 This should scare the HELL out of you in a good way. You’re going to get everything that you’ve ever wanted to accomplish in one training block. We’re going to change it up now, and go a little more unilateral. We can take a break off of axial loading with the barbell, whether it’s in the front squat or the back squat. This will allow our nervous system to recover. We’re going to be training a little bit more asymmetrically so we can get everything lined up again. Also, when you train one leg, you’re getting twice the metabolic demand as you would with training two legs at one time so your conditioning improves. What does accumulation mean and what is the goal of an accumulation training block? Accumulation is just getting as much volume as we can. The difference from intensification is we’re deliberately trying to work body composition, such as improving our fat-mass to muscle-mass ratio, to get more muscle. It’s okay to say that we want to look better, as well as perform better. This accumulation block will build muscle mass and set a foundation for the heavier lifts to come. This accumulation phase will transition nicely into our later intensification phase where we’re going to be in better condition to handle higher weights more frequently. We will also have greater tensile strength of our joints and ligaments to handle these higher intensities and these heavier loads. We’re going to push through a threshold that we potentially didn’t have before, especially when we’re doing multiple sets of intensities above 80% when your legs are feeling a little tired. You can always backtrack and remember that, “Okay I did 10 sets of something in January and February. I’ll be fine. I can make it.” We’re just trying to push the dial up every single training block. WE ARE GOING TO BURN A SHITLOAD OF FAT. The theme of this accumulation block is the 6-12-25 protocol. From a program design standpoint, we’re using a higher rep scheme designed to burn fat for the energy we use during the session. We specifically start the workout with 6 reps of fast twitch muscle fiber movements like front squat, bench, and bent over row. Beginning the session with these movements first fatigues fast twitch muscle fibers and leaves the more fatigue-resistant muscle fibers to finish the task. This design burns more glycogen at the top of a session and sets us up to burn more fat throughout the session. Let’s dive in a bit deeper on what an Accumulation Block actually means. There are a couple of central themes behind Accumulation Blocks: Functional Hypertrophy, Hypertrophy, and Muscular Endurance. This block’s focus is Muscular Endurance. We’re looking to tax some of the fatigue resistance muscle fibers. Also known as type 1 muscle fibers. Another key concept to understand for this block is Size Principle. “This Size Principle is a naturally occurring process to prevent overexertion. Essentially, we utilize slower twitch muscle fibers at the start of an activity to defer the use of faster twitch muscle fibers later. The sequence is important because it impacts our response to training.” In this block, we’re reversing the Size Principle by utilizing higher threshold motor units at the top of the session in our compound lift of 6 in our 6/12/25 rep scheme. When we transition to 12 and 25 reps, we’ll utilize lower threshold motor units and intermediate/slow twitch muscle fibers.  And what’s the goal of taxing all muscle fibers to the extent of their capabilities? The goal is to maximize our response to training; making our bodies respond to what we’re going through. Which brings us to our next point: Hypertrophy. There are essentially two different types of hypertrophy: Sarcoplasmic and Myofibril Hypertrophy. The “pump” sensation is what comes from sarcoplasmic. When you do higher-rep, lower intensity work it causes increased blood flow to an area. This increased blood to the area helps with long-term recovery by removing waste post exercise and inflating of mTOR pathways that repair broken down tissues.  “When you do higher-rep, lower intensity work it causes increased blood flow to an area. This increased blood to the area helps with long-term recovery by removing waste post exercise and inflating of mTOR pathways that repair broken down tissues.” A second key component of hypertrophy is using all energy stores in the muscle. In this case, specifically glycogen. When glycogen is burned for energy during training, it’s called glycolysis. Glycolysis usually occurs during anaerobic exercise where we need immediate energy for work but we don't have a lot of oxygen present. So in hypertrophy, we first use available glucose and then glycogen stores. When we continue the duration of training, we exhaust glycogen stores and look for different types of fuel to burn. In our case, we are hoping for fatty acids. In our training program, by structuring a combination of higher threshold motor units in our set of 6 and lower threshold motor units in our sets of 12 and 24 we can hopefully burn glycogen faster and subsequently utilize more fatty acids for fuel during the session. In conclusion, the goal of this block to use higher rep schemes that tap into burning fat for energy. We’re starting with high-threshold, motor-units and fast twitch muscle fibers to get more out of our higher rep schemes than if we would if we just went into higher reps. This structure will burn more glycogen and lead to better utilization of other fuel sources. Resources:
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https://soundcloud.com/steelmacenation/consistency-is-king-with-gerrick-king-of-king-strength-and-performance?fbclid=IwAR3sc5JBqhy4Q4U6_nlxnqKPnYfb-cp58CFQ_0OHP2mSlqeQhVkjBn8H09g Written By: Brandon Lum  Consistency is King - a statement commonly heard echoed as one finds their place at King: Strength and Performance - a sentiment many would agree with, but not necessarily follow. As a multi-sport athlete, I’ve been drilled to practice, practice, practice; to run consistently, whether that be 4-5 times a week, or running two-a-days. Traditionally, an average week for an average amateur runner consists of some kind of a long run, some form of speed work, a base run, and a recovery run. You can sprinkle in different flavors and some extra toppings to make it fun/exciting, but ultimately that’s most weeks.
