How to Build Mass, Strength, and Power Without Squats
Tips, Advice, and Programs
On October 20th, I posted a Q&A article with my answers to a few questions that I had received lately. One of the questions asked: Could one design a strength-building, mass-gaining program without the use of squats? The question came from the fact that I have, over and over throughout the years, pushed the squat as the king of all exercises. On top of that, I have, in fact, written more than once that if you don’t do heavy squats, you can all but forget about building prodigious amounts of muscle mass and strength. However, I also pointed out that I thought it is possible to build strength and power without the almighty squat if you include enough other big, compound lifts that work the entirety of the body, especially lifts that work the back and the legs. This essay will include, in much more detail, what I think such programs should look like, along with some additional advice for building mass and power without squats.
First off, and we have to get this out of the way, do not use my advice here as an excuse to not do barbell back squats. Most folks avoid barbell squats simply because they don’t like to do them. But, if you do that, you really are taking away the fastest, best way to quickly build a heaping quantity of muscle and strength—it’s the best tool in your arsenal, so to speak. If you’re not going to squat, there should be a reason. It could be that you have used the squat for so long that you just want to try something different. That’s completely understandable. Sometimes you just need a break. In that case, you could use one of the programs below for a training cycle or two, and then you will be able to return to the back squat with a renewed vigour. If you don’t train at a commercial gym, it could be that you don’t have access to the equipment to do barbell squats. That’s understandable, as well. But you should be doing some kind of squat in that scenario, even if it’s just bodyweight squats. Another reason may be that you can’t squat due to injury. Even though I regularly push back squats, I don’t do them myself anymore because I can’t. I’ve had back surgery and a neck surgery for herniated discs, along with other minor procedures. If I was to return to the barbell squat, it wouldn’t be long before I wouldn't be able to pick up my right arm or do something basic such as, well, walk. Or, hell, get out of bed, for that matter. But you know what? I still squat. I do front squats, Zercher squats, dumbbell versions of the squat, bodyweight squats, and double kettlebell front squats. My body can handle those so I do them. Bottom line: Make sure you have a valid reason for not doing the good, ol’ fashioned barbell back squat. And if you do, then the following programs ought to give you plenty of alternatives to keep you growing bigger and stronger.
The fact is, as much as I might not even like to admit it, that plenty of bodybuilders have built impressive physiques, not to mention massive thighs, without ever squatting. One of the legends, and one of my all-time inspirations, of bodybuilding, Vince Gironda, absolutely loathed barbell squats. He thought they built wide hips and a thick stomach. I don’t think Gironda was correct on that matter, but the truth is that his bodybuilders still built great legs without the squat. Gironda’s favorite quad movement was the sissy squat, but he wasn’t concerned so much with strength and power—just aesthetics—and I want to discuss ways you can build herculean strength, not a physique that “looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane,” as the saying goes.
If you’re going to grow big and strong without squats—even Gironda would have agreed with this—then you need to be doing plenty of other hard and heavy leg and back movements, as I mentioned at the start. I would imagine that, for gym-going bodybuilders, the favorite leg exercise is the leg press. For the remainder of this essay, however, I’m going to stick with free-weight movements. That way, the advice here can be used by anyone, even those of you who train at home. But, I will admit, machines can be used to build a great pair of “wheels.” Athletes, however, or anyone who’s interested in “functional strength” should stick with free weights.
So, what are the best squat-free exercise options? Lunges are great. They can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells. You can do walking lunges, forward lunges, or reverse lunges. Using a barbell, I prefer my lifters to utilize the reverse lunge, if for no other reason that they can be done in the power rack and the setup is much the same as doing a back squat in the same rack. They were also a favorite of Bill Starr. He liked to use them on the “light day” of his programs, which makes sense. No matter how heavy you train on the reverse lunge, your weights will never approach what you can use on the back squat or the front squat, the two movements he preferred for heavy and medium days. I also really like walking lunges, but prefer to do these with either dumbbells or kettlebells. They also might be the best option to use for bodyweight training. Want to build a great pair of legs without using any weight whatsoever? Alternate between hill sprints and walking lunges up the same hill. You could also add up-the-hill jumping squats, sometimes called “frog squats,” to the mix. Though I wouldn’t advise that for older athletes or anyone with bad knees. (While I’m thinking about it, and not to get off-topic, but jumping anything is bad for the older trainee, and just the knees in general. The older Crossfit athlete, for instance, should stay away from box jumps unless she’s actually competing and needs to train them for a meet.)
