When my athletes ask me how to get faster, or get more powerful, or how to make plays worthy of SportsCenter’s Top 10, I always answer the same: “Get stronger!” A quick trip around the interwebs reveals seemingly infinite methods and programs for increasing strength that often leads to more blank stares than a grade school geometry class. Don’t make it harder than it has to be, though. At the core of each of these programs lies only a few principles to get stronger. Learning these simple principles of strength will help focus your efforts and drive your weights up. As Dan John famously quipped, “Simple does not mean easy,” so be prepared to put in some work! I hope you brought a notepad and something to write with because the school bell is about to ring.

Basic Rule #1: Show Up to Class

For the weights to climb, you have to continually get your practice under the bar. To hone their skills, baseball players get in the cages, golfers hit the driving range, and swimmers take laps in the pool. Strength is also a skill and, just like any skill, requires consistent effort to gain proficiency.

Basic Rule #2: Listen to what I SAID

Spend any amount of time around seasoned strength addicts and/or read scientific research on resistance training and you will come across the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). You cannot work your way to four wheels on the bar by doing things that got you to three wheels on the bar. The intensity of the challenge must be increased to break through plateaus and reach new levels of strength. (Note that the intensity must increase and understand that intensity can mean training load, volume, resistance, playing with leverage, altering base of support, and just about a thousand or so other ways to make your program more challenging. These topics will be addressed in the Master’s course.)

Basic Rule #3: Avoid All-Night Cram Sessions

In their exuberance, many strength students tend to over-complicate and over-reach. “Why don’t I just keep adding plates or do as many reps as possible?” Because neither option is sustainable. Strength increases are only linear for the novice, or the weak, so a focused plan that manages load will serve you better than attempting to just pile on the plates. Plan to keep a couple of repetitions in reserve as trying to fit as many reps into one training session not only jeopardizes your quality control as fatigue sets in but could also interfere with your ability to bounce back for your next workout. If you cannot repeatedly put forth the same level of exertion to match the increasing intensity of each training session, expect to see your strength numbers burn brightly before quickly going up in smoke!

Course Requirements

1. Do your prep work
This program works under the assumption you know the fundamentals of each movement and have a high degree of proficiency. This is a strength program, and if you do not know how to properly execute the movements, then you showed up to Geometry class without first knowing how to add. Get with a coach and hammer your form until you can confidently, and competently, complete the exercises.

2. Do the work
Get in the gym and attack your training with purpose (you’re here to get stronger, remember). Heavy weights with controlled exposures means that every rep counts, so be sure all repetitions are completed successfully! Technique becomes more and more important as the weight on the bar climbs, so keep your form dialed-in. Give it a fair shake and follow the program as outlined. Do not mix in other programs, ask how cardio fits into the routine (once again, you showed up looking for strength), or question the percentages/sets/reps, etc. Only when you have completed the program in its entirety can we have a proper discussion about adjustments and future direction.

3. Do your homework
Staples for any training program should include proper nutrition, adequate rest, and appropriate bodywork (mobility, stability, correctives, sports medicine, and so forth). Before you go scheduling an “arm blaster” day, be mindful that the goal of homework is to replenish and restore so you can come back again and again to put forth a consistent level of exertion for each training exposure.

4. Check your work
Make sure you are current with the program projections and successfully meeting the increasing intensity. Adjust prep work and/or homework accordingly to benefit your desired goal. Speaking frankly - if you are eating garbage, staying up late to watch the Game of Thrones marathon, or running five miles a day then no, you should not expect full benefit of the outlined program.

