Maximizing Pushups and Bench Press for Selection Training Without Wrecking Your Shoulders

First of all, most people should not attempt to do this.  Pulling this off takes patience and involves a delicate balance between fatigue and recovery.  If this is not done right, most will end up with a shoulder overuse injury.  However, for the tactical athlete preparing for selection, who needs bench press strength, and who will be exposed to hundreds of pushups per day during training, it is a necessity.  It can be done effectively.  At the US Naval Academy we experimented with different plans for Midshipmen preparing for the SEAL screener, BUD/S and other programs.  Our previous experience in building up pushup numbers using daily (or near daily) sub-maximal volume (several sets, none taken to failure, in an attempt to do lots of volume) proved to be very effective at building up pushup numbers.  However, throwing in heavy bench presses became problematic.  The fatigue load was too much.  The solution we employed was simple and effective.  There are many ways  to do this and below is just one example.  Focus on the overall principles and apply them to your situation.

Example:  Athlete looking to improve bench press and pushups and currently at 45 strict pushups for a max.  The starting pushup volume was 100 pushups per day.  Over time this would be increased to several hundred per day as tolerance improves. The pushups can be done together as several sets with plenty of rest in between, or can be done "grease the groove" (google it) style.

Monday:

• Heavy bench press workout; 
• push-ups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on each set.

Tues: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up

Wed: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25

Thurs:

• Heavy bench press workout; 
• pushups, 100 total, as many sets as necessary, stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure on each set.

Fri: 100 pushups, done as sets of 10 reps, keep it easy with no fatigue build up

Sat: 100 pushups, done as 5 sets of 20

Sun: 100 pushups, done as 4 sets of 25 (or test max pushups, then finish the 100 stopping 2-3 reps shy of failure) or skip this pushup workout if you are fatigued

These pushup numbers apply to our example above.  You will need to adjust based on your capability.  The pattern is what is important.  We found that bench press strength was not negatively impacted as long as the pushups sets were not done to failure (except for an occasional Sunday).  The "easy" day following the bench press workout was enough to freshen up prior to the next workout.  This was a manageable workload that could be sustained long term as long as we did not get greedy on the pushups.  The key is to let the pushup numbers improve gradually and never go to failure.  Also, pushing should be balanced with pulling.  This was never a problem for us as we were simultaneously increasing pull-up numbers.  You should consider doing as much pulling as pushing.  Obviously you will not be doing as many reps of pulling as pushups, but keep the number of set about the same.  Frequently we did our pulling in between sets of pushups.

If you are going to do this, you must have near perfect pushup form!  Keep your shoulders packed and your core engaged.  No sagging hips and flared elbows!  Poor form will destroy your shoulders if you are pushing out lots of reps daily.

In summary, training pushup volume and bench press strength can be done simultaneously.  However, you must manage fatigue by "freshening up" the day after a heavy bench press workout.  You still get in the volume, but do so with low rep sets and plenty of recovery between sets.  No sets of pushups should be taken to failure.  Be sure to do plenty of pulling.  Back off at the first sign of shoulder pain. Remember, it is easy to be hard, but it's hard to be smart.  Be smart.

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Just a Few Things You Probably Don't Do But Should

There's got to be hundreds of ways to move for reasons of getting stronger.  I'll take liberty to assume that many only do a fraction of them.  The reasons are likely totally legitimate.   Maybe your half-assing trainer didn't program them for you.  I'm sure that lots of them don't help your bench. Nobody else around you does them so if you did, you'd violate that unspoken agreement of conformity.  Actually, that's a good word to describe a lot of why people do what they do in strength temple.  It's unfortunate that the answer to why to choose an exercise is, "TO GET STORNGER". 

The funny thing is, that seems to change between generations.  We don't lift the same since the test of strength have changed.  So, lifts have changed along with the times.  Being good at selected lifts doesn't necessarily make a persons strong, just strong at the lifts at hand.  There is a difference.  Some good ideas get lost like that.  Here's a list of those lifts, and things to train, that are best remembered. 

Hyperextensions
I strongly suspected my revolving door of IT Band tightness and lower back irritation was the result of my left knee not naturally hyperextending like it should back in September.  Early in my resumption of normal training, I'd lifted right-side dominant.  Even as I tired in later months, I'd still notice my right leg was still locking out faster.  I suspected I had to get my knee to move more like it should naturally. 

