Journey to 210lb Standing Military Press

[beasty boy]

full ROM Mixed Grip Pull Ups @ 30lbs
23x1=23
15x1=15

full ROM Chin Ups @ 75lbs
5x1=5

full ROM Dips @ 75lbs
5x3=45

zercher squat/jump squat @ 150lb sandbag + 60lb vest
15x3=45

todays bw = 201lbs

Scrapped OHPs due to lower back discomfort... its ok because I got some pretty good volume in on pull ups/chin ups/dips... feeling much better... maybe this week coming up Ill scrap pull ups and dips and focus on OHPs and squats instead

[beasty boy]

By Mike Mahler


Well, you have the goal, now figure out how to get there on your own and let me know how it works out. Just kidding, I would never leave you hanging like that. Well, maybe just not this time. All right, lets look at some effective battle plans for ramping up your Clean and Press numbers.

Greasing The Groove (GTG)

Those of you that are regular readers of my articles now that I am a big fan of Pavel Tsatsouline's GTG program. In fact I used the GTG protocol when I trained for a Kettlebell Clean and Press contest I hosted earlier this year. It worked like a charm and I knocked out an all time best of 19 reps with two 70lb kettlebells. Many of my online clients use the GTG system to dramatically improve their numbers on exercise such as pull-ups and pushups.

Here is how it works, take 50% of your one set rep max and do several practice sets through out the day. For example, if you can Clean and Press two 70s for ten reps, do several sets of five through out the day. Leave at least thirty minutes in between each set. You want to be as fresh as possible for each set. If any of the sets of five come close to being difficult you are doing way too many sets or you are not leaving enough time in between each set. Each set should feel relatively easy. The point is to get better at the skill of the exercise. The more you practice the better you get. The better you get the more reps you can do. Sounds crazy? Look at how you learn any other skill such as playing the piano. Would you play the piano for three hours every Monday and then take the rest of the week off? Of course not. Daily practice of playing the piano is how you get better. Productive strength training is no different. Get great at the skill of executing the exercise and you will be amazed at what happens. Practice without burning out also makes your central nervous system (CNS) more efficient. The CNS has a great deal to do with productive strength training. Make the CNS more efficient and you will get stronger. This is one of the reasons why it is possible to get stronger without making the muscles bigger.

Here is a sample GTG plan to take a 10 rep max up to 20 reps. Scale the numbers up or down depending on your current strength levels:
•Week 1: 50% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 2: 60% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 3: 70% of one set max done four times per day
•Week 4: 80% of one set max done three times per day
•Week 5: 60% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 6: 70% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 7: 80% of one set max done four times per day
•Week 8: 70% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 9: 80% of one set max done four times per day
•Week 10: 70% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 11: 80% of one set max done four times per day
•Week 12: 90% of one set max done three times per day
•Week 13: 50% of one set max done five times per day
•Week 14: take a few days off and do a one set max test

A few more key points about GTG. Wait at least two hours after waking up to do your first set. The body is generally stiff and tight in the morning. Wait until you have moved around and gotten some blood moving to get the ball rolling. The last thing you need is for your first set to suck. How you feel on the first set will set you up for the rest of the day so make it a good one. On the other hand, your last GTG set should be no later than four hours before bedtime. The last thing you need is a CNS boost before hitting the sack. Do the GTG program a maximum of six days per week and for most five days per week is better. For example, do the GTG program Monday through Friday and then take the weekends off.

Since the GTG program is based on taking short "exercise breaks" through out the day it is a perfect fit for busy professionals. You could even bring two kettlebells to your office. Every hour or so take a break from pretending to work and knock off a set of Clean and Presses. By the end of the day it will add up and by the end of several weeks you will wonder why you did not think of taking exercise breaks sooner. There are no excuses for not training when you are cognizant of the GTG program.

For those of you that cannot knock off sets through out the day, try doing two to three sets of Clean and presses with five minute breaks once per day. While this is not as ideal as sets through out the day, it is certainly better than nothing.

