Alex Zinchenko's

Rough Strength

Gain Strength, Build Muscle, Get Ripped Rough

8May/123

Why People Fail to Get Results

Arnold Is Disappointed with Your ResultsWhy people fail to get results? Well, there could be several reasons for that but the most common are lack of plan and lack of discipline. I see this all the time and it's really frustrating. My intention here is to help you not repeating those mistakes.

Lack of Plan

Ask any serious businessman to help you start a new business. He'll most likely ask you for a business-plan. Why? If you have no plan then you have no predictable results. The same goes for training and nutrition. Yes, there are several other factors (like genetics that give you the unique opportunity to perform bullshit on your training sessions, eat total crap and still grow and lose fat) but no plan still transfers in lack of results. Well, you don't need to be TOO precise. Be prepared that some workouts will go wrong, some workouts will differ from plan, some days you won't have a chance not to eat crap. But general strategy should remain stable. Believe me or not, training log is the best thing you can do to your training, as well as food log is the best thing you can do to your nutrition. If you really want results you need a right program and nutrition plan that suits your individual needs, goals and restrictions. You may train spontaneously and get results but it's really a matter of luck. What will you rely on more: luck or plan? Well, I think that the answer is obvious.

Take-home point: if you've been training for some time and still get no measurable results maybe it's time to invest in training and food log. Get a plan!

Lack of Discipline

This is big. Even huge. I see this every day in others. I see it everywhere. Motivational pictures, motivational videos. Give me a break! While there are some videos that really motivate you to act, most of them are useless. You just need discipline to do something right on and on and on. If you want to be strong and/or look awesome you will need to follow some rules till the end of your days. Deal with it! Terrified? Well, then you're weak and you will remain weak forever. Discipline is strength. I'm sick and tired of people that want to get strong and muscular but don't have the discipline to train hard and especially eat right amounts of food and protein. I'm sick and tired of people that want to loose fat and don't have the discipline to stick to simple diet plan. Train for strength, eat a bit less if you want to loose fat, eat a bit more if you want to build muscle, eat high-protein, repeat. Is that so difficult?

Closing Thoughts

Take a look around. Weak people are everywhere surrounding you. They all look for magic pill to solve their problems. The truth is that there is no such pill. Don't be one of them. Be strong. Have the plan of attack. Have the discipline to follow your plan till you die. And you will be strong and muscular forever. It is that simple. Thanks for reading.

Play rough!

AZ

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6Apr/123

Rough Strength Birthday

Kim Kardashian birthday cakeHappy birthday, Rough Strength! It's happy coincidence and yesterday was my birthday too.

There was a big healthy feast. Lots of absinthe, beers and pizzas. Tonight is more to come. That's how we do it, Rough Strength style.

Thanks everybody for congratulations and support. This was very productive year. I hope next one will be even more productive and fun.

And here's picture of sexy Kim Kardashian to boost some serious testosterone.

Play rough!

Alex Zinchenko

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30Mar/120

Progressive Resistance. Protein. Patience

Reg Park - the essense of awesomenessAre you tired of not getting results? Then you're probably screwing up in one of these three fundamental principles.

Progressive Resistance

Firstly, even the most retarded gym rat should understand this fundamental principle. If you're not using more weight/doing more reps/using harder exercises/doing less rest between sets/doing more sets etc. then you will not see any difference in your strength and how you look. Tattoo these words on your forehead to remind you this anytime you want to change something and get weaker instead of getting stronger. Fuck, you can do 2-3 exercises all your life and keep getting stronger in them and you will be a powerhouse in 5-10 years. Keep getting progressively stronger in your training and you're on the right track. Rethink your training today, make progressiveness your number one priority (not some stupidity, brand new gadget or fancy exercise) and you'll get results finally.

