"Hi Eric, I just wanted to let you know that your new strength manual is amazing. I am doing the program with two other guys. Before the program, one of them could not even back squat because his shoulders would be in too much pain holding the bar. After two weeks of foam rolling and the mobility work, he was amazed to see that he could back squat with zero pain. Also, I had shoulder pain from benching before starting the workout, and ever since then the pain is gone and we are all improving quite nicely on all our lifts. Just wanted to thank your for the great book. I recommend it to everyone; the dynamic warm-up alone is worth the price. THANKS!"
Daniel Pfohl
West Seneca, NY
To find out for yourself, check out Maximum Strength.
Q: What BASIC methodology did you use to get your deadlift up over 600? Did you deadlift heavy, do similar exercises like pulls from different heights, or use different exercises like good mornings and rows?
A: I have used a lot of different ones - and things changed as I got stronger and stronger.
Early on, like everyone, my deadlift went up no matter what I did. I actually laugh at some of the silly stuff that I used to get my pull up to the 300-350 range. I was training six days a week, doing sets of 20, 5x5 workouts, lots of leg curls, you name it. Not the brightest stuff in the world, but when you’re untrained, it all works.
Pushing things to 400 took a lot more dedicated work in lower rep ranges (3-5) – and without a bunch of goofy accessory work. This got me to a 430-ish deadlift by the time I got to graduate school in the fall of 2003.
In that first year of grad school, I played around with a ton of stuff – everything from clusters to wave-loading (which I don’t think did anything) to straight sets, to 8x3 type-stuff. I hit 484 in the gym around March of 2004, and in my first meet (June 2004), I pulled 510 on a fourth attempt at a body weight of 163. So, I guess you could say that in my first dedicated nine months of powerlifting, I put about 80 pounds on my deadlift. I flat-out blew the “conventional” strength-training induced gains from previous years out of the water at a time when progress was supposed to be slowing.
It was about this time that my buddy Steve turned me on more to the Westside school of thought – and I also made some great friends at the meets I did. The summer of 2004 – when I was on campus in Storrs just working with athletes, reading a ton, and training – was a great summer for information exchange and trial and error. Over the 2004-05 school year, I really started hitting max effort days and dynamic effort days. In July of 2005, I pulled 567.5 at a body weight of 161. So, there’s another 57.5 pounds in a year.
After graduate school, I started training at South Side Gym in Stratford, CT alongside some great lifters. Every session was a mix of crazy efforts and information exchange in an awesome environment. It’s when I really started pulling more frequently: twice a week, in most case. It was without a doubt the best training year of my life, and I detailed some of the training ideas I implemented in an article called Frequent Pulling for Faster Progress. Speed deadlifts made a huge difference for me not only because my bar speed off the floor increased, but also because they allowed me to practice technique without always pulling heavy and, in the process, breaking down. By the time I left South Side at the end of July 2006 (moved to Boston), I had hit a 628 deadlift. Now, I’ve pulled 650 (although it isn’t really the main focus anymore).
I really never did much good morning work until I was already pulling mid-to-high 400s. For me, the good morning wasn’t nearly as effective as deadlifting or squatting; I guess specificity holds true again, as I got really good at good mornings. That said, it likely has to do with my body type, as I’m a long-limbed, short-torso guy who already is very strong in the lower back relative to the legs. Guys who have more squat/bench-friendly builds (short limbs, long torsos) generally respond really well to good mornings.
I am a huge believer that lots of rows not only kept my shoulder healthy, but helped my deadlift along. Chest-supported rows seemed to have the best carryover, in my experience.
Yes, I have done my fair share of rack pulls. I don't think that they directly help the deadlift as much as people seem to think, but they are a fantastic way to make lifters comfortable with heavy weights. Here's a photo from back in 2005 of a 705x5 rack pull from just above the knees. It's certainly not for the beginners in the crowd, but pushing the envelope is necessary sometimes for getting to the next level. I wouldn't recommend this for the overwhelming majority of lifters and weekend warriors - so don't be stupid and try it at home.
They're also great for building up the upper back - particularly when performed with a snatch grip.
