articles.elitefts.com-efs classic the basic workout template and faq

7/28/2019 Articles.elitefts.com-EFS Classic the Basic Workout Template and FAQ

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EFS Classic: The Basic Workout Template and FAQ

elitefts Sunday edition

The Basic Workout Template and FAQ

What is the Basic Template for Bench Press Workouts?

Wednesday: Max effort bench press training

The Max Effort Exercise: work up to one or three rep max

Supplemental Exercise: triceps movement. The best exercises for this group includes JMpresses, and barbell or dumbbell extensions, board presses or rack lockouts.

Accessory Movements: triceps, lats, or delts

This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra triceps work. The bestmovements for this group include triceps extensions, rows and various shoulder raises.

Prehabilation Movements: training of the joints

This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joint. The best movements for this groupinclude external shoulder rotations, pushdowns andsled draggingfor two to four sets of 12 to 15reps.

Sunday: Dynamic bench press training

Bench Press: work up to eight sets of three reps using three different grips all inside the rings
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Supplemental Exercise: triceps movement. The best movements are close grip benchpresses, JM presses, dumbbell or barbell extensions, high board presses, or rack lockouts.

Accessory Movements: triceps, lats, delts

This includes movements for the lats, shoulders and possibly extra tricep work. The best movementsfor this group include triceps extensions or pushdowns, rows and various shoulder raises.

Prehabilitat ion Movements: training of the joints

This includes movements for the elbow and shoulder joints. The best movements for this groupinclude external shoulder rotations, press downs and sled dragging for two to four sets of 12 to 15reps.

What is the Basic Template for squat/deadlift workouts?

Monday: Max effort squat and deadlift t raining

The Max Effort Exercise: work up to one to three rep max

The Supplemental Movement:this will include one exercise for the hamstrings

The best movements for them include partial deadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts andglute/ham raises for three to six sets of five to eight reps.

The Accessory Movements

One or two abdominal movements

One lower back movement: the best exercise for this purpose is the reverse hyper for threeto four sets of 6 to 10 reps.

Prehabilation Movements

This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose includeany type of lower body sled dragging.


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Friday: Dynamic squat and deadlift t raining

The Box Squat: work up to 8 sets of 2 reps with prescribed percentage

The Supplemental Movement

This will include one exercise for the hamstrings. The best movements for the hams include partialdeadlifts, stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and glute/ham raises for four to six sets of five toeight reps.

The Accessory Movements

1. One or two abdominal movements for three to f ive sets of 6 to 12 reps

2. One lower back movement: The best exercise fo r this purpose is the reverse hyperperformed for three to four sets of 8 reps.

Prehabilation Movements

This can include exercises for the knee and hip joints. The best movements for this purpose includeany type of lower body sled dragging.

What is Prilipins Table?

A. S. Prilipin suggested that to achieve the proper intensity, one should use the rep/set schemeshown in the table, to ensure the greatest development of speed and strength. He discovered thatif seven or more reps were performed at 70 percent, t he bar speed slowed and power decreased.The same holds true when using 80 or 90 percent. Once one goes above the rep range shown, thebar slows, which translates to less power. If you do fewer or more lift s than Prilipin suggests, it willcause a decrease in training effect.


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Number of Reps for Percent Training

Percent Reps per set Opt imal Total Range 55-65 3-6 24 18-3070-75 3-6 18 12-24 80-85 2-4 15 10-2090+ 1-2 7 4-10

I think I hurt my rotator cuf f . What should I do to rehab it?

Start with the cuff complex which is listed below.

Use five pounds for all the movements.

Overhead press

Overhead tricep extensions

Side raises with thumbs up

Side raises with thumbs middle

Front raise with t humbs up

Front raise with thumbs middle

Bent side raise thumbs up

Bent side raise thumbs middle

Bent front raise thumbs up

Bent front raise thumbs middle

Zottsman curl this is like a curl with an extra twist at the top

External rotation only top halfExternal rot ation only bot tom half

Start with one set of 10 reps with f ive pounds and work up to two sets of 20 with 20 pounds overt ime (by this I mean months, not by next week).

