Slide 1

Tour de Force 2003

Advancing Force Training into the 21st Century

www.EliteFTS.com

Welcome to the EFS Tour De Force Training Seminar. This is the fourth year we
have been conducting these seminars and the feedback has been incredible. We
have seen lifters increase their main lifts by over 100 pounds in the first year.
There are many things you will be learning today so sit back, relax and get ready
for the training educational experience of your life.
Slide 2

Tour de Force 2003

www.EliteFTS.com

Many years ago I was asked what I wanted to do with my life?

From as far back as I can remember all I wanted to do was train and get
stronger. My quest began as a child when I first discovered weight training. This
journey lead me to the competitive sport of power lifting. From day one I knew
this is what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I entered my first competition in
1984 and have been compete ting ever since. I used what was known as the
western method of periodisation for most of my early career. This method helped
me to reach two Elite totals in the sport of power lifting. Then while in college I
began to run into problems. The injuries started to mount and my training began
to suffer. My total was not going anywhere and I was stuck. This continued for
fives years. I looked toward everywhere and everyone for advice. I had heard of
Westside Barbell and knew Louie from the local meets, but thought all he was
teaching was BS. I was studying to be a strength and conditioning coach and
could not find what he was talking about anywhere. This lead me to blow it off.
That is until I tore my right pec major tendon from the insertion. I realized then I
was like a fly on the window.
***Bonus Notes***
A Westside Story

My name is Dave Tate, I started Elite Fitness Systems after spending the last 20
years in the pursuit of strength. Elite Fitness Systems was created in 1998 to
provide athletes and coaches with the best training, information and products
available. I began the sport of power lifting at the age of 14 and realized very
quickly that this was one of the best sports in the world. I will never forget my first
meet. I thought I was strong because I was one of the strongest lifters in the gym
I was training at and was by far the strongest among my friends and football
teammates. I decided to enter the Zanesville open and had my plan set.
I figured I would go to the meet, collect my awards, and go home. Well, was I in
for the biggest surprise of my life! This was back in the days where the bar was
loaded with the lightest opener and worked up to the highest. The bar was never
striped down so if you were the first to open, there was a very good chance that
you would end up following yourself. I found this out very quickly. Having my
opening squat at 350, I was the first to go, then the second, and the third. I
finished my squat with a 405 lift. Then the bar went up to 550 for the rest of the
lifters to begin, 150 pounds more than my best! During that day, I witnessed a
1000-pound squat attempt and close to a 500 pound squat by Laura Dodd (one
of Louie Simmons female lifters who ended up being in my same weight class
and, by the way, beat me by a large margin). I did little better in the bench with a
400-pound lift. I then proceeded to follow myself on all three dead lift attempts
and ended up with a 400 dead lift. The competition that I fully expected to win
placed me dead last!
When I returned home and was asked how I did, I would reply, "Oh not so bad, I
held my own." Then of course would come the next question: "How did you
place?" My reply? "Dead last." I figured, where else was there a better place to
start? This was the moment that I knew power lifting was going to be the sport for
me. I always loved lifting heavy weights but liked it even more so when I saw
what "heavy" really was or could be. I knew then that someday I would stand on
that platform and compete with the best, but only had to figure out how. I never
doubted that I would be there. I just did not know how to do it. I have learned
many lessons at a very early age due to the pursuit of strength. The sport of
power lifting teaches the fundamentals of goal-setting and striving to reach those
goals. Patience is also another fundamental lesson that the sport offers. Your
gains in strength do not always come as you would like or expect them to.
I was lucky for the first 5 years of my lifting career. It seemed like no matter what
program I tried, I just kept getting stronger. By the time I finished high school, I
had achieved a 700 squat, 500 bench and 650 dead lift in the 242-pound class.
During this time, I read and talked to everybody and anybody that would talk to
me about strength training. I had the advantage of competing in the state of Ohio
where many great lifters and lifting clubs were located. These clubs included
Black Health World, Carr’s Body Shop, Westside Barbell, and King’s Gym among
many other very successful power Lifting clubs. I would take the opportunity to
talk to some of the great lifters at various meets included John Black, Louie
Simmons, Larry Pacifico, Jack Sadares, Paul Heffern, Dave Harless, Bob Wahl,
John Florio, Dave Waddington, Matt Dimel, and many others. All these lifters
were more than willing to help those who are in the pursuit of training information.
I also read all I could get my hands on. At that time, the information I had access
to were through various magazines and the local library. I found out at an early
age that the more I learned, the stronger I got.
This pursuit of information led me to the University of Toledo to study exercise
science. The goals of my studies were always for the same selfish reason. I
wanted to know the information that would make me stronger. During the time I
spent in college, I had increased my total to 1955 pounds (bench, squat and
dead lift) at 275lb. bodyweight. This is when I started to find out what I did not
know. You see, I believed that I knew all there was to know about strength
training. The problem was that after five years, my total went nowhere. I really
was beginning to believe that I was as strong as I was ever going to be. I even
had a couple of professors tell me that I had reached my genetic strength limit. In
the summer of 1991, I decided to enter a bench meet in Columbus, Ohio. I knew
there were going to be some good lifters there since this is the hometown of the
Westside Barbell Club. I had known of Louie Simmons for many years and
actually competed against him in a bench meet back in 1984. I also knew of
some of his training principles, but figured it was all a kind of smoke screen for
what they were really doing. I figured that there was no way they were getting
stronger training with all the light percentages he was writing out. And the whole
box squat thing, I figured this was the biggest lie. How can you get stronger
without ever doing the squat? My 450 open felt a little slow, but not bad, so I
decided to take 500 on the second. During the top of the lift I felt a snap in my
right pec, and down crashed the bar. I had torn my right pec tendon. Shortly after
that lift, Louie made his way over to me and proceeded to tell me that if I did not
change my ways, my career would be over very soon. Then he proceeded to
show me all the battle injuries he had from years of improper training. Torn
biceps, pecs, blown out knees, and herniated disks in his lower back. This was
motivation enough to listen to what he had to say. I did not want to end up that
way.
At this point in my life I figured I had two choices: Walk away from the only sport I
loved, or change the way I was going about my training. I have never quit
anything in my life and was not about to start now. So I decided to move to
Columbus and trust the advice of the man that has stood the test of time. The
only reason I came to Columbus to train with Louie was because I wanted to
learn how I could keep training and stay in one piece. Tearing my pec was one
experience I would never want to repeat. Not only did I need surgery to repair the
torn pec muscle, but I also lost 35 pounds in the process. When I finally made it
into the gym and after some choice comments by Louie, we began to talk about
training. During the course of this conversation I expressed my doubts about how
these methods would work for me. For those of you that know Louie, this was a
big mistake, but what I was after was the references. I wanted to know how he
put together this program. He referred me to several books: The Management of
the Weightlifter, The Training of the Weightlifter, Program and Organization of
Training, and A System of Multi-Year Training in Weightlifting. These books can
be purchased from Elite Fitness Systems. Also, during this conversation, I told
him that I wanted to squat 900 and bench 600. Now keep in mind that I had not
trained at all for 12 weeks and had lost 35 pounds, and Louie only had one guy
squatting 900 and zero 600lb benchers at the time. Without any delay or second
thought he looked me in the eyes and told me "I believe you can do those
numbers with the right training." At this point I was not only inspired to
accomplish these goals, but I was also committed. When I first said that I wanted
to squat 900 and bench 600, I was not too sure it was possible, especially after
being stuck for five years, but with Louie’s encouragement, I started to believe it
was possible.
During the next year many changes took place in my training. I was used to
training with a standard progressive overload periodization scheme where the
intensity would start low and work up to a higher percentage while the volume
would start high and then lower over time. For example, sixteen weeks out I
would begin my training with 3 sets of 10 with 60 to 70 percent and over the cycle
work down to 2 sets of 3 with over 90%. I was now training with new training
methods utilizing the maximum effort and dynamic effort methods with one day
dedicated to each lift. My old training routine would train each lift one time per
week, where now I was training the squat and bench twice a week and hardly
ever deadlifting. Also, all squatting was done on boxes - a concept that took me
some time to get used to.
My technique on each lift also had to change. I was used to squatting with a
narrow stance to utilize my legs, but now I was required to squat with a wide
stance that utilized more hip involvement. This was a major difference for me, but
I figured I really didn’t have anything to lose since my squat had been stuck at
750 for the past five years. The second thing that had to change was my
equipment. I was taught to wear boots with a heel and to put the belt on as tight
as possible. Well, now I was going to be wearing wrestling shoes and wearing
my belt one notch looser, while learning to push my abdominals into the belt.
This was going to accomplish two things: first it was going to create more intra-
abdominal pressure and second it was going to create a wider center of gravity.
As I mentioned, these changes had a major effect on my squat. I could not
believe how weak my hips and hamstrings were. It took six months to get used to
the new technique but over the next five years my squat had moved up to 935lb
pounds. I became a believer!
I also had many issues with my bench press. As I already mentioned, I tore my
pec largely due to poor technique. I was always taught to bring the barbell down
to my chest and push the bar back toward the rack. Now I was taught to bring the
bar to the upper abdominals and push the bar in a straight line. This made an
incredible difference in my bench press. Six months after my surgery, I made a
550lb bench, which beat my old record by 25 pounds, and over the next 6
months my bench moved up to 585lb. That was 85 pounds over what I had torn
my pec with. So much for injuries holding you back!
When I look back on my studies, I began to see where I went wrong. You have to
have a balance between the science and practical information. I studied the
science and forgot about the practicality of applying it. For instance, how many
professors do you know who squat over 700 pounds? They serve a very valuable
purpose, but they are not out there under the bar. The other mistake I made was
reading the wrong information. This is one of the biggest problems I see with the
industry, even today. Do you really know who is writing the articles you are
reading or whom they have worked with? You can read an article on how to
develop huge arms that has been authored by someone with 14inch arms. If it
was as easy to do as these authors make you think it is, then why wouldn't they
have similar results? I have read it all and it really makes me wonder how
someone would pay them to write about something they know nothing about.
Look through any magazine and ask yourself who is writing the articles and if
they wear their credentials. Are you reading an article on how to increase your
bench press by someone who can only bench 275? If so, then the author may
want to listen to what you have to say! There are many good authors out there
but they are far and few, so it is up to the reader to decide. The best way to figure
out what you need is to study the science and talk to those who have been where
you are going. I once heard Fred Hatfield address a seminar by opening with "No
pencil neck geek is going to teach me how to lift". I have listened to both sides
and will stick with those who are actually getting it done either as a coach or
athlete.
For those of you who are not familiar with Westside Barbell or Louie Simmons,
let me give you a brief summary. The Westside Barbell Club is known throughout
the world for producing some of the strongest powerlifters in the world. At the
current time, we hold 4 out of 12 all-time bench records in the 198, 220, 242, and
275 pound class as well as the strongest pound for pound women of all time.
Some of the other accomplishments are listed below: All of these numbers were
performed in competition. Another important thing to remember about these
numbers is that if they were not created at Westside, then they are not included.
For instance, I had a 500 bench before coming into the club, so it is not included
in the list. I will be included when I bench 600.
Squats: We have had 23 lifters squat over 800, 6 over 900, and 1 over 1000!
Bench Press: We have had 36 lifters bench press over 500, nine over 600, and 2
at or over 700!
Dead lifts: Just about every lifter we have has dead lifted over 700, with 4 over
800!
Totals: We have had 21 lifters total over 2000 pounds, 5 over 2200, and 3 over
2300!
In the sport of power lifting an Elite status is based on one’s total of the squat,
bench, and dead lift. It is the highest achievable level (much like a black belt in
karate). We have had 50 lifters achieve this status!
When it comes to strength training, we have to get it right. We have built an
excellent reputation for producing very strong lifters and are in a constant
process of coming up with new ways to break sticking points. If we quit trying to
be better, then we would be left behind, a place none of us want to be. If it
doesn’t work or make us stronger, we won’t do it. We can’t afford to be spending
our time on things that will not help us achieve our goals. Unlike some other
sports, power lifting is very measurable. You either get stronger or you don’t. It is
that simple! If you are not getting stronger, then whatever you have been doing is
not working. Throughout the following articles I will introduce you to some of the
methods (dynamic effort, maximal effort, contrast, repetition, supra maximal) we
use to smash through sticking points. They have worked for everyone who has
walked through the doors of Westside and I am positive they will work for you.
Get ready for the ride of your life!
Slide 3

Tour de Force 2003

www.EliteFTS.com

Have you ever seen a fly on a window?

What is it trying to do? It knows where it wants to go and sees the goal but can’t
get by the glass. This fly will bang its head on the glass over and over until a day
or so later you will find it dead on the window ceil. I was just like this fly on the
glass. I knew where I wanted to go and had a plan by just kept bagging away at
what was not working. Like the fly I was all eyes and zero brain. When I decided
to change my ways I found it was not easy. Change is not easy! So I resisted at
first and found I was still making zero progress. Then I gave in and did exactly
what I was told. Within the next year and a half I put close to 200 pounds on my
total. This made me wonder how many other Fly's are out there?

***Bonus Notes***

The Periodization Bible

Part 1: The Old Testament — Linear Periodization

by Dave Tate Dave Tate knows strength. Dave's been assisting and training
under Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell fame for over 10 years and has
consulted thousands of athletes throughout the world. Dave is quick to point out
that he's not a bodybuilder and therefore doesn't train bodybuilders. He's a power
lifter and a specialist in developing maximal strength. (Despite this power lifting
emphasis, the average guy under his tutelage puts on 30 to 40 pounds in the first
year.)In this article and the one to follow, Dave will tell you everything you've ever
wanted to know about periodization.
When it comes to setting up a strength-training program, I feel it's important to
understand all aspects of the program, including how it all fits together. The
organization of training can be defined as periodization. There are several
periodization models being used today for the development of strength. This
article will explore some of the basic definitions of the concept as well as the
Western (or linear) method of periodization. The Western method of periodization
is one of the most popular methods for strength development. It's the same
method I used for the first 12 years of my competitive career. Did it work? Sure,
up to a certain point, but then I hit a plateau. This was when the injuries started
and my strength began to digress. After we get the basics out of the way, I'll
explore why this happened and why so many coaches and athletes still use the
program today.

Terminology and Definitions

Periodization is the organization of training into basic workable units. These units
are defined as the training session, the micro cycle, the meso cycle, the macro
cycle and the quadrennial. Let's define and explore each of these just to make
sure we're all on the same page. The Training Session: The training session
consists of one workout designed to fulfill a specific purpose. These training
sessions can be once per day or up to six per day depending on the goals of the
program. The most import aspect of the training session is that it should have
some type of meaning. There should be a definite training goal in mind. Your
goal for that session may be to perform one more repetition than last time, or to
lift five more pounds. Your goal could also involve fulfilling some type of
restorative or recovery purpose. The problem is that many training sessions
today don't have a specific purpose that will lead to the short or long term goals
of the athlete. The athlete or coach just goes in the gym and wings it, but each
session must build on the others to fulfill a desired purpose. For example, if you
want a bigger bench, then each training session for that lift must have the
development of the bench press in mind. If your exercise selection doesn't
complement this, you'll just be spinning your wheels. All exercises chosen should
fulfill a purpose related to the development of strength, stability, confidence,
muscle balance, technique, or bringing up weak points. If one or more of these
variables isn't being met with the chosen movement, then dump that exercise!

The Micro Cycle

The micro cycle is the recruitment of a number of different training sessions.
There should be at least two training sessions per micro cycle that consist of
different types of workouts. The micro cycle also should have specific meaning
and purpose. There are many different types of micro cycles including the
introduction, restorative, competitive and the shock micro cycle. The average
micro cycle will range five to ten days with the average being seven days.
The Introduction Micro:
This cycle can and should be used for a number of introduction purposes. It can
be used for educational purposes to teach the clients or athletes about the
training program and all its variables. This is a very important aspect of training
that many coaches and trainers overlook. I believe that the client or athlete must
know how the program was designed and why it was designed that way. Better
yet, they should be a part of the program design. Whenever I design a strength-
training program, the client is a very large part of the process. Who knows better
than the trainee what works and what doesn't work for him? The client has more
experience training themselves than anyone, so why not use this knowledge to
better the program? The trainee must know where they're going and how and
why this program will help them get there. A second type of introduction micro
cycle may be used to introduce the trainee to the exercises he'll be performing
over the next few cycles. This gives him a chance to have a "walk through" of the
different exercises and get used to the correct form and technique that'll be
needed for the higher intensities later on. Exercise technique is another
overlooked aspect of most training programs today. When I walk into any gym or
health club I'm impressed with the lack of technique being practiced. You'd think
with the number of trainers and coaches around today that this problem would be
getting better, but in many ways it's worse. Now you have trainers who have no
idea what they're doing showing a client how to perform an exercise! Not all
trainers are bad, of course. There are many excellent trainers I've spoken with
across the world and I've learned a great deal from many of them. These trainers
are usually very expensive and hard to find so it would be best for most people to
buy a book on exercise technique or attend one of the many seminars offered by
today's top strength coaches.

The Restorative Micro:

This cycle is designed to aid in the recovery process. It can involve anything from
taking a week off to implementing some restorative techniques such as contrast
showers, steams, saunas, massage, active rest or "feeder" workouts. Active rest
involves those workouts that implement a type of training other than what the
athlete normally does. For a weightlifter this can include walking, or for a football
player, playing basketball. The "feeder" type workouts are those intended to
better prepare the muscle for an upcoming training session. When these
workouts make up the majority of the training micro cycle it then becomes a
restorative cycle. Active rest and feeder workouts will be discussed in a future
article because of the importance they have in the total development of a
strength training program. After all, if you're not recovering, then you're not
making gains!

The Competitive Micro:

This is the cycle leading up to the competition or event. For a power lifter this
would consists of the five to seven days right before the competition. During this
time they should lower the training volume and intensity. The week before can
make or break the outcome of the competition. Too much work and the lifter will
go into the meet overtrained and tired. Too little work and he'll go in under
prepared. For the football player this can be the last three to six days before the
game. It becomes a tight balancing act during the season to ensure the optimum
amount of training with the right amount of recovery and restoration.

The Shock Micro:

This micro cycle is designed around shocking the body into new growth and
adaptation. This shock can come in many forms and can range from taking a
week off to a high volume training cycle.

The Meso Cycle

This cycle is made up of many micro cycles designed around one specific
purpose. Most programs use this cycle to develop one component of fitness such
as strength, power, endurance or some other physical ability. These cycles range
from one to four months. There are many types of meso cycles including
introduction, base, competitive, restoration, strength and power cycles.

The Introduction Meso:

This cycle is designed to introduce a person to fitness or strength training. Like
the introduction micro cycle, most of the time is spent on the teaching of the
movements and training program.

The Base Meso:

It's been said many times that you can't build a house on a weak foundation.
The base meso cycle is usually designed to build a strong and fundamental base
of fitness (a solid foundation). An example of the effectiveness of a base-building
meso cycle would be my wife, Traci. When she first came to train with us a
Westside, her back was so weak and sore that she had a hard time picking up an
empty barbell. Most of her training during the first few months consisted of
building up her abdominal, lower back, glutes, hips and hamstrings. She
performed endless sets of reverse hypers, glute-ham raises, and abdominal pull
downs. When her base was built up, heavier training was introduced and within
the first year she'd totaled her fist "Elite" with a 360 squat, 240 bench, and 315
dead lift in the 123 pound class. Not bad for not being able to pick up a barbell
without pain 12 months earlier. Without taking the time to develop a solid
foundation, her gains wouldn't have been possible.

Other Meso Cycles:

The strength and power meso cycle is designed around building strength, while
the competitive meso cycle is that cycle leading up to the competition or test date
(the day you attempt a new PR). These meso cycles can be designed a number
of different ways and all are intended to bring out the highest level of competitive
strength. Competitive strength is different than maximal strength because it
utilizes the elements of the competition to bring out the highest strength levels.
With competitive strength, many times there's a break from training right before
the competition to help the body restore and prepare for peak performance.
There's also the element of the spectators and a "psyche up" to help bring out
higher strength levels. Maximal strength is the max level of strength that can be
displayed in the gym. This is why many times we don't recommend training with a
psyche-up in the gym. Psyching up during training can actually be detrimental to
strength performance because of the increased demand on the central nervous
system.

The Western Method of Periodization

The Western or linear method of periodization is the most practiced yet most
misunderstood form of periodization used by lifters and coaches today. I was first
introduced to the Western method from the NSCA journal and from the "workouts
of the month" section in Powerlifting USA magazine. This method consists of a
hypertrophy phase, basic strength phase, power phase, peak phase and a
transition phase. Many times other terms will be used but the parameters are
basically the same.

The Hypertrophy Phase:

This phase is intended to condition and build muscle mass. This phase is
characterized by a high volume and low intensity. In this case, the volume refers
to the amount of repetitions being preformed while the intensity refers to the
amount of weight lifted in relation to your one rep max. The typical load or
intensity lifted is in the 50 to 70% range for three to five sets of 8 to 20 reps. The
average rest between sets is two to three minutes and the average length of the
entire phase is between four to six weeks. These parameters are intended to
build a solid base of support for the upcoming strength phase.

The Strength Phase:

The goals of the strength phase is to, you guessed it, increase muscle strength.
The parameters for this phase are characterized with a typical load between 75
to 86%, utilizing three to five sets of 4 to 6 reps. The average rest is two to four
minutes and the duration is four to six weeks. As you can see, the intensity is
beginning to increase while the volume is beginning to decrease.

The Power Phase:

This phase is designed to increase the overall power of the athlete. The
parameters of this phase are characterized by performing three to five sets of 3
to 5 reps with 86% to 93% intensity. The duration of this phase is normally four
weeks. The rest is usually between three to five minutes.

The Peak Phase:

This is the final phase of strength development. This phase is designed to "peak"
on all the abilities that have been developed earlier. The peak phase is
characterized by performing two to three sets of 1 to 3 reps with 93% or more.
The average rest is now increased to four to seven minutes and the duration is
two to four weeks. You'll again notice that the volume is lower and the intensity is
increased.

The Transition or Active Rest Phase:

This is the final phase of this macro cycle known as the Western method of
periodization. This phase can be done a couple of ways. The first is to perform
three to five sets of 10 to 15 reps with 50% of your new one rep max. The second
way is to break away from training altogether and only perform light physical
activity. For many powerlifters and strength athletes this phase is normally just
taking time off and performing no weightlifting. Others may choose to go to the
gym and perform bodybuilding style exercises with very little work done in the
classic lifts (squat, bench and dead lift).

