1
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
2
Andy Bolton Strength Presents:
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building
Sins That Instantly Kill Your Gains And Could
Cut Your Training Career Short…
PLUS… HOW I TRAIN TO SQUAT 1214lbs,
BENCH 755lbs AND DEADLIFT 1008lbs
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman ©2011, All Rights Reserved
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
3
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 1
Poor Training Program Design
- Chapter 2: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 2
Ignoring Technique
- Chapter 3: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 3
Failing To Warm Up Properly
- Chapter 4: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 4
Not Knowing When To Back Off
- Chapter 5: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 5
No Peri-Workout Nutrition
- Chapter 6: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 6
A Lack of Sleep
- Chapter 7: Deadly Strength Building Sin # 7
Poor Training Continuity
- Chapter 8: Conclusion; Creating Superhuman Strength and
Explosive Power
Some Key Points To Help You Create A Compelling Future For Your
Strength Training
- Chapter 9: Andy Bolton, How I Train
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
4
Chapter 1: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 1
Poor Training Program Design
Your TRAINING PROGRAM is your main blueprint for success in the gym. When
strength is your goal, you must have a program designed to achieve precisely
that. Your training program is the main strategy you will use to get strong.
Your training program will dictate what days you train on and at what times
(training frequency), what exercises you do, how many sets and reps you
perform of each exercise, how long to rest between sets and the loading
parameters for each exercise.
Oh, and don’t forget a progression method!
The more experienced (stronger) you get; the more important your training
program is to your success.
Absolute beginners can get stronger doing just about anything, but once you
have gone past that first 6 to 12 week glory period (where strength gains tend
to be rapid), more careful attention needs to be paid if you want to progress at
the fastest pace you can and the safest pace you can.
To write a good training program for yourself that will allow you to build
serious strength, you should take the following into account:
- How often you can train (1x per week, 3x per week, 4x per week etc)
- Have you got any limitations (injuries, aches and pains)
- What exercises do you want to get stronger on (Bench Press, Deadlift,
Snatch etc)
- What is your training history (how long have you been training, are you a
beginner, intermediate or advanced athlete?)
- Your sport (do you have one or are the weights your primary focus)
- Goals (Be specific, “strength” is a weak goal. Aim for a certain number in
a certain time frame. This way you can measure how effective your
programs are)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
5
Before we proceed to looking at some guidelines that you can use to design
effective strength training programs, read the following definition of optimal
training:
“Training is efficient [optimal] if the highest sports result is achieved with the
least expense of time and energy”
(Thomas Kurz, Science Of Sports Training, 2001)
Bear this in mind at all times when you are designing a training program with
the primary goal of building brutal strength, explosive power, speed and
athleticism.
3 Guidelines For Designing Effective Strength Training Programs
Focus on the basics
Your strength training program should be built around the big, basic,
compound exercises. This is how Powerlifters, Strongmen and Weightlifters
build their awesome strength.
Old school bodybuilders like Steve Reeves built their impressive physiques this
way as well (because they didn’t have any other options).
Any athlete looking for strength, power and speed should base their strength
training programs on the basics.
Some great strength training movements include:
The Powerlifts (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift)
Olympic Weightlifting (Clean and Jerk, Snatch)
Military Press, Push Press (Overhead Pressing Movements)
Pull Ups, Chins and Dips (Challenging Bodyweight Exercises)
Barbell Rows and DB Rows (Horizontal Pulling Movements)
Variations of the above (for example: Incline Bench Press, Sumo Deadlift)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
6
The key point to think of when considering what counts as a big, basic strength
training exercise is:
Does the exercise involve a bar, and incorporate movement at more than one
joint? If this answer is yes, then it could well be a worthy exercise. If the
answer is no, it probably doesn’t want to be a staple in your strength training
program.
An example of a good strength training exercise is the Bench Press. It involves
movement at the shoulder and elbow and uses a barbell.
An example of an exercise that should be used only as an assistance exercise
(and not a main strength training exercise) is the DB Curl. It involves movement
only at the elbow and does not use a Barbell.
