Definitions
Task Oriented Workouts (TAO) – These will always be done with exercises where external torque (ET) is needed. They are designed to hit the sympathetic nervous system, so you should go at them hard and with the proper mindset. No pacing here: I want 100% explosion on each rep. Put on System Of A Down or something similar, get angry and go kill ’em reps! Do not cheat yourself. If you go too light, the workout will be ineffective.
Til You Quit Workouts (TYQ) – These will always be with internal torque (IT) exercises. They are designed to hit the parasympathetic nervous system, so I want muscle failure with each and every one of them. Pacing is welcomed, as long as you push to that last rep. I would recommend a more mellow music, as the mindset is quite different. You will push just as hard and it will hurt just as much as the TAO workouts, they will just be a different kind of effort.
Overtraining – I believe that if you respect the order of TAO followed by TYQ, you will create a strong arch of tension within your nervous system that will allow you to increase the intensity without crashing mentally, which is what overtraining is. This way to approach workouts will change the way we train. We will train based on the affect on the nervous system more than just on the affect on muscles. You will be exhausted physically, but mentally sharp.
Openers – Mobility is range of motion while maintaining proper torque. The point here is to work on mobility, not flexibility therefore tension is paramount. This is not about performance, so do not focus on how many reps you can do, the weight or how far you can go. This is about quality and finding torque, nothing else. Be patient, you will get better over time. For reference, I worked the Shoulder Opener for two sets, three sessions per week for 12 weeks before I got good at it. Here is the list of openers you should be incorporating (click links for demonstration and tutorial videos):
Hinge
Shoulder Opener
Biceps Opener
Jeffersons
External Obliques Opener
External Obliques Opener Variation Leg Raises
T-Spine Opener
DAY 1
Openers
See explanations and video links above. You do not necessarily need all of the Openers each session. Work on your needs, choose 2 or 3 and go at them with maximum focus.
Skill Work
One set of: 60 seconds of 1-Arm Barbell Overhead Squats
Form is everything, so do not count the reps, instead focus on tempo. Slow on the way down, normal speed up. On the way down, try to feel the tension in the external obliques (push your obliques out at 45 degrees but NOT your abs out, there is a world of difference there). On the way up, once you break, parallel shift the tension to the internal obliques. This is a very good exercise to work on lat mobility. The point here is to keep tension throughout the body. Pressing is internal torque, so engage the lats and pecs as hard as possible and you can NOT shrug during this movement at any time. Shoulders should be down, lats and pecs engaged.
TAO
Sumo Deadlift TAO
Work your way up in weight and height until you find your 3 rep max
This session will be designed to work toward allowing you to pull in ET from the ground (if you already are capable of it, good for you ?? Sumo is for you). Most people cannot achieve this because of a lack of mobility (range of motion while maintaining proper torque, in this case external torque). Mobility depends on strength, since it relates to torque. Off the floor, you should be able to keep in ET and pull some weight. As the weights get heavier, you’ll see yourself be pulled forward and switch to IT. When this happens you will elevate the weights using blocks until you can get back to the perfect position (all ET). So forth and so on until you pull a max 3 reps from right below the knee.
Key points are:
You are to create External torque
Use straps if you have to but no mixed grip. It leads to very bad habits.
No bouncing, learn to reset each rep.
Explode up but do not rip the bar. Find tension through those internal obliques first.
Do these barefoot
TYQ
Deadlift & Harness Bear-Crawl Sprint TYQ
1 set to muscle failure
Conventional Deadlift
Max reps (choose a weight where you can get roughly 10 reps with a reset on the floor each time)
Key points are:
You are to create Internal torque so that means inside head of the hamstrings, external obliques, pecs, short head of the biceps and glutes major
Use straps if you have to but no mixed grip. It leads to very bad habits.
No bouncing, learn to reset each rep.
Explode up but do not rip the bar off the floor. Find tension through those external obliques first.
