Revisited-Never Before Karwoski Training Footage

This is never before training footage of Kirk Karwoski training for his Raw AAU Meet in 2004. I also have the footage of the meet. I will put that up in a few days.

A little background here: Kirk trained and lifted in this meet "raw" , which he defines as "wearing just a belt". Kirk weighed 252 in this footage.

He squats 545, 675 and 745.

His last heavy squat workout was 2 weeks earlier, where he did 815x1. He was jumping 20lbs every other week in the squat.

Between those weeks, he would take 80% of the planned 20 lb jump and just perform a single. He felt like this kept himself "feeling" the weight without taxing him too much. For example, if he did 700x5, and 2 weeks later planned for 720x5, he would just single 575 the week after 700x5.

For the bench press, he goes, 225, 405, 445 and 485. He had a "very inflamed rotator cuff which was a nightmare". He benched 505 a month earlier.

On the deadlift, he does 495, 585, 675. The week before, pulled 785.

He only trained once a week for this meet, doing all three lifts on one day.

Dwell in the process

By Cristi Bartlett

For every rep gained or every rep missed you learn something. Sunday night, one may have slipped up and had 8 vodka drinks and the next day missed rep after rep on their praised deadlift. But a week later, one had 4 vodka drinks and absolutely smoked every single rep prescribed. What does one learn? One, vodka makes you strong and two, 8 drinks is too much, and well, 4 drinks is just right. It could be that one finds themselves failing at the top of their bench press for a few reps. Could it be that one may need to focus a little more on their lockout. There was a weakpoint and through and imperfect lift, one learned to make this weak point a strength. What about crushing 6 heavy singles with a focus on set up but then turning around and having 4 shitty reps without set up anywhere in thought. One learns that set up is crucial to the success to that lift.

My point is, without these experiences one cannot become a better lifter; For every experience had there is a wealth of knowledge to accompany it.

We all want to get to the end point. We all want to win the game. We all want the400lb bench press, the 500lb squat and the 600lb deadlift. But what about the 350lb bench, the 470squat, or the 510 deadlift, or better yet the next play in the game. It’s the process that allows one to get to the ultimate goal. So dwell in it. As I said before, for every missed rep and every rep gained, one learns something. There is a hellacious amount of growth to be found in imperfection. It is the process that makes us monsters. Itis the process that makes us better. Find joy where you are in the process

Bully Crusher

When I was growing up in the 70's in Adelphi, Md, a suburb of Washington DC, I had to deal with some of my sister's friends. She is three years older than me and she used to take me everywhere. The problem was that some of her guy friends were grade "A" jerks. Now, I was just just a little kid, 8 years old or so. They delighted in messing with me, picking on me, constantly f***king with me.

I remembered every slight, every smartass remark, everything they did to me that made me feel less than human. I swore when I got older, when I got bigger, they would pay. Most of those guys were just druggies, burnouts, scum of the earth. It put a chip on my shoulder that remains to this day when I feel slighted.  I did find one of them, years later, and when I hit him, he had no idea why I was doing it. He had that look on his face, a surprised, scared look. I remember exactly where it was, his name, all of it. The other ones? They ended up dead, in jail, who knows. They deserved what they got, whatever they got.

So the other day, my 5 year old son was playing with some older kids, and they were making fun of him. They were making him look for a football somewhere hidden in the woods. And he was innocent, he was looking for it to please them. He didn't even know that they were messing with him. But when I saw him looking outside, running around and the older kids laughing, It brought back all of those memories of when I was a kid,it brought back the  pure hate that I felt from those days. I explained to those kids with a quiver in my voice, that one day my son will be so big and strong that when they saw him coming, they will all run away as fast as they can run.

I told my wife that I was getting ready to lose it. I have learned that about myself. Tell somebody before I lose it. I was going to go after the kid's dad, explain to him in no uncertain terms that the behavior from his kids was unnacceptable. That he was now going to pay for it in some way.

My wife talked me down. I'm glad that she did. I grabbed my son and hugged him. He still wanted to play, he didnt get it. I am glad that he didnt , because he wouldve been crushed.

