Everything Works Under The Right Conditions…
But what muscular training will work under the worst conditions?
… but what will work under the worst conditions?
When I was young I could train almost whatever way I wanted and receive benefit from it. At the time of my initial journey into progressive calisthenics I was a student…a midshipman at a military college so my schedule would be packed with other physical activities throughout the week.
The More You Know: Progressive calisthenics is a branch of bodyweight training where one utilizes a series of progressions and regressions to cultivate strength and build muscle… and lots of it.
The whole idea of recovery wasn’t such a big factor to me however I did utilize napping in the middle of the day to supplement my sleep. Actually now that I look back on it and with the way I was training back then, I could have put in more rest days and progressed in my workouts even further. But like I said these rest periods were based on the way I was training which I’ll get more into down below.
Fast forward more than a decade later and things are different. The same workout back then that would most likely help me to progress with my abilities and physique could possibly cause me to regress today given my age, work, and living situation. Some could make the argument that this was due to me getting older. Although possible, I would also ask that what if the stimulus for adaptation I was using the first time was highly inefficient? A two steps forward one step back type thing?
“I had plenty of time to carry out my ideas. In fact, I had nothing else to do. And one of the things I speedily discovered was that for many hours could this kind of physical stimulation be kept up. Instead of wasting energy, this, on the contrary, was retained. Which was fortunate for me, in more ways than one, when the position I was in is remembered. For I did not get too much to eat, I must tell you, and what I did get was not of the most nourishing nature. And so I continued for about three months, gradually recovering my lost development and adding appreciably to my depleted strength and energy.” (p 116 Amazing Sampson)
That quote was from this man’s(Alexander Zass) autobiography published in 1926. He was a circus performer/ strongman/steal bender who was a prisoner of war during world war one and it was during this time that this discovery of his was made.
But when I first saw that quote I thought that either
1) This was all made up to tell a story/sell a program
2) The ways we’ve been taught to train our bodies are missing the mark
or 3) That our views on nutrition are incomplete
For the near future and with this business my intent is to convince you of 2) & 3).
Like with the title of this post, everything in terms of physical training can work.
High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT)
High Intensity Training(HIT)
German Volume Training
Grease The Groove
High Frequency Training
Circuits
Weights
Resistance Bands
etc
But what will work under less than ideal conditions?
Whatever training stimulus can work under the worst conditions could, when the conditions are pristine, propel one forward faster than any other stimulus / style of training.
Through the accounts of Alexander Zass, other training systems, and some experiences I was fortunate to have gone through I started to realize there was this alternative way…
…this efficient way.
That despite poor sleep or poor nutrition your body still adapts.
This is essentially out-training a bad diet, because we understand the human body a little bit better.
This alternative way calls into question the efficacy of other training stimuli that although can be fun and satisfying at times, are a round about path when we could have just gone straight.
It will also call into question those who don’t get results from workouts as much as the average, “Natty” (aka natural/no chemical enhancement) individual. Is it truly a problem of nutrition(stuffing one’s face with food) or not training hard enough? Or are the methods being advocated unnatural for the majority?
Strenuous muscular work does not build muscle. If it did, the hardest workers, particularly those who start in childhood, would be the biggest and strongest people. But the reverse is actually the case, because strenuous training and hard labour actually break down the muscular tissue.
We know that there are the rare cases of men who are able to train strenuously and show good physical development. But such persons are possessed of extraordinary powers of recuperation and they would get better results from more scientific methods of training. Some men are vitally strong enough to withstand several years of hard wear and tear on the organs, and it is these rare cases that are held up by advocates of strenuous training as proof of the efficacy of such training.
However, few people have the time or inclination for such unnatural methods, and it has been proven that by reasonable methods everyone is able to gain and maintain their full potentialities in health, strength and muscular development. I use the word maintain because only when a natural method is used can the training be continued throughout life. - Court Saldo The Maxalding System
Despite the inflation in what some people may call impressive in terms of physiques, what this system produced (which covered most of the 20th century) I would argue is more astounding. Not to mention many of these systems’ users reported good vitality throughout their lives.
It wasn’t about beating the body into submission with grueling work that would leave one exhausted and unable to train for the next few days. It was about frequently coaxing the body into growth and better performance. Although it was frequent each session didn’t take up much of one’s time. The reason this could be done was because of the stimulus one was using which is very different from the ones most know about today.
Pure and high quality muscle tension.
Reading material from this system, there were those who had poor work schedules and there were those who were vegetarian not having as much access to the bio-available protein some folk rave about…
Special note: assuming dietary protein matters along with the correct training but that’s a topic for another day hehe.
Most benefited from the system it seems like. This system of training was very similar to what Alexander Zass did while a POW and what he later advocated.