Do these barefoot
Straight into:
Harnessed Bear-Crawl Sprints
Think of this as a strength training session, not conditioning. This will finish up your glutes and hips. Most of the weight should be on your hands as you bear-crawl your way forward with very short, fast, choppy steps. Put the absolute most weight you can on that sled, move your feet fast and get it moving. Focus on weight first – absolutely murder yourself!
Here is a short demo video: https://instagram.com/p/6-kgGfi83Z/
TAO
Ab-wheel & Rear-Delt Raises TAO
EMOM 5mns of 5 reps for each exercise, both on the minute
Ab-Wheel Rollouts
Create external torque for both upper and lower body. If you are able to perform a set of 5 reps, start adding weights onto your shoulders.
Rear Delt Raises
Use dumbbells, go heavy and create external torque through your whole body. That means using your lumbar spine, yes.
TYQ
400m Sandbag Carry
DAY 2
Openers
See explanations and video links above. You do not necessarily need all of the Openers each session. Work on your needs, choose 2 or 3 and go at them with maximum focus.
Skill Work
Stiff-leg Deadlift
Max reps for 2 sets with minute break in between.
You are shooting for a weight that allows you to go for at least 60 sec. This should be done with weights only AFTER you are efficient at hinging. If you are not, keep working on the Opener. Once you know how to hinge, work your way up to some weight for a max reps for 60 sec for 2 sets. Keep the weight light, around 25% of your max deadlift. I am currently doing those with 60kgs and am sore for the next 2 days
TAO
Dips with weight & Wide-grip Supinated Strict Pull-ups TAO
EMOM 8mns, 5 reps each exercise. Both on the minute.
Dips with weight
Max weight for 5 reps
This is a press, so normally internal torque, but I want you to use external torque to target the lateral head of the triceps. This will disengage your pec major to a degree, this is a trade-off to work on tricep strength.
Key points
Use bars not rings. The rings would require stabilization and thus the pec major. This is not what we are after here.
Use weight around your waist and put the weight behind you, not in front. This will target the triceps even more (I got that one from the Chinese Oly lifters)
External torque means strength. Go heavy.
External torque means internal obliques and rectus abdominis. Use both on the way up.
Wide-grip Strict Supinated Pull-ups
The point here is to find a width at which you cannot default to your traps and have to engage your latissimus dorsi to the max (NOT your teres major, that is coming next), to do that engage your internal obliques first. The elbows are pointing toward the floor. Once you can go over 6 reps, start adding weight.
If you cannot make your chest touch the bar, it’s ok. Do not use momentum.
You need lat and biceps mobility to achieve the position and by that I mean, as always, range of motion while maintaining proper torque. Again DO NOT SHRUG
TYQ
Dumbbell Presses & Rope Pulls TYQ
2 sets without rest to muscle failure
Dumbbell Press: Start (standing) with a weight you can strict press for 10-12 reps. Once you fail, turn it into a push press and keep going until failure.
Straight into:
Rope Pull
Max weight for 25m-ish.
The point is to go to muscle failure, but we are shooting for that distance to get there. Again, if you can keep going, keep going. Just make sure you do not stand up. The idea is intensity, so pull as fast as possible. If you are not cramping everywhere after, you either went too light or too slow. We want MAXIMUM blood flow into the lats – this is far more important than you know.
Your main focus should be to move your hands as fast as possible.
Chest faces the ground. Do NOT stand up, this would cause you to use your biceps more and your lats less.
Try not to use your hips too much.
When done with the first rope pull, go right back into the dumbbell presses for set 2.
TAO
Ab-Wheel & Biceps Curls TAO
EMOM 5mns, 5 reps each exercise. Both on the minute.
Ab-Wheel Rollouts
Create external torque for both upper and lower body. If you are able to perform a set of 5 reps, start adding weights onto your shoulders.
Biceps Curls
You can use a barbell, in which case you want a wide grip, or dumbbells
I like kettlebells. Just make sure you crank in ET. If your wrists bend it is absolutely normal. Use your lumbar spine as well (within reason).
TYQ
200m Sled Sprint