All I can do is teach him the right way to do things, to be kind to others, especially those younger or less fortunate than him. And to always, always, stick up for himself. And to never take sh*t from anyone, ever.

Nobody Really Cares

by Stephen Brindle

Nobody really cares how much you can lift.  Well, maybe a few close friends or your spouse actually care. But the reality is that most people just don’t care how much you can squat or deadlift or how many pull-ups you can do. You may think I’m being pessimistic but it’s the truth.

This is something I’ve learned by doing several powerlifting meets. I normally tell people in advance when I have an upcoming meet. I’ll text and call some friends and announce it on Facebook. Normally only a few people will show up though. Seeing you succeed at something is not at the top of their priority list. They’ll be quick to go to a NFL game or playoff baseball game if you gave them free tickets. They’ll check out the latest gossip about Kim Kardashian in a heartbeat. But going to see you PR at a powerlifting meet? Nope.

The average person doesn’t know anything about lifting! Here is a typical conversation that takes place:

Joe Smoe: You look kinda strong; How much do you lift?  

Me:  What lift are you talking about?  

Joe Smoe: You know like they do in the Olympics  (then they try to imitate lifting a bar over their head, having no clue which lift they are asking about)

Me: Ok, so you are asking about the clean and jerk. I’m not an Olympic lifter but I used to do them sometimes.  It’s not a lift I get tested in at my powerlifting meets though.

Joe Smoe: Oh ok. So what’s your best lift?

Me: Well, I deadlifted 567 at my last meet.

Joe Smoe: Wow..that’s like three of me! That’s crazy!! When I move out of my apartment this summer you can help me move!!??

It does feel nice when other people acknowledge your strength or see the effects of your training but if I told someone I deadlifted 500 or 600 makes NO difference to them whatsoever. But it is a big deal to me. I want to deadlift 600. It’s a goal of mine and I’m determined to do it. The countless hours in the gym; the soreness; seeing the white spots at the end of a tough rep- it will all be worth it. The perseverance, persistence, and toughness that are learned along the way in reaching a goal are all valuable characteristics that make us lifters more complete individuals.

That is why you need to have internal motivation. You have to want to get stronger because it is what you want. Dig deep and find out why you want to reach your goal. If it’s for the accolades or superficial stuff you’re going to be disappointed. Nobody really cares how much you can lift. But do YOU care?

Stephen Brindle is an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached for training consultations or questions at sbrindle@upenn.edu.

Coming Soon

I received a dvd in the mail yesterday from Kirk Karwoski, and it it awesome. It's from his raw meet where he squatted 826. It even has some training footage in it that will blow your mind. I am gonna put it up in installments as soon as I can figure out how to do it! Stay tuned.

Take A Week Off

So I was thinking the other day how I used to train people over 30 years old. What I used to do was train everyone hard as hell for 6 weeks or so and then give them a total week off.

After the week off, they were really eager to train. And I will tell you this: unless you take some time off from training once in awhile, you WILL take some time off anyway. Why is that? because you will start to break down. Your body will tell you its time to take a week by giving you some joint pain or a nagging muscle pull or a serious injury. 

I was talking to an old friend and mentor of mine, former Pan Am Bodybuilding Champion and trainer extraordinaire Rich Salke and he had an interesting outlook on training heavy. He said that a person has 20 years of heavy training in them until they start to break down. He said that no matter when you start, 20 years is about right.

I agree with Rich, it does seem that way, unless you properly plan rest periods, or even active rest into your training. Push, then back off, push, then back off. It seems to be a smart way to do it.

So if you are OCD about training like I am, put the respite into your training cycle- it gives you permission to take that week off without feeling guilty. And you will not get weak or small, I promise.

Damn

I got Henry Rollins' book the other day," Occupants" ... and damn, its tough to take. He took his camera with him all over the world and took pictures of some amazing stuff. One pic that stick out is the family in India digging through the garbage dump for food. Its what they do ALL day to eat. And then the guy in Thailand, I think , who has like one arm and no legs and pulls himself on the sidewalk with a dog bowl in front of him so people can put food or money in it. And then Henry puts in a story next to it. Just alot of pics of kids crying, living in garbage, crying out in hunger, dead bodies that are fully clothed lying in the street, murdered maybe or just dead from natural causes, but still dead and ...rough.

