Cable Pulls and Handstand Pushups

23 September 2011

A quick workout consisting of cable pulls and HSPUs (the latter assisted, feet against wall).

Front chest pull RYR x 12 reps

Assisted HSPU x 5 reps

Overhead downward pull YRY x 10 reps

Asissted HSPU x 5

One-arm front pulldown double yellows x 10 reps

Assisted HSPUs x 5

Chest Expander Training

16 September 2011

Front chest pull RYR x 10

Overhead downward pull YRY x 10

Back press GYG x 8, GRG x 5

One-arm front pulldown triple oranges x 10 per side

Front lateral raise double oranges x 10

Archer pull double reds x 10 per side

Bicep curl double reds x 10 per side

Cable Pulls

1 September 2011

Simple but tough workout - hit as many reps with the first listed resistance, then immediately follow up with asmany reps as possible at a slightly lower resistance. Terrific burn in the muscles.

Front chest pull red-yellow-red x 9 reps, RRR x 5 reps

Overhead downward pull YRY x 8 reps, RYR x 5 reps

Back press GYG x 7 reps, GOG x 6 reps

Front lateral raise double orange x 10 reps

Neck press-out double orange x 20 reps

Archer pull double reds x 10 reps

Bicep curl double reds x 10 reps

Reverse curl double orange x 12 reps

Cable Pulls

23 August 2011



Cable pulls – heavy:


Front chest pull RYR 9 reps, RRR 3 reps

Overhead downward pull YRY 10 reps

Back press GRG 8 reps, GYG 4 reps

Straight-arm front pulldown OO 12 reps

Front lateral raise single yellow 12 reps

Rear neck press OO 12 reps

Archer pull RR 12 reps

Bicep curl RR 12 reps

Forearm curl OO 12 reps

Back To Cable Training!

10 August 2011

Did a quick cable session today just to blow the cobwebs off the cable set:

Front chest pull x 12 (8 reps RYR + 4 reps RRR as a drop-set)

Overhead downward pull x 12 (8 reps YRY + 4 YOY as above)

Back press x 12 (7 reps GRG + 5 reps double green cables)

Archer pull x 12, double reds

Bicep curl x 12, double reds

Front lateral raise x 12, 7 reps double oranges + 5 reps single yellow cable

Forearm curl x 12, double oranges

Lost quite a bit of pulling strength from the layoff, but am still doing okay. I will slowly reintroduce cable pulls into my weekly routine. Surprisingly weak in the tricep-dominant movements, especially archer pull in which I have lost a lot of strength.

Syd Devis Course No. 3 - Week 7

Also done today, all at increased resistances:

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: two orange and one red cable (ORO)

One-arm upward push, anyhow - three greens (GGG)

Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and a red (YRY)

Two-arms back press, anyhow - GRG

Dislocation, anyhow - one orange, one red

Overhead downward pull, knuckles out - YYY

Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - one red, one yellow

One-arm military press - YRY

Five reps each.

Weekend Training - Syd Devis Course No. 3, Week 6

Over the weekend:

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)

One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)

Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)

Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG

Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges

Overhead downward pull, knuckles out - YRY

Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds

One-arm military press - triple reds

Ten reps each, all executed with flawless form, will be increasing the resistance next turn and starting at 5 reps again.

Syd Devis Course No. 3 - Week 5

12 March 2011

Saturday morning cable pulls:

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)

One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)

Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)

Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG

Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges

Overhead downward pull, knuckles out - YRY

Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds

One-arm military press - triple reds

Got nine reps on all of them, except the one-arm upward push on which I repeated the 8 reps I didn't get last time.

Assistance exercise - bicep curl (ROR) x 10 reps each arm

Syd Devis Course No. 3 - Week 4

3 March 2011

Struggled to get all the progressons today, my upper body is still fatigued from the pressing session earlier in the day. Still managed to move along nicely:

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)
One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)
Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)
Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG
Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges
Overhead downward pull, knuckles out - YRY
Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds
One-arm military press - triple reds

Hit the required eight reps for all exercises except:

One-arm upward push, anyhow - only got 7 with the left arm and did not keep arms properly locked out.

