1306
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Re: STS TV
« on: November 21, 2010, 04:36:16 am »
Jump Snatch
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTTmPtFIn-4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTTmPtFIn-4</a>
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1307
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / STS TV
« on: November 21, 2010, 04:34:41 am »
Hang Clean with 1-2-3 Drill
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlpWV5J9SI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlpWV5J9SI</a>
1308
Introduce Yourself / Re: Hey guys just wanted to say what's up.
« on: November 21, 2010, 03:27:14 am »Hey Jules glad to see you here bud, start you a journal in the training log section with your latest template, just update it on the weekend when
you can for now since youre in season.
1309
Introduce Yourself / Re: One more inch
« on: November 21, 2010, 03:24:26 am »
Hey bud, glad to see you here, go ahead and start a journal in the journal section and I will get your workout adjusted for you. Also, can you train three days per week or only able to get to the gym two? Let me know and we will get you set up.
1310
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Re: Effective and Time Effecient Upper body *(and lower) Training for Athletes
« on: November 21, 2010, 03:13:37 am »There are many other ways of incorporating rest-pause style training into training routines and alot of them are extremely effective as well. I want to share one method of incorporating shorter pauses, specifically designed to improve 1 rep max strength in a very short time period. Note that this particular method is much more CNS intensive than the method I shared earlier but incorporating into your workout plan every once in a while can give you a tremendous gain in strength as well as hypertrophy. What you are going to do is take your 2-3 rep max on a compound exercise such as a bench press or a squat, and perform 10 singles with that weight, adjusting the pause between reps to lower and lower time periods each consecutive workout. Lets take the bench press for example. We will use an athlete with a 3 rep max of 225 on the bench press for our example. Session 1 would look like this:
Bench Press- 225 x 1, rack the weight, rest 45 seconds, 225x1, rack weight, rest 45 seconds, etc. etc.
So he will perform 1 rep with 225 (his 3 rep max) every 45 seconds, for 10 total sets. Session 2 would be the exact same 225 x 1 rep for 10 sets, but the rest period would be cut down to 30 seconds between rest-pause sets. So session 2 would look like this:
Bench Press- 225x1, rack weight, rest 30 seconds, 225x1, rack weight, rest 30 seconds, etc. etc.
In session 2 we have the exact same total weight moved, but in less time, effectively raising the intensity without asking too much from the body. Session 3 would be 225x 1 rep for 10 sets but the rest period would be cut down to 15 seconds between rest-pause sets. When you get to session 4 it is more realistic to use 10 second rest intervals, then in session 5 he would perform 225 for 10 consecutive reps, turning what was once his 3 rep max into his 10 rep max! Not bad results in 5 sessions! This type of loading is most effective when performed once per week, (in this case on the horizontal push/horizontal pull workout), and with only one exercise per session. Using lifts that you can start from the bottom pins in a power rack like bench press and squats are very effective with this type of loading, you simply set the pins at the bottom of the lift, start at the bottom, and return to the pins after each rep. You can use it with traditionally performed eccentric/concentric lifts as well, just make sure to have adequate safety measures such as a spotter or pins in place.
1311
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Effective and Time Effecient Upper body *(and lower) Training for Athletes
« on: November 21, 2010, 03:12:32 am »
Effective and Time Effecient Upper Body Training For Athletes
Lately, one of the most frequently asked questions I have been getting is how to incorporate upper body strength training into a vertical jump program. What are good exercises?, How many sets?, How many reps? How often? All of these are good questions and very frequently asked so I am going to outline an upperbody split that everyone can customize to fit their specific needs.
First of all, a push/pull type split for the main exercises is hard to beat when it comes to upper body training for an athlete. The exercises actually potentiate each other and instead of hammering away at all your pressing or pulling muscles one after another, you hit the pressing muscles hard, then, while they are recovering, you hit the pulling muscles which are not yet fatigued. This translates to more total poundage being used, better time management, and a structurally sound program that works both sides of the body equally. An example of a push/pull type routine is a bench press, followed by a inverted row, or a push press followed by a pull up. I will go into more detail on how to set this up below, vertical push/vertical pull and horizontal push/horizontal pull is a great way to set it up.
Next, sets and reps can be very confusing and hard to decide on a plan. Do too many sets and your workout takes forever, cuts into your recovery time, and detracts from your original goal of improving your vertical jump. Do to little, and you dont progress. So whats the answer? How can we incorporate a set/rep scheme into our upper body training plan that allows us to stimulate the body enough to progress, yet is time effecient and doesnt detract from our recovery from our plyometric and lower body intensive training schedule? Welcome to rest-pause training! Now the way we use rest-pause training is a little different than typical bodybuilding style rest-pause methods, remember, we are ATHLETES, not bodybuilders. Potentiation methods, explosive reps, and different exercise selection are key here, the time between sets and progressions will be similar.
