Armor building is a term I first heard from Dan John. In case you you haven’t heard of him, he’s kind of a big deal.
Dan is a seasoned coach and he’s made some amazing contributions to the strength and conditioning community.
Here is Dan’s article on armor building. I suggest you read it!
http://www.t-nation.com/training/armor-building
In a nutshell, armor building is a style of training that utilizes complexes and time under tension to prepare your body for any type of contact sport.
I’ve recently started using armor building again (not sure why I got away from them to be honest) and a few of my fighters told me that it mimics the fatigue of grappling and or scrambling.
This is game changing!!!
Think about it, I can put my athletes in a training environment that will closely mimic the energy expenditure, time under tension and condition of grappling, but in a potentially safer environment. #winning
Armor building. Yah, it’s that good, but we need to address a few things before you throw yourself at this type of complex like bull in a china shop.
Are you ready for armor building?
Armor building is miserable. It’s not for everyone. A good coach will hopefully use this at the appropriate time.
Before you dive into this joyous style of training, you should have:
- A decent base level of strength
- A decent level of conditioning
- Adequate skill in the lift you are choosing
- The ability to safely manage technique in a fatigued state
In other words, you should be proficient in the lifts prior to using them for you armor building purposes. If you’ve never trained with kettlebells in your life, you should not use them for armor building. The same goes for barbells, sandbags, dumbbells, etc.
My favorite tool to use when I start incorporating armor building into a program is the sandbag. Sandbags are fairly easy to train with and are a bit more forgiving than the other implements mentioned. We use sandbags early on in our progressions to train the hinge and squat so our athletes feel very comfortable using them by the time we get to armor building.
Here is my favorite armor-building workout with sandbags!
Perform 5 cleans
Perform 5 squats
Carry the sandbag 5 yds
Perform 4 cleans
Perform 4 squats
Carry the sandbag 5 yds
Perform 3 cleans
Perform 3 squats
Carry the sandbag 5 yds
Perform 2 cleans
Perform 2 squats
Carry the sandbag 5 yds
Perform 1 clean
Perform 1 squat
Repeat this x3 (See below for rest suggestions.)
- Beginners rest :90 to 2 min
- Intermediate rest :60 to :90
- Advanced rest :30
View this armour-building workout in a video!
Once you complete this progression, here are a couple options to consider:
#1 Increase the Load
It seems logical to me, but often times people neglect common sense. Grab a sandbag that is 15-20lbs heavier and start the program again. Do this until you can’t find a heavy enough sandbag.
#2- Add in Another Movement
This may seem like another “uh duh” moment, but perhaps it still needs to be said. For the program above, you could add in a push press or a reverse lunge done in the rack position. See below for specific suggestions.
Option #1 – Reverse lunge option
In this option, you will perform 5 cleans, 6 alternating reverse lunges total, 5 squats and into the 5 yard rack carry. Following the descending ladder as listed above, but keep the total lunges at 6 per set.
Option #2 – Push Press option
This option adds in a push press immediately after the squats or the cleans, its really your choice. This template works incredibly well using the descending ladder template mentioned above. It really adds a whole new component to the complex so be smart with recovery time!
As you can see, these options are simple, but not easy!!!
One of my favorite training plans is from Pavel’s book, Return of the Kettlebell. It’s a long cycle clean and jerk program that involves ladders. I won’t write out the progression for you, but purchasing the book is a really good idea. Actually, anything by Pavel is worth the money!
If you have any questions, please ask!
As always, train smart and train hard!!!