Workouts That Compliment

[smp76]

Greeting all gripper, Olympic lifters, power lifters, climbers, martial artists, arm wrestlers, benders, and just plain strongmen.

I have been reading through several different topics and threads that discuss loosely the workouts that we are all involved in. My question for this topic is going to attempt to give meaning to what you all think works together and what does not. We all have different goals and desires. Some wish to close the IM#4 other wish to hub lift a 45lb York plate and for some the bending of a red nail is the end all be all goal. My point is that for myself and from what I have read of others some pursuits do not mix as well as others do.

I have read posting by Rick Walker where he discusses (and Rick correct me if I muck this up) experiences extreme fatigue to the point of seeing black grass while doing some extreme movements in 95 degree heat. Others have stated that when they train their lifts for power lifting they can not train grip at the same levels. I have read that Bob Lipinski (Bob, also correct me if I am wrong in this) has taken on the challenge of bending while doing the KTA and from what I have read it is working great. What I would like input from the masses is what in their own experience works well together. Can people train for closing the next gripper level while doing sick workouts like the Diesel Crew is doing?

Please include your height and weight and overall workout goals to give all the readers a reference point. I think this will help generate a complete quasi do and don't list for hand strength and training compatibility.

Respectfully submitted,

-SMP

[smp76]

I think that I might want to start to give a flavor for what I was asking.

I am 6'1" and 200lbs

My goals for the short term are as follows:

Close the IM #3, double over hand dead lift 400lbs on a 2 and 3/8th inch bar, next summer climb the mountain (Denali), pinch lift two York 45lb plates, be able to do 30 pull-ups again, and run a 5:30 mile again.

I think that working grip strength, running and my mountaineering will be fine but I am not sure about the deadlifting. My pull-ups have also worked with the grip pull-ups and ice climbing. I also enjoy doing complexes before a long run.

So what do you all think? Lifting goals going to work with running and mountaineering? I have seen that many of you lift the core three: Bench, Deadlift and Squat but do you also do cardio? I know what the common wisdom is but the common wisdom does not apply to the feats of strength and physical gifts many of you possess. So can you help a guy out with some info?

-SMP

[Bob Lipinski]

Hah, I haven't tried to bend while doing KTA. Both tend to kill my elbows, and I usually have to stop doing either when my bench training ramps up.

[smp76]

Bob,

Thank you for the correction. I just went back through your KTA log and saw where I misread it. It was a discussion with Austin and you mentioned bending in your workouts after you said you were going to start the KTA again. I apologize but I think that your post has clarified a possible drawback to trying to do KTA and bending at the same time. Thanks for the post Bob.

-SMP

[ianders1]

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, but I've been lifting for about 10-12 years now, and here are my observations:

• Push/Pull Workouts work about the best - i.e. pushing movements one workout, pulling the next
  
• Heavy Pulling exercises (deads, pullups, rows, etc.) seem to work the grip enough to need at least a day or so to recover from
  
• Cardio more than once a week will tax the central nervous system (CNS) and require more recovery time for weights
  
• I find pre-exhaust routines to be more synergistic than supersets - again push/pull workouts seem to work better
  
• Bending seems to be the most taxing grip activity, followed by thick bar, then grippers, then pinching, though the intensity with which one does these different activities can alter this
  
• Remember intensity is measured over time - one hard set of 20-rep squats will be way more taxing than even a 5x5 routine, assuming each is done normally
  
• Singles, rest-pause, and negatives require the most recovery time.
  
• Ideally, one will focus on their goal/primary training 2x3 times a week, secondary training 1-2x a week, and tertiary training 1x a week or less depending on those activities, the intensity, and your personal recovery abilities.
  

[smp76]

\[*]Cardio more than once a week will tax the central nervous system (CNS) and require more recovery time for weights

\[*]Ideally, one will focus on their goal/primary training 2x3 times a week, secondary training 1-2x a week, and tertiary training 1x a week or less depending on those activities, the intensity, and your personal recovery abilities.

great, thank you for the post. I know that this may be common wisdom to many but I was wondering what some have seen as too much cardio for strength training? Running 10-20 miles a week too much for heavy lifting? Why? I think that anything can be worked through even if you have to alter diet and rest time. What does everyone else think?

-SMP

[Zevich]

\[*]Cardio more than once a week will tax the central nervous system (CNS) and require more recovery time for weights

\[*]Ideally, one will focus on their goal/primary training 2x3 times a week, secondary training 1-2x a week, and tertiary training 1x a week or less depending on those activities, the intensity, and your personal recovery abilities.

great, thank you for the post. I know that this may be common wisdom to many but I was wondering what some have seen as too much cardio for strength training? Running 10-20 miles a week too much for heavy lifting? Why? I think that anything can be worked through even if you have to alter diet and rest time. What does everyone else think?

-SMP

It depends on how much time and energy including recovery time you have.

I have no problem doing cardio early morning and weight training or grip training in the late afternoon. Tri-athletes have a grueling daily schedule yet they do it.

[Bob Lipinski]

No problem!

I understand your point though, and what you are trying to get at. If you figure it out, let me know!

I am a relative novice to grip training, and I am still trying to figure out what mixes well with what. About the only sure thing I have found is that any sort of hard barbell upper body training at the very least tends to maintain grip strength. Also, it seems thatr thick bar work tends to transfer better to grippers than pinching.

But like I said, I am a relative novice and a dabbler compared to many here, though I am still pretty active in my quest for gripstrength training knowledge.

If you want me to go into the ins and outs of the transfer of benchpressing to and from various exerices however, I might be able to write a small book

[smp76]

Bob,

Thanks for the reply. It makes a lot of sense that certain lifts will work with each other and as far as training goes well I guess we will all see failing progression in some areas when we focus on other lifts. I really wanted to know what people have experienced when doing Strongman work and regular lifts, i.e. Stone lifting with hammer curls, dumbbell curls, pull ups, bent over rows, ect... Do people want train everything at once or have people found that it creates an overtraining environment?

-SMP