10 Awesome Challenges by Tim Henriques

Sometimes even the most motivated weight trainer needs to be challenged, or better yet, open-palm bitchslapped into action. First, let's set aside all the "I weight train to be healthy" crap and start by being honest: You train because you want to be a bad ass, right? You kill yourself under the heavy iron because you don't want to "wallow in the seabed of mediocrity," as my old man likes to say. In short, you think "normal" freaking blows and the last thing you want to look like is normal. Well, here's your chance to shine. This beast of an article is your call to stand up and be accounted for. I've got 10 awesome challenges for you, complete with instructions and goals. Your mission is to pick a couple, give them a shot, and see how you measure up. Simple, huh? Sure, just not easy. Especially for a 3 sets of pec deck geek like you. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mr. Internet Keyboard Warrior 2010. Put up or shut up. Give these challenges a go and post your thoughts along with your weak-ass times in the discussion forum, and if you really want to shut people up (or provoke laughter), film it. There, I've done it. I've taken off my white glove and slapped your pretty-boy face with it. Shall I call you Nancy at the same time? How will you respond? Hope your salty tears don't cause your mascara to run.

The 10 Challenges 1. The Prowler Punishment You know the Prowler, the torture device that Elite Fitness sells, the one that Dave Tate hates? Here's the challenge: Put 90 lbs on it (a 45 on each side), mark out 30 yards, and do 10 trips total. That's it. Alternate pushing from the low handle and the high handle (high is much easier). Rest as long as you like, but I want you to record your time, so don't rest too much...unless you enjoy your current level of suckiness. Anything under 10 minutes is very good; our gym record is 7:45. I seriously doubt many of you will even finish it. Prowler Push: 90 lbs, 30 yards, 10 trips; for time 2. Pull-ups, Push-ups, and Puke-Ups

I hate trainees that brag about their "relative strength." To me, you're either strong or you're not, so instead of finding some obscure context in which your meager lifts are impressive, why not just shut up and get strong in the basics? That said, here's one for all of you spandex-wearing relative strength junkies: Complete 80 pull-ups and 240 push-ups. That's it. Superset them and try to finish each exercise in roughly the same number of sets (don't just do all the push-ups and then go do all the pull-ups). Rest as much as you want, but again you're recording total time. Because this is conditioning, I don't expect perfect form on the pull-ups (especially once you're exhausted), so a bit of a kip is okay, but push-ups should be chest to the ground each rep. Maybe that's inconsistent but that's how I feel about it, and I will hold you to the same standard that I hold myself. Furthermore, this is my test. If you want to create your own pansy workout where you allow halfrep push-ups, knock yourself out. Just don't post on this thread. Our current gym record is 15 minutes; I think I might be able to squeak out 12 minutes in the future. Prepare to be sore the next day. Pull-ups: 80, Push-ups: 240, supersetted, for time 3. Kettlebell Swing-Fest You have to love the kettlebell for conditioning exercises, and the kettlebell swing is as good as it gets. This challenge is super simple on paper but is sure to leave you in a sweaty pile of drool. Take a 100-lb. kettlebell, swing it 30 times, rest 30 seconds, and repeat two more times. If a100-lb kettlebell is too heavy, then too bad; there are nine other challenges that may be better suited to your effeminate frame. Pick another. Kettlebell Swings: 100 lbs., 30 reps, 3 sets; 30 -second break each set 4. Weighted Stepmill From Hell This was part of a six-hour gym challenge I did with some of my boys. It was the last exercise for that day and in five minutes it damned near killed me. Perhaps it was the cumulative effect of all the other training I did that day, who knows; all I know is I haven't looked at the Stepmill the same way since. Put on an 80-lb weighted vest and hit the Stepmill for five minutes. Go at whatever speed you want and feel free to change it as needed; the goal is to climb as many floors as possible in those five minutes. I was as white as a ghost when I was done, but I didn't quit and that's the point. Our gym record is 27 floors.

 Stepmill: 5 minutes, 80-lb vest; max number of flights climbed 5. 5 x 500 Meter Row Here's one that's a little more straightforward cardio, but still involves a good deal of power. Get on the rower (the "erg" for all you crewers out there). Set the machine up for the 500-meter interval program, which involves rowing 500 meters, taking a oneminute break, and then repeating. You're going to do five 500-meter sprints, maintaining that one-minute break in between each row. The goal is to do each of those five sprints in under 1:40 if you're a male, under 2:05 if you're a female, under five minutes if you're a CrossFitter (kidding)! 500 Meter Row: 5 rounds; 1-minute rest in between each round 6. Jump Rope Here's a simple one. Get a jump rope and skip it as many times as you can in a two-minute timeframe. That's it, nice and easy. A 'skip' is every time the jump rope hits the floor or goes under your body. The goal? 360 or more skips in two minutes. Why that number? Because it sounds good and it's about half as fast as the world record. You should be able to run half as fast as Usain Bolt, right? So you should be able to jump rope half as fast as the best people on the planet. How's that for logic? Mistakes are okay; just remember the timer just keeps running while you fumble to get back in rhythm. Jump Rope: 2 minutes; max number of skips 7. Pull-ups & Kettlebell Shake Down This one's a bitch. I stole the idea from Waterbury's last article Fat on Fire, so the credit goes to him; I'm just refining it and giving you a goal. You'll need a pull-up bar and a 100-lb kettlebell. Start with the pull-ups: Do 10 pull-ups, then run over and do 10 kettlebell swings. Next it's 9 pull-ups, 9 swings, 8 pull-ups, 8 swings, etc. You know the drill, all the way down to one rep on each. Rest as long as you want, but again this is for total time. Kipping is okay on the pull-ups, as long as it still resembles a pull-up and not a seizure. The goal is to complete this in five minutes or less. Pull-ups and Kettlebell Swings: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 rep on both exercises; 100-lb kettlebell; for time.

8. Platoon Dumbbell Rows If cardio isn't your thing, then maybe this bad boy will light you up. The goal on this challenge is to complete 10 sets of dumbbell rows in 10 minutes or less; if you can do that you can walk out of the gym with your head held high. Assume the dumbbell row position, either kneeling on a bench or supporting yourself on something stable, with your upper back near parallel to the ground. Grab one 100-lb dumbbell and do a set of 10 reps for one arm, then immediately switch to the other arm and do 10 reps. Rest as long as necessary before starting the next set, just remember that this is for total time. A little swing is fine but it should look like a row. You're not starting a lawn mower here. 1-Arm DB Row: 100 lbs, 10 reps each side, 10 sets; for time 9. Barbell Kill-plex Another doozy, although for some this might be the easiest of the challenges. This complex consists of six exercises in a row performed in this order: Romanian Deadlift, Clean, Military Press, Squat, Good Morning, and 90-degree Bent Over Row. In case you haven't been paying attention for the last few years, a complex is when you do a certain number of reps of one exercise (we'll do 8 on all of them) and then immediately progress into the next exercise. Use the same load for all the exercises, and I believe Alwyn Cosgrove said it best when he said, "Your hands never leave the bar during a complex." We're going to do a complex and throw in a drop set. It's going to be 4 rounds of the above complex for total time. The weight on the first round is 105 lbs, second is 85 lbs, third is 65 lbs, and fourth is 45 lbs. For you math whizzes out there that means you put three 10-pound plates on each side of the bar and strip one off as soon as the complex is completed. (You're still doing 8 reps of each exercise on each complex, that doesn't change.) You may rest as long as you want whenever you want, but you're being timed here so push it. It's nice to have partners to help you strip the bar and to call you a pansy when you start to whimper and cry. Your goal is to do this in five minutes or less. Barbell Complex: 8 reps each exercise, 105, 85, 65, 45 lbs; for time. 10. Valeria You didn't forget about this sweet tart of a workout did you? This is a challenge I wrotea while back and it received some good feedback; it's perhaps the ultimate combination of strength and conditioning.

