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The "Old Stand-by Lifts": It is a simple fact that there are just some lifts that are more effective than other lifts. Take for example the "king" of exercises...The Squat!! This single exercise has no equal. If massive, strong legs are what you want, then you MUST squat. It is that simple. Leg presses , leg curls and leg extentions just don't compare to the squat. The squat is the ultimate lower body exercise. The amount of stress this exercise puts on your body is second to none. Just as the squat is the king of lower body exercises, so to is the Bench Press the king of upper body exercises. The bench press works three distinct muscle groups: the pectorals; the triceps and the deltoids. Once again, no other single upper body exercise can induce muscle mass and strength quite like the bench press. If the squat is the ultimate lower body exercise and the bench press is the ultimate upper body exercise, then the Deadlift must be the best "overall" total body exercise known to man. Indeed, just attempt to do 3-5 reps with a relatively heavy weight and experience first hand why this exercise is so brutal. Believe me, at the end of a heavy set of 5 reps, your heart will just be a pumpin'. These three exercises together are what I call the "Old Stand-by Lifts". If the trainee were to only do these three exercises and nothing else, I can guarantee that he would build one hell of a physique.
Exercises to avoid: The following list of exercises are to be avoided at all costs. These exercises are simply useless and will only be a waste of the trainee's time and effort.
1) Leg Extensions: total waste of time. Some iron know-it-alls claim this exercise will add definition to a trainee's legs.....what a load of crap!!! This exercise will do NOTHING for you(period).
The Kaz lifting a huge stone during competition.
Anderson doing one of his "pet lifts": the one arm side press!!
If mass and definition are what you want, then I would suggest you do squats instead(and follow a proper diet for the cuts).
2)Machine Work: Please Avoid all machine work....weight machines were designed for geeky, pencil necked monkeys who want to feel like they are working out hard when in fact, they are doing very little. These machines fail to utilize the stabilizing muscles that free weights stimulate. If ya don't believe me, then try to free weight bench press the same weight you can do on a machine bench press...end of story.
3) All calf work: Once again, a total waste of time. Calves may "look" cool but in actual fact, they are worthless. Unless you are one of those "fairy nice" bodybuilding prancers, don't waste precious time working this muscle group.
Now that I have told you what NOT to do, let's get to what you SHOULD do......and that is Radical Training.
Anderson cleaning over 400 lbs.
Exactly What Is Radical Training...Dino-Rack Training?
Let me first start off with a definition of dino-rack training: dino(dinosaur) meaning OLD TIME training principles and exercises...some long forgotten.....rack(power rack) meaning that many of the exercises that are part of this radical method will have to be done in a power rack. Now that I have defined dino-rack training...let's say I start to explain the basic concepts of this training. It seems that the majority of weight trainers want fast results with minimum effort. Sorry to say but this is impossible. In order to build a massive, strong physique, one MUST drive themselves to their physical limits. There are no shortcuts. One of the keys for continuing strength gains is that the trainee must continually change their workout routine. Since the human body is a very high performance machine, it WILL adapt to any situation. You might get great strength gains from doing heavy bench press for a few months, but once the body adapts to this way of training, it will no longer be effective since your body automatically adjusts to the heavy load. Change must then be implemented to confuse the body into becoming stronger when a new exercise load is introduced. This is where dino-rack training comes into play. Not only does this way of training have endless barbell and dumbell exercises for you to choose from in order to confuse your muscles, it also implements some "odd lifts" exercises to further test your physical limits. Long before barbells and dumbells were mass produced, old time strength legends used whatever was around to lift in order to make their muscles stronger. In the cave man days, men used rocks and tree stumps to increase strength. The way of life back then was indeed very physical. Dino-rack training brings back all these ancient lifts which challenge the human body in ways not seen for many moons. Though these exercises may appear to be "different" for the average trainee at first, once you try these you will become a convert since the results will speak for themselves. In no time flat, all the "gym mullets" will be coming up to you in the weightroom asking, "what are you doing?" or "what does that exercise do for you?". Indeed, you will in very quick order become the talk of the gym because of this radical way of training. Keep in mind that this intense way of training is not for the weak( in both mind and spirit). Total concentration and dedication are a must to make this way of weightlifting successful.
The basic dino-rack training system is divided up into four main catagories(workouts):a) Odd Lifts,
b) Push Day c) Pull Day and d) Leg Day.
Odd Lifts: These lifts are basically the most radical and intense lifts a person will ever do. That is because unlike basic barbell and dumbell exercises, odd lifting goes a step further and not only challenges the trainee with a load, but also challenges their balance and more importantly stimulates the stabilizing muscles to an all-time high. Just try and lift a 135 lb. odd shaped rock like ya do that 135 lb. chrome barbell in the gym.....Not likely!!! The following is a list of odd lift exercises that will challenge both the mind as well as the body. a) Rock Lifting: The first thing the trainee must do is to go and find a place that has an abundance of variously shaped and weighted rocks. Once you have found such a place to train, the next step is to choose a number of rocks for your lifting. I would suggest that you find some small rocks to be used for a warmup, and then get some heavy ones for your workout. Place them in accending order according to weight and start with the lightest. Warm your muscles with this weight by doing a set of around five repetitions. Then move on to the next rock. The exercises that can be done using these rocks is almost limitless. i) Rock carry: simply pick the rock up and carry it as far as you can....the best part about this is that since you will be doing this outside, you will not have any fear of dropping the rock and breaking the floor. I would suggest that you either do this exercise with a "set time" in mind or for distance. Either way you will experience one of the most physically taxing exercises you will EVER do. The forearm pump is also not too bad!!! ii) Overhead rock press: simply pick up the rock and press it overhead and hold it for three seconds while standing totally still and in control. Repetitions can also be done if a muscle pump is what you desire. Note: You will soon realize that the thicker the rocks, the tougher it will be to "clean" the rock to shoulder height. This will utilize the stabilizing muscles greatly.
iii) Overhead push-press: this exercise is to be done the same as the overhead press with the only difference being that in the Push-press, the legs are to be used for the initial drive.