T Nation

The Best Way to Reach My Goals?

Beginners
#1

I am looking to get some feedback on the best way to reach my fitness goals:

  • Bench 315, squat 405 and deadlift 495
  • Snatch 225 and clean and jerk 315
  • 100 pushups in a straight set
  • 30 pullups in a straight set
  • Dunk a basketball
  • Run a mile in under 6 mins
  • Complete a marathon and Olympic distance traithlon
  • Do the splits
  • Do a standing backflip
  • Maintain sub 10% bodyfat after these things are accomplished

Currently I am at 6�??1�?? and 165lbs, 14% bodyfat (I know!), 25 years old, after a solid month of being extremely sick following a trip to Honduras. Be careful what you eat. This has given me the chance to re-evaluate my goals.

My question is, what is the best way to reach them? And, do you think the goals are mutually exclusive (is it possible to build or maintain a 495lbs deadlift and finish a marathon if I work hard)?

Would it be better to devote myself first to reaching all of my strength goals with a traditional powerlifting program, then move on to power by tackling the olympic lifts, then develop my conditioning? Or, would it be possible to tackle of these goals simultaneously by following a more general fitness program like Crossfit?

I�??m really itching to get back in the gym after I finally get over this illness, and am looking forward to your suggestions. I want to start with a solid plan this time.

#2

from what you listed i’m guessing one requirement will be an absurd amount of calories

#3

And a lot of training.

Get stronger.

Build more muscle.

Don’t neglect your cardio.

Rachel Cosgrove recently competed in a triathlon and then competed in a push/pull meet where she deadlifted more than twice her bodyweight.

If she can do it, so can you. But it may take you many years before you get to that point.

Keep training and eating.

#4

Nate, thanks for the reply. I’m mostly trying to figure out if I should be trying to put on muscle first, then working on my conditioning, or if it would be better to work towards all of the goals simultaneously.

Maybe I should change ‘better’ to ‘possible’. Is it possible to reach those strength goals while keeping my conditioning training going, or do I need to focus on building muscle first?

#5

become an navy seal

#6

I remember reading an article on here about Olympic athletes who tried to do everything then failed miserably… take two goals for example and run with em…

The splits?? wtf lol

#7

This will be achieved first (well the backflip is a good contender). Dynamic stretches at the beginning of your weight sessions, foam rolling, static and PNF stretching at the end of your workout. It’ll come, give it anywhere from a month to 4 to happen though. Going agressive with stretching has the opposite effect of worsening your flexibility.

[quote]- Dunk a basketball [/quote] this will happen when you do this [quote]- Bench 315, squat 405 and deadlift 495 [/quote] and this [quote]- Snatch 225 and clean and jerk 315[/quote] This will also make the backflip a lot easier.

Use starting strength with your strength goals then move to 5x5 then WS4SB.

[quote]- Run a mile in under 6 mins

  • Complete a marathon and Olympic distance traithlon[/quote]

Long distance specific running training will leave you more prone to injuries than anything else and will conflict with your strength goals somewhat by lowering your peak force output. I would rather go for a qualifying sprint time, because you can turn a sprinter into a marthoner but you can’t do the reverse.

Do weighted pullups just like your other heavy lifts. Remove the weight one day and marvel at your newfound “endurance”.

Well you could let benching handle this or you could speed it up by doing lots of ladders. 1 pushup, rest 1 sec, 2 pushups, rest 2 secs, 3… till you fail… then start back at 1 and work up until you fail again, and keep doing that until you fail on 1 rep. It’s easy to track progress with this method.

Sprint training will help with this.

To sum it all up. I think it’s possible. Focusing on it all at the same time probably wouldn’t work out too well though. I would pick doing the splits and your strength work (get somebody to teach you a backflip on the side (it’s mostly fear that you have to overcome)). Don’t neglect whatever type of energy systems work you ultimately decide on, but don’t push it. Also don’t try and focus on multiple goals in the same day. It will mess you up.

#8

Maybe someone besides John Grimek (an old-timey genetic Superman) has run marathons or marathon distances while DL’ing such weights, but for most people the goals are probably incompatible.

Even Grimek didn’t try doing it at competitive speeds, just running for fun. But I think one has to be a genetic marvel to be at such strength levels or anything like it and also have no problem running such distances.

Maybe in terms of running, setting sprinting goals would be more realistic? (As Gumpshmee also pointed out.) It would certainly be more compatible.

I vaguely recall once while at UF seeing some scan showing muscle damage after a marathon. It was horrific.

Take a look at the legs of the finishers of a marathon sometime and see if that affects your desire to do this.

