Train For The Outdoors: Push. Pull. Carry.

Written By: Joseph Andreasen

For the first workout of the series, we’ll be doing a classic 10 reps for 3 sets format targeting the Push, Pull, Squat, and Carry movements.

The goal is to choose a variation of each of these movements that matches your needs and equipment and will safely take you close to muscular or technical failure in around 10 reps, then repeat each movement for 3 rounds.

Here are some classic examples of each of these movements. Pick one from each group and perform 10 reps each for 3 sets.

Push- Bench press (with dumbbells or barbell), push ups, overhead press, dips, etc.

Pull- Bent over rows (with dumbbells or barbell), pull ups (assisted or not), etc.

Squat (lots of choices here)- Air squat, back squat, front squat, box squat (good for beginners), shrimp squat, pistol squat, etc

Carry- the idea here is to carry something heavier than what you would normally carry for a predetermined distance. You can equal the weight in each hand or carry the weight on one side and switch hands at intervals.

What does it mean to train until failure?

Technical failure is when muscle fatigue causes you to alter your technique to complete another rep. Technical failure can be a little more dangerous, but proper technique exists as the safest or most efficient way to perform a movement. If you reach technical failure, then you should choose to not do any more reps that set and take a short rest.

Muscle failure is when the ATP in the muscle runs out and the lactic acid builds up to a point that muscle fibers can’t contract with enough force to accomplish a concentric contraction. In lay terms, its the feeling during an exercise that you can’t perform another rep because the muscle is just too tired. When you rest from that movement, your body makes more ATP and flushes out lactic acid. That’s why you are able to do more reps after a little rest.
In general, muscle failure is a good thing. It signals to the body that it should recover to be stronger for the next time it is put under that kind of stress. This is where you start to grow bigger and stronger muscles.

Remember that seeing results requires consistent effort multiple times a week for months. The payoff is worth it though. The feeling of gaining new ability because of your own hard work is hard to match. Keep working out and keep testing yourself in your favorite outdoor sport.