EASY Strength Training

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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby WeeSpeck » Sun Nov 19, 2017 4:05 am

I ran the Spartan Sprint today at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It was an amazing setting overlooking San Francisco Bay. I had the unique opportunity to run my race just as the afternoon turned to dusk and the Oakland Bay Bridge lit up with beautiful splendor.

The race meandered all through the bleachers from the bottom to the top, spiraled in and out of the concourse, starting in the locker room where we were required to complete 20 pushups. By the end of the race, we explored every inch of that stadium, ending up on the field, running the baseline, touching the same dirt as all the baseball greats that have graced that path.

I think I did pretty good! In my class of females aged 55-59 years I finished 32 out 84. Of all females, I finished 1314th out of 2771. Overall, I finished 3366th out of 6124 participants. I am happy with that!

I feel like I was prepared and I do feel like the last three weeks focusing on the push, pulls, loaded carries, ab wheel and planks helped a lot!

When I started out 3 weeks ago, I could barely plank for 30 seconds. By the end of 3 weeks, I was holding my plank for 60 seconds easily.

I was barely able to do 3 ladies pushups. Today, I did 20 full plank pushups! It was probably not pretty, but it was completed.

In the last three weeks, I lost 3.2 pounds and 0.8% body fat. It wasn’t just the exercise. I also focused on cleaning up my diet of unnecessary calories. Having a goal to work towards is very motivating.

There were several obstacles that I completed with relative ease. Lifting a 15-pound smash ball over my head and slamming it to the concourse 20 times was doable because I have been training with a 25-pound kettlebell. Running up and down the stairs was not too overwhelming because my stamina was good.

The hardest physical obstacle for me was doing the bear crawl up the ramps. This required squatting down to hands and knees and moving through the concourse under ropes 2 feet off the ground.

The hardest mental obstacle for me was the walls! The first wall must have been 10 feet high! Or maybe it was 9 or 6. It may as well have been 100 feet! I couldn’t jump high enough to get my hands to the top. When my son attempted to boost me up, I instinctively pushed off the wall with my feet once I clasped the top which ejected me off the wall. I was ready to walk around it, but he wasn’t willing to have me give up that quickly. He boosted me up until I could get a grip on the wall and then as I pulled myself up, he literally pushed me up and over.

Once I saw that it could be done, the rest of the walls were a piece of cake! I didn’t realize or trust I had the upper body strength to pull my lower body up and over by the power I had developed in my arms and core.

The jump rope was hard! The rope itself must have weighed 10 pounds. I kept hitting myself in the back of the head because I wasn’t swinging it hard enough to get it high enough. Once I got past the learning curve, I realized I had to keep the momentum going and work that rope.

There was no way I could do the jump box either. I didn’t have the confidence to jump from ground to platform with two feet. But, I compromised and did step ups, one foot at a time until I finished the allotted amount.

Then there was the weighted carry of some stinky heavy beanbag. I pitched it over my shoulder and walked the distance with relative ease. But, dang…the smell….All the sweat of the Spartan’s before me.

The obstacles I did not even attempt were climbing the rope, the overhead rings and the stump carry. The stump must have weighed about 40 pounds. I tried to pick it up but there were no grips and to lift it from the ground to a standing position frightened me a bit because of my back injury the last time I attempted something similar. I left that one alone.

There was also a z-table with tiny little grips, like a rock climbing wall that required extraordinary strength to maneuver. It also helped if you were tall with a long stride. My 5’2” stretch was just not going to cut it without swinging to the next grip, hanging on by fingertips to support my full body weight. But, at least I tried.

The spear throw was basically just a burbee generator. More people missed the target than succeeded. The ladder climb was more about overcoming fear of heights than physical challenge.

I feel like I have a lot of work cut out for me if I want to improve moving forward. I need to find an exercise that gives me the confidence that I can not only support my suspended body hanging by my hands, but also move it horizontally and vertically through space. That will be my task for this next year.

In the end, I feel I did very well. Just overcoming my mental obstacle of putting myself out there, in public, succeeding at times and failing at others, was monumental to me! Physically, I was not as taxed as I expected. But I guess I need to give kudos to the training and preparation I did. The overall race only lasted 1:08:03 duration for me. That is about the same amount of time I spend working out each day. It makes me wonder if I want to take it to the next level and try the Spartan Super which goes about 8 miles and includes mud…. Hmmm….

I’m gonna think on that a bit.
--\--@ Nancy @--/--

I am but a wee speck in the big picture of the universe.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:52 pm

Fantastic job! Great story, and what an inspiration!

That's what so great about events like these, whether a running race, triathlon, whatever, there is so much value to just getting out there and seeing what happens and where it takes you. Placement and standings are only relevant to very few.