And then people tell me that they can't lose weight. That they get too hungry and just can't take the feeling of hunger. That they can't go to bed hungry or they cant go 2 hours without having something to eat..... It's okay, I understand, just dont worry about it. Eat as much as you want and do what you want, the dieting thing just ain't for you. You have a choice about it and you can still eat great food and you just can't muster up the WILL to do it. Really, I understand.

Deluged

Deluged. Thats how I feel by everything these day. Internet, cell phone, my Ipod Touch, my Kindle. Sometimes I feel like throwing everything in the Schuykill River and walking away. Just tossing it all in, and walking way. Of course, I remember black and white tv's, where the excitement was going over my neighbor's house to watch Channel 45 out of Baltimore. It came in more clear over there. Anyway, I use all of those things, but they get on my nerves. I do like texting because I hate the phone. But that gets old , too. I think that's why I like hunting and fishing. No distractions. And training , also. I won't check a text or answer my phone when training, Hell, that takes away from it, the enjoyment of it.

James Ellroy refuses to get a computer and writes books on notebook paper. I visited Bill Starr a few times and the man has a fax, an old tv without cable and and a VCR that plays Willie Nelson over and over. Bill Starr writes and paints and drinks Miller Beer and watches his willie Nelson tapes and lifts weights in his bedroom and goes for a walk and damn...he seems really happy.

And I don't have an answer or a solution to any of it. I just wish that it would go away for awhile. Then when we miss it, or HAVE to have all of those things, we can bring them back. Or maybe we should just walk away from all of them, and see if talking face to face can work or just not communicating so damn much can work.

Working Hard

Stephen Brindle: "How I Squatted 500" Part 2

by Stephen Brindle 

Two and a half years ago my squat max was 407 lbs. Two months ago at the USAPL Raw National Meet I squatted 507 lbs. This is the SECOND part of a two part series on “How I Squatted 500”. Part 1 can be found at: http://basbarbell.blogspot.com/2011/11/stephen-brindlehow-i-squatted-500.html

After humbling myself, I did what Steel told me to for the whole summer of 2009. I mainly did grueling Sheiko workouts.  They paid off and in a meet in August of 2009 I squatted 458. My squat jumped 50 pounds in three months while staying in the same weight class. After that I got a strength and conditioning job at the University of Pittsburgh and wrote my own programs for about 10 months until I started working with Steel at Penn in the summer of 2010. I had a crappy meet in August of 2010 and didn’t hit any PRs. I believe I was plateauing doing the Sheiko variations. After that, Steel started writing me individualized workouts and I’ve been on them ever since. In December of 2010 I squatted 479 at a meet, and a few months ago I squatted 507 at the Raw Nationals. Since I started listening to Coach Steel my squat has jumped 100 lbs;  from 407 to 507. I’ve done all this with my bodyweight only going up 7 lbs (205 to 212). Aside from protein shakes and occasional creatine use, I haven’t taken any supplements. All of those numbers are raw maxes with strict USAPL judging. My next goal is to get 515 lbs sometime soon. Here are some of the major things that helped my squat improve.

Technique

Steel helped me with my technique in a major way. Before I met him I used to do an Olympic style squat. The bar was high on my shoulders, my head was up, eyes up, and my chest was almost vertical on each rep. This is how I was taught to squat by other strength coaches I had worked. Steel had me change from a high bar position to a low bar position, squatting with my eyes down and using my hips more,  rather than just keeping my chest vertical.  Keeping the eyes down and chin tucked allows the bar to stay over the middle of the foot. For those of who you have read Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, you know that keeping the bar over the middle of the foot allows the bar to be positioned in line with your center of gravity, which is your most mechanically advantageous position to lift the weight. Instead of keeping my chest totally vertically when squatting I started to use more of a lean and use the hips more. The chest is still positioned up and the rib cage up but not totally vertical. Using the hips more and giving up the lower back at times has helped me push past the sticking point on many reps I didn’t think I could get. Steel helped me realize the importance of staying tight on every rep and taking a huge breath of air before every rep. He stressed the importance of not breathing out until the very end of the rep in order to stay tight. Steel always emphasizes speed on the squat; on both the eccentric and concentric portions of the lift. That has helped my lifts a lot by being able to utilize the stretch-reflex better.

