Self Limiting Exercises- A Key to Long Term Programming For The Graybeard First Responder (or anyone)
What are some tools that allow us to train hard and maintain our fitness as we progress through our careers?
As we get older in the tactical world we should continue to train hard not only our craft, but also in the gym. These symbiotic endeavors create the complete Solider or Police Officer...you really can’t have one without the other. In a previous article, I made the argument that chasing Personal Records (PRs) can be problematic if we don’t try and build some natural brakes into our programming. This article will explore a tool to accomplish that. The concept of “Self limiting” exercise variations can mean many things when we search the term. I’ll define what I mean by this, and how I use them to keep first responders/tactical types healthy as they get deeper into their careers.
I have said many times, when you try to explain concepts like this to motivated populations (especially if they’re still in their 20’s) you’re usually called soft. I get it, we all go through a phase where we love to mix our preworkout with an energy drink and chase it with a shot of espresso before we go into the weight room wearing obnoxiously short shorts (I am looking at you, SF). Our elevated heart rate from the stimulants we’ve ingested serves as our warm-up, and we immediately knock out some heavy bench presses and back squats. A few days later conventional deadlifts, barbell shoulder presses, and weighted pull ups...all tried and true movements and I applaud their proper use.
The problem is as we get older, combined with the stresses of the job, some of those movements just don’t agree with us. Or we at least can’t do them for months in a row like we used to. I’m not sure if it’s the locked bar path or the years of overuse but some people just seem to have problems with them as they age. For the people I work with it’s usually around 30 where these incredibly active people start to say things like:
“Bench press always hurts my shoulder.”
“My lower back always kills me after back squats.”
“Conventional deadlifts hurt my back.”
Now let’s remember these people aren’t slouches. They’re usually in incredible shape but they live with pain despite performing at a very high level. This works...for a while, but when you start creeping up to your mid thirties and beyond something will give. What was usually just an ache will turn into more once we start getting a little gray in our beards.
Reasonable load, volume, intensity, and heart rate ranges are all part of the equation for productive strength and conditioning programs. Regardless of how you train, sound workout structure should always have all the major human movements included in some capacity. Years ago I read these in Dan John’s earlier work on how to classify these movements:
Push
Pull
Squat
Hinge
Loaded Carries
I’d also add in various ab exercises and single leg work, but this is a big picture view. As a general rule, as long as you don’t neglect one of these movement patterns in your training you are probably ahead of 90% of the population. This doesn’t mean you can’t work in machines or single joint movements, it just means it shouldn’t be the focus of your programming.
A simple program that could check all these boxes would be:
Bench Press
Pull Up
Back Squat
Deadlift/Romanian Deadlift
Heavy Carries
Hanging Leg Raise
This would be a phenomenal program and a variation of this could be completed 3-4 times a week for a high school or college athlete with a decent coach. Notice the age group I mentioned combined with this program and frequency- teenage years to mid to late twenties. For those with more city miles on them it might still be a great program- if load and volume management is taken seriously. However for many, if they did a variation of this three times a week by the third week their shoulders and lower back wouldn’t like them and by the fourth week they’d have a small nagging muscle strain that sets their training back. Sometimes this can be mitigated by keeping your ego in check but for anyone that has spent time in these communities- good luck with that.
What can we do as we start approaching 40 but still want to get after it? The principles of the program above are sound, but if you have built up a decent level of strength the systemic load of this will almost certainly beat you down. We still need to work in the basic human movements. How do we do that and continue to work hard?
Enter Self Limiting Exercises
A common trend I see with older tactical/combat athletes is they can handle one workout a week like I outlined above, but then the rest of the week needs to be more forgiving variations of the movements, complemented with sensible loading. Or if they prefer doing the big movements throughout the week typically what I have done, and have others do, is one or two “big” lifts in the workout then the rest of the workout is assistance exercises. Usually the assistance work are variations of the basic human movements outlined above, but are often “self limiting” in their design.
General Rules of “Self Limiting” Exercises:
It doesn’t hurt.
The exercise can be challenging without excessive loading- But these can still be “heavy.”
The position of the load requires solid technique to complete the lift.
In Part II on this topic I will cover several examples of what I am trying to articulate, but for now I’ll just use one example, the Double Kettlebell Front Squat:
Dan John demonstrates the technique in the video, showing a KB clean , and then completes the squat.
Why is this self limiting?
You have to clean the weight to your chest to get into the position. This will immediately limit the load for some until they get a stronger.
The load is positioned in the front of the body- As the weight increases this requires serious tension throughout the midsection, arms, chest, and upper back.
If you lose tension, dip too far forward, etc- You will not be able to hold the Kettlebells and they will end up on the floor- built in brakes- idiot proof.
This won’t require serious loading to get great benefit from it- 2 x 32K (about 70lbs each) Kettlebells will be plenty for most.
Ideally the exercise itself is a teaching tool.
Point #5 might be most important. To do this exercise you have to do it to at least a B+ level. With a back squat you can trick yourself into “squatting” a very heavy load simply because you did some horrific hybrid good morning/squat movement that will later help pay off a physical therapist’s student loans. With this exercise, when you squat down, if your lower body comes up first...see point #3.
In the end your primary job is to patrol the streets, maneuver on the enemy, or be a fit citizen…if your strength and conditioning program is hindering that it might be time to rethink how you train.
Part II of this series will provide more exercise examples, and Part III will have an example 4 week program.
Another good article from Long term training. 👍🏼