Blood on the Barbell: Waterbury
by Chad Waterbury


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Your Name is Sue
You ought to thank me before I die,
for the gravel in your gut and the spit in your eyes

— "A Boy Named Sue"

Sometimes you've gotta toughen up and learn not to feel. No worries, no pain. In the zone. Sure,
there's pain all right. And worries? We've all got 'em. But that's what
training is for: to take the worries and pain out of your life by
forcing your mind and body to work at their peak, even in the face of
the most grueling workout. A paradox? Hell no! You
see, the difference between a champion and a loser is in the mindset.
Champions welcome pain. Losers avoid it at all costs. Champions seek
out challenges. Losers have an aversion to challenges. A champion
embraces grueling workouts that push his mind and willpower to the
brink. A loser sits quietly on a leg extension machine and reads the
latest issue of Us magazine. Life is all about pain and
challenges. What many people don't think about though is the theory of
relativity and how it relates to success. I'm not talking about
Einstein's relatively theory. I'm talking about the fitness theory of relativity.

Fitness Relativity I've
been fortunate to work with some über successful people in my life.
People who had nothing more than the clothes on their backs and $40 in
their pockets that transcended the gap between pauper and
multi-millionaires. A private jet, a mansion on the beach in Southern
California, a mansion in Bali, and at least seven figures sitting in a
savings account. You get the idea. Over the years I've
noticed a key personality trait with these clients of mine, a trait
I've witnessed so many times that I can't help but consider it fact:
The most successful people work hardest in the gym. What
does that tell me? It tells me there's a positive correlation between
one who seeks challenge and his ultimate success. The person who seeks
challenges is more successful than the person who doesn't, period. Give
me three middle-aged men and I'll take them through a grueling workout.
At the end of the session I'll be able to tell you which guy has the
most successful career and life. When a person is used to overcoming
challenges, such as a nauseating and mentally draining workout, he
becomes more apt at overcoming other challenges in life. In
essence, a challenge in life becomes much less of a challenge when
you're used to pushing yourself in the gym. I call this the Fitness Theory of Relativity.

Change Your Name to Sue The
irreverent and unorthodox genius, Shel Silverstein, understood what I'm
talking about. In his classic musical tale, "A Boy Named Sue,"
popularized by the late Johnny Cash, Silverstein describes the
acrimonious life of a boy after his father changed his name to Sue. The
father changed his son's name to Sue so he'd be forced to live a
childhood filled with ridicule and turmoil. His father did the right
thing. In the end, "Sue" became tougher than leather because of what he
had to go through by living with a name not suited for any normal boy.
"His fists got hard and his wits got keen," the tale goes. So
that's what brings me to this article. I'm gonna lay out a few
different workouts that you should drop into your current training plan
whenever you feel like you need a challenge that'll put your lifelong
goals in perspective. And, of course, you'll gain muscle and lose fat
along the way. Deal?

Bloody Complexes Out
of all the training methods I've used over the years, none is as
challenging as a well-designed complex. What's a complex? It's a series
of movements, usually on the order of 6-10, with no rest between each
movement. In essence, you'll pick up a barbell or a pair of dumbbells
and you won't put the weight down until all movements are finished. You'll
spit, cuss, and scream, for sure. But complexes will make you tougher
than hell and they'll transform your body. So it should be no surprise
that I favor complexes for all the fighters I train. Here are two
examples:
Bloody Barbell Complex

Overhead squat for 10 reps Hang clean for 10 reps Standing military press for 10 reps Bentover row for 10 reps Lunge for 10 reps on each leg Romanian deadlift for 20 reps Front squat for 10 reps Standing calf raise (barbell across upper back) for 30 reps

Bloody Dumbbell Complex

Standing hammer curl for 5 reps Standing alternating shoulder press for 10 reps with each arm Forward lunge for 10 reps with each leg Bentover alternating row for 10 reps with each arm Reverse lunge with overhead press (palms facing each other) for 10 reps with each leg Romanian deadlift for 20 reps Standing calf raise (arms hanging at sides) for 30 reps

Loading:
For the barbell complex, start with an unloaded bar. From there,
increase the load in 10 pound increments (a five pound plate on each
side) until you find a load that challenges you from start to finish. For
the dumbbell complex, I start the series with a five repetition maximum
standing hammer curl for good reason: a load that represents your 5RM
for the hammer curl is usually a good starting point for this dumbbell
complex.

