![Strength]( "rudy")
Part 1: The Beginning
My name is Rudy. If you do not know who I am, then you should. I have competed in about 50 strongman shows. I won my ASC pro card in Strongman last summer and since then have competed alongside the best in the world. In 2007 I taught Mariusz Pudzianowski how to press the giant circus dumbbell, (a very bad event for him) which helped him win a Super Series show. I have trained with the strongest men in the world for years, and now that I am among their ranks, they are my targets. I have competed with the best and I have beaten the best in numerous events. I’m also a top ranked raw powerlifter with raw lifts of an 860 lbs. squat, 500 lbs. bench press, and 925 lbs. deadlift. Basically, I know what I’m talking about and nothing I say here is up for argument. Debate is great, but if you disagree you’re wrong. My raging Hitler complex prevents my ego from being able to handle opposing viewpoints, so have a heart.
Rank Beginners on the Path to Awesome Strength and Power, Listen up!
So you want to hit the weights and try to be as awesome as me, but don’t know how. The best way is to find a tried and true program (mine of course) and stick to it, and then when gains begin to slow down, begin to learn the ability to “break through”, learn the root principles of the program, and customize it for you. When a trainee has learned what works for him and doesn’t (this is a life long learning process btw), he can begin to alter things as needed. Know this is not an 8 week pursuit, and understand that gains will steadily come. There are 4 facets to lifting success: training, food, sleep/recovery, and supplements. The first 3 are not negotiable, and if you don’t follow my advice you will always be weak and suck at life. The “supplement” category isn’t AS important as the other three, but if you want the best results, do everything you can to maximize things.
Training
I was fortunate to have an ex-powerlifter father who put me on a standard powerlifting routine when I was 14. I followed a basic 4 day a week program as follows:
Day 1: squat
Day 2, bench
Day 3: rest
Day 4: deadlift
Day 5: shoulders
Days 6 and 7: rest
Basic is best with all lifters, but with beginners all they need to worry about is squatting, benching, and deadlifting with some standing overhead press thrown in. A couple of assistance movements for hamstrings, abs, lats, and triceps should also be done for overall balance, and to improve weak areas. In total:
Squats, leg curls, deadlifts, ab pulldowns, bench press, triceps pressdowns, standing dumbbell overhead press (GREAT exercise). For the assistance work, do a few sets of higher reps (10+), but don’t overdo it. Listen to your body.
Don’t complicate things, and ignore all of the noise that’s out there. I’m right and everybody else is wrong. Some secret Bulgarian butt flex technique will NOT increase your bench by 50 lbs. in 2 weeks no matter what you heard from some guy on the internet (unless I say it, but that’s a given).
Programming
Three days a week is the best way. More will leave you weak and sucking at life. You don’t believe me now, but you will when all your lifts are stalled at 100 lbs. for a year. Do the following:
Week 1/Day 1 squats: heavy sets of 5 reps
Week 1/Day 2 bench: sets of 10-12
Week 1/Day 3 deadlifts heavy triples with conventional stance
Week 2/Day 1 squats for heavy doubles
Week 2/ Day 2 bench heavy triples
Week 2/Day 3 deadlift sets of 3 with maximum width sumo stance.
Never go to absolute failure with deadlifts! Your last rep should be strong and solid, not hitched and horrendous looking. Yes, some of my top deadlifts are a bit on the ugly side, but I am seasoned enough to know when to do that and when to be clean. Beginners should focus as much as they can on proper form and tightness. If your deadlift progress slows greatly, take a week off deadlifts and watch what happens! On those non-deadlift occasions, just do lots of rows, leg curls, and rear delt work, with some biceps thrown in there.
You need to remember to breathe, too. Before a big lift, you need to form your lips in the shape as if you were making the “U” sound in the word “You”, suck in as MUCH air into your BELLY as you POSSIBLY can (fill every last cubic inch in there!!!) and HOLD IT until the lift is locked out. The second you release air, you release tons of pressure in your core and will not be nearly as strong. Some people can hold their breath for 4 or 5 minutes, most people can for at least 60 seconds. I’m sure any lifter can for 5 or 6 damn seconds during a lift.