#9

in my opinion, all possible, except the marathon. maybe do a triathalon? what is your goal for the marathon time? maybe say run a 30 minute ten miler? marathons just tear you up, and i cant see getting all your strength workouts in while simultaneously training to run a marathon and being able to go for long without chronic overtraining.

#10

Guys, thanks for the feedback.

I don’t really have a specific time goal in mind for the marathon or triathlon. These activities are really just included in there to suggest that I want to be capable of performing well at aerobic activities while maintaining my strength levels. In retrospect, the marathon is probably too extreme, and I’ll drop it.

What I really mean, is that I want to be able to head out on any given Saturday and enjoy hiking a 14er in Colorado, or kayaking for a few hours, or going on a long slow run with my friends. I’m just not sure if I need to sacrifice these kinds of activities for a while to reach my strength goals, or if I can maintain a good aerobic base and develop strength and power at the same time.

The splits are cool, man. I watched too many Jean Claude Vandamme movies as a kid.

#11

The vast majority of “truisms” (common sayings or teachings) have some degree of truth to them, which is why they’ve become popular. The trick is recognizing the limitations.

It’s a common argument that aerobic exercise will impede gains.

The limiting aspects to how true this is is, primarily, how much are we talking about? And secondarily how much is the eating, how good is the nutritional support, and how good and how much is the sleeping?

The fact is that having attained the ability to do the amounts of aerobic work at the rates you’re talking about, it doesn’t take any great amount of it per week to maintain it. If the above factors are good, then this does not have to impede mass and strength gains.

However, if someone is just determined to flog themselves aerobically for a great number of hours per week, then no matter what this will impair or severely impair mass and strength gains. It will also be almost completely pointless with regard to improving ability to do what you want to do.

#12

Running a marathon slowly would be within range. Its not like you have to be Kenyan to run one in 5 hours. Hell Oprah did it. My 50 yr old mother can run Boston in 3:40 and clean and press 100 lbs.

I would start with a back flip anyone in average shape can learn them in a few afternoons with the help of someone who know what they’re doing.

#13

[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
It’s a common argument that aerobic exercise will impede gains.

The limiting aspects to how true this is is, primarily, how much are we talking about? And secondarily how much is the eating, how good is the nutritional support, and how good and how much is the sleeping?

The fact is that having attained the ability to do the amounts of aerobic work at the rates you’re talking about, it doesn’t take any great amount of it per week to maintain it. If the above factors are good, then this does not have to impede mass and strength gains.

However, if someone is just determined to flog themselves aerobically for a great number of hours per week, then no matter what this will impair or severely impair mass and strength gains. It will also be almost completely pointless with regard to improving ability to do what you want to do.[/quote]

Bill,

I know that most high-level bodybuilders do a significant amount of ‘cardio’ to get in great condition for their contests.

It seems like if you are doing an hour a day of even low-intensity aerobic exercise, like I have seen many posters on this site claim to do, you’d probably be in good enough shape to be able to participate in the kinds of activities I’m interested in (hiking, triathlons, jogging, kayaking, etc.).

Your post seems to imply that you feel like it would behoove me to get build up a decent level of aerobic fitness, e.g. 30 mins at a time at low intensity, and then maintain that as I seek to improve strength levels.

Other authors on this site, Chad Waterbury, for example, have suggested that skinny trainees like myself cease all aerobic exercise while they build a good base of strength.

Which do you think would be the better path to achieving my goals? Get big and strong, then work on aerobic fitness, or develop a base of aerobic fitness, then get big and strong while maintaining it?

I really do mean ‘complete a marathon’ and not ‘complete a marathon in under 3 hrs’ or some crazy shit like that. I don’t want to be a high functioning endurance athlete. I just want to know that if I want to climb Long’s Peak on Saturday, I can do it without feeling like I am going to die the entire time.

#14
  • Bench 315, squat 405 and deadlift 495
  • Snatch 225 and clean and jerk 315
  • Dunking a basketball.

Are also personal goals of mine. If you want them bad enough you should get them. Your not asking the impossible.

#15

i can do the bench, squat, deadlift thing and let me tell you what i dont come close to dunking dont care to but none the less them three things wont get you to dunking just bc you achieved them numbers

#16

[quote]hazarddude334 wrote:
i can do the bench, squat, deadlift thing and let me tell you what i dont come close to dunking dont care to but none the less them three things wont get you to dunking just bc you achieved them numbers[/quote]

I know. That’s why they are separate goals.

#17

[quote]Gumpshmee wrote:

  • Dunk a basketball this will happen when you do this - Bench 315, squat 405 and deadlift 495 and this - Snatch 225 and clean and jerk 315 This will also make the backflip a lot easier.

[quote]

He was referring to this post. Look up Dr. Squat’s posts. He has an insane vertical and would be able to help you.