Power cleans and power snatches are great for building mass and power. They’re regular movements in a lot of my programs. But, if you can do them, the full clean and snatch are also great leg builders since they force you into a deep squatting position at the bottom. Take a look at the quad development of Olympic lifters and you’ll know the truth of that statement—though they do, obviously, utilize quite a bit of close-stance Olympic squats, too.
In fact, any lift that forces you into a deep squatting position at the bottom of the movement is a good replacement for the barbell squat. For this reason, the two best static replacements are, I believe, (drumroll, please) the sumo deficit deadlift and the snatch-grip deadlift. Lifters who don’t like to squat but do like to deadlift will often convince themselves that the deadlift is an adequate replacement. I don’t think it is, even if they’re done sumo style instead of conventional. Deadlifts, of course, can add muscle mass and most assuredly build tremendous back strength. But lifters who only deadlift without some kind of squats in their programs end up with flat glutes and under-developed legs. Not only is that aesthetically unpleasing, it’s also athletically disadvantageous. You need a deep squatting position to sufficiently develop your glute/hamstring tie-in muscles for explosive power, whether you're a football player, a fighter, a sprinter, or anything else. Sumo deficit and snatch-grip deadlifts, however, take care of that aspect.
Even with programs that include the back squat, if you’re after the ultimate in strength and power, you’re going to need other big “bang-for-your-buck” movements. You need to decide what you’re going to replace the squat with, sure, but you also need to select some other movements. If you’ve read much of my writing, you already know I’m a fan of what I call “the big 4.” You need to squat something heavy. You need to pick heavy stuff off the ground. You need to press heavy stuff overhead. And you need to drag or carry heavy stuff for time or distance. Do those 4 things and, irregardless of exact program, you’re probably going to get some good results. Combine the big 4 with good programming and results are guaranteed.
Off the top of my head, here are some of the best “categorical” movements you can utilize in a squat-free workout program: deadlifts of all types, cleans of all sorts, snatches of various kinds, an assortment of overhead presses, all kinds of bench presses, chins of various grips, rows with barbells or dumbbells, weighted dips, and heavy curls with either barbells or dumbbells. Include one movement from each of those categories, program it well, and you’re off to the mass and power races.
At this point, you’re probably ready to see what some programs might actually look like. I have a few. The first one is a heavy-light-medium program a la Bill Starr. Since it’s a full-body program, it’s great for relative beginners, athletes, and anyone looking to put on muscle over their whole body. The other programs are different. Select whichever program meets your goals. You can even try all of them, rotating from one to the other. If you go that route, stick with one program for at least 8 weeks before moving on to the next. You can do them in whatever order you’d like.
The Squatless Bill Starr Regimen
In that big Gold’s Gym-in-the-Sky, Starr might be rolling his angelic eyes knowing that someone just put “squatless” and “Bill Starr” together in the title of a lifting program. But I hope, if he were here to read it, he might think I did it justice. (Don’t worry, Bill. I didn’t believe I would ever write that title, either.)
This is a 3 days per week program. I’ve listed the days as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but any 3 non-consecutive days will work just fine. This also follows Starr’s heavy-light-medium rotation, but you won’t have to worry about calculating workload. Exercise selection itself will take care of whether it’s heavy, light, or medium. The other factor will be the number of exercises in a session. Keep in mind that, with Starr’s methodology, heavy, light, and medium is based on the total workload at each session, not necessarily the poundages used on your top sets. Unless otherwise mentioned, 5 sets of 5 reps, means 5 progressively heavier sets, working up to one all-out set of 5. If you get 5 reps on your 5th set, add weight at the next session for that lift.