When finished with this workout, start the following shoulder traction work.

Lay on the bench with an average orlight band set up like you would a reverse band press. Layon the bench and strap the band around your wrist. Dont grab the band you want all the stretchto go t o the shoulder and not be limited by your grip strength. Let the band pull your arm up and

out . Move the arm around to t ry and lengthen the shoulder joint.

Do the same as above with the band wrapped around the power rack in dif ferent locat ions,except now you will be standing in front of the rack with the band on t he side post of the rack.Move and stretch in every direction you can think of .

Do the traction work before and after all training sessions. Do the cuff work 45 t imes the f irstweek, three t imes the second week and then only on upper body days after that .
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Other Stuff :

Use a cut up bench shirt for all bench training. This should be a loose shirt.

Drop t he bands on the squat for awhile. You have t ime. Try the Safety Squat bar for a threeweek phase. The f irst two weeks use 15 sets of two reps. The last t wo weeks will be eightsets two reps. Also use yoursquat suit straps down and t ry to use a medium stance. Iactually like to use three dif ferent stances; close, medium and wide.

Keep icing it.

Remember when it begins to feel better, you HAVE to keep with the above stuff in some form oranother to keep it f rom coming back.

I am weak of f my chest when I bench presswhat do I do?

There are a number of things that can be done to help a lif ter that has a weakness off the chest.

1. Work on your bar speed.

2. Your lats are weak.

3. You are not staying t ight (shoulder blades pulled together and your belly filled with air).

4. The bar weight is simply too heavy!

5. Increase shoulder strength.

This is only a partial list . Be prepared to bench big.

What are the percentages to use on dynamic bench day?

The percentages for dynamic bench press day when using straight weight (no bands orchains) or
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chains are as follows:

Beginner 60%

Intermediate 55%

Advanced 50%

The percentages are the same when using chains because there is a tot al deload at the bot tom of

the lif t . Remember that these numbers are guidelines and are always subject to change. This isbased on the lif ter and bar speed. Base your percentages of f of you raw bench press.

What is work capacity and how do I increase it?

During a dinner conversation with Mel Siff and Louie Simmons t he topic of periodizat ion t rainingcame up. Mel made a statement that I will never forget. He told us of a comment that was to ld tohim by Medvedyev one of the originators of the periodization concept. This comment was thatperiodizat ion t raining in the United States has been set back 40 years by some of the currentbooks writ ten on the topic. This is a statement Louie and I have been trying to t ell athletes foryears. Not only will the progressive overload style of training lead to over t raining and stagnation, it

also ignores one basic concept of training, increasing work capacity.

Work capacity is the underlying component of any training program. It is the ability to performwork, which determines your level of fitness, that in turn, will determine your level of preparedness.If you raise your work capacity too fast, youll over t rain and if you reduce it under your currentlevel, you will digress. If your work capacity is st ill at t he same level it was two years ago, then Illbet youre at t he same strength and hypertrophy level you were two years ago.

You can increase your work capacity byseveral means described below.

Extra Training Sessions: There are severaltypes of extra workouts that can make atremendous diff erence in your t raining.Overseas, its not uncommon to seeathletes performing up to three or fourworkouts per day. These workouts can bedesigned for a number of reasons.

Recovery Workouts: These trainingsessions may also be known as feederworkouts and are designed to aid in therecovery process. For example, if you

performed a heavy bench press workouton day one with 400 pounds, then on daytwo, you would use the same exercisewith very light weight for higherrepetit ions, such as 135 for two sets of 20to induce blood into the muscles to speedthe recovery process.

