Name: Ori Biala
Status: Undergraduate student
What motivates you to workout?
What motivates me to workout is that I know I can make huge changes and achieve practically anything I want, whether I’m aiming for hypertrophy, decreasing body fat, power, etc. Of course it also includes the benefits of reducing stress and living a healthier lifestyle. It feels great to set a goal and accomplish it and then after create a new and more challenging goal.
3 tips on working out that you think will help others?
1) Form and muscle balance is extremely important. You can change up the tempo of the exercises you do like 3-0-1, etc, but it is imperative that you maintain good form. You must always control the eccentric. Always strive to maintain perfect form while lifting otherwise you are inviting injuries/other problems. I see people bouncing their bar off their chest when benching and letting their knees go out way past their toes when squatting. If you don’t do the exercises correctly you won’t get the same benefit from them and they can actually be detrimental. It is important to have good muscle balance between the antagonist pairs. You do not want to have crazy strength differences between your abs/lower back, triceps and biceps, quads/hams, etc. Many people are imbalanced and so have bad posture and/or are plateauing on their lifts. Once again this can lead to injuries and other problems. People will find that if they take a couple weeks and work on muscle balance and on their weaknesses they will set new personal records in many of their lifts even without doing the actual lift. I did this for a few weeks and even though I had not benched once during that time when I came back to my regular workouts my bench had gone up 10 lbs after plateuing for months..
2) Progressive Overload. I see people go into the gym and doing the same thing each time. The only way you get stronger and improve is if you challenge your body to go past what it has done before. So unless you are deloading you should really be trying to set new personal records and push yourself further then you have gone before.
3) Try to keep workouts short and you don’t have to work out each day. People think that they have to work out every day to get stronger or like six times a week, and they just end up overtraining. Also, people can stay in the gym for hours. If it takes you that long to get a good workout that means you are doing something wrong. It’s important to get in the gym, work out, and get out. The results come after you work out when you let your body recover, repair, and grow.
What are you involved with here at Rutgers?
I work for Rutgers intramurals as a referee. I try to stay involved and am going to check out the weightlifting club tomorrow actually, as I just heard about it.
What are your biggest pet peeves at the gym?
I don’t really have many pet peeves. The way I think is that everyone is there to try and improve themselves in one way or another so you have to respect that. Some people do things differently or just don’t have the knowledge to know what to do exactly to reach their goals or they do not know proper form. I guess one thing would be bad form on important exercises, especially squats and deadlifts, where I’ll see people letting their knees go way past their toes, bending from their knees first instead of from their hips, letting their backs round, etc. It’s not that it really bothers me it’s more that they are doing the exercise wrong and are not going to benefit from it. Doing squats and deadlifts wrong can lead to serious injuries, with the knees and lower back especially. So people should really look up online or ask someone about proper form for the exercises and make sure to practice it with only their bodyweight or with the bar only before they start adding any weight.
Workout name: Ori B’s Power Workout
Workout goal: Increase power output/strength for sports, which will help with explosiveness, vertical jump, and speed
Center workout is done at: Livingston Gym
Exercise Routine Description:
These workouts are geared more toward increasing athleticism and sports performance. This is for the person that wants to get stronger, faster, jump higher, etc. It is a more serious program and is not necessarily for beginner lifters. The person should be able to execute these lifts with very good technique. If the lifter does not have much experience and is not as proficient in the power clean and power snatch they can take out those two lifts. They should still work on the power clean and power snatch and when they are ready they should start incorporating them into the program. They will probably still see great results without the power clean and power snatch as the squat and deadlight themselves will usually help people bring their strength to new levels. Everything I put into the program is there for a reason so the trainee should really not be taking out other exercises if they are not proficient in them, instead they should practice working on the form until they are comfortable and then start the program. The reason I stated for the power cleans and power snatches that it was ok is because those are two more advanced and technique drive lifts.
I included here the aspect of lifting in the weight room. It does not include the plyos/sprinting that I would also incorporate in the program. The plyos would be done before the lifting because they are more CNS intensive. I did not include a specific dynamic warm-up protocols or stretching guidelines. There are multiple options for the warm-ups and stretching. You can do some jump rope and/or some light cardio like the bicycle for about 10 minutes to warm-up, at just a light to moderate intensity to break a little sweat and get the body and muscles ready for the workout. Leg kicks, lunges, squats, vertical jumps, skipping, jumping jacks are also very good. It’s even more effective when warming up to imitate movements that you will be doing in the workouts. So for the leg days for instance when you will be squatting do some bodyweight squats, some vertical jumps, etc. I also recommend taking 10-15 minutes and instead of your regular warm-up play a light game of whatever sport you enjoy that way you will be practicing the movements as well as feeling and seeing your gains in action.
