This is a very special edition of Pointman. I hope you use it, I hope you love it, I hope you become stronger, and I hope you use your new strength to lead in your community.
The Pointman Protocol
Guys, to be honest, I've been holding back on you. I've been giving you directions without showing you where we are going. Lots of Pointman dudes have been asking me for more comprehensive instructions. That changes today.
We all want to be strong and powerful super studs. The Pointman Protocol is the united system that brings everything together.
But first let me explain to you why you're fucking up...
Follow the money
"Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome." - Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway
The internet and Google and Facebook have incentives, just like any other system. They award and incentivize click bait. I know how the internet works because I have more than a decade of experience in product design and marketing strategy in the techology world.
I also used to work at Google. I've seen some crazy shit.
So when the average joe like you searches for help online, the results are chaos.
"One weird trick..."
"Most extreme gains..."
"Fastest fat loss..."
"Super pump workout..."
"Just this one supplement..."
Does this sound familiar?
They are promising elite results, without elite effort. They are trying to sell you disingenuous Instagram results without teaching you the years of fundamentals that are necessary for world class outcomes.
Imagine if there was a program that claimed to teach you how to...
Catch the game winning touchdown, but not how to run basic routes
Slam dunk, but now how to dribble the ball up court
Hit home runs, but not how to smash reliable base hits
Shoot on goal, but now how to how to get past the defense
This is what you’re reading online in the lifting world. You just don't realize it because you don't know anything about these sports.
If you want to become an elite bodybuilder or powerlifter or crossfitter or olympic lifter or strongman or gymnast....
Then by all means go hard. Buy the best programs, commit your life to the sport, pay for an elite coach, lift 6+ days per week, prepare world-class nutrition, and get perfect sleep.
But you aren't dedicating your life to this and neither am I.
The problem with using these programs is they will bastardize your body with a deceptive and frankly dangerous view of the world. I know, I've been there.
The purpose of Pointman is to help guys like you find truth and strength.
Who am I?
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” - Henry David Thoreau
In high school I started with weights and never stopped. Now I have almost 20 years of lifting under my belt, and have also built a successful career in technology marketing and product design.
In recent years I've realized that I'm one of the few people who has expertise in both worlds of technology and strength. I'm not special. I've just been doing both for half my life because it's what I love to do. I've made all the mistakes you have made or will make. I want to help you avoid those mistakes by presenting the truth and focusing only on what works.
I've trained many other sports as well. I'm most accomplished in powerlifting — at one point I reached an "elite" level distinction, where I could deadlift 3x my bodyweight. I also used to be a competitive track and field athlete, mostly as a 100 meter sprinter. I also have experience in and studied: bodybuilding, olympic lifting, strongman, strongfirst, gymnastics, crossfit, kickboxing, boxing, jiu jitsu, movement culture, yoga, judo, calisthenics, karate, rugby, soccer, and football.
I started Pointman to create a simple, flexible, effective, and multidisciplinary system of strength because it doesn't exist yet. The misinformation and deception of strength education online is very sad to me. I cut through the marketing and bullshit to help you find the truth.
The goal of Pointman is to build better men.
Pointman is free and always will be free, because this is what I love to do.
Principles
“You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong.” - Elon Musk
In the technology world I create products that are simple, beautiful, and wonderfully successful. The same goals apply to the Pointman Protocol.
These are the principles with which the program is designed.
Flexible
This program is flexible according to your needs, ability, and constraints. Whether you exercise 2 days a week or 6, whether you lift heavy or light, whether you want to get faster or bigger or stronger, you can adapt the program to suit your goals.
Safe
Training needs to make you stronger without injury. If you keep getting 1% stronger and train safely to avoid injury, you will become an absolute animal. This is about steady and reliable progress.
Pretty
You're going to look good. Especially in a tank top and shorts.
Natural
The human body is capable of just a few fundamental movement patterns. In Pointman we train our body in the natural movement patterns, because that makes us most healthy, balanced, and mobile. Exercises are just interpretations of movement patterns. As I've explained before, fuck your bench press.
Balanced
Many strength programs keep your feet in the same place, and over emphasize pushing movements to make your mirror muscles bigger. This makes your body dramatically imbalanced and is terrible for your health. Pointman gets you mobile in every plane: up and down, left to right, and especially front to back. Pointman also gets your feet moving, because every day is leg day!
Modular
No matter how much or how little of the Pointman Protocol you do, each day and each week is modular and is complete in itself. Your body gets better after every single session.
Accessible
Anyone can do this, anywhere, regardless of the resources they have. In fact, gyms, barbells, and dumbbells are not the primary resistance tools we use.
Direct
Focus on the hard stuff, because the hard stuff is your weakness. Eliminate your weakness and you become stronger. The hard stuff is The Way.
The Protocol
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
“Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
- Bruce Lee
The protocol is 5 days of work, distributed through one week however you like. The second freestyle day is optional depending on how hard you are training. Everyone should move every day.
A day: squat + vertical press + speed pull
B day: lunge + vertical pull + speed pull
C day: hinge + press + speed pull
D day: freestyle 1
E day: freestyle 2
There are 3 components to this system.
