#748: Pavel Tsatsouline and Christopher Sommer

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #55 "Pavel Tsatsouline on the Science of Strength and the Art of Physical Performance" and episode #158 "The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training."

Please enjoy!

Sponsors:

Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://helixsleep.com/tim (25–30% off all mattress orders and two free pillows)

1Password easy-to-use and secure password manager for individuals, families, and businesses: https://1password.com/tim (14-day free trial)

Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off)

Timestamps:

[05:10] Notes about this supercombo format.

[06:14] Enter Pavel Tsatsouline.

[06:34] Pavel's background as a world-class trainer.

[07:07] Considerations while customizing a training regimen.

[09:40] Strength-building principles over equipment.

[10:36] When in doubt, train your grip and your core.

[12:57] How to grease the groove.

[16:08] How not to strengthen the "core."

[18:53] Approaching training as a practice.

[21:16] Prioritizing strength — the "mother quality of all physical qualities."

[23:57] The most counter-productive myths about strength training.

[27:14] Pavel's hypothesis for the science behind hypertrophy.

[28:01] Deadlifts, kettlebells, and the most common mistakes with both.

[29:31] People who exemplify success to Pavel.

[30:09] Calmness is contagious.

[32:31] Enter Christopher Sommer.

[33:23] Defining Gymnastics Strength Training™ (GST).

[37:08] Types of strength that most non-gymnasts will not have.

[41:10] Biggest mistakes made by those who self-teach handstands.

[46:10] Top exercises for identifying weaknesses in strength and mobility.

[56:47] The problem with focusing on muscular fatigue when training.

[1:05:03] What is a pike pulse and why does it matter?

[1:07:45] On kipping pull-ups.

[1:11:16] Identifying solutions to pain.

[1:18:38] The Jefferson curl.

[1:23:06] Why weighted mobility work needs to be approached with a different level of intensity than conditioning work.

[1:28:09] If someone is 35 years old, a former athlete, and has never done gymnastics, what's a good exercise and what should be avoided?

[1:33:31] 3-5 joint mobility exercises for getting strong.

[1:38:52] Preferred way to work on shoulder extension.

[1:44:40] A good goal for those seeking to improve mobility.

[1:46:15] Yoga handstands vs. gymnastics handstands (aesthetics vs. gold medals).

[1:54:20] Coaches who have impressed Coach Sommer the most.

[1:55:49] The story of Dmitry Bilozerchev and Alexander Alexandrov.

[2:00:36] Differentiating immature athletes from mature athletes.

[2:03:43] Training for success.

[2:08:43] Describing the systematic approach to GST.

[2:16:58] Exercises to avoid for the first six months of GST.

[2:18:27] Breaking down the muscle-up.

[2:23:59] Understanding the purpose of using various grips.

[2:31:28] How Coach Sommer mentally preps athletes for a big competition.

[2:41:13] Questions Coach Sommer would ask a gymnastic coach before sending children off to train with them.

[2:45:36] Questions Coach Sommer would ask a gymnastic coach who trains adults.

[2:47:44] Balancing stretching and training time.

[2:52:52] People who exemplify success to Coach Sommer.

[2:58:16] Most gifted books.

[3:01:04] Morning rituals.

[3:05:02] Coach Sommer's billboard.

[3:10:12] An ask for the audience and parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.