Another type of feeder or recoveryworkout and the one most used atWestside barbell is with the use of a


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dragging sled. The dragging sled hashelped a lot of lif ters with a mult iple oftraining situat ions. Weve seen the use ofthe sled add 30 to 60 pounds on onesdeadlift, aid in the recovery process, addlean body mass, and bring up weak points.The sled can be used for a number ofdiff erent exercises for both the upper and

lower body. Some of these include: around the waist dragging, ankle dragging (drag the sled withthe use of your ankles), pull-through dragging (drag the sled by holding the sled strap betweenyour legs), and upper body dragging (drag the sled by performing front raises, rear raises, sideraises, presses and extensions). These sled exercises are best used with the empirical rule of 60%.This basically means that on the first day, you choose the heaviest weight youll use for thatexercise and decrease the weight by 60% for each day after that for three days. After that point,you repeat the process.

This rule is essential for avoiding stagnation with any given exercise.

A great benef it of the sled is recovery. This is because for many of the exercises there is noeccentric motion. It is believed that the eccentric is responsible for DOMS (delayed onset muscle

soreness). When the eccentric is taken away from the exercise, you are left with a concentricmot ion that will induce blood f low to t he muscle without causing DOMS.

What are the percentages to use on dynamic squat day when using chains orstraight weight?

When using chains or st raight weight, the percentages are as follows.

Beginner:Week 1: 63% for 10 sets of 2 repsWeek 2: 65% for 10 sets of 2 repsWeek 3: 68% for 10 sets of 2 reps

Intermediate:Week 1: 60% for 8 sets of 2 repsWeek 2: 63% for 8 sets of 2 repsWeek 3: 65% for 8 sets of 2 reps

Advanced:Week 1: 55% for 8 sets of 2 repsWeek 2: 58% for 8 sets of 2 repsWeek 3: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps

Four to six reps over the three weeks must be above t raining percent. This is done in addit ion tothe regular sets.

Recommended Chains for SquattingSquat Max 200-400 Pounds = 60 pound chainSquat Max 400-500 Pounds = 80 pound chainSquat Max 500-600 Pounds = 100 pound chainSquat Max 600-800 Pounds = 120 pound chainSquat Max 800-900 Pounds = 160 pound chain


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The chains are added on to t he weight of the barbell. Make sure to warm up with the chains on thebar first, t hen add the weights. When the barbell is in the rack, four to f ive links of chain should berest ing on t he f loor. At no point in time should all of the chain be of f the floor during the squat

What are the percentages fordynamic squat day when usingbands?

Regular Training PhaseWeek 1: 47% 8 sets of 2Week 2: 51% 8 sets of 2Week 3: 53% 8 sets of 2

Four to six reps over the t hree weeksmust be above training percent. This isdone in addit ion to t he regular sets.

This phase should be used by themajority of lif ters.

Recommended Bands for Squatting

Squat: 300-500 poundsLight band

501-750Average band

751-1000Strong band

Keep in mind, for the bands to workproperly, you must have tension at thebottom.

Why do you guys teachsquatting with a wide stance?

When you squat wide, you create bett erleverages for t he squat. The distancebetween your knee and hip is greaterwith a close stance, thus a longer andmore dif f icult squat.

By using a wide squat, you cut this

distance back as well as place the emphasis on t he glutes, hamstrings and lower back. These arethe muscles that squat big weights! While squatt ing wide, try to keep your toes straight ahead orslightly turned out . This will create a t remendous amount of tension in the hips and glutes andmake it hard to squat down. This tension will create a great stretch reflex out of the bottom of thesquat. This is vital to the development of barbell speed

Why do you prefer the box squat over the free squat?

1. I can sit back further when box squatting. This places more stress on the posterior chainmuscles. Also, this puts less stress on t he knees and will allow an athlete to train that mayhave had surgery or a previous knee problem.
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2. I always know how low Im going. If I want to squat two inches below parallel, then I set mybox up at that height. This way my body will always sit as low as its conditioned. If I want tosquat one inch high, then I set the box higher.

