How to Get Stronger for Ping Pong (aka My Minimalist Training Program)

I got up early this morning, but didn’t write anything.

Had a bit of writer’s block.

So I read for a bit and then went out to the garage to lift some weights.

Lately, I’ve been taking a simplified approach to training.  Mainly just hitting one lift.

Today, it was clean and press.

I’ll take one or two exercises and do nothing else that work out.  I try to keep the main thing, the main thing.

Maybe it’s the minimalist in me.  I like the stripped down, no nonsense approach to training.

It may not be the absolute best way to burn fat and build muscle. But it’s something I can easily fit into my schedule. No matter how busy I seem to be, I can always find time to get a few sets of something in. And this has been my key to consistency over the years.

What’s training for anyway?  I’m not going to the olympics any time soon. I’m not a bodybuilder. I’m not competing as a powerlifter. I don’t like to count calories or meal prep.

So for me, I just do it for fun. Strength is a good side effect but I’m not very strong as far as strength standards go. Most high school footballers could warm up with my maxes.

I like to call what I do, training for ping pong. Not because I play a lot of ping pong. (In fact, ping pong is just another thing that I am terribly mediocre at)

But to me this is the key to lasting fitness and something I think that could help you…

Find something you love and go after it. A friend once told me “pull-ups won’t save the world”. I told him to just watch me try.

Sometimes I do weighted chins for an hour at a time.  (No wonder my elbows hurt like crazy)

Maybe you don’t like pull-ups. That’s okay. Try push-ups. Maybe you hate back squats. That’s okay, try front squats or hack squats or try to set a world record for the calf machine (not medical advice).

Hate running? Me too. Try walking with a weight vest on. Put on a good podcast or audio book and get lost in thought.

There are no rules.

You can do whatever you want.

Other than pull-ups, I think the clean and press is the greatest exercise of all time. It’s a total body workout. Mind, legs, back, traps, shoulders. It trains power, explosiveness, and strength.  (All the things a good ping-ponger needs)

I like doing power cleans because it builds the traps.

I joke with my friends that my goal is to no longer have a neck. I need my upper back to meet the bottom of my skull.

Why you might ask?

Because I pretend to train Jiu Jitsu. And my so called “friends” are always trying to choke me to death.

So, no neck no choke…right??? If only life were that simple 🙁

But I don’t lift weights to be better at jiu jitsu. I lift weights to be better at ping pong.  (We discussed this earlier remember)

In my garage I find peace. My fortress of solitude.

I listen to music.

Today it’s G ‘n’ R.

I do my warm ups. Then load some weight on the bar. Lift it off the ground and put it over my head. Add weight and repeat the process.

I hit 5 working sets of 4.

No pull-ups today because my elbow has been bothering me and I need to rest it.

I finish up with 2 minutes of jump rope just to get the heart pumping.

Tomorrow, I’ll run.

Then, back to the garage.

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.

I finish my work out and walk back into the house.

My son is awake. We talk about snakes and tractors.

I scramble some eggs and pour some coffee.

Today is going to be a good day.

p.s.

This article is not intended as medical advice.

Talk to your doctor before doing anything stupid like breaking a world record in the weighted chin-up. (I’m nowhere close, in case you were wondering)

p.p.s.

I forgot all about the program.

Many people are not going to pick up a barbell.  I get that.

Don’t worry about it.

Try the dumbbell clean and press.  It’s killer and one of my favorites. Do it with one arm at a time and you won’t have to waste time doing sit ups because these babies will work that core.

Here’s what you do.  (And for goodness sakes, please google correct form if you’ve never done it before)

Pick up a dumbbell.  Start light.

Put it on the floor. Squat down. Grab it. Clean it up to your shoulder, then press it over your head 3 to 5 times.  Put the weight down. Do the other arm.

Now re-rack it.

Rest.

Increase the weight and continue.

Don’t burn out with sets of 10.

Keep the reps 3-8.

Hit about 5 sets after your warm up.

And there you have it.

Now you’re ready for the jump rope.

And that game of ping pong.

dumbbell clean/press

barbell clean/press