Secondly, through experience I came to conclusion that resistance is resistance. It doesn't matter where it comes from. Barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, bodyweight, sandbag - all the same. Either has it's own pluses and minuses (which I discussed here). But do you really think that it matters to your body what you use in your training? The right answer is no, it doesn't matter. You think you can't gain mass with bodyweight training? Make it progressive and work up to hardest exercises FOR REPS (of course, you need to get your diet and rest right which I will discuss later) and tell me how you look. You will look big, athletic and awesome (with a bonus of being able to insanely control your body). The same is true for kettlebell or sandbag master. Pick up the resistance you like, make it progressive and you'll be amazed with results. You know why barbells are considered the king in gaining strength and size? Because it's extremely easy to make their resistance progressive with all those plates in the widest weight range possible. If it becomes easy to press given weight just add a couple of kilograms (or just one, or a half) and be happy. No need to think. With bodyweight strength training everything is WAY more complicated. Everytime you move to harder exercise it could be a HUGE jump in resistance. For example, handstand push-ups became easy and you decide to move to diamond handstand pushups. Well, to your big surprise you might not be able to do even a single. Then you try 1/2 diamond handstand push-up (or even 1/4). The same with kettlebells. 16 kg then 24 kg. Wow, it's fucking 8 kgs! That's why so many people fail to get results with unconventional strength training tools.

Take-home point: pick resistance you like, make it progressive and train to success.

Protein

ProteinProtein is crucial for building muscle. Any average gym rat should know that. But I rarely find people who want to build muscle but who consume adequate amounts of protein daily. 1 g per 1 lb of bodyweight? 2 g per kg? Well, this will work for some people. I mean, genetic freaks and people who just started training. But for the majority it's really low number. If your training is ok (it means that you're getting stronger on a regular basis) and you consume enough calories (it means more than you burn throughout the day) but still your muscles don't grow then you might be not getting enough protein.

What is enough? 1.5 g per 1 lbs of bodyweight (3.5 g per 1 kilogram) is a good starting point. Some people will need more than that. For example, 2 g per 1 lbs of bodyweight (4.5 g per 1 kilogram). That's pretty big numbers but that might be the most important diet change you need to make to start growing.

Some people can argue that you don't need so much protein but highly likely that they have pretty good genetics or are fat bastards that think that they're muscular. These numbers are not got from air. These are real-world numbers that work for majority of trainees. I learned them from Wesley Silveira a.k.a. Iron Addict and Charles Poliquin, as well as from some other authors who I trust. Then I checked them and was amazed with results. Don't be fooled. You need ultra-high protein doses to grow. Period. And muscle growth is not the only positive effect of high-protein consumption. Improved fat loss is what I've noticed while experimenting. It's really insane. Up your protein intake and see for yourself.

I don't recommend high-protein diet if you have any kidney disease. Consult your doctor on this topic first.

Side note: there are some cases when you can get away with less protein. And I mean intermittent fasting and Warrior Diet. But that's the theme for another post in future. If you follow basic eat-whole-day approach then the numbers are accurate.

Patience

Patience Always Pays Off“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (attributed to Lao Tzu – founder of Taoism)

Patience is the third crucial factor of training (as well as any) success. How pity that nowadays less and less people understand this important principle. To achieve something worthwile you need time. I mean TIME. And lots of it. No great strength and physique were built in 4 weeks. So why do you think that you can rebuild yours in that timeframe? There are tons of hype outthere. You need to separate truth from myth. Yes, you can gain some decent amount of muscle in short period of time. I've seen it, I've done it. But it is possible in two situations:

1. You're just started training and eating right.

2. You wasn't training and eating properly for awhile and regained what you previously had due to muscle memory.

Don't search quick fixes. They won't last long. Make training, eating and rest your habit, your new lifestyle. And only then you'll be able to get the results you want. Give your goals time. Muscle gain of 10 lbs per year of consistent training is pretty good solid result for average natural trainee. Some will be able to gain more (especially in first year), some will gain less due to crappy genetics. But anyway, with such speed you'll end up 30 lbs (15 kg) bigger in 3 years. 80 kg trainee will be 95 kg and will look TOTALLY different. Well, he won't remind Dorian Yates but he'll definitely be a powerhouse.

Just think about it. You don't expect just planted seed to grow in 3 hours, right? So don't expect your strength and muscles to grow that fast. It's a daily routine. The only method to speed up results is to find what works for you and stick to it for as many days per year as possible.