You do the following: Bench Press: 275 lbs x 21 reps Pull-ups: + 50 lbs x 21 reps Deadlift: 405 lbs x 21 reps EZ Curl: 135 lbs x 21 reps Rest as long as you want when you want; you're not expected to complete all 21 reps without stopping, but again the challenge is for total time. So far, the record time for the absolute values given is 9:49, which is exceptional, although the form on a few of the exercises was questionable. My own time of 14:36 stands in second place (my form was better than his but definitely not enough to account for almost five minutes of time). I'm starting to doubt if anyone can come close to the five-minute mark on this challenge, but I could always be proven wrong. If those suggested weights are too challenging the original article describes how to modify it for you. Valeria: For Time

Summary Did you read the first challenge in this article and realize that you accidently jumped into the deep end of the pool when you're still wearing water wings? I set the goal times to represent a true accomplishment if successfully completed, but if they're too hard, almost all of these things are scalable. Take the theme of the challenge, modify it so it's challenging for you, and then rock it out. Virtually no one bench presses 315-pounds the first time they bench, and most lifters struggle with these types of challenges until they put some practice in. But if you want to man up and throw a little competition into your training, give any of these challenges a shot. Granted, you could just let "other people" try these crazy things out while you watch safely from the sidelines. That would be the very safe, very normal thing to do: just watch life slowly drift past you, without ever experiencing the thrill of being "not normal" or of being truly excellent. You only get one life: Just how "normal" do you want it to be?

Four Challenges to Light Your Fire! by Dan John

Training with Dan John is fun. Wait, scratch that. Training with Dan John is "fun." That's better. The quotation marks are crucial because it's difficult to use the word funif you're talking about gasping, straining, and sucking wind like a football player who shows up fat 'n sloppy for two-adays. Sure, challenging is probably a better word. It wakes you up, jolts you from your training stupor, and yanks you by the hair out of your rut. After a Coach John workout is over you feel like you've accomplished something. You feel, well, good. And that's fun. In that spirit we've asked Dan to hit us with a handful of his "fun" challenges. Give 'em a shot, then come back here and let us know how you did. Chris Shugart

4 Challenges to Light Your Fire! "Kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!" Captain Wilder, Independence Day

Challenge #1: Kick the PUPP It's true, some coaches don't like the plank exercise. They say it's too easy, at least for their advanced athletes. But here's the deal: If you start shaking like a wet cat in winter before you even reach the 60 second mark, then you need planks. I know, I know, you're too "advanced," just like everyone else on the Internet, all of them just one cycle away from being Mr. Universe... But if you can't plank for one full minute, let's just pretend that you need some work on this. If you're the Olympic 400 meter champion, you can skip it. Fair enough? Okay, so what's a plank? Basically, it's holding a push-up in the top position. Yes, it's that simple. I'd make you a video of it, but it would be quite boring.

Form? Well, a plank is like my deck. My deck is made of Trex and it'll be straight 10,000 years after the end of the world. So, be like my deck and make one smooth straight line, hips solids, head locked in the "military fashion," and body rigid. No need to coat yourself in varnish, though. Planks are probably my favorite underrated exercise in my quiver of training tools. I now have about a dozen variations with names that mean something to me and probably nothing to anyone else. I think it's important for a coach and athlete to share a vocabulary, but translating it to others in print or online is impossible. So, I won't comment on star planks, dead bugs, get-up planks or my favorite "resurrected dead bugs with a heartbeat." Let me give you one to try today. I'd like you to fall to the floor and give me a PUPP: a standard Push-Up Position Plank. The shaking in your waist after 30 seconds is a sign that your body wants to discuss some issues with you. But wait, this is T NATION! I'm going to ask that you do it the way we do it in our gym. I want you to use the PUPP as your rest period for your workout. Yeah, you read that right. Simply take a squat movement and use a weight that you can get for ten reps. For this workout, however, we'll halve those reps, so we'll do sets of five. Instead of resting, you will PUPP. Here's an example: Front Squat x 5 (with 10 rep weight) PUPP for 30 Seconds Front Squat x 5 PUPP for 30 Seconds Front Squat x 5 PUPP for 30 Seconds Be careful on the last set as the heaving of the chest makes handling the barbell a bit suspect. I strongly encourage you to rest for a little bit after this workout. Yes, you can PUPP longer than 30 seconds. Yes, five reps with a weight you can front squat for ten is very light. And guess what? Neither will matter when you attempt to leap off the ground and front squat that last set. How about this? Try it first, then decide if you want to ask me about longer PUPPs and more weight on the bar.

Challenge #2: The Big 55 The next little idea that I use in training is "The Big 55." I had a smart kid once answer a question rather quickly in a math class. The instructor asked, "What's the sum of 10 plus 9 plus 8 plus 7 plus 6 plus 5 plus 4 plus 3 plus 2 plus 1?" My lifter answered "55!" The instructor was amazed he could add those numbers so quickly, until the student told him the truth: "That's Coach John's favorite workout." Here's how to do it. First, put two moves back to back. My good friend, Pavel Tsatsouline, has fallen in love with this little twisted workout: Swings Goblet Squats The workout: Simply do 10 swings, followed by 10 goblet squats, then 9 and 9, 8 and 8, and you know where this is heading! we go all the way to 1 and 1. I don't recommend putting the weight down if you're doing this with the same kettlebell or dumbbell. Enjoy. Notes: The swing is simple: Maintain a nice back arch, sit back, keep your head up, stay braced at the bottom, and use a powerful hip snap on every rep. The 'bell shouldn't rise above your shoulders. Think of a goblet squat as a front squat holding a dumbbell in front of your body at your chest (see pic). This allows for a "comfortable," natural, upright position.

Challenge #3: The 23-Minute Man-Maker Pick five exercises. Like these: Squat Overhead press Deadlift (any variation, use thick bars if you have them) Pull-up (preferred) or pulldown Ab wheel or ab roll-out using a bar or Swiss ball The chore is to do ten reps back-to-back of each of the five lifts, then start again doing nine, then eight, then seven... and, again, you see where this is heading!

I have a "tap out" rule that you have to finish in 23 minutes. I insist you use weights that are so light in the squat, press, and deadlift that you're embarrassed to begin the workout. If you follow my sage advice, you might be able to finish it.

Challenge #4: Tumble One other area of training that I feel most people have completely ignored is tumbling. Tumbling is part of bodybuilding's history. Tumbling was a key to "body culture" a hundred years ago and it existed well into the Muscle Beach era. Franco Columbo was a gifted acrobat and could do amazing things with his total body strength. I'm telling you this: If you want a workout that will gas you and leave you sweating and crying in a heap, go ahead and tumble. The following workout recently led a fairly good athlete of mine to puke: Five forward rolls Five right shoulder rolls Five left shoulder rolls Three cartwheels followed by three cartwheels to the other side One set of bear crawls (about ten meters) Sprint to waste basket Note: The bear crawl is a "quad-ped" crawl. Your knees don't touch the ground, just your hands and feet. The two basic variations are the bent-knee Spider Man or "military" version, and the straight-leg version. I don't like my athletes to puke, but the level of intensity, both physical and mental, it takes to tumble really seems to ramp up the metabolism. Furthermore, I don't push the tumbling repetitions. We take time to review technique and position and protection. But, the workload seems insane compared to rotator cuff exercises on a Bosu ball...

Wrap-Up "Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory," said General Patton. Well, you're going to feel something after one of these challenges. Let's hope the exhilaration of victory is part of it!

A Complex Approach to Quads & Hams by Nick Tumminello

Bodybuilders often joke that in commercial gyms you need a reservation to get on a bench press station, while the squat rack should probably be re-named the curl rack. Not surprisingly, pumped up chests and arms are often in abundance but jacked up wheels? Well, they're about as rare as a full set of teeth in Nate Green's family tree. Squats, deadlifts, and their variations are the ultimate lower body "bang for the buck" exercises and you'd be hard pressed to find a bodybuilder with impressive quads and hams who didn't spend a lot of time in the squat rack struggling under some spine-crushing weight. But just because heavy squats and deadlifts work well doesn't mean that other protocols don't have their time and place. In fact, in certain situations, a higher volume/ lower load routine may be just what the physique doctor ordered. If your leg development is in dire need of some shock therapy, T NATION's own plateau doctor Nick Tumminello suggests you give the following set of workouts a try. Bryan Krahn

The greatest thing about being a strength and conditioning coach for me is the license to do whatever the hell I want, as long as I have a good reason for doing it. Very few folks toiling away in the working world can say that they have this kind of professional freedom. Unfortunately, a great many coaches take advantage of this freedom and do whatever they want without any legitimate justification. Not surprisingly, these same coaches will usually end up clientless, broke, and asking their former trainees if they want to supersize their order. This is why in all my articles I not only tell you what exercises to do, but try to explain why you're doing them as well. Obviously I want you to perform the exercises as safely and effectively as possible, but understanding why you're doing the exercises to begin with allows you and I to get on the same page; something sorely lacking in a lot of the strength training articles I see. So you can bet your arse that in this article, along with offering up some killer leg complexes, I will provide you with plenty of valid reasons as to why, how, and when to use each protocol to maximize results. Whether you're a bodybuilder out to build huge quads and hams, an athlete looking to develop an explosive lower body, or just an exercise enthusiast trying to lose fat, this article has got your name written all over it.

