Post by maxson on Aug 10, 2007 15:17:01 GMT -5
Jim Parrish is the founder of the Joe Average Strength Training system.
1. SM: Please give us some background information (where you live, family, military service, current occupation, where you train, etc).
JP: I currently live in Bangor, Pa. with my wife Shannon, daughter Abbey and son Josh. My 17 year old son Jimmy lives with his mother. I spent 4 years in the US Marines serving in an infantry unit. I recently spent 3 ½ years as an aviation mechanic working on regional and corporate jets. I am currently a field service rep for an industrial compressor company.
2. SM: How long have you been powerlifting and what got you interested?
JP: After getting out of the Marines in 1987, I joined a gym called Dynamic Fitness in the College Hill section of Easton, Pa. There were several NJ State Corrections Officer’s who were members of the gym and they were involved in powerlifting. I hooked up with those guys and they gave me my first taste of powerlifting. I did several meets with these guys in the old ADFPA federation.
3. SM: Please give us a description of the JA System.
JP: The JA system is founded on Westside principles. I initially tried doing WSB. I remember gathering up over 3 years worth of PLUSA magazines. I cut out all of Louie’s articles and read and re-read them until I had a decent understanding of WSB. I put together a workout template for several of us to follow. We did a strict WSB template for over 6 months and all of us lost a lot of strength. For whatever reason something told me that the WSB style of lifting would work, it just needed to be simplified. For example, on ME bench or ME squat day, that is exactly what you do. You bench and squat, not some modified exercise and it should be done with max plus weight. WSB/ Louie are very vague when it comes to their template. I realized that lifter’s need to know exactly what to do each and every workout. So, I came up with the 6 training cycles each consisting of a dynamic week and a max effort week. To this day I still firmly believe in the WSB principle of always changing from one workout to the next, but where we differ is how to make those changes.
4. SM: How is the JA System different from other systems that use bands in their training program?
JP: The JA system uses bands as it’s primary source of gaining strength. Everything else including free weight and gear supplements our band training. Everyone else uses bands to supplement their other training which I believe to be a big mistake. When properly utilized the bands are very effective for developing tremendous free weight strength. The bands can have a negative effect when not utilized properly. The JA system requires that the lifter utilize a 3 band rotation, short and quick workouts, low volume and very intense workouts, mostly training with max plus weights and plenty of rest and recovery. The only reason that I handle the amount of weight that I do in training is because of the bands.
5. SM: Please describe your current training routine (days/week, ME/DE days, full gear vs raw days, etc).
JP: Human nature tells us that if you want to get bigger and stronger that you have to lift longer and harder. For example, if a lifter is struggling to get a 225 pound bench but can’t quite get it, our basic instincts tell us that you need to spend more time in the gym. Our basic instincts are wrong and it took me years to realize this. Years of training 5-6 days per week, 2-3 hours per day and yet my strength just would not increase. The fact is that your muscles only need to be stimulated and not over trained and when allowed plenty of rest and recovery between workouts the body responds so much better and can develop tremendous strength. I therefore have eliminated all of the recovery and assistance workouts as listed on the JA template. I realized recently that it was those workouts that were inhibiting my rest and recovery and thus causing my strength to plateau and even regress. For the last several years, each week I did a bench day, squat day and a board day. For the last several weeks I currently train twice a week. We do a bench day and a squat day, we think that doing a board day on it’s own is inhibiting our bench so we have incorporated boards into our bench day. Each week we alternate between a dynamic week and a ME week. I try to pull the sled at least once a week for conditioning. Every workout is done with gear. If you compete with gear you have to train with gear. Each time you do a raw workout you are using sub-max weight and you are then wasting your time.
6. SM: How has your program evolved other the years, what significant changes have you made?
JP: I have certainly made mistakes and have learned from them. I wouldn’t necessarily call them mistakes but rather experiments. If you don’t keep an open mind and try new things you won’t know what works and what doesn’t. The biggest evolution was how I rotated the bands. I used to stick with one tension for 3 consecutive workouts but now I change tensions each workout rotating through 3 different band tensions. Deloading was a mistake. We initially did 8 day cycles, then to 10 day cycles, then 12 day cycles and now we do 2 week cycles. For years I did my board work raw and with a close grip, big mistake. I wear a shirt and train with a comp grip. This allows the lifter to train with max plus weight.
7. SM: Many people warn against using bands too much and even avoiding them as you get closer to a meet because they can wear you down. Please comment.
JP: I love this one. The so called experts who have never properly trained with the bands, who have absolutely no idea how to properly use the bands are giving out advice. These so called experts give out advice based on theory and not actual first hand experience. It’s not the bands that wear down the lifter; it’s the lifter who wears himself down. Not enough rest and recovery during the course of their training cycle, working out to often, doing too much each time they lift, not properly utilizing the bands. On max day/meet day when I’m unracking the weight the one thing that gives me the most confidence is that I was able to handle max band tension the week prior to max/meet day. Heavy bands not only develop tremendous strength but also give the lifter tremendous confidence and control with max weight.