Avoid Machines
Machines fill commercial gyms (and some hard-core gyms) nowadays like a
plague. They are almost a total waste of time if you are training to develop
strength, explosive power and speed.
Machines were made popular by the big bodybuilding companies and
magazines, but they are a poor choice for strength training for many reasons.
Before we go into some of those reasons it pays to remember that you must
never confuse size with strength.
Some people will argue that machines are great because bodybuilders are the
biggest, most muscular dudes on the planet and they can often be seen using
machines.
Well… guess what. Who cares?
No one training for strength should care, that’s for sure. You see, many top
bodybuilders are weak for their size and very un-athletic. If you want strength,
power, speed and athleticism… the barbell will always rule.
And besides, if you look at the bodybuilders with the hardest, densest looking
muscles (not soft, inflated, puffy ones), you will find that they are usually the
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
7
strongest bodybuilders and they tend to use a lot of free weight exercises and
often started out training for strength.
Think of Ronnie Coleman and Franco Columbo and you will see what I mean.
So what is it exactly that makes machines so bad for strength training?
I could write a book on this but will give you the main points instead as you
may want to start writing that strength training program at some point and
actually get to the gym and start getting stronger ;)
First off, machines are designed with the ‘average man’ in mind. But who’s to
say what average is? The take home point is that unless you are 5”10 with
regular length limbs, most machines are not designed for your proportions.
And how do female athletes fit into this? Well, I guess they are screwed
because they are generally much smaller than the “average” man. I think you
can see how machines fall flat on their face just from this point. Right?
Anyhow, I’ll give you a few more reasons why machines suck for strength
training…
Machines force you through their range of motion and movement plane and
not your own. Conversely, with a barbell in your hands, or on your back, you
can train a movement and perfect the technique that suits your body. This is
impossible with machines.
For this reason, machines are a great way to promote injuries (both through
repetitive strain type syndromes AND by forcing your body through a range of
movement it just doesn’t like).
Machines are great for sitting on in between sets of Squats and Deadlifts and
hanging your coat on and that’s about it!
A third reason why machines are awful for strength training is because they
usually force you to start in the bottom position of a movement. Take a seated
chest press for example. You will start with the handles at your chest and then
drive them to lockout.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
8
This is the opposite of what happens with a barbell Bench Press, where you
start with the bar at arm’s length, lower it to the chest and then drive it to
lockout.
The reason why starting in the bottom position of the movement is so bad is
because it is the most vulnerable point and it is usually a point past your
natural range of motion. For this reason, the first rep on most machines is
particularly dangerous.
Let’s face facts. If you strength train for a long time and do everything
perfectly, you will probably get the odd injury here and there. Why would you
want to use machines that build no balance or athleticism and increase the risk
of injury at the same time?
With everything in life that you aim to be successful at… Try and Stack the
Odds in your Favour!
Now we’ve bashed machines to death I must just say that there are some
exceptions to the rule of avoiding machines at all costs. Some machine rows
can be useful for developing back strength and pull down variations are often a
useful way of training the Lats of extremely heavy athletes (lighter athletes
would be better off with pull ups).
That said; rows and pull downs would still not be primary exercises in your
strength training program. They would be assistance exercises.
Train Your Main Movements Using 1 To 5 Reps
When training for strength make sure that you use the rep ranges that build
strength. You can do all the Bench Presses and Squats you like, but if you use 3
sets of 12 reps every time you train, you will not reap the same strength gains
as if you stick to 5 reps and below.
It has been proven time and time again that for strength; low reps and long
rest periods (3 to 5 minutes) tend to work best.
Let me give you a very simple example of a well-designed total body training
session for an intermediate athlete trying to gain strength and a poorly
designed one as well.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
9
Lower Body Training Session
A. Squat: Work up to 5RM, (use 6 to 8 sets and 3 to 5 minute rest periods)
B. Glute Ham Raise: 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps, rest 90 seconds
C. DB Side Bends: 4 sets of 6 to 8reps/side, rest 90 seconds
This training session focuses on the Squat (a big compound movement), and
keep the reps low (5 reps) because strength is the aim.