What is a Leg Complex? First off, let's understand exactly what a leg complex is.

A leg complex is a group of lower body exercises performed back to back, each for a given amount of reps. Ideally, all exercises within a given complex should be performed as fast as possible, without any rest in between exercises. However, short rest breaks are sometimes required until optimal conditioning levels have been developed.

Why Perform Leg Complexes? There are six big reasons to perform leg complexes: For Fat Loss Your legs are the biggest muscles in your body. This means the legs demand the most energy when they're worked because of increased oxygen and blood flow demand. This translates into a higher metabolic cost (aka burning more calories and fat). For Muscle building As any serious bodybuilder knows, high volume training is almost guaranteed to pack on more muscle. Just look at the size and muscular development of speed skaters' legs. Their jaw-dropping development comes from high volume training. Leg complexes are high volume exercises, making them a nice training option for any bodybuilder looking to do the occasional high volume workout. Plus, leg complexes are performed at high speeds, which increases intensity. Exercises performed at higher speeds build more momentum, which needs to be controlled by the muscles, which takes work. What this means to you is more motor unit recruitment; always a good thing for building serious muscle! I've personally seen some of the greatest lower body hypertrophy gains from folks choosing to use leg complexes almost exclusively. Superior Conditioning / Power Endurance As I've said in my past article The Truth About Olympic Lifts, athletes need to posses a high level of power-endurance in order to perform optimally. Power endurance is only developed through protocols that force the athlete to be explosive while in a fatigued state. Leg complexes do just that, making them just what the doctor ordered for improving one's level of power, endurance, and work capacity. You can try to argue the whole "do power work before strength and cardio work" all you want, but in reality, it all comes down to the SAID (Specific Adaptations to Applied Demands) principle: if you don't train to outlast the competition, you won't outlast the competition. Using the leg complexes provided in this article you're sure to be the last man standing when the smoke clears. Big Results in Little Time Leg complexes are incredibly efficient. I know of few protocols (except for maybe Tabatas) that can generate such big results in so little time. A few rounds of leg complexes are enough to bury even the most elite lifter, and can have you in and out of the gym in the time it takes some folks to do their warmup. Spine Sparing

Leg complexes can make your wheels feel like you just squatted a ton without ever putting a heavy bar on your back. This makes them a nice option for folks looking to give their back the occasional break from all the spinal compression brought on by high load squats and deadlifts. Leg Complexes are FUN! I always laugh when I hear the "hard core" types saying that training is serious business and isn't supposed be fun. Bullshit! Who says you can't work hard, get results, and have fun doing it? If you want long-term results in anything, you must enjoy the process. Otherwise, you're less likely to stick with it or put in any real effort to begin with. Simply put, a well-designed strength & conditioning program should be challenging enough to keep you making gains but fun enough to keep you interested and wanting more.

Leg Complexes for Gaining Muscle vs. Losing Fat To some, it might seem confusing how the same leg complexes can be used for two very different purposes. How can a protocol used for building someone up (getting bigger, stronger, improving work capacity) also be used to strip someone down? The simple answer is it's all in the diet. If you're trying to lose fat, you must eat the right amounts and types of food to accomplish this. On the other hand, if you're trying to take up two seats on an airplane like Kevin Smith, the diet needs to be to be far less restrictive. So eat to support your goal. It doesn't need to be more complicated than this.

The Leg Complexes All of the complexes I'm about to present have been used with great success at Performance U. So rest assured, these protocols are winners and WILL work for you. That being said, I've found that during the first few workouts female athletes tend to enjoy doing leg complexes a lot more than their male counterparts. I think this is because girls often love to feel the insane leg burn complexes deliver, while guys tend to not like anything that doesn't involve big weights or doing anything that gets them really out of breath. However, I've also found that once guys start to see the quick gains in conditioning and muscle size that complexes can bring, they actually start requesting I program leg complexes more often. And of course, I'm always happy to oblige!

Leg Complex #1 - Cosgrove Complex This first complex I learned from some Scottish guy named Alwyn Cosgrove. This is usually the first complex that I throw at most athletes because it's simple to understand, easy to memorize, and involves only one movement the squat.

Perform the following exercises back to back: 20 seconds of Squats (as fast as possible). Try to get 20 reps. 20 seconds of Squat Jumps (land as quickly as possible). Try to get 10-12 reps. 20 seconds of Isometric Squat Holds (pause at the bottom). 1 round lasts exactly one minute. Coaching Tips on the Cosgrove Leg Complex - I try to get my clients to be able to complete three rounds of this complex in three minutes with bodyweight. Here's how I progress athletes over a six-week period to help them achieve this. Wk 1 Perform two rounds of Cosgrove complex, resting one minute between rounds. Wk 2 Perform two rounds of Cosgrove complex, resting 30 seconds between rounds. Wk 3 - Perform two rounds of Cosgrove complex, with no rest between rounds. Wk 4 Perform three rounds of Cosgrove complex, the first two rounds are done with no rest, with oneminute rest before performing the third round. Wk 5 Perform three rounds of Cosgrove complex, the first two rounds are done with no rest, rest 30 seconds before performing round three. Wk 6 Perform three rounds of Cosgrove complex, back to back with no rest. Once you're able to successfully perform the week six workout, you can then start to add external load such as weighted vests or holding a med ball or dumbbell in the goblet position. Or, move on to another, more advanced complex as shown below. Note Most reasonably fit athletes trying the Cosgrove complex for the first time can get through three bodyweight rounds with no rest, but are unable to maintain the prescribed reps. With this progression, each round will be just as good or better than the previous round. This is the goal with all the other complexes in this article as well. In short, don't just do these complexes, do them better each workout.

Leg Complex #2 Single Leg Complex The Cosgrove complex described above is what I would classify as a double leg complex because you're always on two legs. This complex is what I would classify as a Single Leg complex, because every exercise is performed unilaterally. I developed a few single leg complexes to make sure each leg was equally strong, improve symmetry, and to increase the sports carryover. Here's how it's done: 10-12 Split Squats or Bulgarian Split Squats (each leg)

10-12 (each leg) Reverse Lunges (alternate legs) 10-12 Single Leg Step Ups w/ Knee Drive (each leg) 10-12 (each leg) Split Squat Jumps (alternate legs) Check out the video on the right for a description. Coaching Tips - Move fast (but with control) throughout this complex, attempting to perform roughly one rep per second. I like to get my athletes to be able to perform 12 reps of each exercise for three-four rounds with two minutes rest between rounds. Here is the six-week progression I use to achieve this: Wk 1 Perform 10 reps of each exercise for two rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Wk 2 - Perform 11 reps of each exercise for two rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Wk 3 - Perform 12 reps of each exercise for two rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Wk 4 - Perform 10 reps of each exercise for three rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Wk 5 - Perform 11 reps of each exercise for three rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Wk 6 - Perform 12 reps of each exercise for three rounds, with three minutes rest between sets. Note Once you can successfully achieve the week six workout, you can continue to progress this complex in one of three ways: 1. You can add external load, such as holding a medicine ball or wear a weighted vest. 2. You can start reducing the rest period between sets. 3. (My personal favorite) Simply perform three to four rounds in as little time as possible. Try to beat that time each week.

Leg Complex #3 Mixed Complex I classify this complex as a mixed complex because it mixes both single leg and double leg movements. To give proper credit where it's due, the great Vern Gambetta originally developed this complex and named it "Super Legs." My good friend, JC Santana, then made this circuit more popular under the name Leg Cranks. Whatever you want to call it, this complex is a leg killer! Here's how to get it done: 20-24 Squats (go fast!) 20-24 Alternating Lunges or Reverse Lunges (go fast!)