One final point about GTG, it is a great program for increasing one set strength. However, it may not carry over to well to multiple set strength. In other words, while it is a great program for taking your 10 rep max to your 20 rep max, you may find that five sets of 12-14 reps are not happening. What is the bottom line? Training has to be very precise. If you want to increase your one set strength, GTG is the way to go. If you want to get better at multiple sets strength you need to practice multiple sets (Density Training below will work well for this).

For more information on the GTG program, check out Pavel's website at Powerbypavel.com.

[beasty boy]

Ethan Reeve's "Density Training"

I learned about "Density Training" from top Wakeforest University Strength Coach Ethan Reeve. Ethan is one of the best around and his "Density Training" program is a real winner. The Density Training program builds incredible work capacity and increases strength dramatically. Here is how it works. Pick your target goal. For example if you want to press two 70lb kettlebells 20 times, you will need to do 40 total reps per workout. This can be done one rep at time. For example forty sets of one with 30 second breaks. Or you can start with twenty sets of two or ten sets of four. Where you start is up to you. Regardless with "Density Training" all roads lead to the same end. And the end is more work achieved with less sets. Here is a sample program:
•Week 1: 20x2 (twenty sets of two)
•Week 2: 13x3 and 1x1
•Week 3: 10x4
•Week 4: 8x5
•Week 5: 6x6 and 1x4
•Week 6: 5x7 and 1x5
•Week 7: 5x8
•Week 8: 4x9 and 1x4
•Week 9: 4x10
•Week 10: 3x11 and 1x7
•Week 11: 3x12 and 1x4
•Week 12: 3x13 and 1x1

Thus with Density training the sets go down over time and the reps per set go up dramatically. In addition to developing strength you will increase work capacity and strength endurance tremendously. Mental toughness is also a strong component of Density Training so get ready to work hard. Leave at least 48 hours in between each session. For example, do your Clean and Press workouts on Monday and Thursday. When in doubt take an extra rest day where ever necessary. Do not do less than two Density workouts per week though. If you cannot handle it, stick with the GTG program, which is, not any where near as brutal.

Well now you have two proven plans for reaching your goal of achieving the Sig Klein Challenge and taking it even further. Of course there are numerous ways to achieve the goal. How do you incorporate the Clean and Press into your program? That is for you to find out on your own and for me to keep to myself ;-) Just kidding, I will cover that in the next issue and also go over some variety programs for the Clean and Press

[beasty boy]

Clean & Military Press
185x1
190x1
190x1
190x1
190x1
190x1

zercher squat/jump squats @ 150lbs sandbag
15x1=15
10x2=20

todays bw = 201lbs

tried hanging from the pull up bar for spinal decompression and it works really well. awesome

[beasty boy]

full ROM Mixed Grip Pull Ups @ 25lbs
25x1=25
18x1=18

full ROM Chin Ups @ 80lbs
5x1=5

full ROM Dips @ 80lbs
15x1=15
10x1=10
25x1=25

todays bw = 201lbs

[beasty boy]

full ROM Chin Ups @ 85lbs
5x3=15

full ROM Dips @ 85lbs
15x2=30
10x1=10

todays bw = 201lbs

a nice quickie

[beasty boy]

Clean & Military Press
170x7

Sandbag Lunge @ 150lbs
5x3=15

Sandbag Zercher carry/sprint @ 150lbs
1x4=4

HIIT SPRINTS
20 minutes

todays bw = 201lbs

[beasty boy]

Training Manual
Full ROM Dips @ 90lbs
15x1=15
10x2=20

Full ROM Chin Ups @ 100lbs
10x1=10
5x2=10

Todays bw = 201lbs

[beasty boy]

Full ROM Mixed Grip Pull Ups @ 65lbs
14x1=14
10x1=10

Full ROM Chin Ups @ 75lbs
5x1=5

Full ROM Dips @ 75lbs
20x4=80

Full ROM Dips @ 120lbs
1x1=1

Sandbag Lunges/Squats @ 150
10x3=30

Todays bw = 206lbs

[beasty boy]

Full ROM Mixed Grip Pull Ups @ 60lbs
15x1=15
10x1=10

Full ROM Chin Ups @ 85lbs
7x1=7

Full ROM Dips @ 85lbs
15x3=45
20x1=20

todays bw = 205lbs