The session then finishes off with two assistance exercises that will help build
the Hamstrings and Glutes (GHR) and Core Strength (Side Bends). These
exercises are done with shorter rest periods and slightly more reps (to help
build muscle and more strength).
A Poorly Designed Strength Program
A. Hack Squat: 3 sets of 25 reps with 1 minute rest
B. Lying Leg Curls: 3 sets of 10 reps with 1 minute rest
C. Calf Raises: 3 sets of 50 reps with 1 minute rest
As a strength training workout, this set up fails miserably. There is no big bang
for the buck exercise to start things off (no Squat, Deadlift, Snatch etc). The
reps are all high and the rest periods are all short. And the workout relies on
machines.
This program gets a 0/10, yet it is more like what you see the vast majority of
people perform in commercial gyms. It’s no wonder they often lack strength
and size!
In conclusion, training program design is the most important facet of your
ability to train for strength. You must avoid machines, focus on big, basic,
compound movements and keep the reps low on these movements.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
10
Assistance exercises can be trained with higher reps (6 to 12), but remember
that the big movements should take up 80% of your time and may produce up
to 95% of your strength gains.
So don’t “major in the minors” as Tony Robbins would say.
Training Program Design is both Art and Science and takes years to
understand. Truthfully, there are many high level and world class athletes out
there who don’t understand it (that’s why they have coaches).
And that’s why I offer Online, 1 to 1 training program design, tailored to suit
you and help you achieve your strength training goals and stay healthy in the
process. If you’d like to know more about my training program design service,
check out my website: www.andyboltonstrength.net
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
11
Chapter 2: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 2
Ignoring Technique
This is perhaps the most overlooked “Sin” out of all 7 that I’m
presenting to you in this report. It doesn’t matter whether you go to
a hard-core gym or a commercial gym… the fact of the matter is that
most people perform most of the movements they do in the gym
with bad form.
Do not let yourself fall into this category. Poor form has the potential
to greatly increase injury risk, stop you from achieving your strength
potential and cut your strength training career short.
I think you will agree that those are some pretty compelling reasons
to pay attention to your technique, on every exercise that you do!
If you do practise technique and make sure that you only ever start
to load of movement pattern once you have decent technique
(notice I didn’t say perfect) then you should be rewarded with a
minimised risk of injury, the most rapid strength gains possible
(provided you are not doing any of the other “strength building sins”)
and a long training career.
I’m sure you’ll agree that those are all good things. So… make sure
you work on technique.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself… “Sounds great, but how do I
know what good technique is?”
Well, this is where a good coach comes into play. I offer an entire ebook dedicated to each of the 3 Powerlifts (Squat, Bench Press and
Deadlift). So if you want to perfect your technique on those
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
12
movements then be sure to check those out at:
www.andyboltonstrength.net
If you want to get good at the Olympic lifts (Snatch and Clean and
Jerk) it would make sense for you to seek out a book on building the
technique for those lifts. Or, better still; work with a coach who
specialises in those lifts.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind regarding building good
technique on any lift.
If you are really struggling with a movement from a technical
perspective, you must ask yourself the following:
- Do I really know how this movement should look and feel?
If not… then seek out a resource that will help me understand
how a perfect (Squat, Bench Press, Snatch etc…) should look and
feel.
If you do…
- What is stopping me from having good technique?
If there is no physical limitation then you just need to keep
grooving the pattern. Come up with technical cues that will help
you improve your technique and get your training partners to say
them to you as you are lifting.
For instance:
“Blast it” – if you are working on speed
“Squeeze the bar” – if you are struggling to grip the bar as tightly
as you should
“Arch” – if you are falling forwards on the ascent of the Squat
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
13
If there is a physical limitation then you must work out a way to
eradicate those limitations.
That thought process might be a little difficult to get your head
around, so I’ll give you an example; as it’s actually pretty simple.
Let’s say that you are working on your Squat technique. And let’s
say that you are having a really tough time keeping your upper
back tight during the Squat.
Firstly, ask yourself “Do I know how a technically proficient Squat
should look”…
Turns out you do, so you move on to ask yourself “What is
stopping me from keeping my upper back tight”
Well, you look in the mirror and quickly see that your upper back
is very rounded (think caveman posture). Now, if you have a
rounded upper back when standing relaxed, how are you going to
get your upper back tight and really force your chest out when
Squatting? The answer is… with great difficulty.
