Progressive Pulls

[ZKP]

I read about these some years ago in a John McCallum article. Try em sometime you feel hatefull......

It's basically a ramping up, tri-set of power cleans, barbell rows, and deadlifts. PC 3 rep's, row 3 rep's deadlift 3 rep's, then add weight. As things get to heavy, knock off the PC, then the rows then Deadlift for as many sets as your self loathing/commitment allows. Here's an example.

PC(x3)- 135, 155, 175, 185

Row(x3)-135, 155, 175, 185, 195, 205

DL(x3)-135, 155, 175, 185, 195, 205, 225, 275,....etc

I'm not sure if this is the same Rx he gave for exercise selection but everything from the nape of my neck to my heals is tired as hell......Would be a great option for an intermediate trainee that uses a split. Have fun.

[famendoza]

At the very minimum you'll get pulling practice with medium weight. Heavy weight, not so much (I bet the deadlift tapers out, not due to the heavyness itself, but because of the interleaved exercise selection). On the other hand, it may be a challenge thing to do - if your goal is to complete a given interleaved series of PCs, Rows, DLs, and you've laid out your weight and rep schedule, all you have to do is keep trying to meet that goal. Which is cool and fun.

Is there a time component? Is rep quality (aka grinding reps out vs nice crisp reps) accounted for? If not, I'd find something like this not so fun and kind of unbearable if every rep past my first or second interleaved set was a grind. The grind would also would be kinda crappy for form practice, unless you schedule it so that you only practicing form with light weights.

[ZKP]

I just rested whenever I needed/wanted, to keep from falling over and to keep things crisp. This is not cardio. First after the cleans, then the rows when they got heavy. The difference between your PC/BB Row failure and when DL's start to feel heavy should be pretty big, so i found the previous two movements didn't piss on the DL too much. Warming up the DL with PC's is not unheard of either. Plus it's nice to have the long gradual warm up for the DL. Just think one long, god awful, barbell complex all for your back, with a nice training max dl on top. The trick would be to start too light,placing the "grinders" out far enough so you can get enough quality sets in first. The fore mentioned numbers where just an example.... maybe ditch the triples and go to singles once the shit gets nasty so you can sneak a few more clean reps in. Once your form takes a shit, just drop it and go to focusing on the remaining lifts. Rep quality is the indicator for lowering the reps or dropping the lift from the complex, so yes, it is accounted for. Be sure to file this on a "training" day rather than a test day, because you'll be working with training weights rather than max (maybe), and it's probably not the best way to warm up a PR. Either way it's certainly "hard stuff" and will definitely stimulate beard growth/ball droppage.......

[famendoza]

Sounds similar to some other volume/form/intensity autoregulating concepts (laddering from Pavel/Shaf, that 50/20 Bryce Lane thing). Definately fun. I hear you on the PC->Deadlift warmup - that's what I've been doing on my 5/3/1 training. In fact - it's helped get PRs on full clean and jerk.

[Baker]

Marty Gallagher wrote an article on progressive pulls too, i believe it was 5 movements, but no super-setting.