Monday - Heavy Day
Sumo deficit deadlifts: 5 sets of 5 reps
Flat barbell bench presses: 5 sets of 5 reps
Power cleans: 5 sets of 3 reps. With quick lifts, I prefer, for the most part, there are exceptions, lifters use lower reps to keep their form perfect. But, as with the other lifts, do 5 progressively heavier sets, working up to one all-out triple.
Bent-over barbell rows: 5 sets of 5 reps
Barbell curls: 5 sets of 5 reps
Loaded carry of your choice: 1-2 sets, hard but not all-out. Some selections could be farmer walks, stone or sandbag carries, tire flips, or sled drags.
Ab work of your choice: 1-2 sets. I prefer something weighted and heavy, such as weighted incline situps or the ab wheel. Whatever movement you select, work these 2 sets hard, but stop a rep or two shy of muscular failure.
Wednesday - Light Day
Barbell reverse lunges: 5 sets of 5 reps. Do 3 progressively heavier sets. Use the same weight on your 4th and 5th set with what you used on the 3rd set. If you get 5 reps on your final 3 sets, add weight at the next Wednesday session.
Military presses: 5 sets of 5 reps
Weighted chins: 5 sets of 5 reps. For these, depending on your strength, you may not do 5 progressively heavier sets of 5s. For example, you may do your bodyweight for 5 reps, add 25 pounds to your waist, do another set of 5. Then, on your 3rd set, you add another 20 pounds and that’s your top set of 5 reps. So, in that case, you will stick with that weight for your 4th and 5th set, as well. Conversely, if you’re already very large, even though you’re strong, you may just use your bodyweight on all 5 sets.
Ab work of your choice: 1-2 sets
Friday - Medium Day
Snatch-Grip Deadlifts: 5 sets of 5 reps. For these, most lifters will not be able to use more than 90% of the max weight they could use on sumo deficit deadlifts. If, for some odd reason, you are just as strong on these, reduce the weight used to no more than 90% for the 5th and final set.
Weighted dips: 5 sets of 5 reps
Power snatches: 5 sets of 3 reps. Perform these the same as the cleans from Monday. Since our first exercise for this day already utilized the snatch grip, do these with a “clean grip.”
One-arm dumbbell rows: 5 sets of 5 reps (each arm)
Alternate dumbbell curls: 3 sets of 5 reps (each arm). For this exercise, use the same weight on all 3 sets. If you need it, do 1 warmup set first.
Loaded carry of your choice: 1-2 sets, hard but not all-out
Ab work of your choice: 1-2 sets
The 20-Rep “Super Deadifts” Program
I’m often asked this question: If you could only utilize one exercise for the rest of your life, what would it be? Or this one: If you could only use one training program for the rest of your life, which one would you use? They often annoy me. After all, I don’t know what world I, or anyone, could possibly live in where you could only do one exercise or one training program. But I understand the questions, don’t get me wrong. Folks want to simply know what workout or movement I consider to be the best. If they ask 5 different strength coaches, and they get the same answer from at least a couple of them, then they probably know what to do. But what about this question? If you could pick one training program that’s packed more muscle on lifters than anything else, what would that be? I think that answer is probably the 20-rep squat program. For one, it’s been around for almost a century. Things that don’t work—heck, many things that do work—are forgotten over the course of 100 years. For another, it definitely works.
Even though the 20-rep squat program has been around since the ‘30s, it re-entered the bodybuilding consciousness in 1989 when Randall J. Strossen, doctor in psychology, publisher of Milo magazine, and founder/publisher of IronMind Enterprises, wrote the book “Super Squats: How to Gain 30 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks.” It’s been in the hypertrophy mainstream ever since.
With the advent of the book “Super Squats,” little mention was made—though the book does mention it—that old-school lifters, in an attempt to pack on mass as quickly as possible, experimented with movements other than the squat, namely different forms of deadlifts and shrugs. The old-school lifting proponents Ken Leistner and Brooks Kubik both recommended high-rep deadlifts, often for much higher reps than 20—30, 40, or even 50 rep sets.