Patience always pays off.

Closing Thoughts

Strength and physique building is not a rocket science. Yes, it involves thinking but everything's plain simple (not easy though). I hope this article taught you something new. Follow these principles and get results you've deserved. Thanks for reading. Spead the knowledge.

Play rough!

AZ

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21Jan/121

The Basic Exercise Movement Breakdown

Here's a guest post on training mechanics from Logan Christopher. You probably should know him for his feats of strength. If not then you should take a closer look at this guy. He knows what he's talking about. - AZ

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Many people have trouble figuring out how to integrate different tools into their workouts. I do not, and by the end of this article you shouldn’t either. Or they go a long ways with neglecting a major movement group in the human body.

As an example in the workout I just finished up today I worked on heavy deadlifts in a full range of motion and partials, frog stand presses up into a handstand, a progression towards the one arm chin, and finished with L-sits.

As you’ll see this one workout hit the major muscles and movements of the body. So let’s break it down.

Press

To put it simply this is your arms moving out from your body. Here are a few examples:

  • Full Range Handstand PushupMilitary Press
  • Side Press
  • Pushup
  • Bench Press
  • Sandbag Push Press
  • Cable Press Out
  • Kettlebell Bottoms Up Press

When you do any sort of press you tend to be working the triceps, the shoulders and often the chest. Different variations work different parts more or less. For example the bottoms up kettlebell press adds a grip component to everything else. The cable press out isolates the triceps in a plane that isn’t generally trained. The push press regardless of object used adds in the legs, but then generally heavier weights can be used. (The jerk could be included here but relies heavily on the legs.)

You can also look at the different planes of movement. Handstand pushups and military presses work the vertical plane. Pushups and bench presses work the horizontal plane. You can go between these as well, like an incline bent, and outside too. The side press is both vertical pressing and out to the side.

Depending on your goals you may use different tools and different exercises. But no matter what you’re doing you absolutely should include some form of press in your training.

Pull

This is when your arms move into your body and is done with bent arms at some point in the movement. Here are a few examples:

  • Ring ChinnupChin-up
  • Curl
  • Barbell Row
  • One Arm Dumbbell Row
  • Upright Row
  • Inverted Rows
  • Lat Pulldown
  • Clean
  • Barbell Snatch

Pulls tend to work the biceps, the lats and the traps. As before other muscles can be involved. The clean and snatch heavily use the legs. The upright row uses the shoulders too.

Again we can look at the planes of movement. More rows are done in a horizontal plane like two arm or one arm rows. Chinnups works the overhead vertical plane, while cleans and snatches work the same plane from the other direction.

Once again, you have many choices but you would be wise to include at least one major pulling movement in your training.

Squat

Along with traditional squats I would add in this category deadlifting, jumping and running. All these work the legs in a major way. (Sure some deadlifts minimize the use of the legs but I’m trying to keep it simple. Some people like to break it down into straight arms pulls like deadlifts and swings, but I find three groups works fine.)

  • Barbell SquatBack Squats
  • Front Squats
  • Pistols
  • Hindu Squats
  • Sumo Deadlift
  • Conventional Deadlift
  • Jumping
  • Sprinting
  • Kettlebell Goblet Squat
  • Kettlebell Swings
  • Kettlebell Snatches

The legs involve a large portion of the mass in the body. They need to be worked and often its good to hit them in two or more ways. Make sure both the hamstrings and the quads are getting a good amount of work, not to mention the calves.

Because bodyweight exercises tend to become easy after a period of training (even with one legged squats) to continue to improve you’ll either need to move to weights or continue by adding intensity with speed and explosiveness.

The Smaller Three

Its hard to call these lesser then the others but they do tend to be smaller.

  • Neck
  • Grip
  • Abs

Once you have the big three covered I would add these in. Many people do ab work, few people do grip work, and almost no one does direct neck work, which is a shame.

My favorites for these are various types of leg raises, all kinds of grip tools, and then bridging for the neck. But those are big subjects in and of themselves, which will have to be covered elsewhere.