After looking at the glute-ham machine in the gym, I hit myself for not thinking of this sooner:  hyperextensions.  The set-up in this contraption would put some force on my knee somewhat similar to what I used to do in physical therapy and hopefully get my natural range of motion close enough to 100% back to stop the above-mentioned insanity. 

Vasily Kolotov.  That back cleavage should put to rest any arguments about the value of hyperextensions.

During research into the topic of hyperextensions, I stumbled onto this article.  Apparently, these were a Soviet favorite back in the 1970's to turn the spinal erectors into dueling telephone poles (I'd also like to draw attention to the fact that this was written long before Pavel was even potty trained so it's unlikely not THAT kind of Russian training secret.)

I didn't get too creative on this one.  The rep training scheme provided in the article was what I did (I conformed). While it did help my knee out, the training had another effect:  I haven't tweaked my back in any manner lifting since I started doing these. 

Vince Gironda's Pullups
Generally I can't stand bodybuilding. I like to confine flexing in my underwear to the privacy of my bathroom.  So, it does seem a bit odd that I generally have a highly favorable opinion of Vince Gironda since he's just about the biggest bodybuilding purist of his time.  There's just one thing:  the guy happened to be stupid-strong at the same time.  What else do you call a person who can do this?

From what I've read, the cranky, alcoholic, high-priest of bodybuilding favored doing pull-ups in which he brought his sternum, not his chin or chest, to the bar.  It kind of looks like a row combined with a pull-up.  It also looks like a ridiculously hard pull-up variation that most bar-humping, pull-up kippers will avoid like the plague.  That's unfortunate since this simple extra few inches makes the upper back want to explode.  It's the perfect example of, sometimes, a few extra inches can make all the difference in the world (ask your girlfriend). 

The best cue I've found to do pull up to the sternum is to simply throw the head all the way back.  Look straight up and pull.  Never bring your head up.  This is hard and be prepared to have a shocking, and embarrassing,  number of repetitions sliced off your sets.  That's probably why nobody does these anymore.  Don't mind that.  Just pull.  Allegedly, Gironda did four dozen of these to a set.  So, follow his lead (skip the alcohol) and get to work. 

The Bent Press
It doesn't take too long to read this blog to realize that I adore this lift.  I started doing this lift five years ago with a measly 35 lbs for one reason only:  it's fun and it looks cool.  It's a slow-grind lift that was done regularly in old strongman shows because it was visually appealing and a lot of weight can be lifted with one hand if the technique is mastered.  That's the rub right there:  it's also tricky to learn and very hard to find someone who know what they're doing with it. 

I never really assigned any practicality to doing such a lift.  It was just something that caught my attention to do and I did it because I enjoyed it.  As it turns out, there are two things that this lift has going for it.  The first would be Lat work.  Very simply put, the getting-under action of the bent press is a lot of upper back work.  Even two straight reps of this will fry the Lats.  There's a lot of time under tension with this lift. 

The second was brought to my attention by an article posted not too long ago:  thoracic mobility.  Very simply put:  we don't twist much any more when we train.  Sure, some will begrudgingly admit that's important.  Then, they will assign some sort of puny, boorish band-assisted mobility work that we'll disregard as soon as issues brought on by the lack of mobility are eradicated.  I've heard of an interesting alternative:  why not do a strength move that moves in the same manner as the rehab move you'll soon disregard?  At least we could have some fun, get strong, and stay moveable. 

In fact, that's something I can't beat my readers up with enough:  DO SOMETHING THAT YOU ENJOY DOING!  If you don't enjoy the lifts that you're performing, then don't do them.  Very, very few exercises are so important that you can't afford to not do them.  Unless you compete in a strength sport that dictates you do a specific lift, then there is no reason to follow the lead of others.  That's really why most don't know about the vast array of ways to exercise and get strong. 

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Just get it overhead

Continuation of blogging about shit that, in the past, I never used to do, seems oddly intriguing to me.  I spent the past half decade smashing keys about almost all bodyweight and not giving much of anything in routines.  After all, few things annoy me about our subculture quite like people who can't comprehend training without stuff, much less how to put together something as rudimentary as programming.  Both of these could be irrefutable proof that there just isn't enough thought out there going through people's minds when they decide their muscles need stimulation. 