Syd Devis Course No. 3 - Week 3

19 February 2011

Moved a bunch of heavy furniture all day, made time for a bit of cable training in the evening.

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)
One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)
Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)
Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG
Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges
Overhead downward pull, knuckles out - YRY
Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds
One-arm military press - triple reds

All for seven repetitions. I am so far managing to hit all progressions.

Syd Devis Strandpulling Course No. 3 - Week 2

12 February 2011

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)
One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)
Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)
Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG
Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges
Overhead downward pull, knuckles out (substituted for press behind neck) - YRY
Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds
One-arm military press - triple reds


All done for six good, consecutive reps.

Asistance exercise - bicep curl (ROR) x 5 reps per arm

No KB swinging as I'm trying to heal my calluses.

Kettlebell and Cable Madness!

5 February 2011

Today I did the kettlebell work first. It was simple and straight-forward:

One-arm KB swings @ 35 lbs. x 200 reps (100 per arm), interrupted several times to gasp for air

One-arm KB clean and military press (cleaned twice, then pressed one after the second clean): 53 lbs. - 62 lbs. - 70 lbs. - 78 lbs. Repeated once for each arm.

Much easier than cleaning and pressing a dumbbell of equivalent weight. The 78 lb. kettlebell went up easily even with my left arm.

As for cables, I did something from the Syd Devis book All About Strand-Pulling - his third month course. I will from now on follow this progression in my cable training - best to heed the words of a champion expander puller and notable oldtime strongman:

One-arm FCP, anyhow - resistance used: three orange cables (OOO)
One-arm upward push, anyhow - two greens and a yellow (GYG)
Two-arms FCP, anyhow - two yellows and an orange (YOY)
Two-arms back press, anyhow - GOG
Dislocation, anyhow - double oranges
Overhead downward pull, knuckles out (substituted for press behind neck) - YRY
Two-arms upward front chest pull, legs apart - double reds
One-arm military press - double greens (too light - next time I'll try triple reds)

Assistance exercises:

Front lateral raise - double reds x 10
Bicep curl - ROR x 10 per arm
Behind-the-back lateral raise - single orange x 10

Some of these exercises are new to me, it was an interesting experiment. As prescribed, I did all of these for five consecutive reps and will be adding one rep until I get to 10, after which I will add resistance.

This should be a good alternative routine, I had stalled on the one I was doing before which just consisted of rest-pause sets with as much resistance as I could use. Hopefully the wisdom of Syd Devis will help me out of the slump.

Extra Day - Cables and Kettlebells

29 January 2011

Cable pulls - rep totals are given (done as singles, doubles and triples):

Front chest pull YRY x 4, YYY x 6

Overhead downward pull YRY x 3, YYY x 8, YGY x 2

Back press YYY x 5, YGY x 5, GYG x 5

Bicep curl YY x 10

Straight-arm pulldown YY x 10

Kettlebell session:

Double KB swing @ 18 lbs. each x 20 reps
One-handed KB swing @ 36 lbs. x 20 reps (10 left, 10 right) x 2 sets
OA KB swing @ 45 lbs. x 20 reps (10 left, 10 right) x 2 sets
OA KB swing @ 53 lbs. x 20 reps (10 L, 10 R) x 2 sets
Double KB swing @ 18 lbs. each x 20 reps

One-arm KB clean: 53 lbs. x 5 reps, 62 lbs. x 5 reps, 70 lbs. x 3 reps, 78 lbs. x 3 reps (per arm)

KB breathing shrug - from a pair of 18 lbs. to a pair of 70 lbs., 10 reps at each weight, total 40 reps

5/3/1 Program - Week 35, Day 2

28 April 2010

Clean&press:

Warmup 2 sets
150 lbs x 5
170 lbs x 5
190 lbs x 9 (satisfied)

Right shoulder has been tweaked for a while, I don't think the benching and overhead pressing is helping things but it's not bad enough for me to stop. Yet.

