Easy Strength Program Review

Author

Dan John and Pavel

Special Focus

None

Specialty Equipment

None (although it couldn’t hurt to have a couple kettlebells and/or dumbbells to vary exercise selection)

Prerequisite Skills

• Squat variation (goblet, barbell back squat, front squat, etc)
• Press variation (overhead press, barbell bench press, etc)
• Deadlift variation (barbell, trap bar, kettlebell, suitcase, etc)

Program Overview

The Easy Strength program was developed by Dan John (with the help of Pavel Tsatsouline) to help athletes and lifters gain strength through daily (or near daily) submaximal training of compound lifts/movements.

The length of the program is ultimately the trainee’s choice, though the original plan was mapped out for a 40 day training cycle.

In Dan John’s write up of the program, Even Easier Strength, he explains several ways the workouts can be programmed including, but not limited to the following:

• One way is simply performing the same exercises and the same rep and set schemes 5-7 days/week for 40 days without any variation other than the weight the lifter “feels like lifting” that day.
• In another example, he programs training sessions in waves (5×5, 6×1, 3×2, etc).
• He also outlines a version where he focuses on unilateral training (i.e., train the left side of your body one day, and the right another).
• In several examples, he changes the lift variations after every two week block (e.g., switch from flat bench press to incline bench press).

The charm of this program (as well as the frustration for folks who want to be told exactly what to do), is that you can run it just about any way you want to, as long as you stick to it’s main tenants:

• Treat the workout like practice.  Focus on the technique of the lifts involed, not necessarily how much weight you’re moving; strength will follow as you gain proficiency in the movement.
• Always train submaximally; often with a load you might warm up with.
• Never miss a rep.  Ever.
• Stay consistent.  As you’re rarely training near a max, workouts need to be very frequent (again, almost daily) in order for the program to “work”.
• Don’t go over 10 reps in any lift (with the exception of occasional explosive work, like kettlebell swings).

In the vanilla version of the workout (the original “40 day workout”), the following guidelines were given by Pavel:

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For the next forty workouts, pick five lifts. Do them every workout. Never miss a rep, in fact, never even get close to struggling. Go as light as you need to go and don’t go over ten reps for any of the movements in a workout. It is going to seem easy. When the weights feel light, simply add more weight.

The workout template looked something like this:

• Press movement: 2 sets of 5 reps
• Pull movement: 2 sets of 5 reps
• Hinge movement: 2 sets of 5 reps
• Squat movement: 2 sets of 5 reps
• Loaded carry: vary the distance and/or load every day

Again, there are many ways to vary this program and progress accordingly as long as the principles of the program listed previously are followed.  The workouts are frequent, but they’re also quick and easy (hence the name).

In the article, John discusses also using this program to help new lifters learn fundamental loaded movement patterns (e.g., goblet squats instead of back squats), as well as implementing the program to focus on corrective exercises (e.g., unilateral training for assymetries).

Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline also wrote a book discussing the program in depth (often anecdotally), as well as its training application to athletes.

Check out the book on Amazon

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