Although you could use the snatch-grip deadlift, I think that the sumo deficit deadlift is the best exercise to use in place of squats for a 20-rep mass-gaining regimen. The time under load for one-repetition is really high for sumo deficit deadlifts, so when done for 20 reps, it will be an absolute killer! It will work your legs, your hips, your glute hamstring tie-in muscles (which I mentioned earlier as being so crucial for power), your lower back, your mid-back, and your upper back like little else. When I’ve had lifters do them for the first time, they’re often shocked at how sore their traps are the next day. They tell me that nothing—not even heavy shrugs or other back movements with a durational time-under-load—has gotten their traps as sore as the sumo deficit deadlift.
Another benefit—and this is actually the benefit of using any deadlift variation—is that, as the set gets really tough, you can rest as long as you need, taking several deep breaths, at the bottom of a rep. This is especially helpful when you comprehend just what a proper 20-rep “breathing” set actually entails. Which brings us around to our next detail: how to execute the 20-rep sumo deficit deadlift. You will do them exactly the way that Strossen recommends for squats in his book. Here are the words straight from the author: “The approach to 20 reps squats is simple. First, load the bar with what you normally use for 10 reps. Now, do 20 reps—no kidding. Second, every single workout, add 5 pounds to the bar. These two elements are what separates the men from the boys and produces results, by simultaneously embracing the two cardinal principles in weight training: overload and progressive resistance.”
Do the following routine twice per week, on, say, Monday and Thursday or Sunday and Wednesday—whatever two days work best for you. Just make sure you have two days of rest after the first workout and three days after the 2nd. It may not look like much “on paper,” but, trust me, if you do the program in the manner that Strossen described above, you won’t need anything else. Here’s the workout:
Sumo deficit deadlifts: 1 set of 20 reps. Do these exactly as recommended, after warmups, of course. Do at least 2 warmup sets, though some lifters may need as many as 5. You don’t want to overdo it with the warmups, but you do want to make sure that you're ready for the 1 hard-as-hell set!
Light dumbbell Pullovers: 1 set of 20 reps. Do these immediately after your deadlifts—or as soon as you’ve recovered enough to handle them. Don’t use a weight that is too heavy. Simply get a deep stretch on every repetition, and take a deep breath as you lower the weight on each rep.
Barbell bench presses: 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps. Do a couple of warmup sets then 2 to 3 work sets. Each set should be hard. If you get 8 reps on all of your sets, add weight at the next session.
Weighted chins: 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps, same method as the bench presses.
Barbell curls: 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps
That’s it. If you want, add in some abdominal work and a loaded carry or two, just as you did with the Starr-inspired program, but nothing else.
The key to making this program work is to do little else outside of the gym and to eat as much as possible. If you have difficulty eating enough calories—you should be getting around 4 to 5,000 per day—then try the “GOMAD” technique: a gallon of milk a day. That’s exactly what Strossen recommends, the same as the old-school lifters that inspired his book.
The Two-Lifts-Per-Day Program
Now for a program quite different from our first two. As we’ve established, one of the keys to developing massive muscles without squats is to make sure you’re doing plenty of the other BIG lifts. One way to do that is to focus on just a couple of compound lifts each training day but work those two hard.
If you’ve been training on a split program beforehand, you may want to start your squatless muscle-building with one of our preceding routines. If you’ve been doing full-body workouts, however, this one would be a nice change of pace.
With this regimen, you pick 10 lifts and train 5 days a week. You utilize a 3-on, 1-off, 2-on, 1-off routine, where you train, for example, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, with Thursdays and Sundays off. But you can train on any days you want, so long as it fits that rotation.
This program focuses on movements over muscles. Whereas a bodybuilding “muscle” split might have you doing chest, shoulders, back, legs, and arms, all on different days, this one’s a bit different. I’ll explain the details as we go over the program.