Glad the training paid off. Only three weeks and still benefited. From what I've read, rope climbing is easy if you learn the proper technique of using your legs. I don't understand it, but skills can be taught. Ditto for the spear throw. But apparently everybody fails that one, because honestly, who practices throwing a spear? Now, whether or not you decide to do another one, you've got better insight into your body works than most people in the gym. Stump carry? You can train that easily with a sandbag. Get a cheap duffel bag, plastic garbage bags and filler like sand or wood pellets, some duct tape, fill up,the bag, carry it around . . .

For anybody else reading this thread, this is the beauty and of Easy Strength. Basic strength that will,apply to everything because the basic human movements are covered. Got something special coming up like a vacation with special activities? Tailor it to match what's in store. Add in some walking and maybe yoga, and you're set for life.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby willboy1806 » Tue Nov 28, 2017 9:00 pm

Thanks for posting this, Vegpedlr. Today was my first day trying it out. I have a good feeling this is going to help me.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Thu Nov 30, 2017 8:43 am

willboy1806 wrote:Thanks for posting this, Vegpedlr. Today was my first day trying it out. I have a good feeling this is going to help me.

Best of luck! Remember that the key to ES is low volume, low intensity, but HIGH frequency. A little bit, often, over the long haul. And covering all the bases, push, pull, hip hinge, squat, and loaded carry. These workouts are perfect for "everybody else." Too often we model our training after what elite athletes do when it's not appropriate.

Please come back and share your experiences.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby Chumly » Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:09 am

I've just started reading and watching some of Dan John's materials. Does he talk much about flexibility? I notice I get really tight and sore sometimes and I wonder if he covers this. I regularly stretch and using a foam roller and lacrosse ball, but I still have problems from time to time. Especially bursitis in my hips.

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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:23 pm

Intervention is the best book. He often mentions dividing muscles into tonic and phasic, meaning weakening or tightening, especially with age. Stretch what tightens, like hip flexors, and strengthen what weakens, like flutes. He is a big fan of Tim Anderson's Original Strength work, which uses the movements infants use strengthen themselves with enough mobility to eventually walk. Mobility is an individual issue, and ball and socket joints are so complex that saying "tight hips" or "tight shoulders" is pretty vague. There are lots of resources out there, but yoga is the only one I am familiar with.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby Skip » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:59 pm

According to these guidelines, I'm doing it all wrong. For example, pushups - I do one set of 35. Or situps, I do 1 set of 60. So I'm doing way to many and probably to fast.....
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:33 am

Skip wrote:According to these guidelines, I'm doing it all wrong. For example, pushups - I do one set of 35. Or situps, I do 1 set of 60. So I'm doing way to many and probably to fast.....

Sort of.

You're training muscular endurance, for which body weight exercises do well. To do bodyweight Easy Strength style, you choose an exercise variation that gets you in the rep range.

Easy Strength is for one purpose only, building strength. Not muscle size, and definitely not endurance. So the program calls for choosing basic exercises that can be loaded up heavy. Strength is built using low reps, 3-5, and plenty of rest. Size is built using higher reps, 8-12, less rest and with plenty of fatigue. Lots of athletes want to build strength without gaining weight. Athletes of other sports need strength training that doesn't interfere with practicing their primary sport. That's the point of Easy Strength.

My point was that, when it comes to fitness, in this case strength, there is more than one way to peel a potato. Exercise is strong medicine and a little goes a long way. You don't have to beat yourself up and you don't have to spend hours in the gym. You can make significant progress with a short and simple routine that will leave plenty of time and energy to get out and actually use that strength.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby Skip » Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:34 pm

vgpedlr wrote:Strength is built using low reps, 3-5, and plenty of rest. Size is built using higher reps, 8-12, less rest and with plenty of fatigue.


I always assumed that using less weight with more reps would build more strength, not size, as opposed to more weight with less reps. Granted that in either case, less or more weight, strength and size will increase.

This guy seems to agree with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eNVN4Ui5GQ
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:57 pm

Skip wrote: I always assumed that using less weight with more reps would build more strength, not size, as opposed to more weight with less reps. Granted that in either case, less or more weight, strength and size will increase.

Exercise will generally increase size and strength, but how much of each is on a spectrum. Strength is the ability to produce force. The body can improve its ability to produce force in multiple ways, and increased muscle size is only one of them. So the lower the rep range and higher the load, the more emphasis is put on pure force production. As reps increase, force production must decline as a result of fatigue. As for increasing size, experience shows a reps in the mid range, 8-12 work best. A certain amount of time seems to be needed to damage enough tissue to inspire growth. Lower reps emphasize force production without fatigue as a limiter. Neuromuscular adaptation is just as important as muscle tissue. Higher rep ranges switch to fatigue resistant slow twitch fibers, which don't increase much in size.