Problems and Pitfalls

This Western method of training has become very popular in the United States
over the past 20 to 30 years and has been practiced by most powerlifters and
strength athletes in one form or another. If you read the training programs of
most powerlifters you'll notice this same structure. As I mentioned earlier, this is
the same training routine I used myself for 12 years before moving to Columbus
to train at Westside. I had very good results with this training for some time, but I
also had many problems with it as well. Having now gotten away from this type of
training and looking back as an outsider, I can see where the program is lacking
and why I had so many problems. I used to feel it was the only way to train
(mostly because it was all I ever knew). It was also the only type of program for
which I could find a lot of research. Some of the limitations to this linear style of
periodization include:
• It's a percentage-based program
• It starts with a high volume
• It only has one peak
• Your abilities aren't maintained
• The program has no direction to the future
Since this is a percentage based program, it can be very deceiving to those
calculating the training. Most of these programs begin at 62% and finishes at
99%. My question has always been: Percent of what? In the table we used a 600
pound squatter as an example. Now the first question is since there's a difference
between competitive strength and maximal strength, can he really squat 600?
Second, if the lifter takes a break after the competition as described with the
transition phase, can he still squat 600?According to Vladimir Zatsiorsky in the
text, Science and Practice of Strength Training, long breaks (from working at
percentages close to your 1RM) can ruin physical fitness. Vladimir asks, "If a
mountaineer wants to climb to the summit, will he climb halfway up then back
down to go back up again?" These long breaks are detrimental because motor
abilities are built and retained at different rates which are fairly specific to each
individual. Some may be lost very quickly while others will be held. According to
Zimkin, as much a 10 to 15% of strength can be lost in a period of a few weeks.
This is where a percentage-based system has many problems. If the lifter has
lost 10% of his strength and begins the cycle at 62% of his contest max, the
actual percent can really be as high as 72%. This is why many times the lifter will
get through three quarters of the training cycle and then start missing lifts. Many
times I'd get to week eight or nine and not be able to complete the desired
number of reps. With this type of training you have to hope your strength catches
up to the intensity. One way to combat this is to pick a smaller weight at the start
and then jump it up toward the end. This is what many lifters, including myself,
used to do. The problem with this is you never really know when to jump it up.
This will lead you to being able to perform triples in training with more weight
than the single you could perform on the platform at a meet. Percentages have to
be used only as guidelines. Another problem with the Western method of
periodization is that many abilities aren't maintained. The muscle mass that was
built during the hypertrophy phase isn't maintained throughout the full cycle.
Same goes with the strength phase. The best training weeks are normally the
first or second week of triples coming off the strength phase. Then your strength
begins to shut down because it's very hard to train at or above 90% for longer
than three weeks. This is another reason why you may be able to triple more in
training than what you can display on the platform. As mentioned above, there's
only one peak with the linear method. If you want to enter multiple meets or have
a competitive season such as a football player then what do you do? Another
mark against this traditional approach. The Western method of periodization also
advises you to drop the supplemental movements as the meet approaches,
especially during the final three or four weeks during the peak phase. The reason
for this is that the intensity is so high that you'd want to keep the volume down.
My question is why would you want to drop the movements that made you strong
in the first place? Lets face it, if it was true that all you have to do is squat, bench
and dead lift wouldn't we all be doing it? Not only that, but wouldn't every gym in
the country have 20 or 30 guys who could bench 500 since half the members
only do bench presses and curls anyway? Why would any of us do any more
than we have to? The fact is, we've all found out through trial and error that we
need supplemental movements to push our lifts up. A great example of this is if
your pecs and shoulder were strong enough to bench press 500 but your triceps
were only strong enough to bench 420. If that were true, what do you think you'd
bench? You're only as strong as your weakest link and it's your responsibility to
find out what that weak link is and fix it. If your car needed new tires to run faster
would you buy a new car or change the tires? The supplemental aspect of your
training is perhaps the most important and yet you're expected to drop it right
before a competition? You're also never really told what and how to train the
supplemental lifts. Are you supposed to begin with a high volume and drop over
time while increasing the intensity like you do with the main lifts? If you're
anything like I was then you just kind of wing it and hope it all fits into place. With
all this in mind, why would anybody use this type of periodization? Well, the
answer is quite simple: it's what most lifters have always done or been told to do.
There have been few, if any, alternatives that work as well or better. Until now,
that is. At Westside Barbell, we've found a better way to handle periodization and
it blows the old school linear method out of the water. We call it conjugated
periodization and I'll cover it in detail in the rest of the seminar.
Slide 4

Key Program Qualities

Speed

Recovery Coaching

Attitude Team Work

www.EliteFTS.com

There are 5 qualities that set a great system apart from the rest

These include
Speed
Strength
Coaching
Teamwork
Attitude
Recovery
Slide 5

Coaching

Leader

Motivator

Educator
www.EliteFTS.com

Coaching

Every great system has to have a great coach. In the case of Westside Barbell this man is Louie
Simmons. Louie is a great Leader for several reasons. First, he lives in the same world. How
many here squat 300 pounds? How about 600 pounds? For those who squat 600 pounds, how
much did you have to learn about squatting to squat 600 as to 300 pounds? Now what if you
squatted 800 0r 900 pounds. Would you have to learn more. You learn as part of the process and
a great coach is one who has been where you want to go and has helped others to be BETTER
than they where. A great leader must also command the respect of his athletes. The number one
way to do this is to be a great athlete yourself and live the life.
A great coach is also a great motivator. This means find what each athletes needs to become
better and make it happen. A good motivator is not one that say’s good job after every set. Praise
is a earned aspect of training not a given aspect. You must be realistic with the lifters. If you feel a
200 pound lift is not good then it is not good regardless of who does it. A great motivator will see
the athlete for what they WILL be not what they currently are.
A great coach is also a great educator. You must educate for the system to work a it peak. The
athletes must know and understand why they are doing the training principles prescribed. Think
of a division one tail back. You have him box squatting to explosive strength but never let him
know. You then discover he is not using much effort while coming off the box and can’t
understand why. Before the next workout explain to him that if he fires off the box with more force
this will allow him to fire of the ball with more force and will inurn put him one step ahead of the
competition. If he says one step ahead for the entire game then he will average more yards per
carry. These extra yards will add up throughout the session and he may end up all American
instead of non-American.
At Westside all the lifters there can explain why and how they train as well as help you to do the
same. This starts at the top!

***Bonus Notes***

Strength?

I just returned from a consulting engagement with a division 1-football program. I

was contracted to review and give insight on their strength-training program.
This university had one of the best facilities I had ever seen. They must have
had 15 power racks, 15 power bench racks, 15 lifting platforms plus all the latest
machines and dumbbells you would ever need. The first thing I thought was,
“Man, you could really make a team strong here.” At least that is what I thought
until I looked up at the wall. They had a list of standard goals to be met by each
position. The lineman’s goals were to Squat 500lb, Bench Press 385lb, Incline
Press 325lb, and Power Clean 300lb. I was first amazed at how low the numbers
were for a lineman who weighs between 260 and 300 pounds, but I thought at
least they had standard goals for each of them to strive for. This was fine until I
looked further down the wall and saw a chart for all those who have reached this
status. I stood in disbelief, as there where none listed. Now I was determined to
figure out how this could be.
As I stood there in my disbelief I over heard two people passing by that were in
town for a coaching conference. They were also very amazed at these numbers.
I was about to comment when I learned that they were amazed for different
reasons than myself. They thought the numbers were great! Now, I’m beginning
to wonder what is wrong with this picture. After some thought, I figured out what
it was. People need to begin to view strength for what it really is.
Strength training simply means the pursuit of being stronger. Somewhere down
the line this theory has been lost. Many times there is too much emphasis
placed on maintaining strength and not creating it. How can two people look at
the same board and one be amazed at how low the numbers are and another
amazed at how high they are? To answer this we must look at what I call the
personal paradigms of training.
A personal paradigm is the way in which one sees the world behind there own
eyes. I heard this once explained with the example of a map by Steven Covey
author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” If you were to attend
one of my seminars in Columbus, OH and I sent you a map titled Columbus but it
really was a map of Detroit, MI, the first thing that would happen is you would get
lost and back track to see if you missed a street. After getting lost again you may
give me a call and I would tell you to try harder, re-read the map. You would
reply, “I have read the map and can’t find the streets.” I would tell you to take
your time and look at it more thoroughly. Well you would head back out and
once again and get lost. This time you may head into a bookstore and buy the
best motivation book on the market. Now you are fired up and head back out
again only to get lost once again. You see, the problem is very simple, no matter
how hard you try or how motivated you get you still have the wrong map. Until
you change your current map you will be lost. Most coaches and lifters
underestimate what strength really is either because they have been viewing
what strength really is by using the wrong map, or the wrong set of definitions
and standards?
In the field of strength training there really are no set definitions of what
expectable levels of strength are for individual athletes. The only definitions are
the personal definitions set by the lifters them selves, the trainer or the coach.
Let me explain further. Lets assume you decided to hire a personal trainer or
coach to train you for your next competition. Your current lifts are: Squat 700lb,
Bench 450lb and Dead lift 650lb. Unless this trainer has processed a certain
degree of strength themselves they may feel impressed with your current level.
How hard do you think you will be trained and on what level of knowledge is this
program built on? This trainer may only be able to bench 300lb and their best
current client can only bench 350lb, so to him your 450lb bench is outstanding.
This will make you feel great to receive all the praise from this trainer but will it
help? Your current level of 450lb may be far under what you are really capable
of doing.
One standard goal I believe in for the squat, bench and dead lift for most power
athletes and foot players is the Top 100 in Power lifting USA. Now I understand
that not every athlete is a power lifter or even wants to be, but I also feel a
college or professional football athlete should be able to at least break into the
top 100 or at least 100 pounds shy of it. Another standard for reviewing the
squat and bench press strength are the strength ratings compiled by Dale Harder
in his book, “Strength & Speed Ratings” available from Crain’s Muscle World.
(See Tables listed below).
Keep one thing in mind about power lifting and please don’t misunderstand my
point. Power lifting is a very small sport compared to others and is filled with a
majority of athletes who were not good enough to play football, basketball,
baseball or any other high profile sport past the high school level or is retired
from those sports (past their prime). Yes, many lifters are suited for the sport but
not as many as one might think. Take a close look at many of your top 100
lifters. Only a small percentage of power lifters are suited for the sport, most
have average structure. This does not mean that power lifters do not train hard
for what they have achieved, I believe they train harder and smarter than most
coaches and trainers are currently training their athletes in terms of maximum
strength development. Think about this for a minute and you will see my point.
A division one athlete has reached that level because of their genetic disposition
and the hard work required to reach that level. They are the cream of the crop or
some of the best athletes in the country. Now why is it that these best of the best
athletes can’t even come close to those power lifters that were not regarded as
the “best of the best” or “past their prime?”
Is it because the power lifters have better facilities? Most train in garages, key
clubs and local gyms while division one athletes train in multimillion dollar
complexes complete with physical therapy centers and
the best equipment money can buy. Better coaching? How many power lifting
coaches do you know of? I can think of about ten. Now how many strength
coaches and trainers are there? There are about one or two strength coaches
for every school, now including high schools and thousands of Personal Trainers.
Why the difference in strength? There are a few reasons I can think of but
the one that comes to mind is the comprehension level of strength. A power lifter
may think they are strong until they go to a local meet and find out they may not
be as strong as they thought. So they head back to the gym and reevaluate the
program and start back to work with a new definition of what strength is. Then
when they build themselves up to a higher level and compete at their first
national competition, they find out again that they still are not as strong as they
thought and need to change their definition of what strength is. The best lifters
are the ones who are always in a constant process of trying to push it up to the
next level and redefining themselves. If you listen to these lifters you will almost
never hear them say they missed a lift because they were not strong enough,
what you will hear them say is that the bar fell out of the groove, the equipment
didn’t fit right or they had one lagging muscle but never that they were not strong
enough. Being stronger is a forgone conclusion and just a matter of putting it
together. For a novice lifter, coach, or trainer you will hear they or I was not
strong enough or that they just don’t have the strength potential or genetics,
there is never any new definitions being made.
Another reason for the strength difference is many coaches and trainers feel that
a 400-pound bench press and 500lb squats are unnecessary for sports
performance. I ask, is not all strength based on maximal strength? Plus, if you
are spending time in the weight room should that time not be devoted to getting
stronger? Why spend valuable training time just maintaining? It makes no sense
to go into the weight room to work on maintaining strength when the same time
could be spent on developing strength. I do understand that there are many
components of fitness when it comes to the total development of the athlete and
that maximum strength is only one of them. A training program for a client or
athlete based solely on maximum strength development is a major mistake. You
must also address flexibility, endurance, mobility, agility, speed and many other
components. I believe these components need to be trained and are all effected
by the total absolute strength you have. In other words, all things being equal,
the stronger athlete will win.
So how then can you change your definition of strength?

1. As a power lifter you must train with a group of other lifters. Having good
training partners is a vital part of the process. Very few ever reach the top by
them selves. You should try to get with a group of lifters who are stronger than
yourself. This will reinforce the belief that it can be done when you see it being
done time and time again in the gym. I used to feel a 600lb bench was a big
bench until 8 people in our gym (Westside Barbell) did it. Now it seems to be in
reach for anybody who believes it can be done.
2. As a lifter you must compete: Have you ever noticed the biggest attitudes
are held by those who only lift in the gym? These lifters believe they are the
biggest and best out there. Why is it that the lifters who compete at the highest
levels do not possess these same attitudes? I believe it is because to compete
at this level they have all been humbled many times and realize that there are
many strong lifters out there and they are only one of them.
3. As a coach or trainer you must workout: You would think this is a given but it
is not. There are many trainers and coaches out there who have the credentials
on paper and wear them as well but there are still far too many who only have
credentials on paper. I wonder how you can teach strength if you have never
possessed it in the first place. I over heard a top trainer giving training
instructions to an 800-pound squatter on what he had to do to fix his technique. I
would venture to guess that this trainer’s best squat ever is around 400lb.
Having done an 800lb squat I can tell you there is a big difference in what you
have to do to squat 800lb compared to 400lb. I am not saying that all strength
coaches and trainers need to squat 800 pounds. This could be further from the
truth, but they should at least know what it feels like to lift maximal loads. I was
always brought up with the belief to never ask someone to do what you would not
do yourself.
A second point about this topic is the value of respect. You will gain greater
respect from your client and coach if you are practicing what you preach. This is
best done if you have the opportunity to train with the client or team. Let them
see the intensity you put into you own training and you will get the same intensity
back. Come to Westside and view the intensity of the training. You will notice
that Louie is right in they’re banging away with us. Would that same intensity be
there if he was not training? If you look at the recent success of Westside in the
past five years, it directly relates to the time when Louie started his comeback.
Think about it!
4. Check PLUSA top 100. As mentioned above, show your clients and
athletes these lists. Let them know that they can reach the same strength level.
Praise them for all personal records while encouraging and recognizing their
potential to reach even higher goals. In comparison to the lineman’s goals at the
beginning of the article, the last numbers on the top 100 for the 275lb weight
class last year were a 700lb squat and a 507lb bench. If this doesn’t inspire the
athlete to strive for bigger numbers let them know that the goals of a 500lb squat
and 385lb bench would not even break the top 100 for the 165lb weight class.
With this in mind, are those goals solid goals for a lineman weighing 275 to 300
pounds in a four-year program?
5. Believe in yourself and act as if: This goes for both the power lifter and
coach. If you tell them to act as if they are the strongest team in the league or
you act as if you are one of the top 10 power lifters then you are on the right
path. Act as if, means to do the same things they would do. Do they spend time
in the gym training on solid programs? Do they research and read everything
they can on strength? Do they have a positive attitude? Do they never skip
workouts? Do they look to those who are better than them for guidance? Do
you?

Vince Lombardi once said “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – his
greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his
heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”
Do you want to lie on the ground victorious or with your face down in the dirt?
- Dave Tate cscs
- Elite Fitness Systems
Slide 6

Teamwork

Represent

Respect

Rise
www.EliteFTS.com

Represent
“We know what Westside can do for you, but what can you do for Westside?”
This is a statement I have heard time and time again out of Louie’s mouth. What
can you do for Westside? What can you bring to the table? Can you Represent?
All the Westside lifters strive to represent the club by getting on any of the club
lists.

Respect
You must have enough respect for your training partners and team to try and
push them to the limits and expect to be pushed in return. This respect has to
come with trust. You have to trust what your team tells you and do what you are
told. Your progress must be a high priority to your team as their progress is to
you. Sometimes the truth can hurt. Learn how to deal with it!

Rise
A great coach is one who makes himself great and then makes others better then
they are or were.
Slide 7

Strength
Max Effort Method

Why?

When?

How?
www.EliteFTS.com

The Max Effort Method

This method is used for the development of the Muscular system. The basic application of this method is to
choice one multi joint movement for the first movement of the day and work up to a one rep max. You will
use one day for the squat-dead lift or lower body day and one day for the bench press or upper body day.
Once you choose your movement (more on this later) you will start with the bar and beginning working up
using three reps per set as your guide. Take small jumps (30 pounds for average strength and 45 to 50 for
above average). As you work up you will need to decide if you want to try a break a one rep or three max
rep record. This is up to you but use your body as a guide. If you feel good then go for the one rep max. If
you do not feel so good then stay with the three rep max. You want to try and get between 4 to 6 reps over
the 90% range.
With the Max Effort Method you should switch the movement being used every one to three weeks. This
time depends on the skill level, coordination and motor control of the athlete using the method. The goal is to
switch off every week.

There are many reasons for this method to be used:

First, it teaches you to strain. You need to learn to strain for 3 to 4 seconds. This is the time a max lift can
take in competition. By training for the same time under tension you can increase the competitive strength
on the platform.
Second, this method is also training courage and aggression with the big weight.
Third, this method develops the Muscular System for the feel of heavier weight.
Fourth, this method is a form of chaos training.

Summary of application:
Two session per week (one lower body, one upper body)
One movement per session
Small jumps using three reps to one rep max
Strain
4 to 6 reps above 90%
Change movement every one to three weeks.
Slide 8

Strength
Lower Body Max Effort

Dead Lift

Good Morning

Box Squat
www.EliteFTS.com

Max Effort Lower Body Movements

All lower body max effort movements steam for three movements
The Box Squat – This is used for the same reason as the box squat (discussed later). The high box work is great for
overloading the lower body and getting the torso used to heavy weight. The low box is used to increase the distance the
bar has to travel as well as increasing the time under tension.
The Good Morning – The GM is used for several reasons. First, it is great for the development of the lower back.
Second, the GM throws you forward so you learn to keep the bar in the groove , as well as, getting strong enough to keep
it from happening in the first place.
The Dead Lift – We very rarely pull a completive dead lift in the gym but will pull a variety of others way to strengthen the
groove of the pull as well as the muscles of the glutes, lower back and hamstrings.

The choice of movement so not be dictated by a written training program but how you feel and what you feel you need to
do. Over the years we have found some movements to work better than others.

Our best of lift includes:

Cambered Bar Good Mornings
Cambered Bar Suspended Good Mornings
Cambered bar low and high box squats
Safety squat bar good mornings
Safety squat bar suspended good mornings
Safety squat bar low and high box squats
Reverse band dead lifts
Dead Lifts against bands
Dead Lifts standing on blocks
You will notice the use of a regular bar is not used in most of the movements above. This is because we are looking to
change the leverages off the lift to stress the muscles harder than the main lifts would. For example, the SS Bar keeps the
bar positioned high on the neck and is in a constant process of trying to throw you forward. To keep this from happening
the muscles of your lower traps come into play more than they would without the bar. This relates to the squat in dead lift
because most lifters miss the lift because of their shoulders falling forward or the chest dropping. In other words, they fall
forward.
These have been the main stay movements at Westside for the past few years. Alternatives will be discussed later in the
seminar.

***Bonus Notes***

The Dead Zone

The Top 10 Dead lifting Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Whenever I go on the road for a seminar, I have to find a place to train. Most of
the time this isn't a problem because I have to secure a gym to run the second
half of my seminar anyhow, and usually they have the basic training needs. I
always try to fly out on a Friday afternoon, after my dynamic-squat workout, and
then get back home Sunday night so I can get to the gym Monday morning for
my max-effort squat and dead lift training session. This way, all I have to do while
on the road is catch a dynamic-bench workout. This session doesn't require very
much so I usually don't have any problems. But, there was one time I had to fly
into a location on a Wednesday afternoon. This meant I'd have to find a place to
squat on Friday morning. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, to me
it would present a major change. When I got to my hotel I pulled out the yellow
pages and turned to the health-club section. I was looking for something like "Iron
Pit" or some other hardcore name. It didn't take long to see I wasn't going to find
such a place in the phonebook, so it was on to my second choice. I started
looking for a Power House, World Gym or Gold's. I found one about ten minutes
away and thought I was set. During breakfast on Friday morning I was going over
my workout in my head. I was planning on using 405 with the strong bands on
the box squat. Then I'd move on to speed dead lifts, lower back, and abs. I
already knew I was going to have to find some way to rig up the bands and
probably find something to sit on instead of the box. After I finished my breakfast
I gathered my bag and headed to the gym. When I pulled into the parking lot I
began to feel this was going to be a long day. From the outside the place looked
too nice. Those of you who train in a hardcore gym know exactly what I mean. I
entered the club (after being blinded by the neon) and spoke with the front desk
girl. I signed my wavier, paid my dues, and headed for the one and only power
rack. This is when I saw something I couldn't believe. The bar was loaded with a
dime on each end and some guy was doing barbell curls in the damn power rack!
Not to be a dick, I waited until he finished what seemed to be ten sets and then
made my way over to the rack. I started by setting up a few dumbbells on each
side of the rack to attach my bands to and then picked out the best bar I could
find. They actually had an Okie Squat Bar. This made my day because it's very
difficult for a big man to use a standard Olympic bar for the squat. I found a set of
aerobic steps to use as a box and started my warm-ups. The warm-ups felt pretty
good, considering the environment I had to train in, but I did notice about a
thousand eyes on me trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. A few people
even came over to ask. As I began to explain, I realized they were cutting into my
timed rest intervals so I pulled out the back-up plan. I put on my headphones,
cranked the DMX and got to work. The squat session went very well. The speed
was good, my form stayed in check, and all and all it was a good session. So I
stripped the bar, took off the headphones and began to set up for my second
movement. I'd planned on speed-dead lifting 405 for five or six singles. This is
mainly to work on dead lift technique, so I really didn't need any type of psyche-
up. I just had to pull fast with good form. I learned from Louie a long time ago that
to get a good dead lift you don't need to train the dead lift heavy all the time. At
first I thought he was full of shit, but in time I put 40 pounds on my dead lift and
became a believer. Now that Westside has a ton of lifters pulling in the 700s and
six lifters in the 800s, I have very little doubt it works. John Stafford dead lifting
800 pounds.
My first set felt like crap. The bar was too far in front of me and I didn't keep my
shoulders behind the bar. This was no problem as I'd adjust on my next set. The
second set felt great. I hit the groove and the bar felt about a hundred pounds
lighter. I try to keep the rest periods on these sets to 45 seconds at the most and
was about to pull my third set when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw
some 20-something kid who was wearing a polo shirt and looked to be about 165
pounds dripping wet. I motioned him off like a annoying mosquito and pulled my
fourth set.
After my set I asked the kid if I could help him. He asked a question I'll never
forget. "What are you doing?" he said. I thought to myself, "What the hell does it
look like I'm doing?!" Out loud, I replied very kindly that I was doing dead lifts. He
then informed me that they didn't allow dead lifts in this gym. Now I was getting a
little pissed. He told me that the weights hitting the floor are too loud and it
bothers the other members. So I told him the sound of the treadmills and
Stairmaster motors are too loud and that bothers me. Why doesn't he go over
and tell the other patrons to get off the machines?
At this point I must've pissed him off because he said under his breath that I
wasn't even doing the dead lifts right. I asked him what he saw wrong in my
technique. (You never know, he could've seen something I was missing.) He told
me that I needed to sit lower to the ground and pick the weight up with good form
and not use my back. He also told me my shins had to stay close to the bar and I
should be using a wider stance.
While not being a dick, I asked him where he'd learned this information. Then I
saw it. I couldn't believe I'd missed it the first time, but there it was right in my
face: a gold name badge with his name and "head trainer" right underneath it. At
this point I asked him if I could finish my last set at which point I'd love to sit down
and discuss his training concepts with him. He was cool with that so I pulled my
last and by far best set. Maybe it was the added geek aggression that made the
difference.
As I tore the bar down I started up a friendly dialog with Mr. Head Trainer. I let
him know I was in town to work with a few ball players on their strength-training
programs. He told me he'd been in the personal training field for three years, has
been to several conferences, had done a few internships, and this was where he
learned how to lift. Out of curiosity I asked him how much he could dead lift. He
told me he could pull 315 for five reps. I spent the next hour going over with him
what I felt were the ten biggest mistakes in the dead lift.
The first thing I told him was the old dead lift motto: The meet doesn't end until
the bar hits the floor. To a power lifter, the dead lift can be the end-all or the end-
of-it-all when it comes to closing out a total or placing in the competition. In short,
we have to know how to dead lift the most weight in the safest manner or we'll
have a very short career.
I also told him that most people never read a whole lot about the dead lift
because of one reason: it's very hard and demanding to train and perform the
dead lift. To be frank, most in the strength training/fitness training/bodybuilding
field would rather come in the gym and train their back with various pulley
machines, talk to the girls, and go home with their carb drink in hand. They like to
live on the light, easy side of the game while avoiding the dark side.
Well, get ready to enter the dark side as I share with you what I told my new
personal-trainer buddy.

