The concept of developing and exhibiting strength is not a modern phenomenon as it has been an aim of man for thousands of years. Traveling across the world through history from the ancient to the modern you can find documented references to weight lifting and feats of strength as holding an important and organized place in cu lture.
For example, Ancient Chinese documents highlight the g rowth of organized strength development from the Han in the 3rd century AD all the way through the Qing in the 20th century AD. During this time weightlifting examinations were not only included in the testing of military cadets but the methods were scientifically formalized.
Their weights were built according to prescribed specifications and their dumbbells and weight bars would have not been out of place in our modern gyms. While on the other side of the world ancient Greeks and Romans were dissecting physical exercise in a scientific manner like they did everything else.
The G reeks and Romans were well known for breaking down tra ining and studying the different components of effective training such as diet, periodization, recovery ti me, and type of exercises in order to reach their potential.
Today our modern thinkers a re carryi ng on the tradition of applying a scientific approach but with even greater knowledge about what it takes to reach our pinnacle of strength and power.
During my career as a coach, trainer, and educator I have encountered a handful of individuals who I knew would have an impact on the world a round them. These individuals possessed the focus, drive, and energy to go beyond the norm in their quest for excellence in the pursuit of their goals and d reams. Jim Wendler was one of those individuals. I met Jim in the summer of his eighth grade year and over time realized that this young man tru ly desired to reach his potential and was willing to vii put in the work to do so.
He possessed the same desire that I had to develop and maximize strength, speed, and power for athletics and the pure joy of training. He was extremely goal oriented yet didn't limit his potential with predetermined barriers or the fear of failure. As time went on Jim understood the necessity of being i ntentional in his training and has never looked back. We would then i mplement these sessions charting our successes and failures so we could adapt them constantly looking for the g reatest gains.
J i m and I would hang out in the back hallway d iscussing a nd planning how to implement what we knew at the time. Although our sources were limited, our i ntensity and desire was high and we were able to devise some creative and effective workouts that were not common for the day.
At this point, I knew then that Jim would continue to pursue his endless quest to be stronger, faster, and more explosive but even more so to understand the scientific methodology of the masters of the field and then apply it to his training. He has not only quested to reach his greatest levels of strength and power but has also continued to be a student, an empty cup, in seeking and gathering all of the scientific and experiential knowledge available related to the a rt of tra ining.
J im's workouts and training methods are the results of his passion and life's quest to master this art. Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men. Many changes have happenend since I developed the program in but the core principles rema in the same.
Th is book has many different programs that I have done myself or have have written for other athletes and lifters. Every single program has been tested and re-tested with one thing in mind : to make you better. A well-balanced program need not be complex - if your goal is to do "x" there is no reason to do a lot of "y': If you a re doing more of "a" then you should be doing less of "b': Its common sense as you have a finite amount of time and energy. If you are a young athlete looking to make yourself better; don't be overwhelemed and do not think you need to do everything at all times.
Take small steps each day and keep you r head down. Look at your feet move forward. The moment you look up at the horizon is the when you lose your balance and stumble. If you a re a young coach and hope to work with athletes at a high level, start writing, programming and volunteering. Chal lenge you rself physically as you should never expect your athletes to do what you have not done.
This g ives you perspective and respect. We a re some of the smartest and dumbest people on this earth. Use your experience and knowledge to stay healthy and help others i n you r community.
If you are new to all of this, welcome to the start of the journey! Training will transform you, physically and mentally. It g ives back to you and often times, breaks you. If you have the patience and resolve to stick with it, great things can happen. I encourage everyone to find whatever program spea ks to you, fits your goals and your l ife. The best program you will ever do is the one that you believe in. And I still believe in the four principles that originally guided the program.
I n fact, these principles have helped guide me in every a rea of training. They keep me headed "truth north:' They are the rudder that allows me to steer in rough seas. At some point, everyone that is serious about their training has to raise the flag, throw down their sword and exclaim, "This is what I believe in:' I see too many people who are simply floating around, grasping at the latest and greatest and proclaiming allegiance to whatever trend or idea is most popular.
