About 12 years ago, just as CrossFit was beginning to take off, kettlebell lifting was also becoming very popular. Various organizations offered certifications, led by the Russian Kettlebell Certification (RKC). The RKC, in turn, was headed by a charismatic former Spetsnaz (Russian special forces) member named Pavel Tsatsouline.
Tsatsouline is known for his no-nonsense communication style as well as his in-depth knowledge of training. I recommend that you all check out his articles and interviews online, as well as his books.
One of Tsatsouline’s concepts that I’ve personally taken to heart and used successfully is “greasing the groove” (which sounds a bit odd in French). This concept is based on the idea that you can build strength by performing certain movements very frequently. So, instead of doing 5 sets of 10 pull-ups in a single session, you could do 10 sets of 3 pull-ups, spread out throughout the day.
I won't try to explain the whole concept in my own words because I'll probably mess it up. Instead, you can check out this article here.
The fact is that “Grease the Groove” is a great way to improve certain movements, such as push-ups and pull-ups. Since we’re all stuck at home right now, a simple program based on this method is ideal for making some progress over the next few weeks.
How do you do it? It's very simple! Do as many push-ups as you can and see how many you can manage while maintaining proper form. If you can't do more than 5, do your push-ups on a raised surface like a chair or a couch.
I can do 25 push-ups with proper form, so I’ll use that number as my baseline. The next step is to set a simple daily goal. Based on my number of 25, I’m going to set a goal of 5 sets of 10 push-ups, spread out throughout the day. This might seem pretty easy, but that’s exactly the point! Every set you do should feel easy. If you’re not doing the reps correctly, it won’t work.
Let's not forget that this isn't a workout but rather extra "work" to be done during the day.
As with any plan, you need to include a progression. So, after a week, I’ll add repetitions to my total. This can be done by set—for example, 5 sets of 12—or I can add sets and do 7 sets of 10. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but the total number of repetitions must increase, and all sets must be performed with ease.