Let’s try a little scenario: You’re planning on running a half-marathon, maybe this is your first half or maybe you’re a bit more seasoned and this is your fifth. You have a typical 9-5, so you need to run either really early so you have time to stretch, shower, and then get to work, or you run in the evening after work, though a little tired, you won’t have to worry about falling asleep at your desk. Maybe you also have a goal of a certain pace or maybe a certain finish time. You decide you need a plan that fits your schedule as well as get you to the finish line in the time you want so you look online for some kind of running plan, find something suitable, and then start running. Race day comes, you run your race and finish, congratulations! The next few questions/answers that pop up usually consist of:
All these questions are valid, but it starts somewhere. After you’ve decided you’re mentally ready, now you have to prepare yourself physically. What’s the plan? Find a new plan or maybe use the same plan, run a little faster, a little harder, and hope your finish time is better than your current one? Eventually you hit a wall, whether that be limitations of your body or mentally you’re just done. One thing people may not realize or notice, professional athletes at the highest levels don’t just become the best by just doing the same thing over again and continuously beating up their body without the very least taking care of it. There was some news floating around a bit ago, Lebron James - Basketball Player, considered by many as one of the greatest of all time - spent ~$1.5 Million on his body each year to make sure he’s in tip-top shape for all the abuse he takes. Eliud Kipchoge - Marathon Runner, considered by many as the greatest marathon runner of all time, first individual to break the 2 hour barrier for a marathon - gets a massage after every run, takes an ice bath after every run, and even trained in a gym before starting his world-record breaking races, of note, specifically revolving around his 2019 year consisting of his record breaking marathon in Berlin (2:01:39) and his mind-shattering 2 hour barrier marathon. These two individuals specifically, considered at the top of their field, don’t just compete in their respective sport and do nothing else. They take care of their bodies, whether that be nutrition, sleeping at a reasonable time for an appropriate amount of hours, taking “easy” days for recovery, working hard on “hard” days, and also many hours in the gym. We don’t all have $1.5 Million to spend on our bodies and we don’t have top tier coaches or masseuses to tell us how to train or how to recover or what to eat. Some of us go to a gym, MAYBE get a personal trainer/coach, drink beers, eat junk food or fast food, hang out late, have a job, spend time with our friends and family. As an athlete, I’ve always felt that a strong foundation builds for performance. You have to walk before you can run. In the case of strength training, you have to have strong enough muscles to help stabilize your skeletal structure to take on the beating of whatever activities you plan on doing. I joined King: Strength and Performance because I’m a strong believer that Consistency IS King. I saw that there was a great benefit to strength training as a base to not only help avoid tacking on more injuries to my long history, but also to help me perform at a higher level, consistently. I may not become the world’s fastest runner or a name that is known in every household, but I’ll be sure to be known amongst my peers as an individual that puts in the work and time to make sure I am still competing 20, 30, 40 years from now.  5 TIPS FROM KING STRENGTH & PERFORMANCE TO SQUEEZE IN YOUR TRAINING BEFORE A BUSY WORK DAY. As far as gym excuses go, we've heard them all at King Strength and Performance... "I'M SURE I'D LOOK LIKE THAT TO, IF I DIDN'T HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB." "I REALLY WANT TO HIT THE GYM LATER, BUT I HAVE NO MOTIVATION AFTER 8 HOURS OF WORK." "I WANT TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE, BUT I JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME." This list could go on for days, but that's not what you came here for. Fitting in a workout in your daily schedule can seem like an impossible task. With long work days, your schedule is probably all booked up right? But somehow, we always manage to fit an hour long scrolling session on Instagram or an extra episode of Netflix at night. Whether we like it or not, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. It's all about priorities. Right now, setting an alarm 1.5 hours earlier sounds about as fun as doing burpees in class. However, the endorphin high that you feel the rest of the day is worth it. Here are some hopefully helpful tips to get in that workout before a busy day at work:
If you have any tips of your own - share them below! We would love to hear your personal advice and share it with the King Strength and Performance community! HERE'S A GIFT FOR READING THIS BLOG! Are you an early bird or want to become an early bird in the gym? We're rewarding anyone who wants to try making training a priority in their life with 5 Strength and Conditioning sessions for FREE!  ACCUMULATION VS INTENSIFICATIONAs a reminder, we rotate our strength blocks between two central themes:
We're finishing the first accumulation block of 2020 where the theme was Advanced German Volume Training, where the primary focus to effectively build endurance and improve our work capacities. The improvements will be seen in the next strength block immediately. For Strength Block #2 of 2020, we are shifting gears and heading into an intensification block. The theme of this intensification block is the 5x5. It will take us 4 weeks to go through this strength block cycle. THE HISTORY OF 5X5THE 5X5 IS FOCUSED ON THE BIG THREE MOVEMENTS: SQUAT, BENCH AND DEADLIFT WITH THE PROGRAM DIVIDED INTO HEAVY, MODERATE AND LIGHT VERSIONS. March's King Strength and Performance strength block is the famous 5x5, a program invented by strength and conditioning legend and pioneer Bill Starr. Bill Starr landed on the set and rep scheme because he thought it was the perfect balance of volume and intensity that would develop muscular size and strength at the same time. For some historical context, Starr designed this program at the time when most of his athletes and lifters worked full-time, manual labor jobs outside of training. They'd do hard labor in factories and then after work, they had to go to the gym to train. Starr had to be strategic with program design to get the most results for his athletes. By trial and error, he realized what we adapt to is the most important. And that it's not about how much one can do, but about how much one can sustainably handle. His methods became something of a legend and ushered a whole new world of strength and conditioning that took deep roots in all aspects of the physical culture. WHAT MAKES THE 5X5 SPECIAL?The 5x5 program split is three separate days focused on the big three: Squat, Bench and Deadlift. The program is broken up into a heavy, moderate and light version. This is important because it was one of the first great attempts to look at pattern development from a movement perspective and performance perspective. On one hand, you need a certain level of exposure to master the movement. On the other hand, you need a certain amount of intensity to perform optimally in the movement. But if you push one exercise everyday at maximal intensity, you will break (which we imagine was a product of learning this the hard way). There has to be proper manipulation and variability in training intensity to accommodate proper recovery. HERE'S HOW THE 5x5 PROGRAM WORKSThe 5x5 program has three days that start with a heavy version of Squat, Bench or Deadlift followed by a moderate version of Squat, Bench or Deadlift, followed again by a light version of Squat, Bench or Deadlift. You push the weight as heavy as you can on each for 5 sets of 5 reps but the weight is deloaded based on the rage of motion, vector, distance from center of gravity, joints involved, and balance required.