The stretching is so, so important and cannot be stressed enough. If you do not properly stretch or are not flexible enough you will not be able to perform the lifts correctly. The power clean and power snatch are amazing full body movements that are an unbelievable way to develop power. They will also help with flexibility and ensure that you are using that strength/speed combo otherwise you will not be able to complete the lifts. Stretching should be done after each workout to help maintain flexibility, decrease lactic acid, and act as a cool down for the body. It is very important to stretch the entire body from the feet to the head. Make sure to stretch those wrists, lower back, feet, calves, achilles tendon, triceps, biceps, chest, back, glutes etc. Many people have extremely tight hip flexors from sitting around all day, so make sure to stretch those out well. Be serious about stretching as it will improve your results and decrease your chance of injury.
For the lifting, it is essential to control the weight on the eccentric portion and then explode up as fast as possible on the concentric. Since we are training for power for sports this will help greatly because the fast twitch muscle fibers will be getting trained. We also want to lift with full ROM or full range of motion as we want to maintain the functionality of the movements and be able to apply them when we are playing sports or even in our daily lives.
Of course the trainee can switch the workout to whatever days they choose, as long as they maintain the pattern. So a Wed/Thursday/Sunday/Monday split is fine and so would a Friday/Saturday/Tuesday/Wednesday split. The Sunday/Monday workouts in my workout are more of a Max Effort/strength Days. Workout Days 3 and 4 are more dynamic effort/explosive days. I included 2 days of rest after the two strength days rather than after the two dynamic effort days because the trainee will need more recovery after lifting heavier weights during the strength days.
The trainee should warm up before they start their working sets by taking a light weight doing a few reps and then increasing the weight and doing a few reps. Each week they should recheck their maxes in the warm-ups by warming up to their max then starting the working sets and using the percentages accordingly. If warming up to a max of 200 let’s say in the squat the trainee would do 45x6, 95x4, 135x2, 185x1, 200x1. You do not want to tire yourself out in the warm-up just get the mind and body ready for what it’s about to do.
The workouts are in the 50-75% max range because that is the best range to target strength/explosiveness simultaneously. The jump squats are below 50 percent because it is more of a plyometric exercise and you have to try and deck. ground contact time as much as possible. As the weeks go on your maxes should be going up, and you will find that you can also decrease your rest time slightly as your CNS is starting to adapt.
In terms of rest time you should be resting around 90 to 180 seconds. You want to feel ready and relatively energetic for the next set so you can be explosive when doing the exercises. If you are not lifting explosively you will not see the gains that you are looking for.
As you can see I included unilateral exercises in the program as well as they are very important for any athlete. It will help them with balance, coordination, stability, unilateral strength/explosiveness, and it will also help improve their two legged exercises.
As I said before everything in the workouts are there for reason. If you can’t explain why you included something in your workout then it probably should not be there. For the specific core work I put it on the upper body days only because the core will already be getting plenty of work in the lower body days when squatting, deadlifting, etc and I did not want to tire the abs out for the upper body days as the core needs to be engaged when doing the bent over rows, push press, etc. The stomach vacuum is for the transverse abdominus which people rarely work. There is only one set of five reps for the TA, but I am confident that you will see gains in this area as it is usually neglected. We are trying to strengthen the abs not destroy them, and they need rest just like any other muscle!
When running and jumping the core usually acts as a stabilizer in order to keep the body posture needed to perform the movement as well as transfer energy from the lower to upper body. For this reason when doing the core work the trainee should do it very slowly and really focus on working the core and not swinging their bodies to complete the exercise. That is why the rep ranges included for the core are very low, and the trainee will find doing this along with the core work they will get from the other lifts will strengthen their core greatly.
The toe/heel raises are included as they will help strengthen the calf/shin muscles and will also help maintain muscle balance. Many people either get shin splits or some other injury because they never strengthen their shins and are always doing calf raises so there is a strength imbalance and usually their calves are also tight and inflexible as a result. The reason I included 12 reps for the toe and heel raises is because the calves are predominantly slow twitch muscle fibers by doing more reps you will see better results in terms of muscle gain.
The power snatches and power cleans are more complex. The trainee can look up the exact techniques online if they are unfamiliar and should watch plenty of videos of people doing them on YouTube or anywhere else they can find. A great website which includes how to do the power clean and power snatch is stronglifts.com. Just search for power clean and power snatch technique and on the site they tell you the correct technique as well as common mistakes and they also include videos to show you what you should be doing This will help you see the common mistakes that people make as well as see how to do the exercise properly. The trainee should first practice with a bar for these lifts and I would also recommend working with a trainer to get the technique down if they are having trouble. The best thing would be to go to the Power Gym on College Ave and ask for help there. The trainers there know the lifts and will be able to help you work on the form and fix any technique mistakes.