Stopped Majoring in the Minors

One of the things I noticed that I was doing wrong prior to Coach Steel working with me was not paying enough attention to my technique on the major lifts. I was doing too much volume on the assistance work and not enough volume on the main lifts you get tested in at powerlifting meets! I made the mistake of majoring in the minors. Do you want to get good at shooting free throws? Then shoot lots of free throws, not three pointers. Want to get good at squatting? Then do lots of sets of squats, not single leg RDLs on a Bosu ball. Previously, I would periodize my program and do something like 3 x 6 x 80 on the squat. When I started doing workouts like 6 x 3 x 80 or 10 x 1 x 90 I noticed I got stronger. This is likely because each rep was a quality rep done with speed and good technique.  Here are some examples of tough workouts that Steel has had me do in preparing for meets.

405 lbs (86% at the time) x 60 total reps

93% 10 x 1

85% for 5x5

95% for 6 sets of 1

Greasing the Groove

The first program Steel gave me was a Sheiko powerlifting program. For those of you who have tried it you know how brutal the workouts can be. The volume is insane. Many times you have to do two squat sessions in one workout! One thing I’ve learned is that doing multiple sets of squats really helps your set-up. I have a certain routine checklist I go through every single time I approach the bar for a set.

“Shrug up, elbows high, walk it out 1-2, toes out, eyes down, huge breath, hips back, fast on the way down, fast bounce out of the bottom, finish, and rack.” I go through this checklist on every single set whether it’s a 225 warm-up set or 500 lbs. My goal is for every rep to look the same. Same set-up, same depth, same speed.  Neuromuscularlly, that recruitment pattern gets engrained to the point where it’s almost second nature. Steel calls this “greasing the groove”.

 Managing Assistance Work

I’ve done assistance work over the last few years but have been more selective as to what exercises I do. The one exercise that I believe has helped me the most has been standard goodmornings. They strengthen my low back and hamstrings without stressing them so much that I can’t recover. They also help me to utilize my hips on the squat. Many times during an all-out grueling set you have to give up your low back and lean forward a little bit. The goodmornings really help with this.

I used to go really heavy on RDLs in the past but I found when it came time to deadlift later in the week my lower back was still fatigued from the RDLs. I do RDLs occasionally now but with medium weight. I still throw in some leg press from time to time, but I never substitute leg press for squats. It is just an assistance exercise for me that helps my legs grow. I will throw in lunges sometimes using medium weight. I used to go real heavy on barbell lunges and step-ups just about every week. Does it really matter how much I can lunge though? Last I checked they don’t test the lunge exercise at a powerlifting meet.   The last few years I rarely did any form of step-ups, front squats or cleans.  I haven’t done one box squat whatsoever (Might write an article on why sometime soon). Most of the aforementioned exercises are not bad exercises, but I’ve found I don’t need to do them to help my maxes go up. I’ve realized I can’t repeatedly go real heavy on them and recover for my next squat or deadlift session.

Learning How to Push Past the Struggle

When I used to write my own programs I would often squat weight that I knew I could get. Since I didn’t always have a training partner I wouldn’t always select sets where there was a possibility that I could fail. Our whole staff at Penn lifts together so I always have someone to spot me or check my form, which has been a huge help. Steel has given me workouts that help me to learn how to struggle with heavy weight; struggle yet be victorious! I believe this has been pivotal in increasing my max. A true max is never going to be easy. It’s going to be a struggle and it’s going to be painful. You’re going to turn red and see white spots. Experiencing this struggle needs to happen before you get to a meet!  It’s going to hurt but how great is the feeling after you hit a PR and get three white lights from the judges?!

