INTRO
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| Yup: time to buy another book |
As I’m
approaching my second full year of running Tactical Barbell programming without
interruption and, while more and more material is being released about the
system, I am playing around more and more and finding ways to make the system
fit my goals and needs. The original
Operator in TB1 has proven itself plenty effective for strongman competition
prep in the past, but I had to take certain liberties with it to make it
“work”, while a recent experiment with Operator Pro out of the Green Protocol
is proving to obviate that need. I’m
currently 5 weeks deep into a 12 week approach (13 if we count the bridge week)
and wanted to share what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and what I plan to do in
the future, to show how to make this protocol fit strongman.
THE DEMANDS
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| No big deal: just be good at everything |
I am
currently training for a strongman competition that is fairly unique, which is
what compelled me to compete in the first place. It’s unsanctioned, so no real pressure to
perform, but it’s combining elements of strongman, highland games and Viking
stonelifting but featuring a log clean and press for max weight, elevated axle
deadlift for reps, harnessed tractor pull, caber toss, and “Dritvik Viking
Stones to platform”.
THE PROGRAM (OVERVIEW)
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| Yeah actually I guess... |
To meet
these demands, I selected “Operator Pro” from Tactical Barbell Green
Protocol. It features 3 days per week of
lifting weights, with the remaining training days available for conditioning
(or, in my case, events). One selects a
cluster of lifts, and trains each lift in that cluster each training day. What is particularly unique about Operator
Pro is that ONE lift of the cluster is trained for a 2-3 rep maximum for that
training day, while the other lifts are trained at lower percentages for
reps. So, if one had a cluster of Squat,
bench and deadlift, Squat would be trained for a 2-3rm while bench and dead
would be for 3-5 sets of reps on Monday, then wed would be Bench 2-3rm with squat
and deadlift for reps, etc.
What is of
particular note here is the rep work though.
The percentages are low, ranging from 65%-75% and originally prescribed
for 5x5. HOWEVER, there was an option
included “for hypertrophy”, which used a system of sets of 10 on week 1, 8s on
week 2, and 6s on week 3. Seeing that
gave me a real lightbulb moment, which I will explain later.
HOW I LAID IT OUT
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| It's simple really |
The two
primary lifts of the cluster are the safety squat bar squat and the log clean
and press away. On the rep days, it’s a
strict press, on the 2-3rm day, it’s a push press. The other lifts in the cluster are the Stone
of Steel loaded to a platform on lifting days 1 and 3 and the Texas Deadlift
Bar ROM progression mat pull on day 2. I
also have axle curls programmed for my deadlift day.
On Day 1,
the front squat is my 2-3rm lift, while log and stones are trained for 5
sets. On day 2, the deadlift is my
primary lift (following ROM progression protocol, which is different from what
TB lays out), while squats and log are trained for 3 sets. On day 3, the log is my 2-3rm lift, while
squats and stones are trained for 5 sets (squats for higher reps than stones).
Which,
speaking of reps, THIS is where Operator Pro shines: for the first 6 weeks of
the training cycle, I used the hypertrophy reps for the secondary exercises (so
sets of 10 for week 1, 8s for week 2, 6s for week 3). My intent for the final 6 weeks is to go to
the standard Op Pro approach and just do sets of 5. The exceptions to this approach are for the
deadlift (trained using ROM progression protocol) and the stones, which I do
for the hypertrophy sets on workout 1 while doing for 5x5 on workout 3. I find trying to do high reps of stones twice
a week tears up my SI joint. In turn,
for workout 3, I use the weights that I will use for the next week’s
hypertrophy workout, in order to get my body accustomed to it ahead of time.
Between
lifting days 1 and 2, I do Fobbits on a rower, performing a martial arts kata
(technically a hyung) between rounds, and between lifting days 2 and 3 I do
prowler sprints (4-5 sets, long rests).
On the weekends, I walk.
Daily, I
perform 4 sets of chins and dips, increasing the rep total by 1 per week (not 1
per set: 1 rep total). I also train
martial arts 3x per week, typically on Tues, Weds and Thurs, but this is
traditional martial arts rather than combat sports, so not incredibly intense.
WHY I LAID IT OUT THE WAY I DID
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| Most likely |
The most
significant “strongman prep” element of this is the phasic structure of the
programming. I get to spend the first 6
weeks of the program using lighter weights for the rep work and rebuilding
technique and the specific muscles necessary to get better at events. At the same time, I still get a weekly
opportunity to regularly practice moving heavy weights as well. Every 3 weeks,
I can adjust the training maxes to make them heavier, which means that, as I
move into the final 6 weeks of the program, my weights will have increased but
I’ll then be using lower reps, focusing on grooving perfect technique without
experiencing significant fatigue.
Which, on
the topic of fatigue: it’s why I use the SSB front squat. It’s not because front squats are more
“strongman transferable”: it’s because they don’t fatigue the lower back as
much as a back loaded squat will. Given
I’m doing log pressing and stone loading/deadlifts whenever I lift, my lower
back is already getting plenty hammered.
The front squat allows me to still train A squat without compounding
fatigue, and I use the SSB because my ability to maintain a rack position is
pretty poor.