20-24 Alternating Split Squat Jumps or Bench Split Jumps 10-12 Squat Jumps or Box Jumps (Jump as high as possible) Check out the video on the right for a description. In the video of this leg complex, you'll see myself, my girlfriend and figure competitor Alli Mckee, and my training partner Mark "Simonetti" Simon all hammering away at this complex. As you'll see, Alli crushes both Mark and me. Whatever. Coaching Points: All of the second exercises listed above (reverse lunges, bench split jumps and box jumps) are more knee friendly versions that can be successfully used by folks who may have some minor knee issues. If you don't have knee issues, I prefer to use the first exercises because you don't need a bench or plyo-box. You can move faster when you're not jumping on and off a box and as I said earlier, speed is what we're after on all these complexes. I have a six-week training progression for this complex as well. My goal is to get each athlete to be able to perform at least 3 rounds of 24/24/24/12 reps while still keeping their breakfasts down. Wk 1 Perform two rounds, 20/20/20/10 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. Wk 2 Perform two rounds, 22/22/22/11 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. Wk 3 Perform two rounds, 24/24/24/12 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. Wk 4 Perform three rounds, 20/20/20/10 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. Wk 5 Perform three rounds, 22/22/22/11 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. Wk 6 Perform three rounds, 24/24/24/12 reps, in as little time as possible with three minutes rest between rounds. As with the previous complex, you can continue to progress by adding external load, reducing the rest periods, or performing three rounds for time. Then continually try to beat that time each workout.

The Super Legs Challenge One of the most popular fitness challenges we have here at Performance U is the Super Legs challenge. The challenge is to see how quickly you can perform five rounds of the above mixed leg complex with a rep range as follows: 20x Squats 20x Alternating Lunges (20 total reps)

20x Alternating Split Squat Jumps (20 total reps) 10x Squat Jumps Note: Because this challenge is about speed, you don't have to go all the way down to the floor on the lunges and split squat jumps just most of the way. If you're not a math whiz, five rounds of this leg complex ends up being 100 squats, 100 lunges, 100 split squat jumps and 50 squat jumps. If you can finish all five rounds in seven minutes or less, you truly do have a set of super legs! I challenge you to give this challenge a shot and post your times on the T NATION forum. But be warned, I've used this complex for many years and have seen it performed over 1,000 times. I'll know who's full of BS and who's not.

Using Leg Complexes Program Design Now we get to the part where I tell you how to incorporate leg complexes into various split routines. I've provided samples of a two, three, and four-day split, each involving leg complexes. Due to the fact that many T NATION readers have different fitness levels and goals, I've kept the program layouts below as general as possible. Still, this should give you a good idea of how to effectively integrate leg complexes into any routine.

Two Day Total Body Split Day 1 Total Body 1A) Legs (knee dominant) 1B) Upper Body Pulling 2A) Hips (hip dominant) 2B) Upper Body Push 3) Rotary/Torso work 4) Leg Complex Day 2 Total Body 1A) Hips (hip dominant) 1B) Upper Body Push 2A) Legs (knee dominant) 2B) Upper Body Pulling 3) Rotary/Torso work 4) Leg Complex

Three-Day Bodybuilding Style Split Day 1 Upper Body Pushing

Off Day 2 Legs/Hips (use leg complexes as a finisher) Off Day 3 Upper Body Pulling Off Or Day 1 Upper Body Pushing Day 2 Legs/Hips (use leg complexes as a finisher) Day 3 Upper Body Pulling Off

Four Day Upper / Lower Body Split Day 1 Upper Body Pushing/Pulling (low rep strength work) Day 2 Legs/Hips (low rep strength work) Off Day 3 Upper Body Pushing/Pulling (higher rep / repetitive effort work) Day 4 Legs/Hips (leg complexes) Off Or Day 1 Upper Body Pushing/Pulling Day 2 Legs/Hips (start with low rep strength work, use leg complexes as finisher) Off Day 3 Upper Body Pushing/Pulling Day 4 Legs/Hips (start with low rep strength work, use leg complexes as finisher) Off

Conclusion Look, everybody knows that heavy squats and deadlifts combined with some heavy "fork to the face curls" will build your legs. But that doesn't mean other training methodologies don't have their place! Nor does it mean that by throwing a day of complexes into the mix that you have to quit all heavy squatting and pulling. Remember, strength training principles don't require an all or nothing approach. In fact, mixing things up a little with some low load/high volume complexes is a great way to extend your training career by giving the joints a break from the pounding of constant heavy training. The fact this new stimulus may also strip off some lard and shock your wheels into high volume growth? Hey, that's just an added bonus! I gotta say, from the complexes, to the progressions, to the fitness challenge, to the sample training splits, I've given you a lot of valuable information in this article. But it's only valuable if you actually put it to good use, so don't be one of those folks who forms an opinion on these leg complexes without even trying them. Give these bad boys a shot, take the super legs challenge, and don't forget to post your comments on the forum!

BONUS ARTICLE: Two-Day Workout by Tony Gentilcore, CSCS, CPT

Time is a rather rare commodity nowadays. Between working 40-60 hours per week, carting the kids to and from their extracurricular activities, or being forced to take those swing dancing lessons you promised your girlfriend (we've all been there), the last thing on the "to do list" is going to the gym. Regardless, people often become frustrated that they never have time for the gym. While I do feel that in order to get the BEST results, you need a solid 5-6 hours per week of training, I also realize that this isn't possible for a lot of people. What I propose is the Two Day Workout.

What I DON'T Want You Doing Copious amounts of steady state cardio. It's just not a very efficient way to burn fat (or calories). In short, the amount of metabolic stimulation or "spark" that you stimulate during a high intensity resistance training session is almost ten times higher when compared to the same time frame performed with steady state cardio. When you train with weights, you break down muscle tissue, which takes energy (calories) to repair.

Compare this to steady state cardio, which involves very little muscle activity/stimulation and results in little to no "spark" as far as metabolism is concerned and you can see which is more effective. Oh, and did I forget to mention that steady state cardio tends to increase the release of cortisol, which just so happens to be the #1 catabolic hormone in the body? You sure you want to spend what little time you do have promoting muscle loss?

Body-Part Splits: Why spend half an hour training your biceps and doing endless repetitions of crunches when you can spend the same amount of time training your entire body and burn more calories in the process? Besides, you have a 40-inch waist, why are you doing biceps curls in the first place? From a hormonal standpoint, utilizing full-body training splits focused around compound movements are going to be the most efficient and give you the most bang for your training buck. Movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, pull-ups, etc will allow you to train multiple muscle groups at once and force your body to release a cascade of muscle building and fat burning hormones (such as Testosterone, growth hormone, and IGF-1).

That Being Said What I propose is a standard undulated approach to your training. You'll use two FULL-BODY training sessions per week. One day is strength based and one day will be more metabolic based (burn a ton of calories). Additionally, instead of spending the last 5-10 minutes performing endless crunches, I suggest that you implement a few "rounds" of interval work afterwards to get an "after-burn" effect. When it comes to fat loss, EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) is crucial. You can do crunches till you're blue in the face, yet it won't do a bit of good if you have a layer of fat covering them. Besides, if your programming is built around compound movements, your "core" will be getting plenty of work anyways.

Training Session #1 (Strength Based) A1. Squat Variation 5x5 (Back/Front Squat, Box Squat, Anderson Squat, etc) A2. Row Variation 5x5 (Seated Row, DB Row, BB Row, ChestSupported Row, etc) B1. Lower Body Unilateral Movement 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps B2. Horizontal Push 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps (Bench Press, DB Press) C1. Miscellaneous (triceps) 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps C2. Core Movement (Reverse Crunch) 3-4 sets x 15 reps D. 10-15 Minutes "After-Burn" *2 Minute Warm-up *30 seconds high(er) intensity (sprint), 90 seconds low(er) intensity (recovery)

*Perform 5-7 Rounds *2 Minute Cool down This can essentially be done on any cardio machine (I like the elliptical).

Training Session #2 (Metabolic Based) Week Week Week Week #1 A1. Deadlift Variation (rack pulls from various heights, conventional deadlifts, SUMO deadlifts, etc) A2. Vertical Pull (pull-ups, lat pulldown) 4x10 A3. Vertical Push (overhead press) A4. Lower Body Unilateral Movement 4x10 4x10 3x10 3x10 3x10 5x10 5x10 5x10 3x10 3x10 3x10 4x10 #2 3x10 #3 5x10 #4 3x10

***Perform in a circuit fashion. Do all 4 sets back-to-back, then rest 90 seconds. Repeat for allotted number of sets. B1. Rotator Cuff (External Rotation) 3x10 B2. Core Movement (Roll-Outs) 3x10 C. 15-20 Minutes LIGHT Aerobic Activity (I doubt you will want to do any interval work after this training session). Essentially, you can alternate training sessions and swap movement patterns every other week. For training session #1, you can start with a deadlift variation/pull-ups for 5x5 and just plug in different movement patterns as you go. The idea is to BALANCE everything. The possibilities are literally endless. This is just a sample template, but one that I feel is very effective. Obviously it can be "tweaked" to cater to your personal weaknesses/imbalances. But trust me, you don't need more benching (wink).

