NAked Warrior - ZANDERBILT

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Let’s examine the component parts:
T H E P U R P O S E F U L P R I M I T I V E
6 The trapezius muscles sit atop the collar bones and run downward to mid-back
6 The rear deltoids lie behind the anterior deltoids
6 The rhomboids and teres are nestled in and around the shoulder blades
6 The latissimus dorsi starts at the armpits and end at the buttock muscles
6 The spinal erectors run from traps to tailbone and are shaped like twin Anacondas
The back muscles need to be shock-blasted using big, raw, sweeping, free weight exercises
that cause the back muscles to work explosively and in sequential fashion. We pick movements
done with two hands that require you to move a heavy object over a maximum
range-of-motion (ROM) pulling and tugging upwardly. This stimulates back muscles with
a thoroughness that needs to be experienced. This is a timeless routine and all of us, regardless
our level, need to perform this routine identically. The poundage used varies according
to ability, but technique does not.
A concentrated dose of Progressive Pulls does physiological wonders. This is a “Big Man”
routine and as my comrade Kirk Karwoski might say, “Time to put away the pretty pink
plastic Barbie dumbbells and get freaking serious!” Obviously a Purposeful Primitive will
routinely perform the Progressive Pulls. If done with the requisite gusto this routine should
only be done once a week. The idea is to establish initial poundage baselines in each exercise
using crisp correct technique. Over time you increase poundage with no erosion or
degradation of technique.
Increase poundage or reps on the top set of each exercise for six straight weeks (or
longer). Avoid technical disintegration: if execution gets sloppy and you persist in continuing,
nasty injury awaits you. Welcome to the Thunderdome. Are you ready to bite into
something substantial? Can you wean yourself away from all that happy-time, cottoncandy
machine-centric back training? Can we toss the lat pulldowns? Do you want to take
a seat at the adult table? To make dramatic physical progress you will have to stroll into the
pain zone. Actually the pain zone should more accurately be called the discomfort zone.
Pain, real pain, is the indicator to immediately stop what you’re doing.
You cannot trigger muscle hypertrophy (the irreducible root-core goal of progressive
resistance exercise) by training sub-maximally. Unless you brush up against the lip of the
limit envelope you can forget all about altering the shape of your body. The body does not
favorably reconfigure itself in response to sub-maximal effort. Each day is different and
limit capacity might differ significantly day to day, week to week. Regardless the limit of
capacity on a particular day, if the stress imposed is not significant, nothing of significance
will occur.
For complete information on Marty Gallagher’s The Purposeful Primitive, or to
purchase the physical book, visit http://www.dragondoor.com/b37.html now