So, I try to put some thought into my routines.  Once in a while, I find the thoughts produce a result that's worth sharing. Such is one of the workouts I did the Sunday after my first competition.  Apparently, I broke some sort of tradition that stipulates that you should do your best to mimic a statue in the subsequent days after a strongman competition.  Since I love to train as much as I like to kick the nuts of conventional training wisdom, I took my traditional goof-off day and did some kettlebell work. 

In case I haven't said it enough recently, I adore Ironmaster's kettlebells.  Not only are they square, (which really throws people off) but they also more than pay for themselves if you tried to buy a set of conventional kettlebells (ie a 35, 53, 70 and 97 lbs).  With the right pin set-up, its possible to adjust from 22-103 lbs with a nice, tight lock-up. 

Strongman appeals to my sense of practicality because so much of it is getting stuff off the ground and getting it overhead in one way or another.  There are many ways to do that, some more conventional then others.  So, that's what I decided my break from strongman training would do, even if I wasn't going to a traditional strongman implement. 

I hadn't done a kettlebell snatch since before I borrowed a piece of knee ligament from some random, dead guy.  Prior to having such a need for spare parts, I used to do these pretty heavy, sometimes up to 100 lbs.  Since I was still barely smart enough to do these with some caution, I did them with only 85 lbs. 

Next up, I grabbed two kettlebells, stacked 70 lbs on both and threw up some clean and presses.  Since my shoulder strength could use some work,  tried my damnest to not use any leg drive off the clean to press the KB overhead. 

Since that kind of fried my shoulders up but I still had a desire to do some overhead work, I rounded things out by adding more leg drive and doing double KB squat-presses.  This one I made a concerted effort to explode out of the hole and use that drive to push the KB's overhead.   I also do this movement only with weight I cannot press overhead.  That way, I have to add lots of leg drive. This movement helped me immeasurably in the yoke press part of my medley. 

This may have been one of the best routines I've ever put together for myself off the top of my head.  I've used the last two in tandem several times to keep getting shoulder work in even after they're fatigued.  I heard a strongman bring up an interesting point about his competition preparation.  He noted that for a while, he wasn't necessarily getting stronger, he was just coming up with different ways to move the weight in an effective manner.  That's kind of what I was aiming for with this workout:  practice getting weight off the ground and overhead in as many different ways as possible.


Mr "finding different ways".  Heard of him?
 

Of course, if one were to care about such things, this would also be an effective routine to make for a bigger ass and wider shoulders. It would beat the hell out waist training to achieve an hour glass figure.

These videos weren't demonstrations. They were actual sets. Yes, those are kettlebells. No they don't have to be done in high repetitions. I do all of these in low reps and as many sets of each as I can handle. That can change depending on how much manual labor I do but mostly in the 6-10 sets range, each. So, make a conscious point to throw off any preconceived notions about strength training that you have (When to train, strongman and kettlebells, kettlebells for high reps, etc) and put some creative thought into what you do. 

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Skinny Guys, METCON is Probably Ruining Your Training

Skinny guys, you probably like doing METCON workouts because you are good at them, especially bodyweight METCONs.  METCON fitness improves rapidly.  It does not take long to get good at METCONs.  They are hard and make you feel like you accomplished something.  They develop mental toughness and great cardio capacity.  I get all of that.  Here is the problem.  If you are trying to get big and strong, you are working against yourself.  I'll keep it simple:

1. METCON reduces the amount of weight you can lift during a session.  Running sprints between sets of squats will keep you from going as heavy as you could.
2.  METCON workouts interfere with muscle recovery between heavy workouts.
3.  METCON workouts burn lots of calories (great for weight loss) that could be diverted to getting bigger.
4.  METCON workouts can produce a catabolic response (through cortisol) that can result in losing muscle.
5.  Most METCON workouts are not loaded heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth or strength in all but novice and untrained individuals.
6.  Excessive METCON contributes to systemic fatige.  Rest and recovery is vital when striving for strength/hypertrophy gains.

