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by Todd Bumgardner08/07/13
The Methods
The key with these lifts is picking the ones that work for you. Squatting jacks me up so I
don't do it, but I do two different deadlift variations per week. Find what works for you,
do it hard, and do it often.
Smashing Power: Whether it's to train a stronger deadlift, punch a guy's neck sideways,
or hit the tight-end so hard his dog dies, we develop power to smash. Like strength,
power is simple. Choose the right tools, with the right loads, and then demonstrate
violence.
The list of tools isn't expansive: Olympic lifts, jumps, sprints, throws. Pick the ones that
work well for you and do them with speed and intent. Intent, though, is the master.
Demonstrations of power begin with a conscious decision. In that instance you're the
baddest man on the planet and nothing can stop you.
If you can't Olympic lift, do loaded jumps. If sprinting is out of the question, jump. I don't
know of anyone who can't throw. My favorite combo is an Olympic lift from the hang and
a med-ball throw. For nasty power, this is my go-to.
Mobility Through Statics and Movement: As humans there are certain movement
competencies we should all meet. We should all be able to roll, skip, and crawl. The
toughest competency of all, though, is holding still.
There are thousands of specific joint mobilizations and stretches you could learn, but
instead we'll use iso-extreme holds to improve mobility and stability (more on this later).
This way we'll build competency with basic human movements. Do each with
consistency and you'll move and feel better than you ever have in your adult life.
Consistent Conditioning: Conditioning makes killers. I've talked at length with rugby
players and mixed martial artists about conditioning two groups of athletes that play
sports that require sustained output and work through pain and they all say the best
way to win is to be in better shape than your opponent. If you're sucking wind and
thinking about the burn in your legs you won't be inflicting damage.
It's helpful to think of conditioning as intensity built upon work capacity. Your aerobic
capacity allows you to recover between bouts of intensity. Some bouts, of course, last
longer than others. For sporting athletes, conditioning is specific to their task. The
modern savage, however, needs general conditioning.
Strength and power training aid in developing intensity, but certain conditioning is
necessary to bridge the gap between the energy systems. We'll build that bridge with
high-intensity anaerobic finishers.
Recovery Priorities: Moving well with strength is an injury prevention protocol unto itself.
Making recovery a priority, however, is paramount. Improve soft-tissue quality with good
nutrition, self myofascial strategies, and plenty of water. Fill your bathtub with ice and
cold water a few times per week and take a dip for ten minutes.
Injuries limit training potential. Doing the little things to prevent them is worth the extra
time.
Toughness in Training: If you've never been exposed to iso-extreme holds you're about
to be baptized by muscular fire. They burn, bad. Fifteen seconds into a set and you'll
start questioning your whole world.
Warm-up
Here's a warm-up you can do before every training session, regardless of what qualities
you're developing. It's mobility and movement competency condensed into a hard 10
minutes.
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Iso-Lunge Hold
1 min.*
Turkish Get Up
2**
Kettlebell/Dumbbell Swing
10
Bear Crawl
20 yd.
8*
Iso-Push-Up Hold
1 min.
Vertical Jump
5*
Power Skip
5*
Side Shuffle
10 yd.**
Wideouts
5 sec.
* each leg
** each side
If you've never seen an iso-lunge or iso-push-up hold before, here's what they look like:
Iso-Lunge:
Iso-Push-Up:
Upper-body
Exercise
Sets
Reps
RPE
Rest
5 min.*
**
Iso-Push-Up Hold
B1
3-5
3-5
1 min.
B2
3-5
3-5
1 min.
C1
Deadlift or Squat
3-5
3-5
6-7
1 min.
C2
3-5
3-5
6-7
1 min.
D1
3-5
3-5
D2
3-5
10-20 yd.
Row
3-5
5-8
7-8
1 min.
Finisher***
Sets
Reps
RPE
Rest
5 min.*
**
2-3 min.
Lower-body
Exercise
A
Iso-Lunge Hold
B1
3-5
3-5
1 min.
B2
3-5
3-5
1 min.
C1
Deadlift or Squat
3-5
3-5
6-7
1 min.
C2
3-5
3-5
6-7
D1
Squat or Deadlift
3-5
3-5
D2
3-5
10-20 yd.
Squat or Deadlift
3-5
5-8
Finisher***
2-3 min.
7-8
Work Capacity
Choose activities that you like for this. You can push a Prowler or your car. You can do
bodyweight exercise circuits or play with kettlebells. Ride your bike if you want to. All
that matters is you keep your heart rate between sixty and seventy-five percent of max
beats per minute for 30-45 minutes.
If your work capacity sucks i.e., any seemingly low-intensity activity shoots your heart
rate above 120 then do a few sessions per week. Just need maintenance? Hit one or
two sessions per week on off days. If you so choose, you can trade work capacity
training in for a finisher.
Finishers
1 min.
1 min.
Finishers are about intensity. Now is the time to imagine that you're in a fight to the
death. With intensity in mind, the possibilities for constructing an effective finisher are
vast.
Each set should have you working for 15 seconds up to 1 minute. Rest depends on your
fitness level and goals, but you'll do well to rest for as long, or twice as long, as the time
the set took you. Examples:
Barbell Complexes
These aren't new, but are you doing them? Think of them as the flurry of punches that
finishes a fight in the second round. You can do them for time or reps. Here's a solid
example:
A1. Deadlift x 10
A2. Hang Clean High Pull x 5
Dumbbell Complexes
Dumbbell complexes follow the same vein as barbell complexes, but because they're
unilateral they require twice the volume. They don't require the same intensity as a
barbell complex, but the volume increase adds a little nasty to the flavor. It also makes
them great for sustaining output. Think to yourself, "My initial assault didn't go as
planned, now I have to keep pounding." Keep the intensity up; don't slow down.
Example:
A1. One-Arm Snatch x 5
A2. One-Arm Press x 5
A3. Offset Squat x 10
A4. One-Arm Row x 10
A5. Suitcase Deadlift x 10
Switch hands and repeat
For this complex, choose a dumbbell that you can easily overhead press 10 times.
Movement Medleys
Use your bodyweight and move with speed and power. The key is intensity. Every
movement is done as forcefully, and as quickly, as possible. Example:
A1. Push-up x 10
A2. Burpee x 5
A3. Squat x 10
A4. Squat Jump x 5
A5. Pull-up x 5
The key with movement medleys is to not let your movement go to hell just because
you're going fast and you're tired. Go as fast as you can while moving well.
Savagery is a Mindset
The best exercises and configurations in the world aren't worth squat if you do them
half-assed. It's the intent that makes a savage.
That intent is focus deciding that you want to be more than some dork that pushes
pencils and keeps up with reality TV. That intent is a relentless assault on the mediocrity
most men embrace. While the training is physical, what it produces is internal. Savagery
is a mindset.
http://www.t-nation.com/training/fit-enough-to-fight