3. It allows a lift er that has poor f lexibility, or weak hamstrings, to squat correctly. Many t imesan athlete that has either of the above problems cannot free squat without the coaches andtrainers cringing. By putting this athlete on an above-parallel box, it allows for a greatworkout . Make sure the extra steps are taken to strengthen the hamstrings and address the

f lexibility problem.

4. Squatt ing on a box breaks the eccentric/concentric chain. This is one of the best ways todevelop explosive strength.

5. The box is great f or teaching proper squatt ing technique. Most athletes and lif ters have verypoor squat technique because of bad coaching, muscle imbalances and flexibility. The boxcan work as a great aid to t eaching the proper way to sit back into a squat.

6. I can squat lower when using a box.

7. I can correct mistakes at t he bottom of a box squat. This is something impossible to dowhen performing a free squat.

8. It s easier to teach someone how to squat when using a box.

9. My recovery between squat sessions is improved.

Why and how do I push air into my stomach when I squat?

Walk over to a mirror. Take a look at your shoulders and take a deep breath. Did they rise? If theydid, then youre pulling all the air into your chest, not your belly. You need to learn how to breathinto your belly. This is how we teach everyone to squat. For the squat, we advise the use of aweight belt worn one notch loose. This is to t each you to pull air into your belly then push out into

the belt . The belt acts as a great t raining aid to push against.

As a side note, we use the same technique for all of our max-ef fort work, but dont use the belt inthat situation. This is one aspect o f our training that has been misunderstood for too long. We usethe belt to teach how to use the abdominals for the squat, bench, and deadlift , and do notadvocate its use for anything else, unless the lif ter feels its needed. Many in the gym, have workedup to 600 and 700 pound good mornings without any adverse effects and have been doing themthis way for over 10 years.

This brings me to the next point. Weve been to ld breathing and using the abdominals this way willlead to back injuries. Louie Simmons has been coaching this for the past 20 years at Westside andhasnt had any lift ers with these problems. Learning to use the belly has made a profounddifference in all of our squats, especially for those who never tried it. I saw squats increase by 25to 50 pounds on this aspect alone. Now thats what squatt ing big is all about .

Filling your belly with air will also create a larger torso and give you a bigger base of support fromwhich to drive. Ever wonder why those with bigger waists squat so much? Think about it. We wantas much tightness and support as we can get from the gross muscles of the spinal erectors,abdominals, and obliques.

How do you perform box squats correct ly?

To t ake the bar out of the rack, the hands must be evenly placed on the bar. Secure the bar on t he


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back where it feels the most comfortable. To lift the bar out of the rack, one must push evenlywith the legs, arch the back, push their abs out against the belt , and lift the chest up while drivingthe head back. A high chest will ensure the bar rests as far back as possible. Slide one foo t back,then the ot her, to assume a position to squat. Set your feet up in a wide stance and point yourtoes st raight ahead or slightly outward. Also, keep your elbows pulled under the bar to ensuret ightness in the upper back.

When youre ready for the descent, make sure to keep the same arched back position. Pull yourshoulder blades together and pull as much air into your stomach as possible. Again, push your absout . Youll maintain this t ightness throughout the set. To begin the descent, push your hips backand push your knees out to the sides to ensure maximum hip involvement. Once you reach thebox, you need to sit on it and release the hip flexors while keeping the back arched and abspushed out . At the same time, drive your knees out to t he side.

To begin the ascent, keep pushing outon the belt , arch the back as much aspossible, and drive the head, chest, andshoulders to the rear. If you push withthe legs first your buttocks will raisef irst, forcing the bar over the knees and

causing stress to the lower back andknees, thus diminishing the power of thesquat. You need to keep the barbell in adirect line with the heels throughout theentire movement and t his can only bedone by keeping your back arched.

What are some exercises I cando to help me get the bar of f ofmy chest?