Remember that this is simplified to help you out. Don’t freak out when you can’t easily place a clubbell swing in the groups or don’t know where a burpee goes. Just use this as a tool when it serves your purposes and forget about it went its not.

Also this just covers the strength base, but if you want to be even more well rounded you’ll need to add in endurance training, and possibly some speed, flexibility and mobility work depending on where you‘re at.

But if you understand the basic movement breakdown of the human body you can easily tell if a workout program is complete or not. You’ll notice the majority of the great ones out there do include all these groups. Also you can put together your own workouts easily. And you can seamlessly integrate different tools together.

Logan Christopher runs Legendary Strength where you can get the Peak Performance Trinity by signing up for free which includes tips on physical training, health & nutrition and mental training. He specializes in bodyweight and kettlebell training but includes barbells and a wide variety of feats of strengths.

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My Thoughts

Well, here you go. This is simple and basic. Everyone who is involved in strength training should understand these simple principles. Everything is ok but I should add here one more plane. It's Straight Arm Scapular Strength. It's the concept I was introduced to by Ido Portal. It derives from gymnastics. And for overall strength development you need to add it to your program. Thanks for reading.

Play rough!

Alex Zinchenko

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5Jan/126

Things I’ve Learned in 2011

Happy New Year everybody! 2011 is over. 2012 is here. Now is the best time to review and summarize everything that happened to me regarding training, nutrition and other stuff in 2011. And happened a lot. 2011 year was full of experiments and learning. It had it's own highs and lows. And that's great in my opinion. I found out so much new stuff. Something worked, something not. I started Rough Strength blog with intention to share the knowledge of what is real training about. I can't stand bullshit and shameless marketing and will always expose it anytime I can. Also I had several publications.

My Article in My Mad Methods Magazine

I've met different people, made new friends and connections, moved to another city etc. Anyway, it was year full of experience. So here we go.

Intermittent Fasting is the single best thing you can do with your diet

I'm not talking about nutrition much. Well, I've been collecting information and experience. And now I can share some thoughts with you.

I started experimenting with intermittent fasting (IF) a year ago. At first I was a bit scared. Not eating every 2-3 hours? Not eating breakfast? Late night eating? Well, mister, it's just too good to be truth. But all in all, trying IF was the single best thing I've done to my diet. The benefits are tremendous:

  • No worries about food
  • No bitching about skipped meals
  • Elevated energy levels during fasting (I'm not kidding)
  • Much less cravings
  • No guilt for overeating
  • Improved health
  • Improved strength
  • Improved fat loss and much more

Well, if I need to describe IF in one word then I'd say "freedom". It's real dieting freedom. You're dieting without noticing it. I never liked eating breakfast. It was always the hardest meal of the day for me. Why I ate it? Because current nutritional dogma states that you NEED to eat breakfast because otherwise your muscle will shrink away, and because those who don't eat breakfast will never gain muscle and burn fat. And you know what? I dropped eating breakfast and nothing bad happened. Even contrary, I feel better than ever and perform better than ever. Don't be afraid to question current dogmas. Don't like eating 6-8 bird meals a day? Try IF and eat like a king. Meal frequency doesn't speed up your metabolism. Don't be fooled. Well, everything is up to you. It's always YOUR choice whether or not blindly follow something that has no scientific or at least empirical proof.

Of course, you shouldn't be a fool and assume that IF will make you ripped by itself. Calories are still matter, as well as macroratios. But dieting has never been this easy.

Low-Carb diets are NOT a "Magic Pill"

It's an old one. Yeah-yeah, everybody should know this. But there's so many people who get caught on the hook of this low-carb thing. I was one of them. And I can say from my own experience. You CAN get fat on low-carb diet. Everyone who tells you otherwise is a stupid moron and you can punch him in his face. If you think that low-carb is an answer and you won't need to estimate your calories anymore then you're dead wrong, my friend. Calorie surplus = calorie surplus. Too much is too much, and it doesn't matter whether it's meat or candies.

As for fat loss, yeah, it's not bad IF you eat sufficient amounts of calories. The  next one is about calories.