Many make a good case and some are worth examining. But at the end of the day, you r success is what matters. And if you have strong core principles you can assess the good and the bad, take the good things and a pply them to your training. But without principles, you'll a lways wander. And you'll shortchange you rself, your progress and your goals. Mencken wrote, "Every normal man m ust be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats:' Perhaps a little d ramatic for our purposes, but understand that training can be more than just squatting and pushing the Prowler.
It can help every area of you r life: It can help you understand the relationship between work and results; bridge the gap between mental and physical strength; and learn how to set, work for and reach goals. And if you can learn the importance of training principles, you may find that similar guiding principles for your life can be equally effective. Those of you that have read my other books know the first four: Start too light, progress slow, use m ulti-joint movements and set PRs.
The fifth principle, balance, makes the program work for every training goa l for sports and for life. Too many people a re trying to do too much too soon. We all know Rome wasn't built in a day, and it wasn't built in a year either. By starting too light you a llow you r body and mind to adapt and build a training callous. Starting light is like performing a flying yard dash; it helps build momentum.
The tra ining max TM is not your actual max or your estimated max. The easiest way to figure you r estimated max is to use this formula: weight lifted x number of reps performed x. So if you performed for 8 reps: x 8 x. So x. We will discuss later what train ing max you should choose.
Starting too light is common sense for a beginner lifter; they don't have the mental or physical strength to handle heavier weights. For a more advanced lifter, starting too light gives them an opportunity to keep building their strength base without risk of injury or stagnation.
This principle allows you to use the correct weights, with the correct speed and also allows you to account for good and bad days. Thanks in large part to my father and Darren Llewellyn, I squatted, did cleans, deadlifted and ran and jumped.
I played multiple sports and was always competing. I d id thi ngs all kids who want long-term successful training careers should do. But I made some mistakes too. The biggest mistake I made was trying to fit 4 years of training into 1. And I see this attitude in every single beginner-"let's find a way to put as much weight on the bar as soon as possible:' While admirable, it's ignorant.
It's not looking long term, and I'm not even tal king about 20 years. I'm talking 4 or 5 years. Let's say you have a young high school kid who is pretty damn weak. Instead of rushing to add weight to the bar, he should use sub-maximal training to help reinforce form and build strength. He doesn't need to max out every workout. He will still work hard but not so hard that it interferes with the overall training goal.
A wide base includes doing things other than squatting. This is where the other movements, exercises and areas will come into play. In short, building this base correctly will g ive a young l ifter the g reatest chance at long-term success.
Now you a re free to increase less than this, but never more. Progressing slow, even for a more advanced l ifter allows for more progress over a longer period of time. Plateaus happen very often the stronger you get. Vincent Dizenzo is fond of saying that "the stronger you get, the harder training gets:' By inching forward, day after day, you set yourself up for a new PR. These two principles, start light and progress slow, work in tandem and need each other to succeed.
Too many people see training as testing. A workout isn't a test. Just because you don't handle maximal weig hts, day in and day out, doesn't mean you aren't getting stronger. While some may add a few lifts to this list, it is hard to a rgue with. These lifts are efficient - they build g reat strength i n a variety of muscles. They are a lso g reat for developing muscle mass.
These a re all simple, efficient and effective ways for you to become stronger. And"stronger" doesn't j ust mean adding weight to your squat. It covers other areas as well: mobility and cond itioning. A truly strong person is strong in all these areas. And the best way to do this is to not waste your time. While the fads and trends come and go in this industry, it always comes back to a few basic ideas no matter the end goal.
Young lifters set PRs at an alarming rate; their bodies a re changing and adapting to the training and the em phasis on eating rig ht. For the most experienced lifter, PRs a re harder to come by, and thus, he learns a great appreciation for them. But one must understand that they do not happen all the ti me. Sometimes you fail. And that's not a sign of getting weaker or that you need to scrap all of your training.
The stronger you get, the longer you do this, the harder it becomes; And once you get to this point, there is very little linear progress in the short term of training. Think about you r training l ife as a large graph, representing your progress on the main lifts. If you take many steps back, the line will be a gradual increase from the time you began lifting to the present. Now if you zoom in and look at a small portion of the graph, there will be many peaks and valleys.
