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Fundamentals: Getting Back-to-the-Basics

 It never fails.


It's an utter truth.


And no matter how many times we remind ourselves NOT to do it, we do it anyway.


So what is "it"?  IT is our natural tendency to want to make things more complex; it's our natural tendency to slide away from the simple, and to look for things of more complexity; it is our urge - no matter how many times we tell ourselves that it's going to be different - to NOT do the basic training that we should be doing!

The "original" power-builder Pat Casey built his mass and strength using the basics!


Why do we do this?  The primary reason is probably nothing more than human nature.  We convince ourselves that we will get better results if only we do more - more exercises, more sets and reps, more days of training, multiple exercises-per-bodypart, endless variations of different exercises... the list seems to go on and on.


I suppose before going much further, I should add a caveat: variation and volume are both important.  You do need workouts that are "complex" on occasion, but these style of workouts - and I don't care if we're talking heavy weight training or hard martial arts training - should not be the norm, they should be the outliers.  It's when these workouts don't become the outliers that we tend to look at our training program and realize that something is wrong.  At this point, once you've noticed that your complex workouts are becoming your "regular" workouts, it's time to get BACK-TO-THE-BASICS!


And getting "back-to-the-basics" should be a simple thing, but it's also something where many lifters or martial artists (or, heck, even spiritual practitioners) get confused.  So what follows are some basic ideas you can use to make getting BTTB as easy as possible.


Follow the Big Four

I have said it - or written about it in this case - so many times that I probably sound a bit like a broken record at this point.  But it needs to be said.  And it needs to be said because - almost without a doubt - I receive emails from readers each and every single week who are confused about exactly what-the-hell they should be doing with their training programs.  So here goes (again): each week you should do the following 4 things in your training.

1. squat something heavy

2. pick heavy stuff off the ground

3. put heavy stuff over your head

4. walk, drag, or carry loads for distance and/or time

It doesn't matter if you do all 4 of these things in one workout (although full-body workouts are still the best option for most lifters - more on that momentarily) or if you spread the Big 4 out over the course of a training week.  The important thing is to DO all 4 each and every week.


Use Primarily Full-Body Workouts

When getting BTTB, I think it's best if you primarily utilize full-body workouts.  In truth, if I'm honest with you, then you really and truly don't need to do any sort of split workout, even if they are a good training strategy to utilize in addition full-body sessions.  You could honestly go your entire life and never EVER do a split workout program.  And, yes, there are lifters that have done this.  (Clancy Ross is a classic bodybuilder that comes to mind who NEVER performed anything other than full-body workouts, even when he was considered one of the best - if not THE best - bodybuilder on the planet.)


When starting a BTTB full-body plan, you don't even need to train more than 2x per week.  Here is an example of a week of workouts utilizing full-body and the Big 4, just to give you an idea of what you should be doing:

Monday:

Squats: 5 sets of 5 reps.  Work up over 5 progressively heavier sets until you reach a heavy set of 5.  Your last set should be a struggle!

Power Cleans: 5 sets of 3 reps. Same strategy as the squats.

One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Presses: 5 sets of 5 reps (each arm).  For this exercise, use straight sets, by utilizing the same weight for all 5 sets of 5 reps.  Pick a weight where the first couple of sets are "hard" but you don't risk failure until your 3rd, 4th, or 5th set.

Farmers Walks: 3 sets for distance.  For these, grab a heavy pair of 'bells and take off down the street, up a hill, or around the parking lot of your local gym.

Thursday:

Squats: 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps (same as Monday)

One-Arm Dumbbell Snatches: 5 sets of 3 reps (each arm).  Work up over 5 progressively heavier sets to a max set of 3 reps.

Deadlifts: 5 straight sets of 5 reps.

Barbell Curls: 5 straight sets of 5 reps.

Sandbag Carries: 3 sets for distance


Keep Your Diet Simple

When getting BTTB with your training strategy, I think it's very important to simplify other areas of your life, too.  The less "choices" you allow yourself, then the more you can focus on a hard, basic workout plan with minimal distractions.  And this simplification of your life outside of the gym should start with your diet.


As good as we are at making training complex, we seem to be equally "good" at doing the very same thing with our diet.  If you're trying to bulk up, then keep it simple by doing the following:

  • Eat a LOT of good protein from all sources - beef, chicken, pork, seafood, dairy; you name it.  In other words, rely on real food and NOT supplements.
  • Make sure you consume plenty of complex carbohydrates - no lifter ever built a massive physique on minimal carbohydrates.  Eat a lot of oats, rice, and potatoes as your primary complex carb sources.
  • Eat 4 to 6 meals daily.
If you are trying to lose bodyfat while gaining muscle (or simply maintaining your current muscle mass), then do the following:
  • Practice intermittent fasting.
  • Cut out either carbs or fat.  You can't lose fat if you're eating a lot of both.
  • If you are ONLY lifting weights (as opposed to cardio training), then follow a low-carb diet.

Getting BTTB really should be an easy thing.  Follow these tips and perhaps it will be!


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