Total Body Exercises I've preached it. I've hemmed and hawed, too. And I've definitely done a bit of hand waving. I like total body workouts. What
I'm talking about is a workout that comprises each of the following
movements: a compound upper body pulling exercise, a compound upper
body pressing exercise, and a compound lower body exercise. Think dips,
chins, and squats. Or push-ups, rows, and deadlifts. Nevertheless, in
some circumstances total body lifts are even more beneficial. What's
a total body lift? It's a series of movements, usually three or four,
that trains scores of different muscles. Total body lifts are similar
to complexes since both usually revolve around compound movements.
However, when you do a total body lift the movement changes with each
rep. I'll explain. With a complex, you might perform 10 front
squats, followed by 10 military presses, followed by 10 Romanian
deadlifts, followed by 10 hang cleans. With a total body lift, using
those same four movements, you simply perform one front squat, followed
by one military press, followed by one Romanian deadlift, followed by
one hang clean. This constitutes one repetition of a total body lift. For
those short on time, or for those just wanting a change of pace, total
body lifts can really hit the majority of your major muscle groups with
just one exercise. And they're great for fat loss because they really
boost your anaerobic endurance. Here are two examples:

RSL Lift: Romanian Deadlift/Split Snatch/Lunge I
give credit to Alwyn Cosgrove for turning me on to this ass-kicking
total body exercise, and for turning me on to total body lifts in
general. Description: Grab a pair of dumbbells that are light
enough to split snatch. First, perform a Romanian deadlift, then a
split snatch, then you'll finally drop down into a lunge before
returning to the starting position. For the next repetition, switch
your feet (stance) during the split snatch and lunge. In essence,
you'll have your right foot forward for the first rep, your left foot
forward for the second rep. Here's how it looks:


FMDH Lift: Front Squat / Military Press / Deadlift / Hang Clean With
regard to all of the total body lifts that I've come up with, this is
my favorite since it challenges so many different muscle groups and
motor patterns. Description: Load a barbell with enough
weight to military press 10 times. Start with one front squat, then
perform one military press, followed by one deadlift, followed by one
hang clean. The transitions between each movement flows like fine wine
so be sure to use this total body lift whenever you have time, or
whenever you're short on time.
The Hang Clean

Total Body Blitzkrieg Remember
when I said I really like total body workouts? Well, I wasn't kidding.
I've come up with a workout that's so thorough, but so damn tough, that
most people don't have the mettle to handle the pain. Are you tough enough? Let's see. A
few years ago, I was posed with a challenge. One day a military bad-ass
that I was working with asked me to take him through the most intense
workout he'd every experienced. So I put together the following
circuit. I only allowed him 20-30 seconds rest between each movement,
just enough time to take a few breaths and walk over to the next
exercise. Here's how it looked:
Anterior tibialis raise for 20 reps
Seated calf raise for 10 reps
Standing calf raise for 10 reps
Leg curl for 10 reps
Sissy squat for 10 reps
Romanian deadlift for 10 reps
Front squat for 5 reps
Ab wheel for 10 reps
Reverse crunch for 10 reps
Woodchop for 10 reps on each side
Wide grip pull-up for 10 reps
Feet elevated push-ups for 20 reps
Bentover barbell row for 10 reps
Standing military press for 10 reps
Bentover side raise for 10 reps
Standing dumbbell external rotation for 20 reps
Dip for 10 reps
Standing hammer curl for 10 reps
Rest 3 minutes and repeat once more. He
did it. Then he threw up. Then he wiped the puke from the side of his
mouth and shook my hand. It was a teary moment, indeed.

Putting it All Together Up
to this point, I've mentioned a handful of different workouts that'll
challenge your overall fitness, psychological resilience, and
willingness to try something new — something grueling. But here's your
real challenge, if you dare accept it. For one week, I want
you to put each of the three aforementioned methods into your weeklong
plan. This article contains every workout you'll need for next week.
Here's how it should look:
DAY 1 Bloody Barbell Complex
Rest 2 minutes
Bloody Dumbbell Complex
Rest 2 minutes
Bloody Barbell Complex
Rest 3 minutes
Bloody Dumbbell Complex
You're Done
Note:
When you repeat the barbell and dumbbell complexes, you'll need to
reduce the load by at least 20% to fulfill the rep requirements.
DAY 2 — Off
DAY 3 RSL for 12 reps (6 reps with each leg forward)
Rest 1 minute
FMDH Lift for 12 reps
Rest 1 minute
RSL for 10 reps
Rest 2 minutes
FMDH for 10 reps
Rest 2 minutes
RSL for 8 reps
Rest 2 minutes
FMDH for 8 reps
Rest 2 minutes
RSL for 8 reps
Rest 1 minute
FMDH for 8 reps
Note:
Do your best to use the same load for all cycles. At the very least,
you should be able to get through the first three cycles of each total
body lift before decreasing the load.
DAY 4 — Off
DAY 5 Total Body Blitzkrieg
Note: You'll probably need to decrease the load of each movement by 20-30% for the second cycle.
DAYS 6 and 7 — Off
DAY 8 Return to your regularly scheduled workout plan. Hell Week is over.

Final Words These
workouts will toughen you up. Soon you'll be swaggering your way
through life. Women, money, and fame are all sure to follow if you
welcome challenges... and overcome them. These workouts will transform your body and mind. Soon, people will be calling you Sue.http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1579811