Physical Ability

Food is for Eating - Not Drinking

2012-01-14T10:17:00.002-07:00

Chew your food - don't just put it in your mouth and swallow. It sounds silly, but make a point to chew each bite 30x (particularly meat-based items) before swallowing and you'll end up faster, stronger, leaner, and more enduring. I'm not a nutritionist or endocrinologist; I can't explain the physiological relationship between chewing, digestion/absorption, and physical performance. But, the results are real and tangible. Chew your food.

Some daily training

2011-12-30T19:33:00.002-07:00

Nothing too exciting; just a turkish get-up complex. Weight is a 106 lb kettlebell with 2 5's strapped to it for 116 lbs total. Katie is watching How I Met Your Mother in the background, Molly is wandering around, and Shannon is chattering at me from by the door. I was cooking dinner in between sets. A shockingly imperfect training environment, but success and commitment in this environment leads to PRs when everything is better situated.

Patience (and wariness)

2011-12-29T09:51:00.001-07:00

If you want to bring up your press, you just have to do more pressing

- Norb Schemansky

The industrial revolution brought about a slow, but overwhelming, societal shift towards the demand for instant gratification. At this point, it's the status quo more often than not. And, I'm not going to lie - I love Amazon with 1-day shipping just as much as the next guy. But, old Schemansky was on to something. If you want to get good at something, do it a lot! That doesn't mean you put in a year of effort and then change the goalposts. Would you go under the knife with a doctor who had only put in 12 solid months in a surgical residency? A year isn't a long time...It takes longer to reach a worthy goal!

In lifting terms, think in terms of training a lift for half a decade, plus, just to develop a decent amount of practical mastery. We're not talking world-class technical expertise here, just a basic level of competence.

To that end, before trusting in a trainer's expertise make a point to learn how long they've been personally training, how long they've been guiding others, and who and what they've been teaching during that time. Know the experience of your trainer(s) or coach(es), and know the experience and credentials of their mentor(s). Keep in mind: Training under a top-notch coach has enormous value, but coaching is like lifting itself. Only so much practical ability can be gained in any given amount of time.

Blind Basset Approved Training

2011-12-28T14:57:00.010-07:00

Nowadays, I'm spending a lot of time sitting at a desk, slouched in front of a 15" screen with a bunch of small words and numbers. My soul's been crushed, but I'm making a living - and so it goes. When I do have time to train, I'm working around family obligations; cooking dinner, listening to Katie tell me about women she doesn't like (there will be a quiz later), and loving up on or man-trailing with my hounds. Why don't I do many snatches anymore? There's a blind basset hound standing between my legs.

Perhaps not quite so literally, but it's the rare exception amongst us who doesn't have a "blind basset" guiding our training choices. Maybe it's a job that keeps you on-call, maybe it's a cantankerous teenager looking for a ride, maybe it's just a social obligation that you routinely prioritize over lifting. Truthfully, the specifics don't matter. What does matter is that you recognize the "threat" to your training program and adjust accordingly. If you're preparing for a marathon with your wife, a high volume Eastern European squatting program probably is not for you.

Of course, most training conflicts are not quite so obvious. The key is identifying the training conflicts and barriers to success present in your life, assessing how they negatively impact all or part of your current training, and then deciding whether the conflict can be negated - or if and how your training needs to be modified for enhanced gains. Individualized programming is a simple principle, but the devil's in implementation.

Our lives shape our training programs. Rather than fight it, develop a training program symbiotic to your lifestyle and other commitments. This will greatly enhance your likelihood of long-term success.

Hard to believe this is my first post in 18 months. I'm going to make a concerted effort to clean up my page and start posting more.

A little bit about Athleticisim

2010-07-23T10:49:00.003-06:00

Note: This is a passage I wrote in response to the question "What is Athleticisim?" on Dragondoor's private RKC message board's. I felt it was worth re-posting here.

I would say athleticism is the ability to demonstrate a positive physical attribute (strength, speed, flexibility, agility, etc.) at the exact moment it is needed. The difference between someone who's "in good shape" and an athletic person is the ability to express physical attributes in different contexts and situations.

IE- Think "real-world" strength vs. gym strength. I know this is kind of a Potter Stewart approach to athleticism--"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced...but I know it when I see it..."--but, I really do think the difference between being "fit," an "athlete," and "athletic" is just contextual.