The Top 10 Dead lift Mistakes

Mistake #1: Training the dead lift heavy all the time
Very few people can train the dead lift week after week and still make progress. I
feel the only ones who can get away with this are the ones who're built to dead
lift. If you're built to pull, then the stress on your system is going to be less than
those who aren't built to dead lift.
The dead lift is a very demanding movement and it takes a lot to recover from.
This is compounded if you're also squatting every week. The squat and dead lift
train many of the same muscles and this is another reason why you don't need to
train the dead lift heavy all the time. Years ago the only dead lifts I did off the
floor were in meets. The rest of the time was spent training the lower back,
glutes, and hamstrings. While my dead lift increased 40 pounds over the first few
years, I did run into some problems with this approach.
The major problem I had was when I'd go to a meet I didn't know where to place
my feet and if I got stuck I didn't know how to adjust. Since I'm not built to dead
lift, these things aren't natural to me. I had to find a way to put some pulling back
in the program without taxing the system. What we came up with was a session
of speed dead lifts with a moderate weight pulled for five or six singles. This way
the weight was heavy enough to teach good form and not too heavy to tax the
system. This worked out to 45 to 50% of max to be trained after the dynamic or
speed squat workout. These don't need to be done every week but should be
used as the meet or test day get closer.
I still suggest letting the box squat train the dead lift muscles with dynamic squat
training of eight sets of two reps in a wave-like sequence. (For squat training
details, see the following articles: Periodization Bible Part II, Squatting from Head
to Toe, and TNT Part II for cycles and percentages.)
Let the max-effort day be for training the heavy dead lift. Try to pull off pins, off
mats, or with bands one out of every four to six max effort days. Let the other day
be some type of medium or close-stance good morning or low-box squat.

Mistake #2: Pulling the shoulder blades together

This is a mistake I made for years. Stand in a dead lift stance and pull your
shoulder blades together. Take a look at where your fingertips are. Now if you let
your shoulders relax and even round forward a little you'll see your fingertips are
much lower. This is why we teach a rounding of the upper back. First, the bar has
to travel a shorter distance. Second, there's less stress on the shoulder region.
It'll also help to keep your shoulder blades behind the bar. You'll read more on
this later.

Mistake #3: Rounding the lower back

This is another mistake I see all the time and most lifters know better. It happens
most of the time because of a weak lower back or a bad start position. While
keeping your shoulders rounded you must keep your lower back arched. This will
keep the shin straight and the shoulders behind the bar and keep your body in
the proper position to pull big while keeping the back under minimal stress.
If you pull with a rounded back, the bar is going to drift forward away from the
legs, thus putting you back into a very difficult position from which to recover.
When the bar drifts forward, the weight of it will begin to work against your
leverages and cause you to have a sticking point just below the knees or mid-
shin level. When you pull you can either arch your back in the beginning standing
position before you crouch down to pull or once you grab the bar. Either way it's
important to keep the lower back arched and tight.
There are many ways to strengthen the lower back for this. Good mornings,
reverse hypers, and arched back good mornings are a few. You can also use a
band around your traps and feet for simulated good mornings. With this
technique you only use the bands and train for higher reps (in the 20 to 30 rep
range) for local muscular endurance.

Mistake #4: Not having enough air in your belly

As with most exercise you must learn how to breathe. Stand in front of a mirror
and take a deep breath. Do your shoulders rise? If so, then you need to learn
how to breathe. Learn to pull your air into your diaphragm. In other words, use
your belly! Pull as much air into your belly as possible, then when you think you
have all you can get, pull more. The dead lift isn't started by driving your feet into
the floor; it's started by driving your belly into your belt and hips flexors.
One note on holding air while you pull. You do need to try and hold your air as
long as possible, but this can only last for a few seconds while under strain
because you'll pass out. So for a long pull, you're going to have to breathe or
you'll hit the floor and people will stare. While there are several people out there
who may think this is a cool thing, I disagree. It's much cooler to make the lift!
So when you reach the point where you begin to really have to fight with the
weight, let out small bursts of air. Don't let it all out at one time or you'll lose torso
tightness and cause the bar to drop down. By letting out small bursts you can
keep your tightness, continue to pull, and lock out the weight.

Mistake #5: Not pulling the bar back

The dead lift is all about leverage and positioning. Visualize a teeter totter. What
happens when the weight on one end is coming down? The other end goes up.
So if your body is falling backward, what happens to the bar? It goes up! If your
weight is falling forward the bar will want to stay down. So if you weigh 250
pounds and you can get your bodyweight to work for you, it would be much like
taking 250 pounds off the bar. For many natural dead lifters this is a very
instinctive action. For others it has to be trained.
Proper positioning is important here. If you're standing too close to the bar it'll
have to come over the knee before you can pull back, thus going forward before
it goes backward. If your shoulders are in front of the bar at the start of the pull,
then the bar will want to go forward, not backward. If your back isn't arched the
bar will also want to drift forward.
For some lifters, not being able to pull back can be a muscular thing. If you're like
myself, I tend to end up with the weight on the front of my feet instead of my
heels. This is a function of my quads trying to overpower the glutes and
hamstrings, or the glutes and hamstrings not being able to finish the weight and
shifting to the quads to complete the lift. What will happen many times is you'll
begin shaking or miss the weight. To fix this problem you need to add in more
glute ham raises, pull-throughs and reverse hypers.

Mistake #6: Keeping the shins too close to the bar

I'm not too sure where this started but I have a pretty good idea. Many times the
taller, thinner lifters are the best pullers and they do start with the bar very close
to their shins. But if you look at them from the sides they still have their shoulders
behind the bar when they pull. This is just not possible to achieve with a thicker
lifter.
If a thicker lifter with a large amount of body mass — be it muscle or fat — were
to line the bar up with his shins, you'd see he would have an impossible time
getting the shoulders behind the bar. Remember you need to pull the bar back
toward you, not out and away from you. So what I believe happens is many lifters
look to those who have great dead lifts to see how they pull, then try to do the
same themselves. What they need to do is look to those who are built the same
way they are and have great dead lifts and follow their lead.

Mistake #7: Training with multiple reps

Next time you see someone doing multiple reps on the dead lift, take note of the
form of each rep. You'll see the later reps look nothing like the first. In
competition you only have to pull once, so you need to learn how to develop
what's known as starting strength for the dead lift. This is the strength needed to
get the bar off the floor without an eccentric (negative) action before the start.
In other words, you don't lower the bar first and then lift the weight as you do with
the squat and bench press. When you train with multiple reps you're beginning to
develop reversal strength, which isn't needed with the dead lift.
These two reasons are enough to keep the dead lift training to singles. If you're
using multiple reps with the dead lift, then stand up in between each rep and
restart the lift. This way you'll be teaching the proper form and be developing the
right kind of strength.

Mistake #8: Not keeping your shoulders behind the bar

You've already read this a few times in this article and it's perhaps the most
important thing next to hip position in the execution of the dead lift. Your
shoulders must start and stay behind the barbell when you pull dead lifts! This
will keep the barbell traveling in the right direction and keep your weight going
backward. The dead lift isn't an Olympic lift and shouldn't be started like one.
I did a seminar with Dr. Mel Siff at one of his Supertraining camps (one of the
best investments you can ever make!) and we showed the difference between
the two positions. For the Olympic lifts you want the shoulders in front of the bar;
for the dead lift you want them behind the bar. Period. The amount of
misinformation out there about this is incredible.

Mistake #9: Looking down

Your body will always follow your head. If you're looking down then the bar is
going to want to travel forward. At the same time you don't want to look at the
ceiling. Focus on an area that keeps your head in a straight up and back position
with the eyes focusing on an upper area of the wall.

Mistake #10: Starting with the hips too low

This is the king of all mistakes I see. Too many times lifters try to squat the
weight up rather than pull the weight. Think back to the number of times you've
seen a big dead lift and thought to yourself how much more the lifter could've
pulled if he didn't damn near stiff-leg it. I see it all the time. Someone will say,
"Did you see his dead lift?" Then the other guy will comment, "Yeah, and he stiff-
legged the thing." Am I telling you to stiff leg all your dead lifts? No, not at all.
All I want you to do is look at your hip position at the start of the lift when you pull
and watch how much your hips move up before the weight begins to break the
floor. This is wasted movement and does nothing except wear you out before the
pull. The closer you can keep your hips to the bar when you pull, the better the
leverages are going to be.
Once again, next time you see a great dead lifter, stand off to the side and watch
how close his or her hips stay to the bar throughout the pull. If you're putting your
ass to the floor before you pull, your hips are about a mile from the bar. You're
setting yourself up for disaster when the lever arm is this long. This is also the
second reason why lifters can't get the bar off the floor. (The first reason is very
simple: The bar is too heavy!)
You need to find the perfect spot where your hips are close to the bar, your
shoulders are behind the bar, your lower back is arched, your upper back
rounded, your belly full of air, and you can pull toward your body. Nobody ever
said it was going to be easy, but then again, what is? (Definitely not training in a
commercial health club….)

Conclusion
After I'd discussed my pulling concepts with my new trainer friend, he was a little
set back. He'd never heard these things before and didn't really know what to
believe. After this I took him back out on the gym floor and started guiding him
through a few dead lifts. A few corrections here and there and in no time at all he
pulled 405. This wasn't an easy lift for him but he made it and with that his
confidence grew.
Next, I let him in on the best training advice he'd ever hear. I told him the first
thing he needed to do was spend more time under the bar and suggested he find
a real gym and start training with those who were much stronger than him. The
best training secrets come from the small garage gyms with very strong lifters,
not the spandex driven, neon-machine warehouses. This, I told my friend, would
be his introduction to the dark side, and with hard work and proper training, he
may one day even enter the Dead Zone!
Slide 9

Strength
Upper Body Max Effort

www.EliteFTS.com

Upper Body – Bench Press Max Effort Movements

There are many movements that can be used for max effort training of the upper body.

The most popular include

Floor press with or without chains and bands – great for strength off the chest because it takes your legs out of the lift
and teaches you to press the bar without a leg heave. The floor press with straight weight should be about 90% of what
you can bench with a bench shirt.
Board press with or without chains and bands – great for midway and lockout strength. Boards can range from 3
inches to 9 inches. The bands and chains add another dimension to the movement by increasing the time under tension
at the top of the lift. The board press with straight weight off 2 or 3 boards will be equal to 85% of what you can bench with
a bench shirt.
Reverse band press with average or strong bands – This movement is great for a couple of reasons. First, it is great
for strength off your chest because of the over speed contrast off the chest. Second, it is great for lock out strength
because of the extra weight that can be handled at the top. This movement is usually the same as what you should be
able to bench press with a bench shirt.
Cambered bar bench press – This movement is also great for the lower sticking points just off the chest. I do not believe
you should force the bar to touch your chest if you are too tight. Just go to where you can go and press up.
JM presses – This has to be one of the most misunderstood movements we do. As you will see people are making this
too complicated. To perform this movement you lay on the bench the same as you would a bench press. Take a medium
grip on the bar and un-rack the weight. Start the bar so it is directly over the upper pecs – neck region. Now, picture a
plum line dropping from the center of the bar straight down to the upper pecs. Now lower the bar down that line while
keeping the elbows tucked. DO NOT GO OFF THIS LINE! At about the ½ to ¾ point you will stop the bar. At this point a
beginner should press the bar back up until they master this. If you have this down then you will let the bar rotate back ½
to 1 inch then press the bar back up. This is one of the best of not the best triceps movements you can do. This works so
well because it strengthens elbow extension strength while imitating shoulder rotation.
Close grip incline presses - This is a max effort exercise designed to isolate the upper middle regions of the pectorals
minor as well as the triceps. To begin this exercise lay with your back on a incline bench grasping the bar with one or two
fingers on the smooth part of the bar. Un-rack the weight so the arms are fully extended. Lower the barbell, with your
elbows in a tucked position, to the upper chest region. Press the bar back to the starting position. This movement works
the triceps and delts to a greater extent because of the deactivation of the lats due to the incline. This movement should
be close to 60% of your best bench shirt max.
Close grip chain or band presses – This is nothing more than your basic close grip bench press with the use of straight
weight and bands or chains. One application would be to warm up to 60% of your one rep max bench press and then
begin to add one chain on each side with each additional set until a new one rep max is reached.

******Bonus Notes******

Pressing Power
Five reasons your bench gets stuck at the bottom
and what you can do about it

"I’m weak off my chest in the bench press. What can I do?" This is a question I’m
asked more than any other, so I’ve decided to devote a whole article to dealing
with this popular problem. This seems to be a very common sticking point for
beginners and non-power lifters. Many people are quick to point this out as being
due to a weakness of the chest muscles, but I disagree with that for several
reasons. First, most power lifters do very little chest work while bodybuilders do a
ton of chest work. If bench press poundage equated to chest strength, then the
power lifters would be weak off the chest and bodybuilders would be weak at the
top. How about when you throw bench shirts into the equation? While the bench
shirt does help, it really only changes the sticking point a couple of inches. So if
power lifters are weak right off the chest, the shirt will only get them the first
couple of inches. In reality, they’re still weak off the chest. Now, let’s dig in and
solve this problem once and for all. There are five main reasons why you may get
stuck at the bottom of a bench press:#1 — You’re too slow If you really think
about this, you’ll see why it’s the number one cause of bottomed out bench
presses. I like to use the example of pressing through a thin board. If I were to
take a board, like the ones used in the martial arts, and hold it three inches off
your chest while you pressed into it in a slow manner, then it would become a
matter of who was stronger, the person holding the board or the lifter pressing
the bar. If the holder is stronger, then the bar will go into the board and stop. Now
if the same board was used and the lifter exploded into the bar with maximum
force or speed, then the bar would crash through the board. Now think of this
board as being your sticking point. Taking this one step further, what if we used a
bigger board, one that would be impossible to crash through? Once again, if you
pushed slowly the bar would get stuck. If you pushed fast, the board wouldn’t
break but would be moved up higher. This would put your sticking point at or
above the halfway point of the lift. Lesson: Push with force if you want to press
the full course!#2 — You’re not keeping a tight position This is another very
common problem. If you’re not holding your body tight, then you’re not pressing
with a firm, stable base. How can you build on a weak foundation? To get tight,
you want to pull your shoulder blades together and shrug into your traps, fill your
body with air, and drive your heels into the floor. You want to visualize pushing
your body away from the bar as you press up. If you don’t have your body
expanded with as much air as possible, then your chest and belly will be lower
than what’s needed for a big bench. The bigger you are, the shorter the path the
bar has to travel and the higher the elbows remain. Lesson: You have to stay
tight to bench right!#3 — Your lats are weak You need to have strong lats if you
want a big bench; there’s no way around this. To illustrate the point, try this: In a
standing position, hold your arms in the bottom bench position; now flare your
lats. What happened? Your arms moved forward. This is part of the same
movement that happens when you bench press. The trick to getting and keeping
your lats in the movement starts long before the bar hits the chest. It begins with
the set up at the beginning of the lift, before the bar leaves the rack. Once again
you need to have the proper tight position. Now you want to tuck your elbows
some and pull the bar out of the rack. You do not press out of the rack! When
you press out, your shoulders come apart and your lats aren’t tight. Almost 100%
of the time this will happen because of the type of bench you’re using. Many
benches today have J-hooks or uprights that are too damn deep. You have no
choice but to press it out. In this case you have two options. First, find another
bench. Many times the power rack will work out to be the best option. The j-
hooks aren’t as deep and all you have to do is drag a bench over. The second
option is to take a liftoff from a training partner. I personally don’t like the liftoff
option because it’s still hard to keep the lats tight, but if there’s no other choice,
then by all means use it. This is actually one of the reasons why a liftoff helps
you lift more weight. If you’re pressing the bar in a straight line from the lower
chest then there should be no way you’ll ever hit the uprights. So don’t be afraid
to get under the bar more from the start. Many coaches will tell you to line the bar
up with your eyes. I feel it should be lined up with your nose or chin. This way
you don’t need so much shoulder rotation to get the bar out. Now on to the lat
work. Your program should have the right kind of lat work. You want to use those
movements that work on the same plane as the bench press. This means any
type of row. There are several to choose from, so pick based on the ones you’re
the worst at. You should be training your lats two to four times a weak, but you
don’t need a full-blown lat workout as the bodybuilders do. One movement for
four to five sets should do the trick, but you do need to do them many times a
week to try to maintain some type of balance. #4 — The bar is too heavy If I see
a lifter take a bar out of the rack, lower it to his chest and barely move it, I
wouldn’t call this a sticking point. It would be more aptly be called "getting stapled
to the bench." If the weight is too heavy, you’ll get crushed! Be honest with
yourself on this one. #5 — You just don’t know how to press! We all like to think
we know how to bench press but the fact is we don’t. We may all know what to
do, but getting it done is a whole other story. This concept is covered in detail in
the Bench Press 600 Pounds article. For a quick review, you need to stay tight,
keep the elbows tucked, drive your heels into the floor and shove your body
away from the bar as you press. Too many times, one or more aspects are off for
a number of different reasons. Just remember that proper technique will make a
huge difference in your ability to press record weights.
What To Do About It Now that we know why you get stuck, let’s get on to
describing some of the movements that can help correct this.
1) Dumbbell Work — Dumbbells are great for teaching you how to press and also
great for building stability in the shoulder and lat muscles. There are several
ways you can use dumbbells to strengthen your bench press: High-Rep
Dumbbell Press This movement is done with the use of a bench or stability ball.
You want to do a standard dumbbell press but keep your palms facing each
other; this will keep your elbows in the correct benching position. I’ve found the
repetition range of 12 to 20 to work best with this movement. You want to do
three sets, trying to fail at around 20 reps for the first set. You’ll then rest about
four to five minutes and try to hit 20 again for your second set. More than likely
this won’t happen, but it gives you something to aim for. Rest another four to five
minutes and knock off the last set. This method of dumbbell usage works best in
place of the max effort movement. Dumbbell Floor PressesThe floor press is
another great way to teach you how to stay tight in the upper body when
pressing. When your legs are out straight, more of the load is transferred to the
pressing muscles. To do this movement, you lie on the floor and have your
training partners hand you the dumbbells. Once again you’ll want to keep your
palms in. Lower the bells until your triceps hit the floor, pause for a split second,
and press back up. This movement fits in nicely as the first movement you’d do
after doing dynamic bench or max effort bench work. Play around with the sets
and reps to see which work best for you but always try to break your record each
time you do them. Timed Dumbbell PressesThis is the latest news out of
Westside Barbell Club. Louie Simmons has found that taking a pair of dumbbells
and pressing for time to be a great strength and restoration builder for the bench
press. He’s been using a three-day split where the first day heavy dumbbells
would be used continuously from two to four minutes. I’ve used up to 80-pound
bells for three minutes. These reps aren’t done in a non-stop action. (Had you
scared there for a second, didn’t I?) You do a couple of reps, then hold them on
your chest or at the top for five to ten seconds, then do a couple more reps. You
keep the set going until you can’t do any more. Perform only one set at the end
of the regular workout.On the second day you want to use 60% of the weight
used on day one, but take the time up to three to five minutes. I use 45 pound
dumbbells for this day. On day three, drop another 60% and bump the time up to
five to eight minutes. On this day, I use 25 to 30 pound dumbbells. I’ve found this
to help my shoulders recover at a faster rate than when not doing them. While
Louie likes to keep the rotation going without a break, I like to only use the
rotation one time per week.
2) Max Effort Work — The next three movements would be used as max effort
movements concentrating on building power off your chest. I’d still cycle in the
other max effort movements like the board press and lockouts every other week
for the top part of the bench. This will keep building on the top strength you
already have. As a quick review of the max effort movement described in the
Periodization Bible, Part Two article, the max effort method is used to build max
strength in the bench press by teaching the body to strain with maximal training
loads. This is done one time per week with one movement. You warm up using
multiple sets of three to five reps in an ascending pattern until you get to a one or
three rep max on the movement you’re using. Barbell Floor PressesThis is one of
the classic max effort movements that’s stood the test of time. The floor press is
performed by setting the hooks or supports up in a power rack so you can bench
press while lying on the floor. Get under the bar with your shoulder blades
together and shrugged into your traps. Tuck the elbows and unrack the weight.
Lower the weight until your triceps hit the floor. Pause for a split second, then
press the weight back up in a straight line. This movement can be done several
ways. The first is with straight weight. Just warm up using three to five reps in an
ascending pattern until you reach your one rep max. The second way would be
to work up to 60% of your best bench press. When you reach this weight, you’ll
begin adding one 20-pound chain on each side of the bar with each additional set
until you max out. For developing strength off your chest, using straight weight
would be the best bet because it’ll teach you to press out of the bottom with
maximal weights.
Cambered Bench Bars
This is a bar with a four inch camber in the middle of it to allow for greater range
of motion. There are right and wrong ways to use this bar and the style you use
is dependent on your own flexibility and ability to use the bar.
The first way is to take the bar down to your chest, which I believe works
dynamic flexibility but is only beneficial with very lightweight. I don’t believe the
heavy work should be taken all the way down to the chest because of the excess
shoulder rotation.
The best way to use this bar is to bring it down to a point where it’s only about a
half inch lower than where a regular bar would be. This way you won’t be getting
any type of reflex off the chest. The last way to do this is with the use of boards
to control how low the bar will go. Use two to three inches of boards so you can
control how deep the bar will travel.
Ultra Wide Bench Presses
This is simply a wide-grip bench press outside your widest grip. For most people
this would be with your forefinger on the rings. This isn’t a good movement to use
for a one-rep max because of the stress it puts on the shoulders. It’s best done
working up to two heavy sets of five or six reps.

