If you're not squatting you're wasting your time

Lunges, split squats, single-leg RDLs, step ups and the like are all pretty much a waste of time. Just squat.

                              Hey look! It's the obligatory Paul Anderson picture!


I know it's in vogue to praise the deadlift, but how many people can deadlift with any real frequency?
Not many. While the deadlift is an awesome movement, it isn't as useful as the squat in terms of mass building, weight loss or strength. You can train the squat as much as you want. Literally. Ask John Broz about that.
The deadlift is another matter altogether. I've tried high volume deadlifts with no success. Many "Hardcore/Functional/Spartan/lame-ass" gyms like to give the deadlift exorbitant praise because they're probably too incompetent to teach (or perform, themselves) a full squat. It doesn't take a lot of practice to learn, it can be performed day in and day out and it will do pretty much anything you want it to do, be that gain or lose weight.


If you're sitting at your computer reading this, thinking "I can't do a full squat!" then you should probably get a new hobby... or try this stretch that helped me:

 

 I used to hold on to a beam to force myself into a squat.

And don't round your back like this idiot. 

Focus on keeping a tight arch in your lower back.

 

When being "good" just isn't enough...

This blog will be dedicated to lifting, my opinions, my opinions on lifting and not being a total failure.
Things you sure as hell won't see on this blog:

-"Functional" fitness (whatever that means...)
-HIT training
-light weights
-inspirational "mindset" posts
-isolation movements
-machines
-kettlebells
-Vibrams
-5x5
-low volume
-"Hardgainers"
-bodybuilding
-being a useless waste
-vegan bullshit or anything similar
-the movie "300," "Spartan training" or any of that other silly bullshit
-"innovative exercises"
-pullup obsession
-squatting less than 3 times a week (minimum)
-"core"
-muscle confusion

Now, on to more important matters...

Since this blog is about lifting, I might as well give you the rundown on my current routine:

Day 1 - Press (Olympic style) and Squat (Olympic style)
Day 2 - Power Clean and Squat

Alternate days 1 and 2 every day, basically.
That's right, no pullups, rows, lunges, abz, curls or the beloved bench press.
The bench makes my shoulders pop and feel less than optimal. I am not a powerlifter, nor do I ever plan to compete in the sport (it's hardly a sport anymore with the wraps and suits...) so I see no reason to do the flat bench press.
If you're wondering what the Olympic Press is, it's an overhead lift that resembles a military press.
The similarities end there. To find out more about it, look at some of the posts over at Anthony Ditillo's blog "The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban." (It isn't a gay porn site, trust me.)

Here's a picture of the Olympic Press:

                                              (I don't lean back quite that far.)


My reps hardly ever exceed 5. I generally use singles, doubles and triples, except on power cleans, which are done for singles and only singles. No "metcon" bullshit. I lift to max every workout because my max is different every session. I don't shoot for a PR every day, but I do lift to my maximum for that particular day. (It's called a circa max. You can read about it in numerous weight training books.)
That's my program and I'm sticking to it for not 4 weeks, 6 weeks or even 8 weeks, but indefinitely.
I want to improve on these lifts and only these lifts so why would I switch after a month? Because Westside told me to? Because some goofy moron on TV told me about MUSCLE CONFUSION!? Muscles don't get confused. I don't need to switch movements to prevent "overtraining." Why do lifts that don't have a full carryover to the lifts I want to improve? And this silly overtraining bullshit is ridiculous; if I'm tired my daily max will reflect this, thus keeping me out from under weights I can't lift, if I continue to feel tired I'll just eat more and/or sleep more. Problem solved.

So, now you know what I do. In future blog entries I'll discuss things that really piss me off.

It's time you stopped sucking and started being better than you were before you read this.