Now, by “Pure and high quality muscle tension” I don’t mean contracting your muscles till your eyes pop out. There should be a finesse to it. A pleasant feeling of activation and rejuvenation.
“Coax the muscles, do not force them. If undue force be used in an effort to secure quick results, the muscles will toughen, and your object will be defeated.” - (P 22 Maxick, Muscle Control)
It took me a long while to figure out what exactly Maxick was saying. Maybe I was just dumb and maybe you’ll get there before me... But not all muscle contractions are created equal.
It is my theory that the way we all know to flex our muscles, and what our muscles experience during weight lifting and advanced calisthenics is the lesser way…The…
“Muscles will toughen, and your object will be defeated.” - (P 22 Maxick, Muscle Control)
… way. It is this way that I also believe causes muscle soreness due to damage and it is muscle damage that is more correlation than causation when it comes to muscle growth or any adaptation.
This lesser way is mainly caused by outside influence be it weight or our own bodies against gravity. Our muscles contract but so does something else…possibly fascia as well. In addition to this the muscles that are necessary for the execution of a movement are in an activation match with those that are not necessary. This was one of the reasons that learning to activate the appropriate muscles while relaxing the others was an important pillar in the Maxalding System.
But there is this better way, that through the application of our mind activates the only necessary muscles. But if the use of the mind isn’t 100% efficient then other elements come into play making the muscle contractions less pleasant and more forceful causing it to be the lesser way. One can get sore from the lesser way of muscle contraction via the mind for I’ve done it plenty of times trying to get the exact feeling down.
The ultimate goal of this pure muscle tension is not so much force/intensity it’s nourishment….
One day, Mr. Tatham told me that when you pinch a muscle with your fingers you hinder or impede the blood flow in that muscle and then, when the muscle is released, the blood which was kept back, flows forward again with increased impetus.
“If you have a little stream of water,” he said, “and you hold back the flow by putting a spade across the small furrow, the water builds up behind the spade, and when you lift the spade again, that extra water runs forward strongly.” That simple picture made the idea very clear to me, and I responded by saying: “But, Mr. Tatham, if I make the muscle in my arm hard, the blood flow in the muscle must surely be slowed down?” “By Jove, you are right, Cottie,” he replied. “Then,” I went on, “when I relax the muscle again, the blood must fill it even better than usual for a few moments, and so if I contract my muscles extra hard and I relax them again, extra well, I will be creating a better blood flow in them, and as you have always told me that the blood is a river of nourishment,
I would be bringing extra food to the muscles as well as the nerve-centres, wouldn’t I, sir?” “Cottie,” said my teacher, “you have said something very important; it seems that it is not the exercise that develops the muscle but the blood that the exercise brings to the muscles.” Tromp Van Diggelen - Worthwhile Journey
Tromp was a mentor of Maxick but more in the business realm. They both however stumbled on this quality muscle tension/nourishment concept through their individual practice and contemplation.
“I was nonplussed and chagrined, when it dawned upon me that I was using and tiring my muscles instead of making them stronger. And then it occurred to me that it is not work, but nourishment which makes muscles strong. Exercise of the muscles, rational exercise, aids the muscles to obtain nourishment, but as I observed later, rational exercise must be accompanied by mental concentration on the muscles to be exercised.” - (P 11 Maxick, Muscle Control)
All this sounds almost too simple. It’s just blood? Saturating the muscles with enough blood so they adapt?
That may sound weird but I have to remind myself as well as notify you that there is a system of training that focuses on saturating the muscles with blood that has had some tremendous effects on those that use it…
KAATSU a system which uses arm bands that apply varying pressures(not just a tourniquet) to one’s upper or lower body extremities got it’s start in the 1960s by a Dr Yoshiaki Sato.
By hindering the bodies blood flow during exercise and releasing it at various moments(opening the flood gates) the bodies ability to circulate blood/ transporting oxygen and nutrients vastly improves.
Similar to what T.V. Diggelen mentioned above in his water stream analogy; with Kaatsu one has a piece of gear which they can accomplish this goal with.
But, muscle tension(either through mental application or other) properly applied can accomplish the same thing.
While we’re on the topic of blood flow I should bring up the concept of “Muscle Capillarization.” Capillaries are a branch of blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies and in this case our muscles. Muscle Capillarization increases the density of these blood vessels.
Greater density ——>
Greater oxygen and nutrient delivery——>
Greater adaptation to exercise/training
One of the ways this capillarization can be achieved is through high-reps(many up downs) or some long duration cardio. Which, being in a military environment throughout my college years I was definitely doing a significant amount of.
Toilet thought: It would be interesting to see the progress of an alternative universe/doopleganger version of myself that got into progressive calisthenics who did not train with high reps and longer duration cardio prior to.