Anecdote alert: One of the most athletic individuals I've ever known failed math class, got fat, and got a job at Subway so he could spend his days eating sandwiches and smoking pot. And, even after doing that, he remained one of the most athletic people I knew. (As evidenced by his ability to run faster, jump higher, change levels and directions quicker, and exhibit greater strength than anybody else around, whenever the situation warranted that kind of physical behavior). He wasn't fit or "healthy", and since his grades made him ineligible to participate in a sport, he wasn't an athlete. But, watch him move for just a few minutes and it was impossible to miss the stunning athleticism.

As for how to measure athleticism: I'm not sure that can be precisely done with my definition. It seems to me that the best you can do is approximate it by testing a bunch of different traits (sprinting, jumping, climbing, body awareness, gymnastics, agility, o-lifts, maybe varied endurance, etc.), but that still misses the mark since you need to be able to actually use those physical abilities in varying scenarios to be athletic (and not just "fit").

Celebrating my 26th birthday...

2010-07-05T12:54:00.005-06:00

...with a birthday lifting challenge!

26 reps with triple bodyweight (519x26 @ 172). Not bad. I think it's actually the best on YouTube, pound-for-pound.

May I remain healthy, energetic, and strong enough to complete this challenge every birthday until retirement.

64kg kettlebell snatch

2009-08-02T07:58:00.004-06:00

Oleh Ilika is a top kettlebell sport competitor, so kettlebells really are his thing. Still, one-arm snatching almost bodyweight for reps is plain strong.

An "easy" way to gain strength

2009-04-30T20:36:00.004-06:00

This post give a little insight into my training as of late. I haven't had a lot of time, my sleep has been irregular, and yet I've still managed to improve a little on one of my weaker lifts, the squat.

My training life has gone through several phrases, all of which were effective to some extent. Lately, my training has reverted back to a model that integrates the best features from a couple of those phases. I've combined the HIT/Hardgainer training frequency, with a more "progressive" Pavel Tsatsouline-type volume-building set and rep approach. Squatting once per week, I use the same working weight every week and strive to do one more double every week. The training requires patience and restraint, but it really is quite simple. It's not that difficult to add a double every week, but by the end of a 2 month training cycle, I've gone from doing 2x2 with a moderately heavy weight to 10-12x2 with that same weight--something I could not do at the beginning of the cycle. And, once my volume is high enough with a given weight, increasing the weight by 30 pounds and dropping back to 2x2 isn't that difficult either. Finally, as opposed to combining the reps into a single high-rep set, it is not that difficult for me to recover from a once weekly session of multiple doubles. Hence, it is a slow, but "easy" way to gain strength.

Point of interest: I like to supplement the squatting with some hamstring work to balance out the knees. In the past, I've used band good mornings for high-reps, kettlebell swings, natural glute-ham raises, or my personal preference, stiff-leg deadlifts done from either the floor or standing on a box. Whichever exercise I choose, I usually only do ~2 moderate sets after I've finished squatting.

My results
Tthe first time I used this training model I went from doing 300x2x2 to 300x12x2, dropped back to 325x3x2, and increased to 325x12x2. At this point, I easily squatted my previous 1RM on a whim, 1 day after a volume training day, at the end of a 2 hour grappling session, after doing 2x2 pistols on each leg with 100 lbs additional weight. I consider repeating my former best effort under significantly worsened conditions to be progress. The weight was 425, done in a smooth, deep, upright high-bar style.

This is my second time using the training model. Over a period of 8 weeks, I increased from 355x2x2 to 355x10x2. A couple of those weeks I squatted 405x2 on a second squat day. I went out of town before getting to test a heavy lift, but since getting back, I've made the jump to 385, restarting at 2x2. The weight felt a bit heavy, but a day later I'm not sore. I expect to be able to start building volume with this weight.

Round-Back Lifting

2009-02-14T15:09:00.007-07:00

When I was younger, I avoided round-back lifts like the plague. Not only was I not interested in them, I considered the character of the lift dangerous and unnecessary--a crutch for those unable to lift the weight. Nowadays, I find round-back lifting has a place in my training. The place is not yet certain, but a degree of round-back lifting seems to reduce back pain/grappling injuries, improve physical mobility, and transfer well to everyday activities. Lifting with a rounded back has a long-running taboo (lift from your legs, not from your back!), but I've compiled a few pointers for those who think it might have a place in their training, too.