So, you assess the problem a little deeper and realise that:
- You have poor thoracic spine mobility
- Your shoulder mobility sucks
- Your pecs are tight as hell
To sort this out you commit to laying off squatting with a regular bar
for 3 weeks and use the Safety Squat Bar instead because this
requires much less shoulder mobility.
Furthermore, you now do the following every day:
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
14
- Foam rolling (lots for the upper back)
- Mobility Drills, emphasizing the shoulders and thoracic spine
- Statically stretch the pecs
After 3 weeks you can see that your posture has improved massively
in the mirror. You get under a regular bar and find you can now set
up to Squat correctly. Your upper back is tight, shoulders are forced
back and down and your chest is out.
Then when you actually Squat and the load gets heavy you find you
are able to stay tight in the upper back (arched) throughout your set
and you feel much stronger.
Whereas, in the past; when the weights got heavy you ended up
losing the tightness in your upper back and your weight shifted
forwards when squatting…
In contrast, you now find you stay tight, your weight stays on your
heels to mid foot and the ascent of your Squat is much cleaner and
efficient.
So, to build great technique you must understand how the
movement should look and feel and you must be able to work out
why you are struggling with a certain aspect of the movement
pattern.
From there you can devise a plan to remedy any problems you are
having and start to work towards better technique.
The other thing to consider regarding technique is that it will come
and go. You will have days where it feels “on” and days where you
don’t feel quite right. Don’t worry too much over this… you are a
human and not a robot after all.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
15
Just make sure that over time your technique improves.
In conclusion, do not ignore your lifting technique as it is one of the
fastest ways to slow down your strength gains and possibly injure
yourself.
The best athletes in all sports usually have the best technique.
Strength training is no different so be sure to get good form before
you load a movement pattern heavily.
Get great technique and you will maximise your strength gains,
promote training longevity and minimise injury risk. I know you’ll
agree that that’s a pretty good trio!
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
16
Chapter 3: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 3
Failing To Warm Up Properly
This strength training sin can lead to all sorts of problems. This most
obvious being an increased risk of injury. There is no excuse for not
warming up and most people don’t do it because they are lazy
and/or don’t know how to.
To warm up for your strength training session will take 10 to 15
minutes. This is not a lot of time and I urge you not to skip this vital
aspect of getting strong if you truly want to minimise injury risk,
promote training longevity AND get brutally strong as quickly as
possible.
A good warm up will:
-
Raise your body temperature
Prepare your joints to handle heavy loads
Activate dormant muscle groups
Excite your nervous system (which will make you stronger
when you start lifting)
Here’s an example of a warm up for a total body strength training
session:
- 3 minutes on the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical (optional)
- Foam rolling (emphasize the IT Bands, Hip Flexors, Quads and
Inner Thighs, Upper Back, Lats, Pecs and Triceps)
- Static stretching for the hip flexors
- Mobility drills (Glute Bridges, Wall-Ankle Mobilizations,
Running Butt Kicks, Lateral Lunges, Arm Circles, Wrist Circles,
Scapular Wall Slides, Push Up Plus etc)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
17
Now I’m the first to admit that the warm up is kinda boring, but it’s
very necessary if you want rapid and long-term strength gains. So
make sure you do it every time you train.
I have trained with many strong guys who fail to warm up. Instead,
they just turn up to the gym and get under the bar. Well, guess
what? These guys are exactly the ones who are always in pain and
injured.
And if you’re injured, you can’t train. And if you can’t train, you can’t
gain. So warm up every time you set foot in the gym.
Ps… Remember that after the warm up we suggested above, you still
need to warm up carefully on your first movement of the day. Let me
give you an example.
Let’s say you plan on doing 140kg on the Squat for 5 reps (for your
top set). Do not just do the warm up I outlined in this chapter and
then put 140kg on your back. This would be a disaster for 2 reasons.
Firstly, your CNS would not be ready to handle so much weight and
you would feel weaker than if you ramped up the weights.