The importance of control

If you want something to work then you need to control as much as possible. Why am I stressing on this? There are people who say: "Calorie counting is stupid and lame!" Well, that's not right. Actually, not knowing what you're doing is stupid and lame. There are guys with superior genetics who can eat lots of crap and train like retarded and look awesome. But they are happy minority. The majority will end up looking like crap when using such setup. Having training journal is awesome. Having food journal is "awesome" squared. Don't get too fancy. I don't mean writing down everything too precisely. Find some system that you feel comfortable with. For example, don't weigh every egg that you eat. Find an average weight and multiply it by the quantity. That's easier and more sustainable.

Bodyweight Strength Training

I discovered it in 2010. But only last year I took it seriously. And it became my biggest passion. I still love kettlebells and sandbags. But no weight training can satisfy me more than old school calisthenics.

Pure Awesomeness

A lot of guys think the same way (especially those who are involved in weight training): Bodyweight training? Pull-Ups and Dips? Sit-Up? Seriously? No weights? They think that it's impossible to build decent physique with calisthenics. Well, I'm sorry to shatter the tiny little dream you live in but you CAN build awesome physique with your bodyweight only. And you will master your bodyweight in the process. Also you can perform it almost anywhere. The thing is that you can add infinite amount of intensity to the upper body bodyweight exercises. As for legs, add volume, plyometrics or add some weight. I highly encourage you to try this type of training. It's simply awesome.

Low-Volume Training

Low-Volume Training  works.

High-Frequency Training

I had success with this training protocol last year. It worked every time I used it. The reason why it works is, I guess, in adaptation of CNS to certain movement pattern. No kidding, I was able to add 1 rep a day steadily until I hit the plateau. HFT is a powerful tool in your arsenal. Use it wisely. Concentrate on less things at once and get results.

Some wisdom

Read. It's one of the best things you can do to get smarter. Absorb as much information as you can. Then analyze it and make your own conclusions. Try new approaches, be open-minded. And, while trying, compare it to something that worked for you. If it works better then stick with it, if not then it's probably not for you or it's not the right time.

Closing Thoughts

Well, this is just a part of things that happened in 2011. It's always good to see that you found out something new. I wish you to find out lots of useful stuff in 2012. I have a feeling that it would be a great year. As always, thanks for reading. Subscribe, comment, add, discuss etc.

Play rough!

Alex Zinchenko

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22Dec/117

Calisthenics and Weight Training – Which One Is Better?

Marvin Eder combines bodyweight and weight trainingBodyweight training or weight training? A lot of people get confused in their choice. They try to find the ultimate tool for gaining strength, building muscle, getting ripped. Some of them became fans of one tool, some prefer the other. It's ok. But people are funny creatures. Some of them just need to make their point of view as the only possible. And there's no better place to make it than the internet. That is why we have epic battles of calisthenics disciples and weight training advocates. Life-or-death battles. And get even more confused.

As an open-minded reasonable and smart tranee you should ask yourself: "Ok, so which one is better?" The answer may surprise you. Read on.

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6Dec/110

Why Not Get Stronger?

Huge PRWhy am I writing about such obvious thing? Recently I've met lots of people who were willing to become muscular or ripped (or both) but when I suggested them to get stronger first they looked at me like a madman. Some of them even stated that they were already strong enough (of course they could barely squat with 50 kg). They all asked me: "Why get stronger? I want big biceps/triceps/chest/shoulders/abs". As ridiculous question as it could possibly be. We all met such people. And I feel the need to address this question. Read on.

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4Nov/110

Rough Strength Review: Convict Conditioning 2

Convict Conditioning 2"Convict Conditioning. Great book, totally awesome read and golden mine of information that you can use in your training. You can agree or disagree. It doesn't matter because Convict Conditioning is a must read for everybody who is serious about their training. You will be able to find tons of useful and entertaining information there."

Those are the exact words that started my review of the original Convict Conditioning. Well, recently I was lucky enough to read the sequel - Convict Conditioning 2. Can I apply same words to the second part? Well, yes. But I wouldn't be so univocal and straight-out. Why? There are reasons. Read on and you'll understand them.