Do you want real results? Learn how you can benefit from your own personal trainer.  One-on-one, for one-of-a-kind results - Every aspect of your program design is carefully crafted by our professionals to focus on your personal goals, any limitations and time frame to achieve those goals. By directing our attention to the individual assessment, we eliminate wasted time and effort by targeting and improving your unique movement patterns, stability, strength, and mobility. Save time - Time is money. Your time is very valuable and spending unnecessary time socializing, waiting for equipment or thinking about what you should do next are all enemies of your wallet and more importantly spending time with your loved ones. A personal trainer will keep you on point and have your entire session planned with just enough rest in between sets to allow your heart rate to recover to the goal target. It will also encourage you to get the most out of your gym membership as well. Realistic Accountability - Here at King Strength and Performance, our customized programs focus on the fact that no two people are the same. Because of this, we know that your fitness journey begins with a personal roadmap to success. Having an appointment that is locked into your schedule that you have paid for is a pretty big motivator to keep you accountable to start with. Furthermore, your personal trainer will begin your journey with a realistic timetable that maps out your goals and will sow you what to expect along the way. Being realistic about your progress is essential and ensures continued motivation. Increase Motivation - Accountability goes hand-in-hand with motivation A common misconception is that personal trainers are high energy, in your face, and exhausting, which is far from the truth. It's important for your trainer to meet you exactly where you're at. We understand that every single client we train has unique motivational cues. We will use visual, auditory and tactile options to coach you up and ensure that you are successfully completing every rep and set of your entire workout. We will also progress the workouts keeping track of your success and adding to your motivation by illustrating your progress, It's easy to get bored on your own. Even athletes at the highest levels use coaches to hold them accountable and motivate them to win. This is a population that has trained their entire lives yet still see an incredible value in the motivation of a coach. Think about that the next time you are asked to take advantage of a personal training session. If your reply is "I already know what I'm doing" then you're missing the most valuable aspects of personal training. Quality Program Design - Understanding how to assess and prescribe workouts requires a huge science background to do this effectively. But creatively selecting exercises to get the job done and keeping a client's interest level high is more than an art form. Keeping your motivation high is directly linked to the adherence and creating workouts that are safe, effective and most of all fun have been cornerstone to our success. We understand there needs to be a balance between what you need and what you want. No one enjoys taking medicine, but at the end of the day, it will make you feel better. Same goes for your program design. Safety First - Your personal trainer can make significant adjustments on the fly if you have any bumps, bruises, joint pain, feel slightly under the weather or are overworked and sleep deprived. This will help you avoid making things worse and put you back on the right road to make a rapid recovery. Not only that, each session dedicates time toward focusing on the most vulnerable areas of your body; shoulders, core and hips. We call these the "prehab" areas, we address these areas to avoid potential injuries even before they occur. Personal Training on a Budget - At King Strength and Performance, you have many options to choose from. One-on-one, couples and semi-private options are all available to meet a budget you can stick to. The cold heart truth to ask yourself what the cost would be for one heart attack which is the #1 killer in America. Staying healthy has an immeasurable value. Some say it's too late for me to get in shape. We say it's too late for you NOT to get in shape. Make the investment. It's well worth it. Just give it a try and you'll see and feel the difference.  Being friends with gym rats when you don't go to the gym has to be exhausting. Truly, I get it - it's all we ever talk about, post about, and even selfie about. If you've finally given in and are actually thinking about taking your friend or family member up on their offer to check out a trial class as part of your New Year's resolution, that's great, but try not to think of it so much as a resolution. As far as resolutions go, King Strength & Performance covers a lot of bases. It gets you in shape (and keeps you in shape), it broadens your social circle, and it forces you to try something new. The problem, though, is that resolutions rarely stick. And if you think of King Strength & Performance or anything else as a task, you may start to enjoy it about as much as you enjoy cleaning your bathroom or washing the dishes; which suck. Instead of making training your resolution, make it a one-off promise to yourself or someone you care about. Show up just once - we offer a free 10 Day Trial for newcomers. Show up one time. If you're intrigued, show up again. You may decide that it's not your thing, but you may also get sucked into the lifestyle that makes so many of us stick with it. None of this means that you can't set goals within your training, of course. In fact, many common goals that people set as "resolutions;" such as weight-loss, eating healthy and improving fitness happen as secondary effects of coming to King Strength & Performance. Just getting your body moving and spending more time with people who live a healthier lifestyle can push you to do the same. And by the time you get to that point, you may find that you're enjoying your new hobby so much that you've barely noticed all the other positive changes happening in your life. You may decide that you hate training at King Strength & Performance, and that's fine too. As much as our community promotes the idea that we're for everyone, the truth is that some people just aren't thrilled about the idea of community, getting stronger and team camaraderie. If you decide it's not for you, no pressure - all you did was try something new, and you don't have to beat yourself up for breaking your resolution so early in the year. So yes, give King Strength & Performance a try this year. But do it for you. Do it because you owe it to yourself to try a new hobby, because you deserve to make new friendships as an adult, because hey, we're on this planet for a short amount of time and we should have a constant source of happiness and health while we're here. Stop thinking of it as a resolution, and just show up sometime. Who knows? You may find yourself feeling like a new person this time next year. Click the link below to get started:
 Accumulation vs Intensification As a reminder, we rotate our strength blocks between two central themes:
We're finishing December's Intensification block where the theme was GREYSKULL LP, where the primary focus to effectively build strength, power and lean muscle mass. A perfect program for creating the foundation for muscle and strength growth. For Strength Block #1 of 2020, we are shifting gears and heading into an accumulation block. The theme of this accumulation block is ADVANCED GERMAN VOLUME TRAINING. It will take us 60 days to go through this strength block cycle. Remember German Volume Training (GVT)? There is an advanced version called Advanced German Volume Training. And it is way more advanced than regular German Volume Training! Which is the perfect way to kick off 2020! A typical session is roughly 20-30 sets. How we distribute those sets amongst the exercises determines the impact those exercises have. Greater total volume and overall load will have a greater overall impact. Said differently, allocate more sets to an exercise if you want that exercise to have a greater impact. Greater allocation of sets means there is a greater potential for advancement from those exercises. Have you heard of Pareto's Principle? Pareto's Princple (aka 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few, or the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.  We are able to leverage Pareto's principle. So it is about determining the greatest ROI generating exercises and setting up sets and reps to maximize benefit from training.
