Here's what you need to know before you or your old

man agree to have the widely used PSA test.

t-nation.com/building-a-bigger-yoke

Jim Wendler September 28, 2018

Here’s what you need to know…

1. It’s easy to tell how strong someone is by how “yoked” they are – they have big traps
and a big neck.
2. To get more yoked you don’t just specialize in neck and trap training; you add it to an
already balanced training program.
3. Get stronger in the main lifts: overhead press, bench press, deadlift, and squat. Add
assistance work, then isolate the neck.
4. For lighter yoke work, use a neck harness or do a neck flexion exercise to build a thicker
neck.
5. Use band pull-aparts or face-pulls to build bigger traps. You can do these everyday.

The Mountains Supporting Your Head

The rule to getting a massive yoke is simple: get really strong.

Not “strong for my public gym,” but “strong in the eyes of the strong.” Weak people can have
big arms but you can’t fake a big yoke.

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Achieve the impossible in strength and the yoke will come. Cop out with your excuses of why
you literally can’t and be doomed with pebbles where mountains should reside.

The best specialization training is not throwing out the core of your program to accommodate
the body part being targeted, but integrating it into a balanced strength program, which
means your squat, clean, press, deadlift, and bench press won’t be compromised.

And really, a proper strength program will already have, at its roots, the fundamental
movements to achieving proper Yokedom.

The Main Lifts

Squat
Bench Press
Press
Deadlift
Power Clean

The hang clean, power snatch, or hang snatch can be done in place of the power clean. If you
do the hang versions of these lifts, use straps for the heavier sets. These lifts are nothing new
or terribly fascinating, but this is the foundation of the program.

The 4-day breakdown

Monday: Press
Tuesday: Deadlift
Thursday: Bench press
Friday: Power clean/squat

You can do the power clean or any other similar movement before the squat or the deadlift.
It’s up to you and really doesn’t make a difference. Strong people make things work.

The sets and reps on these five main lifts are also up to you, meaning that if you have a
proven training system that allows you to progress towards your goals, use it. Of course, I’m
partial to the 5/3/1 training program for these lifts.

Don’t be afraid to do 5+ reps on the power clean if you’re strong enough to hold your form.
You’re right, Olympic lifters don’t do high reps, but I highly doubt you’re an Olympic lifter
and doing some higher reps on these exercises can help you build a bigger yoke.

Don’t do the reps if you can’t perform the lift correctly in a fatigued state. I can’t believe I had
to write that, but judging by the recent trend of using barbell lifts, namely the Olympic lifts,
for conditioning circuits by untrained and unqualified lifters, it’s now a necessity.

If you’re strong and awesome, you can do them. If you’re presently a novice and/or weak, lay
off the higher reps.

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Assistance Work
Because we still want a well-rounded assistance program, we’ll keep the basic assistance
program for the Simplest Strength Template (SST, which is essentially 3 sets of 5-10 reps).
This is outlined in the 5/3/1 second edition.

Monday
Press: 5/3/1 sets and reps
Close grip bench press: Simplest Strength Template (SST)
Tuesday
Deadlift: 5/3/1 sets and reps
Safety squat bar squat or front squat: SST
Thursday
Bench press: 5/3/1 sets and reps
Incline press: SST
Friday
Power clean: 5/3/1 sets and reps
Squat: 5/3/1 sets and reps
Straight leg deadlifts or good mornings: SST

That’s the base of the program. For the lower body days (squat and deadlift), I highly
recommend a steady diet of either kettlebell swings or using the Hungarian Core Blaster (a T-
bar apparatus that’s plate loaded and similar in function to a kettlebell).

With the kettlebell work, you can do single-arm or double-arm swings. Whatever you choose,
I usually shoot for 100 total reps of swings on lower body days.

The swing is great for strengthening the entire backside of your body. There’s no need to go
too heavy on these as you’ve already performed 2 or 3 fairly hard lifts in the workout. Shoot
for a higher volume on the swings.