Competitive weight lifters who only care about increasing the amount they can lift train in low rep ranges with full recoveries. Bodybuilders who only care about size train to exhaust muscles with multiple exercises, varaiations etc. It's interesting to look at the performances of competitive lifters in the lighter weight classes. Pound for pound those are some strong people!
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby GlennR » Sun Dec 17, 2017 2:31 pm

I believe there's a finite amount of strength you can gain without engendering muscular growth. Improved lift technique, secondary stabilizer muscle improvement and greater neurological conscription so that more muscle neurons fire will all contribute to more strength. None the less, eventually the muscles have to grow for continuous improvements in strength.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby Skip » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:47 pm

vgpedlr wrote:Strength is the ability to produce force.


Physics 101 says that Force = Mass X Acceleration

Let's take the following example. Three weightlifters doing chest presses to build strength. The first guy does 10 reps of 100 pounds with an acceleration of X for each rep. The second guy does 20 reps of 50 pounds with the same acceleration. The third guy does 40 reps of 25 pounds with the same acceleration.

All of the lifters have exerted the same total force. I would tend to think that the third guy is least apt to build big muscles....but perhaps an equivalent amount of strength....
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Sun Dec 17, 2017 10:12 pm

Forgive me. I'm just a dumb English major who didn't take physics. I'm just sticking to the general usage in the fitness context. Strength refers to how much resistance you can overcome. Usually it refers to absolute or max strength or 1RM. Power refers strength expressed with a time element. For example, thendeadlift and the clean are the same basic movement pattern. The only difference is the end point of the bar, which makes the deadlift a slow movement, and the clean an explosive one.

I think "work" is the physics term in your example? So, yes, manipulating load and volume can equal the same amount of work. But when it comes to developing strength (1RM) all work is not equal. If that were true, then champion powerlifters could train the bench press by doing hundreds of push-ups. And they don't. Likewise, the power lifter with a 1000 lb squat would be faster than Usain Bolt.

My point was, and still is, that on the spectrum of strength and muscle size, different combinations of load and volume produce different results. Max strength, muscular endurance, hypertrophy, powerlifters, Oly lifters, bodybuilders, crossfitters, different goals require different methods.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby DanTheYogi » Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:27 pm

Hey vgpedlr

I wanted to give a a shout out to you for this thread. I recently recovered from two injuries (my wrist and my knee), both of which took over a year to recover (and they are still not quite "110 percent"). I am an avid yogi and runner, and both of these injuries kept me from really participating in 2 of my favorite forms of exercise. After getting through PT, both therapists told me not to neglect strength in order to protect and strengthen my tendons, ligaments, joints, etc. So, for the couples months since I had been released from PT for both injuries, I had been begrudgingly going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week just to keep up my "maintenance" routine in order to maintain the strength I had rebuilt in PT.

I then stumbled across this thread about 3 weeks ago, and the idea of quick, 20 minute sessions daily (instead of hour+ sessions 2 or 3 times a week) really appealed to me. Now, as you would expect, it is not like there has been a noticeable difference in my strength from a weightlifting perspective just 3 weeks into this routine, but there are a couple things I have noticed that really shocked me: my knee and wrist have felt significantly stronger when doing other activities, not just running and yoga, but household chores as well. The muscles around my knee have been strengthened slow and steady through squatting/hip hinge (I have also added leg presses due to previous recommendations from my PT), and I have noticed my wrists are actually quite tested in weighted carries and pull-ups/presses. Basketball is probably my favorite recreational activity (though not as easy to play due to requiring a decent number of people to get a good game going). Yesterday I went and played for over 2 hours and had 0 issues with either injury. In-fact, despite the fact that I played every day for hours on end during high school/college, I have never felt better on the court than I did yesterday! I think this easy strength, combined with my yoga, running/biking, and of course the diet, has really put me in the best shape of my life. And when I mean being in shape, I mean functional shape. I felt so limber and mobile, did not tire at all, and I could really see the strength coming into play when grabbing tough rebounds or finishing around the rim (all with guys that were much bigger than me, size wise). I felt great.

I really love how I feel afterwards too. I leave the gym still with that post workout high of having felt like I got a nice pump in, without the sore muscles that go with it. And because I am doing it every day, I get to feel that way every day!

Anyhow, I feel like this post turned into a bit of a ramble (as my posts always do), but I just wanted to let you know I am really enjoying this routine. I feel great, and not only do I have the time and energy to pursue my other passions, but I feel better doing them as well.
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Re: EASY Strength Training

Postby vgpedlr » Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:28 am

Great story Dan! Thanks for sharing.

Love to hear about someone's success. It's funny that you wrote there weren't much strength gains, then go to explain how everything works better. That's the point. Keep practicing, and everything gets better.

Like Patthabi Jois used to say, right? "Do the practice and all is coming."

You most likely already understand the benefit of "little and often" regarding yoga practice. It works that way for most things, I've found. Most people are lacking a bit in some of the basic human movements, so filling in those gaps is a great benefit. For instance, yoga does not have any pulling. Pulling and hinging from the hips counteract the sitting we do too much of.

You may find Dan John's book Intervention interesting. Also his forum has quite a diverse crowd of folks with a lot of experience to share. I've learned a lot there.
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