Secondly, 5 reps on the Squat is not enough volume. The lighter,
warm up sets allow you to get the volume you need to get stronger
(and bigger).
Here’s how you could warm up for 140kg x 5 using the ramping
method:
(weight x reps x sets)
Bar x 5 x 2 (optional)
40kg x 5 x 2
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
18
60kg x 5 x 2
80kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 1
140kg x 5
Now that you know how to warm up to maximise strength gains and
injury prevention; be sure to do it each time you go to the gym.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
19
Chapter 4: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 4
Not Knowing When To Back Off
This might just have the potential to be the most frustrating strength
training sin of all.
If you try to push yourself to the limit each and every time you set
foot in the gym you will end up over-trained at some point. And if
you end up over-trained, you invite injury and you will not get
stronger or add muscle.
Before I show you how to structure your training so that you do not
end up over-trained (by using strategic back off weeks), let me first
show you some signs that you may be over-trained and in need of a
back off (or “de-load”) week.
Signs of overtraining might include:
-
Lack of desire to train
Increased resting heart rate
Increased blood pressure
Mild depression
Achy joints and muscles
Loss of libido
If you do find yourself over-trained you may need a week off the gym
to get back to normal and re-gain your desire. During that week be
sure to eat well and use recovery methods like massage and contrast
showers.
However, I’d much prefer to show you how to avoid getting over
trained in the first place. The first step to avoiding overtraining is to
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
20
understand (and accept) that easier training weeks (de-loads) are
essential to your long term strength training success and longevity.
The training process is very stressful on the body. In the gym you
actually damage your muscles and it is only with adequate recovery
and rest that your muscles heal themselves and grow bigger and
stronger.
After a few weeks of hard training, you will have built up some
“fatigue”. This fatigue will mask fitness. (Fitness in this instance being
your ability to show your strength).
At this point it is essential to back off and take it easy for a few days
or a week. This will allow your body to repair the damage you have
done in the gym, recover and be stronger when you hit it hard again
after your de-load week.
A simple pattern of training that many athletes have followed with
great success is this:
3 weeks of hard training followed by a 1 week de-load
I’ll give you 3 ways to use that de-load week to recover:
- Do nothing. I personally dislike this method, but it works for
some. Not going to the gym for a whole week doesn’t suit me,
but it does allow your body to recover
- Do something different. This involves choosing different
exercises to the ones you used for the previous 3 weeks and
performing them at a lower intensity than normal.
- Follow the rule of 60%. I think this is the best option and
originated in the Soviet Union (they knew a thing or two about
training and peaking). This involves looking at what you did in
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
21
Week 1 of your training cycle and doing everything the same,
with the exception that you only perform 60% of the reps…
Let me give you an example of de-loading using this 60% rule:
Imagine that for the past 3 weeks you had performed Incline Bench
Presses as your second movement on Monday. Here’s what you did:
Week 1: 80kg x 6, 95kg x 6, 110kg x 6
Week 2: 85kg x 6, 100kg x 6, 115kg x 6
Week 3: 90kg x6, 105kg x 6, 120kg x 4
Here’s how you would de-load on Week 4:
Week 4: 80kg x 4, 95kg x 4, 110kg x 4
Now think about this. What this method of de-loading does is allow
you to keep the intensity high (% of your 1RM) whilst giving you a
relatively easy training session.
80kg x 4, 95kg x 4, 110kg x 4 are the same weights you used in Week
1 but performed for only 60% of the reps. And these sets will feel
easy, (when you consider what you did in Week 3).
In conclusion; not knowing when to back off can be the silent killer to
your strength gains. Experienced and elite athletes may be able to
instinctively back off. But for everyone else; the rule of 3 weeks hard
strength training, followed by a 1 week de-load is a relatively foolproof way to minimise the chance of over-training.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
22
Start including back-off weeks into your strength training program
and watch your strength gains increase and aches and pains go away.
The rule of 60% is probably the easiest way to de-load and a good
starting point for you to try. Other methods, like taking a week off
and doing nothing are more risky as they could actually lead to
under-training and strength loss depending on how hard you had
really pushed it for the 3 weeks prior.