Screw Cardio! Four Complexes for a Shredded Physique by Chris Shugart

My lungs screamed, my muscles burned, and I was, quite literally, seeing black spots dance before my eyes like some lame Windows screensaver from 1998. I glanced at the clock. No. Fucking. Way. Ninety seconds had passed by already? It was time for another set. I grabbed the bar for set number four, dug deep mentally, and pushed through another round. About a minute later my "off-day" cardio was done. It had only taken around nine minutes total, yet I was wiped out. I actually looked forward to some foam rolling because it meant I got to lie down on the floor. I glanced over at the cardio area. I saw three beer-bellied men pounding away on the treadmills. I could practically hear their knees and ankles barking with the abuse. Two women were behind them on the ellipticals. They were talking and laughing and had probably burned more body fat getting out of their minivans than they had while lollygagging on the hamster machines. Finally I looked over at the stairmill. That's a torture device of a cardio machine, no doubt, and the guy on it was sweating through his shirt. He'd been up there a while, so he was clearly "good" at the stairmill... all 150 emaciated pounds of him. No thanks. Now, let's compare that to my recent "cardio" workouts, if you could technically even call them that. Depending on the load, in about ten minutes I could... Move 12,000 pounds. (An O -bar with 55 pounds: 100 pounds; 5 movements for 6 reps each, repeated for 4 cycles = 12,000 pounds) Increase my training volume Boost strength endurance Increase caloric expenditure and melt body fat Take advantage of the EPOC effect (Excess Post -Exercise Oxygen Consumption) Increase work capacity and overall conditioning. I could also...

 Not risk losing any muscle Not be bored out of my skull like the giggling guinea pigs over in the cardio area. So what the hell was I doing? Something that's been around a long time and that's gone by a lot of names in the past. Today we simply call them complexes.

Complexes: Not So Complex Quick review: A complex is where you pick up a barbell, perform several reps of an exercise with it, then move right into another exercise, then another, and another, and maybe one or two more. Then you see black spots, get all ripped 'n shit, and bang swimsuit models. Okay, okay, Coach Dan John has a much better definition: "A complex is a series of lifts performed back to back where you finish the reps of one lift before moving on to the next lift. The bar only leaves your hands or touches the floor after all of the lifts are completed." Alwyn Cosgrove is even more concise: "A complex is a circuit using one piece of equipment, one load, and one space." So maybe you perform front squats for 8 reps, then push presses for 8 reps, then bent-over rows for 8, and finally back squats for 8 all without putting the damn bar down. It's brutal. Better still, it's brutally effective for fat loss and improving all the physical qualities I listed in my snazzy intro. But the best thing? You can't do it while talking on the fucking cell phone or otherwise "going through the motions." It requires focus, discipline, hard work, and quite possibly a touch of insanity. Make no mistake, if anyone says this is easy you can bet they've never actually tried it.

So When Do You Use Complexes? As a replacement for boring-ass cardio during fat loss phases As a conditioning tool for sports As an off-day "bonus" workout if you just feel like going to the gym when you're not scheduled to (OCD, anyone?) As part of an unloading/deloading week. Here's my personal favorite split using complexes:

Monday: Upper body weight training Tuesday: Lower body weight training and abs Wednesday: Complex day, plus foam rolling, extra NEPA, etc. Thursday: Upper body weight training Friday: Lower body weight training and abs Saturday: Complex day Sunday: Off Complex training sounds almost like one of those infomercials that run at 3AM: "In only 10 minutes twice per week you can build that toned body you've always wanted! But wait, there's more!" But of course it takes more than twenty minutes a week to get "toned," and complexes don't fold up and store neatly under your bed, or sell for only three easy payments of $19.95. But when added to your favorite bodybuilding program they can really take you to the next level of physique development. So let's learn a few, shall we?

4 Killer Komplexes Ready to add complexes to your program? Here are four good ones to get you started. And by "good" I mean you're going to cry for mama. I've also tossed in some words of wisdom from our coaches who've used complexes successfully with their clients and physique athletes.

Cosgrove's Evil 8 "Complexes elevate metabolism beyond anything you've ever experienced before," says Alwyn Cosgrove. Sounds good to us, but how much weight do you use? "Just remember," says Cosgrove, "it's a metabolic stimulus, not a strength or hypertrophy stimulus, so be conservative. MMA pro David Loiseau uses only 85-95 pounds when doing the complexes I prescribe for him." That said, don't go too light, either. A good "Cosgrove rule of thumb" is that if you're not questioning why in the hell you're doing these exercises, or convincing yourself that two circuits is enough, you're not going heavy enough. The basic rule is to use the heaviest weight you can on the weakest movement in the complex. For example, if the complex contains an overhead press and a back squat, you'd use the weight you can handle on the overhead press, not the squat. Otherwise you'd get crushed, and girls would laugh.

But honestly, loading doesn't matter much. If you're de-conditioned or you fall into that dreaded category of "big 'n strong but outta shape," then you'll be tortured with a naked Olympic bar... and maybe even a broomstick. You'll figure out loading anyway during your first complex workout, so don't think about it so damn much and just go do it. Crazy idea, I know. Here's one of the most effective Cosgrovian complexes: Deadlift Romanian Deadlift Bentover Row Power Clean Front Squat Push Press Back Squat Good Morning On round one, perform 6 reps of each exercise, moving from one exercise to the next, never letting go of the bar, never resting. Remember, you'll finish all six reps of each exercise before moving to the next one. Rest 90 seconds after the first circuit, then perform 5 reps of each in the next circuit; rest 90 seconds, 4 reps of each; rest 90 seconds, 3 reps of each; rest 90 seconds, 2 reps of each; rest 90 seconds, and then do 1 rep of each. Cosgrove says that the entire workout should take about 12 minutes, not counting the time you spend sobbing like a little girl in a purdy pink dress.

Tumminello's Weight Plate Metabolic Circuit I learned this one from Coach Nick Tumminello. I like it because it uses a single Olympic weight plate. Buy a rusty one at a garage sale, throw it into your back yard, and you can have a killer workout anytime you want. Tumminello uses this complex when he trains Baltimore Ravens TE, Quinn Sypniewski. Think you can hang with big Quinn? Then perform the complex below five times through with only 90 seconds between each round. Overhead Squat x 6-8 Swings (like kettlebell swings) x 6-8

Bentover Row x 8-10 Reverse Lunge and Twist x 8-10 total Diagonal Chops x 6-8 each side Note: If you missed it, check out our full review of Coach Tumminello's DVD on complexes HERE.

Waterbury's Submission Complex Last time I went to California to visit Chad Waterbury I watched him submit an MMA champion in record time. No, it wasn't an armbar; it was a complex that make this well-conditioned athlete tap out. Waterbury loves complexes. He notes: "If you're ever short on time, use complexes. If you ever want to burn a little extra fat by boosting your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), use complexes. Or if you want to enhance your anaerobic endurance, use complexes. They can also be used as general physical preparedness (GPP) boosters after your workouts or for additional training sessions each week. I'm a big advocate of complexes, and you should be too!" Here's one of Chad's favorites. I like this one because, unlike most complexes, it uses dumbbells instead of a barbell, adding some cool variety. Reverse Lunges, 6 reps on each leg Romanian Deadlift, 12 reps Good Morning, 12 reps Front Squat, 6 reps Military Press, 6 reps Bentover Row, 6 reps Floor Press, 12 reps Rest 60 seconds and repeat 2-4 more times depending on your testicular fortitude.

Ferruggia's Timed Complex "For those of you who've never done complexes, get ready for a whole new in-the-gym experience!" says Jason Ferruggia. The goal of this complex is speed. Start a timer and perform it once through, 6 reps for every movement. The next time you perform it, try to beat that time. Start with a 45-pound bar for this one. After a few workouts and improved times, add load.