1) Round because you choose to round
Don't lift with a rounded-back because you're not able to move the weight with a straight back. Don't round because your hamstrings aren't flexible enough to otherwise perform the movement. If you want to safely perform round-back lifts, you need to be able to choose when you are and when you are not going to lift with curvature. This means understanding your limits, warming up with the technique you plan to use on your heaviest sets, and sticking with your plan (even when a straight back means you lose the lift).

2) Rounded does not mean soft
Curving the spine is no excuse to lift without intra-abdominal pressure or the appropriate tension throughout the rest of the body. Learning to maintain tension and muscular control in a wide variety of positions is part of the challenge of lifting with a rounded back. Everything should be the same as a straight-back lift; your back is still stable and tight--just rounded.

3) Round before the lift, not during
Though I have no scientific evidence to prove this, I suspect many injuries sustained while lifting with a rounded back are a result of attempts that started with the back straight. Rounding is the body's effort to gain leverage with a weight that can not be lifted otherwise. Sudden, involuntary rounding allows the weight to stretch the muscles/connective tissues and distort the spine. This goes hand-in-hand with point (1). If you can't complete a straight back lift without being forced to round, just drop the bar. You'll get a chance at the weight another time.

4) Give your body time to adapt
Though I am strong enough to move substantial weight with a rounded back, I abstain. I've not been pursuing these types of lifts that long and the tendons/ligaments need time to adapt. For now, round back lifting is relegated to a spot in my warm-up. Slowly, I've progressed from a couple lightweight, low-rep exercises to sets of 10 or more reps with a weight that is ~5-25% of my maximum deadlift. Favorite exercises are standing hamstring stretches/hip thrusts with a weighted vest, deep ROM Mansfield lifts, and light odd-object lifting.

The Wisdom of Dick Hartzell

2009-02-13T16:23:00.006-07:00

Dick Hartzell is a wonderful fount of training experience. In ***this video clip (click link)*** he shares what is probably the most valuable training tidbit you will ever hear: Strength is not an objective, it's a habit.

When it comes to health and fitness, it's very easy to talk about goals. If the goals are progressive and within reason, achieving them isn't so bad, either. But what then? What happens when building on your former personal bests is no longer possible? You've sustained too many injuries, your body is aging, you have 2 families/6 jobs/and a dairy farm to manage (just as a hobby). This is when the habit of strength becomes important. It doesn't matter if you're doing calisthenics first thing in the morning, a few minutes of indian club exercises at lunch, 10 minutes of kettlebell snatches after work, or one of Bob Hoffman's York Barbell Courses. What matters is that you keep on doing it, even on the days where you really, really, really don't feel like it. When the alarm clock sounds in the morning, you get up and grab your stretch band, just like Dick Hartzell.

If there's any secret to lifelong strength, Mr. Hartzell has put his finger right on it.

First post in a while

2009-01-17T18:07:00.005-07:00

A kind of ugly lift, but I blame that on the current lack of pulling/lifting in general--strength felt fine, hook grip felt fine, new Mir weight vest was sitting fine, etc. Without further adieu: here's a video of me doing a hack deadlift with 527 for a single, while wearing a 75 lb weight vest.

HE-TK (Heavy ETK)

2008-10-27T11:05:00.007-06:00

I call my "doubles" version of the ETK program HE-TK, because it's for men! and not the wasp-waisted girly type, either. (In all seriousness, it does put a great deal of strain on the lower back/hips. By design, it is not for everyone. If like me, your pulling ability far outstrips your pressing, it might be worth a try. Otherwise, I'd probably recommend steering clear of this particular ETK adaptation).

Program Philosophy
My HE-TK program mirrors the general program laid out by Pavel in Enter the Kettlebell. The biggest difference is that instead of a single, I used a pair of kettlebells for all the exercises; hence, my program title "Heavy ETK." I made it my own by adjusting rest and variety days to my individual specifications, goals, and constraints. HE-TK was inspired by the desire to maintain a respectable level of strength with a limited time commitment, despite lack of a suitable location to deadlift/squat/o-lift. At my disposal were kettlebell pairs at 35, 53, and 70, 18/88/106 singles, a pair of JumpStretch bands, some light tubing, and a barbell with weights. My primary restriction was spatial.