Each week try to add some strength quality. Add more weight. In the beginning you can get away with as much as 10 pounds a week. If on the “light” bench day you did 10 reps, then you should do a minimum of 11 reps the following light session. Always make progress.
Finally, Getting Stronger!
Trainees are no longer beginners when they have learned not just to follow exact numbers on a page, and when they have learned to understand what works and what does not work. I considered myself “more than a beginner” after steady powerlifting training for 2 years. That was when progress slowed down, and I struggled to find things that worked. If only I knew then what I know now…
Food
Eat as much of the good stuff as you can, with some junk thrown in now and then. The body is going to be growing tremendously fast when you start lifting, and it is going to need all the calories it can get. That extra soda or candy will just get burned up by the body anyway but use that stuff as the icing on the cake, not as a meal or anything. Have a big steak, lots of rice, a salad, and after you’ve cleaned your plate, have some candy or whatever. Why not? Life is too short to be a diet Nazi. Make sure to bring a shaker with water and 50-70 grams protein powder in there to chug immediately post workout, too. Really important.
Recovery
It is really important to reduce stress whenever possible!!!! Stress in life raises cortisol and disrupts the body’s recovery ability!!! BE LAZY. Stay calm as much as you can, and don’t let yourself get worked up about things, ESPECIALLY soon before a training day. That’s right, TRAINING… women work out, men with a goal and purpose train. Pray. Meditate. Do something to relax. Classical music is good for post workout recovery, no joke.
Conditioning
If you are purely looking to get as big and strong as possible, then the extent of your cardio work should be a couple 20 minute walks per week. If you are interested in further sport conditioning, there are limitless options. The best way to get conditioned in a hurry without having to screw up your muscle gains and lose weight is to drag a heavy sled back and forth. Hill sprints are also an option where a sled is unavailable. I would drag sleds up to 1,000 lbs down the street, but at my old gym we had a tire sled, which increased drag GREATLY, so much less weight was required. Drag a heavy sled 50-100 feet for 4-8 hard sets, or just keep going until you want to commit suicide. That’s right, if your training doesn’t in some way risk your life or mental sanity, you have failed. Trust me; the risk is always worth it. I have experienced some really wild shit in training and I’m still standing.
Injury Prevention
Listen to your body, take 2 weeks off heavy barbell work every 4 or 5 months, listen to your body, drink plenty of fluids, listen to your body, make sure to take a good multivitamin, listen to your body, get enough protein for recovery, listen to your body. If something in training is working great, don’t change it. Finally, the most important advice: listen to your body.
Six pack ABZ
Look, nobody wants to look like a pile of shit. It isn’t funny, and it doesn’t impress anyone. If you’re honest with yourself, I guarantee you won’t be happy if you look like hell. Some body fat is okay. Unless you’re at least 250 lbs, having crazy abs is completely unacceptable and is for gay homosexual “guys”. Don’t be a “guy.” Be a MAN. Lift heavy weight and improve yourself. I love seeing veins popping out all over my quads, but guess what? My legs are 34″ around and I have earned the right to worry about definition. If you just pile on a ton of body fat without much strength/muscle to show for it, nobody will respect you and most importantly, you won’t respect yourself. I looked horrible when I was 355 last year, but I am 337 right now and never been stronger, and I look a hell of a lot better at 337 than I did last year at that bodyweight. My face is no longer a red blimp, and I can see my dick (when it’s hard, but whatever, shut up).
Conclusion
The way this program has been laid out can easily get the beginner trainee several years worth of progress. Always find a way to make progress somehow. Don’t stray from the path! You will be tempted to jump on the Internet’s latest fitness trend of week. If you do, I will find you and crush you.