Deadlift Hang Clean Front Squat Hang Snatch Overhead Squat Front Press Bentover Row Romanian Deadlift Once you master the empty Olympic bar, how much weight should you add? Ferruggia says, "Ninety-five fucking pounds will be absolute fucking hell for even the strongest and most-well conditioned fucking warriors!" Note: "Fucking" added because that's the way Jason actually talks. No fucking kidding.

Final Tips & Wrap-Up Here's a good tip from Dan John: Print out the complexes in large type, then stick it to the wall in front of you or place it on the floor. That way you won't forget a movement in a longer complex series. And by "forget" I mean skip it because you're being a weenie and/or your heart is about to burst from your chest, skip across the floor, and scare the shit out of the gay guys in the Zumba class. Now, can you make up your own complexes? You bet. Just try to pick exercises that flow smoothly into one another. But truthfully, just about any combo works. As Waterbury notes, you're only limited by your imagination. Try two of these complexes this week. Just add them to your "off" days or cardio-only days. The hamsters on the treadmills will elevate their metabolisms just watching you do them!

Complexes for Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove

A Better Way I'm a huge believer in using the "alternating set" system when training. For time management reasons, I tend to do exercise one for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, exercise two for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, and continue. This allows me to increase work density while still getting "true" rest. In other words, I perform a set of squats, rest 60 seconds, perform a set of push-ups, rest 60 seconds, and repeat. So, in effect, I've almost tripled the rest period between squat sets (60 seconds plus time taken for push-ups plus 60 seconds) as opposed to using a straight set system. And for fat loss training, it's unparalleled.

However, the biggest problem or complaint I get from clients who use commercial facilities is that it's really hard for them to tie up two pieces of gym equipment at peak hours. I have my own facility, but I realize this can be a real problem elsewhere. So I started experimenting with a few things doing dumbbell lunges and push-ups for example, or step-ups and dumbbell bench presses where I could use one set of dumbbells and one piece of equipment. It was an okay compromise, but it started to somewhat limit my exercise selection. And to be honest, it still had the issue of people working in and possibly disrupting your rest periods. So I went a step further. What if I created a fat loss or conditioning program based around one piece of equipment where you stayed in the same spot, using the same load for the entire duration. So I tried it. At first it was awkward, but after reading Steve Javorek's stuff and talking with berstrength-coach Robert Dos Remedios, I started to implement different variations of combination lifting. I just hoped that it would work as well as alternating sets for fat loss and conditioning, or at least close enough that it wasn't too much of a tradeoff. As it turns out, it worked better! In fact, it worked so well that it became a cornerstone of my conditioning programs with several athletes.

The Definitions Now I'm not the first person to ever use complexes. But after talking to Dos we couldn't find any formal classification of what constituted the difference between combination lifts, hybrid lifts, and complexes. So we felt the need to define the term:

Combo lifts are broken down into three categories: 1. True Combinations: This is when two or more lifts are done together with a distinct pause between each. (Still, never put the bar down.) Example: Power clean + front squat. 2. Hybrids: In this category, there's no pause or separation between the lifts. The movements flow into one another. In fact, the previous movement sometimes isn't completed before the next starts. Example: Front squat into press. 3. Complexes: Still doing two or more exercises and still not putting the bar down, only now you complete all your reps with one movement first, then complete all your reps with the next movement. Example: When combining a squat with an overhead press, perform 5 reps of squats first, then 5 reps of overhead press without dropping the bar. So why do they work? Well, quite honestly, it's because they're hard as hell! A five-movement complex x 6 reps has a total volume of 30 reps per set! But rather than do a 30-rep set of one exercise (and have to use the pink dumbbells), you're only doing 6 reps before changing the exercise, so you can stay (relatively) heavy. At only 100 pounds, that comes out to 3000 pounds of total work per set. Do four sets with about 90 seconds rest between sets and you'll have moved 12,000 pounds in about eight or nine minutes.

Using Complexes Combo lifts are great for those who lack equipment or space. They can make good warm-ups, or can be used for metabolic work or for in-season athletic training because they're time efficient.

If you want to try combos, use familiar movements. Don't put unfamiliar exercises together. The weakest exercise in the sequence determines the load you'll use. Don't use exercises like triceps kickbacks because the small load required is too limiting for the other movements in the combo. Use exercises that flow well together. Performing a deadlift to a Romanian deadlift to a hig h pull flows very well as the end point of one exercise overlaps with the start point of another exercise. Doing back squat to floor press clearly doesn't flow. Easy rule: If you have to re-grip the bar or adjust your grip at all, it has to be seamless and easy; otherwise the complex breaks down. The key is to be sensible. You can't do a hybrid of deadlifts and curls for example the difference in loading is too great.

To summarize, here are the four main reasons to consider combos or hybrids: 1. Time / Space / Equipment Small facility + large group Lack of equipment Got dumbbells and/or barbells? Only have your clients or athletes for limited time periods or sessions per week 2. Increase Training Volume Add volume to your Olympic variations A five-movement complex x 6 reps has a total volume of 30 repetitions per set. At only 100 pounds, this comes out to 3000 pounds of total work per set! 3. Change-up: Break-up Monotony (this is more for athletes) Long in-season cycles Off-season loss of focus Break-up a long microcycle phase (i.e. hypertrophy, high volume) Unloading phase 4. Metabolic / Conditioning Effect Increase work demand, use more muscle groups Increase caloric expenditure in fat loss programs Increase EPOC/Afterburn effect massively Increase work capacity Complexes for Fat Loss Be warned, these are pretty grueling. Perform the complexes at the beginning of your workout when you're fresh. They'll elevate metabolism beyond anything you've ever experienced before. The most frequently asked question about complexes is how much load to use. Remember, it's a metabolic stimulus, not a strength or hypertrophy stimulus, so be conservative. MMA pro David Loiseau uses only 85-95 pounds when doing the complexes I prescribe for him.

Now don't go too light either. A good "Cosgrove rule of thumb" is that if you're not questioning why in the hell you're doing these exercises, or convincing yourself that twice around is enough, you're not going heavy enough.

The Workout

Let's get into it. Perform each complex once per week for four training sessions per week. Use the following progression: Week One: 4 sets of 5 reps of each 90s rest Week Two: 5 sets of 5 reps of each 75s rest Week Three: 5 sets of 6 reps of each 60s rest Week Four: 6 sets of 6 reps of each 45s rest. Then puke.

Complex A Bent Over Barbell Row Hang Clean Front Squat + Push Press Hybrid Jump Squat (bar on back) Good Morning

Complex B Romanian Deadlift Hang Clean + Front Squat + Push Press (combo lift perform one rep of each in series) Reverse Lunge (alternate legs) Complex C Deadlift High Pull (onto toes) Squat Clean (clean the bar from the hang and then drop into a full squat on the catch) Military Press (strict)

Jump Lunges (switch legs) Insert my evil laugh here!

Complex D Jump Squat Squat Squat and hold for 10s Military Press Push Press Squat and Press (combo lift perform one rep of each in series) Note: Try to work all exercises at a speed of 1-2 reps per second.

A Final Warning This isn't for the faint-hearted or deconditioned. It's not a beginners routine. If you're coming back from injury or illness, don't try this program yet. It's brutal. But if you follow this routine for four weeks you'll see a very significant improvement in your conditioning and a massive drop in your body fat!

Accelerate Gains By Overreaching by Todd Bumgardner, Mike Roussell, PhD

02/11/13

Several months ago, Dr. Mike Roussell wrote an article for T Nation that contained 7 key strategies for maximizing overreaching (also known as strategic overtraining). The 7 key strategies were supplementing with creatine, acetyl l-carnitine, citrulline malate, and BCAAs, monitoring and protecting your sleep, and optimizing neurotransmitters through supplementation all important steps that can help maximize your overreaching efforts.

The problem is, how can you optimize your overreaching if you don't know how to properly execute an overreaching training program? This article will attempt to address this by laying out a complete overreaching protocol for you to follow.

Eat Like, A Lot

This program is set up into four phases. The first phase ensures that you're in a trained state before overreaching, which occurs in the second two phases.

The final phase is the taper phase, when your body will rebound and super compensate. During the taper phase you'll need to recalculate your macronutrients and calorie needs because even though you still want to be in a caloric surplus, your training loads will be much less and it's wise to account for those changes.

The easiest place to start is using the calorie calculating process outlined by Dr. John Berardi in his classic Massive Eating article.

This is one of the most comprehensive and aggressive calorie calculators you can find (even accounting for the thermic effect of food), so despite your hard, frequent, total body workouts, you'll be giving your body the nutrients it needs.