Sure, there are plenty of big guys who do METCON frequently.  They are either much more physically gifted than you, or they were already big and strong when they started doing METCON.  If you are a skinny guy who wants to get big and strong, focus on what has worked for the last 50 years or more.  Move progressively heavier weights with good form, consistently, week in and week out, for years.   Doing something just because it is hard or because you are good at it does not guarantee that it will produce the results you want.  It is easy to be "hard" but it is hard to be "smart." 

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The Tactical Athlete: Balancing Risks in the Gym and on the Job

There are three traits that are common among tactical athletes that can be disastrous in the gym.  People with an affinity for taking risks are often drawn to tactical professions.  Tactical athletes also like to test themselves to ensure that they are keeping their edge.  Finally, tactical athletes are predominantly type A personalities (overachievers).  These personality traits are a mixed blessing of course.  Combined with a high level of motivation, they lead to high levels of success.  However, in the gym, these traits have to be restrained in order to avoid disaster.

Tactical athletes would be well served by learning the lessons that have been learned the hard way by countless strength and conditioning coaches.  Strength coaches who work with athletes are very risk averse.  If you start injuring athletes as a strength coach, you get fired, quickly.  The world of training athletes for sport is a world of minimizing risk.  But……you might say…..”Athletes play injured all the time.”  Yes, that is true.  But the injures are primarily sustained while playing and practicing the sport, not in the weight room.  For the sports athlete, just like the tactical athlete, the job is risky enough without introducing more risk in the conditioning program.  Strength and conditioning training for the job should not increase the risk of injury significantly.   Successful strength and conditioning coaches are always looking for lower risk alternatives for training.   If jump squats will do the job, why risk doing snatches?  Do I want to risk an athlete’s shoulder doing muscle ups?  Do I really want this group doing handstand pushups or can I get the job done with the press instead? These are the kinds of questions that good strength and conditioning coaches wrestle with, and the successful ones always fall on the side of caution, within reason.   Like Dan John says, “Remember to keep the goal the goal.”

Strength and conditioning coaches also understand that performance on the field of play is all that matters.   There is a football saying that expresses this idea well, “Built like Tarzan, but plays like Jane.”  Everything they do is measured against improving performance and reducing the risk of injury.  They understand that the true test of the athlete is on the field of play, and not in the gym.  They also understand that if the athlete is too tired or too sore to perform on the field, the strength and conditioning program is excessive.   I know several high level triathlon coaches.  They all agree that the biggest problem they face in dealing with motivated, type A personality clients is keeping them from doing too much.  The personality traits listed above is going to always make that a challenge.   Testing yourself daily in the gym is a mistake.  Coach Pavel has likes to say that a typical periodized intensity program looks like, “heavy, heavier, even heavier, injured, light….repeat.”  The real answer for those who need to perform outside of the gym is moderate, moderate, moderate and occasionally heavy. 

There is an old Marine Corps saying, “ It’s easy to be hard, but it’s hard to be smart.”  Training smart involves keeping the big picture (Keep the goal the goal!) and not making the obvious mistakes.  Here are some of the most obvious:

1.       Testing yourself too often in the gym.  You are going to test yourself more often than is productive.  As a tactical athlete it is in your DNA.  However, you don’t have to prove anything.  You have already made the selection, passed the school, passed the real test.  You belong.  Testing yourself occasionally is OK, just don’t do it daily, or even weekly.

2.      Picking risky exercises when safer versions will work.  There are lots of Youtube sensations who are known for performing some impressive looking feats in the gym.  Be aware that there is a difference between demonstrations and training.  Your job is dangerous enough.  Keep the training low risk.  Demonstrate your worth on the job, not in the gym. 

3.       Pursuing heavier weights too aggressively.   Strength happens slowly.  Rushing the issue most often results in compromised form.  Moderate loading is the key.  Moderate loading ensures that you are able to execute each rep correctly.  Strength training is loaded movement.  Never sacrifice movement to add load.  Also consider, is adding 100lbs to your deadlift going to make you better at your job?  Maybe, but maybe not.  This is a risk management decision. 

4.       Confusing the means with the end.  If the goal is better tactical performance, then performance in the weight room is a means, not an end.   Like coach Dan John says, “Remember to keep the goal the goal.”   Don’t compromise tactical performance for better gym performance and don't take excessive risks in training.

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