Step By Step Major Exercise Progression
May 19, 2010 by Admin: Joe Hashey, CSCS
Filed under Strength Training
How did you learn how to ride a bike?
My older brother and I got the old school treatment when learning to ride our Huffy’s, although fortunately I got it a little bit easier than him.
We were both taken to a hill, put on the bike and a swift push and down we went.
Visual approximation (we weren’t allowed helmets…that might explain a lot).
Sink or swim time!
Fortunately my hill was grass. I didn’t mind, by the end of the day, and a few scrapes and bruises later, I was ready to put that baseball card in the spokes and ride the Huffy motorcycle style!
While that story turned out fine, I see a lot of people trying the same thing in the gym.
“Oh, you can barely walk without falling over…let’s squat!”
“Can’t do a push up???? Let’s bench instead!”
However, I do realize that not everyone knows how to progress up to the major lifts, so hopefully this post will help clear things up quite a bit! I will start from the VERY BASIC followed by how many reps need to be completed before moving on.
Disclaimer: Some people prefer doing these in a different order, but the following list has been very successful for us during the GPP Program.
Bench Press Progression
1. Kneeling push ups x 20
2. Regular push ups x 15 QUALITY
3. Resisted push ups x 15
4. Dumbbell bench x over 30′s x 8
5. Straight bar bench press.
Squat Progression
1. Body weight box squat x 15 deep
2. Body weight squat x 15 deep
3. Wall squat x 15 deep
4. Bar Squat x 15 deep
5. Back Squat.
Deadlift Progression
1. Light DB Romanian Deadlifts. 30 lbs x 12
2. 135 lb Rack Pulls x 12
3. One Arm DB Sumo Deadlifts. 50 lbs x 8 each arm
4. Deadlifts
Pull Up Progression
1. Band or Cable Pull Downs
2. Supine Rows (yes not the exact muscle groups, but prepares their back and hands) x 12
3. Assisted Pull Ups
4. Pull Ups
Can you do it other ways with different exercise variations, sure, but this is what we do, and it has worked wonders.
Adaptation happens so fast in beginners that they can breeze through many of these in a matter of weeks, however learning that motor control is essential to performing the primary lifts safely and effectively.
=>If you want to see how to apply these lifts to your specific sport, check out Bull Strength and the complete sport consideration section!
- Joe Hashey, CSCS -
PS. STRENGTH MANUAL = BULL STRENGTH.
[New Post] Step By Step Major Exercise Progression – via @twitoaster http://synergy-athletics.com/effective-s...
Great post Joe, this is great for coaching complete novices…
Thanks Dan – I know there are a lot of advanced lifters here, but its always good to reflect on where we came from and how to help others along that path
I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Joe
Joe,
You present an amazingly simple way of beginning progressions that a lot of athletes, coaches, personal trainers and physical therapists seem to miss.
Excellent Joe! I also need to remind myself of this sometimes when time is tight.
question about the assisted pull-ups/pull-ups.
it is obviously better to go all the way down, and pull yourself all the way up to the bar for 1 pull-up vs using a chair (or some form of assist), but I wanted to get an opinion if using a full ROM assisted pull-up is better than doing pull-ups where you only lower yourself about halfway to the floor.
Hey Joe,
Great post but I was wondering what a progression would be for Natural GHR’s as there is not a GHR bench within about 300 miles of where I live so natural is the only way to go for me.
Thanks
Totally agree with you Coach. You know what the sad part is? I work at a H.S. and the so called football coaches bring their athletes and make them bench, squat, and deadlift with horrible technique and little or no supervision. What’s worse is that in their little minds that sort of training will make their players tougher taking for granted their players health.
Cameron,
I’d set the base for posterior chain strength in an order something like this – Glute/ham bridges, single leg glute/ham bridges, assisted floor GHR (push off the ground), timed negative floor GHRs, bottom up GHRs, full natural ghr.
I hope that helps!
Joe
Bobby,
In my opinion, full ROM is almost always king. I would have the person perform full ROM pull ups, and assist ONLY where they need it (in your example the bottom portion of the movement.) Usually the sticking point in the pull up is right around where the arms are at a 90 degree angle, so some people just need a little push through that portion.
Joe
You were pushed down a hill to learn how to ride????
Man thats rough LOL
Totally agree with these progressions. In the gym I am currently using, I would say 80% of the ‘BIG’ guys couldn’t do half the beginners stuff, not manly enough, total BS of course.
Funny how these guys never progress beyond a lat pull down and the only person deadlifting there is me!
Great article again Joe!
Dean Coulson
haha, Dean, it was one of those experiences where I’m sure it sucked, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I did get a grass hill fortunately, took just a few hours – ride or fall!
Thanks for the comment on the post! I hope training and the site are going well,
Joe
Hey Joe, IYO is it important to make the RDL progressions? I started doing them straightaway using the barbell. I can pull the Olympic bar (at least, I think it’s the olympic bar. It’s the thick one that you also use for the bench. I dunno how much it weighs, really, but I’m guessing 10kg?. Sorry for my ignorance!) and 15kg/side for 3×8. I’ve never really used the DBs and I didn’t do one-armed sumo deads…
Joe,
Thank you very much, you are the man!
Great article with some great progressions Joe! You know as well as I, too often lifters move WAY too quickly instead of building a proper foundation. This post should be a requirement for anyone to read prior to training!
It’s so important to follow progressions like these for the proper development of the lifter. Thanks Joe!
These progressions are the same basic format I use with clients, however I do start some clients on isometric exercise versions of these in some cases. Example being a plank push up position, a partial squat and hold for time, and/or movement pattern and technique deadlift.