I also think I am getting close to my limit in the C&P. This cycle will end at 215 lbs., which I hope to get, then the next target is 220. This is a considerable increase over my all-time best (especially done for reps) and I might have to back-track within the next cycle or two. We shall see.

Later in the day:

Back press GYG x 10 reps (another big PR, knocking on the door of the triple greens)

One-arm overhead press YGY x 10 reps each arm

Archer pull OOO x 5, ORO x 5

5/3/1 Program - Week 34, Day 3 Plus Cables

24 April 2010

Back squat:

Warmup 2 sets (50 and 110 kgs)
133 kgs (293 lbs) x 5
148 kgs (326 lbs) x 3
165 kgs (364 lbs) x 6 (very solid reps, probably had 2-3 more but I felt a pain in the lower abdomen so cut it short while the going was still good)

Hanging leg raise: 5 sets x 12 reps

Good-morning:

50 kgs (110 lbs) x 10
80 kgs (176 lbs) x 6
100 kgs (221 lbs) x 6 reps

EZ-bar curl:

37.5 kgs (83 lbs) x 5
47.5 kgs (105 lbs) x 5
57.5 kgs (127 lbs) x 3
67.5 kgs (149 lbs) x 1
70 kgs (154 lbs) x fail x 2 attempts (no cheat curls today)

Then later:

Back press YGY x 5, GYG x 5 (owned that sucker for a big PR)

Front lateral raise YY x 10 reps

Cable Training And Isometric Circuits

26 November 2009

A nice and quick routine to get some sweat going when there is absolutely no time to train:

Warmup: one set each of light calisthenics - pushups, squats and back extensions

Isometrics (done with USA ladder set):

Pull 4 positions, max effort, 10 secs each
Press 3 positions, max effort, 10 secs each

Cable pulls - 20 reps each with moderate resistance:

Back press
Overhead downward pull
Front chest pull
Front lateral raise
Bicep curl
Archer pull

3 sets of situps

Some self-resistance exercises (one set each)

Cable Training - 5x5 Megapump Method

11 September 2009

Like before, one full rep + 4 partial contractions at the end of the ROM, repeated 5 times in a set. Hence, 5x5.

Overhead downward pull 2 sets
Back press 2 sets
Front pull 2 sets
One-arm overhead press 1 set
Bicep curl 2 sets
Behind-the-neck tricep extensions 2 sets
Forearm curl 2 sets
Front lateral raise 2 sets

Why Train With Cables / Chest Expanders

The recent (commercial) revival of interest in the training techniques of old-time strongmen has brought some unjustly neglected training methods to the surface. Of course, these techniques have been used throughout the decades by strength athletes like powerlifters, weightlifters and Strongman competitors, but had fallen out of favor with elite athletes, physique competitors (principally bodybuilders) and the average Joe/Jane trying to get stronger and look better.

The resurrection of these methods in the strength and conditioning community was started some years ago by the esteemed Brooks D. Kubik, author of Dinosaur Training, probably the best strength book ever written (my humble opinion). Several other experts rode the "functional training" wave to success: the Evil Russian, Pavel Tsatsouline; the snake oil salesman, Matt Furey; Bud Jeffries, probably the most underrated strongman in the history of the game. Fringe authors like John Brookfield, Dennis Rogers and John Wood, came out of relative obscurity and shared their immense knowlede and expertise on being strong as hell. These success stories inspired hundreds of other fitness "experts" to follow suit, which they did more or less successfully. Either way, old-time training seems to be back to stay. It seems as if the strength training world is forced to revert to training philosophies from almost one hundredyears ago, which gives one a good notion of the actual progress (or rather lackthereof) made in this field.