Program Structure
Day 1: double c&p (medium volume ladders); double snatches (light volume)
Day 2: -----
Day 3: double c&p (light volume ladders); double swings (medium volume/sprint set)
Day 4: -----
Day 5: double c&p (heavy volume ladders); double swings (heavy volume)
Day 6: -----
Day 7: Variety day (tgu's/pistols/natural rock lifting/occasional low-rep pulls)
Day 8: -----
repeat, increasing volume on all lifts/day as appropriate

My Specifics
- I started each work-out with a warm-up of pistols (typically 2-4 sets of 1-10 per leg, with 70 to 123 lbs), and used a set or two of standing ab wheel roll-outs as a cool-down.
- I used a pair of 70 lb kettlebells for all the clean & presses, snatches, and swings.
- The light and medium pressing days were respectively ~33% and 66% the volume of the heavy pressing day. Each set/"rung" of clean & presses was started at the top of the minute, regardless of the previous "rung's" duration. I took no extra rest in between ladders. Presses were done without any leg drive or layback.
- Snatches were done at a "relaxed pace" for 4-5 minutes, medium volume swings were done at the heavy volume rpm for 4-5 minutes, and heavy volume swings were 7 minutes at ~90% of my maximum rpm for a 7 minute period. Swings were chest-shoulder high. Admittedly, as the sets wore on, reps tended to be closer to chest height than shoulder height.
- Including the warm-up, the total work-out times ranged from 30-35 minutes, even on the high volume days.

My results
Over a period of 2 months, I worked up from:
70'sx3x1,2,3 --> 70'sx3x1,2,3,4,5 + 70'sx2x1,2,3,4 in the clean & press (65 total reps in 23 minutes)
70'sx93 --> 70'sx130 in the swing (7 minutes, 130 total reps)
106x2r,2l clean & press following a medium pressing day (tied my previous PR)
200x1 barbell military press on a variety day (tied my previous PR)
292x1 hang power clean on a variety day (no previous 1RM PR on this lift)
Bodyweight remained constant at ~168 lbs

Final Notes
Less tangible outcomes of my program were noticeable improvements in grip strength, general strength endurance, and pressing strength. Also, my deadlift/squat were reasonably maintained. Following a pair of rest weeks and a 1 week re-introduction, I pulled ~90%x2 without undue strain, and squatted ~80%x5x2 without difficulty. Though my training is currently taking a different focus, I intend to return to the program at some point and work up to 70'sx7x1,2,3,4,5 in the clean & press. I may also push the double snatches a little harder and purchase a second 88 lb kettlebell for use on the double swings.

Once again, this program is not for everyone. The fact that the total weight I used for all the lifts is ~21% of my previous 1RM in the deadlift was likely instrumental to my success. With a smaller differential between pressing strength and hip strength, the potential for severe lower back fatigue, or even injury would be much higher on this program. However, having survived without injury, I can say it offered a nice little boost to my pressing/grip strength while maintaining/improving overall strength & conditioning with a relatively brief weekly time commitment.

Becoming an expert on yourself

2008-10-18T09:05:00.005-06:00

If you want to succeed as an independent lifter, you have to develop a set of personal "training laws." This doesn't happen overnight. You still need to get out there and try some different programs to figure out what really drives improvement. Personally, I discovered my restrictions via a little too much trial and error and not nearly enough analysis; still, all the analysis in the world won't help you if you've only trained for a year. Furthermore, your personal training laws will change with time, so you must constantly re-evaluate. As you get older, heavier/lighter, sleep habits change, work habits change, neurological efficiency improves, etc. your personal training laws may evolve.

What the hell am I talking about? Well, here's a practical example from my own training:
Heavy, full-body pulls performed more than once every 7+ days results in stagnation and sometimes, injury.
Deadlifting above ~90% on a weekly basis requires 3-4+ days separation from back squats.

Combine these two laws, and I see:
1) A traditional powerlifting program that requires heavy deadlifts and squats in a 1 week time frame will not work for me. I need greater rest between the exercises than a single week allows. If I want to pursue a powerlifting program, I have to work on an 8+ day rotation.
2) "Bulgarian" style weightlifting programs have too much volume for my skeletal structure. I can not recover quickly enough to snatch, c&j, and squat on a nearly daily basis, no matter how much I eat and sleep.
3) PttP is not a good program for me. Even with the wave-cycle, my body burns out on this type of program long before seeing improvement

These 3 things offer pretty valuable insight. Removing all similar programs, and keeping in mind my goal of achieving a 700 lb deadlift, the spectrum of available strength-oriented training programs is dramatically reduced. IE- understanding your training needs offers a great deal of clarity in choosing/designing a program (duh).

