This is a training blog post by Grant Lofthouse

First of all I want to start this post off by explaining why I have been absent for the past few days. Currently I am working on a training program for everyone. It’s a killer program that will keep you healthy but also get you ripped without cardio. I’m also including a diet that goes along with the program just for the sake of it. You will have access to this hopefully by the end of next week. Definitely by Monday the 21^st, so for now just hold onto your horses, continue with your current program and then give mine ago.

Now back to the post…

Today’s post is about something I believe most people forget and even trainers forget… Longevity.

Now I’m a traditional meat head, I love the weight room and you will never EVER see me in the ‘cardio room’ filled with treadmills and bikes. I love lifting heavy shit whilst listening to some Eminem, ACDC or whatever, as long as it’s either hip hop, rock or metal.

I don’t go as far as screaming til I turn blue or smacking my face before a heavy set. But I will give it the old “c’mon baby” or even the famous Ronnie Coleman quote “yeahhh buddyyy”.

Now a few years ago for a warm up I would literally walk into my gym do a couple arm swings, crack my knuckles and then hit the bar.

I would do the biggest baddest lift like a squat or bench. Chuck on a pile of plates and just smash it out, didn’t care about from, just the numbers.

Then I would repeat for another exercise, and because my form was shithouse on the previous lift, something would be hurting me like my shoulder, knee or elbow. But I’d ignore it and just think ‘no pain, no gain.’

Then I would move onto the final exercise and max out again until I was satisfied.

I’d call it a day and do it all again tomorrow.

Wow! Was I dickhead back then. I’d let my ego and stubbornness takeover my body.

I wouldn’t listen to it; and guess what? Now I’m regretting it.

At least 7 years of heavy squatting, benching and everything else I was doing have caught up to me. My knee, shoulder and elbow joints are all giving me problems.

If only I had listen to the Russians.

The Russians invented a system called Heavy, Light and Medium. And I personally think this it’s the best system for anyone who has to deal with family, stress, work, bills, kids and everything else that comes along with life.

Which is pretty much everyone…

Why is this method great? Because peoples recovery abilities just aren’t the same anymore.

As I said because everyone has to deal with all the things I mentioned before – stress, work etc. Heavy weight training 3-4 times a week takes a huge toll on body. Especially if you’re deadlifting, squatting, benching and shoulder pressing all in the same workout.

That’s why I recommend people to only train hard 3 times a week instead of 4. Because that’s 52 times less a year you haven’t maxed out on your squat, bench or deadlift.

Over a 5 year period that’s 260 times less you haven’t put your joints, tendons, ligaments and CNS under stress.

Ask most bodybuilder in their 50’s. There joints are f*cked! This is the point I’m trying to get across.

So how do the Russians get it?

The Russians understand that its way too much stressful for the body to train with heavy weights every time you step into the gym.

The heavy, light and medium method not only builds unbelievable size, strength and power in world record time, but also allows you to squat, deadlift and bench multiple times in the week without getting burnt out or injured in the long run.

What determines heavy, light and medium is the weight times the sets times the reps.

For example 100kg x 5 sets x 5 reps = 2500 kg lifted.

There’s mutiple ways to perform heavy, light and medium training. I like this method the best…

Heavy day:

1. BB Squat 5 x 5
2. Deadlift 5 x 5
3. BB Bench press 5 x 5

Light day:

1. BB Squat 3 x 5
2. Deadlift 3 x 5
3. BB Bench press 3 x 5

Medium day:

1. BB Squat 4 x 5
2. Deadlift 4 x 5
3. BB Bench press 4 x 5

Now for a beginner this would be a great program regardless of the goal and they can use the same weight for all three days until they reach some decent numbers. For an intermediate lifter they would want to use lighter loads on the light and medium days. Something like 70-80% of heavy day’s weight for light day use 80-90% of heavy day’s weight for medium day. Or they can just switch the light and medium days exercises with chins, dips, rows, db presses etc.

I wouldn’t use this method on advanced guys who pull double their body weight.  Simply because a dude who already pulls huge numbers, needs longer rest between their biggest lifts (even if the sets and reps are decreased on other days).

From doing something like the above it gives your body a break from lifting heavy weights all the time and saves you from burning out.

Personally I use this method except I put my own little spin on it because now I get burnt out/bored from squatting, deadlifting and benching 3 times a week. So for me heavy days will be the biggest lifts. Light day will be body weight only exercises and medium day will be biggest lifts that I cannot use a lot of weight on for example chest supported rows and 1 arm incline presses.

This method takes care of everything…

• Joints
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• CNS
• Burning out
• Boredom

In fact in the new workout that I have for you in the next few days follows this exact principle. So you will get a step by step plan that shows you how to perform heavy, light and medium days with my little spin on it.

So for now I’ll leave you with this, always think long term. For me I still want to be able to train when I’m 60 or 70, you may not and that’s fine. But if you continue to neglect listening to your body and slamming your joints and CNS every time you walk into the gym, sooner or later it will eventually catch up to you. So always make sure you think longevity and the best way to keep yourself healthy and pain free.

No related posts.

Posted in Training by Grant No Comments Yet