Monday
Sumo deficit deadlifts: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps. With our first exercise of the week, we’ll use what has, by now, become our old standby. Do sets of 5, going up in weight with each set until 5s become tough. When you reach your max for 5 reps, switch over to triples. Do progressively heavier triples, again, until you reach your max. Then, switch over to doubles until you hit your max, or near-max, double. The number of sets you do will obviously be dictated by your strength. A lifter who can pull 500 for a double will clearly do more sets than one who can only pull 315. This is also the beauty of ramps, and one of the reasons I’m fond of them. They sort of “self-regulate” total volume and workload.
Barbell bench presses: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps, same as the deadlifts.
Tuesday
Weighted chins: 5 rep sets. Here, select a weight—it could be just your bodyweight, depending on strength level—and do straight sets, using the same weight with each set. Do as many sets of 5 reps as you can until you miss a rep. Stop there. At the next Tuesday workout, you will try to beat your number of sets. Once you can get, say, 8 to 10 sets with a weight, add weight at the next session and repeat.
Barbell curls: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps
Wednesday
Barbell lunges: Ramps of 5 reps. You can do these either reverse or forward. Do ramps of 5 rep-sets until you hit your max for 5.
Military presses: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps
Friday
One-arm dumbbell rows: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps
Alternate dumbbell curls: 5 sets of 5 reps (each arm). These are straight sets. Select a weight where you know you can get 5 reps for 3 sets, but the 4th and 5th sets might be tricky. Once you manage 5 reps on all 5 sets, add weight at the next session.
Saturday
Power cleans: Ramps of 5, 3, and 2 reps
One-arm dumbbell overhead presses: Ramps of 5 reps (each arm)
There you have it. Three programs, and some advice, that just might prove wrong the need for squats when it comes to adding slabs of muscle mass and ponderous strength. Squats might be king, but when the king’s away, sometimes you’ve got to make do. These programs ought to do it.
First I want to qualify my comment by saying I follow your blog and even performed some of the routines you’ve written. I started following you on Tight Tan Slacks of Deszo Ban. That said, I’m also a former competitive powerlifter and also did Olympic style weightlifting. I disagree with your assessment of squats not building thick waists. Actually, in my case that happened. So Gironda was spot on in his assessment of squats. One only has to look at powerlifters to see that a lot of them DO get thick waisted from squatting. It’s what heavy squatting does. I was never very well suited to the squat myself. In my younger years, during my early teens when I first started training in Olympic style weightlifting, I didn’t have the luxury of a rack or squat stands. Squat clean and jerk and squat style snatching built my legs pretty well. I added deadlifting - stiff leg, sumo and regular style - and together with barbell hack squats built big, strong legs. I think the key is finding the combo that works. I did eventually use the back and front squat and did build big legs but now in my 60’s I can’t do those anymore. I don’t have the flexibility to do them anymore. As long as you keep writing your blog I’ll keep reading it! Good stuff! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteJohn
John,
DeleteI think there are two camps when it comes to squats and thick waists. I've had pushback before on my disagreement with Gironda, and I'm sure if he was alive he would have cussed me out (in his best curmudgeonly manner) about my squat view😁. But I've worked with a lot of lifters and have never seen that happen to them. I think a lot of heavier lifters DO have thick waists, but whether that's the squats themselves or other factors - diet, additional weighted lower back exercises, weighted ab movements, or whatnot - can be up for debate. I would hedge my bet on the "other factors." Just look at the small waists of lighter powerlifters and Olympic lifters. Some of them have tiny waists despite all of the squatting. When I worked as a personal trainer, all of my clients squatted, unless for some reason they couldn't. As long as their diet was "on point," their waists got smaller at the same time.
I try my best to be a "both/and" thinker as opposed to an "either/or" thinker. Too many folks in the lifting and bodybuilding community get upset when someone disagrees with their view. (And this is especially the case when it comes to nutrition for some reason.) I've never understood that stance. After all, it could be that I'm wrong. I think Gironda was pretty dang close to being genius. Maybe he saw something I have missed. But I wouldn't want lifters to not squat out of the fear of getting a big waist.