The final thing is the workout schedule. What I have included here is for one week. If the trainee would like to do this for a 4-12 week period they have a couple options. Keep in mind that the trainee should be seeing new maxes in lifts each week so that will help them advance. If someone wanted to follow this for 4 weeks they would do this and on the fifth week take about a week rest and give you body a break and a chance to recover. If you choose to do the workouts for 8 weeks you should have a deload week on week 5 where you significantly reduce the volume. You can easily do this just by cutting out one set from each exercise as well as dropping each of the percentages you will be using about 20 percent. Make sure to lift explosively during the deload weeks as well. After you finish the 8 weeks you should also take about a week break without lifting to let the body recover. Almost all of these lifts are compound lifts and they are also very CNS intensive as well, so the it will take longer than your used to in order to recover properly.
If someone plans to do this as a 12 week program they should deload on week 4, 8, and 12. I would also recommend taking about a week off to let the body recover after week 12 and when the trainee comes back they will feel more energetic and also be able to see their gains in action.
Other ways to make the workouts harder during the weeks besides by increasing the weight would be to decrease the time slightly in between sets or too increase the time on the eccentric portion of the lifts slightly. However, I would not foresee any of this as a problem as this program is already very intense, challenging, and includes the best compound lifts. The main goal should be adding weight to the lifts. I have great confidence that the trainee will see amazing gains that they never thought possible.
If you do this program for a good 8-12 weeks I highly recommend also spending some time on flexibility, muscle balance, and proper body posture before starting any serious program again.
Have fun and make sure to challenge yourself in each workout. I hope you enjoy your results!!
Sunday (Lower Body):
Dynamic warm-up
Power Snatch 4x5, 75% max
Squat 4x5 ,75% max
Flying Step Ups 3x5, 70% max
Single leg hyperextensions 3x5,75% max
Toe Raises 2x12
Heel Raises 2x12
Static stretching
Notes:
-For the toe and heel raises you can use the machine at the gym. Increase the weight as you feel suit. Remember to challenge yourself, but always lift and execute the exercises with picture perfect form.
-Engage those glutes when squatting
-Chest up, push through the heels, contract the abs, bend from the hips first, and go down to at least parallel when squatting
Monday (Upper Body):
Dynamic Warm-up
Flat DB Press 3x5,75% max
Bent Over Barbell Rows 3x5, 70% max
Dips 3x6, 70% max
Chin up/pull up variations 3x6, 75% max
Shoulder Press 2x5, (75% max)
Russian Twists 2x8
Ab Wheel 2x8
Stomach Vacuum 1x5 (15 sec holds)
Static Stretching
Notes:
-For the ab wheel you can use a medicine ball, and be prepared this will make the exercise even more challenging.
-For the chin up/pull up variations feel free to experiment with different grip and hand positions as you will be targeting more areas of your back.
-For the stomach vacuum you take a deep breath and on the exhale you tighten and suck in your abs like you are trying to get them to touch your spine. Hold that position for the allotted time.
-When doing dips make sure to go down at least until the shoulders are level with your elbows.
-The shoulder press should can be done sitting or standing, make sure to maintain good posture and contract core while doing these, especially if standing.
Thursday (Lower Body):
Dynamic Warm-up
Power Clean 3x5, 55% max
Jump Squats 3x5, 35% max squat
Deadlift 3x5, 55% max
Bulgarian Split Squat 3x5, 55% max
Lunges 3x5, 50% max
Toe Raises 2x12
Heel Raises 2x12
Static stretching
Notes:
-When performing the jump squats try to decrease ground contact time as much as possible. You want to jump, squat back down and jump back up as quickly and as high as you can.
-Make sure to maintain and upright posture when doing the lunges and Bulgarian split squats as well as engage the core.
-When deadlifting push through the heels, keep the chest up, use about a shoulder with stance with toes pointing slightly out.
Friday (Upper Body):
Dynamic warm-up
Push Press 3x5, 55% max
Bent over DB rows 3x5, 60% max
Flat, incline or decline bench press 3x5, 55% max
2 Way Raises 2x6, 50%
Saxon Side Bends 2x6
Reverse Crunches 2x5
Side, back, isometric 2x20 seconds each position
Planks Super set
Stomach Vacuum 1x5, 15 seconds each time
Static Stretching
Notes:
- When doing any pressing movements make sure to maintain good back posture, never bring your glutes off the bench, and do not let the wrists bend back. Also make sure to squeeze your shoulder blades back, keep eyes on a fixed position on ceiling directly above you, and use a wide foot stance.
