From my latest newsletters:
Jim Wendler is the Senior Editor and Sales Manager of Elite Fitness Systems (
www.elitefts.com). He worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Kentucky where he worked with several different teams including football and baseball. He played football and graduated from the University of Arizona where he earned three letters. Jim’s best lifts include a 1000lbs squat, a 675 bench press, 700lbs deadlift and a 2375 total in the 275lbs class.
CB: I attended one of the EliteFTS seminars last May. And it was worth the travel to Shenendoah, PA, just to hear Jim speak. The info I received at the seminar added 25 pounds to my bench and at least 50 to my squat. Not too mention the training ideas I got for the athletes I work with. Jim’s experience and common sense is hard to match. So here’s Jim take on simplifying training to get strong, big, athletic, and lean. This is required reading for anyone that trains other humans.
Jim, your messages at the EliteFTS seminar all seemed to revolve around the principle of keeping training as simple as possible. That’s a bit contrarian to the advices of many coaches today. How and why do you think most people could simplify their training?
JW:
I think that a lot of writers/trainers/coaches want to overcomplicate things because
1) It makes them appear smarter,
2) To show off to other people in the profession,
3) Because they do not know how to simplify their ideas and cannot communicate with their audience.
Think about it this way – most people that read articles on weight training aren’t always coaches or trainers; they are normal people that just want to get stronger. These people want the Cliff’s Notes version. I don’t read articles to learn how smart someone is, I read them to get useful information. The fact that I took the time to read something from an author already shows that I trust him.
Why simplify? Because it can be simplified. There is no reason why things have to be more complicated than they already are. Most of the highly complex, advanced training ideas are not applicable for 99% of people. So why do most authors want to write about it? It’s mostly because of the 3 reasons that I listed above but it’s also very marketable. Telling someone that they need to do big, basic lifts and eat correctly isn’t going to make you a lot of money or give you a lot of fame.
Since most of your life is already complicated, why make your training the same way? It’s the only part of many people’s life that is free from politics, free from gossip, free from family and friends. This is your time; at least make it enjoyable.
CB: So what’s the simple way to get strong?
JW:
I think we can all agree that lifting heavy weights will make you stronger. No one can dispute this. Now we all know that you need to lift frequently enough; you can’t train every two months. But you can’t train heavy every single day. So basically you have to train heavy, do it frequently enough to elicit strength gains but not so much that you overtrain.
There is no magic formula for this but a good rule of thumb would be to try to hit 85-95% for most of your training. This would be for an advanced lifter.
Also, if you eat like a bird you will lift like a bird.
CB: What’s the simple way to improve your bench?
JW:
We will address muscles on this issue –
Shoulder strength is imperative – this should be done with military presses and any kind of incline or flat dumbbell pressing movement. Pushups will also help but if they are extremely easy using some kind of resistance (band or chain) or making it harder (Blast Straps) will provide a greater benefit.
(CB Note: My blast straps are one of the most popular pieces of equipment at the gym – you can get yours at
www.elitefts.com – and use them to train anywhere, anytime.)
Lat strength is critical – this helps you to remain stable and maintain a proper bar path. The best exercises are pull-ups and any kind of row, especially chest supported rows and dumbbell rows.
Upper back is also overlooked – You need a very big, strong upper back to help support the weight. If not, you will flatten out and your bench will suffer. Face pulls, rear laterals and seated Cuban presses (or seated dumbbell cleans) are what need to be done.
CB: What’s the simple way to increase your squat?
JW:
Barring form breakdown (which is huge) the three things people need to focus on:
Total leg strength – this involves the quads and hamstrings. glute ham raises, Romanian deadlifts, one leg movements (lunges, step ups) and total leg movements (leg presses, Power Squat). You need both quad and hamstring strength to squat. Don’t focus on one and neglect the other.
Back strength – A lot of people will say lower back but you need to be strong throughout your entire back. Why? Because when people miss a squat the first thing to fold is their upper back. If you can maintain your arch in your upper back, you lower back will tend to remain arched. So you must train this entire area. Things such as back raises, 45 degree back raises, good mornings, reverse hyperextensions, any lat movement and any upper back movement must be addressed.
Abdominal strength – This has been talked about endlessly so I don’t need to elaborate on this.
CB: And what’s the simple way to get as strong as possible in the deadlift?
JW:
I wish I knew! Seriously, whatever I did for my squat usually helped my deadlift. The biggest change for me was strengthening my lower back using the good morning. The same ideas for squatting will also apply to the deadlift.
CB: What is a couple of simple ways to increase your grip strength?
JW:
The best exercises I’ve ever used is the hex dumbbell hold. This will develop some great finger strength which almost everyone is lacking.
CB: Now even the simple way to get strong is a lot of work. So what’s the simple way to avoid burning out from training?