This is where people spend too much time; they a re too worried about today and not about the bigger picture. Don't get too wrapped up when looking at the progress too close-shit happens all the time.
Dave Tate once said that "the average life of a 'fitness enthusiast' is a round three years, then they move on to something new:' That's okay, we all have a few hobbies we didn't stick with.
Just check you r basement or closet for some of your failed interests. But perhaps not so coincidentally, three years is also about the time things get really hard with lifting weights and the physical changes and strength gains really slow down. There's nothing wrong with being frustrated with a lack of progress. But if you remain positive in your m ission, the big breakthrough will come.
I've been working with this one guy for years. He of course made great progress in the beginnin g. That period, of course, is then followed by a whole lot of very average days. It's the average days that result in the paydays, because the longer you do this thing, the more average days you have-along with some very bad days. You have to learn to keep the faith and persevere. It may not be every day, every week or even every training cycle, but if you embrace the work, you will enjoy the success of setting PRs.
And a PR is much more than just doing a one-rep max: an extra rep or five extra pounds on you r 10RM is you getting better and getting stronger; training for and reaching a conditioning challenge is a PR. I want you and others to know the joy of succeeding from hard work. A PR doesn't always have to be a true personal record. On every PR set, I coach others and myself to have a goal for the set.
You aren't always going to do better than last time and those days, you must still push the set hard. Prior to your PR set, make sure you have a definitive goal in mind, which may i nclude effort, bar speed and form. Always leave a rep or two in the tan k and be sure to stop the set when you r form is compromised.
Perform every rep as explosively as possible- this has the g reatest potentia l for strength gains. Lower the bar as slowly as needed to maintain great form and put yourself in the correct position and ascend as fast as possible while still being under control. I see too many people, especially during their warm-up, lift the barbell fast but with no control - they look like an out-of-control piston.
This is usually a result of knowing the idea of "lifting fast" but not u nderstanding the idea of total control. And let's all be honest, if a lifter bench presses pounds, lifting 95 pounds in a sloppy, fast manner does nothing to impress others and most importantly, the load is too light to even illicit strength gains.
And the idea of "priming the CNS" with such light weig hts is ridiculous - that is why we jump, bound and throw heavy objects before training.
In other words, there are better ways of achieving this goal. You will never have perfect form when lifting, especially during a very hard set. Mark Rippetoe once said, "The perfect is the enemy of the good:' This becomes especially true once you are no longer a beginner and have built a strong base of strength in your entire body, not just a couple of lifts. This is one reason why a l ifter or athlete must have a strong base of different skills and training; a balanced, front-loaded approach to all areas of training gives a lifter a better chance at long-term success.
Some athletes will need more areas. And some people will need more of one a rea. But regardless of the situation, all of these areas have to be part of a program. Balance doesn't mean equal time or equal weight.
Rather, balance is a bout making sure each area doesn't drop off to such a degree that it i nterferes with your progress. The big problem is that people get pulled in every different direction in regards to balance. Hell, if you believe half the shit people write, N O ONE is able to lift unless they pass mobility tests.
But if you stay with tra ining long enough you'll know an undeniable truth: a l ittle bit goes a long way. Are you stiff and sore? Perform the Agile 8, two times per day.
It takes 10 minutes or so to com plete each session and in less than two weeks, you'll feel better. So even if you a ren't excited to do some of the things, it doesn't require much more than discipline to be com mitted to your success.
All of these work together. The better condition you are in, the better your recovery and the easier your strength training workouts.
Mobility work will allow you to achieve comfortable and strong positions in the main lifts and help you recover better between sessions. The better you recover, the easier your training will become.
None of these exist independently, and all of them are essential to your success. This is, generally, barbell work that is the same lift as the main lift or a slight variation.
For example, the incline press is a supplemental movement of the bench press and press. Assistance work can be multi-joint or isolation exercises that help assist the main l ifts and supplemental lifts. Examples are chin-ups, dips and abdominal work. Easy condition ing is aerobic work that doesn't affect your strength training. For years, the warm-up prior to training was given bottom billing, sometimes not even on the undercard.
There was even people writing that you should be ready for "battle;' aka training at all times - we can safely assume that the people that say this are pretty damn weak and slow. Well, of course you don't need much of a warm-up if you only squat pounds and measure you r m time with a calendar. Then the pendulum swung to the other side and there a re people that barely train yet do a m inute mobility session.