Because there’s hard and there’s HARD, but that’s another story ;)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
23
Chapter 5: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 5
No Peri-Workout Nutrition
Peri-Workout Nutrition refers to what you eat and/or drink before,
during and after training.
I’ll be more specific here and say that it refers to the hour before
training, during training and the hour after training.
Believe me when I say this… Peri-Workout Nutrition has the potential
to supercharge your strength training results. If you get this right for
your goals you could add strength, muscle and build power and
speed faster than you ever have done before.
If you don’t use peri-workout nutrition then you are busting your ass
in the gym and throwing away a lot of the potential gains that that
hard-core training should be giving you.
This is ridiculous, especially when you consider that it takes
absolutely no more time in your day to remedy this deadly strength
training sin than it does to carry on doing it!
Your peri-workout nutrition will be fluid based (think drink, not eat).
This is because the fluids are more quickly absorbed than solids and
this is exactly what you require around training time.
You should start to drink your pre-workout drink an hour before
your strength training session and finish it before you start warming
up.
Your during-workout shake should be sipped throughout your
workout, in between sets and you should finish it towards the end of
your session.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
24
Your post-workout shake should be drunk within an hour of finishing
your training session (so take it with you in your gym bag!).
I personally like to start drinking my post workout shake immediately
upon completion of my training session.
Now you must be wondering what you should put in each of these
shakes…
- Pre-workout shake: BCAA’s, Carb powder
- During-workout shake: BCAA’s, Carb powder
- Post-workout shake: Protein powder, Carb powder, Vitamin C
(5 grams), Glutamine (5 grams), Creatine (5 grams)
Now you may be asking yourself why I haven’t put down quantities
for the BCAA’s or Carb powder. The reason is that it depends on the
size of the athlete and their goals.
If you are 200 pounds, you will need more carbs than a 135lbs
athlete. If you want to gain muscular size, again more carbs is
probably the way to go.
If you are competing in a weight class and only want to gain strength
(and not size) then you probably want less carbs. If you train first
thing in the morning you may need more carbs than someone who
trains later in the day and has already eating plenty of carbs.
So you see; there are lots of variables and you must work out what
stack works best for you. A great starting point is to read the label on
whatever products you buy and go by the manufacturer’s
recommendations, and then tweak your stack as the weeks go by
and you see the results you are getting.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
25
Some recommendations…
For BCAA formulas, Dr Eric Serrano and Phil Richards Performance
both produce very good tasting products that mix well (the BCAA
products that are in pill format are a bad joke, unless you like the
thought of swallowing 20 to 30 pills before and during every training
session! Trust me, this gets old; fast).
To find those products, do a Google Search for their names.
For carb powders it comes down to personal preference. Personally, I
like Vitargo by Genr8 as it contains no artificial sweetners,
flavourings etc. Considering how often you will be drinking this stack,
this is worth considering. Cheaper products are available, so I’ll leave
you to make your choice.
In conclusion, peri-workout nutrition will supercharge your strength
training results, no doubt. There is no excuse for not using. Don’t
bust your ass in the gym and then throw away potential gains.
Instead, be sure to drink your pre, during and post-workout shakes
each and every time you train.
Ps… the stack we suggested above will almost totally eradicate
muscle soreness from training! (Provided you use a quality BCAA
product). This is tried and tested by hundreds of elite and
professional athletes.
Soreness is no way to judge training progress and getting rid of it is a
good thing.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
26
Chapter 6: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 6
A Lack Of Sleep
We have already discussed how hard the training process can be on
the body and how we recover and grow stronger when we rest.
Well, the most important rest you can get is sleep because this is
when your body does its most deep healing. You should aim for 6 to
10 hours of sleep per night (most people will do best on around 7 to
8 hours sleep).
If you fail to get enough sleep you will create a lot of stress on your
body and your strength gains will slow down or stop.
A great way to get a little extra sleep is with a power nap in the
afternoon. This would involve somewhere between 20 to 60 minutes
sleep. Any more than 60 minutes can be too much during the day
and can end up making you feel more tired; so be sure not to overdo
this one.