Bottom line, if you want to get the most out of strategic overreaching then your nutrition must be dialed in.

Carbohydrates

Don't go carbohydrate crazy but eat plenty of starchy/grain-based carbs in the first two meals following your workout. If you're an ectomorph/hardgainer, eat more starchy/grain-based carbs at breakfast as well.

Forty percent calories from carbohydrates is more than sufficient. This will give you enough carbohydrates to saturate your muscles during and post training while leaving enough calories from fat and protein to fuel the rest of your day.

Before Bed Use your nighttime slumber as an added opportunity for recovery. 2-3 scoops of Metabolic Drive Low Carb will give you a hefty dose of casein to feed your system while you dream. Workout Nutrition

When performing full body training sessions 5 days per week, fueling your training session and jumpstarting recovery are critical.

If you're an endomorph or mesomorph, cyclic dextrin, the carbohydrate found in BIOTEST Plazma Super Stack, is the carbohydrate of choice. This unique carb is designed to get into your system quickly and fuel your working muscles during intense training, without forcing your body to release massive amounts of insulin.

In the protein department, amino acids and hydrolyzed proteins are ideal choices during workouts, hitting your system quickly and helping create a sustained anabolic environment.

The best practice is to pre-load your blood stream with the key nutrients your muscles crave by starting your peri-workout nutrition 30-45 minutes out from your training session and continuing throughout the workout.

Slee

I touched on sleep in the previous article but it's worth mentioning again as insufficient sleep will be the number one rate-limiting step for many embarking on this program.

Upon starting the program you should add one sleep cycle to each 24-hour span. This means 90 more minutes of concentrated sleep (not 30 more minutes at night and a 60-minute nap).

Adding either 90 minutes to your nighttime slumber or a 90-minute nap (which is hard for most people) is key and will provide both neurorestorative and physical restorative sleep both of which are crucial in this program.

Track your HRV T Nation has posted a couple of articles on heart rate variability (HRV), here and here. If you're on the fence or haven't taken the HRV plunge, read this: monitoring the changes in your HRV is the most valuable tool at your disposal for monitoring your body's recovery.

With overreaching, this becomes even more important because you're going to be strong-arming your body into a situation where you can't recover fully.

However, there's a fine line between strategic overreaching and overtraining, and tracking your daily changes in HRV allows you to objectively see your recovery state and determine whether you're overreaching or stumbling into overtraining. I use BioForce HRV daily.

Your Training Program

Sometimes a step backward is necessary to take a step forward it's an easy analogy to relate to overreaching programs. What we do in this program is create a physiological hell that results in big gains, which is what researchers at UCONN had in mind when they designed the first adaptation of the overreaching protocol you're about to follow.

Their goal was to investigate how creatine supplementation affects hormones while following an overreaching strength program. They couldn't make any conclusive links between creatine supplementation and hormonal response, but they did find creatine useful for braving a 4-week physiological storm as subjects in their experimental group outperformed the control group in intraprogram and post-program testing.

While the control group saw intra-program performance detriments from week to week, the creatine group remained relatively unscathed a solid example of the importance of supplementation during times of high physiological stress.

During the UCONN program subjects were loaded up with what most would call middle-range reps (in our world, high reps, haha) and subsequently progressed to low reps at the end of the overreaching phase.

It allowed for the buildup of a ton of stress and ample fitness-masking fatigue, with a gradual step down into the deloading/tapering phase. This is where the "rebound effect" makes an appearance.

While we're experiencing the hell of overreaching, the body is adapting to the stress it's under. Hidden underneath the hell is a monster, sizeable and strong. The de-load after overreaching releases the monster and unveils strength and body composition changes.

The current program is an adaptation of the UCONN program. They did a great job of creating an overreaching protocol, but I wasn't keen on the exercise selection and a few of the loading parameters, so I changed them.

As a result, you'll be doing less rep max work and use slightly lower rep ranges at the onset of the overreaching period. I've also thrown in some neural charge training to help you recover. (If you're unfamiliar with neural charge training, check out this article.

Our goal is strength with mass being a bonus. Normally I wouldn't program reps this high for main lifts at least not for a strength based program but they're necessary to create the high-stress, physiological response. Also, too much heavy loading too soon will catapult a lifter from overreaching to overtraining.

I've also added in high-frequency bench press and deadlift training. These are the lifts tested before and after the program, so you'll spend considerable time getting great at them.

To determine loads for each lift we'll employ the RPE scale. If you need to brush up on how to use it, check out Mike Tuscherer's article here. It's an extremely effective yet easy to use method that more lifters should become familiar with.

(In the program below, for each set the target RPE between 1 and 10 is indicated immediately after the reps e.g., 3 x 6 @ 6 means 3 sets of 6 reps at an RPE of 6 out of 10).

The Program Here's your overreaching protocol: 4 weeks of prep work, 2 weeks of higher-rep overreaching, 2 weeks of heavier loads, and a 2-week rebound period. Note: Three days before starting week one, test your bench press and deadlift 1-rep max. 4 Week Prep Program (2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off)

Day 1 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Floor Press Chest Supported Row Push-Up on Dumbbells Seated Row

Week 1 3x6@6 3x6@6 3x6@8 3x6@8 3x6@8 3x6@8

Week 2 4x5@6 4x5@6 3x8@8 3x8@8 3x8@8 3x8@8

Week 3 4x5@6 4x5@6 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 2 Exercise A1 A2 Deadlift Bench Press Week 1 3x6@6 3x6@6 Week 2 4x5@6 4x5@6 Week 3 5x4@6 5x4@6 Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 Rest 90 sec. 90 sec.

B1 B2 C1 C2

Rack Pull T-Spine Mobility Romanian Deadlift Goblet Step-Up

3x6@8

3x8@8

4x6@8

4x6@8

90 sec. 90 sec.

3x6@8 3x6@8

3x8@8 3x8@8

4x6@8 4x6@8

4x6@8 4x6@8

60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 3 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Overhead Press Pull-Up Incline Dumbbell Press Neutral Grip Pulldown

Week 1 3x6@6 3x6@6 3x6@8 3x6@8 3x6@8 3x6@8

Week 2 4x5@6 4x5@6 3x8@8 3x8@8 3x8@8 3x8@8

Week 3 5x4@6 5x4@6 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8 4x6@8

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 4 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Front Squat Ankle Mobility Dumbbell Split Squat Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Week 1 3x6@6 3x6@6 3x6@8

Week 2 4x5@6 4x5@6 3x8@8

Week 3 5x4@6 5x4@6 4x6@8

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 4x6@8

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec.

3x6@8 3x6@8

3x8@8 3x8@8

4x6@8 4x6@8

4x6@8 4x6@8

60 sec. 60 sec.

Overreaching Weeks 1 and 2 (5 days on, 2 days off)

Day 1 Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Rest

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

Deadlift Bench Press Bench Press Chest Supported Row Dumbbell Bench Press Inverted Row

8x3@6 8x3@6 4x8@8 4x8@8 4x8@8 4x8@8

8x3@6 8x3@6 3x8@9 3x8@9 3x8@9 3x8@9

90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 2 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Rack Pull T-Spine Mobility Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift Goblet Step-Up 4x8@8 4x8@8 3x8@9 3x8@9 Week 1 8x3@6 8x3@6 4x8@8 Week 2 8x3@6 8x3@6 3x8@9 Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 3 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Overhead Press Pull-Up Incline Dumbbell Press Neutral Grip Pulldown

Week 1 8x3@6 8x3@6 4x8@8 4x8@8 4x8@8 4x8@8

Week 2 8x3@6 8x3@6 3x8@9 3x8@9 3x8@9 3x8@9

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 4 Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Rest

A1 A2 B1 B2 C

Deadlift Bench Press Front Squat Ankle Mobility Dumbbell Split Squat

8x3@6 8x3@6 4x8@8

8x3@6 8x3@6 3x8@9

90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec.

4x8@8

3x8@9

60 sec.

Day 5

Neural Charge

Overreaching Weeks 3 and 4 (5 days on, 2 days off)

Day 1 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Bench Press Chest Supported Row Dumbbell Bench Press Inverted Row * with 5 sec. hold ** with 8-10 sec. hold Day 2 Exercise A1 A2 B1 Deadlift Bench Press Rack Pull

Week 3 8x3@6 8x3@6 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 *

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 5x3@9 5x3@9 5x3@9 5 x 3 **

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Week 3 8x3@6 8x3@6 10 x 3 @ 8

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 5x3@9

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec.