Mentally Tougher

Something I really appreciate about Coach Steel’s program is that there are always new challenges being thrown at me on a frequent basis. He’s given me workouts that have caused me to doubt myself like crazy. However, it’s a great feeling when I kill a rep scheme or percentage that I didn’t think I could get. Whether it’s a rep record or a new max I always look forward to the challenges he gives me. Many times I think he gives me certain workouts for the mental strength it will produce rather than the physiological changes.  Getting past these grueling sessions builds up a high level of confidence.  It helps me to get into “Peanut Mode” on a regular basis! (More on “Peanut Mode” coming soon!) 

Stephen Brindle is an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached for training consultations or questions at sbrindle@upenn.edu. He’s also a hip-hop artist and you can buy his music on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/believin-stephen/id291666425

It Never Changes

I was talking with an old friend of mine the other day. We played Junior College Football in '85 and '86. A long time ago. Though it seems like only yesterday....Anyway, he was like, "What do you do with he people and athletes that you train? I bet you do all kind of cutting edge stuff." I asked him if the remembered the exercises that we did together in Beth's basement in Calverton, MD.  He answered, "Of course, the squat, bench and deadlift and clean.". I started laughing. Because he was expecting this answer that would blow his mind- some mumbo jumbo that skirts around the issue of hard ass barb bell exercises and instead focuses on light weights on standing on a ball or suspended with ropes or ...you get the picture. When I told him that we do the same stuff that we did way back then, he said, "Just the basics, huh?" and it got me thinking- isn't that the way to go with everything? the basics , the foundation that works? Everything I do with folks, the dynamic mobility, boxing, programming, shoulder rehab...all of it- its all just a adjunct to the BASIC LIFTS. In other words, all that stuff doesn't matter without them.
Its simple. But people want an excuse to not perform the fundamentals. Why? because it can be uncomfortable. I like this expression-" Its supposed to feel like crap." Once you accept that, just do them!

Stephen Brindle:"How I Squatted 500."

by Stephen Brindle

Two and a half years ago my squat max was 407 lbs. Two months ago at the USAPL Raw National Meet I squatted 507 lbs. I thought it would be helpful and inspirational to others if I wrote about how I accomplished that feat. This is the first part of a two part series on “How I Squatted 500”.

I met Steel in May of 2009 when I came to Franklin Field to meet him about doing a summer internship at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time I was a GA Strength Coach at Temple University and had completed all my coursework for grad school. All I needed was to do a 6 credit internship to earn my Master’s Degree.

At the time I was 25 and had been lifting for a good 9 years. Like most people, I started off doing random bodybuilding routines and lots of arm work but little leg work.  In college I was an exercise science major and started to understand better methods of training. When I met Steel I had been “lifting” for 9 years, but only training somewhat effectively for about 3 years. Those years still helped me pack on some size and strength though and served their purpose.

I remember the first day I walked into Coach Steel’s office in the old weight room in Franklin Field. At the bottom of my resume I had a section for “Additional Accomplishments/ Strengths”. Underneath that I listed some of my powerlifting accomplishments. At the time I had been in 3 USAPL meets;  earned gold medals in two of the meets in the 198 lb raw division and silver in the other (Can’t say I was up against the best competition).  I had been writing my own workouts for a long time now and being that I was almost done with grad school and been around some good strength coaches I felt pretty good about myself and my knowledge of strength and conditioning. Then I was brought back down to earth! Steel looked up from the resume and said, “That’s good that you do powerlifting. What are your numbers?” At the time my best squat was 407. Steel replied, “Your bench and deadlift aren’t bad but what’s up with your squat??? You need to get your squat up! We have football players in here squatting 500 below parallel with ease!” I had won a few meets so I didn’t think my squat was that bad but that day I was brought back to reality. I was stuck right above 400 for a few months so I was open to his advice even though it hurt my pride to admit my training principles needed help. He said, “Why don’t you let me give you a program to do?” I was hesitant at first but glad that I agreed.  I liked writing my own programs and experimenting with different methods. Before this I had done basic periodization, undulating periodization, German volume training, Olympic lifting, Westside variations and some other powerlifting type programs. Many times I often did a hybrid of all of these methods of training. That summer I started doing what Steel told me to do. My squat hasn’t been the same ever since! “I have to squat 500!!” was engrained in my brain from then on out. Every time I put the bar on my back I would always think about squatting 500.