3) Dynamic work for the bench press — This is key to the development of barbell
speed. I’ve explained this method in great deal in many of my other articles so I
won’t go into great depth here.
In a nutshell, spend one day per week training your bench for speed. This is best
done using weights in the 45 to 55% range (based on bench shirt max) or 55 to
65% range (with non-bench shirt max). Once you reach your percent, eight to ten
sets of three reps is all that’s needed. Make sure to push the bar as fast as you
can. It should take you no longer than 3.5 seconds to complete the set.

Conclusion
The key to training greatness is finding your weak points and attacking them.
Building and getting strong at what you’re already good at will only take you so
far. Time must be spent on the things you really suck at doing; so find the
movements and the weak points and start bringing them up. If all goes well you’ll
be back on track to that big bench you’ve always wanted.
Slide 10

EFS
Max Effort Training Products

www.EliteFTS.com

For more information visit www.elitefts.com or call 888-854-8806

Slide 11

Speed
Dynamic Effort Method

Why?

When?

How?
www.EliteFTS.com

Speed Training – The Dynamic Effort Method

The Dynamic Effort Method is used to train the Box Squat and Bench Press. The Dynamic Effort method is defined as
lifting a non maximal load with the greatest speed possible. This method should be coupled with compensatory
acceleration. This means you must apply as much force as possible to the Barbell. If you squat 700 pounds and are
training with 400 pounds then you should be Appling 700 pounds of force to the barbell. The weight used should be non
maximal weight in the 50% to 75% range. In the text supertraining siff and verkershonsky state the best range for
developing explosive strength in the barbell squat is 2/3 of your best one rep max while Angel Spassov defines this a 50
to 70%. This methods is not used for the development of maximal strength but for the improved rate of force development
and explosive force. Let assume that an athlete can only get so strong for genetic reasons. If this lifter has reached his
genetic strength potential and has been stuck for 5 years can he not get stronger? I was told at one time that I had
reached this limit. I was told this by several university professors in the field of exercise science. What the forgot is, if I
learned how to better synchronize my muscles to perform then I could get stronger by better neural activation. The result
300 more pounds on my total. This is because at the time I may have only been facilitating 50 percent of my absolute
strength potential but through dynamic effort training I was able to begin to activate 70 or 80 percent. The percents are
used as examples, this was never tested. This is also a reason why the percent should never be as important as the bar
speed. Everybody has different motor learning and the advanced strength athlete will activate more than a novice athlete.
This is why the more advance the lifter is the harder the work is. For example if both athletes performed a set of 10 reps in
the barbell squat with 80 percent the novice would walk away like it was no big deal while the advanced athlete would not
be walking anywhere because he would be on the floor. If you have followed Louie Simmons articles over the years you
will notice how the percents he writes about for the squat and bench press have reduced over the years. This is because
the gym as a whole has gotten so much stronger and more experienced. The percent for the bench press used to be
around 70 percent now it is around 45 to 55%. Many have asked how can this be. Well as stated above the athletes now
are recruiting more motor units than before so less percent is needed to produce the desired results. The best way to
determine what your training percent should be if you are a beginner, intermediates, or advance strength athlete is to
begin with 50 percent and have someone or film your bar speed. If you can maintain this bar speed then increase the
percent. When the bar slows down the decrease the percent.
These days are 72 hours after the max effort day to allow for proper recovery. The training scheme for the dynamic days
are to begin with plenty of warm up sets and progress onto the work sets. These work sets for the bench press are 8 sets
of 3 reps and for the box squats 8 sets of 2 reps. The are many reason for the set and rep structure.
The first reason is because of Prilepin charts (see next slide). Prilepin studied Weight lifters to see what the optimal
number of repetitions in each intensity zone should be. Louie applied this research into the training of the power lifts. At
the time the bench press was being trained in the 70 percent range while the squat was being performed in the 80%
range. This would equate to an optimal number of 18 lifts for the bench press in a range of 12 to 24 reps and 15 lifts for
the squat in a 10 – 20 rep range. He decided on 2 reps for the squats and three reps for the bench press because of time
specificity of the competitive lifts. The time to un-rack the weight to the competition of the lift in competition came out very
similar to 2 reps in the box squat and three reps in the bench press.
The second reason and why it has not changed is because it has stood the test of time and has worked over and over
again without flaw. The has created an evolving system where the optimal number of lifts for the squat has remained 16
for the box squat and 24 for the bench press for weights under 80 percent. We have also found that weights above 80
percent needed to be handled 10 percent of all lifts. This is accomplished by working up after your sets are completed.
These extra bonus sets should not happen every workout but should make up 10 out of every 100 lifts.
The squat workout should begin after a general warm up of exercises such as reverse hypers, sled dragging and pull
down abs. These exercises should be light and used to warm up and get loose. The first sets should be light and
concentrate on good technique. Do as many sets as you need with the lighter weight until you feel warmed up. Progress
up to your desired training weight. Once at you training weight, the rest period becomes critical. You will only rest one
minute between sets. The goal of this is to fatigue the fast twitch muscle fibers. These are the fibers responsible for
explosive strength and power. We want these muscle fibers to become fatigued so over time they will adapt ad become
stronger. The other reason is the more you fatigue them the more will be come activated with each set. A fatigued muscle
fiber will not work as good so the body will activate more and more muscle fibers to compete the workout. 1 minute rest is
about a 1:6 work rest ratio and anything over 1.5 minutes will defeat the training effect.
Slide 12

Speed
Dynamic Effort Method

Optimal Number of Lifts by Percent (Prilepin 1974)

Percent Repetitions Optimal Range

70 3-6 18 Lifts 12 -24

80 2-4 15 lifts 10 -20

90 1-2 7 - 10 Lifts 4 -10

www.EliteFTS.com
Slide 13

Speed
Bench Cycle “straight weight”

Beginner 60%

Intermediate 55%

Advanced 50%
www.EliteFTS.com

The Bench Press

First learn how to bench press
Keep your shoulder blades pulled together, TIGHT. This is a very important and often under looked aspect of great bench
pressing. While pressing you have to create the most stable environment possible. This can’t be done if most of your
shoulder blades are off the bench. The bench is only so wide and we can’t change this but we can change how we
position ourselves on the bench. When you pull your shoulder blades together you are creating a tighter more stable
surface to press from. This is because more of your body is in contact with the bench as well as the tightness of the upper
back. This also changes the distance the bar will have to travel. The key to pressing big weight is to press the shortest
distance possible.

Keep the pressure on your upper back, and traps. Another misunderstood aspect of pressing. You want the pressure
around the supporting muscles. This is accomplished by driving your feet into the floor there by driving your body into the
bench. To test this: Lay on the bench and lines up so you eyes are 4 inches from the bar toward your feet. Now using your
legs, drive your self into the bench so you slide back so your eyes are even with the bar. This is the same pressure that
needs to be applied while pushing the barbell.

Push the bar in a straight line. Try to push the bar toward your feet: The shortest distance between two points is a straight
line, right? Then why in the world would some advocate pressing in a J line toward the rack? For myself, if I was to bench
the way most trainers are advocating, with your elbows out, bringing the bar down to the chest and pressing toward the
rack. My barbell travel distance is 16 inches. Now if I pull my should blades together, tuck my chin and elbows, bring the
bar to my upper abdominals or lower chest then my pressing distance is only 6.5 inches. Now what would you prefer? My
choice is the shortest distance.
Another important aspect of pressing in this style. By keeping you shoulder blades together, chin tucked and keeping the
elbows tucked you will have less shoulder rotation when compared to the J line method of pressing. This is easy to see by
watching how low the elbows drop in the bottom part of the press with the barbell on the chest. With the elbows out most
everyone’s elbows are far lower than the bench. This creates a tremendous amount of shoulder rotation and strain. Now
try the same thing with the elbows tucked and shoulder blades together while bring the barbell to your upper abdominal.
Now for most people the elbows are usually no lower than the bench. Less shoulder rotation equals less strain on the
shoulder joint. This means pressing bigger weights for many more years I have always been amazed at trainers that
suggest only doing the top half of the bench press, stop when the upper arm is parallel to the floor. This is done to avoid
the excess shoulder rotation. All they have to do is teach their clients the proper way to bench.

Keep the elbows tucked and the bar directly over the wrists and elbows. This is probably the most important aspect of
great pressing technique. The elbows must remain tucked to keep the bar in a straight line as explained above. Keeping
the elbows tucked will also allow the lifter to use their lats to drive the bar off the chest. Football players are taught to drive
their opponents with their elbows tucked then explode through. This is the same for bench pressing. Bench pressing is all
about generating force. You can generate far more force with your elbows in a tucked position compared to an elbow out
position.
The most important aspect of this is to keep the barbell in a direct line with the elbow. If the barbell is behind the elbow
toward the head then the arm position becomes similar to an extension not a press.

Bring the Bar low on your Chest or Upper Abdominal: This is the only way you can maintain the barbell to elbow position
as described above. You will hear “Bring it low at almost every power lifting competition” This is the reason why. Once
again the barbell must travel in a straight line.

Fill your belly with air and hold it: For maximum attempts and sets under three reps you must try to hold your air.
Everyone must learn to breath from their belly not their chest. If you stand in front of the mirror and take a deep breath
your shoulders should not rise. If they do you are breathing the air into your chest not your belly. Greater stability can be
achieved in all the lifts when you learn how to pull air into the belly. Try to expand and fill the belly with as mush air as
possible and hold it. If you breathe out during a maximum attempt the body structure will change slightly thus changeling
the grove the barbell is traveling.

Squeeze the Barbell and try to pull the bar apart. Regardless of the lift you have to keep the body as tight as possible.
You will never lift big weights if you are in a relaxed physical state while under the barbell. The best way to get the body
tight is by squeezing the bar. We have also found that if you try to pull the bar apart or “break the bar” the triceps seem to
become more activated.

The Percents
Why different percents?
There are several reasons for the different percents. First is muscular coordination. A beginners has not yet developed the
skills to move a barbell with good coordination. The development of this coordination is why beginners see great strength
gains in the first month of their training process. Second is Motor Control. An advanced lifter will use more muscle at a
better synchronized rate than a beginner. For example, to kick a soccer ball 50 years a beginner would dribble down the
field in zig zag patterns while the advanced would boot the ball 50 yards with one kick. This is a crude example but I think
you see the point. A beginner is not firing all their muscles at one time and may not be pulling in all the available motor
units. The advanced lifter fires with all motor units as well as firing more of them.

Beginner: A beginner would train the bench at 60% of a bench shirt max for 8 sets of 3 reps with 45 to 60 seconds rest. It
may be a good idea for a beginner to perform 10 to 12 sets to work on better motor control and technique.

*The beginner should spend a great deal of time working on form and technique. I would suggest all warm ups and post
training focus on barbell or broom stick lifts on the three main movements.
Intermediate: The intermediate would train the bench at 55 percent of a bench shirt max for 8 sets of 3 reps with 45 to 60
seconds rest.

Advanced: The advanced would train the bench at 50 percent of a bench shirt max for 8 sets of 3 reps with 45 to 60
seconds rest. I have even seen advanced lifters do very well training with 40 to 45% of a bench shirt max.

** If you do not train with a shirt then add 10% to the numbers above. The bench shirt should help the lifter lift a minimum
of 10% more weight than without the use of the shirt.

****Bonus Notes****

I ALWAYS GET STUCK AT THE TOP OF THE BENCH PRESS

This is really one of the best problems to have and the easiest to fix. When
you’re dealing with sticking points in the bench press you have to remember that
there are several ways to correct the problem, but most won’t work for you. So
don’t beat a dead horse! In other words, if what you’ve been doing isn’t working,
then try something else. You have plenty of ammo. I’ve had this same problem
with my bench and sometimes it takes years to stumble upon the right movement
to fix the problem. Other times I hit the right movement the first time out.
Get stuck at the lockout? Here’s some TNT to help you blast that problem:
1) Get your head right. This is true with all sticking points regardless of the point
at which you stall out. If you believe you always miss at the top, then you’ll
always miss at the top! Your mind has a lot to do with your sticking points. I try to
teach all the athletes I work with to visualize their sticking point at a higher
position and focus very hard on driving the bar through it. In other words, when
you bench you must focus on pushing the bar very fast through your sticking
point. Focus will make a big difference.
2) Learn to use your triceps. This is done by keeping your body tight and
focusing on pulling the bar apart. This will involve your triceps more throughout
the movement and keep the bar moving in a straight line. A good trick to teach
you to do this is to use a mini band from Jump Stretch Inc. You double the band
up and wrap it around you wrists while you bench. This forces you to pull the bar
apart and grasp the barbell tight. If not, your hands will be shot together. Pull the
bar apart and watch that sticking point disappear!
3) Start the bar where you want to finish. This is a very simple concept but it’s
very seldom practiced. Most lifters will unrack the bar and lower it to the chest
without setting the bar first. This is usually done by habit and will cause you to
lower the bar in a diagonal pattern that will result in you pushing it back up in the
same pattern. When you push the bar back toward the rack there’s more rotation
and less emphasis on the triceps.
You need to unrack the bar, then "set it" in the same exact position in which you
want to finish. This should be directly above where you lower the bar. If you
bench to your lower pecs then the bar must start above the lower pecs. This will
create a straight line both on the eccentric and concentric. Remember, the
shortest distance between two points in a straight line. Set the bar!
4) Move the bar fast. You need to make sure you’re pressing as fast as possible
to bust through your sticking point. A slow press won’t build enough momentum
to bust past your sticking point. If you’re trying to open a stuck door would you try
to open it slowly or would you bust into it as hard as possible? Speed is key!
5) Strengthen the top half. There are several movements that can help you
strengthen the muscles that lockout the bench. These are best done using the
max effort method. This is the method where you work up to a one or three-rep
max on the movement. For more information on the method, see the
Periodization Bible Part Two article.
The best movement for a weak lockout is a three or four board press. A board
press is preformed by using three or four 2 x 6 boards placed on your chest.
Lower the bar to the boards, pause and press back up. In extreme cases you
may want to use a set of mini bands on the bar as well.
A second movement that works very well is the floor press with the use of chains.
The floor press is performed the same as the bench press except you’re lying on
the floor. Work up to about 60 to 70% of your best bench, then begin adding one
set of chains on the bar with each additional set. You fail when you can no longer
add any more chains. The chains increase the weight at the top of the lift while
deloading it in the bottom. Check out the Accommodating Resistance article for
additional info on chains and bands.

"I can’t keep my ass on the bench."

This is a very common problem with many lifters who don’t know how to stay
tight on the bench. This problem can range from a small lift of the butt to
something resembling the golden arches at Micky D’s. This can be caused by
several factors but all can be fixed with the right training. I’ve come across
several solutions to this problem:
1) Know your bench. This is probably the biggest reason most powerlifters miss a
lift at a meet. They train on a bench that’s somewhat higher then the one they
use in competition. So in training they know how to position their bodies and stay
tight on the bench, but when they go to a meet they find their asses are one inch
off the bench. In this case there are several solutions.
First, get on the bench before the meet and see if it feels lower. If it does, then
tell your coach to remind you to get your feet out in front of you more; this way,
when you go to drive the bar with your legs most of the drive stays lower. If you
find this happens at every meet you go to, then you may also want to find
another bench on which to train. Another solution is to place a one inch rubber
mat under your feet when you train.
2) Know your position. You want to make sure you keep your body tight
throughout the motion. Some people like to use a tight arch with their feet tucked
back. While I don’t agree with this type of benching, you still need to be tight and
squeeze your inner thighs into the bench as hard as possible. This creates an
anchor to lock you down.
If you bench with your legs out in front of you, you want to make sure you’re
driving your upper back and traps into the bench. You drive off your heals and
through your shoulders. This will give you more power. If you’re only driving into
your mid-back, then a lot of the force will be lost in the hip when you press, thus
your ass comes up.
3) Get the rope. This is a great trick I borrowed from Bill Gillespie. Bill is the head
strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Huskies who also happens
to have a 635 pound bench. He found many of his athletes couldn’t keep their
asses on the bench and had to find an easy and quick way to fix it. He came up
with one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a long time.
What he does is attach a five or ten pound plate to a rope. He then has the lifter
position himself on the bench and then sticks the rope under his butt so the plate
is suspended in the air under the bench. If the lifter comes up, the plate falls to
the floor. This is a great feedback device that’s worked very well for many
athletes. Give it a shot!
Slide 14

Speed
Bench Training “with Chains”

Max Bench Chains per side Weight of chain

(top)

100-200 1 (1/2) 20

300-400 1 (5/8) 40

400-500 1 (5/8), 1 (1/2) 60

500-600 2 (5/8) 80

600-700 2 (5/8), 1 (1/2) 100

www.EliteFTS.com

Bench training with chains

Training the bench with chains is still on of our most effective way to push up the bench press. After warm ups you will
train your bench at 55% of your shirtless (bench shirt) max for the intermediate lifter.8 sets of 3 repetitions will be
performed as quickly as possibility. This means you will drop the weight quickly (under control) and catch and explode
back up as fast as possibility. There is no pause between reps. When using chains you will through them on with the
training weight. There is no need to reduce the training weight because most of the weight will be de loaded onto the floor.
You will use the same chain set up as the squat (see above). While the bar is in the rack one half of the training chain
should be on the floor. This will allow for a total de-load at the bottom. As a side note if you were to attach the training
chain to the bar sleeve without the support chain as some manufactures are producing you will get a very little de-load
because most of the chain will remain off the floor while very little chain will actually end up on the floor. This is why those
who don’t know how to use a product should never try sell it. If any of these manufactures are reading this. If you are
going to steal one of our ideas at least get it right! If you are interested in the chains and bands we use and recommend
call Toppers at 614-444-1187. Tell them I sent you and they will treat you right.

*** Bonus Notes ****

Accommodating Resistance
How to use bands and chains to increase your max lifts

Dave's been assisting and training under Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell
fame for over 10 years and has consulted thousands of athletes throughout the
world. Dave is quick to point out that he's not a bodybuilder and therefore doesn't
train bodybuilders. He's a powerlifter and a specialist in developing maximal
strength. (Despite this power lifting emphasis, the average guy under his tutelage
puts on 30 to 40 pounds in the first year.) In Dave's last article he taught you the
art of box squatting. This time he'll introduce you to another Westside favorite,
the use of bands and chains while benching and squatting. A word of caution,
though. This is an extremely advanced method of training and should only be
used by those who are familiar with Westside methodology. I should add, too,
that the methods outlined below are also very complicated. However, at the very
least, they'll open your mind to different, unconventional methods that may also
have some application to bodybuilding as opposed to just power lifting.

Extreme Training = Extreme Poundage's

If you were to ask me what advancement has made the greatest impact on our
training at Westside Barbell in the past five years, I'd have to say accommodating
resistance. Before I get into the specifics behind this type of training let me step
back in time. When I arrived at Westside I found out very quickly that this was
cutting edge training. I was introduced to box squatting, Zercher squats, Paul
Dicks presses and many other exercises I'd never seen or even heard about
before. We even had to make up our own names for some exercises since we'd
never seen them before. The name didn't matter; what mattered was if it worked
or not. I've seen some of the strangest things created using cables, boxes,
benches, rings, dumbbell bars, you name it. When you train in a 20' X 40' gym
you have to get creative. Some of these movements have had dramatic effects
on our strength. The key has always been matching up the right movements with
the individual sticking points. When I came to Westside there were only three
800-pound squatters. A few other guys joined the club in the following few years;
their progress was slow but steady. Then Louie introduced the chains. I liked the
idea of attaching chains to the bar, so me and Joe Amato decided to give it a try
for our next meet. We cycled the chains on our dynamic day for eight weeks. The
result? We both put 60 pounds on our squats and became the next two to join
the 800-pound club. At this point we knew we'd found something. The chains
were introduced to the rest of the gym and within the next year we had another
six guys in the 800s. Not only were the chains working for the squats, but all of
our benches were going through the roof as well! We were always used to slow,
steady gains, but were now seeing dramatic increases in a very short time. A
500-pound bench soon became a joke. Then about three years ago, Louie asked
me to go to a basketball conference with him to check out some bands. I thought
at the time he was talking about some type of surgical tubing like aerobic
instructors use. I told him I thought it was a waste of time but went along any
way, you know, so he wouldn't kick my ass. When we arrived at the conference,
we found the vendor booth with the bands, which were being demonstrated for
flexibility training. I now thought Louie was going to introduce flexibility into our
training. I went through some of the movements and was instructed to wrap the
band around my back and perform some bench presses. The tension of the big
bands was pretty strong and I began to feel it in my triceps after a few reps.
Louie bought a bag full of bands and we were on our way. While driving back to
the gym I asked him what he was planning to do with them. I figured he'd say
something in regard to flexibility training or partner assisted exercises. I wasn't
prepared for what he did say. He told me he wanted to attach them to weighted
barbells, an idea suggested to him by Dave Williams of Liberty University. I
thought we were going to be flirting with disaster and didn't want any part of it.
The chains had taken my squat from 760 to 855 in 12 months and I wasn't ready
to change. Well, if you've ever trained at Westside you know two things are for
certain. First, change is part of the process. Second, Louie will get his way! I
became the guinea pig and within the next few months squatted my first 900.
Five of my teammates soon followed and 23 have now squatted 800. The
implementation of chains and bands have made a 500 bench and 800 squat a
joke!

So how the heck do chains and bands help you anyway?

