Many people think that balanced training is to use a 1:1 ratio of pushes to pulls, thinking that this simple approach would solve their muscular imbalances.
They include a horizontal pull for every horizontal push, a vertical pull for every vertical push, a hip extension movement for every knee extension movement and so forth. Unfortunately this is NOT fixing the problem.
In actuality, most people need AT LEAST a 2:1 ratio, if not even greater. You're upper back musculature, glutes and hamstrings can never be too strong!
A great way to combat this is to include a total body pull only day in your weekly programming. So if you train 3 days a week using a lower/upper/total split or 3 days per week total body, that third workout would include nothing but lower and upper body pulls.
While most people tend to just throw in extra posterior chain work and upperback work as an afterthought (after their squats and benches), by having a completely seperate and extra day set aside you would be able to use sufficient load and get in a good amount of volume - more than you normally would, anyway.
A good example of one of these days would be (after a warm up, of course)
a1) snatch grip deadlifts off platform 5x4
a2) mixed grip pull ups 5x6-8
b1) weighted glute ham raises 4x8
b2) weighted recline rows, chest supported rows or thick bar cable rows 4x8-12
c) sled dragging upper back complex x 5-10 consecutive minutes
sled scare crows x 12
sled face pulls x 12
sled rows x 12
So for packing some serious muscle to your posterior chain, lats, and upperback and not to mention taking a preventive measure in correcting your imbalances, try throwing in an all pulls day once a week in addition to your other days with various pushes, squats, single leg work and of course, more pulling.
4 comments:
Hello my name is Adrian, Im glad I found your site, You have mass amount of great information on lifting heavy, and taking your workouts OUTDOORS, which I have recently aquired a Semi truck tire that I fill with weights and I push and Pull through the yard here in oklahoma. I am greatful for some of your post because they give me positive reassurance that I am starting to lift in a way that will produce the best results and improve real world strength, or allow for practical use of the strength and size that I aquire. I like the old timer ways of working out, when people weren't scared to workout there whole body when they trained, or people who worry about working there whole body because it might mess up their schedule on 'Chest' Day, or lessen the energy that they need on 'Arm' Day.
I don't understand why on one of your posts you talk about not training one arm at a time, like doing one armed overhead presses. Isn't this type of work what the real strong men of old used to do when they worked out?
Thanks for the motivational Posts and tips and hints for success, Im a follower.
Adrian! Glad you like the material, dude!
Yeah this is honestly the best motivational blog I have ever seen, Just for some reason I get motivated after reading some of your post. And I really like the emphasization (spl) on Pulling way more than pushing, Really makes sense and I haven't heard anyone talk about this as much as you have here on your blog. Keep up the good posts, More people need to find this blog!!! Good Info!!!!! Youtube maybe??? Thanks.
Wow, thank you for the kind words! Youtube is next on my list...for now, on a limited budget, I'm just using my writing to get my views across.
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