Be patient, flexibility gains happen over months of no observable progress
Calf plyometrics are a great warmup and help forward fold
Connective tissue thrives on high-rep work^connective-tissue
Increase connective tissue strength at high levels with very high load, very very short duration, high intensity microbursts (plyometrics)
a 10 year old is capable of 15 slow controlled muscle ups
Don't train through pain
Fatigue feels better after your stop, injury feels worse after your stop
Doing each day less than you feel maximally capable of (this is the same thing Pavel says)
Repping to failure is not good for beginners
QL walks for lower back and hips. Supports pike
Power to the People! ~Pavel
"Intensity is the single most important factor in strength training"
"Muscle failure is.. counterproductive!"
"The most intelligent way to develop strength is to lift much heavier weights... but to terminate your sets before your muscles fail"
We never use 100% of our muscles capacity, so training your Central Nervous System can result in dramatic strength gains without size gains. "Grease the Groove"
Anything over 5 reps is bodybuilding. Stay 5 and below for strength.
Get the most out of strength training
Limit reps to 5 and fewer
increase rest between sets to 3-5 min
limit number of sets to 2
pause and relax between reps
do not practice a lift more than 5 times a week
Focus on perfect form (neural pathway)
"Heavy, low rep training is the safest way to lift"
The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer
Note: Mike died early and was known to have taken serious drugs but his principles may still be useful
7 Principles
Identity
Intensity
"The body receives no training effect from doing what it finds easy to do"
"You can train hard or you can train long - you just can't do both."
"The more intense the workout, the shorter its duration has to be"
"It is necessary to train as intensely as possible"
Duration
Frequency
Mike trained once every four to five days to allow for full systemic recovery
(Remember: Steroids allow for better recovery and he was already advanced, this may not be true for beginners)
"For a beginner, the stress he can generate and thus subject his muscles to is minimal..." which requires less recovery time
Specificity
"You get what you train for"
Adaptation
Progression
"Rather than have someone do a second set, what they should do is, maybe, an extra rep"
"from the time you start training you should be able to reach the absolute upper limit dictated by your genetic endowment within two years"
"after a two- to three-week layoff, they come back and they're stronger."
"The first thing your body must do after a workout is...recover"
Recovery takes 2 - 4 days
"Two sets performed once every seven, eight, or nine days works almost like magic for the majority of bodybuilders I'm training."