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26Oct/110

7 Reasons Why You Don’t Look Jacked

Why You Don't Look Jacked, Man?How often does this story happens? You decide to go to the gym (or fitness club, if you prefer such gay name for the gym). You start going there for the sake of just doing something (or, if you're lucky, because there are lots of sexy chicks :)). You lift weights and work with machines. You workout for 2 hours 5 days a week. You're doing bench, incline, decline, dumbbell flies, dips. Then barbell curls, dumbbell curls, hammers, preacher curls. Then you work your lower abs, upper abs, obliques, sit-ups, crunches, leg raises. Then one day you take a picture of yourself and get a reality check. You're not ripped and muscular. You're not jacked. You're skinny-fat dude and nobody can say that you lift weights. Why is that happened? Because you're doing all wrong.

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15Sep/118

One-Arm Chin-Up Tips

One-Arm Chin-UpThe One-Arm Chin-Up.

I can't be more official because it's the skill that everyone (should!) admire. True master of One-Arm Chin-Up possesses such biceps and lats (for their bodyweight, of course) that all conventional bodybuilders will silently stand in the corner, cry and burn from envy. He obtains arm strength to match that size.

Some people think that this feat of strength is out of reach. Especially overweight people. But it isn't so. I heard of at least two persons that are approx. 100 kg (220 lbs). I don't remember the name of the first one but the second is Metin a.k.a. LittleBeastM. You have probably heard of him. If not then here's link to his YouTube channel: LittleBeastM's YouTube Channel. You should definitely check this guy out. He's probably the heaviest guy to perform such feats of bodyweight strength.

Anyway, let's get back to tips.

Train with Singles

It may sound obvious but it took some time to understand this. Don't waste your time and energy on reps. Train with singles. It's the fastest way. In my experience training with single-rep sets is the fastest way to gain strength. It's even more true for One-Arm Chin-Up. You're traning for skill at first place, not for multiple reps in a skill. And it's difficult skill, believe me. You will spend much more time on easier progression steps if you will strive for 3-5 reps than if you will strive for a single rep. And what's the point? If your goal is to learn One-Arm Chin-Up you need to progress as fast as possible or you will spend whole eternity learning it.

One of the best ways to implement singles is Rest-Pause Training. Let me explain you. Pick progression step that is fairly hard but you can do at least one-two perfect reps. Perform single rep with right arm. Rest for 30 seconds. Then perform single rep with left arm. Rest for 30 seconds. And so on until you hit 5-6 singles per arm. Call it a day. Return 2-3 days later and repeat. It would take couple training sessions to hit 10 singles per arm. Then you have several options. You can either shave off 5 seconds of rest periods and work back up to 10 singles per arm or you can pick a bit harder variation and start over with 5-6 singles.

Pick Progression That Is The Most Effective for You

There are tons of progressions toward One-Arm Chin-Up. The most effective are considered rope or towel assisted, finger assisted and rock climbers'. Rope assisted is the best for me. I can always carry the rope in my bag. It feels the most natural. The main thing is that with rope assistance you can adjust intensity similarly to the barbell. Just count the fists on the rope and you're all set. It's very important for me. So you get it. Pick progression that suits you.

Don't Hit It Too Often

One-Arm Chin-Up is not that exercise that you want to overdo. Firstly, it doesn't progress that fast. Secondly, increased risk of injury. Once a week works awesome for me. You should experiment to find out how's best for you.

One-Arm Negatives and Static Hangs

In my experience One-Arm Chin-Up negatives are almost useless. They only teach you how to comedown from top hang. And that's all. Pretty useless. On the other hand, One-Arm Static Holds. In my opinion they are very useful. Bottom hang is useful for grip strength and endurance, 90 degree hang is useful for strength and moving past sticking point, and top hang is generally useful in One-Arm Chin-Up practice. Practice them but don't overdo.

That's it. I hope it will help you in your quest for the One-Arm Chin-Up. Thanks for reading and don't forget to subscribe and like (:

Play rough!

Alex Zinchenko

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