At Westside we've always taken the approach of "try it first, then figure out why
second." I feel this is the correct way to train. If you spend all your time trying to
reason why something will or will not work, then you may miss out on a great
opportunity. As the Nike slogan says, just do it! If it works, great, then figure out
why. If it doesn't work, well, you've still learned something. It's taken us five years
to figure out why we think chains and bands work. We had to do some research
into the force velocity curve and individual strength curves. We sought out
individuals like Dr. Mel Siff and went back and re-read texts by Roman,
Zatsiorsky, Bompa and others. After hours of reading, many discussions, and
plenty of time spent under the bar, this is how I see it.Zatsiorsiky defines
accommodating resistance as using special means to accommodate resistance
throughout the entire range of motion rather than a specific point. Because of
some joint angles and the velocity of movement, the force of the movement is
less at certain joint angles. For example, in the barbell squat you may be able to
quarter squat 500 pounds while you can only full squat 300. Another common
example is the standard dumbbell curl. The force at the beginning is much
greater than the force at the top. Max Herz addressed this problem around the
year 1900 by inventing a cam. This cam was to be part of a machine that would
accommodate the resistance to the strength curve. Years later, Nautilus tried
again to solve the problem with their cam. This odd shaped cam applied the
resistance in a variable form so the load varies according to the average strength
curve. This is to provide greater resistance where the athlete is strong and less
where they're weak. This cam poses several problems. First, it was designed on
average strength curves that don't carry over well to most athletes. Louie uses
the dead lift to demonstrate how individual strength curves can vary. One lifter
may blast the weight off the floor and fight through the last three inches of the lift.
Another may be slow off the floor and lock the weight out easy. The same
machine may not benefit these lifters in the same way. A second problem
according to Zatsiornsky is that the number of degrees of freedom is limited from
six in natural movements, to only one with machines. Third, the acceleration and
deceleration is also very different than natural movements. Fourth, the
manufacturers of several machines have altered the cam (to avoided patent
lawsuits) to the point that they don't even match average strength curves! Ever
wonder why you can lift so much more with one machine when compared to
another? Now you know. Another way that's been used to accommodate
resistance is isokinetic training. With isokinetic training the speed of the motion is
constant no matter how much force is applied. The disadvantage with isokinetics
is the same as machine training: it's applied on only one plane. Most isokinetic
machines are also built for one joint movement and the velocity of movement can
be too low. Yet another popular way to accommodate resistance is with the use
of a power rack. Take the bench press for example. You can set the safety pins
at a point so you'll only work your lockout. While you may be able to overload a
certain position of your bench press many times, it's nowhere close to your
groove and won't carry over well to the competitive press. In the dead lift, the "pin
pull" or deadlifting off pins, is a great way to overload the muscles of the lift, but
this doesn't carry over well to the full dead lift because the hip may be in a
different position. Accommodating resistance must be an important aspect of
strength with all the attention being paid to it, right? Well, we've found a way to
accomplish this while still maintaining the benefits of the three dimensional value
of the barbell and not sacrificing the path of movement. By attaching chains
and/or bands to the bar we can accommodate the individual strengths curves
and beat the machines at their own game. Not only can we accommodate these
strength curves, we can do it in the squat, bench press and dead lift as well as all
of our supplemental and assistance movements. This will have a great effect on
the intramuscular coordination of the lifter because of the ability of the stabilizers,
neutralizers, agonists, and antagonists to work together. Another benefit of the
chains and bands has to do with the force velocity curve. A very simple definition
of this would be "the more velocity developed, the less force needed to move the
object." If you lift a weight with great speed, the less force is needed to complete
the lift. Another aspect to look at is the deceleration of the bar. I don't care how
you lift the weight, at some point you have to begin to decelerate. If not you'd
have to actually throw the barbell. Now at what point do you begin to decelerate?
Is it at three or four inches before the lockout, or three to four inches off your
chest in the bench? I don't know for sure, but I can guess it's different for
everyone and is based on several individual things such as joint angles, fatigue,
and previous training experience. Bands and chains can train you to break
through these sticking points.
Note: One thing to keep in mind with this concept is if you decide to use bands
you don't want to use them for every movement in the workout or training
program. The effect of the bands will inhibit the work of the antagonists to a
certain degree. This may not be all that important for a powerlifter who's always
lifting heavy objects, but could have a potentially negative effect on other athletic
movements like throwing a football or baseball. Without the braking effect of the
antagonist there can be a potential for hyperextension of the joint. Now, let's put
all this info to work!
Accommodating resistance with the main lifts:

Box Squat and Bench Press Squatting with Chains

This is the exercise that started it all. As mentioned in earlier articles the squat is
to be trained with a four week wave using between 50 and 60 percent of your
competitive max. If you don't have a competitive max with the use of equipment
(suits, wraps etc.) then you'll need to add 10 percent to make up for the
advantages these implements would give you. After the completion of your
warm-up sets, you'll perform 8 to12 sets of two reps. Most will want to keep the
rest periods at 45 to 60 seconds. A larger man over 242 may want to go up as
high as 90 seconds. These short rest periods are responsible for a great release
of growth hormone and Testosterone. You must pause for a spilt second on the
box and explode up. The faster you move the weight, the more your
neuromuscular system will get involved. The more neuromuscular system
involvement, the stronger you'll become. When using chains with the squat, the
chains aren't added into the percent. This is because the chains are deloaded at
the bottom of the squat. This keeps the training percent low enough to build an
incredible amount of explosive force out of the hole. As you stand up with the
bar, the weight of the chain is lifted off the ground. To set up the chains you'll
need a five foot 1/4 inch chain to act as the support chain. This chain is
suspended from the bar sleeves. A metal ring will be suspended in the 1/4 inch
support chain. Then the training chains (five feet long, either 5/8" or 1/2"
thickness) will pass through the metal rings so one half of the chain falls on each
side of the ring. You'll set the support chain so three links on each side of the
training chain are on the floor at the top of the lift. When you sit down on the box
most of the training chain will be on the floor. You have to keep a certain amount
of the chain on the bar to avoid the chains swaying back and forth throughout the
movement. The recomendated amount of training chain weights for the dynamic
squat day is listed

Squatting with Bands Squatting with bands is perhaps the greatest thing to
happen to our squat poundage's in the last few years. When we first started
training with the bands I hated them. I felt they slowed the bar speed down too
much. I stuck with it, well, because I really didn't have a choice. It was either use
the bands or be called "scared" every squat day!
After my first meet training with the bands I was sold. There are two ways we use
the bands for the dynamic squat day. I'll discuss the first, the basic training
phase, in this article. The second way to use them is with a circa-maximal phase.
(This is a very intense, detailed phase that will be the topic of an upcoming
article.)
To use the bands for the basic training phase you'll have to reduce the training
percentage by 10%. The normal suggested percent for an intermediate lifter is a
four week wave, cycling the percent from 60% to 70% of your competitive squat
max. It may look like this: week 1 at 60%, week 2 at 63%, week 3 at 67%, week 4
at 70%. After the warm-up sets, perform 8 to12 sets of 2 reps with one minute
rest between sets. With the use of bands the percent range would drop to 50%-
60% of your competitive max squat.
We've found the bands to be superior to chains in accommodating resistance.
This is because of several reasons. With the bands the weight is being pulled
downward to the floor at a greater force than without the bands. This is a form of
maximal eccentrics and can be very demanding on the system. This style of
training can and will make you very sore!
This maximal eccentric loading can also help to develop an incredible amount of
explosive strength. Picture a basketball. If you were to just drop it to the floor it'll
only bounce so high. Now, if you were to throw it down with more force wouldn't
the ball bounce higher? Of course it would. The key is to make sure there's still
tension at the bottom of the lift. If the band tension lets off at the bottom, you'll
lose much of the training effect. We found this out through trail and error.
Another theory I have with the bands deals with the intensity of the movement.
Let's say your max squat is 600 pounds. Now let's say you set the training up so
the resistance is 400 pounds with an additional 150 pounds of tension. This is
550 pounds at the top of the lift. Because of the acceleration of the bands as you
squat down, the force of the movement keeps the intensity very high, possibility
the same as it was at the top (550). Even though the bands are getting shorter,
the tension is getting higher because of the added force throwing you down.
When you sit on the box the intensity will become deloaded to the tension of the
band at the bottom (say 40 pounds of tension.) As you raise the weight (the
concentric phase) then tension is progressively being loaded back onto the bar.
This is known as accelerated eccentrics and progressive concentric. Whatever
you call it, our average squat increase has been 40 to 60 pounds after the first
meso cycle with bands.
To use the bands you'll attach one end of the band around the inside part of the
barbell sleeve. The other end will be anchored around a set of dumbbells or
around the bottom of the power rack. The best way to train with the bands is with
the use of a Mono-lift device. If you don't have access to one you'll have to make
use with what you have. If you have to use the dumbbells or power rack to attach
the bands you may not be able to use the desired tension as listed below. This is
because you'll have to walk the weight out. As soon as you break the J hooks the
weight will be slamming you backwards. This could potentially send you flying
backwards on your ass. While this may be entertaining to some in your gym, I'd
rather not see you kill yourself. For you, I recommend using as much band as
you can and making up the difference with chains.
This chart will help you figure out how much band you need:
Benching with Chains
Training the bench with chains is still one of our most effective ways to push up
our max lifts. After warm-ups you'll train your bench at 60% of your shirtless
(bench shirt) max for the intermediate lifter. Eight sets of three repetitions will be
performed as quickly as possibility. This means you'll drop the weight quickly
(under control) and catch and explode back up as fast as possibility. There's no
pause between reps. When using chains you'll throw them on with the training
weight. There's no need to reduce the training weight because most of the weight
will be deloaded onto the floor.

You'll use the same chain set-up as the squat . While the bar is in the rack, one
half of the training chain should be on the floor. This will allow for a total deload
at the bottom. As a side note, if you were to attach the training chain to the bar
sleeve without the support chain (as some manufactures are doing with their
devices), you'll get very little deload because most of the chain will remain off the
floor while very little chain will actually end up on the floor. This is why those who
don't know how to use a product should never try sell it! (If these manufacturers
are going to steal one of our ideas they should at least get it right! If you're
interested in the chains and bands we use, call Toppers at 614-444-1187. Tell
them I sent you and they'll treat you right.)
Recommended chain loading for dynamic day:

Benching with Bands

Benching with bands is much harder on your body than benching with chains.
For this reason I don't recommend training with the bands for longer than four
weeks at a time. It's best to cycle a four week wave with the bands followed by a
four week wave with the chains. When you cycle with the bands you'll want to
deduct the added tension the bands create at the bottom off the barbell for the
training. The training sets and reps stay the same as the dynamic day with
chains. You'll place the bands on the inside part of the bar sleeve then begin
adding the plates.

The other end of the band will need to be anchored around the bottom of the
power rack or a set of dumbbells. To adjust the tension make the anchor bigger.
For example, to create more tension wrap the band under two dumbbells rather
than one.

Accommodating resistance for max effort lifts

We've found the bands and chains to be very effective when used with our max
effort movements as well as the competitive lifts. The focus with the max effort
movement is much different than the competitive lifts. When training with the
dynamic effort method we're focusing on the development of explosive and
acceleration strength. With the max effort movement our focus is on the
development of maximal strength. This means working up to a heavy set of one
or three reps. The main goal with this type of training is straining. The longer the
strain the longer the time under tension. When you add the element of chains
and/or bands to this mix, you add the time the muscle will be under strain. Some
examples are listed below:

Floor Press with Chains

This movement is performed by lying on the floor and performing your regular
bench press. This exercise takes much of the legs out of the motion and adds
more stress to the pecs, delts and triceps.

There's no need for the support chain with this movement because the bar is
close to the floor; you'll just place the chains over the bar. There're many ways to
perform this exercise:
1. Work up to 50% of your competitive max, then begin adding one chain on
each side until you fail.
2. Start with a set number of chains on the bar. For example, start with five
chains on each side (200 total pounds), then begin to work up to your one rep
max.
These are both great movements for increasing the strength off the chest or at
the bottom of the bench.

Reverse Band Press

The movement is performed in the power rack with the bands suspending the
barbell from the top of he rack. Make sure to load on enough weight to start with
so the bar will stay on the J hooks.

With this movement you'll perform a standard close or medium grip bench press
up to a one rep max. Most of you will like this movement because the bands help
to launch the bar off the chest. This will feel really easy until the weight gets
heavy. As the weight gets heavier the bands still only help so much. They'll help
you out of the bottom, but you'll have to be able to finish the lift. This movement
is great for lockout strength.

Reverse Band Deadlift

I pointed out at the beginning of the article how the power rack can have many
short comings in regard to strengthening the groove of the lift. While "pin pulls"
still have their benefits for overloading the muscles of the dead lift, the reverse
band dead lift can accomplish what the pin pulls cannot. This movement can help
the lifter get the bar off the floor then overload at the top position.

The bands will help get it off the floor but will do very little of anything at the top.
The most important aspect of this movement is how the bands are attached. You
want to set them up so the bar will come out of the bands at the top of the lift.

Bench Press, bands behind back

With this movement you perform the standard bench press but you'll be holding a
elastic band behind your back.

This creates a incredible amount of tension at the top of the lift. You'll want to
hold the top (end position) of the lift for a peak contraction before beginning the
following rep.

Low Box Squats with Bands

This movement is performed with the same form as the standard box squat
except your stance will be closer and you'll be squatting on a box that's two to
three inches lower than parallel.

Accommodation resistance for supplemental movements

Band Triceps Extensions, elbows out

This is a great movement for the long head of the triceps. From a standing or
inclined position lower the dumbbells so they rest high on the chest with your
elbows forced outward.

Pause on the chest for one second then raise the dumbbells back to the starting
position. While pressing the dumbbells upward, keep the bottom parts of the bells
together as you extend up. Pause for one second at the top and repeat.

Band Triceps Extensions, elbows in

This movement is great for the lateral head of the triceps.

Lower the dumbbells to the point where the head of the dumbbell hits the deltoid,
at which point you'll roll the dumbbells back to get a stretch in the triceps, then
extend the bells back to the starting position. Pause for one second and repeat.

Triceps Floor Extensions with chains

This is set up the same as the floor press with chains, except you'll be performing
a triceps extension.
The deloading the chains offer is great with this movement because there'll be
less stress on the elbows. A major disadvantage of the triceps extension is that
many times the stress on the elbow is greater than the strength of the triceps
because of the leverages of the movement. With chains you can overload the top
position where the triceps are strongest.

Summary
Training with chains and bands can almost be thought of as a form of eccentric
overloading. This type of training should only be used by those with a strong
training background. At least three yeas of consistent training or a "class one" in
the sport of powerlifting. If you're not at or above this level then general strength
training should be enough. This style of training can and will make you very sore.
Make sure you have enough protein in your diet; supplementation with
antioxidants may also be effective after these types of workouts. You may also
have to alter your next max effort workout if you use these methods on dynamic
day. Training in this manner is very difficult to recover from. If you need to alter
the max effort workout then alter the volume, not the intensity.
This is a small sample of the number of ways you can accommodate resistance.
The use of chains and bands has been a major breakthrough for many coaches,
trainers and strength athletes throughout the world. By implementing these
methods into their training programs they've begun to see the average lifter
become a great lifter and the great lifter get even better.
There can also be some major benefits for the development of muscle
hypertrophy with these methods. The change in the strength curve has great
application for this type of training. To do this, you want to maintain the proper
parameters for hypertrophy training. These methods are far from the norm but in
the words of Angil Spassov,
"Who wants to be normal? We want to be exceptional; exceptions confirm what is
not normal."
Now go have fun watching everyone's jaws drop when you drag a bunch of
chains into the gym!
Slide 15

Speed
Bench Training “with Bands”

Set Up

Cycles

Circa-Max

www.EliteFTS.com

Bench Training with Bands

Set up
Make sure you have tension in the bottom of the movement.
One double mini will be around 30 at bottom and 60 at top.
Deduct the tension at bottom with bands only from the percent bar weight.
Use one band per side, not one pulled under the bench to the other side.

Cycles
Many use bands for one week and chains one week
Others like to use three weeks chains and three weeks bands. The key is to go
into the meet off chains.

Circa – Max
This is the use of multiple bands or a combination of band and chains.
Make sure to lower the barbell weight if needed
The circa-max should last no longer than three weeks
There should be a one week de-load after the three week CM phase
***Bonus Notes***

Six Hundred the Hard Way

The first article I had published in T-mag was called Bench Press 600 Pounds. In
it I provided twelve tips to help you increase your bench press, tips that took me
my whole career to learn. Although the article proved helpful to many people,
benching 600 is much more difficult than I made it out to be. It's not an easy task
and for me it seemed damned near impossible as I was stuck at 585 at the time I
wrote the article.
Truthfully, the numbers are irrelevant. To some, 600 comes easy; to others, 600
comes not at all. You can get stuck with a 300, 400, 500, 600 or even 700 pound
bench press. No matter where you get stuck there are times when the standard
fixes just don't work. You have to be willing to try many new things and change in
a moment's notice. Your sticking points can be mental, physical, technical or a
combination of all three. You only need one solution to break a sticking point but
have many options. It's somewhat like playing the lotto. There are many numbers
but only one will win. To increase your odds you have to play as many numbers
as possible.
To illustrate, allow me to tell you the story of how I finally benched 600 pounds,
the toughest challenge I've ever had in the sport and perhaps in life.

In the Beginning...
I entered my first competition in 1984 and benched my first 500 in the summer of
1986. I was still nineteen at the time and felt like 600 was just around the corner.
I went to work on my plan. The first step in accomplishing this goal was to put on
more muscle mass. I weighed 242 at the time and wanted to be 275. The best
way I knew to achieve this was to go into bodybuilding.
I spent three years in the sport and even did a few shows. I felt my strength was
going through the roof. During this time I benched 315 for a set of thirty-two reps,
405 for sets of ten, did 405 for six on the incline press and 405 for five on the
behind-the-neck press. My off-season body weight was now at 275 and my body
fat was lower than when I weighed 242. I didn't max on my bench at any time
during these three years.
After my last show I decided it was time to go back into powerlifting and take a
shot at 600. I trained on a sixteen week progressive overload cycle for the meet.
To my surprise, on the day of the meet I only benched 450 in the 275 pound
class! What the hell had happened to my bench? Three years of adding mass
had done nothing for me!
I was bigger and harder than I'd ever been yet I was weaker than I was three
years earlier. Lesson learned: You can't use bodybuilding methods to get strong.
Bodybuilding is fine for adding muscle mass but you have to do specific training
for the one rep range. You also have to train with speed. This I didn't learn until
years later. My bodybuilding training was all done slowly and required little force.
Not good for benching big numbers.
I went back to the drawing board. I knew what I wanted and just had to figure out
how to get there. Over the next five years I used my old style of training that
worked for me in the past. The first phase of the cycle I'd do sets of eight reps,
then over the next twelve to sixteen weeks the sets and reps would drop down to
one or two sets of one to three reps. During the first two years this helped me to
get my bench back up in the 500 to 520 range. Then I got stuck and nothing
seemed to get me unstuck.
Instead of trying to learn more I just kept doing the same training over and over
with zero success. I learned that I had to keep educating myself. I'd go as far as
to say you have to over-learn. Just knowing enough will only get you enough. If
you want more than enough then you'd better learn more than enough!
Louie Simmons, A Torn Pec, and Rehab
At a meet in 1990, Louie Simmons tried to sink his fangs into me. He'd known me
for a few years and had noticed how much bigger I'd gotten. He'd also noticed
that I wasn't any stronger. This is when he asked me to make a trip to Columbus
to see what they were doing at Westside Barbell.
I made a few trips up to train with them and hated everything I saw. It just didn't
make any sense. What I did learn is that I had to bring my triceps up. So during
the next few months I increased my total triceps volume. I felt my bench finally
getting stronger but I also felt very old. My pecs and shoulders hurt all the time. It
was hell getting through my bench training. But even with all the pain I did feel
stronger than ever. That winter I traveled to Columbus for a bench press
competition. Based on my training (a 500 pound triple) I knew I was good for at
least a 550 to 570 max. My opener at 475 felt like crap. My second attempt was
500. That was the attempt that tore my pec off.
I was told if I ever wanted to bench again, I'd have to get it fixed. After surgery,
they said I'd be lucky to bench 400 again. I ignored them, but I didn't ignore Louie
Simmons. He told me if I didn't change my ways I'd be out of the sport within
three years. My problems, he said, were from the heavy progressive overload
training I'd used my entire carrier. With my arm in a sling, I told Louie about my
goals. ³Listen to me,² he said, ³and you'll bench 600.² I listened and decided to
move to Columbus.
The first challenge came during rehab. All I could think about was snapping my
damn pec off again. I became gun shy, too psychologically freaked out to work
up to the heavy weights. My head was a mess. The other guys in the gym ragged
me about it constantly and at the time I hated every one of them for it. I even had
one of them throw tissues at me when I complained of twinges in my torn pec.
The ragging paid off of course and I became so pissed off at them I forced myself
back under the heavy weights.
The only choice was to deal with it. The more I dealt with it the better it got. I
learned that if you fear something you have to not only stare it in the face, you
have to follow through and do it. The more times you do it the better it gets. Then
one day you realize you're no longer scared.
On the next max effort day I knew I had to deal with the demon. On this day I
figured out how to take all the fear and use it to my advantage. I put on the bench
shirt and began to work up. When I felt like I wanted to pull out I'd think of the
worst possible situation: tearing my pec again and the bar falling on my head and
crushing my skull into pulp. I let this build until the point where the fear was out of
control. I stuffed all this fear inside and when I got under the bar all I could think
of was getting that fucker off me. I shoved will every bit of aggression I had and
ended the day with a 550 pound bench. I was back on the path to 600.

