What Will Get You the Best Results of Your Life

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Tamio “Tommy” Kono, the legendary Olympic weightlifting champion and Mr. Universe, has an interesting way of looking at training. Imagine you have a test tube filled with your workout ability, he says. Each time you train, you should spill out just a little bit of the test tube. You refill your tube with recovery tools and rest days.

The problem, Kono says, is that most people’s training involves emptying the test tube and never giving it enough time to refill. Rather, they keep pouring out more and more until injury, illness, or apathy arrive. Sadly, all three often happen at the same time.

In order to make continuous progress and stay healthy, you need to think of your workouts as daily “performances” in the weight room instead of going all out and depleting your test tube.

Renowned Russian strength coach Pavel Tsatsouline uses this exact philosophy with his 40-day workout program. It requires daily reasonable workouts using light to medium-heavy loads.

Here’s how it works: Pick five lifts that you know well and choose weights that you know you can lift without much effort. Your goal is to never miss a rep. Then, do the same workout for 40 days. Go as light as you need to go–but don’t go over 10 reps for any movement. When the weights feel too light, gradually increase the weight.

I’ve tried a lot of programs from Olympic lifting to Crossfit to bodybuilding to Soviet Squat cycles. But I made the best gains of my career with this program. When I first tried it, I broke lifetime records in all the lifts.

The strength program works because it’s simple. You get the work done and gently nudge yourself along. You are striving to become a bit more “machine-like” in your training. By following it, you become a professional strength athlete who can show up at anytime and any place and make the lifts.

Ready to try it? Pick five movements that hit the whole body. I like the bench press, the front squat, the pullup, the curl, and the Ab Wheel rollout. Five days a week, walk into the gym and go. Remember: Never miss a rep. In fact, never come close to missing a rep.

If you want to use my recommended exercises, start with the pullup. For the first few workouts, I suggest doing 10 total reps of the move as easily as you can. Add weight if you can do it without straining. Follow your pullups with the bench press, front squat, and curl, using the rep schemes below. With the Ab Wheel rollout, just do either one set of ten or two sets of five every workout.

People always ask about a warmup before trying the program and I usually tell them–counter to everything they’ve heard–not to worry about it. Yesterday’s “light” workout is today’s warmup, so to speak. It all builds on itself.

Day One: Do two sets of 5 reps. Use light weights you can crush.
Day Two: Do three sets of 3 reps. For the last set, use a heavier weight than day one.
Day Three: Do one set of 10 reps. Use light weights.
Day Four: Rest
Day Five: Do two sets of 5 reps. Use weights that are heavier than day one, but still allow you to hit every rep.
Day Six: Do five sets of 2 reps. Add weight each set (it only has to be 5-to-10 pounds).
Day Seven: Rest

Repeat for eight weeks.

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What Will Get You the Best Results of Your Life