Though a powerlifter is only judged by their ability to squat, bench press, and deadlift, conditioning can play an important role in work capacity, recovery, and general health. But this doesn't mean it has to be overly complicated, high-intensity, or require expensive equipment. For today's Table Talk, Dave responds to a question about the best tools a powerlifter can use for conditioning:
"What are the three best conditioning tools for a powerlifter?"
1. Getting Off Your Ass
This one is simple: just get up and go walk. Go down the street, around the block, whatever — just go for a short walk. Do it every morning as soon as you get out of bed. Try it, even for just two weeks, and your training will be better.
2. The Sled
The sled is lightweight, easy to take in and out of the gym, and isn't expensive to purchase. With a sled you can do the traditional walking with the strap attached to your waist, going forward, backward, or sideways. There also a number of other movements you can do with the upper body straps, such as front raises, rear delt raises, and flyes.
With the sled work, the main thing to recognize is the recovery benefit. There is no eccentric contraction other than your own bodyweight, which enables you to pump a ton of blood into the muscles and recover more quickly.
3. The Prowler
The Prowler ranks closely behind the sled, falling only because it is a little heavier and less convenient. The Prowler can be used in all the ways that the sled can—for both the lower and upper body—but it can also be pushed with the high handles or low handles.
With the Prowler, Dave says to keep in mind that you need to ease into it. The goal isn't to puke — even if the idea of the Prowler Flu was fun, you won't gain anything as a powerlifter by doing a dozen Prowler sprints and then vomiting to end the session. Just because it can be used for that kind of work, and may be beneficial to other types of athletes, does not mean that it should be used for that type of work in a powerlifting program.
You Are NOT A Savage!
