The Simplest and Most Effective Strength Program

[@zacktelander]

Check out my patreon with over 50 programs for $5/month! patreon.com/zacktelander

[@hasanc1526]

Instruction unclear. Doing 3x5 bench press

[@christopherseat9871]

🤔

[@briccshitthouse]

🤣

[@bmstylee]

While drinking a gallon of milk with some hip draaaahhhhvvvveeee.

[@rylonyoung2971]

I love sets of fahve

[@hasanc1526]

@@rylonyoung2971 as long as you use hip drahve

[@freakied0550]

Can confirm, front squats are immaculate. My biggest deadlift PRs have always come on the heels of front squat training blocks.

[@zackhurwitz9441]

As Zack said in the video, I'd debate the single most important movement in strength/sports performance. S tier movement.

[@XSR_RUGGER]

Same here. I was doing light technique with snatch and c&j but the bulk of my training that was devoted to FS. I love and hate the FS

[@jarodbarker2375]

This is Pendlay's old program. Front squat, snatch grip deadlift, push press.

[@christopherseat9871]

Front Squattin has improved dramatically physically and mentally.

[@Dementia.Pugilistica]

These 3 exercises are almost the exact same in one day of a minimalist workout I built for low skill barrier to entry for sports with an explosive power demand (though I did snatch grip high pulls instead of SGDL and zercher squats were allowed as subtitute for front squat). The push press is a GOATed movement that I don't understand it's lack in popularity.

[@gotentk4]

why do you think bench press is more popular than push press?

[@MrSpicabooo]

@@gotentk4 simply bigger numbers, people like big numbers

[@strepie93]

@@gotentk4 Rise in popularity in the 1950s with the origin of powerlifting along with the adoption in bodybuilding. This popularised the movement in the general population since that became more mainstream later on, especially in the US and Europe.

[@utgardkraft1412]

It has low popularity because it is hard... doing more than 3 reps in it usually gets most people huffing and puffing. Its about ego, haha

[@retardno002]

​@@gotentk4 I think big chest is hard to resist for gym bros, so bench wins...

[@iielysiumx5811]

All 3 of these are in my routine, I front squat twice a week. I alternate between clean stance deadlifts and snatch grip deadlifts and alternate between push presses and strict press I can also back up Zack’s statement on front squats not deadlifting for 4 months I went back to movement one day for fun and added 15kg to my PR, so what Zack says about front squats is 100% true

[@momscastle]

A final fantasy 8 outro track? I see you're a man of culture

[@Feegle32]

“Push knees into the ground on the way up.” Just tried it and it’s absolutely the perfect cue!

[@andreasmovement3884]

We also have the weighted calisthenics total: muscle up, squat, dip and pullup

[@Paul-hl3lb]

That's the heart of my regiment. I alternate strict and push pressing, front and SSB squats, snatch grip deads and high pulls. Add in dips and pullups, sled, and maintenance work. Builds strength and aesthetics... I also do heavy cheat barbell rows instead of deads sometimes.

[@JavierTinggy]

Your program sounds great, would love to learn more about it in detail, particularly the sets and reps and splits!

[@markusf.7954]

thats the kind of content I love. Plain and simple, no bs, just improve. GREAT STUFF!!!

[@msitler1104]

i have never Olympic lifted...i have never crossfitted...i have done powerlifting...i am a bodybuilder at heart...i love this mans passion, i truly find you entertaining and i think Olympic lifts are way more of a spectators sport for sure. my question without sounding like a scrub is...y do freewieght squatting to build strength at all...the instabilities involved and lack of isolation which u try to achieve in the front squat are hindering your goals...the linear hack squat allows pushing to complete failure safely and isolates and development of the quads is superior...not saying to never do the lift it does require practice but the method of this strength building seems not optimal...zack if u read this please hit me up and let me know if uve ever tried them to enhance your skills b4

[@mrallison9968]

Makes great sense. Very appealing. One thing that surprises me is doing it only once a week. I’ve experimented with a lot of types of strength programmes and the thing that works for me is frequency and intensity; maxing out every day and switching out the movements when I start to stall is where I make the most progress, and these kinds of movements are perfect for it.