The Curriculum:

Did someone say pi? No, not blueberry or pumpkin, but the mathematical ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Let me guess, you fell asleep that day in math class too, huh? The Pi Program uses an undulating rep scheme within the workout that gradually increases to 3-1-4-1-5 (hence, Pi). This wave loading allows the athlete to increase the weight of their 1-rep max lift and gradually add repetitions with sub-maximal weight over time. The intent of increasing maximal strength through additional repetitions at sub-maximal efforts, a concept first posed by Marty Gallagher, adds a new dimension to the Pi Program. To avoid over-reaching with the increasing training load, the total volume of the program is controlled to allow consistency of effort. The Pi Program is meant to address true strength lifts that require a massive amount of motor unit recruitment (typically anything with a barbell - Deadlift, Press, Squat, Olympic Lifts - work best). I recommend finding the areas you need to add strength the most and focusing your efforts on those lifts.

The Pi Program is short in duration - only 10 workouts per cycle. You may string cycles together based on needs, but always incorporate alternating cycles of training to avoid stagnation (Power, Hypertrophy, Metabolic Conditioning, etc.). For the sake of explanation, I will detail a deadlift program one of our athletes recently completed.

WORKOUT	REPS (WT. USED)
1	1 @ 350 lbs. 1 @ 365 lbs. 1 @ 380 lbs. 1 @ 390 lbs. 1 @ 400 lbs.
2	2 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs.
3	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 370 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 370 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs.
4	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 380 lbs. 2 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 380 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs.
5	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 390 lbs. 3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 390 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs.
6	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 395 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 395 lbs. 1 @ 360 lbs.
7	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 400 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 400 lbs. 2 @ 360 lbs.
8	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 410 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 410 lbs. 3 @ 360 lbs.
9	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 415 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 415 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs.
10	3 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 420 lbs. 4 @ 360 lbs. 1 @ 420 lbs. 5 @ 360 lbs.

Training Notes:

• Max Lift start: 400 lbs./ Max Lift end: 420 lbs.
• Sub-Maximal reps at 360 lbs. start: 6 (completed in workout 2) / Sub-Maximal reps at 360 lbs. end: 12
• This athlete completed a subsequent cycle of the Pi Program (with the new training max of 420 lbs.) and completed 440 lbs. at the end of that program! 40 lb. increase in 20 workouts
• Results have consistently averaged between 15% - 20% increase on tested lifts per cycle

The Workout:

5 days per week
30 to 45 minutes per day

Warm-Up:
Keep it basic! The point is to get your CNS primed and the gears of your body lubed-up for activity. If you have special concerns (tight hip flexors or a tricky shoulder from an old rugby injury) that require extra stretching or activations, they would be addressed here. Our athletes use the following kettlebell warm-up:

Heavy Get-Ups: 1 set of 5 R / 5 L
Heavy Goblet Squat: 1 set of 10 repetitions
Heavy Carry (Double Rack or Farmer Walk): 1 set of 1 minute straight (Do NOT set the KB’s down until the clock stops)

A Day: Monday/Wednesday/Friday
- Completed in Circuit format - 5 rounds total

- Deadlift: Pi Programming
- Push-Ups: 8 repetitions first week, add 2 repetitions to each set every week
-Corrective/Mobility/Stability/Core
*Listed in this particular order based on priority. If you need Corrective work, then choose an appropriate drill. If you do not need a corrective drill but could use some Mobility/Stability work, then choose an appropriate stretch. If you are solid on the Corrective or Mobility/Stability front, then you are a unicorn and can proceed to extra core work. Please be mindful with your core work choices as you are lifting heavy and do not want to exhaust the muscles that will be protecting your spine, nor do you want to miss lifts because you went too aggressive on side planks.

B Day: Tuesday/Thursday
- Completed in a Circuit format - 5 rounds total

- Heavy Swings: 10 repetitions
- Can substitute moderate (75%-80%) Cleans if more experienced with this lift opposed to KB Swings: 5 repetitions if selecting Cleans
- Pull-Ups: 5 repetitions first week, add 2 repetitions to each set every week
- Corrective/Mobility/Stability/Core *See A Day explanation for this portion of the workout

Pay attention more to the format of the program rather than the specific exercises listed. This example features the Deadlift. The Pi Program template has been used successfully for ALL major lifts including squats, presses, and Olympic lifts.