Tune in to “How I Squatted 500”- Part 2 to find out what type of things I did to help my squat improve and what types of popular methods I did NOT use.

Stephen Brindle is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached for training consultations or questions at sbrindle@upenn.edu

It's Just My Life

I received this email today from my friend Kris. She lives in Northern Virginia but hails from South Jersey. And as you can read, she has maintained her Jersey attitude toward training and life.


by Kris Lesino

6am on a Friday Morning. Coffee and Cardio.  Same as every other day during the week.  I find myself here on the treadmill running my life away while the idiots around me are walking at the same pace as a snail thinking that somehow it’s going to make their overweight bodies miraculously change into skinny supermodels.  To others it’s a social hour and fashion show.  Men pumping iron in cliques.  Grunting and groaning during reps and socializing in between about “hot chicks” and other non-sense bullshit. Women showing up with a full face of make up, hair perfectly placed wearing as little as possible.  Trying to look as beautiful as possible while they lift their 10lb weights and glide on the elliptical for 20 minutes of pointless exercise.  Apparently, they didn’t receive the memo.  The gym is meant for working your ass off, self reflection, discipline, progress and goals.

I complete my 5.2 mile run in under 50 minutes this morning and I feel like I could rule the world.  Strong, accomplished and determined.   I follow this with an ab workout and then head to the shower.  Off to work for 8 hours and then back to the gym it is.  Today is deadlift day.  Some would say it’s crazy or unorthodox to visit the gym twice in one day.  But to me it’s routine. A way of life. Necessary. To pick up heavy weight and put them back down repeatedly sounds excessively tiring and pointless to many.  Not me.  I have not only been witness to the results it brings physically but also the strength it brings to every aspect of my life.  Mind, body and soul are strengthened with each rep, and each work out,while my body physically feeds off of the strenuous activity that it is performing. 

I get to work and microwave my first meal for the day.  Chicken and Broccoli. The breakfast of champions.  I patiently wait for my meal to be heated and am greeted by a fellow co-worker.  As I sit down and begin to enjoy my breakfast in the break room, I am faced with one of my biggest pet peeves.  The questioning of my food. “What is that?”  says my fellow co-worker, whose presence I am not welcoming.  “It’s my breakfast”, I reply in an annoyed tone.

This unnamed co-worker proceeded to criticize my eating habits and asks what seems like 20 questions in reference to my meal that I am trying to enjoy.  Too late. Ruined.

I  respond by informing that I eat what I eat because I want to.  I like how I feel and care how I look.  Maybe you should stop worrying about what I eat so much and take a look in the mirror at yourself.  Chicken and broccoli 3 times a day would do your body some good.  It must make other people that lack motivation and discipline feel good to criticize  others . Don’t try and make me feel like an outcast because I take pride in my body.  So go on and eat your cheese Danish and cream infused coffee and enjoy those 500 extra calories for me.  And the next time you make mention to my meals, don’t be surprised when I tell you to go F**k yourself.

Do it Anyway

by Cristi Bartlett
 

We all know I love the deadlift. It’s been well documented.  If I could marry the pull and have little deadlift babies running around, I would.  But obviously and unfortunately that is not possible. 

On the opposite side of the love-hate spectrum, I have a strong dislike for the squat.  And that’s me being very gracious.  Nooo, Nooo, I’ll be honest, I hate the squat.  HATE IT.  It hurts, it’s hard, you have to get deep, it’s just a bunch of terrible things that accompany the squat; It downright sucks.  Now don’t get me wrong, if you have an awesomely strong squat, you’re pretty much certified in badassery.  And, it is one of the two (other of course being, THE DEADLIFT) single best exercises in life that will get you better at anything.  Want to get better at washing your car?  You need to squat.  Want to get better at playing badminton? You need to squat.  Want to get better at being the most awesome person in the room?  Well, guess what, you need to squat. Even if you don’t want to, it’s just what you have to do.  So when I say I hate the squat, I am not talking about the actual exercise I am simply talking about me alone, performing the squat.  Which brings me to my point; As much as I hate it, I know in order to increase my MONSTER status I have to do it, so in despite of my hate, I do it anyway. 

