If you have never heard of Greasing the Groove, of if you have but you want to learn what it is really about, you have come to the right place. We are going to look at where it came from, how it works, and how you can make it work for you. Let’s dive in.
The term Greasing the Groove first appears in 1999 in a book titled Power to the People. Written by Pavel Tsatsouline, a Soviet special forces instructor, this book changed the way a lot of people build strength. In fact, Greasing the Groove is a strategy now used by several groups in the United States military. The question is this. Why? The answer is simple. It is an effective strategy for increasing strength and efficiency.
Who should Grease the Groove?
For some of you, what you are about to read will be enough to turn you away from this strategy. For others, it is exactly what you are looking for. Greasing the Groove is NOT for putting on mass. If you are looking to put on mass, your goal is pumping as much blood into your muscles as you can with higher reps. Greasing the groove is all about increasing strength. So, if you care more about what you look like in the mirror, I suggest checking out some of the Beachbody Programs HERE. However, if you are looking to increase strength, increase your push-ups, or increase your pull-ups, this is a great strategy to check out.
How to Utilize Greasing the Groove
The secret to Greasing the Groove, like many other styles out there, is in the reps and sets, with a focus on recovery between sets. Here is what you need to remember. You are lifting half of the reps that you can do, and you are giving yourself plenty of rest in between. This is backwards from what most of us have learned, including myself. When I was studying Exercise Physiology, I was taught that you select weights that you can do X reps, and do it for X sets (depending on your goal) with 30 seconds to 1 minute of rest. With Greasing the Groove, you are doing half of the reps that you can, and you are resting a MINIMUM of 15 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly. Why? Why not push until failure, feel the burn, keep rest periods short, and not be able to lift your arms the next day? The answer is simple. That isn’t the most effective way to increase strength. When you are properly utilizing the Greasing the Groove strategy, here is what happens. Obviously you are working your muscles, but there is more going on than that. You are increasing the efficiency of your neuromuscular motor patterns. Here is a quick video of Pavel Tsatsouline explaining how Greasing the Groove works.
You are training your body on how to do the exercise. Strength is a skill, and you are improving that skill. When used properly, amazing things can happen. Lets look at some examples.
Greasing the Groove for Bench Press
Many people have the goal of improving their bench press, but most would never think to use the strategy. For this example, we are going to say that you can bench 135 lbs 10 times. What you are going to do is 135 lbs 5 times. Yes, you read that correctly. You are NOT going to failure. You are probably going to finish that 5th rep and want to keep going. DON’T! Rest. Wait a minimum of 15 minutes, and then repeat. You should feel fully recovered when you get to your next set. Now, I know what you may be thinking. This is impractical. Who has time for this. You are right to raise that question. I don’t know about you, but I work during the day. I can’t slip away to the bench press every 15 minutes (although my classroom isn’t far from the weight room). Two things. First, it does not need to be every 15 minutes. Most people will do a set every hour or so, trying to get 5 – 10 sets per day. Second, this strategy is more realistic with body weight exercises for the average person. On that note, let’s look at two exercises that work great with this strategy.
Greasing the Groove for Pull-ups
Pull-ups are an exercise that some people love and some people hate. In talking to people over the years, I have learned that most people that hate them do so because they struggle with them. If this is you, or if you love them but want to do more, you have found the strategy to help you increase your pull-ups quickly. For this example, imagine you can do 4 pull-ups. That is your max. You are going to do sets of 2, allow yourself plenty of time to rest, and perform a minimum of 5 sets per day. The number of days that people recommend varies, but 5 is a pretty safe number. Some people say every day, but I am a firm believer in proper recovery. After a week or two, see how many you can do again. Modify your working based on your new max. Repeat the process until you reach your goal, and then keep it up.
Greasing the Groove for Push-ups
I can’t tell you how many time I have had a student ask me how many push-ups I can do. I usually give them 1 of 2 answers. I either respond with “All of them” or “I did a push-up once”. The truth is, it depends on what kind of push-up we are talking about. Whichever kind of push-up you want to get better at, Greasing the Groove is a great way to increase your push-up count. How many can you do in 1 set? Cut it in half and do 5 – 15 sets throughout the day, giving yourself a minimum of 15 minutes rest. Now, some people can do a lot of push-ups. You could end up spending a lot time doing push-ups if this is you. So, I suggest doing one of two things. Either select a variety of push-up that is difficult for you, or add weight (weight vests work great for this). After a week of two, test your max again with that style, and modify your rep count accordingly.
Summary
Greasing the Groove is an incredible technique for increasing strength. The biggest limitation is being able to perform the sets throughout the day, not because you are lifting a lot, but because people work, go to school, and have lives outside of the gym. However, if you use it for body weight exercises, or if you have the ability to access equipment for lifting throughout the day, this is definitely something that you should check out. There is a reason that the military does it. Remember, this is not a technique for building mass. Greasing the Groove is about strength, not size. So, if you are looking to increase your strength, get greasing!