Advanced German Volume Training vs Traditional German Volume Training What's the Difference? Let us recap the most important points regarding German Volume Training:
A traditional German Volume Training session might look like this: A. Bench Press (the goal is to do 10 sets of 10 reps) Set 1: 10 reps Set 2: 10 reps Set 3: 10 reps Set 4: 10 reps Set 5: 9 reps Set 6: 7 reps Set 7: 7 reps Set 8: 8 reps Set 9: 7 reps Set 10: 6 reps B. Barbell Row (the goal is to do 10 sets of 1with 200 pounds): Set 1: 10 reps Set 2: 10 reps Set 3: 10 reps Set 4: 9 reps Set 5: 8 reps Set 6: 7 reps Set 7: 7 reps Set 8: 7 reps Set 9: 6 reps Set 10: 6 reps Once you were able to do complete 10 sets of 10 reps, you would increase the weight by 2 1/2 to 5%. Improvements for Advanced German Volume Training The advanced component comes from lowering the reps and increasing the corresponding load. So we have more intensity and greater impact on the nervous system. This makes it more advanced. GUIDELINES FOR ADVANCED GERMAN VOLUME TRAINING: Training Frequency: Because this is such a demanding program, it will take you longer to recover. It is recommend working each body part every 5 days, BUT ONLY DOING THE SAME EXERCISE EVERY 10 DAYS. The routine outlined in the end will make things clearer. The exercises done in the two different workouts for the same body part should be similar, yet different enough to tap into a different motor unit pool. Reps: For the advanced trainee, doing more than 5 reps is a waste of time, as the average intensity will be too low. The reps should vary for each one of the six workouts (German Volume Training, like any other training, is only effective for so long). Reps are the loading parameter to which one adapts the quickest. Rest Intervals: When trainees start with this method, they often question its value during the first several sets simply because the weight will not feel heavy. However, there is minimal rest between sets (about 90 seconds when performed in sequence and 90-120 seconds when performed as a superset), which gives you a process of accumulative fatigue. Because of the importance of the rest intervals, you should use a stopwatch or a watch equipped with one to keep the rest intervals constant. This is very important, as it becomes tempting to lengthen the rest time as you fatigue. Tempo: For long range movements such as squats, dips, and chins, use a 40X0 tempo; this means you would lower the weight in four seconds and immediately change direction and lift explosively for the concentric portion. For movements such as curls and triceps extensions, use a 30X0 tempo. Advanced trainees, because of their enhanced neurological efficiency, should only use explosive concentric tempos. Number of Exercises: One, and only one, exercise per body part should be performed. Therefore, select exercises that recruit a lot of muscle mass. Triceps kickbacks and leg extensions are definitely out—squats and bench presses are definitely in. For supplementary work for individual body parts (like triceps and biceps), you can do 3 sets of 6-8 reps. Overload Mechanism: Once you are able to do 10 sets of x reps with constant rest intervals, increase the weight on the bar by the percentage outlined in the article and repeat the process. Refrain from using forced reps, negatives, or burns, as the volume of the work will take care of the hypertrophy. Expect to have some deep muscle soreness without having to resort to set prolongation techniques. In fact, after doing a quad and hams session with this method, it takes the average bodybuilder about five days to stop limping. Therefore, for an advanced trainee, one should apply a 6-9% increase in load with each successive rep reduction as outlined in the example below. In other words, each week, you’ll do fewer reps per set, but increase the weight. And to create a bigger effect on the nervous system, we use Fat Grip, Tempo, and more exercises that require more balance and coordination. Workout 1: The goal of the Advanced German Volume Training method is to complete 10 sets of 5 reps with the same weight for each exercise. You want to begin with a weight you could lift for 10 reps to failure (10RM), if you had to push it. For most people, on most exercises, that would represent 75% of their 1 R.M. load. Therefore, if you can bench press 300 pounds for one rep, you would use 225 pounds for this exercise. So your workout may look like this: Set 1: 225 x 5 Set 2: 225 x 5 Set 3: 225 x 5 Set 4: 225 x 5 Set 5: 225 x 5 Set 6: 225 x 5 Set 7: 225 x 4 Set 8: 225 x 4 Set 9: 225 x 3 Set 10: 225 x 3 NOTE: When using Advanced German