8. SM: Regarding reverse band work, I have read that you advise to always train against the bands, never with the bands. Please explain further.
JP: Pushing against the bands is what develops tremendous free weight strength. Pushing against the bands also develops tremendous free weight speed. When you train with the bands the bands are helping the lifter to lift the weight, I hate to be a spoiler but on max/meet day there isn’t anything that’s going to help the lifter lift that weight. Training with the bands gives the lifter a false sense of what he can actually lift and how to actually lift. Training against the bands will actually better prepare the lifter for his free weight workouts.
9. SM: When squatting, most in powerlifting use intra-abdominal pressure to keep tight, pushing your stomach out tight against your belt while the air is held in. Watching your videos, you actually breathe out while squatting. Please explain why?
JP: If you can hold your air and push your belly out while squatting you are then squatting in a suit that is not properly altered. If you are squatting in a suit that is not properly altered you are then not getting the absolute most out of that suit. First and foremost, there is a lot of debate out there regarding guys who wear there gear to tight. They can’t handle the weight that the suit allows them to lift. That is the fault of the lifter and not the suit. When wearing properly altered gear you have to take the time to develop the strength necessary to handle the weight that the gear allows you to handle. When wearing a properly altered squat suit, the suit will contract as you are descending. The guys that try to hold there air either pass out or cannot finish the lift. By learning to breath in reverse, you are letting out air thus making your chest cavity smaller so that your properly altered suit can do it’s job. If your suit is loose enough so that a lifter can hold his air and push it out against his belly, why bother wearing a suit because believe me that suit is doing very little for you. When wearing a properly altered suit, it’s the suit that will get you out of the bottom not your air. Everything ties in here. When wearing a properly altered suit you need to be conditioned so that you can lift without holding your air, you need to train with heavy bands so that you have the strength and speed to get into the hole and blast the weight up to lock out. When everything comes together the attempt is done so fast that your air plays no part at all. To answer the question, we breathe in reverse because there is no room for the air.
10. SM: Explain the progression of adding more bar weight versus adding more band tension as you get closer to a meet.
JP: I think you are confusing or mixing my dynamic and ME workouts. I increase my free weight on my free weight days and I progress towards my heaviest tensions on my ME day as well. I use my heaviest band tension of my 3 band rotation on my last ME workout before the meet/max day. First, before I discuss my free weight day. When using the JA system, my free weight day does not build strength. I do not get any stronger by doing a free weight set to failure. I only get stronger when using bands on my ME day. My dynamic day or free weight day just indicates how strong I am at that given time. When starting out on the JA system how does a lifter know if the bands are working? As his free weight strength begins to increase that will indicate to him that the bands are working. Second, it is so important to pay attention to your central nervous system or your CNS. Most guys max on meet day with a fatigued system. Although you are lifting big weight and making new PR’s your CNS is not at 100%. I follow a strict rep scheme when doing my free weight work. I do 6 free weight workouts and I make 20 pound jumps each time. I never end a training cycle with less than 3 reps as I do not want to fatigue my CNS. I am able to do 1 rep maxes each ME day without fatiguing my CNS because I switch band tensions each ME workout and most important I allow for plenty of R&R between workouts. For example, when I benched 550 x 1, the most free weight I had handled was 475 x 3 and when I came within an inch of locking out 600 the most free weight I had handled was 485 x 3. It wasn’t my free weight work that gave me the strength and confidence to bench 550 and 600 but rather my ME work. If you are constantly or frequently doing 1-3 reps with free weight or trying your opener prior to meet day, your CNS is fatigued and you are not lifting to your potential. It’s important that you learn to cycle your CNS to a peek just prior to meet day.
11. SM: World class powerlifters and world record holders have used your system (or a variation of your system) such as Gene Rychlak, Joe Mazza and Dan Petrillo. Can you give us some examples of significant gains that other individuals have made by sticking with your system?
JP: My wife Shannon Parrish to name one. For 3 years or so running she was the #1 ranked 114 lb lifter in the country. She was life time drug free and was very impressive to watch on the platform. Her highest total at 114 was 990. She pulled 400 and squatted in the low 400’s in a meet and did 450 x 3 in the gym. If you look on the IPA website, I believe she still holds most of the 114 records to this day. But, like myself she got frustrated with all the nonsense. She got tired of watching girls who were aligned with big name lifter’s and big name gyms get bullshit lifts passed while she always was judged more strictly. Even with the BS, her competitor’s never came close.
12. SM: What type of gear is your team using these days?
JP: When squatting with a regular squat bar I strongly recommend Ginny Phillips canvas squat suit, but it has to be properly altered. I use a BOSS suit by Titan when training with a safety squat bar and the trap bar. I use a Titan dual quad when using a regular dl bar. I have had my best success benching with an Inzer double denim.
13. SM: Who would you like to thank?
JP: I still owe it all to Dave Tate. Years ago he suggested that I start writing articles and he posted them all on his website which really got the whole JA thing going. He was very patient with me and was very informative.
Thanks Jim
Visit Jim’s web site: www.joeaveragestrength.com