So Close and Yet So Far

Over the next couple of years I posted a 540, 550 and 560 bench. My training
was based on a general Westside template (see The Periodization Bible Part II).
In 1996 I benched 585 easy. Back in the gym I just kept doing the same things I
had been doing. Over the next three years I missed 600 ten times in meets. Now
I was faced with another problem. How in the hell was I going to get a lockout? I
could jam the bar to the top but just couldn't finish my right arm.
Then, in the summer of 1999, I decided to try on my shirt to see how it fit. My
bench felt strong so maybe I could give 600 a good ride, I thought. On my last
heavy set the bar decided to drift out to the right side about four inches and I tore
off my right pec. After an MRI I was told the decision for surgery was up to me.
The tendon was still attached but the muscle was split almost in half.
I decided to forgo the surgery and get back to the gym. I knew what I needed to
do and started the rebab training again. The one thing I'd learned is you have to
get in the mix ASAP no matter what the weight. So on max effort training day I
still worked up to a one rep max, although it was only 200 pounds. Maxing
allowed me to deal with the mental BS right away and get to the real issues.
Within a few months my speed work was back to normal but I was still having
trouble locking out my right arm.
Once I was back in shape I had to put the shirt on again and see how the training
was going. I worked up to 600 and missed it three times at the top. The right arm
just wouldn't lock. As it turns out, this day would send me back to the surgeon yet
again for shoulder surgery. My teres had been torn for some time and could've
been part of the reason why the arm wouldn't lock out.
After the shoulder surgery I once again went right back to work. Recovery from
this surgery was very intense and fast. Within one month I had my strength back
but was lacking shoulder stability. I could press fine but had a hard time setting
the bar and locking the bar out. At this point I added in some special movements
to focus on this problem. You can only fix one thing at a time so the triceps
training went on the back burner and I began a series of shoulder movements
geared toward stabilizing the joint. I used the following shoulder complex:
1) Front raises, thumbs down
2) Front raises, thumbs up
3) Overhead dumbbell presses
4) Bent over side raise, thumb up
5) Bent over side raise, thumb down
6) Bent over front raises
7) Zottman curls
8) External shoulder rotations, bottom half
9) External shoulder rotations, top half
I used light dumbbells and performed two sets of 12 reps four days a week at the
end of every main training day. At night I'd do 100 push-ups and lower the
position each time 100 was met. I started the push-ups standing against a wall
and worked down until I was performing these off the floor. I'd do as many reps
as I could then rest a minute or so and keep going. At first to get all 100 would
take many sets and long rest periods. Once I was able to get 100 on the floor
within ten minutes (about one month) I dropped the push-ups.
The last movement I included was a reverse barbell shrug while lying on the
bench. I began with 95 pounds and could barely get ten reps. I worked this
movement for about six weeks and got up to 225 for ten. At this point the
shoulder joint began to stabilize itself and the lockout was almost better than
before the surgery.
In the fall of 2001 I benched 500 at a bench meet and decided to focus again on
triceps strength. I added in high board presses with bands and a few other heavy
pressing triceps type movements. I wanted to try to use the bands for most of the
partial range max effort movements to fix my lockout problem. I needed to be
able to strain at this position for a longer period of time. I also added in more
bands on the speed day.
At a meet in the winter of 2002 I opened with 500 then went to 545. I missed to
lift halfway up and decided to take it again on my third. I switched back to a
thumb less grip and managed to make the lift. It was very sloppy and just about
killed me in the process, but I had the strength to strain and press it to lockout.
This is when I knew I had to again change many things.
First, I was always beat up and would wake up every night unable to move my
arm because of the shoulder pain and my elbows hurt when I trained. Second,
my lockout was still way off. The bar wanted to always fly back toward the rack.
Third, I was pressing with my pecs first off the chest, not my triceps. Forth, I had
no idea what I was doing with a bench shirt. Fifth, I'd totally lost my confidence in
the bench.
I had my sites set on June with the goal of a 600 bench. I didn't care what the
total was; I just wanted to get back in the game and needed a place to start.

The Last Push

The first thing I had to do was get healthy. To do this I used three workouts
instead of two. The two standards were one max effort workout on Wednesday
and one dynamic workout on Sunday. I was still going to train these days but was
now going to have one max effort day, one repetition day, and one speed day.
For the max effort day nothing was going to change. The speed day was going to
be with mini bands one workout and chains the next. The rep day was going to
be a speed day with only 225 with no bands or chains for 15 sets of three reps
with 30 to 40 seconds rest. I'd then follow this with bodybuilding work for the
triceps, lats and delts. Most of this work was strict and to failure. I had to put
muscle mass back on that I'd lost and needed it quick. I used a lot of dumbbell
presses, dumbbell raises and pulldown work. During this time I also started
getting Active Release (ART) treatment each week.
I kept this schedule for six weeks. During this time I started to get healthy again
and some of my max effort records were getting broken by 50 pounds. Once I felt
healthy I went back to the one max effort session and one dynamic session
except for a few changes. My max effort work kept going up to the point where I
began beating many of the 600 plus benchers on the movements. After four or
five weeks I put the shirt on again and missed a 525. Now I knew what was
wrong. My triceps were stronger but I was still pressing with my pecs first and
counting on my leg drive to get the bar off my chest. I also had to bring more
speed into the training.
Now my plan was to use bands on every speed day and set up a circa maximal
phase to bring the speed back. [Editor's note: "Circa maximal" means using
submaximal weights for a short phase.] I lowered the bar weight to 185 for the
first two to three sets with one band. The band's weight is equal to 40 on chest
and 90 at top. I'd then jump to 205 for two more sets. If this felt good I'd add
another band for two more sets with the same weight. This slowed the bar down
but taught me to push faster. Then I'd reduce the weight to the original 185 with
one mini band for two last sets. I called these my ³super speed sets². This was
used for a short three week cycle to prep my body for the circa-maximal phase to
follow. The circa maximal phase used for this meet is as follows:
Week 1: Warm up to 155 with two mini bands (band weight 80 on chest and 180
at top). Two sets were done here. I then put on two chains each side and did
three sets (chain weight 0 on chest and 80 at top). This is a total of nine reps and
was maximal for me. I then went down to 155 with one mini for two more sets.
From there I went on to triceps, lat and delt work. I kept the triceps work light and
supersetted pushdowns with band extensions.
Week 2: Warm up to 155 with two mini bands. Two sets were done with this
weight. I then added a mini band choked (not folded) for one set. Next I jumped
to three mini bands for three sets (band weight 120 on chest and 270 at top).
These sets were slow as hell but taught me how to lock out and think.
I've always been an aggressive bencher. By this I mean just lay down and shove
the bar. I had to learn to think throughout the lift. With the bar moving this slow at
the top I learned how to position my elbows to finish the lift if it got too heavy. I
then went down to 155 with two mini band for two sets. The accessory work was
the same as week one. My max effort work for this week was high rep dumbbell
presses with the intention of getting away from the heavy work and work more on
restoration.
Week 3: The same as week two except for my max effort day I did board presses
and broke my six year old record by 25 pounds.
Week 4: De-load week. I was going to use 175 with one mini band but after the
first two sets I began to feel I was going to hurt myself because the bar was
moving too fast. I put on another set of mini bands for two more sets then did one
last set with 175 and one mini band.
I stayed with this for about four weeks. If I felt beat up I just used 185 with one
mini band and stayed there. I also began catching the bar again. By this I mean I
didn't let the bar touch my chest. I also benched a few weeks with my feet on a
crate. This was to take my legs out and teach me to drive with the triceps first.
After the speed work I did low pin presses for three sets of three reps. After that I
went to triceps, delt and lat work. My max effort days were the same as everyone
else in the gym. Over all this time we used board presses, floor presses, chain
presses, and reverse band presses.
At the meet I opened with 550; the weight went up like an empty bar. I then
jumped to 605 for the second. Here I was again at the weight I'd waited so long
to get. Unlike all the times in the past, this day I had all my bases covered and
the weight flew off my chest to lockout. I went for 635 on my third, but it didn't
happen. No worries, because I know I can get it the next time.

Conclusion
Hopefully you'll find this motivating and perhaps reach your goal without making
the same mistakes I did along the way. I had to learn a hell of a lot over the past
eighteen years to break 600. I learned that as long as you keep your sites set on
one specific goal and don't give up, someday it'll be yours. It may take longer
than you think (six years for a twenty pound record in my case) but as long as
you're willing to put in the time, listen to others and never quit, you can achieve
whatever you set your mind to.
Take it from me. I've seen it all, torn it all, heard it all, and told myself it all over
the past six years. If I can do it then anyone can. Now get your ass back in the
gym.
Slide 16

Speed
The Box Squat

www.EliteFTS.com

The Box Squat

The box squat is the only squat used at Westside Barbell. We do not perform a free barbell squat until the competition.
Why is this?
The box squat teaches you to sit back instead of down
The box squat break the eccentric concentric chain – great for explosive strength
The box squat uses a static to dynamic contraction – great for explosive strength
You can sit back further on a box thus overloading the hams and glutes
Better kinesthetic awareness out of the bottom of the squat
You squat to the EXACT same place each time
You learn to come off the box with your chest first
The knee stays in line or behind the ankle
You learn to use your belly in the hole
You learn how to keep your knees out during the entire lift.

***Bonus notes***

Squatting from Head to Toe

Introducing the Box Squat

by Dave Tate Dave Tate knows strength. Dave's been assisting and training
under Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell fame for over 10 years and has
consulted thousands of athletes throughout the world. Dave is quick to point out
that he's not a bodybuilder and therefore doesn't train bodybuilders. He's a
powerlifter and a specialist in developing maximal strength. (Despite this
powerlifting emphasis, the average guy under his tutelage puts on 30 to 40
pounds a year.) In Dave's last article he taught us the secrets of a big bench.
This time, Dave has written the definitive article on the infamous Westside box
squat. Does he know what he's talking about? He squats 935 pounds himself,
what do you think?

The Box Squat

Technique is the most important factor in squatting big weights. If you're training
with bad technique then it doesn't matter what supplemental exercises you use or
how many sets or reps you perform. Your squat will only go so far and then get
stuck. This article will describe the correct technique for performing the box
squat. I feel the box squat is the best way to train the squat, period. The form is
the same as the regular squat but with the added bonus of being able to develop
explosive strength. The box squat also places all the stress directly on all the
squatting muscles. Every member of Westside Barbell performs box squats year
around with the only regular "free squat" being done in competition. The
technique I'll describe has taken my squat from 760 to 935 over the past five
years, but I wasn't always a big fan of the box squat. When I squatted 760, I
didn't believe in box squatting and trained all my squats the same way many of
you are doing now. I used a progressive overload method using the Western
method of periodization. The result of all my hard work? My squat stayed at the
730 to 760 range for five years without any progress! I had to change. Part of this
change included box squatting. The use of the box squat made a tremendous
difference in my progress and the progress of my training partners. Every one of
us added 100 to 200 pounds to our max efforts after adopting the box squat. We
also understood the importance of perfecting the box squat to get a big carryover
in competition. We check each other's form on a constant basis and the things
we look for will be detailed in this article. Now, you may have heard from some
sissy wearing spandex that the box squat is dangerous. When someone talks
about the dangers of box squatting, it's apparent they simply don't know how to
perform the lift correctly. Sure, if you're trying to bounce off the box or you're
using more weight than you can handle, then there are definitely dangers to the
spine. When performed correctly, however, box squats are safe. And, I believe
box squats are so effective that you don't need to perform regular squats in your
training at all!

Advantages of Box Squatting There are many advantages to box squatting:

Training on a box will allow you to sit back onto the box to a point where your
shins are past perpendicular to the floor. This places all the stress on the
squatting muscles (hips, glutes, lower back and hamstrings.) When you can
increase the stress on these muscles and lower the stress on the quads, then
you'll be ready to see your squat poundages start moving.
2) Restoration is another major advantage of box squatting. You can train more
often on a box when compared to free squatting. According to Louie Simmons,
the original members of Westside Barbell in Culver City, California, used to
perform box squats three times a week. Currently at Westside we train the box
squat every Friday for our dynamic workout and occasionally on Monday's
maximal effort workouts. If you're new to box squats, I suggest you do them once
per week.

Louie Simmons, doing what he does best.

3) When performing box squats you never have to guess how low you're
squatting. It'll always be the same. Think about it: when most people start adding
weight to the bar, their squats get higher and higher. You see this all the time in
any gym you go to. They look good with the light weights, then begin doing
quarter squats when the weight gets heavy. With box squats, you'll always go low
enough.
4) The last reason to box squat is to reinforce good squat technique. Many times
for the intermediate or beginning squatter, the hamstrings aren't yet developed
and "sitting back" into a squat is impossible without falling over backward. To
teach these athletes how to free squat properly would take months. The squat
wouldn't look right until the hamstrings and glute strength increases. Why wait
two or three months? Put them on the box and you'll have them squatting
properly within five minutes. Within one month the hamstrings will begin to kick in
because of the added stress of sitting back on the box.

The Details
Now, are you ready to box squat? Good.

Phase I: The first thing to check for is proper body position at the beginning of
the lift. Keep in mind you'll have to keep the entire body tight. If any body part is
held loose it will become your weak link and you'll break down.
Before setting up under the bar you'll need to grasp the barbell and duck under it
with your feet about shoulder width apart or slightly wider. While under the bar
you'll have to start to really tighten up. Grasp the bar with your hands and start to
squeeze it as if you were trying to bend the bar across your back. Next, pull your
shoulder blades together as tight as possible while pulling your elbows forward.
This is to keep the upper back locked in this position during the lift. If your elbows
are flaring out, it'll cause the barbell to travel forward at some point during the lift.
The key to squatting big weights is to keep the barbell path traveling in the
shortest line as possible. Any deviation from this line will cause a missed lift.
Now that your upper back is tight you'll need to tighten your midsection. First,
expand your abdomen as much as possible. When you pull air into your body it
should be into the diaphragm, not the chest. Expand you belly and push it out
against your belt. This will stabilize and support the lower back and not elongate
the spine. If you're having a hard time trying to figure this out, then wear your
weight belt one notch loose and push into it with your belly so it becomes tight.
Pushing your belly out goes against what many believe because they feel
training this way will cause injuries to the lower back. After 30 years of box
squatting Westside has had 23 lifters squat over 800 pounds, six over 900
pounds and one over a grand. Not one of these lifters or any of the others has
had lower back problems.
Another aspect of this to keep in mind is the circumference of the waist line. If I
suck my belly in my waist line measures 42 inches. If I pull air into my belly and
push it out it measures 48 inches. The wider base the stronger the lifter. This is
why lifters with a bigger waist squat more. The pyramids in Egypt are also built
with a wide base and they have been standing for centuries. As the car
commercials used to say, wider is better.
I learned this lesson firsthand at the 1990 Toledo Hall of Fame powerlifting
competition. I'd just tried a 760 squat and got smashed with it. This was my
second attempt of the day and I decided to give it another try on the third. I had
some doubts because the second attempt wasn't even close. Saying I got
smashed is an understatement. The weight stapled me to the floor! I didn't even
get out of the bottom of the lift. This weight was a 20 pound personal record for
which I had spent the last four months training.
I didn't understand what the problem was or how to fix it. On the third attempt,
while I was getting wrapped, Louie Simmons walked up to me and told me to get
my abdominals tight. I had no idea what he was talking about at the time, but
would within the next few minutes. As I got under the weight I realized Louie was
the spotter behind me. (No pressure there, huh?) As I got set under the bar he
told me to expand and push my belly into the belt. Now I understood what he was
talking about. I was always told to flex my abs, but never to expand and push out.
As I set the bar up, I noticed that I had never felt so tight and stable. Once set, I
locked in my back and began the squat. I kept my belly pushed into the belt and
blasted the weight up! I had just smoked a weight that stapled me to the floor
moments earlier all because I learned how to use my abdominals! In my opinion,
this concept is one of the most misunderstood in the sport of powerlifting today.
Many lifters don't know how to use their core to set up a squat. Some do nothing
at all while others are trying to suck their stomachs in. This is probably fine for
those who strive to squat 400 pounds, but if you're looking to squat maximal
weights in the 700 to 900 range, you'd better learn how to use your core.
All the power of the lower body is transferred through your core to the barbell. If
this core isn't tight the power will "get lost" so to speak and never travel to the
bar. While I don't agree with the use of a belt for the majority of training, I do
believe in the use of belts to teach a person how to use the abdominals while
squatting. The belt is a training aid in competition, so you must learn how to use
it to its fullest advantage.
Phase II: Now that you have your upper back and belly tight, you need to arch
the bar out of the rack. When you take a barbell out of the rack, it should never
hit the front supports. This shifts the weight to the toes and will cause you to lose
your tightness (as well as set the bar in a position to use your quads instead of
your hips and hamstrings.)
Arch the bar out, then push with your legs to get the bar off the racks. Keep the
arch. Step back with one leg, then the other. You want to maintain your tightness
and set your stance as wide as possible. I believe in using a wide stance when
squatting because it'll shorten the distance the bar will have to travel and will
place the stress more on the glutes, hips, hamstrings and back. I've figured out
over time that the quads aren't that important for squatting maximal weights.
Instead, it's the hips, back and hamstrings. If your quads were really doing all the
work, then why wouldn't you be able to squat as much as you could leg press?
So, set up in a wide stance.
From this position, pull all the air back into your belly and try to make your back
and abs tighter than before. You should also be forcing your knees out to the
sides. You'll know you're doing this right if your hips feel tight. This will place the
stress on the hips as well as increase the leverage in the bottom of the squat.
The closer you can keep your knee, ankle, shoulder and hip joints in a straight
line, the greater the mechanical advantage. This is why you can quarter squat
much more than you can full squat.
You also want to be pushing out on the sides of your shoes. Never push
downward. Act as if you're tying to spread the floor apart. This is to further
activate the hips. By the way, the best shoes to wear while squatting are the old
school Converse Chuck Taylors. They're built with a flat bottom and strong
canvas sides. Most other tennis shoes will cause your foot to move around too
much or you'll push out over the side of the shoes.
Your butt should also be sticking out with your back arched as hard as possible.
Head position is vital to keeping the barbell in the proper path for squatting. You
must drive your head into the bar. This doesn't mean look up; you should actually
be looking forward. You want to be looking forward for a couple of reasons. First,
if you're in a competition, you'll need to see the head judge give you the squat
signal. Second, you'll want to see everyone's reaction after you smoke your lift! I
don't know about you, but I want to see the look of awe in their eyes after I get
the lift.
Besides, if you're looking down you'll more than likely start to fall forward about
half way up and miss the lift. The act of pushing your head back into the neck
should be the same action as if you were to lay on the floor and push your head
against the ground. As for toe position, lighter guys should usually point their toes
straight ahead. Heavier guys, often because of a lack of flexibility, may want to
point their toes out slightly. Now you're ready to begin the squat.
Phase III: To start the squat, I want your hips to begin the motion, not the knees.
When your knees bend first, the load is shifted downward; you need the load
going backward. Remember, you want the bar to travel in a straight line. Keep
pushing the hips back as you squat down. The key is to "sit back." Most people
sit down on a toilet with better form than they squat because they have to sit
back. As you sit back you want to feel tension in the hamstrings. Act like they're
springs you're trying to compact before they rebound back. This will cause a
great stretch reflex out of the bottom of the squat. An explosive start is another
key to squatting maximal weights.
Keep sitting back until you sit on the box. The box should be one inch lower than
parallel for most people, although I sometimes recommend that less experienced
lifters find a box that puts them at one inch above parallel. (Note: I can't
recommend a pre-manufactured box at this time because I simply haven't found
any good ones. All of our boxes at Westside are homemade. When selecting a
box, most people need one between 12 and 14 inches high. Also, pick one that's
big enough to fit your butt. Note that some people use a flat bench for box
squats. I've found that these are seldom set at the proper height, however, and
may be too narrow for some.)

As far as the definition of "parallel," it's defined as when the crease of the hip is in
line with the top of the knee. Remember, most people have very poor hamstring
and hip strength to squat properly in the first place. If they tried to squat without
the box they'd fall over backward. The box is the best way to teach proper squat
form while bringing up their weak points. The box squat also breaks the
eccentric/concentric chain. This is one of the best ways to build explosive
strength. The box squat also causes you to squat from a static contraction to a
dynamic concentric contraction, another very effective way to build explosive
strength.
When you reach the box you want to sit down and relax the hips flexors while
keeping every muscle other muscle tight. You also don't want to fall down on the
box and try to bounce off of it. You sit back with the same speed you squat.
Pause on the box for a split second and explode off of it. No bouncing! Your
knees must still be pushed out and your abs, upper back and arms should
remain tight while your back stays arched. When you're on the box it's important
to have the shins perpendicular to the floor or better yet, past perpendicular. This
places all the tension on the squatting muscles.
Phase IV: After you pause on the box you need to explode off by first driving the
head and upper back into the bar, then by driving with the hips. When you begin
the squat (during the eccentric phase) the hips move first then the head. The
opposite of that (the concentric phase) should involve the head moving first then
the glutes. It only makes sense to try to lift the bar first. If you don't drive with the
upper back first then the bar will begin to move forward. If the bar is moving
forward before you drive with the hips, you'll miss the weight and fall forward.
As you're coming up you still need to maintain all tightness by driving your back
into the bar, driving you head into the bar, pushing out on your knees and feet,
pulling the elbows forward, keeping the shoulder blades together, and holding
your air. After that there's nothing else to do but lock out and wait for the crowd to
cheer.
That's all there is to it. And they say squatting isn't a technical lift! Now it's up to
you. Do you want to be standing there watching others lift the big weights, or on
the platform doing it yourself? You decide.
Slide 17

Speed
Squat Cycle “straight weight”

www.EliteFTS.com

Box Squat Cycles

*note different than chart*

Straight weight
Years ago I would of recommended a four week squat wav after the success we have had with the band training I feel a
three week wave would be the most efficient. I also believe their needs to be slightly different percentages based on the
motor control of the athlete. This control is based on years of training not the status of the athlete. For example a beginner
would be 1 to 3 years of training, the intermediate 3 to 5 and the advanced over five years. The reason for this is quite
simple. The more advanced athlete knows how to use their bodies more efficiently than the beginner and gets more out of
a smaller percentage.

Beginner:
Week 1: 63% for 10 sets of 2 reps
Week 2: 65% for 10 sets of 2 reps
Week 3: 68% for 10 sets of 2 reps
You will notice the beginner has a couple more sets than the advanced and intermediate lifter. This is to better the form of
the lifter. The main goal of the beginner is to have perfect form so in many cases 10 sets still will not be enough and will
have to be taken as high as 12 sets.

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

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

So why is the chart not the same?

I left the chart the same as it has been over the past few years because this is what we used to do. It worked very well for
us and may work for you as well. This way you have a couple options.