One of the tools of the trade extensively used by old-time strongmen were/are cable sets, or chest expanders. Cable training/strandpulling can be defined as the activity of stretching out elastic strands/bands, usually rubber tubing or steel springs, to a certain length in certain positions. Now, for most of you the mention of a "chest expander" device will a) register no "hits", b) bring back a foggy memory of two handles connected with steel springs that your Dad/Grandpa used to have around the house and didn't necessarily use, or c) bring back painful memories of said springs pinching chest hair and skin, if you belong to the "Baby Boomer" generation and actually used to use one. Indeed, the original concept of cable and spring sets was severely perverted over the years, as companies tried to market it as a training tool for women and guys "into toning", which resulted in expanders that, to paraphrase the words of John Brookfield, "your aunt Betsy could pull for 10 good reps the first time she tried it". One can understand that this kind of gimmick sort of killed strandpulling in the eyes of serious, hard-core strength athletes.

However, I like to draw the parallel between cable gimmicks and pink 2-lb. dumbbells used for "power aerobic" classes. Just because some companies market a ridiculous dumbbell, no one attempts to claim that weight-lifting is useless and non-productive; yet, cables get a bad rap. A set of moderately strong cables will give any man a great workout, and strong ones will humble even the mightiest weight-lifter if he's unaccustomed to working with them. To put it smply, serious cable training will develop strength and size. Some of the strongest men in history have used cables - if it worked for them, it will work for you. It will enhance an existing weight-lifting program, or put the finishing “touches” on a physique forged through diligent use of iron, or as a strength and flexibility program unto itself, or combined with non-apparatus and bodyweight exercises.

Although many people credit the Father of Bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow, with the invention of strands, they have been around ever since Europe discovered rubber. Also, Sandow didn't really train with them that much - he just marketed them very well, and later seemed to claim that his magnificent physique was initially built with a chest expander. Thomas Inch and Fred Rollon were professional strongmen who relied heavily (in the latter case, exclusively) on cable training. The best old-time cable training courses were written by Alfred Danks, Joe Bonomo and Roy Noe, all available for free viewing on www.sandowplus.co.uk, as well as Earle Liederman, whose course I've been unable to find. Modern courses include John Brookfield's book Training With Cables for Strength and a section in Mike Brown's work Strength of Samson and How to Attain It.

If you're not convinced yet, here's a list of reasons for cable training:

- Cables provide a different type of resistance to weights and “hit” the muscles in a different way, plus they develop muscles that are difficult to “get to” with regular barbell/dumbbell exercises;

- Cable exercises are very effective at “pumping” individual muscles, which is beneficial as it provides the necessary flushing of the muscle with blood (and removal of metabolic waste);

- Cables are light and take up very little space, so they’re very portable, great for trainees who are frequently on the road for longer periods and want to get some training done (like myself);

- Cables are extremely versatile – they can be used to replicate virtually all weight-lifting exercises, plus a vast number of others that have no weighted equivalent. They also provide unlimited options regarding muscles worked, range of motion, etc.;

- Cables do not stress the joints and tendons the way heavy weights do (although they do provide excellent joint/tendon loading), and hence lend themselves better to speed or explosive work at lower risk of injury (e.g. cable ballistic squats vs. barbell ballistic squats);

- Cables allow you to train with limit or near-limit resistance without the risk of life-threatening injury: getting whacked by a poorly secured cable or handle is very, very painful, but highly unlikely to permanently cripple you;

- Cables enable you to exercise against resistance coming from all angles, unlike weights, where the resistance is provided by gravity (always downward);

- Cables allow you to increase/decrease resistance easily and safely during the exercise, simply by adjusting the length pulled (by adjusting the grip or, if a door attachment is used, by stepping further/closer to the door);

- Cables are very useful for grapplers, as the multi-directional resistance provided is similar to
that provided by an opponent;

- Many traditional cable movements develop flexibility along with strength, an important aspect of physical development often neglected by weightlifters (indeed, excessive flexibility can be detrimental to certain categories of strength athletes, so this is something that is seldom, if ever, trained);

- Cables can be used for isolation exercises that target only the muscle worked, or for compound, full-body exercises that require all the muscles to work in unison; they cover the entire spectrum.

Good cable sets can be bought from Lifeline, Ironmind and Mike Brown. Ironmind offers a high-quality steel spring set, while the other two companies have opted for rubber. Cable sets are not very expensive, so there are no excuses: grab one and start pumping some rubber!