They think every part of their body must be aligned with their spine AN D the stars prior to even picking u p a barbell. As Brad Arnett once told me, "At some point, you a re going to need to lift something heavy:' And as always, the answer l ies somewhere in the middle. The most important thing about your warm-up and mobility work is consistency. Some people may need more work than others but if you consistently do a 1 minute warm-up prior to training, that's more than most will ever need.
Now if you ignore this for a long time, you may need some more work but like magic, once you catch up you'll only need that small window. It's all about consistency. Common sense tells us the teenager needs less of a warm-up than the year-old lifter who has squatted every week for 25 years. The older lifter has a few more miles on his body, and it takes some time to oil the joints. But this doesn't mean the younger l ifter abandons the warm-up; if he continues training for his entire life the interest he will build by consistently doing something will last long until his twilight years.
And I know there are a lot of older lifters reading this and saying, "Jim is right. If I had given only 10 minutes every day devoted to warming up, thi ngs would be very different right now:' So if you a re a younger lifter who has ignored this area of training, take some advice from people that have actually done something: start making your warm-up a habit today.
Warming up doesn't have to include a million movements or require a special degree from Harvard. Joe Defranco wrote a simple program called the Agile 8. You perform the following movements prior to training: l IT Band foam roll x passes per leg. Adductor foam roll x passes per leg. S Fire hydrant circles, 10 forward and backward circles with each leg.
Obviously the Agile 8 isn't the only warm-up you can do. The key is finding something you will do consistently. Th is usually takes minutes and never done in a way to make me tired. A jump rope is an inexpensive option and anyone can do it This doesn't usually change.
Here is the exact warm-up I did this week. I did this three times through with an emphasis on control and being as slow as possible. It's not a bout doing a lot of reps, rather it's about doing the reps slow and doing them correctly. If you don't have access to anyth ing fancy, use some basic calisthenics and bodyweight movements to warm-up.
In genera l, we stay away from a nything that is weighted, except for the sled and Prowler. We strive for ful l range of different movements, especially with the legs. You want to do something for the front lunge or one-leg squat and something to the side hurdle duck-under or Cossack squat and do some kind of bodyweight squat.
We also like to do anything that requires getting on the ground and getting off the ground-push-ups, roll-overs or very light Turkish get-ups. Bottom line: move in different directions and be slow and controlled. Anytime you perform a hard conditioning session or lifting session, you should do a warm-up. Don't rush it and don't ignore it - be slow and be consistent.
Quality beats quantity every single time. I believe that using j umps and throws are essential to any total training program, provided they are programmed and performed correctly. Jumps and th rows don't need to have a performance goal each training session. Rather, I want you to have a consistency goal. Don't worry too much about how high a box you jump on or how far you throw the ball.
J ust aim to do some kind of jump or throw before every tra ining session. Besides just being fun to do, there is a practical reason to do these before you train. In simple English, performing an explosive exercise prior to training helps "turn your body on'. Now if you grew up training in the 80's and 90's, you most certainly heard of doing this. It made a big splash in athletics and plyometrics became the big buzzword. Of course, people began over using them, abusing them, and as the fitness pendulum swung the other way, pretty soon you weren't a llowed to do them until you squatted 8 m illion pounds.
I swear someone made up a rule that said you couldn't do any jump training u nless you achieved a squat of twice you r bodyweight. This became law for some. For the rest of the people who didn't bite their tongue every time they ate, the realized how silly this rule was.
Let's use a year-old kid - he j umps up and down and runs. He flies off the couch, off play ground equipment and off the make sh ift Pro Wrestling ring he and his friends made. Fast forward 2 years later when he begins to lift with his older brother and he is no longer a llowed to even swipe at a dust bunny hanging off a ceiling fan.
Remember that jumping on a box is NOT a plyometric movement. Plyometrics involve some kind of stretch or rebound. A simple box jump from a standing position is not plyometrics.
To illustrate the difference between the two, here is the best analogy: imagine throwing a ball on top of a box. That is a box jump. Now imagine bouncing that same ball on the ground and bouncing it on top of the box.
