Power to the People! + Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Drills
The Perfect One-Two Combination for Any Fighter
Steve Baccari, RKC
The most common form of strength training, used for a boxer, is circuit training. Circuit training enables a coach to train a large number of fighters at the same time, with the following goals in mind:
To improve strength endurance;
To increase work capacity;
To target various physical qualities.
The circuit-training format is the system of choice for the USA Olympic Training Center. Jeff Martone?s H2H video, in my opinion, takes circuit training to a whole new level. First, it simplifies the equipment down to one kettlebell. Second, by seamlessly blending one exercise to another Jeff has removed the brief rest an athlete gets when he moves from one piece of apparatus to another. This usually accounts for 10-15 seconds. Without this brief rest interval the intensity of the circuit goes through the roof! Third, by varying the complexity of the exercises, you can insert an active rest period. This would eliminate the typical 30-60 second rest intervals given between trips further increasing the intensity of the overall training session. I have already started formulating specific flow drills to use with my boxers. I honestly believe this type of training would benefit any kind of fighter.
Having said all that about circuit training/H2H, before you can endure strength first you must develop strength. Pavel?s Power to the People! program is the very best base strength program we have ever used at the South Shore Police Athletic League School of Boxing. I am currently using PTP with three professional fighters. Shaun Creegan, Jimmy Leblanc, and Chris Tillman. Their sizes range from 5? 8? 165 Lbs. to 6? 0? 140Lbs. to 5? 10? 190 Lbs. All three of these fighters have a completely different style of fighting. Amazingly, this single short simple program has benefited all three fighters immensely. In fact, it would be hard to tell which fighter has gotten the most out of it. They are all using the ?strength and tone only? program in a step cycle three times a week exactly as it is in the PTP book. Another bonus of this Power to the People! program is that all three training sessions only total 45 minutes for an entire week. Adding in three sessions of H2H drills for another total of 45 minutes brings us to an hour and 30 minutes per week. This is crucial because a fighter has so much sport specific work that has to be done before he can even consider additional strength and conditioning programs.
I’ve got a herniated disc that barely bothers me anymore and I’ve got a coach that happens to be more worried about it than me. Anyways, one day at the gym, he asks a “CSCS certified” trainer what I should do. This “CSCS certified trainer” says that I should do front squats while holding the weight away from my body. Essentially, don’t rest the bar on my front delts at all. Suspend it in air with my hands.
My question is: can you think of any situation where the benefits of front squatting like this would outweight the drawbacks? Thanks buddy.
Did he mean Zercher Squats? Now, I can see Zercher Squats being of value…holding the weight in the elbow joint (look it up…I’m serious) really makes your abs contract and counterbalance (best as I can explain it…you’ll know what I mean when you do it) the back muscles. Maybe that…but front squats with the bar in the air? That seems like an arm exercise gone madly wrong.
Most people don’t know this, but I massively screwed up my back in 1984…picking up a typewriter for a secretary…leaned over the counter for her and SNAP…a year and a half of issues. I treated it like they used to train Samurai…I spent a year doing triathalons (back when I could spell), then, added crosscountry skiing (skating style), then, chins, dips and Front Squats. Once I started lifting seriously again…on the Front Squats…my back was normal again (within reason…discus throwers always have one breath away from a snapped back) and I started going serious again. (I also went to Egypt and Israel in the middle of all this, too, and learned a few languages and some other stuff, too)
you said “treated it like they used to train Samurai…I spent a year doing triathalons (back when I could spell), then, added crosscountry skiing (skating style), then, chins, dips”
That’s really funny because I was just trying to research how ancient samurais/ninjas trained.How did Samurai used to train? Are you saying mostly endurance stuff?
Wow thanks for the info! That was more than I expected. Currently doing some of Chad Waterbury’s programs but I will make sure to get in that deadlift.
So for the deadlift should I just warm up and do 2 sets of 2 every day no matter what?
I have been doing Saxon Side Bends with a variety of objects-dumbells, bumper plate, young children,etc and my question is how far to lean-is this one of those things that will be unique to the invidual, or should the greatest possible ROM be strived for.
I’m thinking of doing the “Rapid Ascent” program mentioned on your website later in the year when I will be doing a fat loss program and this seemed like a good program to use.
I have two questions about the program:
In the article you wrote it was said that each person in the group completed a set and then the next guy took over and so on, rotating throught the group. You made the comment that it felt like no sooner had you finished your set then you had to go again for the next one. When doing the program individually, how long should one rest between sets to create the same training effect?
In regards to choosing the weight to use, where would I start, at an 8RM? I am curious about this because the first set is 8 reps, and would have thought that following up with 6 and 4 reps would not be that difficult, so I would then bump up the weight next workout, but this would mean that I would not get 8 reps the next time around, but I might get the 6 and 4. Is this the way it is meant to work?
Just read the basic stuff…years of physical labor, years of disclipline…a moment of insight.
[quote]BPC wrote:
Dan,
you said “treated it like they used to train Samurai…I spent a year doing triathalons (back when I could spell), then, added crosscountry skiing (skating style), then, chins, dips”
That’s really funny because I was just trying to research how ancient samurais/ninjas trained.How did Samurai used to train? Are you saying mostly endurance stuff?
Warm up? Hmmm. Why don’t you buy Pavel’s book “Power to the People” or look at some of the writings discussing this idea.
[quote]Soco wrote:
Dan John,
Wow thanks for the info! That was more than I expected. Currently doing some of Chad Waterbury’s programs but I will make sure to get in that deadlift.
So for the deadlift should I just warm up and do 2 sets of 2 every day no matter what?
I think there is a logical “stop” point for me…it’s like “right there.” I wouldn’t go too crazy trying to push ROM on this one. I usually recommend Suitcase carries now, for most people.
[quote]Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I have been doing Saxon Side Bends with a variety of objects-dumbells, bumper plate, young children,etc and my question is how far to lean-is this one of those things that will be unique to the invidual, or should the greatest possible ROM be strived for.
I’m thinking of doing the “Rapid Ascent” program mentioned on your website later in the year when I will be doing a fat loss program and this seemed like a good program to use.
I have two questions about the program:
In the article you wrote it was said that each person in the group completed a set and then the next guy took over and so on, rotating throught the group. You made the comment that it felt like no sooner had you finished your set then you had to go again for the next one. When doing the program individually, how long should one rest between sets to create the same training effect?[/quote]
DJ: a minute or so, 90 seconds?
DJ: simply focus on getting the 18. This is a beginner’s program, so the weights are fairly easy. This isn’t designed to be an advanced thing…although it is a very good little workout. Focus on getting 8-6-4…if you can’t, it is too heavy.
Being a “beginners” program do you think it would still be good to try for a fat loss program? I am a relative newbie to Oly lifts but have weight trained for years, so I’m not exactly a beginner! Are there any other programs you would recommend for fat loss for someone of my “training age”
I don’t have a question, just wanted to thank you for your pointers on my cleans. I’ve upped my weight by almost 20 pounds since I talked to you. Thanks again for your input!