MAJOR MOVEMENTS
This is the core strength and power work you will do for 3 days a week. The goal is always 8-10 reps for 8-10 sets. This is intentional and keeps the weight medium to medium heavy. It's important to be strategic with rest periods, aim to rest 4-5x the time you are under load.
20 second set >> 2 minute intervals
25 second set >> 2.5 minute intervals
30 second set >> 3 minute intervals
35 second set >> 3.5 minute intervals
40 second set >> 4 minute intervals
The beauty of this system is that you don't need a gigantic barbell or dumbbell setup to exercise. Just buy a pair of challenging kettlebells and get going! The work you do is modulated by rest periods, volume, speed, and weight. This is what it means to have a flexible system.
Your goal, for a given exercise and load, is to work up to 10x10 in 30 minutes or less. Once you achieve that with ease, you can move the weight up. Trust me, one set of challenging kettlebells can keep you busy for months if not years.
SPEED PULLS
Speed pulls are always optional depending on fatigue, but strongly recommended and can be done every day. These are about balance, posture, and mobility. As I've explained before, most dudes are chronically neglecting the backside of their body, and this has bad consequences for your health and makes you look like shit. Speed pulls reverse the damage and will make you look like a stud in a tank top. They also give you a sick pump.
Speed pulls can be done at high velocity, but that's not necessarily the goal. These are meant to be done every minute on the minute ("MOM"), which means rest periods are lower and resistance lighter than the major movements. MOM pulls are the finisher, not the main course. This is what crossfit gets wrong.
The goal is always 8 or more reps, the weight doesn't matter as much, so feel free to go high rep if you're feeling good. Aim for 4 sets, but you can do many more depending on fatigue and time.
FREESTYLE
Freestyle is multidisciplinary strength training. Much of what I've emphasized thus far on Pointman is freestyle training. I've covered lots of strongman techniques, and I have many many more focus areas to come. This freestyle training is very fun, great for active recovery, and keeps your training fresh. The only rule of freestyle is you need to get your feet moving and/or off the ground!
Routines
"Yeah buddy!" - Ronnie Coleman
This is what a typical week on the Pointman Protocol would look like.
Example week 1
A day:
double kettlebell thrusters (major)
double kettlebell cleans (sp)
B day:
switch lunges + double kettlebell high pulls (major)
resistance band high pulls (sp)
C day:
double kettlebell swing + decline pushups (major)
resistance band face pulls (sp)
D day:
farmers carry
E day:
hill sprints
Example week 2
A day:
goblet squat + handstand pushups (major)
shrugs (sp)
B day:
walking lunges + pullups (major)
yates row (sp)
C day:
deadlift + dips (major)
resistance band high pulls (sp)
D day:
sled drags
E day:
jump rope
Notes:
Follow this setup: major exercise 1 + major exercise 2 = 1 interval. Then do 8-10 intervals per workout. The rest between the major exercises within the interval is up to you. Evenly spaced or front loaded is generally a good idea.
You can do the exact same exercises every week if you like. In fact, you probably should, especially if you are doing Pointman 5x5 (see below). I have provided just a couple examples to demonstrate flexibility and modularity.
Pointman going forward for the next few months will be about filling out this protocol. I'll show you how to customize the exercises and loads that work for you. And I have a gigantic library of freestyle exercises that you haven't seen yet. It will be fun.
Obviously, it’s important to understand yourself and your own limitations and abilities. Don’t do anything stupid or do anything that will get you hurt. Be smart and aim for steady and safe progress.
Pointman 5x5
"I'm a conqueror now because I conquered myself and my demons."
"Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but nonetheless doing it like you love it."
- Mike Tyson
This is my bootcamp challenge for you.
Test the movement pattern that is important to you. Examples include: 100 meter sprint, deadlift, 5k run, overhead press, squat etc.
Do the Pointman Protocol 5 days a week, for 5 weeks. Do nothing else, but you can add light freestyle work if you have the energy.
This is Pointman 5x5.
After the 5 week bootcamp, retest the movement pattern.
You are now stronger.
LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES! You can and should do the Pointman 5x5 cycle many times per year.
Pointman nutrition protocol
“You never open your mouth unless you know what the shot is.” - Glengarry Glenross
I've studied many dozens of diets and have tried several personally. It’s taken me years, but I have found the key characteristics that they all share in common. This is still under development, but my early tests look really good.
Is this something that would be interesting to you? Please let me know if you are curious. Just hit reply.
I wish you peace and strength!
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot lift,
the courage to lift the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Lifting one day at a time,
growing one day at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking the sissy world as it is,
not as I would lift it.
Trusting that you will make all things light
if I surrender to your hills;
so that I may be reasonably strong in this life
and supremely happy forever as a stud.
Please send me feedback and questions. I’m putting together a private support group for Pointman 5x5, let me know if you want in.
Nate
P.S. If you know anyone who could benefit from Pointman, please send them over.
Hey Nate - been enjoying the site! I (think I) found you via the Sail Slack community. Want some tips about typos?