Section of arcticle written by Dave Tate on Tnation.
Dave Tate is the co-owner of Elite Fitness Systems and has been involved in the sport of powerlifting since 1982. A true testament to his skills rests in the 10,000 hours of personal training and strength consulting sessions he has performed with novice to elite athletes. Numerous clients have broken barriers they never thought possible through the use of maximal, dynamic and absolute strength development methods. Dave's self-motivation plays a vital role in the driving success of many of his clients, as he is still an active athlete himself in the sport of powerlifting. His success is evident with personal best lifts of a 935 squat, 610-bench press, 740 deadlift and a 2205 total. His success under the bar and his extensive education are a testament to his dedication to the development of maximal strength and power.
"Where do these exercises fit into a program?"
That's the question I've been hearing since I began writing this "Tool Box" series. I've also been asked to write a few programs containing some of these new exercises and training methods. Sorry, but all pre-written training programs suck! Before the e-mails begin flying, let me take a moment to explain.
Programs for Everyone
The program is never a direct reflection of the author’s real knowledge. I know many coaches and trainers who've made several attempts to write programs. The thing is, these coaches are far better than the programs they're writing.
The knowledge and experience of many of these writers is unbelievable. If they were to consult you on your training program, your results would be awesome! But, they're trying to put together a program for everyone. In most cases it'll work for 50% of those who try it. The program will fail for the rest because it doesn't address their specific weaknesses.
Tested Programs
Some of the programs you read in magazines have never been used in real training situations. It's pretty easy to see that they were tossed together with the use of very high powered training books, journals and articles. This is great for stimulating ideas, but not so great for training application. Something may look great on paper, but when it comes down to it, it won't work in the gym.
Real Issues
Following a program is, in many ways, avoiding the real issues of training. The training process needs to be grounded in science and application, but it also needs to be instinctive. You have to know where you're going and what the best methods are to get you there, but you also need to know what adjustments need to be made along the way.
Here are a few examples of what I mean:
1) What happens if you can’t perform the prescribed training percentage for the prescribed number of repetitions?
2) What if you get hurt?
3) What if you don't have access to the equipment needed?
4) What if you're feeling overtrained?
5) What if you have to miss a workout because of other outside obligations?
6) What if a specific prescribed exercise is causing you pain?
You've got to be able to make adjustments!
The Turning Point
The real turning point in the training process is when you begin to "know" what you need to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I discovered this years ago when speaking to very successful bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen and Olympic weightlifters. They all agreed that there was a time when they became accountable for their own results. They took it upon themselves to discover what worked for them, created their own basic training template, and built the program from week to week, and day to day.
The trick is, how do we take the average guy and get him to this level of thinking? Programs are a good introduction to the training process, if you understand what the program is trying to do.
Training Philosophy
Every athlete, coach and trainer should have his own philosophy of training based on where he's going. Do you want to get stronger? Do you want to add more mass? Do you want to get ripped? Do you want to use training to better your sport of choice? Do you feel being stronger is the key to success? Do you feel being better conditioned is the key? Do you feel you need all these variables? In other words, what do you really want to achieve from your training?
Continued below...........
Tate's Tool Box
The Art of Program Design Plus 5 New Exercises!
by Dave Tate
The Art of Program Design Plus 5 New Exercises!
by Dave Tate
Dave Tate is the co-owner of Elite Fitness Systems and has been involved in the sport of powerlifting since 1982. A true testament to his skills rests in the 10,000 hours of personal training and strength consulting sessions he has performed with novice to elite athletes. Numerous clients have broken barriers they never thought possible through the use of maximal, dynamic and absolute strength development methods. Dave's self-motivation plays a vital role in the driving success of many of his clients, as he is still an active athlete himself in the sport of powerlifting. His success is evident with personal best lifts of a 935 squat, 610-bench press, 740 deadlift and a 2205 total. His success under the bar and his extensive education are a testament to his dedication to the development of maximal strength and power.
"Where do these exercises fit into a program?"
That's the question I've been hearing since I began writing this "Tool Box" series. I've also been asked to write a few programs containing some of these new exercises and training methods. Sorry, but all pre-written training programs suck! Before the e-mails begin flying, let me take a moment to explain.
Programs for Everyone
The program is never a direct reflection of the author’s real knowledge. I know many coaches and trainers who've made several attempts to write programs. The thing is, these coaches are far better than the programs they're writing.
The knowledge and experience of many of these writers is unbelievable. If they were to consult you on your training program, your results would be awesome! But, they're trying to put together a program for everyone. In most cases it'll work for 50% of those who try it. The program will fail for the rest because it doesn't address their specific weaknesses.
Tested Programs
Some of the programs you read in magazines have never been used in real training situations. It's pretty easy to see that they were tossed together with the use of very high powered training books, journals and articles. This is great for stimulating ideas, but not so great for training application. Something may look great on paper, but when it comes down to it, it won't work in the gym.
Real Issues
Following a program is, in many ways, avoiding the real issues of training. The training process needs to be grounded in science and application, but it also needs to be instinctive. You have to know where you're going and what the best methods are to get you there, but you also need to know what adjustments need to be made along the way.
Here are a few examples of what I mean:
1) What happens if you can’t perform the prescribed training percentage for the prescribed number of repetitions?
2) What if you get hurt?
3) What if you don't have access to the equipment needed?
4) What if you're feeling overtrained?
5) What if you have to miss a workout because of other outside obligations?
6) What if a specific prescribed exercise is causing you pain?
You've got to be able to make adjustments!
The Turning Point
The real turning point in the training process is when you begin to "know" what you need to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I discovered this years ago when speaking to very successful bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen and Olympic weightlifters. They all agreed that there was a time when they became accountable for their own results. They took it upon themselves to discover what worked for them, created their own basic training template, and built the program from week to week, and day to day.
The trick is, how do we take the average guy and get him to this level of thinking? Programs are a good introduction to the training process, if you understand what the program is trying to do.
Training Philosophy
Every athlete, coach and trainer should have his own philosophy of training based on where he's going. Do you want to get stronger? Do you want to add more mass? Do you want to get ripped? Do you want to use training to better your sport of choice? Do you feel being stronger is the key to success? Do you feel being better conditioned is the key? Do you feel you need all these variables? In other words, what do you really want to achieve from your training?
Continued below...........