That is plyometric. It's a crude analogy but it is easy to imagine. Everyone can jump and throw. If you've been lifting weig hts, you can hop on a box, and you can toss a med icine ball explosively. This is the best way to learn how to gather your strength and speed power and generate it for one purpose. It is an amazing teaching tool for coaches of young athletes - there is a n immediate goal and you cannot jump onto a reasonably high box slowly.
You have to be fast. It is a lmost dummy proof. Conversely, not everyone should be doing plyometrics, at least not with jumping. It is incredibly stressful and should be reserved for athletes that N EED to do them and can do them. For the most part, the average person does not need to do them. There is l ittle reward for such a large risk. This is due to the high amount of stress on the body, namely the calves, knees and ankles. Before we get to the movements and the programming, let's address what you shouldn't do.
There may be a practical to reason to use high-rep jumps as part of an advanced, specific training program for a specific individual. But I can assure you that it is NOT for getting stronger, getting in better condition or even improving your jumping ability. You know when you start dating someone and you have a general list of thi ngs that a re deal breakers or litmus tests?
For exam ple, how one treats his parents or if they ever want kids. Well, high-rep box jumping is one of my litmus test to determine Training IQ. Not so much for the ones doing it, but the ones that a re programming it and getting paid to do so. If high-rep box jumps were a medical procedure, it would be a kin to bloodletting to balance bodily humors.
You don't need to do a 7-foot depth jump to get better. So do what is a ppropriate for your skill level. You won't ruin your strength doing jumps and throws prior to training. Apparently, some people a re so out of shape that doing 3 sets of 5 box jumps makes them weaker. If this is you, suck it up and get in better shape. This is not about reaching the YouTube Olympics, it is about improving you r training.
You r manliness is not being measured by the weight of the medicine ball you throw. For the majority of males with some strength tra ining background, a pound medicine ball will suffice. My general rule is to do jumps or throws prior to each training session but this will always change depending on what you are doing in the weight room.
Make sure you have adeq uate rest between each throw and jump. Do them right. So while a box jump is an awesome test, it isn't the u ltimate test of lower body explosiveness. The box jump is i ncredibly easy to perform and is exactly what it sounds like: you jump onto a box. Use you r arms as part of the jump remember jumps and throws a re a total body exercise and try to land soft.
Landing soft is a great way to learn how to be explosive tight! Once you land on the box, either step down or jump down.
Personally, I like to jump down and stick the landing position and then reset for the next jump. The height of the box doesn't have to be a max jump every time. Nor do you have to go through some height progression from workout to workout - let that come naturally. You want to pick a box that you can make but still requires full effort to get onto.
The point of the box jump is not to jump on the highest box possible; rather, it is a way to turn your body on for the lifting session. This isn't hard to figure out if you are a coach with some experience. If you a re a coach or athlete that doesn't have a lot of experience, just start with a low box and progress slowly over a several weeks. You don't have to go crazy when you first begin j umping, and it's not a good idea to test a box jump max the first day.
This is especially true when training younger or weaker athletes. If you are training yourself, think about it this way - you wouldn't try to bench press pounds the first day you come into the weight room. You start with the bar and work up slowly. Use the same common sense approach when jumping. Remember turning on your nervous system isn't separated i nto u pper and lower body. Box jumps are a great way to prime your body for pressing and bench pressing.
If doing box jumps exclusively for you r jump training, I recommend sets of reps. You can change the box height between each set, and I always recommend the first sets being lower than the last sets.
Again, this is just common sense. To perform, start with both feet planted in a comfortable jump position. Swing you r a rms back naturally and push you r hips back and bend your legs. Push forward and up and jump for distance. Be sure to stick the land i ng after each jump. This means land strong on both feet and don't fall forward or backward. Land with as much knee bend as you need. Stand up and reset for the next jump. If using these exclusively for your jump training, I recommend doing 5 sets of 3 jumps.
A good way to add some incentive to each set is to put 2 cones down. The first is where you begin your set of 3. The second cone is where you'd like to land your final jump. This gives you something to shoot for and makes it a bit more competitive with yourself. These can be a bit more stressful than box j umps due to the impact of the landing. Still the majority of people can handle the standing long jump, and it is far from being a n advanced movement. This is more stressful than the box jump as the landing is much more stressful.