The
stone/deadlift pairing is pretty simple to explain away. Stone loading and deadlifting recruit a LOT
of the same muscles, to the point that I was at a Kaz seminar where he
postulated that modern strongman use wider stance deadlifts for conventional
because they spend so much time loading stones, so they’re stronger with their
feet further apart. In turn, even for
NON-strongman competitors, I think there’s a LOT of value in employing some
sort of implement load in place of a deadlift in programming. There is no eccentric whatsoever to deal with,
so it won’t beat up the trainee quite as much, which I feel is what allows me
to train 3x a week compared to deadlifting, which I would keep at just 1x a
week as well. Difficulties exist in adjusting
the loads if you don’t have a loadable implement, but the Stone of Steel and
Power Keg CAN bypass that. One could
also do an old fashioned stone trainer by using a loading pin and some bumper
plates to achieve a similar effect.
On THAT
topic: the deadlift is the reason I use 3 sets of the secondary work on the
second lifting day. The deadlift just
takes SO MUCH out of me that trying to stack more work on top aside from the
bare minimum is a poor strategy. But
this has a pretty neat downstream effect.
My weekly structure shakes out that, for the press, I start the week
with 5 sets, then cut down to 3, then finish with a 2-3rm single set: like a
mini-taper. For the front squats, I end
up setting a 2-3rm, then progress to 3 sets, then up to 5: like a small
accumulation block. The stones end up
being for 5 sets on high reps on the day where I’m only front squatting for a
single set, which is allowing me to make up some volume on the back end,
whereas the day I’m doing the highest volume of front squats, the stone volume
is kept moderate by keeping the reps at 5.
Each training day is unique and gives me something to look forward to,
and it all builds upon itself.
I’m strict
pressing the log on the rep work, because it’s helping me build up the muscle I
need to be strong and stable in the log, whereas I’m push pressing the heavy
work so that I re-learn the skill of moving heavy weight with the implement.
I use the
ROM progression deadlift because it works.
I’ve tried messing with success and it goes poorly. I also train the deadlift LAST on the
deadlift focused day, rather than first, because once I’m done with that lift
I’m pretty much exhausted. The only
thing left in me is curls and small assistance work.
I’m doing
nothing to train for the caber toss.
I’ve never done one before, and it’s just a bucketlist item for me. I’m going to show up to the competition and
have fun.
The prowler
sprints are there to improve my ability on the tractor pull. I SHOULD be doing these with a harness and a
rope, but since I train so stupidly early in the dark, I don’t want to deal
with trying to hitch up to my truck. I’m
noticing significant improvement in my conditioning and ability just doing high
handle prowler sprints on a LONG track with 5 minutes of rest between sets.
The Fobbits
on the rower are effectively recovery work, but also continue to contribute to
my conditioning and cardiovascular capabilities. I’m sticking with the martial arts because I
have a tournament coming up in July, am getting close to black belt testing,
and we run a summerlong “hyung competition” that I am part of, so it all works
out.
Even though
I used programmed percentages for axle curls, I consider them assistance work
rather than primary or secondary. I just
use the percentages for force me to actually train hard on them, as otherwise
I’ll blow them off. Those get trained
once a week, after deadlifts, for 3 sets.
I otherwise prioritize ab work for assistance, followed by rear delts,
and then lateral delts. If I STILL have
more time after training all that, I’m just going to go for a walk. Most days, the only assistance I do after the
heavy lifting is 2-3 sets of ab work.
THE NUTRITION
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| Yes, this actually WAS one of my meals... |
I’m still
going strong with “Red Meat and Black Coffee”.
The most significant change is, I’m prioritizing getting leaner, as its
summer, activity is higher and my fall gaining block will be here soon enough. To accomplish this goal, rather than eating
less at meals, I’m eating fewer meals, having increased my One-Meal-A-Day days
from 2 to 3-4 per week. As of week 5,
I’m not experiencing any negatives with this approach as far as energy levels
and performance go, and observing downward trends on the scale and reduced
waist circumference as measured by how my clothes and weight belt fit. Once again: this “works” because the one meal
I eat is very high in protein. A small,
mixed diet meal may not prove as successful.
IN SUMMARY
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| High praise indeed |
Operator Pro
removed the need for me to modify Operator to “make it work” for strongman and,
instead, provides all the tools necessary to make (what appears to be) an
effective strongman training protocol.
I’m observing increases in my front squat, press, deadlift and stone
training even while bodyweight is slowly dropping and conditioning is improving
(log went from 3x200 to 3x210 and 2x215, front squat from 2x315 to 2x320,
deadlift ROM progression proceeding as normal and went from one set of 10 and
then 4 sets of 5 with 135 on the stones to a full 5x10x135, while also reducing
my prowler times from 54 seconds to 38 seconds). Transitioning from hypertrophy reps to
strength reps builds in a phasic structure of training, while the
“primary/secondary” structure paired with waving the sets per workout creates it’s
own “Daily Undulating Periodization” structure within the workout itself. And the intensity and volume is balanced
enough to provide me all the training opportunities I need to continue to
progress toward my goals without overextending.