DL + chains (Max Effort) – 180 (396) / 2×1, 185 (407) x1, 190 (418) x1, 180×1
45-degree back raise – +10kg / 4×10
Pulldowns – 4×8
Side bends – 90 lbs / 2×8
Thursday 20 Nov
Floor Press (75%) – 102.5 (226) / 8×3
DB extensions – 25 lbs / 5×10
Seated row – 4×8
Rear delts – 2×8
Friday 21 Nov
Box Squat (75%) – 127.5 (281) / 8×3
Speed DL (70%) – 160 (352) / 12×1
GHR – 4×10
GHR abs – +5kg / 3×8
Just the usual this week, doing the stripped-down percentage-based Westside routine from the old days. This seems to work a bit better for me than the more current versions of WSB. I don’t know if this is because I don’t train in gear (though I have been using a belt on the DE lower days), because the percentages are better for my strength level (compare 70-85% to the usual 50-60%), or just because it makes me go in and work harder (see also: higher percentages).
Dunno. Don’t guess it matters really. I do notice I’m missing some of the body comp benefits that I was getting from the bro-building workouts a few weeks ago, but that could just as easily be in my head. This kind of training is just as hard, but doesn’t have the pump benefits.
The trade-off is that I am getting stronger. It’s a slow process, but the weights are definitely starting to creep up there. If my right shoulder holds up I’ll certainly be in all-time PR territory soon for pressing strength. As pathetic as that is, improvements are improvements. The SQ and DL are another story, but I’m finding that belted up I’m not all that far off my PBs – and I have a theory as to why. We’ll see if it holds up.
2008 November 14 | Comments Off
By Matt
Workouts have been lax lately. I don’t get too worried about it after a few weeks of relatively high workloads; backing off isn’t going to kill me.
This week I was playing around with some old-school Westside percentage-based training, which is a precursor to the stuff they’re doing now.
Wednesday 12 November
Floor Press, 3 warmup sets, 90kg/ 8×3
DB tricep extensions, 20 lbs/ 5×10 (30 sec rests)
seated cable row, 3×10
rear delt raises, 20 lbs / 2×10
one-arm KB swings, 16kg / 5×6
Thursday 13 November
Box Squats, 3 warmup sets, 120kg / 8×3 (w/ belt)
Speed DL, 150kg / 15 singles
GHR abs, 5×10
Tried a set of GHRs here, but the right hamstring was starting to act up so I didn’t want to push it.
2008 November 2 | Comments Off
By Matt
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were bro-workouts. Right now I’m doing a mix of strength training, just a standard upper/lower split on Mon/Tues, then doing a push/pull/legs thing on Weds-Sat.
Why? Couple reasons. My body probably needs some higher-rep and pumping-type work. It’s good for the joints. It’s kinda fun. And it seems to do things partitioning wise that make me look a little better (even if it’s not directly impacting body composition).
This week I may alter it to something like torso (chest/back), arms, legs, just to try out the variety. One good thing about bro-workouts is that they can be somewhat flexible.
Now when I say bro-workout, I mean bro-workout by my standards. This means doing around 10 reps per set, doing more exercises, and looking for more diversity in those exercises. Nothing crazy, but it does require a different mindset from the usual strength/powerlifting type workouts I normally do.
2007 July 8 | Comments Off
By Matt
One of the biggest questions you’ll hear from people, in regards to strength training, is ‘what program are you doing?’ or ‘what program should I use?’
I can’t help but laugh a little when I hear that. Not because it’s a stupid question really, but more because I remember the days back when I was always obsessed with the perfect program. I think we all start out with that mindset to one degree or another, because it’s pushed on us by the fitness industry for one, and really, we just expect that there’s some plan out there that if we just follow it, will lead us to success.
This is true, to an extent. Everybody needs a plan. You have to know where you’re going, and be able to measure progress on that journey. That’s essential. That’s also not what I’m bitching about.
What I’m bitching about is the idea of cookie-cutter monstrosities found in various magazines, books, and websites. Or even worse, sold to you by so-called coaches.
If you just do A1) back squats for 6 sets of 5 with a 4/1/0/1 tempo and 65 seconds of rest in between sets and A2) leg curls for 6 sets of 10 with a 10/5/0/5 tempo and 20 seconds between supersets, you’re on your way to gettin’ JAKKED!!!
Right.
This is where the idea of individualization comes in. When every “program” you see falls into the same generic category of n sets of x reps, this tempo, that rest period, this dumbass A1/A2 superset scheme etc etc etc, you lose that touch, even if it is just what you’ve been waiting for.
Going back to the roadmap analogy, you might find 15 different routes to get you from A to B. Which you pick is largely up to you. In a hurry? Take route 1. Want to enjoy the scenery? Take 2. Need to stop by grandma’s house? Take 3. And so on.
To sit down and create some blanket routine with rigid guidelines and say “here ya go! Best thing ever LOL!”, is faggotry.
In the best case scenario, a weekly routine is just a framework. It gives you a guideline of how to structure and perform each session, and controls how those sessions relate to one another. This is a very important role, mind you.
The real magic is not the routine. The magic is how the routine changes over time. You have to manage issues as they come up. What if progress stalls after three weeks? What do you do? Go find a new magic routine? This could lead into an entirely new rant about consistency, hard work, and sticking to goals.
The other X-factor is the individual response. Once you get past a few hurdles, the structure you choose really isn’t important. Anybody that tells you it is has something to sell you. What’s really important is finding a routine that you like, that has your goals in mind, and that (most importantly) you’ll stick to. Hey guess what? Consistency, hard work, and sticking to goals.
In the ideal situation, as you become more advanced, you’d move away from this “program fever” disease. The biggest and strongest guys don’t have a program. They have a concept of how they should train. What they do in the gym is often unplanned; they’ll go in with an idea of what needs to get done, then just fill in the blanks as they go.
This is the evolution that you should take as well. Rigid programs might create a good foundation, but the more advanced you get, the less you’ll be able to rely on them. In fact, to reach truly amazing levels, you’ll likely need to throw out the idea all together. Yeah yeah, structural balance, posture, WTFever. That stuff’s gotten almost as bad as bro-science. They both use confounding psychology to stop people from going to the gym and working hard. It’s like some damn alien plot to steal all our water, only instead of aliens and water, it’s Internet gurus wanting your money. Go lift some weights and it’s amazing how little any of the trivia will matter.
In summary, roadmap = good. Rigid routine = bad.
Don’t be one of those guys.
