All Around Physical Standards

All Around Physical Standards

The challenge with developing all around physical standards is that very few people can ever fulfill ALL of them.

Every time I have ever shared standards, I inevitably get a mix of people thinking they are too low, or too high, or asking for alternatives

We all have our talents and strength, but they are not evenly distributed

Someone is gifted at running will likely laugh at a 6:30 mile being a standard, but for someone else who struggles with cardio, that would be monumental.

In turn, a man with juggernaut dimensions may smash the barbell lifts, but ask that same man to do weighted pullups and run for 30 minutes, and he’d fail miserably

And then there are those people who are true athletic specimens. But those people KNOW who they are.

My Perspective on Performance Standards

Train for your strengths first. And what you are not strong at, at least strive for competence. You want a BALANCE of both qualities. Your particular balance will be unique to you.

We can divide training into two domains

-Strength-the stronger we are, the more muscular we will be. Building muscle and strength are not mutually exclusive. We develop strength and build our muscles through pushing and pressing, pulling, squatting, and hinging. This is accomplished through compound and isolation exercises.

-Conditioning-Our cardiovascular system is the basis of energy flow throughout the body. Our blood, our heart, our capacity to use oxygen and dispose of waste products, all of these are developed through conditioning. AKA endurance training. Our bodies ability to use oxygen and glucose as fuel depends on training both the aerobic and anaerobic system. Said simple, we want to be good at running fast, and good at running far. This is accomplished through slow and long aerobic cardio (workouts of 30-60+ minutes), and short and fast anaerobic cardio (workouts of 10-30 minutes).

For STRENGTH Standards

All men can achieve the standard of doing 15 pullups and 50 pushups. I consider pullups to be non negotiable. EVERYONE can reach double digits on pullups/chinups. Everyone can eventually do weighted pullups and chinups as well (although you may not reach the elite strength levels)

But to achieve exceptional muscularity, you must be strong at pushing and Pressing, squatting, and hinging.

This is 4 categories

• Pushing and Pressing: This is chest and shoulder pressing. You can choose to get strong at BOTH, or focus on one over the other. This does not mean that you completely neglect to train chest if you choose shoulders, or vice versa. Rather you prioritize elite strength where you are most likely to achieve it, and accommodate for your underlying genetics.
• Squatting: This means what it says. Back squat, front squat, split squat, find the version that works for you and hammer it for a lifetime.
• Hinging: This means deadlifting. Straight bar, RDL, Stiff leg, trap bar. Find what works for you
• Pulling: This means either chinups/pullups, and/or rows. There are great bodybuilders who cannot do weighted pullups, but can bent over row with 315lbs. Dorian Yates stopped doing pullups once he got to using an extra 50lbs in weight, but he was monstrously strong at rows and pulldowns. Find a KPI movement for vertical pull, and horizontal pull (a rowing motion).

Pick 1-2 exercise in each of those categories, and make those your standards that you train for.

This could be the Barbell lifts, dumbbells, or some mix thereof. Your standards could be the classical squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press.

This could be Squat, incline bench, deadlift.

This could be Bulgarian Split Squat, DB Chest Press, and Romanian Deadlifts.

You are allowed to have multiple KPI lifts

Do not take this to mean that you can ONLY have 3-4 exercises that you focus on. You can have multiple KPIS. The operative point is that you have CLARITY in your training, and are able to clearly identify what exercises are progressing your physique.

”if my incline bench goes up, my shoulders and upper chest are bigger”
”if my weighted chinups go up, my lats go bigger”
”If my back squat went up, my legs got bigger”

As basic as this sounds, people lack this kind of coherency in their training. Effective training doesnt require 20 different exercises for each muscle group. It requires 3-4. Find what those movements are, and build your training around them. For forever.

Also do not make the mistake of thinking you need to track and progress EVERY SINGLE exercise you do

Some coaches might disagree, but I don’t believe its relevant to obsess about exercises that arent KPIs. DB lateral raises are not going to be an exercise that you make infinite progress on. Leg extensions are awesome, but would it be better to prioritize front squats over leg extensions. This doesnt mean you never try to challenge yourself with the weights, but your progress is going to built on those KPIs over all else.

CARDIO STANDARDS

• Resting Heart Rate: Below 60bpm
• VO2 Max: 55-60 mL/kg/min
• 3 mile run: Under 22:30
• 1 mile run: Under 6:30
• 1 hour run: 7+ miles (this standard is optional)

Cardio standards often lead to arguments, because elite endurance athletes will consider them too low and easily attainable, while non-endurance athletes do not consider them realistic. The resting heart and VO2 max are most important. The run times may or may not be attainable depending on your age, natural body structure, and the sustainability of running as your primary form of cardiovascular training. It is possible to have excellent cardiovascular fitness and NOT run. Using an airdyne bike, exercise bike, peloton, stepmill, Concept2 Rower are all options. Trying to include standards for ALL of these things would be unrealistic and confusing. Your primary goal should be low resting HR, high VO2 max, and healthy blood pressure. Find a way to make those happen.


STRENGTH STANDARDS

The Big 4

• Press (Overhead): 1x Bodyweight
• Bench Press: 1.5x Bodyweight
• Squat: 2x Bodyweight
• Deadlift: 2.5x Bodyweight

GLOBAL STRENGTH (Alternative Big 3)
• Incline Bench Press: 1.25x Bodyweight
• Front Squat: 1.5x Bodyweight
• Romanian Deadlift: 2x Bodyweight

GLOBAL STRENGTH Alternative Standards: Dumbbells

• DB Bench Press: 100% of Bodyweight x 10
• DB Shoulder Press: 0.8% of Bodyweight x 10
• DB Goblet Squat: 50% of Bodyweight x25
• DB Split Squat: 100% Bodyweight x 5 (per leg)
• DB RDL: 120% Bodyweight x 10

BODYWEIGHT
(FOR EVERYONE)
• Pull Ups: 15-20 reps
• Push Ups: 50 reps

Higher level
• Pull Up/Chinups: BW+100lbs for 1 rep
• Dips: 5 reps x Bodyweight + 50%
• Hindu Pushups: 30 reps (why Hindu pushups? They are a deceptively challenging and a great indicator of upper body strength and mobility. This doesnt mean you will be HOOGE from doing them, but you do need healthy JOINTS to be able to do them at all)

BODYCOMPOSITION
• Body Fat: Below 15% (DEXA verified)
inverse

• Body Lean Mass: 85% (DEXA verified)

It is OKAY to be slightly above 15% bodyfat? Of course. Its also okay to be below 15% bodyfat. But 15% is a good marker that eliminates visceral fat, keeps a man “lean”, but not ripped, and is sustainable without requiring conscientious dieting.