Major Assistance Yoke Work

With upper body assistance, I recommend choosing 2-4 exercises after the main lifts. All the
assistance work can be done with the yoke in mind or can be supersetted with another
exercise.

Here are some awesome exercises for developing a superior yoke:

Kroc rows: These have been written about extensively. Kroc had a great article on how
to do them correctly. Check it out.
Kirk Karwoski rows: This is like a shrug/upright row hybrid. Holding a heavy barbell,
shrug and row it up to your belly button. Hold for a second at the top and repeat. With
heavy weight and high reps, this is also great for grip strength.
Shrugs (of all kinds): Just don’t use more english than trap when doing these.

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 Any row or pulldown exercise: Pull these with your elbows high and out. This will
stress your upper back and traps. Make sure you’re actively squeezing your upper back
together at the end of each rep.
Semi-upright T-bar rows: This is my new favorite trap exercise. I do sets of 20 reps in
between all my press sets. This is something like a Kirk Karwoski row.
Glenn Buechlein kettlebell shrugs: Grab the heaviest kettlebells or dumbbells you can
handle and do 100 reps without putting the weight down. You can hold them for as long
as you want between reps but never let them rest. Start with a light weight at first and
be prepared to be humbled. This is great for grip and trap work.
Farmer’s carry: While not technically an assistance exercise (in the classic sense), the
farmer’s walk or farmer’s carry is an awesome exercise for overall body strength: grip,
legs, abs, back, and of course, traps.

If you want to perform this exercise heavy and make it a priority, do it after the main lifts and
the main assistance lifts. Don’t bother doing much after that.

You want to be fresh when loading up the farmer’s walk handles with heavy weight and
walking. You’re free to do it light and do it after a “normal” workout, but who wants to do this
with light weight?

If you don’t have dedicated handles for this exercise, a trap bar works well, and if you don’t
have a trap bar, dumbbells can work.

The advantage of having dedicated handles is that you can load up a ton more weight, and if
you want to be strong, at some point you’re going to have to add weight to the bar.

Minor Assistance Yoke Work

The following exercises don’t need a psych-up and are usually performed at the end of the
workout. Most of these are done for higher reps (10-30) and are an awesome way to increase
your yoke volume and thickness.

Rear dumbbell laterals: Great for balancing out the shoulder girdle.
Side dumbbell laterals: I do these “wrong.” I start with my shoulders shrugged and
then do the lateral. This isn’t good for shoulder development, but awesome for the
traps.
Upright row: If you’re healthy, these are a great option. Try doing them with a rope
attached to a low pulley.
Seated dumbbell external rotations: These are often called seated dumbbell cleans.
Face pulls: Great for balance and easy way to pump up your traps. If you don’t have
access to a pulley, use a band.
Band pull-aparts: A staple for many, the band pull-apart is great to do between sets of
pressing. Make sure you pull the band apart with straight arms and pull your scapula
together.

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 Standing football bar (or Swiss bar) front raise: Make sure you raise the bar in a full
range of motion and end with the bar overhead. Pull your scap together at the top of the
movement. This is a very humbling movement. The first set will feel easy but the
subsequent sets, at the same weight, will be exhausting.
Strict (no bend) clean and press: This one is very strange but very effective. Start with
an empty barbell and do a very strict clean and press. No leg drive, no hip drive. Use
nothing but your arms and shoulders to move the bar.
Shoulder complex: Perform a barbell press for 10 reps, then do a side raise for 10
reps, and finally a rear raise for 10 reps. These three exercises, done back to back to
back, constitute one set. Do three sets. This will smoke your shoulders and traps.

Getting Rid of the Stack o’ Dimes

Unless you have access to a 4-way neck machine, we’re going to forego training “the sides” of
the neck. Using the neck harness and neck flexion work will provide plenty of “side neck”
stimulus.

If you do have access to a 4 way neck machine, you’re a lucky person. Use it and abuse it after
every workout: 100 reps/each way.

Ease into training the neck. You don’t want to jump into neck training with high volume and
heavy weights. So if this is your first invite to the neck party, take it slow. Only do half of the
reps and sets (when applicable) and work up to the recommendations over the course of a
month.