Some guidelines to help you get great sleep:
-
Aim for 7 to 8 hours sleep per night
Go to bed between 10pm and Midnight
Wake up and get up before 6am
Do not exercise within 2 hours of going to bed
Do not watch or listen anything that gets you too emotionally
excited within 2 hours of sleep (avoid violent films, loud music
etc)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
27
- Listening to soothing, chilled out music can help you sleep
- Meditation can promote great sleep
- Try to eat your last meal of the day at least 3 hours before bed
This has been the shortest chapter so far. This is because, essentially,
the concept is very simple:
Fail to sleep enough and you will kill your strength gains
Sleep well, for 7 to 8 uninterrupted hours a night and you will allow
your body to recover from training and keep making strength gains.
Be sure to monitor your sleep patterns and try our recommendations
for restful sleep if you are struggling to sleep well.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
28
Chapter 7: Deadly Strength Training Sin # 7
Poor Training Continuity
I am using the term “training continuity” to refer to how well your
training flows, from one block to the next, from month to month and
year to year.
If you want to achieve a high level of strength and anywhere near
your potential level of strength you must have training continuity.
Without it you are doomed.
Imagine the scenario where the typical guy gets excited around the
time of the Masters Golf Tournament. So he plays golf for 3 or 4
weeks with his buddies.
Then he gets really motivated about Tennis in the summer time
when Wimbledon’s on. So he rounds up his friends and they play
tennis for 2 or 3 weeks.
Then, come winter time, the soccer season is well under way and this
takes his fancy.
I think you can see where this is going. This guy doesn’t commit to
anything. How good do you think he will be at any of the sporting
activities he participated in, in the above example?
The answer is… he won’t be very good at all because he had no
continuity. He jumped from one thing to the next, and had periods of
doing nothing physical in between.
He never gave his body chance to adapt to the physical task he was
asking it to perform.
That’s a very easy example to understand and now you must apply
this knowledge to your own training.
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
29
You could go on the internet and find a different training program
every 4 weeks from a well-respected coach. You could do everything
else correctly…
And avoid all the other deadly strength gain killing mistakes that I’ve
outlined in this report for you.
You’d even be following the rule of choosing a good training
program. The only trouble is, the “new training program every 4
weeks from a well-respected coach approach” is a bad idea because
there is no training continuity.
A much better option is to choose one coach’s methodology that
suits you and you feel you could enjoy and commit to using it for a
minimum of 6 months and a year would probably be better.
This way you have training continuity and you can see what works
for you and what doesn’t. This may seem like a boring approach but
it works and it builds strength. And when you are getting stronger it’s
never boring!
For this reason, I provide a service where I design online training
programs for you, week by week for as long as you like. This means
you get a great training program, tailored to your needs, with the
training continuity that is essential for strength success.
Check out this program training design service at
www.andyboltonstrength.net
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
30
Chapter 8: Conclusion; Creating Superhuman Strength and Explosive
Power
Some Key Points To Help You Create A Compelling Future For Your Strength
Training
In this report I’ve shared with you what I consider to be the 7 deadliest
strength building sins and more importantly; how to avoid them.
To re-cap, here is what you must be doing to ensure your long-term strength
training success, whilst minimising your chance of injury:
- Design a sound training program (this is your blueprint for strength.
Remember… without a map, you’ll never find your destination)
- Work on your technique (Great technique can instantly improve your
strength and will minimise injury risk. The best athletes usually have the
best technique)
- Design and use a great warm up (use foam rolling and mobility drills to
start with and then “ramp up” the weights on your first exercise)
- Strategically plan “back-off” weeks to enhance recovery (the rule of 3
weeks hard training followed by 1 week easier training works for most
people and will probably work well for you too)
- Be sure to drink your pre, during and post-workout nutrition each and
every time you train (these drinks can make your strength explode faster
than you ever thought possible. To not use them is like saying goodbye
to half your gains)
- Aim to get 7 to 8 hours of un-interrupted sleep per night (we recover
outside the gym, not inside the gym. Sleep is our most powerful
recovery tool. Supercharge your strength gains by perfecting your sleep
patterns)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
31
- Ensure you have training continuity (do not jump from one program to
another every month. Instead, commit to one program for several
months and then you’ll start to really see what works for you and what
doesn’t)
We wish you every success in your quest to build brutal strength, explosive
power, speed and awesome athleticism…
Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
32
Chapter 9: How I Train
At the time of writing, I have achieved career best lifts of:
- Squat: 1214lbs
- Bench Press: 755lbs
- Deadlift: 1008lbs
All these lifts were done in competition and are still in the World and/or British
Record Books. (Nobody cares what anyone lifts in the gym. It’s what happens
in the heat of competition that counts).