You mentioned barbell hack squats. I probably should have written about them, as well. I don't know why I overlooked them. That's a movement that can, without a doubt, build massive legs. I also think it's overlooked by modern lifters, some of whom have never even tried them
Thank you for your comments and for reading my material. When I have readers tell me that they enjoy my writing and my blog, it always makes my day. I'm not going to stop writing so you have to keep reading!
Definitely gotta try that 20 rep SDD program, or at least the 20 rep SDDs at some point. Small question : with rest-pause 20 rep deadlifts did the lower back take too much of a battering in your experience? I can go pretty heavy on good mornings so I'm not one to baby my lower back, but rest-pausing on heavy hinges is an unknown for me.
ReplyDelete"Battered" is undoubtedly the way your lower back will feel at the end of a workout. If you can do heavy good mornings, I think you can handle it, though. It's also the reason that I recommend taking it very easy throughout the rest of the week when on that program. Having said all of that, however, I don't think it's any harder on your back than a heavy barbell being across your shoulders and putting constant tension on the lower back. In fact, 20-rep squats were harder on MY lower back than 20-rep SDDs. If you've ever done a 20-rep squat program and made it through that, you'll be just fine on this alternative.
DeleteAlthough it's still a squat movement and doesn't build maximal strength, I'm a big fan of very high rep bodyweight squats. I'm 65 years of age and do high frequency, high rep BW squats daily and have found that they build tremendous strength endurance, aerobic endurance, and work capacity. One of the significant by-product and outcomes of strength endurance work, is muscular hypertrophy, which I have found in my practice, to be significant with high frequency, high rep BW Squats.
DeleteI agree completely. I may no longer be able to do heavy barbell squats, but I still include a lot of bodyweight squats in my personal programs. Bill Starr would have agreed, as well. He believed in 6 days per week, full-body training for really high reps on each body part as one gets into his 60s and beyond.
DeleteI've found that you can, indeed, grow muscle through daily training of really high reps on BW squats, BW lunges, et al. I've written about that form of training in the past. It might be time to do so again.
I would look forward to an article on high rep, high frequency BW squats. I do at least 250 reps of BW squats 3 times per week, and on 3 other days, I do a 60 minute continuous calisthenics circuit of 5 Ring Dips, 5 Chinups, 20 Squats. Moving at a steady pace, I can achieve 50 rounds in the 60 minutes. I have read that Woody STRODE and Charles BRONSON would do a workout of 1000 BW squats, 1000 pushups multiple times per week, and they were both lean and jacked.
DeleteI've already started jotting down some notes for an article on high-volume, high-frequency BW training. I've been averaging an article every couple days the last few weeks, so look for that one sometime in the coming week. I usually have 2 or 3 different articles that I'm writing at the same time, and right now is no different, so when that one gets posted just depends on whether or not I receive "creative inspiration" for it or one of the others.
DeleteRegarding Bronson, it's interesting because I was just telling my sons the other day (who are 25 and 26) that the ORIGINAL jacked "serious" actor was Bronson. I don't know how we got on the subject - they were probably talking about Arnold or something and asked me about actors who were in good shape. They know I love classic cinema - in the '70s, when I was a kid, my father, a newspaper journalist, was a film critic for the local paper and I guess he instilled it in me. Anyway, I hadn't heard that about Bronson and Strode's workouts. (I love Woody Strode, too. He doesn't get his due, in my book.) I'll have to do some research and see what I can find about their training.
In my own personal reading of athletes and individuals who employed high rep, high frequency BW training in their training, I've learned that Charles BRONSON may have attended a seminar of some sort in his earlier years that may have been a presentation of a training program similar to the Charles ATLAS Course, but dealing specifically with BW training, and he was later influenced by Woody STRODE . In addition to STRODE and BRONSON, here is a list of people who I have learned that relied heavily on BW training: Alan WELLS( British Sprinter who one a gold medal in the LA Olympics), Great GAMA, Mike TYSON in his early years of boxing, Herschall WALKER, Jack DEMPSEY, Rocky MARCIANO, Mishako KIMURA, Mass OYAMA, Marvin EDER, Henry LENZ who did a daily program of 500 -1000 BW Squats in sets of 50 reps, and had massive thighs. Looking forward to the essay.
