Training Methodologies

One of the most important aspects when deciding how you are going to train is deciding what you are training for. In the end, most people who train want the same basic things - to be stronger, faster, fitter, to put on some muscle and take off some fat, to be more athletic, or more able to do day-to-day activities. But your programming, and the general training method that you follow, should be based off of which of these goals is most important to you. I'm no expert in most of these different fields, but I have tried a few different ways of training, and researched quite a few others as well. So here is a quick overview of some different training methodologies, the reasons you might ascribe to one or another, and some of the pitfalls of that way of training.

So first, stuff I've tried and I would recommend

Powerlifting 

Powerlifting is what I focus on now, so obviously I'm all for it. Theres just something awesome about the incredible simplicity of it: your goal is to be as strong as you can in the squat, bench, and deadlift. Period, end of story. It doesn't happen by overnight, or by magic, or by some great supplement. It's the product of months, years, even decades of hard work and commitment. Because it's focus is so straight-forward, a good powerlifting routine also cuts out a lot of the bullshit that an average person might not want to deal with in a program. Generally speaking, you pick 4 or 5 main lower body and 4 or 5 main upper body lifts, and hammer the shit out of them, heavy and hard. And with a little bit of tweaking and a lot of hard work, you will get stronger. It's a beautiful thing. 

Another thing I like about powerlifting is that it focuses on performance, rather than aesthetics. Personally, I would rather go to the gym and be proud that I hit a new PR, rather than that my biceps looked extra vascular that day. However, I also found that the moment I stopped caring so much about what I looked like, and started caring more about my performance in the gym, the more muscle mass I was able to put on. Not only will you get strong powerlifting, but you will also get big. So don't write off a good powerlifting program, just because you also want to focus on putting on some muscle. 

On the flip side, there are problems with a lot of powerlifting training as well. Although the emphasis is on function rather than form, that should NOT be an excuse for many powerlifters to look like fat sacks of dog shit - which some of them do. Sure, your focus is on 1RM strength, but no one should ignore basic conditioning and body-fat percentage goals either. If a set of ten reps leaves you out of breath, even with light weight, you need to up your work capacity. As I've written about before, lifters like Matt Kroc prove that you don't have to be a lard-ass to be strong. So if you decide to focus on powerlifting, don't use it as an excuse to be lazy and eat like shit. Train to go heavy, but keep in shape and diet hard, and you'll not only be strong, but you'll look like a fucking animal. 

Another issue I have with powerlifting is the equipment. Personally, I feel using a squat suit or a bench shirt is like not being able to see the forest through the trees. The goal of powerlifting should be to get as STRONG as you can at the three lifts, but using powerlifting equipment allows you to simply MOVE weight that you are not strong enough to lift. And although virtually everyone who uses equipment is already crazy strong, that 1000 squat in a suit always leaves me wondering how much that lifter could have done really done, without the help. Even though I want a great squat, bench and dead, I am also looking to be as strong and as fit as possible, and in my opinion, equipment is more or less a gimmick that takes away from the heart of the training - which is the development of your body. I don't ever want to use equipment, for the same reason that I train 95% of the time without my belt, or why I squat to full depth rather than stopping at exactly parallel. I want to have a great total, but I want to do it without losing sight of the bigger picture of strength and fitness, which is something I think a lot of powerlifters do. 

Bodybuilding

Granted, last time I was on a PURELY bodybuilding program is back when I sucked at life in general, and I was too busy counting calories to gain any actual muscle, but since then I've learned a lot about the way to train if your aim is to body build, and used more than a little of it in my programming over the past year or so. 

First of all, I think bodybuilders deserve an insane amount of respect for their insane commitment, and ability to deal with that sort of training day in and day out: lifting like a bodybuilder is HARD. It hurts, more than the vast majority of powerlifting work I have done. Furthermore, bodybuilders have to be much more strict about their diet than even in-shape powerlifters. When they have to gain weight, they FORCE-FEED, and when they have to cut, they cannot afford to cheat. It takes an incredible amount of discipline, and I have a lot of respect for anyone who is able to succeed at it. Training for aesthetics isn't really my thing, but come on, look at Flex Wheeler in that picture - it's fuckin awesome. Congrats to anyone who can make that happen. Furthermore, when you get that huge, you have almost no choice but to get fucking strong as well. Maybe not as strong as if you focused on powerlifting, but still - ever seen Ronnie Coleman squat 800 for 2? Yeah, motherfucker is SO strong. 

Personally, I find the biggest problem with bodybuilding is that most people who "bodybuild" are not educated, not hard-working, and just generally suck at everything. The VAST majority of people who you see in the gym aren't there to get stronger or fitter, they're there to build muscle, or as many of them would tell you "not get huge, just look toned." So they do some bullshit routine, involving reps upon reps of bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and about 70 sets of benching, and never get anywhere. Here is the truth, for all those fucks out there: bodybuilders work HARD. They start their training with - guess what - heavy as fuck compound lifts, and only after exhausting themselves with these movements do they go to the isolation stuff. And when they are doing high rep work, it's not three easy sets of ten - they go fucking heavy, and every rep between 3 and 17 hurts like a motherfucker. So if you are in the gym, barely breaking a sweat on your 8th set of dumbell flies, you are an asshole, and Ronnie Coleman is going to fucking snap your legs off after he squats 800 a few more times. 