Konstantin Konstantinovs: 815x6

2008-09-28T22:38:00.003-06:00

At 265 bodyweight, no less.

Duck Walks

2008-09-24T17:40:00.000-06:00

After a conversation with a new friend yesterday morning, I started thinking about ways to improve leg strength through the full ROM and under total flexion, without the practice of traditional squat variations. After many screwy mind thingies inside my head, I remembered that the all-time great long-track speed skater Eric Heiden spoke of regularly duckwalking for 5+ kilometers, in addition to his other cross-training efforts. A little research turned up another long-track speed skating star Derek Parra who shows a particularly fondness for low stance work. These guys might not be weightlifters, but long track-speed skaters certainly possess admirable leg strength and endurance. In a general sense, duckwalking sure would be a good way to build up some strong and resilient legs while simultaneously developing flexibility and endurance.

To throw in a twist, you could duckwalk while holding any variety of weights (sandbags, barbells, kettlebells, plates, etc.) on your shoulders, bearhug style, zercher style, overhead, on a neck harness, or however you wish. You could even loop a band under your feet and around your neck for a totally different feel. If you're in the mood for a complex, try alternating duckwalks and light squats; the squats would actually serve as a rest from the constant deep flexion of the duckwalks. I tried this combo with a light barbell, a band, and a neck harness respectively; each one had a cool and unique feel. Standing up actually felt somewhat therapeutic after a couple minutes in full flexion under load. Basically, duckwalking might be a fun addition if you're looking for a change in your conditioning routine. Just work into it slowly; duckwalking can be tough on the knees and the lower back if you're overly zealous.

Now for the shameless, over-the-top results guarantee that every exercise plug promises:
If you duckwalk regularly, you'll get an M.D. from Stanford.

Strengthening your flexibility

2008-09-21T08:38:00.004-06:00

When I'm grappling, I'm always amazed at the way my body can contort with just a bit of pressure. I can twist and stretch every which way without injury or pain. Independently, I couldn't even dream of hitting these positions. My flexibility simply isn't strong enough.

In The Genius of Flexibility Bob Cooley talks about "resistance stretching," via muscle tension and pressure against a solid object, as a means of drastically increasing muscle tension. This seems to be the same phenomenon I experience when I undergo grappling induced flexibility improvements; at first my body resists the pressure (the stretch reflex), then relaxes and flexes underneath it. The difficulty is finding ways to duplicate this under normal circumstances.

As an example: I can easily do overhead squats with a pair of kettlebells. Regardless of weight, I can drop down and come back up with heals flat, back arched, arms locked, and kettlebells behind my head. However, I'm not able to Sots press two bells to arms length, behind my head, regardless of weight. Shoulder and upper back flexibility fail me. I can Sots press a barbell to lock-out with a close grip, from behind my neck, though. What's so special about the Sots press with a pair of kettlebells? Well, when I do an overhead squat with a pair of bells, I start off by lacing my fingers overhead. My finger strength exceeds the outward pull of my inflexible shoulders/upper back, so these muscles relax and I can hit the bottom position. When Sots pressing with a barbell, holding the bar simulates the process of lacing my fingers; I use the connection of the bar to pull my hands together. Sots pressing with kettlebells (or any pair of independent weights), there is no external connection between my arms--no solid object to brace against and force relaxation. As a result, my upper back and shoulders remain tight, and I can not hit an overhead lock-out with hands close together. My internal resistors are not strong enough to overcome the tight muscles and force relaxation. (My flexibility isnt' strong enough).

How to overcome this issue, I'm still unsure. I suspect the answer lies in lengthening the body's ROM until there is a new limit and previously difficult movements become passe, as per any stretching programs. Muscular control and neurological manipulation of the body's internal resistance might also have a large impact. For now, I will continue using Mr. Cooley's techniques, as well as the invaluable material put out by Dick Hartzell at Jump Stretch Inc..

Lifts vs. Exercises

2008-09-18T21:01:00.001-06:00

A discussion with an acquaintance reminded me how important it is to make a distinction between lifts and exercises. Sometimes the difference is blurry, and it's easy to get distracted from the real purpose of your training effort.

A lift is a low-cost/high-benefit movement. The purpose of a lift is to test or demonstrate strength. Lifts can be performed for high or low reps; either way, the quality of the performance should be clear, measurable, and based primarily on the lifter's technical proficiency and strength.A solid strength training program should focus on measurable increases in a limited number of lifts. Preferably, the chosen lifts will be indicators of total-body strength. The amount of body english used, speed with which you lift the weight, etc. should not require contemplation. Either you can complete the lift, or you can't. Examples: clean & jerk, deadlift, box squat, log press, 1-arm jerk.