***Bonus Notes***

Squat 900 Pounds

10 surefire ways to help you squat BIG

by Dave Tate Sure, you squat, but do you squat BIG? I watched the guys
squatting over in the corner of the gym and knew immediately the subject of my
next article for T-mag. After a few warm-up sets and some instruction from the
trainer, these guys began to perform some of the most interesting "squatting" I've
ever seen. The verbal commands still echo in my head: "elbows back," "head
up," "hips in," "big chest air," "down, down, down." It went on and on and began
to look like something from The Karate Kid. I walked over to the group after their
session and made them an offer they couldn't refuse, at least I thought so. I
invited them all to attend the seminar I was conducting the following day at that
particular gym. Two agreed to come. The trainer seemed insulted. Well, as
Meatloaf says, "Two out of three isn't bad." That's when it hit me. My Bench
Press 600 Pounds article had been a hit, so why not do the same thing for the
squat? You see, there's a huge difference between squatting and squatting big.
Let me explain very quickly. How much can you currently squat? If you answered
500 pounds, I'd reply, "How much more do you know about squatting now
compared to when you could only squat 300 pounds? How much more will you
have to learn to squat 700 pounds?" This is what squatting big is all about. I
spent many years knowing how to squat but it took the help of Westside Barbell
to learn the art of squatting big. Squatting big is as much an art as it is a science.
If you relied on just one aspect, either art (training) or science, you'd be able to
squat, but not squat big. You have to rely on the combination of both to really
increase your numbers. Squatting the big one requires figuring a lot of stuff out.
Much of this stuff you've probably been exposed to but perhaps have forgotten or
haven't applied yet. But there are others items you may not know about that can
really send your squat over the top. Sometimes the smallest things can make the
biggest difference. Take for example, Matt Smith. Matt is Westside's newest
member of the 900 club. (By the way, that now makes nine in the 900s for
Westside, seven of whom all train together. We also have one guy that squats
over a grand.) Matt realized a few months back that he sucked at the glute ham
raise. So realizing that his hamstrings were a weakness for him, he pushed them
up. The net result was that he beat his old squat record by 30 pounds! That's all it
took, finding a weakness and bringing it up. If Matt hadn't found this weakness he
could still be squatting in the 800s or worse yet, he could've been stuck there for
several years. I know all about having my squat stuck. I once went five years
without any progress. I tried many things and most didn't work. Then I stumbled
upon the chains. (See my article called Accommodating Resistance for
details.) This broke my rut and started me on the way to squatting big. You see,
both Matt and I knew how to squat, but we had to learn to squat big. At Westside
Barbell, we've figured out the secrets to squatting big weights and have been
sharing these with other powerlifters for the past few years. I can think of eleven
others outside of Westside who've also squatted over 900 by using these same
secrets. How did we come up with these special secrets? It's simple. We
combined the art of training with science. Very few scientists can squat big and
very few who do squat big can replicate the results in someone else. You must
have a good understanding of both if you want to pile plates on the bar. So if you
think you're ready to load up the bar, then read on.

Secret #1: Get your stance out wide!

If you squat with a close stance, move your feet out. If you think you squat wide
already, move your feet further out! We teach everyone at Westside to squat
wide. We don't believe in a close-stance squatter. When you squat wide you
create better leverages for the squat. The distance between your knee and hip is
greater with a close stance, thus a longer and more difficult squat. By using a
wide squat you cut this distance back as well as place the emphasis on the
glutes, hamstrings and lower back. These are the muscles that squat big
weights! While squatting wide, try to keep your toes straight ahead or slightly
turned out. This will create a tremendous amount of tension in the hips and
glutes and make it hard to squat down. This tension will create a great stretch
reflex out of the bottom of the squat. This is vital to the development of barbell
speed.

Secret #2: Get a tight arch!

You must learn to develop the strength to keep a tight arch in the lower back.
This arch must be kept throughout the entire movement. The moment you begin
to lose this arch, the bar will begin to drift forward and out of the natural barbell
path. When the bar starts to drift toward the toes, you'll lose the squat and end up
stapled to the floor. The bar must stay close to the hip joint and away from the
toes. You must also keep the shoulder blades pulled together with your elbows
pulled forward. This will create the much needed upper back tightness to keep
the barbell in proper position. Remember, the shortest distance between two
points is a straight line, so you must keep the barbell in the proper path. When
your elbows turn out toward the back, the bar will drift forward again and end up
stapling you to the floor as well as ripping your head off. This is one common
mistake I see in all my seminars. When I ask attendees who taught them to squat
with their elbows back, nine out of ten times they say, "My coach." This is
another example of those who think they know how to squat not knowingsquat!

Secret #3: Spread the floor!

Spread the floor with your feet as you squat. Remember the wide stance? Well,
you must also force your knees out hard during the entire motion and push out
on the sides of your shoes while you squat. This keeps the tension in the hips
where it should be. This is also why most squat shoes, tennis shoes, and cross
trainers suck for squatting. The best shoes for squatting are Converse Chuck
Taylor All Stars. The soles are flat and the side construction is rugged enough to
push out against without a blowout or rolling over the sole.

Secret #4: Drive your head into the bar!

This doesn't mean look up toward the sky like your old high school coach told
you to. You must look straight ahead and drive your head back into the traps.
Your body will always follow the head so you want to make sure your head is
driving back into the bar. As a side note, what's the last thing to move when you
squat? It would be your head. So what should be the first thing to move when
coming out of the hole? You got it, your head. This only makes perfect sense.
You have to think about driving your back and head into the bar first during the
assent. We tell our lifters the chest and head should always be first. You're trying
to raise the bar, so move it first! If the quads flex first, the hips will rise before the
bar and force the barbell forward. Here's another coaching tool: watch the lifter's
quads. If they flex first get him to sit back more and force his knees out. The
glutes should flex first.

Secret #5: The hips should move before the knees!

If your knees are the first to move while beginning a squat, then your path is
going to be straight down. As discussed before, the tension must be on the
glutes, hips and hamstrings. These are the muscles that squat big weights, not
the quads. Think about this: Why can't a lifter with a 400-pound deep Olympic
squat perform a 700-pound power squat? A power lifter who can squat 700 can
do an easy 400-pound Olympic squat. This is because the Olympic squatter
doesn't have the back, glutes or hamstring to support the 700 pounds! What's
that tell you about the quads and squatting big weights? (Hint: They just aren't
that important!)

Secret #6: Get on the box!

The greatest secret to our success at Westside is the use of the box squat. We
don't do any full squatting at all, except for in competition. We haven't had any
lifters over the past 15 years have any lower back or knee injuries, either. The
only side effects we've seen with box squatting are big squats! The key is to do
them properly. For more information on this, see my Squatting from Head to
Toe article. The benefits of the box are many. First, you can sit back further than
you could without it. This places more stress on the posterior chain muscles.
Second, you always know how low you're going. If you want to squat two inches
below parallel then set your box up at that height. This way your body will always
sit as low as it's conditioned. If you want to squat one inch high, then set the box
higher. We suggest one inch below parallel since this is what's needed to pass in
a powerlifting competition. Third, squatting on a box breaks the
eccentric/concentric chain. This is one of the best ways to develop explosive
strength. Fourth, the box is great for teaching proper squatting technique. Most
athletes and lifters have very poor squat technique because of bad coaching,
muscle imbalances and flexibility. The box can work as a great aid to teaching
the proper way to sit back into a squat. I'll be the first to tell you that the
competitive power squat isn't an easy thing to master. It takes many years of
work and technique is very important. The stronger you get, the more you need
better technique. One inch in the wrong direction and you'll miss the lift.

Secret #7: Learn to use your belly!

I've caught more shit over this than any other aspect of training. But the truth is
that every big squatter I know has learned how to use his abdominals while
squatting. You must learn how to breathe into your belly. You want to pull as
much air as you can into your belly, then flex and force your abdominals out.Walk
over to a mirror. Take a look at your shoulders and take a deep breath. Did they
rise? If they did, then you're pulling all the air into your chest, not your belly. You
need to learn how to breath into your belly. This is how we teach everyone to
squat. For the squat, we advise the use of a weight belt worn one notch loose.
This is to teach you to pull air into your belly then push out into the belt. The belt
acts as a great training aid to push against. As a side note, we use the same
technique for all of our max-effort work, but don't use the belt in that situation.
This is one aspect of our training that has been misunderstood for too long. We
use the belt to teach how to use the abdominals for the squat, bench, and dead
lift, and do not advocate its use for anything else unless the lifter feels it's
needed. Many in the gym have worked up to 600 and 700 pound good mornings
without any adverse effects and have been doing them this way for over ten
years. This brings me to the next point. We've been told breathing and using the
abdominals this way will lead to back injuries. Louie Simmons has been coaching
this for the past twenty years at Westside and hasn't had any lifters with these
problems. Learning to use the belly has made a profound difference in all of our
squats, especially for those who've never tried it. I've seen squats increase by 25
to 50 pounds on this aspect alone. Now that's what squatting big is all about.
Filling your belly with air will also create a larger torso and give you a bigger base
of support from which to drive. Ever wonder why those with bigger waists squat
so much? Think about it. We want as much tightness and support as we can get
from the gross muscles of the spinal errectors, abdominals, and obliques.

Secret #8: Train for speed!

If you were to jump up on a table, how high would you get if you jumped slowly?
How much force would you develop? Not much, huh? So why in the world would
you want to train to be slow? Why not train to be faster? The faster you are, the
greater the chance you'll have of blasting through your sticking point. This is what
the dynamic training day is all about. If you're a 500 pound squatter and are
training with 250, then you must apply 500 pounds of force to the bar during the
lift. Think blast! For most T-mag readers, I'd suggest a four week wave using the
box squat. The percentages listed below would be of your best squat. For you
competitive powerlifters out there, percentages would be lower since you may be
using squat suits.
Week 1: 10 sets of 2 reps with 65%
Week 2: 10 sets of 2 reps with 70%
Week 3: 10 sets of 2 reps with 73%
Week 4: 10 sets of 2 reps with 75%
Only take 45 to 60 seconds rest between sets and use compensatory
acceleration when performing all of your reps. That means you should really try
to explode the weight up.

Secret #9: Train for chaos!

Chaos training is a system of training that will make or break your squat. A
cardinal sin of squatting is falling forward during the lift or dumping the bar over
your head. When this happens it means only one thing: You haven't done the
necessary work to squat big. When a barbell falls forward it's known as a chaotic
event. You have to train to avoid these situations. This is why we have a max
effort day. On this day you'll perform a one rep max on some type of low box
squat, dead lift or good morning. You'll want to use some type of good morning
seven out of ten workouts or 70% percent of all max effort days for the lower
body. The low box squat should be used 20% of the time, the dead lift 10%. This
would be a once a week workout. The reason for so many good mornings is
twofold. First we've found this type of movement to be the absolute best for the
development of the squat and dead lift. Second, remember the cardinal sin of
falling over? Well that's exactly what happens with a good morning. If your good
morning is strong enough you'll be able to keep the arch and not fall forward. If
you do begin to fall forward you'll be able to arch the bar back into position
without even thinking about it. You'll have the strength and it'll be automatic.
We've found a minimum good morning of 60% of your max squat to be a very
important element of squatting big.

Secret #10: Build the glutes and hamstrings!

As I've stated before, the quads aren't an important element of a big squat. You
have to have very strong hamstrings and glutes. You must prioritize your
hamstring and hit them at least twice a week. The best movements we've found
for training the hamstrings are glute ham raises, band leg curls, reverse hypers
and pull throughs, and high-rep partial deadlifts. We've found that two heavy
hamstring workouts a week to be fine for most lifters but many times we've
prescribed up to six hamstring training sessions a week to bring them up to
where they should be. This is all based on the situation, exercises, and lifter.

Summary
After my seminar was over I sat there watching an aerobics class. Remember, I
train in a key club with 20 to 30 other powerlifters and haven't trained in a gym
like this for over 12 years. It was quite a sight. I haven't missed training at a
fitness club at all, and I still don't. As far as the two guys I'd invited to the
seminar, they showed up. Their trainer didn't. Now these two guys know how to
squat big. When I go back next year, I'll bet the trainer attends, too. That's
because his two former clients will soon be out-squatting him. You see, he may
know how to squat and that's fine, but they know how to squat big!
Slide 18

Speed
Squat Cycle “with chains”

Max Squat Chains per side Weight of chain

(top)

200-400 1 (5/8) 40

400-500 1 (5/8), 1(1/2) 60

500-600 2 (5/8) 80

700-800 2 (5/8), 1(1/2) 100

800-900 3 (5/8) 120

www.EliteFTS.com

Squatting with Chains

Beginner:
Week 1: 63% for 10 sets of 2 reps
Week 2: 65% for 10 sets of 2 reps
Week 3: 68% for 10 sets of 2 reps
4 to 6 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets.

Intermediate:
Week 1: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps
Week 2: 63% for 8 sets of 2 reps
Week 3: 65% for 8 sets of 2 reps
4 to 6 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets.

Advanced:
Week 1: 55% for 8 sets of 2 reps
Week 2: 58% for 8 sets of 2 reps
Week 3: 60% for 8 sets of 2 reps
4 to 6 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets.

Recommended Chains for Squatting

Squat Max 200-400 Pounds = 60 pound chain
Squat Max 400-500 Pounds = 80 pound chain
Squat Max 500-600 Pounds = 100 pound chain
Squat Max 700-800 Pounds = 120 pound chain
Squat Max 800-900 Pounds = 160 pound chain
The chains are added on to the weight of the barbell. Make sure to warm up with the chains on the bar first then the
weights are to be added. When the barbell is in the rack 4 to 5 links of chain should be resting on the floor. At no point in
time should all of the chain be off the floor during the squat.
Slide 19

Speed
Squat Cycle “Regular band”

www.EliteFTS.com

Regular Band Phase

These cycles are only for he intermediate and advanced lifters. The beginner lifters would be better off sticking with
straight weight or chains. If the beginner would like to use bands with their squat then I would suggest keeping the tension
minimal and reducing the training percent by 10%

Regular Training Phase

(or Strength Speed):
Week 1: 47% (RG Band) 8 sets of 2
Week 2: 51% (RG Band) 8 sets of 2
Week 3: 53% (RG band) 8 sets of 2
* 4 to 6 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to the regular sets.

This phase should be the core of your training and can be waved one after another. For better results it would be best to
mix in one of the Speed Strength Phases after every couple regular phases.

Recommended Bands for Squat Training Phases

Squat:
300-500
Rg Band: Pink (light Band)
SS Band: Blue (Strong Band)
Cm Band: Green (Average Band)

501-750
Rg Band: Green (Average Band)
SS Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Pink (Strong and Light Band)

751-1000
RG Band: Blue (Strong Band)
SS Band: Blue Blue Green (2 Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)

*Keep in mind, For the bands to work properly, you must have tension at the bottom!
After you squat training you should hit the hamstrings, abdominals and reverse hypers then call it a day. As you
remember from the other articles a max effort day should be performed later in the week to complement the dynamic
effort work.
Slide 20

Speed
Squat Cycle “heavy band”

www.EliteFTS.com

Heavy band

Speed Strength Phase A

Week 1: 15% (SS Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 2: 20% (SS Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 3: 25% (ss band) 5 sets of 2
* 3-5 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to.
This is a great phase for those who have never been through a speed strength phase before. It has three week with the
first one being an introduction week to get used to the higher band tension. You will also notice the number of sets has
been reduced because of the high physical demand on the body. After one or two times through this phase you will never
need to use it again because of the body adaptation process. Once the body has learned to adapt to the band tension
with the three-week phase it is best to stick with phase B or C. This and all other speed strength phases should be
followed by a strength speed (regular band phase). This is because the speed strength phase will cause the barbell to
move very slowly. You must always follow a slow phase with a fast phase. As a final note makes sure the bands are very
tight in the bottom position.

Speed Strength Phase B:

Week 1: 20% (SS Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 2: 25% (SS Band) 3-5 sets of 2, after sets work up to 1rm

This is the same phase as A except we have taken out the first week. The other noticeable difference is one week two.
After completing 3 to 5 sets you will want to start increasing the weight until you get to a one-rep max. By the time you get
to the last set (you max) you will feel like your head is going to pop off.

Speed Strength Phase C:

Week 1: 25% (SS Band plus more?) 2-3 sets of 2 then work up to a 1rm
This phase is designed for those who have much experience with the bands. Basically you want to pile on as much band
as you can handle and start working up to 25% for a few sets of 2 then head up to a 1 rep max. This phase is not for the
weak at heart or courage.

Recommended Bands for Squat Training Phases

Squat:
300-500
Rg Band: Pink (light Band)
SS Band: Blue (Strong Band)
Cm Band: Green (Average Band)

501-750
Rg Band: Green (Average Band)
SS Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Pink (Strong and Light Band)

751-1000
RG Band: Blue (Strong Band)
SS Band: Blue Blue Green (2 Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)

*Keep in mind, For the bands to work properly, you must have tension at the bottom!
After you squat training you should hit the hamstrings, abdominals and reverse hypers then call it a day. As you
remember from the other articles a max effort day should be performed later in the week to complement the dynamic
effort work.
Slide 21

Speed
Squat Cycle “circa-max band”

www.EliteFTS.com

Circa-maximal Phase

Week 1: 47% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2

Week 2: 51% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 3: 53% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 4: 47% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
*3-5 reps over the three weeks must be above training percent. This is done in addition to.

This phase is designed for pre contest or pre max training. This phase with the following de-loading phase has been
responsible for more personal records being crushed by a huge margin than any other training phase I have seen
including 10 900lb squat I personally know of.

Recommended Bands for Squat Training Phases

Squat:
300-500
Rg Band: Pink (light Band)
SS Band: Blue (Strong Band)
Cm Band: Green (Average Band)

501-750
Rg Band: Green (Average Band)
SS Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Pink (Strong and Light Band)

751-1000
RG Band: Blue (Strong Band)
SS Band: Blue Blue Green (2 Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)

*Keep in mind, For the bands to work properly, you must have tension at the bottom!
After you squat training you should hit the hamstrings, abdominals and reverse hypers then call it a day. As you
remember from the other articles a max effort day should be performed later in the week to complement the dynamic
effort work.
Slide 22

Speed
Squat Cycle “de-load band”

www.EliteFTS.com

De-load Phase

Week 1: 53% (RG Band)5 sets of 2

Week 2: 47% (RG Band)5 sets of 2

Week 3: Meet or Test Date

This de-loading phase is designed to bring the speed back into the training before the max or competition. This phase is a
must after the circa-maximal phase. Some have done very well with a two-week de-load while other only like to do one
week. If you choice for a one week de-load then drop the first week of the phase.

Recommended Bands for Squat Training Phases

Squat:
300-500
Rg Band: Pink (light Band)
SS Band: Blue (Strong Band)
Cm Band: Green (Average Band)

501-750
Rg Band: Green (Average Band)
SS Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Pink (Strong and Light Band)

751-1000
RG Band: Blue (Strong Band)
SS Band: Blue Blue Green (2 Strong and Average Band)
CM Band: Blue Green (Strong and Average Band)

*Keep in mind, For the bands to work properly, you must have tension at the bottom!
After you squat training you should hit the hamstrings, abdominals and reverse hypers then call it a day. As you
remember from the other articles a max effort day should be performed later in the week to complement the dynamic
effort work.
Slide 23

Strength and Speed

Supplemental and Accessory Movements

Squat – Dead

Bench Press

www.EliteFTS.com

Supplemental Movements for the Bench Press

Triceps
JM PRESSES
TUCKED CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESSES
CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESSES
ROLLING DUMBBELL EXTENSIONS
ELBOWS OUT EXTENSIONS
CAMBERED BAR JM PRESSES
CAMBERED BAR EXTENSIONS
PUSH UPS WITH BARBELL
VARIOUS BAND EXTENSIONS (Pull apart and extensions)
PIN LOCKOUTS
HIGH BOARD PRESSES

Shoulders
SIDE RAISES
FRONT RAISES
REAR RAISES
LYING RAISES
SHOULDER COMPLEXES
ONE ARM PRESSES
OVER HEAD PIN PRESSES
BRADFORD PRESSES
BAND PULL APARTS
FACE PULLS
DUMBBELL CLEANS
SNATCH GRIP HIGH PULLS

Lats
VARIOUS PULL DOWNS
VARIOUS ROWS
REVERSE BAND BENCH PULL DOWNS

Supplemental Movements for the Squat and Dead lift

Hamstrings - lower Back

GLUTE HAM RAISE
REVERSE HYPERS
STIFF LEG DEADLIFT OFF BOX NO STOPS
STIFF LEG DEADLIFTS OFF BOX
DIMEL DEADLIFTS
GOOD MORNINGS
PULL THROUGHS

Hips
BELT SQUATS
ULTRA WIDE DEADLIFTS
WIDE PULL THROUGHS
WIDE LOW BOX SQUATS
Abs

PULL DOWN ABS

STRAIGHT LEG RAISES
MED BALL WORK
Slide 24

Attitude

LIVE

LEARN

LISTEN
www.EliteFTS.com

LIVE – LEARN - LISTEN

***Bonus Notes***

The Big Woof

Could this be it?

