Saturday, June 04, 2011

Hardcore Training is Out

Today I watched two guys do "vomit inducing conditioning workouts".

And by vomit-inducing, I mean I wanted to puke watching their form.

One guy was doing explosive reverse curls (meant to be hang cleans) and another did flippity flop dumbbell snatches followed by one of the worst planks I've ever witnessed - his butt was a foot higher than his head.

This is why we are going to see the Death of Hard-core Circuit training in the next few years. More about that on Monday...

Fortunately, there are trainers who train people properly, like Alwyn Cosgrove, John Romaniello, Adam Steer, and the inimitable, Jim Wendler. I just started reading Jim's 5-3-1 for Powerlifting. Here's a great quote from it:

"You don't have to train maximally to get strong. You just have to train optimally. This is the greatest lesson I learned from Louie Simmons." – Jim Wendler

Train optimal. Train smart. Train safe. Get big. Get strong. Get lean.

You don't need to be Mr. SuperInsaneWarrior. (Leave that title to my dog.)

Today's Kickbutt Mindset Tip:
Whatever is in your way, you're stronger than it, you're tougher than it, and you're better than it. You're going to beat it.

And today's Internet Independence Tip:

All the planning in the world is useless if you don't follow through. You must become a robotic action taker. You must be ruthless with your time. When it's time to work, work without distraction. When it's time for family, be with your family without distraction. Set the rules for your life and work the system so that everyone else follows them too.

Take action,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS, CTT
Smart Fat Loss and Muscle Building Workouts

2 comments:

Dom said...

hi Craig,

Dom here, personal trainer in London UK. Love your focus on training optimally not maximally.

Been following you for a while, and I'm eating more raw veg (and juicing it too) as a result.

Keep the great blog posts coming!

Aaron said...

Hey Craig: I walked away from TT for a while to explore other programs (Ferruggia, Cressey, Coach Dos, etc.), but I have encountered injury and motivation problems of late. Decided to start the day right with some training on a gorgeous Sunday in SW Ontario, and I found your TT Bodyweight Bodybuilding program when I looked through my files. I tried it and it was fantastic; really kicked my ass and made me realize that BW stuff is not for wimps. Also made me realize I have let myself get too far out of shape. Deep down I am a TT junkie. Thanks for developing the great programs. Cheers.

Aaron