[@Craytonex]

Push press does wonders . Love to do them during my week

[@kurtdewhurst4883]

Great idea, great vid. I'm 57 and after spending first 14 months of Covid in Cambodia w plenty of gym closures, hard to find quality protien and then a broken toe I came back 2 years ago to ATX and was weak as hell. I was huffing n puffing doing 5 rep deadlifts w 135 lbs. Then I spent 6 months doing Dead Snatch Pulls instead but going slow on negative. I mostly did sets of 5. Never had any more than 100 lbs on bar. After 6 months I tried 185 lbs Deadlifts for sets of 5 and did it no problem. Then I did 205 lbs Deadlift for 4 reps. I never did 1 deadlift that entire 6 months and never did a Dead Snatch PULL more than 100 lbs. You speak the truth Zach... Thanks

[@cheapR1]

I guess great minds think alot: Alan Thrall included front squats and push press to his top 10 exercises

[@TheLyingFigure]

I've been trying to get my friends to focus on front squats and snatch grip deadlifts more. I added them in after getting a sikastrength program and it's hard to describe but I feel over all more athletic compared to before and along with my squat and clean going up substantially I also now deadlift more convential than I do sumo which is secretly what everyone wants.

[@fernetbranca9]

Would be sick to see a collab with Dane from Garage Strength

[@zackhurwitz9441]

Saying this before completing the video. Z press gave me crazy good results while I wasn't training bench press. Basically, find the most disadvantaged variant of the movements you seek to improve, and max them out as safely/effectively as possible.

[@Wo1fLarsen]

Yeah, I can see someone getting pretty frigging strong doing these consistently.

[@jeroldjacobs5563]

The elusive frontsquatch roaming the forest with huge quads and enviable t-spike mobility.

[@AJAllen31]

What do you mean T-Spike mobility?

[@Frennemydistinction]

​@@AJAllen31t spine? (Thoracic spine)

[@Nemo-nm1ef]

Grams and grams of winstrol.

[@ytano5782]

It is nice to hear, that front squat is so hight rated. I really struggle with back squats, because of my long legs.

[@dadbod5851]

Cool part is they compliment each other in a single workout as well. Back when I was in college almost 20 years ago now I could only train 2x per week and this was one of my days exactly. Closest I ever got to dunking a basketball at 5’6”, 3 fingers on top of rim.

[@jacksonduncan5348]

Love the zynachino throw at the start

[@chillier8363]

A cue for the SDL I’ve heard that I found helpful was “legs strong Low back working”

[@bmstylee]

Starting to program for next week. Gonna get these in the mix.

[@mikaelholth8768]

one off your best videos

[@haraldodunkirk1432]

Love pushpress, such an underrated one.

[@PcCAvioN]

I have back issues and back squats mess me up, but front squats help everything.

[@davidrioux611]

Can’t agree with you anymore. Awesome video!

[@jasongoodwin3574]

Final fantasy music at the end was a real treat

[@CraigularjJoeWoodworks]

This guy has a Sleeper build. He’s strong in a way that makes you wonder how he doesn’t look like Ronnie Coleman

[@HimFinancial]

Ive trained pretty hard three days in a row but I have to try this tomorrow

[@kevinprowse406]

All I did was snatch cj and fs for three years, and pr’d on back squat , bench press, chest to bar pull-ups , thrusters, muscle ups increased without practicing them .

[@espinozapy]

Really, you're videos are so damn enjoyable. Amazing camera angles and awesome content/info.

[@atviking]

dude that knees down que has helped my zercher squat a lot. I dont have the mobility with really long arms for the front squat.

[@GirlsLiftBro]

I agree to all of those lifts! Good choices!!

[@gnperdue]

Yep, these three are a perfect foundation.

[@natesgeekychannel]

Awesome info and that tune that played at the end of your video😀FF8 classic

[@yagsipcc287]

I am 31 years old and have been training since I was 15-16 on and off mostly on and also done Martial arts for several years as well, I trained mostly "like a bodybuilder" the last 8 months or so I have changed to a more strenght based training my deadlift went from like 175kg or so to now 240kg, my current goal is to get to 250kg then focus more on my squat that is currently 190kg.

[@LucasDimoveo]

How much do you weigh?

[@yagsipcc287]

@@LucasDimoveo 92.7kg as of Monday, I have been dropping in weight for a while now while all my lifts go up. I am not lean but not a fat slob ha I am 5foot 6.5 inches as well I am pretty big even more so for my height. Want to drop down to around 80-82kg (around my fight weight) just have more size now than when I was fighting.

[@LucasDimoveo]

@@yagsipcc287 you are super strong! I’m 5’7 at 190lbs /88kg, and can’t back squat over 184kg

[@yagsipcc287]

@@LucasDimoveo Thanks bud :-) My Squat is down a little bit since I have been putting so much into my deadlifts I have 3 days to train I work 4 days all 12-13 hours long all nightwork. So my training days are Back, Legs and chest with some accesoris work. change the order around but its starting to take its tole tbh, going to throw in some more volume work every other week should help a bit. But thanks :-) working hard and alot of it is mental in my eyes. Keep it going bud :-)

[@filipedecastro4718]

it's almost like you can run "starting strenght" with those variations only hahaha pretty cool man!