The bigger the top surface, the harder it is to get over. In other words, you have to jump over and across. If you a re new to this, limit the work to 3 sets of 3 reps. Once you get used to it, you can use the same protocol as the box jumps. Bounding is simple: you spend little time on the ground. The ground contact is m inimal and you should a ppear like a rabbit on hot coals.
You do not land flat footed when you bound - you only stick the final jump. You m ust land on the balls of you r feet and keep you r body under control. This becomes very tricky if you don't have the balance or you out jump your body. Too many people find themselves falling forward when they are bounding and lose a lot of power during the transfer.
The point is not so much getting distance between each jump but to keep the ground contact minimal. With that being said, you will get more power into the g round the farther you jump.
So it becomes a balancing game-literally and fig uratively. When you first try this, aim for shorter jumps and concentrate on minimizing ground contact and keeping your body under control. Be sure to use your a rms. Bounding is when jumping becomes a bit more stressful to the body, especially the ankles and knees. This is not required for everyone!
First is to set u p two boxes. Stand on one box and step off do not jump off. Land on two feet and jump onto the other box.
The boxes should be about feet away from each other. You do not land flat footed - land on the balls of you r feet and bound onto the box. This will require some practice to get the timing down - and again, be sure to use your a rms.
Now when you first try this, the box you step off of should be shorter than the box you jump on. For example, step off a 12" box and bound onto a 30" box. The higher the box you step off of the more energy you can a bsorb and the higher you can jump. However, it becomes infinitely more stressful and very d ifficult. Use this method with caution. The best I did was in high school. The second way to do this is to set up 5 boxes in a row, with feet between them. Jump onto the first box, stick the landing, stand up and step off the box.
Land and bound onto the second box. Repeat until you stick the final landing. You can vary the box height from box to box. Aga in, this can be very stressful so it is not for everyone. I recommend no more than 15 contacts per session. Set up 5 hurdles with appropriate distance between them; you will have to judge the distance based on your own needs. Jump over the first hurdle and bound over the rest, minimizing ground contact. This is incredibly stressful and requires very strong ankles and knees.
It also requires a certain rhythm. We did these during the track season with my mentor and discus coach, Darren Llewellyn. These became the staple jump during this time, and we worked up to 10 high hurdles. Sometimes I cannot believe the stuff we used to do. But understand that this was not something for beginners-all of us did a lot of box jumping and bounding prior to this.
If you dowbload choose to use a pause in your training, lots of info on equipped lifting if that's your thing, and I admit that. These concepts are nothing new. Don't relax anything. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Author: Jim Wendler Pages: Please note that in order to proceed through checkout and download the eBook, it will be necessary to create a customer account.
This allows you to access up to 5 total downloads. Qty Add to Cart -OR-. This is not a fancy training program that requires special equipment or Master's degree - all that's required is your dedication to moving more weight than you had ever dreamed.
Comparing Rep Maxes How do you compare your 6-rep max to your 3-rep max. For upper body, be sure to do some extra upper back work face pulls. The deadlift suit is really a series of compromises with the fit until you get confidant and strong enough to use a tighter suit. When you push hard into the suit, good things can happen, your body will get used to waking up and you will wake up hungry.
Another unique feature is that final balls-out set in each workout. After a week. You have to keep inching forward. I'm glad you find it helpful. Scroll down to watch the video and get the Jim Wendler 5 3 1 workout spreadsheets. Benefits of these spreadsheets include but are not limited to….
Check it out and then download the spreadsheets below it. Total time: About 8 minutes. AND… I still hate spammers and they should all be beat profusely about the head and shoulders with a blunt object. I'm lazy. I'm also a real computer geek. Hence, it was easier for me to write the Javascript and PHP code for this page than to learn how to use Excel. The only change I made to the calculator after reading this newer book was adding the "Powerlifting" option to it.
You'll have to calculate what to lift when you get closer to a meet yourself. I'm not going to tell you how to use this page. If you've read either one of Wendler's books, you should be able to figure it out. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Your email address will not be published.
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