JUNE 2017 MUSCLE & FITNESS 83
sets for 5x5. Go get ’em. You’ll also
be ready to build up muscular
endurance, which is best achieved
with squats. So feel free to load up
85% of your max for three sets of
five reps. But instead of racking
the weight between sets, stand
with the bar on your back for 30
seconds. It’s more “time under
tension”, pushing your muscles
into unfamiliar territory, recruiting
the bigger muscle groups required
to stay standing (legs, shoulders,
core, spine). And when your body is
gassed, add in three sets of five 75cm
box jumps – with five seconds’ rest in
between each jump and 30 seconds
between sets – to help develop more
explosive strength.
IF YOU FAILED: it’s time to build a proper
foundation using classic exercises.
“It’s back to basic moves” – bench
presses, pull-ups, squats, weighted
sit-ups – “not weird shit,” says Will
Lanier of Barry’s Bootcamp in the
US. As a former CrossFit trainer who
can casually land a 142cm box jump,
he should know.
Gradually move to pull-ups: do
two to five each day for a week;
then, four days a week, grab the
gym’s pull-up assist bands and do
five reps with the thinnest band,
three with a medium thickness
then three with the thickest.
“Ensure that you reach a dead
hang at the bottom and that your
chin passes the bar at the top,” says
Lanier. “You won’t get stronger by
performing with crap form.”
After the pull-ups, work in three
sets of 15 weighted sit-ups, starting
with 5 kilos and slowly upping the
weight each week.
Oh, and one surefire way to
build up your strength when
you’re not at the gym: do 10 push-
ups every time you need to use the
toilet. And no, don’t do them in the
bathroom – find a place you can
do them in the office, after you’ve
used the bathroom (and washed
your hands...)TEST TO BE YOUR BEST