[@standingo77]

I hated doing aB workouts and couldn’t find my depth or groove in back squat . I did nothing but front squat for three months . Progressing from 135 to 285. As a result my core became solid and when I tried back squat it blew up by 40+ pounds

[@sandrovarsa]

Clean Pull/Snatch Balance/BTN Snatch Grip Press would be another sick total 🗿

[@wykelized]

Holy cow that outro song took me through the nostalgia machine.

[@danielfortuna2001]

Awesome 👍. I'm just getting started with resistance training I hope to start doing these lifts someday

[@pwilsonkelly]

I've chopped it even simpler than that. Clean and press with a front squat between the clean phase and the press phase.

[@Smudg3lord]

That’s called a thruster.

[@louns1559]

Love the content ZT. Gonna get one of those shirts, great design!

[@EMarinoTrumpet]

Can't snatch at my home gym but this gives me ideas on how to add the snatch movement at home. Will have to strict press while seated too :(

[@frankiemendez4601]

I usually start with push press, followed by front squat, then snatch deadlift with last set adding shrugs.

[@ShineDawg]

fantastic depth

[@Itsadrianyay]

can we PLEASE invent the front squatch

[@berwarld]

Great video and great content ! Nice work Zack !

[@hampusmodigs8326]

Great stuff!

[@Ktotheyle]

Great video

[@RodrigoApSouza1998]

it really worked for me

[@Lucafir]

Me and my friends do powerlifting two totals. Front squat, OHP, and zercher dl. Or PW3 zercher squt. Weight dip, jefferson dl

[@seanwardell846]

I must agree with your comments on the front squat. I got into Olympic lifting in my late 40's and had done a few years of powerlifting previously. I got my front squat up to 185 kg, and I found that I was the strongest I had ever been, was awesome seeing as I love doing front squats! I found I was way stronger in general than powerlifting ever made me

[@mactimo333]

what is it now? how old are you now? Just curious, I'm 52 and approaching 140 kilos

[@sin7wu]

Final Fantasy 8 Music. Instantly Subscribed lol.

[@00Weightlifting]

There is also the Pendlay total. Max Clean, Squat And Push Press.

[@jacobslump]

A few days ago I hit my first 200kg front squat after not training it… pretty much ever. I do think the deadlift and low-bar squat train the front squat.

[@LucasDimoveo]

How does the low bar have transfer to the front squat?

[@rustysausage69]

One thing that really helped me break the mental barrier: VIDEO. Look at yourself in a vid like you would another person; if you'd say to that person "You had more in you" then do more. If your strength is there, the Pig Squat routine helped me quite a bit actually, the first 2 times I did it in pounds I had a PR at 445 then the second one at 450lbs after the final single. You just get into a flow-state where you're not looking at the weight like the number says, you're thinking its only 20lbs heavier than the prior set.

[@Craig_Alexander]

My brain subconsciously thought your order was weird. Glad i wasnt the only one 😂

[@jordanguernsey7716]

I’ve come to really enjoy front squats and push presses! Nothing against snatch grip deads either, I just have such a heavy deadlift relative to everything else I don’t worry much about it or any variation lol. But a good lifting day where front squats or PP are moving well always makes me feel really good and strong.

[@bastikickl3828]

I will try thx !

[@erossalazar2689]

Mic on the floor destroyed my ears using earphones 😂

[@aykbrammann8690]

There's also the other total. Consist of: Clean, Bench press & OHS

[@jimhollywood2763]

The most technical and powerful lift in this case should go first. The Push Press.

[@thewarneabool]

There’s a high unilateral/bilateral debate in S&C. Love to hear about your thoughts and if you include anything? Obviously your sport is bilateral, but there have been benefits seen that translate to bilateral movements. Keen to hear what you think - your 1 regular female viewer

[@danielfarrell3534]

Bilateral movements allow more force and more weight to be lifted = greater strength stimulus. Unilateral are good for strengthening smaller stabilisation muscles but won't necessarily increase your overall strength. I don't really do them just cos they tale twice as long to do in a session 😆

[@sportybeth]

Yeeees!! So I don’t deadlift barely ever and my deadlift when up 20kg from my lifetime pb and 40kg from my most current deadlift 1rm just from doing squats and oly lifting.