Volume Training, or for that matter, any program - you should keep a detailed journal of the exact sets/reps, load, and rest intervals performed, and only count the repetitions completed in strict form. Workout 2: Increase the weight by 6-7% and strive to do 10 sets of 4 reps with that weight. So workout 2 would look like this: Set 1: 235 x 4 Set 2: 235 x 4 Set 3: 235 x 4 Set 4: 235 x 4 Set 5: 235 x 4 Set 6: 235 x 4 Set 7: 235 x 4 Set 8: 235 x 4 Set 9: 235 x 4 Set 10: 235 x 4 NOTE: It is not uncommon on the second workout to be able to complete all sets of 4, as your work capacity will have improved from the first GVT workout. Workout 3: Increase weight of Workout 1 by 8-9% and strive to do 10 sets of 3 reps with that weight. Yes, you are reading it correctly—8-9%, not 6-7%. So Workout 3 might look like this: Set 1 255 x 3 Set 2 255 x 3 Set 3 255 x 3 Set 4 255 x 3 Set 5 255 x 3 Set 6 255 x 3 Set 7 255 x 3 Set 8 255 x 3 Set 9 255 x 3 Set 10 255 x 3 NOTE: During sets 6-7-8, you will think your spleen wants to come out of your right eye, but stick with it as sets 9 and 10 will be the easiest. Workout 4: Use the weights you used in Workout 2 and go for 10 sets of 5, which you should do easily. Workout 5: Use the weights in workout 3 and go for 10 sets of 4, which again you should do easily. Workout 6 By now you should be able to do 10 sets of 3 at 275 pounds with no problem. If not, your training background is probably slow tempo Kettlebell power snatches performed on the Bosu Ball, cough F45. Let’s kick off 2020 by crushing our nervous system, listening to some German techno music, and getting strong AF.  It’s that time of year!
We got through Thanksgiving, now on to the crazy month of December with all of the big holidays and parties. We are eating, drinking, enjoying time with family, and completely forgetting about all the work we have put in this past year. We keep telling ourselves January 2020! That’s when you will get back on board, you will dial in, you will get into a routine. You’ll train hard and eat right! But why wait? Why let the month of December go down the drain, just to try to reset all over again in January. Don’t focus on losing weight this month, focus on MAINTENANCE. Let’s keep the results we’ve already made this year, and then really kick it into high gear in January. Let’s start on some simple New Year’s Resolutions right now! Here are 5 easy tips to get us through December and start 2020 on the right note: 1. Don’t Skip Breakfast I say this all the time, but breakfast should be the most important meal. By skipping breakfast, you risk overeating later in the day. Starting each day with a balanced meal can help you make better choices throughout the rest of the day. 2. Keep Your Training Schedule Stick to your training routine but be realistic. If you usually go to the gym 5-6x per week, but know this month will be difficult, stick to at least 3-4x per week. If you can’t get to the gym, include a 30-minute body weight circuit that you can do at home. It could be as simple as a 10 minute EMOM: 10 squats, 5 push-ups, 5 sit ups. 3. Drink A Glass of Water with Every Meal Water is important for optimal health and performance. Water can also increase the number of calories you burn regularly; plus, lean muscle feeds off hydration. Most people struggle with consuming enough water daily, so a good rule of thumb can be having a glass with every meal or snack. 4. Avoid Sugary Drinks like Soda There are no essential nutrients in these drinks, but they are full of unnecessary sugars and chemicals. The more of these you drink, the more you will crave food and beverages like it. Swap the soda for a sparkling water and add fresh squeezed lemon or lime. 5. Use the Stairs When Possible This is the easiest way to get exercise into your daily routine. If there is an elevator, there must be stairs, so opt for the stairs as much as possible during the day. Do you have a Fitbit? Make a realistic goal of how many steps you will accumulate every day and make sure you hit that goal. After a few weeks, add a few hundred more steps to your daily count. These simple tips can make a huge difference this month. Keep them in mind and try practicing them every day. We can still have a great holiday season without all of the regret once the New Year hits. You’ll have a few holiday parties and a couple meals out, but that won’t take up an entire month of eating.  