Steve Maxwell’s Big 6 plus Workout!

One of the most useful training concepts I’ve used over my training and coaching career is the Big 6, an incredibly efficient strength workout for the time-leveraged. 

Principle: workouts do not need to be lengthy, or time-consuming, to be effective BUT they need to be intense 

 the Big 6 sequence, you can get very strong—or maintain an already high level of strength—in a brief session—I’m talking in under twenty minutes. This is such a boon for busy working parents, or athletes heavily engaged in their particular sport. For me, personally as an active jiujitsu player and former competitor, I frequently lacked the necessary nerve energy for prolonged strength training and this was my base workout then, and even today. 

The Big 6 is a movement-based workout consisting of:

1. an upper body vertical push

2. an upper body vertical pull

3. an upper body horizontal push

4. an upper body horizontal pull

5. a hip hinge

6. a squat

This combination hits all major muscle groups of your body. 

There exist many variations on this particular workout and I have tried them out over the years, and even now, the Big 6 forms the basis of many of my current workouts. 

Caveat: I’m not giving away any particular secrets here; you’ve still got to do the work!

When time and energy resources are available, I have an addendum known as the Big 6 *plus*

The “plus” includes:

• calf, foot, and ankle work

• front and rear neck work

• work for grip and forearms

• some abdominal work

I’d like to point out that the abs are worked, hard, in the basic Big 6. 

In extreme cases of leveraged time, the Big 6 can be divided into two sessions of the Big 3. 

(Dang, now I am giving away my secrets) 

An example of a Big 3:

• an upper body vertical push

• an upper body vertical pull

• a hinge 

Thus, on a separate day:

• an upper body horizontal push

• an upper body horizontal pull

• a squat

Here is an example workout I gave a very busy working mother:

1. isometric wall sit/squat

2. gluteal bridge on the mat (which is essentially a hip hinge)

3. an overhead shoulder press

4. isometric pulldown, (using a Maxwell special custom apparatus)

5. horizontal chest press

6. horizontal row

She was very “worked out” in a very short period of time, and her baby boy, who comes along, was easy going and content because the workout was over quickly. 

There are many variations on this sequence; your imagination, and your rationality, are the only limits. 

Another example: 

today I was feeling low vital energy, so I commenced a Big 3. 

I had just completed my jiujitsu for a lifetime training camp and not yet fully recovered physically. I was overdue for a workout and performed a Big 3:

1. Fingertip pull-ups on a narrow ledge (something I learned from a rock climber)

2. Negative-emphasized, slow fingertip pushups

3. the horse stance—the horse stance, aside from being a superior hip, glute, and thigh workout (when done properly) also very strongly challenges the abdominals, much more than a conventional squat

With these simple workouts, you not only maintain, but you build serious strength. 

With most clients, I usually do one hard, all-out set, but, occasionally I do multiple sets, or supersets, as I did today with my own Big 3. 

I really like this Big 6 business workout and I consider it a good fit in today’s society. For these reasons, I recommend my immanent video “The Big 6 *plus* wherein you can see these principles put into action. 

In this video, I explain the principles and demonstrate the positions, and I’ve also included a follow-along sequence with voiceover prompts to increase your intensity. 

Thank you for reading!

In strength & health!

Steve