Don’t get so excited that you go too heavy or use a limited range of motion; strapping weight
to your head demands that you use a full range of motion and aren’t interested in the weight
being moved. Instead, be interested in getting the full benefits of proper training and form.

No one cares what you use for neck work, just like no one cares what you curl or do on any
assistance exercise. There are no gold medals handed out for the neck harness king.

There are many types of neck harnesses available. I’ve had a leather neck harness for almost
a decade now and it still holds up fine. I’ve also had a cheap, nylon neck harness that worked
very well. The leather harness is infinitely more comfortable.

Neck Harness

To use a neck harness, attach a dumbbell or plate to the chain and “yes/no” your head.

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You can do these seated on a bench, leaning forward, hands or elbows on your thighs, and
weight dangling between your legs. You can also do them standing up, with a slight lean
forward, your hands resting on a stationary object.

Whichever you choose, make sure you use a full range of motion, chin touching your chest on
each rep and then extend until your face is facing forward. You don’t need to toughen up the
exercise by hanging chains on the harness.

Neck Flexion

To do this, lay on a flat bench and hang your head off the end. Place a towel on your forehead
and place a weight plate on it. Bring your head back as far as you can and then bring your
chin to your chest.

Several neck training options:

50-100 reps of flexion and/or extension each workout. This is done over as many sets
as you want.
2 sets of 25-50 reps of flexion and/or extension when you wake up and when you go to
bed. This is done every day.
1 set of 50+ reps of flexion and/or extension each workout. This is obviously done with
a very light weight.
Perform 1 set (a warm-up) for a set of 15-20 reps. Then choose a goal weight and do as
many reps as you can. For my all-out set, I try to shoot for 15+ reps. For example, using
the neck harness, do:
1 set of 20 reps with 25 pounds (warm-up)
1 set of 18 reps with 70 pounds

Caution: Don’t try to max out or use a weight you’re not prepared for. I’ve done something
this stupid and have paid greatly.

I usually change the neck work for each workout as the key to training the neck is range of
motion and consistency. For the neck flexion work, I use a 25, 35 and 45-pound plate. I don’t
go overboard.

Everyday Yoke Work

Along with the main workouts, feel free to do some lighter yoke work on your off days. I
recommend this simple program:

Neck harness or neck flexion: 100 reps (done in as few sets as possible)

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 Face pulls or band pull-aparts: 100 reps (choose one of the exercises and do 100 reps
in as few sets as possible).

This can be done every day or just on your off days. I highly recommend doing this a set at a
time every day, either when you wake up or right before you go to bed. Establish a habit.

The Yoke Program

This is just a sample program of a yoke specialization program. You can mix and match the
different exercises each week or each month.

As long as you get the main lifts in, you can choose whatever you want to do afterward.
Experiment a bit and don’t be afraid to do some higher-rep work for the traps on the
assistance work. Remember that you’re doing the heavy work in the main lifts (deadlift and
cleans).

Monday

Exercise Sets Reps

A1 Press 5/3/1 *

A2 Chin-ups 5-8 10

B1 Close Grip Bench Press SST **

B2 Band Pull-aparts 3 25

C Glenn B Shrugs 100

D Neck work

* 5/3/1 sets and reps

* * Simplest Strength Template

Tuesday

Exercise Sets Reps

A Deadlift 5/3/1 *

B SS Bar Squat or Front Squat SST **

C Swings 100

D Ab work

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 E Neck work

* 5/3/1 sets and reps

* * Simplest Strength Template

Thursday

Exercise Sets Reps

A1 Bench Press 5/3/1 *

A2 Karowski Shrugs 5-8 10-20

B1 Incline Press SST **

B2 Face Pulls 3 20

C Swiss Bar Front Raises 3 10-12

D Neck work

* 5/3/1 sets and reps

* * Simplest Strength Template

Friday

Exercise Sets Reps

A Power Clean 5/3/1 *

B Squat 5/3/1 *

C Straight Leg Deadlifts or Good Mornings SST **

D Swings 100

E Ab work

F Neck work

* 5/3/1 sets and reps

* * Simplest Strength Template

A big set of traps and thick neck usually means that you have some strength and spent some
respectable time underneath the barbell. You’ve earned that muscle with more than a few
light sets to “get a pump.”

