The Path
I exited I-70 to access a gas station right off the dark, quiet highway. Prior to this several hour stretch of driving, I had stopped off in Harrisburg to take my application to reactivate my PA athletic training license almost straight to the doorstep of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. I had been working in north NJ for 4 years and was trying to make a change. On this drive, I then battled through traffic and construction around Pittsburgh. After a lot of time behind the wheel by myself, I badly needed a pitstop. There seemed to be a lot of activity at this gas station/pizza shop with a fireworks store next door about 30 minutes outside of Columbus, OH. I was definitely a little delirious and went inside to use the bathroom and buy more energy drinks. I, of course, made sure my precious gym bag, pressure cooker, and 25 lb bag of rice were safely stored before making my way inside. This marked the beginning of 2021. We made it through the initial insanity of the pandemic, but things had started to stir up again in the midst of a cold winter. The college I worked for shut down in-person activities, temporarily, once again. Everyone was a little on edge, but I was trying to learn more and get around people I respected and admired. I was trying to determine the next direction in my life and this weekend was a big turning point. It obviously revolved around one of the things I love most, lifting weights.
I had to make it there first and I left that gas station a little loopy. A horse and buggy came barreling down the road. What seemed like a good idea, at the time, was to turn right and follow the buggy down the dark road. This took me on backroads that ran along I-70 and it was interesting, to say the least. This weekend, the stage of my life, and the overarching metaphorical concept, encompasses a lot of big ideas for me (and likely makes no sense to anyone else). I drove down this road, which was inefficient, yet still got me where I wanted to go. A detour, but still an acceptable route. You look at these roads of training and life and the path has to be selected. Will that path take you directly to the destination? Oftentimes, no. Some may start down that path and turn around. Maybe for others, they are so apprehensive they can’t even select a path to start on. I haven’t walked a particularly efficient path, but I stuck to it. It took me a number of different ways, one of which included Columbus to visit Wenning Strength and train with Matt Wenning and his crew.
The session at Wenning Strength was max effort upper extremity. We did close-grip floor press with 200 lb of chains on the bar. What I really wanted to talk about though was the warm-up. The “Wenning Warm-Up” is a concept I recently did a YouTube video on. Matt has done a great job bringing this approach back into the forefront of strength training. He admitted though, when talking to Dave Tate, that he got the idea when he called up Flex Wheeler and asked what he thought was the most effective rep range to build muscle (Wenning, 2022). Flex responded with 25’s because the low-intensity didn’t impart as much stress, but the high-volume created a huge potentiation for increased muscle growth and general physical preparedness (Wenning, 2022). He discussed how this helped him build the GPP necessary to be successful in the upcoming powerlifting meet (Wenning, 2022). I would argue this concept also aims at GPP/work capacity for the training block and being able to do more work, while having higher tolerance to fatigue and stress. Thus, making each subsequent block more successful. Reduced stress on joints, stronger muscles and tendons, and a more primed machine means less injury risk. It is an uncomfortable work load to take on and by no means a short cut. It is a long winding road reserved for those ready to put in effort and push limits.
At Wenning Strength, we selected 4 movements to perform for the warm-up. We did lat pulldown with a fat bar, as well as DB lateral raises. Rolling tricep extensions with DB’s on an incline were also incorporated, while also taking the opportunity to try out Matt’s very unique tricep extension bench. Flat bench bottoms-up KB presses with hands on the top-side of the bell, under the handle, were used to prime the max effort movement for the day. Matt explained that these were more chest focused, while the floor pressing would be based around triceps. So we were using a similar position, but also hitting a muscle that wouldn’t receive as much stimulus with the main movement. Overall, it was a very good session that I took a lot away from. The crew moved very fast and we got all the work completed in a little over 1 hour. At the time, I had less tolerance for this pace and ended up pressing 225 for 2 reps with 200 lb of chains on the bar. I would like to think my training and journey has brought me to the capability of a better showing in the present day. These ideas represent a lot for me. It’s the level of commitment and dedication to the process that I admire in these training concepts. You can’t do this warm-up style for 1-3 weeks and expect to experience any results. Matt talked about doing it for 9 months before he saw the end result at his powerlifting meet (Wenning, 2022). Imagine the thoughts of the stereotypical powerlifter who works only in the rep range of 1-5. Now you are asking for 25 reps on multiple exercises. This is crazy! It is crazy, but like many things in life, it is working the long game with the goal of building something much bigger than you have ever experienced.
The act of strength training, the people I’ve met as a result, and the places I’ve gone have had such an impact on my life. I talked about this idea of the path and related it to the warm-up, the journey to Ohio, and the steps we take in general to further ourselves. For a couple years now, I’ve looked at that dark, unknown path as the same choice as performing the “Wenning Warm-Up” and the other decisions I’ve made in training and life. Will completing this routine allow you to lift more on the first, second, or even third session. The answer is a hard no. You likely won’t be acclimated to this rep range and especially not as a pre-exhaust method before the main work. The GPP demands will be very high and most will have to suffer and get through it. But after weeks and months of consistent effort, the progress will be beautiful. I talked about taking actions with my professional license in the state of PA, where I had not practiced athletic training for several years at the time. I was leaving a good job, with a solid place to live, to move back home with my parents. I was switching gyms and moving a bunch of equipment. In the end, I met the love of my life and we got engaged. We now have a family of 2 kids, 3 dogs, and a home, with a garage gym. My life changed drastically for the better and it’s because I took the journey down the unknown path. That path did not show me the results I wanted right away and I had chances to turn around with other job opportunities. Even at 9 months I didn’t see the results I desired, but I kept moving forward and here I am today. I wrote this while reflecting on an incredibly random trip and relating a small principle, relative to the broad scope of strength training, to all the choices and paths we have in life. For me, I know it makes sense because this was the point where everything started to change. I just didn’t know it yet. The work still had to be done.
References
Wenning, M. (2022, June 15) 121 - Matt Wenning on his Warm-up, Westside, and Turds? (Video). Youtube.