DeleteI just wanted to add to my previous comment, John LONG was a Yosemite Climber that was one of the first climbers to organize his training for climbing, using BW calisthenics and gymnastics in his climbing preparations. Also, Jack LaLANNE was in my opinion, the first hybrid athlete, training strength and endurance concurrently, following in the footsteps of the Golden era BB's using weights for strength and BW calisthenics and gymnastics for endurance and muscular hypertrophy, cuncurrently, as well as swimming and cycling for aerobic endurance. You mentioned Bill STARR, and I have found that STARR's Pullup Programming of 4 sets of max pullups, adding one rep each workout, and when you plateau and are unable to add another rep, add a 5th set, is an excellent BW protocol for not just pullups, but also pushups and dips. Add 500 - 1000 squats done in sets of 50 and you have a very effective full body BW workout that will develop strength endurance, work capacity, but also muscular hypertrophy, and overall general health. The combative athletes (Boxing, Wrestling, Judo) of Japan, Iran, eastern Europe, have always put tremendous emphasis on BW training in the form of calisthenics in their training, and most of those athletes are generally lean and jacked. A book could easily be written about this form of training and is needed in terms of effective and efficient BW training when minimal space and equipment is available, and it would be welcomed by Law Enforcement, Military, Wildland Firefighters including Smoke Jumpers and Ground Crews I speak of this from experience. I'm a former member of Canada's National Police Force (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and during my 30 year career I was posted in Northern Canadian Rural Detachments with little space and equipment for training. During my service, I was also an Assaulter on the RCMP's Emergency Response Team, as well as a Covert Operative as an Aircraft Protective Officer, the American equivalent of a Federal Air Marshall.
DeleteGreat stuff! I love all the information. I've written quite a bit about LaLanne in different articles and essays, but it might be time for me to do another article on him, as well. As far as Starr goes, he wrote more about BW workouts than most lifters realize, I think. Usually, the casual lifter, if they even know about him at all, only knows his 5x5 stuff.
DeleteMas Oyama was one of my childhood heroes. I remember some of my fellow childhood karatekas getting upset at my opinion that Bruce Lee wouldn't have stood a chance against Oyama.🙂 I've written a little bit about him here and there, but he might be another worthy of an article just on his strength & conditioning training alone.
A BW training book might be a book I should work on. I probably have enough material scattered over the years that I have enough for a relatively small book, and with a little more material I could put together something decent. Thanks for the comment, since it encourages me to write more on the subject.
Thank you for your service. That's quite admirable and an honorable career to go into. Although I've never been in the military myself, I have many family members that have, along with ones that are - or have been - police officers and firefighters. In the '90s, when I owned a karate dojo, I worked with local law enforcement, training them in aspects of the Way that were applicable to their jobs. I have always had respect and admiration for anyone who goes into that line of work with a sincere heart to serve and protect.
And just thank you for your comments in general. The more that I get, the more that I'm encouraged to continue with my writing. And, as a coach and teacher, I'm always trying to learn more. A few of the folks that you mentioned - Long, Wells, Lenz - I know nothing about their training, which simply incentivizes me to learn more.
John GILL was another rock climber who was influenced and inspired by Jack LaLANNE, and his training for climbing included a lot of calisthenics and gymnastic ring work and rope climbing. I was a big fan of OYAMA as a teenager when I was studying Goju-Ryu Karate and boxing as an amateur. I had purchased a soft cover book about Mas OYAMA's life and training during this time. I don't recall the title or author of the book, but I recall it detailing OYAMA's training. I have trained in Combat Judo and Muay Thai, during my service as a LEO. I love the philosophical aspects of Budo focusing on character, moral integrity, and self protection, including integrating physical training with mental, physical, and spiritual discipline.
Delete