Nugent Coaching Systems

In my next strength training cycle I will be going through the following, semi-structured approach to working the primary lifts: deadlift, press and squat.

Download a PDF Version of the Nugent Rotational System for FREE!

References:

I would be lying if this book didn’t influence me:
Wendler 5-3-1
531: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (E-book)

When you have limited space and time, you have to decide what’s important and how you are going to make the best use of both resources.

Spending time driving to a gym, waiting to use equipment, showering in a less then sanitary environment, then driving back home (~90 minute to 2-hour event), is not the best use of your time.

Storing old boxes full of college course textbooks and other things like that in your garage is not the best use of space.

Cut the drive to the gym. Spend two hours cleaning your garage.

Create your training space!

But what about equipment cost?

The cheapest and at times the most effective training you can do is bodyweight training. You can do this anywhere, but if you’re snowed in, and you’ve been warned by your family that sweating and grunting in your living room is not ideal, then the garage is the next best thing.

Get some matting on the floor, a stopwatch, and you’re ready to begin.

If bodyweight training isn’t enough, or you simply want to expand on what you are doing, then start thinking about a basic barbell set. Something where you can work on the three primary lifts: the deadlift, the squat, and the press.

If you don’t have room for a barbell set, then get a kettlebell. You can do deadlifts, squats, and presses with them. Of course, it won’t be extremely heavy, but you can still make strength gains with high rep protocols (google Dimel Deadlifts, or read Return of the Kettlebell)

What’s important for me? Over time I’ve either made my equipment (stones, squat rack, rings, pull-up bar, plyo-boxes, jump ropes…) or I’ve purchased it (kettlebells, and plates). Creativity (along with safety) can go a long way.

• Space to move around in
• Bars and plates
• GymBoss Timer
• Pull-up bar
• Kettlebells
• Squat Rack
• Atlas Stones
• Gymnastics Rings
• Jump rope
• Plyo boxes…

Find your space, clean it out, start saving time and money and you’ll be developing a habit that you can do well into your golden years!

I go back and forth on this topic.   Babygate isn’t quite out of my system…  Clearly I need to pick a side.

Or do I?

Redemption

This morning I had the opportunity to workout with a friend who used to be a member of CrossFit San Jose.  He took a pair of my garage-manufactured rings down to Argentina while traveling and used them to keep himself (and others) in shape.  Most of his workouts in Buenos Aires were of the bodyweight kind: box jumps, pull-ups, push-ups, ring dips, etc.

Last week he emailed CrossFit San Jose to get some pictures over to me with the rings in use.   He also asked about dropping in for a few workouts at their new box.  He didn’t get a response.   Not surprising since the owners are holding down more than one job.  They’re doing their best without the benefit of a membership admin.  Well he still didn’t get a reply so he pinged me to see what was up.  I told him he was welcome to come over and get in a workout at the Nugent garage if he didn’t hear back from them.

This morning we worked out.

It was fascinating getting caught up on his travels and what he experienced in the barrios in Argentina.  He clearly had a heightened sense of his surroundings and I could tell he’s been living one life altering experience after another.  I was honored to have him workout in my garage.

Our workout:

Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5

Followed by:

Stoner Helen – 3 Rounds of:

• 400 meter run
• 21 Kettlebell Swings with a 24kg bell
• 12 Atlas Stone Shoulderings with a 95# stone.

The whole workout (with warmup, recovery and travel talk) took about 90 minutes.  A little longer than my usual hour, but again, we were getting caught up.

The thing that humbled me was that he was planning on coming back for the rest of the week!  Very cool.

What was even cooler: my faith in the CrossFit community and it’s work ethic.

It’s one thing to pull up a workout and do it by yourself in the backyard or garage.  It’s another thing entirely to do it with a friend and push each other.

I’ve got new found respect for my friend Mike, CrossFit, and my atlas stones.  Those babies are COOL. 

Let’s just say I am embarrassed.  Granted, it’s not about what I have done.  Not this time.  It’s more along the lines of an affiliate photo that has me wondering if I will ever recommend someone to check out the crossfit.com mainsite page again.

I’m not going to talk about what they did wrong:  (http://www.crossfit.com/cf-affiliates/2011/08/tuesday_110816.html)

That picture speaks for itself.

No, this is about me.

I don’t want to be associated with that kind of fitness philosophy.  There.  I said it.

Why?  Well… let’s start with why I started down the CrossFit path in the first place.  My kids.   I got into CF because I no longer had the luxury of 3 hour training days, long weekend rides, runs, paddles and swims.  No I needed something that would allow me to keep my foot in the game of adventure racing.

CrossFit has allowed that to happen.

So, why would I want to disassociate myself from that?  Again, that picture speaks volumes about what’s wrong with the mentality of the ‘Extreme Athlete’.  It happens in triathlon, adventure racing, and I’m sure it happens in any potentially competitive environment.  You lose sight of what’s important.  It’s clearly happened in CrossFit.

Seeing that picture of a dad recklessly endangering his own child so he could get a 5 minute blip on internet fame and also prove to the world that he could still get his workout in, makes me ill.

I don’t care if that wasn’t his intention.  It’s how it came across.  It’s how myself and apparently a LOT of other people saw it.

Back to CrossFit and Kids.

While the original intention of doing CrossFit at home was so I could get a workout in and stay close by (I have a great garage and backyard setup now for CF), the motive behind the workouts have a new flavor.  It’s now important to me that my kids SEE dad and mom workout.  Lead from the front right?

As a fitness obsessed dad, I get it.  You need to get your workout in.

Here are some ways you can use your kid safely in a workout:

• Goblet squats – hold your infant with your hands.  Baby bjorns are lame.  Hold your kid, use your HANDS
• Push-ups – when they’re old enough to hold on, have them climb onto your back.  Instant dynamic weight
• Thrusters – kids LOVE this.  Full squat, stand and push your kid into the sky.  Need a crossfit WOD to feel better about this?

• 21-15-9  Kid’s a weight:

• Kid Thruster
• Kid on back pushups
• Kid on back lunges

Or you could just play with your kids.  Call me crazy.

Back to why I am embarrassed:

• Cult psychology appears to be rampant – (I know, it’s a GOOD cult.  I don’t care!)
• Gushy motivational montages.  This is NOT what got me into CF.
• Softball throw?  Nah, this is not as embarrassing as the crazies claiming to be elite.  Throwing also fits within the scope of the CF fitness definition.
• The major disconnect crossfitters have with people who are NOT crossfitters.  It shouldn’t take a public outcry to realize that putting a weight over your head with a baby strapped to your chest is a bad idea.  At the very least, have the empathy to know that this picture is  going to resonate with… I am drawing a blank.  WHO WOULD LOOK AT THAT AND SAY TO THEMSELVES:  “oh I remember doing that with my kids, awww…”

What to do now:

I am at a loss.

No I’m not.  I train how I want to train.  I have goals.  I don’t put my kids in danger.  If one day I happen to do a CF WOD, so be it.   If I do something from Pavel or Dave Whitley, so be it.  If it’s something I thought was cool from Rob Orlando, who cares?  I’m going to try it.  Just as long it doesn’t involve strapping an infant to my chest.

Forgive the Wagners.  This was clearly not their intention, and if you have been a parent of any child during that infant period, you are not getting enough sleep, and your decision making ability is impaired.

Which is why it’s probably a good idea to skip CrossFit for a while until you are getting good sleep

Be smart people.  Stand up for yourselves and know when to say “BAD IDEA”, stop the madness or simply walk away.  Come back to do something that makes the world a better place, that inspires others to make the world a better place.