JW:
Take time off and get outside. You have to listen to your body everyday. You know the days that you walk into the gym and you feel like crap? This is your body’s way of telling you, “I don’t want to train.” Now some people take this too far and never train, but for the very dedicated people, they need to learn how to listen to your body.
As for going outside; we are an indoor society. Go outside and walk. This will do wonders for your well-being and your mood.
CB: And the simple way to avoid injury?
JW:
Take time off. If you need to take ibuprofen and other drugs to train or to live, it’s not a good thing. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something’s wrong. Taking something to mask the pain is not doing you any good.
Also, and this should be a given – use good form. To be honest, no one cares what you bench or squat. So do a full squat and don’t bounce the bar off of your chest when you lift.
CB: What would be the simple way to train young athletes (high school & University)?
JW:
If you are going to have them lift weights, they should be prepared to do so. It sounds simple, but if they don’t know how to do simple bodyweight exercises (push- ups/sit – ups/pull-ups), jumping, throwing, etc. than they are probably not ready to perform heavy squats and deadlifts.
You wouldn’t ask someone to do calculus if they can’t add and subtract. Don’t expect a kid to do an advanced workout and exercises if they can’t do the basics. My son learned how to walk before he ran.
8 weeks of prep period (or whatever they need) can do wonders. Be patient and gradually progress; it’s a marathon not a sprint.
CB: What are S&C coaches and sport coaches doing today that hurt their athletes?
JW:
See the above. It’s about an athlete having the preparedness to train.
CB: Jim, as a college athlete, what did you do right, and what did you wish you knew than that you know now (training only!)?
JW:
As for weight training, the first thing that I think that I did right is that I started with a large athletic background. As a kid, I participated in a lot of sports and did a lot of running, jumping, bike riding, skateboarding, etc. This helped me draw onto a large group of skills to help me learn HOW to do exercises. Of course, I didn’t do these things in preparation to lift, I was just having fun. Once I got in the weight room (I was 13 years old), performing the lifts with correct form wasn’t too difficult.
From then to college, here’s a list of things that I feel I did correctly:
1. Basic exercises and not a lot of fluff.
2. Trained heavy
3. Ran a lot of hills in high school
4. Built muscle mass
5. Did a ton of jumping and other plyometric exercises
6. Everything was done explosively once I learned the movement
7. Consistent
What did I do wrong? I probably should have done more hamstring and low back and ab work when I was younger, but this was corrected in college. I probably over trained but looking back, I really have no regrets. I would beat the hell out of myself if I actually took the time to REALLY think about this.
CB: What about the simple way to train kids under 12? What books do you recommend for this? Does your little guy like to imitate his dad’s workouts, or is he still too young for that? What do you have planned for him in terms of exercise and sport participation?
JW:
My son is already exposed to training; I take him to the weight room and to the track, etc. I don’t care if he takes it to an extreme level for sports, but I want him to be exposed to exercise at a young age. I want it to become habit. This is for his health and his life, not sport.
For training, the best thing that I can give him is the opportunity to participate in athletics and have fun. If he wants to pursue training for sports, I will help him. But it’s hard to separate being a father and a trainer.
At this point in time, children just need to get out and play. I don’t care what it is – they just need to run, jump, compete and have fun.
CB: Moving away from strength & athletics, what is the simple way to build muscle?
JW:
Aside from training, I would say that diet is going to be paramount. Eating enough protein and calories is going to be the #1 thing that will hold someone back assuming that they are training consistently. Most people think they eat enough or take in enough protein, but that usually isn’t the case.
CB: And the simple way to lose fat?
JW:
Again, diet is the key. Everyone will respond differently to foods – some are really carb sensitive, others are not. Understand that if you take the principles of the low carb approach, it can work for you.
But the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. So by limiting your starchy carbs and increasing your good fats and protein, you will lose fat and maintain/build muscle. This kind of diet does take some getting used to; don’t expect to make changes overnight. It’s a gradual, life long quest. So if you screw up on this road, don’t sweat it. Changing your eating habits takes time – don’t fall into the “I want it now!” mentality.
When I began losing weight, I identified the foods that were limiting me from my goals. Instead of taking them all out at the same time, I took one food at time and slowly removed it from my diet. This helped me adjust.
Here are some general guidelines –
1. Eat 1g of protein per lbs of lean muscle mass
2. Eat fruits and vegetables for your carbs
3. Eat a lot of good fats (olive oil, for example) to maintain calories lost when taking out starchy carbs.
4. Increase energy expenditure – this can be as simple as taking a walk every night in addition to your training.
CB: Thanks for the info Jim, on how to keep training simple. You can read more from Jim and other lifting and sport-specific experts at
www.elitefts.com. I believe these guys have the best sports-specific Q’n’A forum on the Internet.
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