The Power of Simple
“So if you want to follow a diet plan, get on the Zone diet or Paleo diet and triple the protein requirements. Simple as that. Do so with protein powders and whole foods. Eat a ton of protein. Squat heavy. Push heavy objects. Have sex. Love life.” ―Jim Wendler, 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength
I am not one to gloat or be flashy. Shit, most of the time when I am writing articles or speaking to people in general, I tend to air on the side of self-demeaning and self-deprecating humor. It is just who I am and what I do. People laugh. Bite me.
I have experienced the most strength progress in my lifting career within the last 12 months of training. Let’s just look at the numbers from my training journal I have been keeping. These are the real entries I sent to my coach Matt Mills and have not been altered in anyway. This is really how I record things…
Log Press Workout 4 5/8/16
Log sucked today. Hit 260x1 barely. Like serious grinder and almost fuckin died. Felt like shit
230 Lbs x3 reps RPE 10. Nothing in the tank. Not sure how I got through this.
Log Press Workout 10/23/16
280 Lbs x 1 rep RPE 9 Cleanest and fastest I have done this in my life. Its all coming together
240 Lbs x3 sets x 3 reps RPE 8 These were a joke today. Pumped.
This is 5 months apart...I managed to hit 25 Lbs more on the log, with ease, and banged out 10 Lbs more...for 3 sets of 3 reps as opposed to 1...Needless to say I am stronger.
Axle Press:
12/26/16
260 lbs x 0 reps Yes I wrote zero. I am just thankful I can write and have breath in my lungs after that near death experience…
215 lbs x 5 reps can't think of an event I am worse at. My clean blows
3/24/17
270 Lbs x 5 reps RPE 9.5
240 Lbs x2 sets x3 reps RPE 8
This is the best I have ever done with this. Feeling confident.
Again stronger...like a lot stronger...in a short amount of time. Like 3 months.
What is the secret? It is not steroids or a wonder drug. It is not a secret workout, forged in the blood of Eddy Coan himself.
Want to know what it is?
It’s the basics…like pullups and eating food..like for real.
Yeah...I shit you not. I have in fact REDUCED the amount of total exercises I do and put laser focus on the main movements and hammering the basics when it comes to accessories.
Hard work and the basics...Who knew
What are the basics?
The Basics Include:
Dips (weighted)
Pullups (weighted, wide grip, neutral grip)
Pushups (close grip, wide grip)
Barbell Movements (Pressing, Squatting, Deadlifting)
Working Hard...Duh
Prowler/Sled Drags/Carries (keg, sandbag, your mom jk nobody is strong enough to carry your mom)
Eating Enough
Sleeping Enough
Fornicating Enough (giggity)
That is all you need to be a big, bad, strong, happy son of a bitch. When it comes to getting strong and getting the results you want, the biggest factors are consistency and recovery. Sleeping enough for your body to recover, eating a large enough amount of protein and nutritionally dense food on a daily basis (eat food you skinny bitch), training hard in the gym, and getting enough sleep on a nightly basis and giving your body the chance to relax gives you all the fertilizer your body needs to grow beyond your wildest dreams. There is not a fancy program or a wonder-drug that will take the place of sound work ethic, recovery, and nutrition. Being consistent and unrelenting in doing the things that help your body will lead to you reaching your goals. Motivation gets your started, but does not provide you with the longevity needed to make a real change in your life. Dedication to your craft and an unrelenting work ethic is the fuel that gets you to where you want to go.
It really is that simple. Think about it this way. If you cannot do a strict pullup, or a strict body-weight dip correctly are you really that confused as to why your bench is not going up, or your dead lift is stuck? Jim Wendler wrote a great article on body weight accessories that you should check out Here. He is an amazing source of information regarding programming as well as training structure. Jim is also somebody I look up to in the powerlifting/strength community. He is a smart dude that is also bald like me so that’s a plus.
I just wanted to get this out today to hopefully some of you that are interested in powerlifting, strongman, or just merely lifting heavy ass weights, from COUNTLESS let downs and overall lack of progress in overly complicated training programs. If you work hard, eat like an adult, and turn your damn phone off at night then results will come. You can send thanks in the form of desserts or Paypal donations. Link below.
And if you can one day pay rent with Swiss Rolls then that will be my only currency accepted.
Lift Heavy.
Laugh Hard.
Live Your Damn Life.
Sam Brown