Theorizing like I always do, maybe it’s not the duration that’s key for capillarization, but the fact that there’s a Goldie-locks/proper balance between blood flow, muscle activation, and muscle relaxation which many early 20th century strongmen discovered and taught to others.
It’s this balance, along with the absence/ mitigation of muscle damage is the type of training that will work and foster adaption under the worst conditions be it for muscle, strength, or endurance.
This spectrum is something I’ve been modifying for well over a year now.
On one side is inefficiency and on the other is efficiency.
On one side requires a high need for rest days, quality sleep, and a nutrition plan just as complex as a mission to Mars while on the other side requires minimal rest and some whole foods.
On one side is a moving from point A to B to elicit muscle activation and fatigue while on the other is high threshold muscle tension acquired by or accompanied by the mind with no range of motion.
I was taught for a good chunk of my life to do full range of motion. Performing a push-up? Start from the top, go down till your chest touches the floor, and then come back up.
Push-Ups
However, I like to research and ask questions. At a time when I was reconsidering many of the beliefs I’ve held since childhood I applied this to my workouts.
Being a lurker within the online calisthenics niche observing some of the bigger names I always found it interesting how some of those who spent time in prison performed repetitions that were not full range of motion.
I wouldn’t consider it partial range or “Lengthened Partials” if you recall that buzzword from some of the, “Science -Based” lifters on youtube. It was a maintaining of a range of motion, a tiny window if you will, of where the muscle tension would be the greatest and one’s movement would only occur within this small window till the desired stimulus for adaptation was achieved. Sometimes this would be when the muscles are in their lengthened position(lengthened partials) but not always. It also depends on the person.
Height
Bone Length
Muscle Insertions
Therefore some awareness of your own body or parts of your body are required. That will probably be the next article who knows.
But back to those who were in prison it’s well known that food inside the pen is not high quality. However despite this those who train in there or who have been released, have physiques that would put most fitness influencers, personal trainers, etc to shame. There are plenty of videos and articles speculating as to why this is but due to my background knowledge of most things Physical Culture(Maxick, Alexander Zass, etc) I saw why and it was constant tension…as well as the amount of sleep most convicts get in the pen.
I’m aware of the, “It’s genetics” or “Increased testosterone from a high stress environment” arguments but these might be influenced by folk’s lowly perspective of the average(their own) human body than rooted in actual truth.
Special Note: I’m aware of two youtubers(“Fast Energy” & “Get Right By Lucky”) who are both prior convicts and who talk about constant tension. One does it exclusively, the other does it as a finisher. You decide who is correct.
Range of motion but staying in this constant/high muscle activation window is the closest one can get to pure muscle tension but still be moving. Instead of energy being spent on ranges of motion that will not contribute to signalling muscle adaptation, all the energy goes to where it needs to for the purposes of eliciting a stimulus. I’ve noticed with myself it tends to be more exciting than focusing on just muscle tension through my mind. What does that Barbarians calisthenics group say?
“Health is wealth movement is medicine.”
Movement is therapeutic and although not moving and creating high degrees of muscle activation might be the most efficient path, it can get boring from time to time. So I like to mix and match based on a variety of factors. But as long as I train somewhere from the middle to the far right I know my body will adapt no matter what life throws at me.
But why do I have this focus on training while in an austere situation?
Because what will work when conditions are horrible, will sky rocket one’s progress when conditions are pristine.
Most of us in the modern world are in conditions that are pretty good. We’re not a POW like Alexander Zass was during his discovery. We have access to decent food, shelter with environmental controls, good clothing depending on where you buy it from, and more.
As someone who struggled to put back on the weight I had lost since college, especially between 2022-2024, as well as hearing what others are going through either in person or online I see a need for a training approach that will produce better results.
These results are achieved not due to some outside influence(weights, pills, & powders) but because there’s a better understanding of what the human body needs.
Yes, we can just train harder like the majority of the fitness world is telling us today…
Special Note: Keeping in mind this hard training will ultimately lead you towards more of the chemical solutions and aids that are being sold to you. More keep popping up every day. TRT, peptides, etc
…but we can coax our bodies into adaptation if we use the right methods and in this world that’s constantly striping us of our time and energy we need a better way to maintain and improve upon what we got. Because how we train matters so much more than just how we look…
"I only became a weightlifter in order to prove that the “control of the muscles” was the greatest consideration in the performance of feats of strength; and I reason, with obvious logic, that if I am able to perform feats of strength far beyond anything ever accomplished by the most scientific lifter at my weight, by controlling the muscles, I can put that power to a much greater use; in fact, to the greatest use of which this world is in need—to the curing of disease" (Maxick 7, How To Become A Great Athlete)
Once you get the hang of coaxing your body into adaptation, you will then be on your way to understanding how amazing our bodies are.
Thank you for reading, and have a good day.
Until next time…