All throughout our history, as a species, we have done tons of stuff we did not want to.  Do you think cavemen wanted to wake up daily before the sun just to hunt for the days’ menu? HELL NO.  He wanted to get up once a week, kill a giant moose or some massive wooly mammoth to feed off of for weeks.  Then of course he wanted to take the carcass, find some nearby stones and build the world’s first barbell.  But did that happen? No. He continued to wake up 7 days a week before the sun and hunt. Even though he was tired and didn’t want to he did it anyway. 

My point is, there are things that we all have to do in regards to our training that we may not want to, but we do it anyway.  The guy that wants to gain some size, but is still super full and almost miserable from his feeding 2 hours ago but is scheduled for another meal, what does he do? He eats anyway.   The girl that wants to increase her total, but hates performing her less than par squat, what does she do on Wednesdays? She squats anyway.  Or me, the one who missed two reps (eek) on her 5x5 bench workout yesterday, and was basically forbidden to lift anything else because I’m not to miss a rep and that I needed to rest since I was “overtrained”, but was in the middle of doing some assistance work.”Well, what do you think I did? I sadly cleaned up my rack, ate food and did not lift anymore. I didn’t want to but  I rested anyway. And to add to that, I was also told that the day before I squat, I am to have a complete day of rest.  I’m sorry, what, I don’t understand?  I really wanted to do some heavy conditioning.  But ok, no conditioning, so today, I’m resting anyway. 

We all have obligations, we all things to do that we may or may not want to do.  But since we all have goals in mind, it is of paramount importance that we get shit done. Want to add some poundage to one of your much hated lifts, 1^st learn to love it, and secondly and most importantly, get in MONSTER MODE and do it anyway.  Want to add some weight to your weak thin framed body, get in the mind of the cookie monster and eat anyway. Complain all you want, bitch and moan, do whatever you need to do, just punch the clock and DO IT ANYWAY. -That is all 

Cristi Bartlett is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Pennsylvania.  She can summon "Monster Mode" at will.  You can reach her at cristibartlett@gmail.com

The Underground

I train people from all over- England, New Zealand, Australia, and all over the United States. I have noticed some qualities that these folks have in common: they all train in less than opimal facilities and they all get the training done.
I don't believe that I train anyone who trains in a "Performance Palace" or something like that. They train in their garages, in the police station gym that is as big as a a closet. Garage gyms are popular also.

The point is that they get it done. They work shift work building transmissions, they take care of their kids, they protect and serve, they live the working life. Then they come home from church on Sunday and run hills. They train at 4am when they get off of work. They push the prowler in the rain. They WANT to train, because they HAVE to train. Paying someone to write their programs for them and to write their diets is a big deal to them and is not something I take lightly. It's hard earned money and they use it for the love of training. I respect the hell out of that-priorities are in order.

Seeing these folks make gains and hit personal records means a lot to me because I see what they go through everyday just to get a workout in. Move the car out of the garage, it's time to squat. Mow the grass out back so the sprints can get done. Put the crib in the basement so that the deadlifts can get done.

Its silly to some, I know. But those folks who think that it's silly have never felt the exhilaration after running hills. Or completed a set of squats that is 10 pounds over their all time best. Or walked out of the garage when the sun was coming up and had a massive pump in their arms, chest and back from a superset of chins and dips... and felt like they could conquer the world.

Maybe it is best that people, most people, don't understand. It keeps it like an underground cult, where only a few privileged hearty souls understand. That is the way it should be... leave the gyms with ferns in them(run away if you see that in your gym) and the cardio kings and queens pedalling to nowhere fast...I'll stick the undergound lifters any day.