An exercise on the other hand, is just a tool to support and increase your lifts. Movements in which progress is difficult to measure would fall under the categories of "exercises." Movements in which the body is purposefully put into a position of poor leverage also are better designated as exercises; due to leverage disadvantage, exercises often have a higher risk-to-benefit ratio. Would trying to go heavier potentially create an unreasonable increase in physical danger? What was that average time per rep again? Did you swing the weight higher than last time? Did you use more momentum to get the weight moving? These problems should minimally impact your lifts. On your exercises, progression in weight is simply a means to an ends, and thus, even though the problems could exist if you pushed your limits, with the appropriate weight, problems can be minimized. Examples: high pulls, triceps extensions/skull-crushers, swings, turkish get-ups.

Lifts are the metric by which you measure progress. Exercises are simply movements designed to enhance the performance of a specific lift.

A message of hope for the under-leveraged

2008-06-28T19:38:00.005-06:00

Biomechanics are simply an obstacle to be overcome via strength. I firmly believe this is true. In my experience on the mat, at manual labor jobs, in life, I've met a huge number of incredibly strong men. Men who could've blown me away in the weight room, if only they'd directed some time and effort to that end. The thing about these men: none of them worried about the way they're built. They possessed real-world strength. While I was working the night shift in a UPS hub, not once did I hear a complaint about the long legs someone got from their mom, or thin chest that came from their grandpa. Heredity determines destiny, but determination creates heretics.

What then, allows people to develop incredible true strength, in spite of inherently poor biomechanics? Focus on a goal. A wrestler can not request his opponent doesn't sprawl because he's not built for squatting patterns. A warehouse worker can't shrink a box, because his short arms can't comfortably control the heavy, awkward package. Both men must forge ahead. The takedown must be made; the box must be relocated. Grit and drive allow either man to overcome his mechanical hinderances.

The heretic strength athlete can become strong enough that others will claim he must've been genetically programmed for strength. He knows they're wrong, however. Only the heretic sees through the physiological dogma.

A belated review of the June, 2007 RKC

2008-06-27T20:15:00.007-06:00

Old news, but I'm officially a "Beast Tamer." Dr. Richard Freeman, RKC was kind enough to send me a few photos from the certification; this shot shows me locking out a pretty strict 106 lb kettlebell military press (done as part of the Beast Challenge). Pretty slick lock-out, eh?

Overall, I really enjoyed the weekend. Pavel, Rif, Brett, and the Snidemans were all fantastic people with a huge amount of training knowledge. Rif was my team leader; he's been involved in physical culture almost twice as long as I've been alive. It definitely showed in the way he taught and spoke. It was an honor getting to spend so much time with him. The same goes for Pavel and Brett. Yoana and Franz were just about the nicest people you could imagine; it's easy to see why their gym has been so successful.

All the other folks I hung out with at the seminar were great people, also. Very friendly and welcoming towards the youngest(?) person at the certification. People were much more interested to hear my thoughts on training than I expected. I rarely to talk about training so much, but I ate it up. Hopefully I'll see some of them in the future.

Training inspiration from my grandfather

2008-06-27T20:02:00.003-06:00

At 92 years old, my grandfather has arms and shoulders that might as well be cut from granite. His grip is strong; the upper back development he’s maintained through the years would be admirable on a man half his age. He was a working man; his family lost the farm (literally) in 1929, and he moved to the city the same year he started high school. During his high school years, he boxed, played football, and baseball, all the while, working in the stock room and on the loading docks of the local Sears & Roebuck in Teaneck, New Jersey. By the mid-1930’s he was managing the hardware section and in 1944 he opened his own hardware store. Daybreak to nightfall was his typical work schedule until he retired in his 60's. Doesn't sound like the guy had much time to set aside for weight-training, does it? Well, my grandfather was creative. Never a giant in stature, he recognized the advantage of disproportionate strength at an early age. From the ages of 14 to 84, my grandfather made pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups part of his daily routine.