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Traps and neck are earned with hard exercises done by hard people. Anyone can move their
elbows but few can move mountains.

Use these exercises to strengthen your grip, crush rocks, and punch through walls. Or, you
know, just lift heavy stuff while keeping your hands healthy.
EMG studies determine that the most effective lateral raise is also the most dangerous
version. Check this out.

The PSA and Paralyzing Fear

Prostate specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein produced by both normal and malignant cells of
the prostate. Physicians have measured the blood levels of this antigen since the 1970’s
because it’s widely recognized as a reliable diagnostic tool in detecting prostate cancer in
men.

However, at the risk of being beaten up by the medical community, chained pantsless to a
hypoallergenic stock, and then subjected to painful digital rectal exams by the “Top 100
Prostate Surgeons” as determined by USA News and World Report, I’m going to cast some
aspersions on the PSA test.

My motive is this: I’ve had at least three friends who were told they had abnormally high PSA
readings. In all three cases, they were told to wait three to six months to be re-tested. The
subsequent tests all came back within normal ranges, but all three men spent the six-month
waiting period in hell, paralyzed by the fear they had prostate cancer.

So in order to maybe spare someone else the stress, I did some research. Now you may be too
young to worry about the PSA test, but sooner or later, a doctor will advise you to get one. Or
you might have an older male in your life right now who you care about that might be
interested in this info.

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Is the PSA Test Worth It?
According to the latest assessment by the US Preventative Services Task Force…

If 1,000 men ages 55 to 69 get tested regularly for 10 to 15 years, 240 of them will test
high enough for PSA that they require a biopsy.
One hundred of these men will get bad news from the lab.
Eighty of them will require surgery and/or radiation, and 60 will suffer side effects
from this treatment, including incontinence and impotence.
Only one to two prostate cancer deaths will be prevented.

Additional data from the task forced concluded that you’re 120-240 times more likely to be
misdiagnosed as a result of a positive PSA test and 40-80 times more likely to get
unnecessary surgery or radiation than you are of having your life saved.

As bad as that task force’s findings were, it was kinder to PSA tests in general than another
analysis done in 2013 by the Cochrane Group, an international collaboration that provides
impartial assessments of medical procedures.

The group carried out a meta-analysis of five major studies of the PSA test, including the U.S.
and European trials. The combined data showed “no significant reduction in prostate cancer-
specific and overall mortality.”

The report added:

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“Harms associated with PSA-based screening and subsequent diagnostic evaluations are
frequent, and moderate in severity… Common major harms include over-diagnosis and
overtreatment, including infection, blood loss requiring transfusion, pneumonia, erectile
dysfunction, and incontinence.”

A Profit-Driven Disaster?

Even the guy who discovered PSA, pathologist Richard J. Ablin, called it a “profit-driven
public health disaster” because it led to approximately 30 million American men being tested
every year at a cost of at least 3 billion dollars.

You see where I’m going here? But by no means am I trying to dissuade someone from
getting the test. By all means, if you’re closing in on 50 or 55, or have a close relative with
prostate cancer, think about getting your PSA tested. After all, the test has clearly saved some
lives.

However, it’s not foolproof and it comes with its own list of serious drawbacks, including
potential severe emotional stress, often for nothing.

Sources
1. John Horgan, “Why I Won’t Get a PSA Test for Prostate Cancer, Scientific American,
June 14, 2017.
2. Dr. Richard Ablin, “The Great Prostate Mistake,” The New York Times, March 9th,
2010.

Here are 4 things you need to know first.

They say you can't chase two rabbits. But don't let the metaphors fool you. It's absolutely
possible to achieve more than one objective under the iron.

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