[@shotokankaratedude89]

This video is so cool! I was thinking of doing un A and B training like SS but with these movements. A: Front squat Push press Clean grip deadlift Row B: High bar squat BTN push press Snatch grip deadlift Snatch grip rows What do you think? Wh

[@calebeustaceburgess5508]

Front squat is definitely the one.

[@micahkitchens2480]

Do you ever use bands on your strength lifts for explosive training?

[@culpritdesign]

I'm calling it front squatch from now on. You are so strong Zack, it's always motivating to watch your videos. Does anyone know if it's normal to only be able to front squat like 30% of your standard back squat?

[@mactimo333]

definitely not normal. if you just started with front squat there is some learning curve involving thorasic stability and lat flexibility and ankle mobility that may be inhibiting your progress. Check out some videos on these also start doing some standing overhead push press a few times a week as they go well with front squat progress imo

[@athletesworld349]

I don't ubderstand the scheme, it is 8x3 scheme and you're hit the maximus at the 8 set?

[@Smudg3lord]

3 rep max. keep adding weight until you can’t do 3 reps anymore.

[@SKELETMANE]

Zyn chads stay winning

[@kurtfranklin2680]

Great workout. But, yeah. I’d do the presses first or second.

[@tristan1332]

Starting Strength has entered the chat.

[@liuwang2201]

No Bench is a 1920s style BODYBUILDER’S PHYSIQUE

[@justvis1326]

What is perfect about this final pull set, to me it looked like it was all back work

[@aych131]

This really puts into perspective how strong Zack is. I have much better leverages for the push press and can do 102kg x3 for rpe 9, meanwhile this lanky orangutan armed giraffe is warming up with it.

[@scorpleeon]

I fear and love front squats lol working on my knee health before I get back under a bar to do any squats at all tho. By June I think

[@juanchaves9845]

Classic Balamb Garden W

[@embro6474]

And that is how you choose weights to progress. In first push press session you already have 10,66 in scale 1-10 and next time you can not even get second rep of your 3rep set.

[@scottwhitley258]

Good stuff…some of these new age programs overcomplicate things IMO and I’m a big proponent of “KISS: Keeping It Simple Stupid.” Dude is strong, too, to be relatively lanky.

[@Jerzius]

Should do more front squats. Noted!

[@quadzilla5261]

What are your qualifications and accomplishments in Olympic weightlifting?

[@kozanostra243]

Man, your push press is really impressive. How come its so easy for you?

[@originalguckfoogle]

He is cheating himself by using his legs to give himself momentum. Don't do that, use less weight and strict form, also take 3 whole seconds to come back down from the bar in the top position to reset. If you do this you will have more success and don't forget to add 3%-5% more weight to every work out and AMRAP your last set.

[@gabrielkurtz4624]

@@originalguckfoogle using your legs for momentum is the exact definition of a push press. Watch the video

[@Joe-wt6eh]

​@@originalguckfoogle hahah

[@thematthewsteele]

13:41 I think Squanchy would agree. "I should have front squanched."

[@LucasDimoveo]

I have found that clean deadlifts and clean pulls have helped accelerate my clean from 85kg to 130kg. Do you think that replacing the clean deadlift with the snatch deadlift would be a better move? I’m afraid of messing with something that works

[@eltennis]

If it works for you don't change a thing. They're just giving suggestions for people who are looking for different ideas

[@buddha1805]

Trying new things.. gave this ago but nowhere near as heavy.. first time ever doing front squat bar never touched my shoulders.. not flexible enough so added back squat.. but thanks for the vid

[@claytonbigbsy3880]

Dude these are good lifts! You are strong!! Good lifts for overall strength increase?

[@DryWallKyle1992]

Barbell movement tier list when?

[@AnAmateurAdventurer]

Frontsquatch is Sasquatch but with giant quads

[@tsalt]

wondering if we can substitute a conventional deadlift with the snatchgrip deadlift? why or why not?

[@samuelgaspar4742]

Excelent video. I agree that the front squat is a awesome exercise, but saying that increases the deadlift by itself i don't know. The athlete who did that didn't deadlift but i am certain that he did weightlifting pulling movements that strengthened the upper body which the front squat don't do directly. Just a quick question what do you think is the perfect ratio between the squat and the front squat for weightlifting and for powerlifting respectively? Thanks

[@LucasDimoveo]

Catalyst Athletics has these ratios online

[@SR-fd7mw]

Sure I will start this simple but fucking hard training program.

[@SirJoange]

for me they're pull ups, press and back squats

[@johngutierrez2687]

I feel like this needs pull ups. But it’s a solid program