On Lists and Lifting

 

“Good advice has been cast at me throughout my career.  I tend to ignore it when it comes in a dull package.” ~strength coach Dan John

I start with this quote from strength coach Dan John so that you will understand this is NOT a glitzy essay, one packed with shiny “new” things that might be all the current rage in the muscle-building world.  It IS, however, informative and filled with good advice.

1977 issue of Muscle Builder & Power; Muscle magazines have always been full of "lists."

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I like lists for lifters.  Short lists.  Easy-to-remember lists.   Lists of what foods are best for you to eat (depending on your goals).  Lists of the sort of exercises you should be doing; exercises that can help you achieve your goals in a shorter period of time.

For the longest, I touted what I referred to as the “Big 5.”  The Big 5 is a list of the 5 things every lifter should do each and every week without fail—male or female, big or small, whether your goal is fat loss or hypertophy.  Here’s the list:

1. Squat something heavy.

2. Pick heavy stuff off the ground.

3. Press heavy stuff over your head.

4. Drag or carry heavy stuff for time or distance.

5. Eat a lot of food each and every day!

After a while—and you may have noticed it in some of my more recent articles the last couple of years—I dropped #5 off this list (since it had nothing to do with lifting, per se), and simply started referring to it as the “Big 4.”  When anyone comes to me for advice, for instance, (and this matters not whether it’s a friend who calls me up or someone I don’t know asking me advice via e-mail) the very first thing I ask is the sort of exercises they do.  To this day, NO ONE has come to me and told me that, each and every week without fail, he or she squats, picks stuff off the ground, presses stuff overhead, or drags/carries heavy objects of various sorts.  If they DID, then they would never come to me (or anyone else, for that matter) for advice in the first place.  However, after they leave me, assuming they take my advice, ALL of them pick exercises that “fit the bill” of the Big 4.

Within the Big 4, of course, there are HUNDREDS of exercises that you could do.  Think of all the variations of squats, overhead presses, pulls, and strongman movements (or “odd” lifts) with various barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, machines, bands, and “odd” equipment, such as sandbags or rocks.  With that in mind, I also think it’s good to make lists of specific exercises so that you are not just randomly selecting exercises for each training day.   (Remember the adage: “Are you on a training program or are you just working out?”  If you are doing random exercises at each session, even IF those exercises all “match” the Big 4, you are still “just” working out!)

At each workout session, I think it’s good to do—on average—5 different exercises.  Utilizing 5 exercises allows you to work all of your major muscle groups without overdoing it.  Here’s a couple of lists to give you an idea:

1. Barbell Squats

2. Flat Barbell Bench Presses

3. One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Presses

4. Chins

5. Barbell Curls

1. Power Snatches

2. Bottom-Position Squats

3. Dips

4. Farmer’s Walks

5. Planks

The lists look different, but that’s the point.  It gives you an idea of what your exercises should look like depending upon your goals, or any weak points that you need to work on.  Make a few lists like the ones above so that you will always have a few workouts “on hand” when you need to switch to something new.

If you’re a more “advanced” lifter, and you are using a body part split, you may want a list of exercises that are your “go-to” for each bodypart, or your go-to for each of the Big 4.  For instance, if you were going to utilize a workout where you trained squats on one day, pressing movements on another, pulling movements on another, and, finally, odd lifts (or strongman movements) on yet another day, then your lists might look like these:

Squats

• Back squats

• Front squats

• Bottom-position squats

• High-bar pause squats

• Split squats

Presses

• Barbell overhead presses

• Seated dumbbell presses

• One-arm overhead dumbbell presses

• Bottom-position overhead presses (in the rack)

• Push presses

Pulls

• Power cleans

• Power snatches

• Deadlifts

• Rack pulls

• Deficit deadlifts

Odd Lifts and Carries

• Farmer’s walks

• One-arm farmer’s walks

• Sled drags (walking forward or backward)

• Sandbag carries

While I’m thinking about it, you could do the above exercises your entire life and NEVER NEED ANOTHER exercise.  Never ever.  Like EVER.

Lists can help with more than just training.  They can be highly beneficial when it comes to dieting.  If you’re skinny, and having difficulty packing on weight, then make a list of all the foods you need to eat every day.  Take this list and put it on your refrigerator door so that it will be a constant reminder of the foods you need to eat.  Here’s what the list should look like:

• Rice

• Oats

• Whole-grain bread

• Full-fat milk

• Cream

• Eggs

• Lean meats (all types)

• Cheese

• Yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Peanut butter

• ANY fresh fruits

• ANY fresh vegetables

Keep this list front and center before your eyes as much as possible, at least until it's cemented into your mind, and you no longer need for it to be right in front of you.  If you eat primarily the above foods (if the above list makes up 90% of your diet), then you’ll be big and strong in absolutely no time, assuming you’re doing exercises from the Big Four.  When that happens, the only list you’ll need is a good grocery list of all the muscle-building foods you’ve discovered works wonders for YOU.

Lists don’t stop with just training or nutrition, or don’t have to stop there.  Make a list of the “goals” you are trying to achieve, or that you want to achieve, even if you aren’t actually trying them as of yet.  When you make a list of your goals—all of your goals, no matter how many there are—you can actually look at all your goals grouped together.  This helps, because they get out of your head, so to speak, and you are able to see them fresh, independent of your thoughts, grouped together as one.  When you do this, it better allows you to decide what goals you truly want, and what might be—if you’re actually honest with yourself—little more than a passing fancy.  When you see them before you, you are better able to “step back” from your mind, and see what is important.

Another reason I don’t use a “notepad” on my cell phone for notes is because I believe there is actual power in writing things down.  Writing down your lists—training, nutrition, your list of goals; whatever—instead of just thinking about them is a physical activity.  When you keep your list in your mind, without writing it down, then—at least as far as your subconscious mind is concerned—the list is not reality.  But when you write it down, you actually bring it into the physical world.  Even if it’s a lofty goal, it will no longer seem as “far-fetched” when you can see it on paper!

I write about the psychology of making lists, so that you can see there are benefits beyond the obvious when it comes to our (not-too-exciting) subject of lists.  If you have trouble being concise, then lists can help.  This is one area where they have helped me, and I often think—especially when it comes to more technical subject matter—this is the reason lists are beneficial for a great many people.  It’s even the reason that you have articles written with titles such as “Top 10 Ways to Build Muscle with Machines” or “Seven Tips for Women Over 60 to Lose Belly Fat.”  These are common enough titles for a reason.  Making lists allows for the complexity of the subject to be broken down into digestible, easy-to-remember chunks.

Lists can be a tool to aid you in achieving your goals.  In addition to the concision of complicated subject matter, lists have other benefits.  They help with decision-making and busting “bad” habits; they lend a sense of accomplishment, and help to save time.  But keep in mind that lists are still nothing other than a “tool” in your lifting toolkit; a good tool, yes, but still a tool.  As with all lifting tools, it’s just one more thing that can help you to achieve your goals.  Remember, no matter how great your list of workouts may be, you still have to do them.