B2 C1 C2

T-Spine Mobility Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift Goblet Step-Up 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 5x3@9 5x3@9

90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 3 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Deadlift Bench Press Overhead Press Pull-Up Incline Dumbbell Press Neutral Grip Pulldown Week 3 8x3@6 8x3@6 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 10 x 3 @ 8 Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 5x3@9 5x3@9 5x3@9 5x3@9 Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 60 sec. 60 sec.

Day 4 Exercise A1 A2 B1 B2 C Deadlift Bench Press Front Squat Ankle Mobility Dumbbell Split Squat

Week 3 8x3@6 8x3@6 10 x 3 @ 8

Week 4 8x3@6 8x3@6 5x3@9

Rest 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec. 90 sec.

10 x 3 @ 8

5x3@9

60 sec.

Day 5

Neural Charge

Deload Weeks 5 and 6

Day 1 Exercise A1 A2 Deadlift Bench Press Week 5 8x3@6 8x3@6 Week 6 work up to single @ 8 work up to single @ 8 Rest full full

Day 2

Neural Charge

Day 3 Exercise A1 A2 Deadlift Bench Press

Week 5 8x3@6 8x3@6

Week 6 work up to single @ 8 work up to single @ 8

Rest full full

Day 4

Neural Charge

Day 5 Exercise A1 A2 Deadlift Bench Press Week 5 8x3@6 8x3@6 Week 6 work up to max work up to max Rest full full

Training Tips

The first thing to remember is that this is a once-per-year type training protocol. Consistently overreaching, cycle after cycle, will eventually produce diminishing returns.

The best policy is to first asses your state of readiness by using HRV or an objective self-rating scale. You should also start this 10-week cycle after taking a few weeks off and hitting the reset button. If not, you'll overreach too soon and likely make a quick transition into overtraining.

Bear in mind that the A1/A2 complex at the beginning of each training day is for practice, warm-up, and CNS ramp-up purposes. By no means should these sets require a grand amount of work, only tension, speed, and good form.

These are the sets that will make the hell of overreaching worthwhile. While your body is withstanding a physiological barrage, these practice sets prepare your body to reap the benefits.

Stick vehemently to the rest periods they're the key variable, our spearhead leading the overreaching charge. They elicit and manage intra-session stress.

Do your best during the four overreaching weeks to keep extraneous stress to a minimum. Remember Dr. Mike's advice on sleep and cut out the other crap. Ditch the booze, keep nutrition on point, and don't unnecessarily use adrenaline.

Summary

When planned, overreaching periods can produce big gains in short periods of time. Remember to limit extraneous stress while following a sound nutrition and supplement strategy.

And if you find your motivation waning or the training starts breaking you down, remember the words of Winston Churchill: "As you're going through hell, keep going." There are monster gains waiting for you on the other side.

8 Exercises for a Rock Hard Female Butt Killer Movements for the Glutes, Hams and Back! by Christiane Lamy

Look Great, Perform Even Better! Quick, name one thing that the average woman and an international level athlete have in common? Answer: Both can make drastic improvements by focusing on the muscles of the posterior chain, especially the glutes, hamstrings and back muscles. The glutes tend to worry women the most. This is where most of them store their body fat, and as a result this area can become a source of frustration. For many women, its hard to get a well developed set of glutes. A lot of women are actuallyafraid of working that area because they dont want to make it bigger than it already is. (This is kinda like men who dont want to work their abs because they believe that it'll give them a bigger belly.) This is a serious mistake. Strengthening the glutes is sure to make them firmer and will eventually facilitate fat loss in that region via an increase in vascularization and blood flow. The same could be said about the hamstrings and back muscles. Having firm muscles in these areas will improve a womans l ook as well as her posture. As for elite athletes, its important to understand that posterior chain muscles are the key to speed and power and thus will directly influence running speed, agility, and jumping capacity. All of these are obviously very important in most sports, except maybe darts and billiards! What do these two have in common?

Both emphasize the posterior chain!

Problem Areas, Target Areas The muscles that form the buttocks are the largest muscle mass in the body. The "glutes" are actually three distinct muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus. Problematic fat storage locations generally include the lower back (mostly men), on the abdomen and above the hip bone (men), on the side of the hips (mostly women), on the glutes (women), under the gluteal fold (bottom of the buttocks), and the upper leg (women). Increased fat storage is due, of course, to lack of exercise and bad nutritional habits. To improve your appearance, three things can be done: 1. Strengthen the muscle groups in the problem areas. 2. Increase cardio work to increase overall fat burning. 3. Adopt correct nutritional habits. (T-Nation has a ton of great nutrition articles in the archives, so I'll just focus on exercises in this article.) When it comes to cardio training, I recommend the Stairmaster or treadmill set on a relatively high incline (8-12 degrees). Both of these burn a lot of calories and can actually strengthen the glutes and legs even more! Studies have shown that these two modes of exercises burn more energy at an equal level of intensity than the stationary bike, especially if performed free-handed (i.e. don't rest your hands on the rails). For those who aren't in tip-top shape, taking a daily walk is a good place to start. The addition of a good fat burner such as HOT-ROX will also go a long way in helping you get faster results. While you'll increase the amount of fat you lose if you perform cardio work, losing fat is not enough to get that lean/firm look: the muscles need to be strengthened to be firm and shapely. The only way to accomplish this is via a good resistance training program including specific exercises for the target areas. A little tip that can be of some help is to include isometric contractions (like a butt squeeze) throughout the day. Contracting intensely for 10-30 seconds several times during the day is an easy way to get additional results. It won't replace a resistance training program, but every bit helps. Now, let's look at the exercises I prefer when it comes to developing the posterior chain.

The Rock Hard 8 Exercise #1: Combo Extension-Pull

This is as close to a "miracle exercise" as you can get! It works the whole posterior chain as well as the arms. Just perform a back extension and a two-armed dumbbell row at the same time. Its simple and effective, a must for all good training programs!

Exercise #2: Hip Extension on Swiss Ball

This exercise may look simple, but it can actually be quite challenging. It'll strengthen the glutes, hips and hammies while improving your stability.

Exercise #3: Deadlift

A great lower body and back builder. As a general movement it allows us to work a lot of different muscle groups at the same time. The deadlift is a fantastic exercise if properly executed; however, if done wrong it can become dangerous, just like any other exercise. The following image explains the important technical points of this exercise:

Exercise #4: Combo Leg Adduction-Extension

For this movement, set yourself up on a bench in front of a low cable. Using the ankle attachment, sweep the leg out and back, squeezing the glutes at the top. This exercise is effective at building all three gluteal muscles.

Exercise #5: Reverse Hyper

This movement is effective at building up the whole posterior chain. As an added bonus, it can increase lower back recovery. Weight can be attached to the feet as you become stronger.

Exercise #6: Leg Curl

This is an isolation movement for the hamstrings. For athletes, this exercise can reduce the risk of leg injuries by improving the quadriceps-to-hamstring strength ratio.

Exercise #7: Low Cable Hip Extension

This is a simple exercise that's effective at building up the glutes and hamstrings. I feel the best way to perform it is to explode as you kick back and return slowly to the starting position. Women who want to focus on their buttocks should hold a 1-2 second peak contraction at the end of the kick.

Exercise #8: Zercher Good Morning

This is a cousin to the Zercher squat and Zercher deadlift. Its basically a Romanian deadlift with the bar held in the crook of your arms (to change the resistance arm and force lever). To maximize the effectiveness of this exercise, you want to really push the hips backward as far as possible and keep the shins perpendicular to the ground.

Choose Your Weapon As you can see with this chart, exercises which will benefit athletic performance overlap quite a bit with exercises that'll make you "look good naked." Use this chart to choose the exercises that best fit your goal:

Exercise

Importance for athletes

Importance for women who want to "firm up" *** ** * ** *** ** *** *

Combo extension-pull Swiss ball hip extension Deadlift

*** * ***

Combo adduction-extension * Reverse hyper Leg curl Low cable hip extension Zercher good morning *** ** * ***

These extremely effective exercises are sure to improve your posterior chain. Whether your goal is performance or appearance, these movements will give you quick results! For all the women out there, give these a serious try for three months and you'll be ready to buy a smaller bikini. And for all the men, well, the posterior chain muscles are known as the "speed muscles," so build em up if you want to be able to catch the women who followed my advice!