High-Rep Dumbbell Press

This movement is done with the use ofa bench orstability ball. You want t odo a standard dumbbell press, but keepyour palms facing each other; this willkeep your elbows in the correctbenching posit ion. I found the repetitionrange of 12 to 20 to work best with thismovement. You want to do t hree sets,trying to f ail at around 20 reps for thef irst set. Youll then rest about four tof ive minutes and try to hit 20 again foryour second set. More than likely thiswont happen, but it gives yousomething to aim for. Rest anot her four to f ive minutes and knock of f the last set. This method ofdumbbell usage works best in place of the max effort movement.

Dumbbell Floor Presses

The f loor press is another great way to t each you how to stay tight in the upper body whenressin . When our le s are out strai ht, more of the load is transferred to the ressin muscles.
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To do t his movement, you lie on t he f loor and have your t raining partners hand you t he dumbbells.Once again, youll want to keep your palms in. Lower t he bells until your triceps hit the f loor, pausefor a split second, and press back up. This movement f its in nicely as the f irst movement youd doafter doing dynamic bench or max eff ort bench work. Play around with the sets and reps to seewhich work best for you but always try to break your record each time you do them.

Barbell Floor Presses

This is one of the classic max effort movements that stood the test of t ime. The f loor press isperformed by sett ing the hooks or supports up in a power rack so you can bench press while lyingon t he f loor. Get under the bar with your shoulder blades together and shrug into your traps. Tuckyour elbows and unrack the weight. Lower the weight until your t riceps hit the f loor. Pause for asplit second, then press the weight back up in a straight line.

This movement can be done several ways. The first is with straight weight. Just warm up usingthree to f ive reps in an ascending pattern until you reach your one rep max. The second way wouldbe to work up to 60% of your best bench press. When you reach this weight, youll begin addingone 20-pound chain on each side of the bar with each addit ional set until you max out.

For developing strength off your chest, using straight weight would be the best bet , because it ll

teach you to press out o f the bot tom with maximal weights.

Cambered Bench Bars

This is a bar with a four inch camberin the middle of it t o allow for greater range of motion. Thereare right and wrong ways to use this bar and the style you use is dependent on your own f lexibilityand ability to use the bar.

The first way is to take the bar down to your chest, which I believe works dynamic flexibility but isonly beneficial with very lightweight. I dont believe the heavy work should be taken all the waydown to the chest because of the excess shoulder rotation.

The best way to use this bar is to bring it down to a point where its only about a half inch lowerthan where a regular bar would be. This way you wont be gett ing any type of reflex of f the chest.The last way to do this is with the use of boards to control how low t he bar will go. Use two tothree inches of boards so you can control how deep the bar will travel.

Ultra Wide Bench Presses

This is simply a wide-grip bench press out side your widest grip. For most people, this would be withyour foref inger on the rings. This isnt a good movement to use for a one-rep max because of thestress it puts on the shoulders. It s best done working up to two heavy sets of f ive or six reps.

Dynamic work for the bench press

This is the key to developing barbell speed. I explained this method in great deal in many of myot her articles, so I wont go into great depth here.

In a nutshell, spend one day per week training your bench for speed. This is best done usingweights in the 45 to 55% range (based on bench shirt max) or 55 to 65% range (with non-benchshirt max). Once you reach your percent, eight to 10 sets of three reps is all that s needed. Makesure to push the bar as fast as you can. It should take you no longer than 3.5 seconds to completethe set.
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What is General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and why should I care about it?

GPP is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning between all the f itness componentssuch as f lexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and other facto rs.

According to Yuri Verkhoshansky in The Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in Sportand asoutlined by Mel C Siff, there are several functions of GPP:

To form, strengthen or restore motor skills, which play an auxiliary, facilitator role inperfect ing sports ability.

To teach abilit ies developed insuff icient ly by the given sport; increase the general workcapacity or preserve it.