INTENSIFICATION VS ACCUMULATION. As a reminder, we have 2 central training themes that we rotate between in during our strength block programming: (1) Intensification: Power, Strength, Speed and Explosiveness (2) Accumulation: Volume, Body Composition and Work Capacity (Endurance) You get both strength and conditioning in both training themes. But we design our training this way because it's more sustainable and smarter. We're finishing November's intensification block where the theme was the French Contrast Method (FCM), where the primary focus was simultaneously getting everyone stronger and more explosive. Intensification blocks typically focus on power, strength and speed. Typically, we would rotate and do an Accumulation block following an Intensification block; however, this will be the exception. For December 2019, we will be heading into another Intensification block which, will have a completely different vibe. GREYSKULL LP. The theme of December's strength block is Greyskull LP (GSLP). This program is famous for its effectiveness at building strength and size rapidly. But what exactly makes it one of the best beginner weight lifting / power lifting programs? The answer lies in the name: "LP" aka LINEAR PERIODIZATION. WHAT IS LINEAR PERIODIZATION? Periodization actually comes in two distinct flavors: Linear periodization and Non-Linear periodization. Linear periodization prefers to a progression scheme in which you're progressing from week to week simply by adjusting training variables, which include load, volume, relative intensity, perceived intensity (RPE), and a host of others, to achieve the desired effect. HISTORY OF GREYSKULL LP. Developed by John Sheaffer, who also goes by the name Johnny Pain, Greyskull LP is considered one of the best linear progression programs available. It has several unique factors that make it stand out among alternatives like Starting Strength and StrongLifts 5x5, which we have used during previous Strength Blocks. Greyskull LP was formed after Sheaffer completed Starting Strength and found himself quite dissatisfied with the results. His complaints were not unique, as many feel Starting Strength does not do "enough" towards muscle growth and hypertrophy and leaves too much progress on the table. HOW DOES GREYSKULL LP WORK? The base for the plan is actually pretty simple. Squats are performed twice per week, Trap Bar Deadlifts one time per week. Bench Press and Overhead Press are alternated. Chin-Ups and Barbell Rows are alternated too. This provides the foundation for muscle and strength growth to be developed. A core tenant of the program, which each workout more weight NEEDS to be added. Here are the weight increase increments: Bench Press and Overhead Press - 2.5 pounds Squats and Deadlifts - 5 pounds DAY A: Overhead Press / Bench Press (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + AMRAP Chin-ups / Barbell Bentover Rows (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + Barbell Back Squats 2x5, 1x5 + Day B: Overhead Press / Bench Press (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + AMRAP Chin-ups / Barbell Bentover Rows (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + Trap Bar Deadlifts 2x5, 1x5 + Day C: Overhead Press / Bench Press (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + AMRAP Chin-ups / Barbell Bentover Rows (Alternating) 2x5, 1x5 + Barbell Back Squats 2x5, 1x5 + Rules: Last set is As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP). Progress with 2.5lbs for upper body exercises, 5lbs for lower body exercises. If final AMRAP set hits 18+ reps, double weight increase 2.5lbs to 5lbs, 5lbs to 10lbs. If you cannot perform a proper chin-up, do not use band assistance. Perform negative reps. If you fail to make 5 reps in the final set, deload by 10%. ACCESSORY WORK? Although it is not necessary to do to see results with this Strength Block. We will be incorporating accessories to accelerate progress towards any number of different goals. While this sounds complicated, there are simply additional accessory movements and other types of training added on top, aka Conditioning and Arm Farm. We will be incorporating 2-3 accessory exercises per workout. END OF THE YEAR! THIS IS THE LAST STRENGTH BLOCK OF 2019! By the end of this block you should have a good platform and understanding of our compound movements, be in better physical shape, become stronger, more durable, more resilient and have a better body composition. At the end of the year - after everyone finishes all their strength programming, we will have covered all of the necessary components: work capacity, muscle, strength and power. We'll have this really good, balanced profile where we'er all stronger, faster, fitter, happier and healthier.  |
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