Think of this column as a public access Atomic Dog, a place for the T-mag staff
and anyone else to get something off their chests, encourage, inspire, or just go
off on a bug-eyed, frothing-at-the-mouth rant. In this installment, Westside
Barbell guru Dave Tate digs deep to answer the question, "Why do we put
ourselves through this?"
When you're attempting a 600-pound bench press, things can go wrong fast. I'd
just missed 600 for the second time and something was definitely going wrong.
"Screw it!" I thought. "Keep the bar loaded!" It was that third miss that really did
my shoulder in. Now I had to find out if I was hurt, injured, or fucked up. This is
how I define the three stages of injury. When you're hurt it's really no big deal.
For the powerlifter or any athlete who pushes the envelope with maximal
weights, you're almost always hurt somewhere. This will usually just go away.
When you're injured, it doesn't go away and may require some time off and
rehabilitation work. When things get really bad you become fucked up. This is
when things just don't get better or injuries from long ago keep creeping back in.
Now I had to find out what stage I was in. The next bench workout, I couldn't
lower the bar without pain. It was like someone was sticking a knife in my neck.
So I trained around it for a few weeks and it didn't get any better. I knew I was on
the line between injured and fucked up. After five months I decided to see a
doctor. Five months without benching over 315 was no good, so I knew
something had to be wrong. I was told I had four bone spurs that needed to come
out and a torn terres major that needed to be fixed. Surgery was scheduled and I
was going under the knife (again) in pursuit of a bigger bench. I wondered how
long it would take to come back from this one. After a previous surgery for a pec
tear, it took over a year to break my PR. During check-in at the hospital, the
nurse asked how I injured myself. I told her it was from years of abuse. Then she
saw the other surgery on my record and asked if that was also from the weights.
Yes, I told her, and why do you ask? In that cold room with nothing on but a
damn open-backed gown, she asked the question I couldn't get out of my head.
"Why do you keep doing it?" I just laughed it off and was wheeled to the pre-op
room. Going in for surgery makes you feel like a convict on death row. Pre-op is
the last stop before you reach the chair. The anesthesiologist told me he was
going to stick a long needle into my neck. It was the biggest damn needle I'd ever
seen and he was going to drill it through my trap. Doctors sometimes make small
talk while they do painful things to you, so he asked me how I'd injured myself
and I told him. He finished, turned to me and asked, "Why do you keep doing this
when you're as beat up as you are?" The same question two times in the last
half-hour. I laughed it off again, but this time the question stuck with me. As they
rolled me into the operating room, I saw my doctor standing there. I was in la-la
land by this time, but still had the presence of mind to tell the doctor to take care
of me. He had my life in his hands, after all. He reassured me he'd done this
thousands of times and hadn't lost a patient yet. Hadn't lost anyone? Hell, I
wasn't literally talking about my life, I was talking about my ability to bench!
Couldn't he see how important this was to me? I was instructed to count
backward from ten. Ten… nine… and as I drifted off… eight… that question
came back into my mind… seven… Why do I do this?… six… and I was
gone….….back into the gym, with that same question ringing in my head. As I
walked in I noticed a certain smell to the place. A special blend of sweat, chalk,
silicone spray, and liniment. This is the same smell you find in any hardcore gym.
The smell of hard work, pain, and discipline. The smell of courage. To a true lifter
this is the smell of home, the place you want to be. I thought to myself, "Could
this be it? Could this smell be what it's all about?"
While waiting for our regular start time of 8:30AM, I began the process of
applying the liniment. During this time my training partners are also arriving.
They're joking, talking trash, making bets, catching up. During the warm-up I
wonder if this is what it's all about, if this is why I do it. Is this kinship with my
training partners the real answer?
At 8:30 the attitude of the gym changes. It goes from comedy and friendship to
aggression and war. The first movement of the session is the most important.
This is the real deal, the lift we try to break records on, the one that you will kill or
it will kill you. The music is turned from the radio to something more hardcore.
DMX, AC/DC, it really doesn't matter as long as it's loud. I feel my heart rate
begin to speed up and the aggression building. I see that look of aggression in
everyone's eyes. If you were to walk into the gym at this point in time not knowing
what was going on, it'd be best to turn the hell around and come back later. As I
looked at my surroundings I thought, "Could this be it? Could the music and
aggression be the reason why I do what I do?"
As we start the max effort movement we begin with light weights and work up to
the "courage weight," the actual max weight. As I grip the bar I feel the cold metal
in my hands. The sharp knurling brings a little pain to my callused hands, the
hands that have spent a lifetime with the iron. The feeling of the bar brings on the
excitement of striving to get to the big weights, the weights only some will ever
achieve, the place where only those who know how to dream big will ever get.
Could this be it? Could the feel of steel be the reason why I do what I do? Could
the training under maximal strain be the reason why I do it? Is it the shouts of
encouragement as I attempt a new PR? Or do I do it for the rage and the release
that only heavy lifting can provide?
After everyone does their lifts, it's my turn again. I tell them that I'm done for the
day, but the words come back to me like a knife in the back. What the hell do you
mean you're done? Put on a quarter and get the hell under the bar! This time I
have to dig deep inside and pull out another person to deal with this shit. Dave is
not made for this, but my alter ego is. We call him Zippy, and Zippy gets the job
done when Dave checks out.
So I dig down inside and find that other person and he approaches the bar. The
focus on the task cancels out everything else that's going on. While getting under
the weight I feel my heart pounding in my chest and the aggression and rage is
at an all time high. As the weight is unracked there's no doubt in my mind that I'll
crush this weight. Could this be it? Could lifting a weight I first thought would kill
me be the reason why I put myself through all this? Could the blood, sweat and
tears of training be the reason why I do what I do?
Now I'm at the IPA Nationals walking through the warm-up room. You can feel
the excitement growing. Gym bags are scattered throughout and there are lifters
everywhere. Teens, masters, amateurs, and pros all mix together. The sport of
powerlifting has a place for everyone. All of them are looking forward to their time
of judgment, their moment of truth. As I look around and see friends I've made
over the years and new friends I'll be making on this day, I wonder again, Could
this be it? Could being among all those who love the iron as much as I do be the
reason why I do this?
Now I'm at a meet, in the hole and waiting. This is the day you train for, the
moment in time that once over, nobody can ever take from you and can never be
relived. To a lifter this is his shining moment, the moment that'll determine if the
work was done in the gym or not. If you did your work and it was the right work,
this moment will be one of the greatest of the year. If you didn't do your work,
then this will serve as a constant reminder of where you went wrong, a learning
experience that can make you better.
I'm on deck now, one lifter out, getting wrapped and suited up for a big squat. Am
I ready for the task at hand? Is my mind in the right place? I'm surrounded by a
potent mixture of encouragement and high-octane aggression. My name is called
and it's time to turn it on. This is where I want to be. This is what I train for. Here
it's all up to you; no one can lift the weight for you. Fear is not an option. This is
the day you spit in the face of fear and drive on. It's time to release to rage.
The weight is laughing at me as I step under the bar, but it feels light. The game
is already over. I know already who the winner is going to be on this day. Two
seconds later, with a nose full of blood and stars in my eyes, I rack the weight
and three white lights ignite as bright as the Vegas strip. A new PR. A weight I
only dreamed of lifting ten years ago. Could this be it? Is this why…
…and someone is saying my name again and again. The doctor. I'm in the
recovery room and doped out of my mind. Later, on the way home, the answer to
the question hits me like a ton of bricks. I do what I do because this is what I do.
It's not the smell of the gym. I've been in many gyms and loved them all. They all
didn't have the same smell. It's not my training partners. Training partners come
and go. It's not the cold steel or feel of the bar. Some bars are fatter than others,
some are thin, some have less knurling while others are sharp as hell. I love the
feel of them all.
It's not the strain and it's not the music in the gym. Music changes with time but
my passion stays the same. It's not the old and new friends that are met and
made at competitions. Friends come and go; lifters retire and quit. It's not the
personal records that are set in the meets. If this was the case I would've quit a
long time ago. In twenty years of competing I think there may have been only
three meets were I broke a PR in every lift.
So what is it? Why do I do what I do? It's not one thing or one moment. It's the
process I have the passion for. It's all of it. I love it all and this is why I do what I
do. Twenty years ago, a thirteen year old kid picked up a Powerlifting USA
magazine and dreamed of being in the top ten. On this day the passion began
and the quest started. Twenty years later this kid still hadn't let go of his
childhood dreams and posted a top ten total.
When someone asks you why you do what you do, just grin. We do what we do
because this is what we do. Our passion has built our character, and our
character defines us. Never lose your passion.
Slide 25

Recovery
Extra Training Sessions

Recovery

Strength

Weak Point
www.EliteFTS.com

Recovery Sessions

A. Active recovery methods

Extra light workouts under 40%
Sled dragging
Med Ball
Weight Vest
60% drop training
Light band training
Dynamic flexibility training
Wheel barrow
Light strongman training

B. Passive Recovery Methods

Active Release Therapy
Chiropractic
Massage Therapy
Contrast Showers
Sauna and Steams
Auto Suggestions

Strength Sessions:
Extra Heavy Session
Split Training Session
Heavy Sled Training

Weak Point Sessions

Sessions targeted toward bringing up a weak point

***Bonus Notes***

Drag Your Butt Into Shape

General Physical Preparedness: Westside Style

By Dave Tate The 411 on GPPI can remember when I was a kid growing up and
playing street ball, baseball, football, soccer, and a number of other games we
just made up. On any given day there was something going on. Now when I drive
through a neighborhood I fail to see the same games being played. The physical
activities have been replaced with computer games and the Internet. So what
does all this have to do with training? Well, in some respects, everything. The
ability to compete on a given day is known as your level of preparedness. This is
determined by your level of fitness, which is in turn dependent upon your work
capacity. So all training is based upon increasing work capacity, and you can't
build a high level of preparedness without a high work capacity. The solution to
this sounds fairly simple: do more work and your work capacity will go up. The
problem is that if you increase the work too quickly your progress will go
backward. If you don't increase it enough then you'll stagnate. The work capacity
has to be increased with a fine balance between general physical preparedness
(GPP) and special physical preparedness (SPP). SPP concentrates only on
those exercises that are more specific to the sport of choice. GPP is intended to
provide balanced physical conditioning between all the fitness components such
as flexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and other factors. You see, the games
we played as kids helped us to develop a certain level of GPP. While this level
wasn't enough to become a world-class athlete, it was still worth something.
Nowadays, college strength coaches see athlete after athlete with poor mobility
because of shortened hip flexors. This is probably caused by the years these
athletes spent sitting on their asses in front of the TV. They're athletes, yes, but
their levels of GPP are poor. According to Yuri Verkhoshansky in The
Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in Sport and as outlined in
Supertraining by Mel C Siff, there are several functions of GPP:
• To form, strengthen or restore motor skills, which play an auxiliary, facilatory
role in perfecting sports ability.• To teach abilities developed insufficiently by the
given sport; increase the general work capacity or preserve it. • To provide active
rest, promote restoration after strenuous loading, and counteract the monotony of
training.
Many coaches and athletes don't believe in the benefits of GPP at all. Who are
the worst offenders? Are you sure you want to know? Bodybuilders and
powerlifters are by far the worst! They feel that all they have to do is train the
main lifts to get strong. This is why so many of them are out of shape. I was first
introduced to the concept of GPP a few years ago when Louie Simmons and I
made a trip to Pittsburgh to watch John Davies train several of his athletes. John
is a speed coach who was working with several players in Pittsburgh at the time.
I weighed about 305 with a 2100 pound total at the time of this trip. My total was
moving up but only by about five or ten pounds each competition. I knew I was
missing something but didn't know what it was. John was talking about how he'd
never met an American player who couldn't benefit from added GPP. He said
that just about every player he'd worked with was out of shape. American
coaches, he said, were too quick to do specialized drills or movements before
developing a solid base fitness level. Others athletes fail to maintain their fitness
levels as they move through the ranks. As we spoke I began to wonder if I'd lost
my fitness level over the years. I'd spent the last few years force feeding myself
to get my weight up and I only did those things I felt necessary in training. I didn't
want to burn any more calories then I had to. At about this time we decided to go
to lunch. The lunch hall was about a fourth of a mile away and up hill. John
decided we would walk. Even though we could see the hall I still wanted to drive.
About halfway up the hill I started to feel like I was going to die. By the time we
got to the top I was soaked in sweat and beet-red. I thought my heart was going
to pound through my chest. My question about GPP was answered. My GPP was
terrible and I was not only out of shape, I was way out of shape! I used to think
this was how you had to be if you wanted to lift big weights. What the hell do I
need to be in shape for if all I have to do is lift a weight that takes three to five
seconds to complete? On the way home Louie and I came up with a plan. We
knew endurance training (bike, treadmill, etc.) wasn't the ticket because it wasn't
bringing up any weak points and not specific enough to our sport. We had to find
a way to increase GPP while bringing up weak points.

The Solution: Sled Dragging

I decided to add in sled dragging six days a week with a few extra workouts.
Louie had been doing these extra workouts for about a year and I just dismissed
them as a waste of time. But the dragging sled could be used as a means of
increasing work capacity. The use of a sled has many benefits:
• The sled is easy to use and doesn't require a special trip to the gym. • The sled
is specific to the development of the special skills necessary for maximal
strength. (And by the way, we never run with the sled.)
• Many movements can be trained with the sled, some of which are listed below.
There are movements for the abdominals, shoulders, hamstrings, etc. Virtually
every muscle can be trained with a sled.
• The sled is a great way to induce active restoration. In many of the upper body
dragging movements, the eccentric is eliminated because of the nature of the
sled. This in turn is great for recovery because the tearing down of the muscle is
much less in concentric-only movements.

My training schedule before was as follows:

Monday: Max effort squat/deadlift day
Wednesday: Max effort bench press
Friday: Dynamic effort squat day
Sunday: Dynamic effort bench day
The new schedule would be built to bring up my weak points, namely my abs and
hamstrings. The new schedule looked like this:

MondayAM:
Max effort squat/deadlift day — This is the main training workout utilizing the
method of maximal exertion followed by supplemental and accessory movements
for the squat and dead lift. (See my past articles at T-mag if you're not familiar
with Westside training.)PM: Sled dragging, extra abdominal work and GHR (glute
ham raise) — This is an extra workout I added to increase my work capacity. The
sled work during this cycle was performed utilizing the empirical rule of 60% (see
below). My abdominals have always been a weak point so extra abdominal work
was also added into the weekly cycle..
Tuesday
Sled dragging — The main focus of this workout is restoration. I'll give a sample
workout below.

WednesdayAM:
Max effort bench press — This is the main bench press workout utilizing the
method of maximal exertion followed by supplemental and accessory
movements. PM: Sled dragging, extra abdominal work and pec-delt tie in — The
goal of this training session is much like the goal of the PM session on Monday.
Since I've torn both pecs, I added in some special movements to strengthen the
pec-delt tie in region.

Thursday
Sled Dragging, abdominal work — Again, the main focus of this workout is
restoration.

FridayAM:
Dynamic effort squat day — This is the main training day for the squat, utilizing
the dynamic effort method. The box squat would be trained followed by
supplemental movements for the squat and dead lift. No changes were made
during this workout.PM: Sled dragging, extra abdominal work and GHR — This
workout was designed to suit the same purpose as the Monday PM workout.

Sunday
Dynamic effort bench day — This is the main training day for the bench press,
utilizing the dynamic effort method. The bench press would be trained, followed
by supplemental movements for that lift. No changes were made during this
workout.

Sample Sled Dragging Movements

Around the waist forward dragging: This could be classified as the king of all
dragging exercises. Run a nylon strap through the sled with the other end
attached to a weight belt. Keep the belt one notch loose to allow for you to pull in
and expand your belly as much as possible. This will allow you to better push
your abdominals against the belt in the same fashion we advise for the power
lifts.
As you walk forward do so in an explosive, dynamic motion, driving into the belt
as you step. You should hear the forces snap the sled with each step. This is
much different than just walking forward. This type of dragging is great for the
development of the hamstrings and glutes.
Ankle dragging: This movement is great for the hip flexors and hamstrings. To
perform it you'll need to attach one nylon strap to the sled and pass a second
through the first for a "T" shape. Tie or loop the end of the second strap around
each ankle.
Start the motion in a split stance position and pull the back leg forward with a
slight bend in the knee. Concentrate on using the hip flexors and abdominals, not
the quads. This movement has had a profound difference on many lifters I've
consulted. It teaches them how to use their abdominals in a way that's conducive
to doing the squat.
Rope dragging behind the knees: This style of dragging will pulverize your
hamstrings. Attach the strap to the sled. Run a rope or another nylon strap
through the first. Face away from the sled and grip the second strap behind your
knees with a close stance. Stay in this semi-squatted position and walk forward.

Front raises: This has been one of the best and most successful things I've ever
seen for sore and damaged shoulders. It's helped more lifters get back to the
bench than any other movement. Attach one strap through the first in the same
manner as the ankle dragging. Face away from the sled and grab one strap in
each hand and walk forward while simulating a dumbbell front raise with the
straps.
Rear raises: This movement is performed the same as the front raise except
you'll be walking backwards and performing a rear raise. The benefit to these
front and rear raises is that the loading during the eccentric phase is taken away.
What you're left with is a concentric-only activity that causes little to no soreness.

Sample Dragging Workouts

Dragging for restoration — The basic guideline for restoration dragging is to
keep the load light and drag for a greater distance. The best distance I've seen
for this type of loading is 200 feet. A sample restoration workout is as follows:
1) Around the waist dragging: 90 pounds for 200 feet, rest 30 seconds and
return. This movement would be performed for four trips. (One trip equals 200
feet.)
2) Front Raises: Two trips, 200 feet with 35 pounds
3) Rear Raises: Two trips, 200 feet with 35 pounds
4) Ankle dragging: Two trips, 200 feet with 35 pounds

Dragging for strength — The best type of loading for strength is to drag
increasingly heavier weights for a shorter distance. The best distance we found
for this is 100 feet. A sample strength workout would look like this:

Around the waist dragging: Begin with 45 pounds and drag for 100 feet. Rest
30 to 45 seconds and return. Rest another 45 seconds and add another 45-
pound plate. Keep with this same distance and continue rest and loading pattern
until your body tells you to stop. When it comes to strength dragging, one
movement per workout is plenty.

2) Dragging using the empirical rule of 60%: The empirical rule of 60% is one
of the best ways to induce active restoration in the course of a micro cycle. The
best way to see how this system works is to look at an example of how it's used:
Day 1: Front raise dragging: 100 pounds for two trips of 100 feet.
Day 2: Front raise dragging: 60 pounds for two trips of 100 feet. You'll notice the
weight is 60% of the weight used on day one.
Day 3: Front raise dragging: 36 pounds for two trips of 100 feet. This time you'll
notice the weight is 60% of the weight used on day two.
These 60% drops are responsible for inducing a means of active restoration.
Restoration should be used in cycles throughout the year coupled with the
heaviest loading phases. You don't want to make restoration measures part of a
yearly cycle because it's important for the body to get sore and beat down at
certain times throughout the year. This is part of the training process we all
accepted a long time ago. You do, however, want to go into a meet as fresh as
possible.

Summary
I've presented just some of the possible GPP and restoration movements. It's
worked wonders for us at Westside and for the athletes I train. The added GPP
and hamstring development has improved many of our deadlifts and the upper
body work has helped more shoulder problems caused by overtraining than
anything else we've tried.
For more information on these movements or any of the others we perform,
contact us at EliteFitnesssystems.com or call 888-854-8806. We also provide a
quality sled and straps made for these types of movements.
If you'd rather make your own sled you can always get a used tire, cut a piece of
plywood to fill the center, then load rocks or other weight on top of it. For straps
you can either use a rope or call me for the straps we had made for ours. (We
have them made with extra large loops so you can get your feet through.)
Good luck dragging yourself into shape
Slide 26

EFS
Extra workout and recovery products

www.EliteFTS.com

For more information visit www.elitefts.com or call 888-854-8806

Slide 27

Sample Training Plan

Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun

Session GPP REST GPP REST GPP REST DEUB
1 MXLB GPP MEUB GPP DELB GPP

Session EXT PRO EXT PRO EXT

2 Strength REST Strength REST Strength
GPP GPP GPP

Session REST REST REST REST REST REST REST

3

www.EliteFTS.com

Dave’s training plan discussion

Slide 28

www.EliteFTS.com

Q and A

Articles

Store
www.EliteFTS.com

For more information visit www.elitefts.com

Q and A: We have over 7000 archived questions and answers on the web site
and update new questions on a daily basis.

Articles: You can find over 100 training articles on the web site

Store: You can find over 1500 hard to find products in our online store.
Slide 29

What will YOUR answer be?

www.EliteFTS.com

When your grandchildren ask “What did you do with your life?” What will you
say?

***Bonus Notes***

Sample 9 Week Program

This is an old program I wrote some time ago for many of my clients who were
just getting into this type of training. This program does not use chains or bands
because we did not use them at the time. I still use it as an introduction training
program.

Week 1

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Good Mornings: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max.
Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps. Stress the eccentric, try to get a four count
on they way down.
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps
Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Board Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max.
Lying Barbell tricep extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps
Push Downs: 3 sets of 10
One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM (45 to 60 sec rest between sets)
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg
Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps
Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 rep
Week 2

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Good Mornings: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps. Stress the eccentric, try to get a four count
on they way down.
Reverse Hypers : 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps
Straight Leg Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Board Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Lying Barbell Tricep Extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps
Push Downs: 3 sets of 10
One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 54 % of 1RM; (45 to 60 sec rest between sets)
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg
Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps
Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 3

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Good Mornings: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raises: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Reverse Hypers : 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps
Straight Leg Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Board Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Lying Barbell Tricep Extensions: 6 sets of 10 reps
Push Downs: 3 sets of 10
One Arm Press: 3 sets of 15

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 56 % of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
One Leg Squats: 4 sets of 10 with each leg
Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets of 6 reps
Barbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 15 reps
Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)
Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 4 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over Dumbbell Side Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 4

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Low Box Squat: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps
Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Floor Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10
Seated dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8
Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15

Day3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 60 % of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
* after your sets of box squats work up to a heavy double. This is not a maximum
attempt so do not miss the attempts.
Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps
Chest supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
Glute Ham Raise: 3 sets of 6 reps
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3
One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10
Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 5

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Low Box Squat: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps
Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Floor Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10
Seated Dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8
Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps
Chest supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
Glute Ham Raise: 3 sets of 6 reps
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
* after your sets of box squats work up to a heavy single. This is not a maximum
attempt so do not miss the attempts.
Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3
One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10
Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 6

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Low Box Squat: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps
Partial Deadlifts: 3 sets of 20 reps
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Floor Press: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you can no
longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and continuing
working up to a one rep max
JM Press: work up to 2 sets of 3 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 10
Seated dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8
Straight Leg Raises: 5 sets of 15

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 52 % of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
Reverse Hypers: 5 sets of 8 reps
Chest supported Rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
Glute Ham Raise: 3 sets of 6 reps
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Close Grip Bench Press: work up to 2 sets of 3
One Arm Dumbbell Extensions: 3 sets of 10
Front Plate Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Week 7
Day 1 (max effort squat day)
Good Morning Squats: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you
can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and
continuing working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps
Lunges: 4 sets of 10 reps (each leg)
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Ball Press: 3 sets of 20 reps (avg. rest period = 5 min)
Seated dumbbell Shoulder Press: 5 sets 10 reps
Incline Barbell Tricep Extensions: 5 sets 6 reps
face Pulls: 5 sets 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 54 % of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
* after your sets of box squats work up to a heavy double. This is not a maximum
attempt so do not miss the attempts.
Reverse Hypers: 4 sets 8 reps
Pull Downs: 3 sets 8 reps
Glute Ham Raise: 4 sets 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
* after your sets of box squats work up to a heavy single. This is not a maximum
attempt so do not miss the attempts.
Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 4 sets of 6 reps
Reverse Grip Push Downs: 3 sets of 15 reps
Front - Side - Rear Delt Combo Raise: 2 sets of 60 reps (20 each raise)
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets 10 reps

Week 8

Day 1 (max effort squat day)

Good Morning Squats: warm up doing sets of three reps until you feel that you
can no longer perform three reps. At this point drop the reps to one and
continuing working up to a one rep max
Glute Ham Raise: 5 sets of 5 reps
Lunges: 4 sets of 10 reps (each leg)
Reverse Hypers: 3 sets of 8 reps using the small strap
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps

Day 2 (max effort bench day)

Ball Press: 3 sets of 20 reps (avg. rest period = 5 min)
Seated dumbbell Shoulder Press: 5 sets 10 reps
Incline Barbell Tricep Extensions: 5 sets 6 reps
face Pulls: 5 sets 15 reps

Day 3 (dynamic effort squat day)

Box Squats: 10 sets of 2 reps with 62 % of 1RM ; (45 to 60 sec rest between
sets)
Reverse Hypers: 4 sets 8 reps
Pull Downs: 3 sets 8 reps
Glute Ham Raise: 4 sets 15 reps

Day 4 (dynamic effort bench day)

Bench Press: 10 sets of 3 reps with 60% of 1RM; use three different grips ; (45 to
60 sec rest between sets)
Dumbbell Tricep Extensions: 4 sets of 6 reps
Reverse Grip Push Downs: 3 sets of 15 reps
Front - Side - Rear Delt Combo Raise: 2 sets of 60 reps (20 each raise)
Pull Down Abs: 5 sets 10 reps

Week 9

Day 1 (max day) near end of week

Box Squat: work up to a 1 rep max
Bench Press: work up to a 1 rep max

* These maxes will be used as the 1RM for the next eight week cycle
Slide 30

Will you be a CHAMP or a

CHUMP ?

www.EliteFTS.com

Champ or Chump?