To provide active rest, promote restoration after strenuous loading, and counteract themonotony of training

.

Why is sled dragging used for GPP?

The sled is easy to use and doesnt require a special trip to the gym.

The sled is specif ic to the development of the special skills necessary for maximal strength.(And by the way, we never run with the sled.)

Many movements can be trained with the sled, some of which are listed below. There aremovements for the abdominals, shoulders, hamstrings, etc. Virtually every muscle can betrained with a sled.

The sled is a great way to induce active restorat ion. In many of the upper body draggingmovements, the eccentric is eliminated because of the nature of the sled. This, in turn, isgreat for recovery because the t earing down of the muscle is much less in concentric-onlymovements.

What are some sample sled dragging movements?


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Around the waist forward dragging: This could be classified as the king of all dragging exercises.Run a nylon st rap through the sled with the other end att ached to a weight belt. Keep the belt onenotch loose to allow for you to pull in and expand your belly as much as possible. This will allowyou to bet ter push your abdominals against t he belt in the same fashion we advise fo r thepowerlif t ing. As you walk forward, do so in a explosive, dynamic mot ion, driving into the belt as youstep. You should hear the forces snap the sled with each step. This is much dif ferent than justwalking forward. This type of dragging is great for the development of the hamstrings and glutes.

Ankle dragging: This movement is great f or the hip f lexors and hamstrings. To perform it, youllneed to attach one nylon st rap to the sled and pass a second through the first for a T shape. Tieor loop the end of the second strap around each ankle. Start the mot ion in a split stance positionand pull the back leg forward with a slight bend in the knee. Concentrate on using the hip flexorsand abdominals, not the quads. This movement has a profound difference on many lif ters Iveconsulted. It teaches them how to use their abdominals in a way thats conducive to doing thesquat.

Rope dragging behind the knees: This style of dragging will pulverize your hamstrings. At tach thestrap to the sled. Run a rope or anot her nylon st rap through the f irst. Face away from the sled andgrip the second strap behind your knees with a close stance. Stay in this semi-squatted positionand walk forward.

Front raises: This was one of the best and most successful things Ive ever seen for sore anddamaged shoulders. It helped more lift ers get back to the bench than any other movement. Att achone st rap through the f irst in the same manner as the ankle dragging. Face away from the sled andgrab one strap in each hand and walk forward while simulating a dumbbell front raise with thestraps.

Rear raises: This movement is performed the same as the front raise, except youll be walkingbackwards and performing a rear raise. The benefit to these front and rear raises is that theloading during the eccentric phase is taken away. What youre left with is a concentric-only activitythat causes litt le to no soreness.


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What is the cuf f complex?

1. Front raise thumb up

2. Front raise thumb down

3. Side raise thumb up

4. Side raise thumb down

5. Bent raise thumb down to side

6. Bent raise thumb up to side

7. Bent raise thumb up to front

8. Bent raise thumb down to front

9. External rotation top half

10. External rotation bot tom half

11. Zotman curl

12. Overhead press

* All for one set of 10 reps.

How long can I use the bands on the bench press?

This is entirely up to the individual, but using bands for every workout is not advised. Here aresome suggestions on how to cycle bands during your dynamic bench cycle.

1. Alternate bands and straight weight every week.

2. Alternate bands and chains every week.

3. Three weeks of bands followed by three weeks of straight weight or chains.

These are just some suggestions and its up to you to f igure out what works best. Listen to yourbody and over t ime it will tell you what is best for your t raining.

What is straight weight?

Straight weight is when you are lif t ing without bands, chains or weight releasers.

Weak of f the f loor when deadlif ting?

If you are weak of f of the floor when deadlif t ing, your problem may be a lack of lower backstrength. Try doing good mornings (and its many dif ferent variations), reverse hyperextensions,back extensions and heavy abdominal work. The 45 degree back raise is also a great exercise.Make sure your form is also correct, as it could be a technical problem.

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