A lot of these experiences shaped the way that I wrote up the program in my new book, Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better. Effectively, I touch a bit on everything that took me from 350 to 650 over the course of the four phases in the program.
Hey Gang,
Last Friday, I was a guest on Pete Williams' "Fitness Buff Show." You can listen to the interview HERE.
We went into quite a bit of detail on the rhyme and reasons for my new Maximum Strength program.
Eric Cressey is a go-getter par excellence and his book Maximum Strength falls nothing short of the standard he has set for the industry. Throughout the text, Cressey details all of the necessary ingredients to getting stronger, improving mobility, enhancing stability, optimizing muscle balance, and improving body composition. He has been there and done it, and gives us his vast knowledge in both a motivational and enjoyable tone. I found myself enthusiastically turning page after page. If one is looking for a big bang for their buck - and getting the most out of their training time and effort - Cressey's Maximum Strength is the source!
Josh Renkens, DC, CSCS
Nashville, TN
For more information, check out Maximum Strength.
Hey Gang,
Just a heads-up on a free interview with me that you can download at Superhuman Radio. It's episode #168 - and we discussed Maximum Strength in detail.
Enjoy!
Q: I recently ordered Maximum Strength and am really enjoying it and looking forward to building strength with the program. I did, however, have a question for you. Because of convenience to my house the location I work out at has no power rack (sad, I know). For now I need to stay training here just because of location but need some help with the Maximum Strength Program.
What alternatives could I use for the time being for the following exercises?
-RACK PULLS FROM KNEES
-DEADLIFT BAR ELEVATED
-SPEED PIN PRESS
-ANDERSON FRONT SQUATS FROM PINS
-CLOSE GRIP FLOOR PRESS
-SPEED PIN PRESS
A: Piece of cake:
-RACK PULLS FROM KNEES - elevate bar on aerobic steps
-DEADLIFT BAR ELEVATED - same (or plates)
-SPEED PIN PRESS - just a board press
-ANDERSON FRONT SQUATS FROM PINS - box squat
-CLOSE GRIP FLOOR PRESS - board press
-SPEED PIN PRESS – regular bench press (to a board, if desired)
Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program
Q: I purchased your new book Maximum Strength, and am really enjoying it – and looking forward to the programs. One question, though: are there any general recommendations you would make if someone, due to schedule restrictions, needed to modify the lifting portion program (i.e. not the recommended energy system work) to fit into a 3x/week rather than 4x/week schedule? While I can change up the days of the week, including weekends, I find that my job and family responsibilities limit me to 3x/week at the gym. I realize that going to 3x/week means I'm no longer really on the program, but I would like to keep to its other parameters as much as possible.
A: As a general rule of thumb, I'd simply drop some assistance work from each day and then blend them as well as possible. For 3x/week, I prefer:
Monday: Heavy lower body movement (including a dynamic single-leg movement), assistance upper body
Wednesday: Heavy upper body movements, static unsupported single-leg movement (generally a one-leg squat to bench or one-leg Romanian deadlift).
Friday: Lower body speed or volume emphasis (such as speed deadlifts or front squats for 4x6), assistance upper body.
You should be able to pick and choose from each phase to get to where you want to be.
Eric Cressey
Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with the Ultimate Weight-Training Program
Q: I recently purchased your new book, Maximum Strength, and I've enjoyed reading it. My question is about pullups/chinups. If somebody is not capable of performing one, what do you recommend? Assisted pullups, negatives, pulldowns, or something like that? For that matter, if the reader can't do a chinup, are they ready for the program and might they be better off with a beginner's program until they're capable of doing chinups/pullups?
A: They could still be a good position to do the program; they just might be a bit heavy. If a guy is 250 and can squat 400, bench 300, and deadlift 400 - but not do a chin-up, it's tough to call him weak!
If this is the case, I would substitute either eccentric-only chin-ups or band-assisted chin-ups. For the former, you'd want to lower to a count of 4 or 5 on each rep. The latter of the two is pictured below. If you can't do it with a 1-inch band or thinner, definitely start with the eccentric-only version.
All that said, above all else, if you have a training partner, him helping you is the best option - as it most closely accommodates your strength level.