So, to conclude, bodybuilding is great if you are educated and REALLY committed to gaining some muscle. But most average Joes out there who don't know shit about the gym would benefit more from a solid beginner powerlifting program than any Muscle-and-Fitness "bodybuilding" program. 

Crossfit

Unlike most powerlifters, I do NOT harbor a deep hatred for Crossfit. I think it's an absolutely incredible way to train for a number of reasons. First of all, it eliminates a lot of the problems i talked about with powerlifting - you can't lose sight of the whole, in favor of specialization, because then you will get murdered at whatever the WOD is. Focus too much on strength, and the running will kill you. Focus too much on the bodyweight stuff, and you'll get stapled under the prescribed reps. It definitely forces you to become not just strong, or fast, or explosive, but truly FIT - and therefore, I think it is one of the best ways for the average person who is just looking to get in shape, to train. Secondly, for the most part the workouts are very time efficient - great for somebody who doesn't have time for hour-long lifting sessions and a half hour run every day. You can get to the gym, warm up, do a ten minute workout, and be completely spent. Third, a well-programmed Crossfit WOD is a true test of mental strength as well. Everytime I started a workout while I was Crossfitting, I felt nervous. Every time, I wanted to quit before I got halfway through. And every time I was proud of myself for making it. It's not just a test of your physical capacity, but a test of your mental fortitude as well, and I have a great amount of respect for any serious Crossfitter. 

The problem with Crossfit is with is as an establishment, rather than as a training philosophy. Crossfit is a money-making business, and Greg Glassman is raking in the dough. The way he is doing this is by allowing ANYONE who pays a thousand dollars, and takes a weekend-long course, to become a "certified" Crossfit trainer, and open their own gym. Surely, a lot of these gym owners do, in fact, know what they are doing and are great Crossfitters, but there are PLENTY who have their heads right up their asses when it comes to coaching and programming. And their are a lot of problems when it comes to Crossfit programming. Examples: Pullups should not be kipped outside of competition, Olympic lifts and box jumps should not be done for high reps. So, what can happen with Crossfit is that people who are uneducated, and just follow the herd, can go to a shitty Crossfit box with a "certified trainer" who they trust, do a badly programmed workout with potentially dangerous movements, and have shitty form without being corrected by their shitty coach. 

HOWEVER, if you take the time to understand the idea of Crossfit - essentially, do as much work as you can in as little time as you can (power output), and you know how to program a good workout, it can be a great tool for getting in amazing shape. Plus, you can customize it however you want - though I'm sure Jaime Lewis will punch me in my jejunum if he ever reads this, his workout philosophy Chaos and Pain is basically an insanely heavy, strength-biased Crossfit workout. Whatever your goals are, understanding and implementing a good Crossfit program can help you reach them. It's an awesome training philosophy. 

AND NOW, shit I've never done, but I will definitely try, and why

Olympic Lifting

These athletes are some of the most explosive and incredible of all the strength sports. Not only can they Snatch and Clean and Jerk insane loads, but they are also incredibly strong - Pyrros Dimas, in the picture above, competed at 186, and had a 726 raw squat. Holy fucking balls, that is insane. On top of all that, all except the Super Heavyweights are ripped up as well. So basically, Olympic lifting gets you more powerful, stronger, and more muscular than almost anything else. 

The problem? It's incredibly technical, takes a long time to learn properly, and you can easily snap your shit up if you don't know what the fuck you're doing. It's why I haven't done it yet, I've never put in the time or energy to learn properly. But this is DEFINITELY one thing I will learn how to do, and put in my regular training regimen. 

Gymnastics

Absolute body control. I've always loved bodyweight workouts, because there is just something awesome about being able to bang out a huge set of pushups, or pull-ups, or handstand pushups. But these fuckers take it to a whole new level. Imagine banging out a huge set of Planche pushups, doing some muscle-ups into an iron cross, or doing free-standing handstand pushups with ease. A Gymnast has to have a level of body awareness and control that no other athlete has. And on top of that, they are absolutely enormous in their upper bodies. 

Obviously, I will never be a professional gymnast, as I would be starting about 16 years too late, but their is a lot that gymnastics style training has to offer the strength athlete. And although a good coach is awesome, you CAN research and make progress on your own as well. I have a friend now who is experimenting with gymnastics and strength training, and he has been making insane progress over the last few months. So no excuses. In the future, I definitely plan on taking some time out to get good at some basic gymnastics movements, and working them into my strength routine. 

Strongman

If there is ever a time or place when I, for whatever reason, can't get to a gym or have access to a bar and some iron, strongman is my fallback. It's awesome because you can do it virtually wherever, whenever. You develop brute strength by lifting anything heavy - stones, logs, chains, cars, whatever. Obviously, there are specific lifts/events one would train for is you wanted to COMPETE in strongman, but if you just want to get strong and big as fuck, you can literally go out into the woods, pick shit up, and squat/press it for reps. It has a huge carryover to everyday life (need to carry a huge awkward object up stairs? No problem), and generally speaking, strongmen have a WAY better work capacity than a powerlifter would. To summarize, it's awesome. Goddamn, I just want to go outside and throw some heavy shit around the more I think about it. 

So there you have it: some basic information, pros, and cons of just a few of the many different methods you can use to train for... whatever the fuck you want to train for. If one catches your eye, do some reading, watch some videos, and get started. Or, combine a few. They're all pretty fucking awesome. But whatever you choose, do it well, do it right, and do it smart. And get fucking huge and strong from doing it.