As well as what you’ve already learned in this book, I have some guidelines and
principles that I’ve always used in my own training. Below you’ll discover the
most important ones.
My Most Important Training Principles
1. With weights above 40% of my max I lift as explosively as possible
2. I do a lot of Squatting, Benching and Deadlifting with the style that I use in
competition. I am a firm believer in S.A.I.D (specific adaptation to imposed
demands)
3. I use assistance exercises as their name suggests (ie for assistance work. I do
not smash myself to pieces on assistance exercises)
4. I avoid missing reps in the gym. I find that failure takes a longer to recover
from than successfully completed reps
5. I take as much rest as I need between sets of Squats, Bench Presses and
Deadlifts. This can be up to 10 minutes. (I take shorter rests of around 60 to 90
seconds on assistance exercises)
6. I include conditioning work in my strength training program. (This allows me
to train harder during my main sessions and recover quicker)
7. I follow a plan but allow room for instinctive training. (If my body is telling
me to de-load/back-off… I will)
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
33
Now that you know my key training principles, I’d like to show you my training
split. This has changed over the years (as everything in life does)… but this is
how I’m training at the time of writing:
Monday: Bench Press
A. Raw Bench
B. Shirted Bench
C. Reverse Band Bench
D. Board Press
E. Halbert Swings
The sets are 3to 5 on each pressing movement and the reps are 1 to 3. The
Halbert swings are usually done for higher reps… eg 4 sets of 12 reps.
Wednesday: Squat / Deadlift
A. Squat
B. Conventional Deadlift or Block Pull
C. Leg Press or Back Extensions
D. Hamstring Curl
Squats are done for speed or max effort work, using straight weight or going
against chains. Sometimes the reverse band method is utilised to allow me to
over-load the top end.
Deadlifts are performed from the floor for speed or from blocks very heavy.
Either way, the reps are 1 to 3.
Assistance work is done for 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
34
Thursday: Assistance
This workout is devoted to assistance work for the back, biceps and traps.
A typical session could look like this:
A. Wide Pull Downs: 3 x 10 reps
B. One Arm DB Row: 3 x 10/side
C. Low Pulley V-bar Rows: 3 x 10
D. BB Shrug: 3 x 8
E. DB Curl: 2 x 15
Saturday: Assistance
This training session is focused on conditioning, core strength and grip
strength.
It often looks like this:
A. Fast walk on treadmill: 20 minutes
B. 3 to 4 core exercises (I like Planks, Side Bends and Leg Raises)
C. Grip Work (Pinch Gripping or Fat Bar Holds)
To follow my training log, check out this:
http://www.andyboltonstrength.org/category/andy-boltons-training-log/
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
35
About The Authors
Andy Bolton is one of the greatest Powerlifters of all time. A multiple
world champion in the WPC and WPO federations, one of only 5 men
to ever Squat over 1200lbs and the only man to ever pull in excess of
1000lbs on the Deadlift. Andy can make legitimate claim to being the
strongest man to have ever walked the face of the planet.
Elliot Newman is a competitive Powerlifter who has competed in the
BDFPA, WDFPF, BPC and WPC. He has competition best lifts of 255kg
Squat, 157.5kg Bench and 260kg Deadlift. He is passionate about all
things related to nutrition and strength training.
For more information on how YOU can and deadly strength training
mistakes and develop herculean strength, explosive power and
muscular size, please check out:
http://www.andyboltonstrength.net
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net
36
How To Avoid The 7 Deadly Strength Building Sins That Kill Your Gains
By Andy Bolton and Elliot Newman © 2011, All Rights Reserved
www.andyboltonstrength.net