He got started when his older brother encouraged him to do extra calisthenics to aid his boxing. It was the depression and no one had time to set aside, so he spread his training over the course of the day. A set of push-ups and sit-ups right out of bed; a few more push-ups and pull-ups before school. A set of pull-ups on the way out the door. Team calisthenics during practice, and some pull-ups at work to show off for the truck drivers. The day ended with some sit-ups before bed. He got very strong doing this—by the time he was 17, he was a lean muscular 165 pounds at 5'9" (not bad for 1933). Scrounging for a few extra bucks, his friends on the loading docks would bet the truck drivers that they couldn't lift a 100 pound barrel of nails overhead, holding onto the thin rim alone (imagine a double bottoms-up snatch, hooking the weight with just the tips of the fingers). My grandpa would demonstrate the feat to goad the drivers into taking the wager. They could never repeat his performance, and left scratching their heads, wondering how they'd been beaten by a teenager.

Well, life keeps moving. Graduation brought the end of high school sports and my grandpa started working a 66 hour week (9 am to 10 pm, Monday through Saturday) He worked hard, got promoted, and got married. Kids came soon after and he didn't have much time for shenanigans. But, he prided himself on his physical strength and appearance and did not want to let that slip away with time. He kept up with the morning push-ups and sit-ups, and did a set of 10 pull-ups on the stock room doorframe whenever no customers were waiting. Chin-ups on a low-hanging branch of the sturdy apple tree in his front yard added a few more sets; he would do one set when he going in and coming out from dinner. At that point, he'd settled on 10 as a nice round number. He couldn't afford to be worn out; ten chins weren't a struggle and only took him from work for a couple seconds. Daily work, temperance, and a steady diet of chin-ups and my grandmother's cooking kept his waist and his strength in line. Even after he had his own store and worked even longer hours, my grandfather kept this routine. A few pull-ups on his office door and a tree in the yard broke up the workday.

Smart investments and an insatiable work ethic allowed my grandfather to retire in his early 60's. He loved working around the house, doing renovations, gardening, etc. To keep his old routine, he put a wooden bar in the doorway to his garage/workshop. Every time a daily project brought him in or out of the garage? That's right—10 chin-ups. At the age of 84 he was still highly active, doing up to 100 (or more!) chin-ups a day, broken into sets of 10.

Late that year, he underwent a minor surgery with major consequences. During his anesthetization, he suffered diasthesis recti; his taut abdominal muscles inexplicably split up the center and the 32 inch waistline, which he'd been so proud of his entire life, instantly increased to 38 inches. If he were a younger man, the problem could've been surgically corrected, but at his age it was unlikely he would've awoke from the prolonged anesthetization required for the surgery. Eight years later, he still suffers enormously from the sudden loss of function and the severe shock to his body image. Nonetheless, his decades of consistency remain. At 92, he lives in Florida in the vacation home he built forty years ago. He and my grandmother (who's 90) live together, largely unassisted.

What I'm getting at: persistence pays off. No one taught my grandpa to train the way he did. It fit his schedule, so it seemed intuitive to him. Every so often he’d do 20 chin-ups instead of 10. Any more and he might’ve gotten tired. Who has time for that? Maximum effort work-outs didn't fit his lifestyle; he didn't start going to a health club until his 70's. But, in his 80's he was still rattling off chin-ups in a way that left fellow gym-goers dumbfounded. People approached him, but never really believed there was no secret to his success. Everyone knows that daily practice doesn’t work! What about rest days and training splits? Well, what about them?

Don’t think you have time for daily training? I suggest you reconsider. Stay well within your limits like my grandfather did, and it shouldn’t slow you down. Perhaps doing those chin-ups did take a minute out of his day here and there—you have to make time for something you truly want. Hindsight being what it is I suspect the strength, vitality, and independence he's maintained into his old age are worth a few pence more than the lost minutes. How many folks in their 90's shop for their own groceries, let alone sport a pair of steely guns?

Training like my grandpa won’t likely make you a member of the athletic elite. To do that, regularly pushing your physical limits is fairly unavoidable. But, if you want to be stronger longer than most everyone you meet, it’s not a bad plan. There's no secret to it; all you need is a strong work ethic fueling daily practice of a favorite exercise. Work hard, but not so hard that you can’t do it again the next day. Wash, rinse, and repeat—for decades. If that's not greasing the groove, I don't know what is.

GTG: A training plan that doesn’t take much time, won’t wear you down, and lets you stay strong well past retirement. Sounds pretty good to me.

Turns out I had a few more thoughts about that than I realized; it's alright, he deserves the recognition. Even if I'm the only one who reads it.