IronGarm

How many days a week would you recommend doing this routine. I was going to do 3 days. You say 2 to 5 sets of 2 to 5 reps, heavy. Do you recommend any kind of load progression?

Thanks!

Mickey

This isn’t original, by any means. In the 1950’s, Percy Cerutty recommended that his runners, including marathoners, lift! Now, I've been a fan of Percy for years. Cerutty was an Australian track coach/guru/fitness buff/nutcase who coached some of the best middle distance runners in the world in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Some consider him a nutcase, but rarely have I found normal people to have all the answers. Again, if you strive for normal, spend an hour at a Las Vegas casino and take inventory on the what "normal" is in America today.

Why was he crazy? He told runners to:

• Run up hills.

• Lift weights.

• Eat odd foods like oatmeal, veggies, and fruit.

Arrest him, I say!

Before I was born, he insisted that all athletes do the big five lifts:

1. A deadlift.

2. A form of pressing. Cerutty liked a lift called the "bench press." I'm not sure if it ever become popular.

3. An explosive full body move. He liked the heavy dumbbell swing.

4. A form of pulling. Cerutty liked pull-ups and cheat curls. Cheat curls are like a power clean with a curl grip (power curls) or that bouncing heavy bar curl you see every gym-rat in the world do when he gets tired from strict curls.

5. An ab exercise. If deadlifts make you go one way, the ab exercise should strengthen you in the other.

After going heavy on these lifts with two to five sets of two to five (save for swings and abs where the reps go fairly high), you hang from a pull-up bar and stretch for a few minutes.

Recognize it? I think I've recommended this workout for thousands of people, after I, uh, invented it.

1. Deadlift (2x Bodyweight for marathoners!)
2. Bench Press (1x Bodyweight for marathoners!))
3. Power Curl
4. Swing
5. Sit up

I should write a book on this. Hmmm...

It's 40 days. So, if you go eight weeks, that is five times a week. The 2 x 5 is what you do most of the time with like 50-60% of the max. Yes, that is easy. You just trust yourself to go heavier. So, you go into the gym and feel like going up to 3 x 3, well do it and go heavier. No emotion...just move the bar. I have an article on this at tmuscle.
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_arti ... ay_program

Maybe a book...

Oh, my bad, Dan. I didn't realize this was your 40 day program. I just read the excerpt from your philosophy on lifting and in your Gable Method article and thought it was something I could do multiple days of the week for a few weeks until my squat stands are ready. I guess I will have to come up with something to do for the next few weeks.

My apologies and thank you for replying so quickly!

Mickey

Mickey and Dan,
there's a great book on Percy Cerutty's life. Very inspiring
http://www.amazon.com/extraordinary-Per ... 0734405405

The Amazon price is stupidly expensive, but it's available in most Australian bookshops
well worth the read.

Readers digest version:

5-3-1, big four only
program minimum with kettlequeers

Two days hill sprints (When I did it, had a set of 60 stairs, did 3 sets of 5)

Two runs a week. One easy 3-6 miles. One 5k, build up to race pace by first mile, hold it for one, cool down for last.

Easy for you since you're so mean and nasty.

This looks good.

this...

only like this...



probably the best off season strongman split one can do.

I like this as well. I did some sled pulling while wearing a 60# wt. vest then some thick handle db farmers walks Saturday...lotsa fun.

i'd even push it a little further and do soem assitance but still keep percentages low on the 531, and then saturday can be a reall all out events day, 3-4 events appraoching contest weights or going for speed. another productive SM weekend warrior minimalist routine is this one.

Press Monday. Overhead/incline, some pullups
Squat Tuesday. 1 set of 20 reps
Events Saturday.

Anyone ever read "The Olympian"? It's a novel, loosely modeled after Cerutty/Elliot. Great read.

Also like the strongman version.

My suggestion was for those who want to get in some running, but keep their strength levels up.

if i were going to return to mtb. racing i'd probably do your version with 2 days of hard cycling and 4 days easy.

Your suggestion also looks adaptable to long-distance running as well.

Percy Cerutty is a fucking legend. He's everything the Glassdick wishes he was, but will never be.

Percy actually trained with his athletes.

Has anyone read "Never Die!"?

I have, he comes across as a bit of a nutter, but it's an interesting book.
for some reason it doesn't seem to be available online anywhere, but I'm sure I can find you a copy
in a local bookshop if needed

Thanks Gary.

I think I'll try to implement this as much as I can.

Time will be a factor for me but if I can get in 2 runs a week and 1 hill sprint or prowler day I think it'll work for me.

Going to start back lifting in a week or two.

I want to get faster, go longer, and still be able to move and around shit with a quickness. I can't stand the loss of power I feel when I do long slow runs.

I'm in the same place. I could run forever, but my rigging work suffered from too many miles.

Sneaking in that hard mile is the golden nugget. Even if you can't hold it for the whole mile, just keep working it.

One day a week hill sprints is the finisher. You get two if you have time, but forcing that heart rate way up, then walking or jogging back down, it going to pay off big time. Steady state running is junk.

Steady-state has its place, depends on what you're trying to accomplish. But it definitely shouldn't be the only kind of running done in anyone's training.

Found it on Amazon for the cheap price of $104.00. No luck on scribd.com.

Nothing in the library systems out here in Washington. I'll have to see if I can locate a sports science library around here.

I've been doing a close approximation of this since Feb. 17 and I love it.

Ran 9 1/4 miles today and I felt strong the whole time. My feet are a bit raw and my knees a bit achy but I felt strong and I know it's from all the incline running and Prowler pushing.

It makes me be consistent with my running and I'm using STD training and cattleballing for my so called strength training.

And it allows me some leeway in what I do from day to day and week to week.

Plus the combination of everything I am doing is magic manna for the tendinitis in my right knee.

Good stuff.