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September 26, 2005
How to squat heavier despite trashed knees
Question: I have bad knees and I cannot squat regularly. Is there a way for me to build up my squat without squatting? And to replace the muscle building benefits of this king of exercises?
If your doctor is cool with you squatting at least once in a blue moon, there is a solution. Do what 1959 Mr. Universe Bruce Randall did. A young Marine, Randall wanted to play football for the base team and started lifting and eating. But as his size and strength grew, he lost interest in the ball game and focused on the iron. Bruce had one problem: he had suffered seven leg fractures in a bicycle accident and squatting was very hard on him. He got buried by 190, the first time he tried it!
But the jarhead did not give up. He eventually worked up to a 680-pound squat – without practicing it! But in case you got excited in anticipation of a secret routine that will mix leg presses, extensions, and other easy moves into a big squat, you have another thing coming. Mr. Universe’s substitute was at least as hard as the squat; some people would say it is even harder. It was the good morning, the exercise I have yet to see done in an average gym. Because the good morning is so similar to the power squat, the former automatically pushes up the latter.
Now run over to the squat rack before you get cold feet and give this tough exercise a shot. With the bar low on your back, set up in your usual squat stance. Take a breath into your stomach, tighten up, and push your hips back. This is very important: don’t lean forward but stick your butt out as far as possible. The latter intent is much safer for your back and enables you to put up much heavier weights.
Keep your stomach braced at all times and don’t lose your air! You can breathe, but shallow – ‘sip’ air as the late Dr. Siff would put it -– and without losing tension in your abs. Look straight ahead at all times and keep your spine straight (not to be confused with ‘vertical’). Keep your weight on your heels, your knees slightly bent, and your shins vertical, something your knees will appreciate. Keep folding until your torso is parallel to the deck or you cannot go any deeper without rounding your back. Press your feet into the floor and your traps up into the bar, and steadily straighten out.
For more information on this and related strength topics order Pavel’s Beyond Bodybuilding today
Posted by james at 6:17 AM | Comments (2)
September 19, 2005
Dumbbell bench power
Question: Could you give me a program to improve my dumbbell bench press? I can do a pair of 90s.
You bet. On Monday work up to a comfortably heavy triple, e.g. 50sx3, 60sx3, 65sx3, 70sx3, 75sx3, 80sx3. On Tuesday do many sets of five with little rest, e.g. 60sx5x10. On Thursday work up to a heavy five of incline bench dumbell presses, then declines. You might be able to do 45x5, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5, 65x5 on inclines and 65x5, 70x5, 75x5, 80x5 on declines. Understand that these are just examples. The idea is to start light and work up to comfortably heavy, while keeping the reps the same.
Keep your rest between sets brief on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On Saturday do many triples with plenty of rest, e.g. 70s-75sx3x8-12. Do the above program for three weeks. Peak in week four. Work up to a comfortable triple, perhaps 85sx3 by now, on Monday. A double, probably 90sx2, on Tuesday. It should be heavy but do not kill yourself. Do a very easy low rep workout on Thursday just to grease your groove, e.g. 70sx3x3. Test your max on Saturday. Your test might look like this. 50sx3, 60sx3, 70sx2, 80sx1, 90sx1, 95sx1,100sx1. Feel free to apply this pattern to other exercises.
For more information on this and related strength topics order Pavel’s Beyond Bodybuilding today
Posted by james at 6:16 AM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2005
Boost your bench... with shrugs!
Question: Is it true that there are dozens of shrug variations? Are they of any use?
Yes and yes. Your shoulder girdle has many degrees of freedom and it stands to reason that working it through many planes will fire up some new muscles and fibers and slap a few pounds on your frame. Besides, according to the shrug expert Paul Kelso, they will make your shoulders more resistant to injuries and up your poundages in other lifts. Here is one such shrug from the highly recommended Kelso’s Shrug Book. It will boost your ego lift – the bench press.
Stand inside a cable crossover machine – at last, a hardcore application for this sissified contraption! – and stretch your arms out to grab the handles of the high pulleys. Lean back slightly as if you are lying down to bench. If you are not using enough weight to counterbalance yourself, a spot from behind is a good idea.
Inhale and retract your straight arms into the shoulder sockets while forcing your chest out and pinching your shoulder blades together. “There is an odd result with wide grips,” comments Paul Kelso, “the direction of pull is not back or up… There is a triangulation from the hands to the focal point of contraction.” As if you are sucking your straight arms in your body. Pause in the retracted position for a few seconds, and release the stacks slowly. Do three sets of eight reps with pauses, either after your bench workout or on your back day.
Remember this feeling and try to recreate it when you are benching.
For more information on this and related strength topics order Pavel’s Beyond Bodybuilding today
Posted by james at 6:00 AM | Comments (2)
September 5, 2005
Heavyweight strength advantage for the lean
Question: Is it true that fat helps you lift more?
Yes, any tissue, including fat, helps by providing elastic rebound, sort of like powerlifting knee wraps and suit. Watch a super heavyweight lifter squat: his gut gets squished against his knees and his monstrous thighs push against the thick calves.
Of course, gaining fat to get stronger is not a wise choice for anyone but a SHW Pler, but you can fake some of the big guy’s leverage and come out with bigger and safer lifts.
The two exercises that lend themselves well to this ‘virtual size’ leverage are military presses and rock bottom Olympic squats. Watch a big dude military press. His torso and arms are so thick with muscles and fat that his tris get propped up on a cushion and the lift starts almost at the ear level. A skinny guy or gal has to start way down, below the collarbones, because thin arms naturally tuck into the sides.
Try flaring your lats when you are about to start the press. Literally spread them, as if you are trying to impress the gym with your V-shape. A special, partial lateral raise will help you to get the hang of this move. Grab a couple of dumbbells that are way too heavy for lateral raises. Now, without shrugging your shoulders, try to lift them an inch or so, just by tensing your squished lats. The latissimus will flare and push up on your upper arms.
Try to recreate the same feeling at the beginning of a military press. Press from a ‘lat shelf’ and be amazed at how much stronger you are – and how much easier the new technique is on your shoulder joints. But remember to resist the temptation to shrug your shoulders!
When you have mastered the lat shelf for your military presses you can start practicing to apply it to your benches, something record-breaking powerlifters swear by. It is not easy to master but well worth it.
Now apply the ‘virtual tissue leverage’ technique to rock bottom back or front squats. Start by going rock bottom without any weight and practice getting up an inch or so just by ‘thickening’ your hamstrings. Once you have it down pat, try it with a weight.
Do it! The ‘virtual tissue leverage’ technique is not just a gimmick that artificially raises your poundage; it is an effective way to protect your joints.
For more information on this and related strength topics order Pavel’s Beyond Bodybuilding today
Posted by james at 5:55 AM | Comments (1)