-For the push press make sure to explosively push up with your legs, engage your core, and use an overhand grip.
-When doing planks maintain body in straight line and never hold your breath.
Last Minute Workout Tips:
-Try to keep workouts under an hour
-Make sure each movement is done controlling the weight on the eccentric and as explosively as possible on the concentric
-On the dips/chin, pull ups do weighted ones to find your max and go from there
-Make sure to warm-up well before your workout and stretch thoroughly after
-On a non workout day when you feel relatively energetic, or as a warm-up for a workout feel free to play a sport that you enjoy so you will be working on the movements as well as seeing your results in action
-Always maintain good posture when lifting
-When squatting keep shoulders pinched back, eyes on a fixed point on the wall, maintain lower back arch, bend at the hips first and go down to parallel, contract core
-when deadlifting, keep good lower back posture, but should be a little higher than parallel, never let back round, contract core, control the weight on the way down, keep eyes on a fixed position looking up a little, but not too much otherwise it will strain your neck
-Proper form is a must on all exercises
-Progressive Overload Try to break old maxes and set new personal records and when you hit the gym, get in work hard, and get out
-Have a post workout shake/and or eat some simple carbs and protein as soon as you can after you workout
-When doing core work, do the movement slowly and focus on really engaging the core
-When doing bulgrian split squats, lunges, flying step ups, keep the torso upright and the core engaged
- Do not let your wrists bend backward or forward when lifting. The wrist should be aligned with the forearm otherwise you might start getting some uncomfortable wrist pain
-Never hold your breath when doing abdominal exercises
That’s it…. work hard and enjoy the results!!!!
Judges Comments:
Dave DiFabio: There is a lot of sound advice in this program. However, there are a few points that need clarification.
1. To see true "strength" gains, a load of 85% 1RM or more is generally recommended (6 reps or less). When using 85% 1 RM the strength gains are a direct result of the adaptations seen within the Central Nervous System. With 75% 1 RM (10 reps) the main benefit is hypertrophy. Any strength gains seen while using a load of 75% 1 RM is usually a biproduct (side effect) of the increased muscles mass (hypertrophy).
2. For increased "power" a load of 75% to 95% 1RM is generally recommended depending on the exercise and number of sets. Using a load of 50% would certainly allow you to lift the weight more explosively but your strength gains might be compromised due to the use of light weight.
3. The warm-up techniques in this program are not gradual enough even for an experienced lifter. Furthermore, a max attempt should never be part of a warm-up. Moreover, it is not necessary to reassess your max every week. That would be like checking your body weight after every workout (useless info unless you are trying to monitor dehydration). SIGNIFICANT (REAL) strength gains take at least 4 weeks for beginners and 6 to 8 weeks for experienced lifters. Beginners can see relatively larger (more significant) strength gains in less time than experienced lifters. This is because beginners have much more room for improvement. The program illustrated above is definitely not for beginners, so again there is no need to recheck your max every week. I can understand how tracking your results can lead to extra motivation. At the same time it is not realistic to see steady, significant gains every week. That is an unfair expectation. Unfair expectations can then lead to unnecessary disappointment and discouragement.
4. Finally, I like the use of the "unloading week". The advice to reduce the weight being used is good advice. Just make sure you avoid this trap... Most people will lighten the load and then increase the reps because the weight feels lighter than usual. If you reduce one variable (load) just to increase the other (reps), then you're not really doing LESS WORK. The whole point of an unloading week is to do less work in order to give the body a break. So reduce the load (one variable) and keep the other variable steady (the reps).
Overall I give this program a 4/5.
Samantha Coren Plum: I like the focus on proper form and technique in this workout, as well as the emphasis on the importance of flexibility work. I would suggest some more functional exercises, especially because this program is geared towards improving sports performance. There is also room for incorporating more balance work (perhaps with a BOSU and/or stability ball). Medicine ball and cable exercises can also be great additions to athletic workouts. Another important aspect of sports performance is endurance. Long rests between sets may promote strength and muscle growth but may not translate into better performance. Score: 4/5.
Anne Finetto: I like the creativity in this workout and the uniqueness of the workout in general. I feel plyometrics and explosive exercises are a great addition to workouts, particularly for athletes. I do agree with Dave that I don't think having a 1 RM during the warmup is a safe technique and that measuring this 1 RM each week is not necessary or recommended. I would also like to see a cardiovascular component added to this workout. If this workout is geared towards athletes they will more than likely need to include some type of cardiovascular training into their workouts. Overall a good workout. Score 4