So what exactly is rest-pause training? Simply put, we are going to take an exercise, ramp up to a weight that we can move explosively for at least 5 reps, and do 3 sets of as many reps as possible in solid form, resting 30-45seconds or the time it takes you to take 15 deep breaths between sets, and add up the total repetitions we completed in the three sets for our total. This three set total, regardless of the total of each individual set, is what we have to beat the next time we repeat the exercise. Lets say your doing standing press, you will work up to a weight that feels somewhat challenging, yet can still be moved explosively without sticking. Your build up or warm up sets are 3-5 reps, the idea is not to fatigue the body but to ramp up the nervous system. Once you hit that weight, whatever it may be, you are going to perform your first set. Get as many reps as possible while maintaing solid form, rest for 15 breaths (take long, deep, breaths) or 30-45 seconds, perform the 2nd set the same exact way, rest for 15 breaths or 30-45 seconds, and then do the same for a third. Total these three sets up and write the number down in your journal. Once you come back to this exercise, you have to either beat the rep total, or add weight to the exercise and get a similar rep total. ALWAYS PROGRESS!! you have 3 sets to beat what you did the last time, this makes it very realistic for you to improve in a linear fashion since you arent worried about beating just one set like in a traditional approach. If you did the press, the weight you used was 150lbs and you got 7 reps, 5 reps, and 3 reps, then your total is 15 reps at 150lbs. The next time you press, you either need to get 16 reps at 150lbs, or 13-15 reps at 155 lbs. Once your rep total exceeds 25 total reps, you need to add weight to the exercise. If your rep total does not exceed 12 reps, you need to reduce the weight or stay there if you think you can hit 12 or more total the next time. Very simple and very effective way to progress. You will be in and out of the gym in no time and progressing constantly if you adhere to these guidelines.
Okay, so we know that we want a push/pull upper body setup, and we know that we want to use rest-pause set/rep schemes when performing them. Below I am going to give an example of how to set this up using two different upper body workouts (important to have at least two different templates so progression will be possible workout to workout), and how to incorporate assistance type exercises into the plan. The guidelines will be the same, you can adjust the exercises any way you like, just adhere to the structure of the template.
Upper body day 1- (monday)
Bench Press- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging, but you could easily get 2 or 3 more explosive reps with. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results.
Recline Pull ups- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging but could be easily done for 2-3 more explosive reps. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results
(Assistance work)
paralell bar dips- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.
standing bicep curls- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.
shoulder prehabilitation- band pull apart + overhead shrug- 2 sets of 20 reps w/light load, no rest pause sets.
Upper body day 2- (thursday)
Standing Press- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.
Pull up (weighted if need be)- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.
(Assistance work)
Close grip bench press- 2 rest pause sets w/ a moderate weight.
Seated dumbell curl- 2 rest pause sets w/a moderate weight.
** Once you have established a rest-pause total for a given exercise with a certain weight you will know exactly where to end your ramping, warm up sets. Log everything you do and next time you come back to it, DESTROY your previous rep total, or add more weight! Simple but extremely effective!
Okay, so thats about it, hope everyone has a good idea how to implement this type of loading now and can start getting their upper body stronger, more explosive, and in the least amount of time neccessary for growth. This type of loading can go on infinitely but as with any type of program, once you accomodate to the exact same exercise and have not progressed either by adding more weight or more total reps in successive training sessions, just swap the exercise out for another one, then when you come back to it later on you will be able to beat your best performance very shortly
Lately, one of the most frequently asked questions I have been getting is how to incorporate upper body strength training into a vertical jump program. What are good exercises?, How many sets?, How many reps? How often? All of these are good questions and very frequently asked so I am going to outline an upperbody split that everyone can customize to fit their specific needs.
First of all, a push/pull type split for the main exercises is hard to beat when it comes to upper body training for an athlete. The exercises actually potentiate each other and instead of hammering away at all your pressing or pulling muscles one after another, you hit the pressing muscles hard, then, while they are recovering, you hit the pulling muscles which are not yet fatigued. This translates to more total poundage being used, better time management, and a structurally sound program that works both sides of the body equally. An example of a push/pull type routine is a bench press, followed by a inverted row, or a push press followed by a pull up. I will go into more detail on how to set this up below, vertical push/vertical pull and horizontal push/horizontal pull is a great way to set it up.
Next, sets and reps can be very confusing and hard to decide on a plan. Do too many sets and your workout takes forever, cuts into your recovery time, and detracts from your original goal of improving your vertical jump. Do to little, and you dont progress. So whats the answer? How can we incorporate a set/rep scheme into our upper body training plan that allows us to stimulate the body enough to progress, yet is time effecient and doesnt detract from our recovery from our plyometric and lower body intensive training schedule? Welcome to rest-pause training! Now the way we use rest-pause training is a little different than typical bodybuilding style rest-pause methods, remember, we are ATHLETES, not bodybuilders. Potentiation methods, explosive reps, and different exercise selection are key here, the time between sets and progressions will be similar.
So what exactly is rest-pause training? Simply put, we are going to take an exercise, ramp up to a weight that we can move explosively for at least 5 reps, and do 3 sets of as many reps as possible in solid form, resting 30-45seconds or the time it takes you to take 15 deep breaths between sets, and add up the total repetitions we completed in the three sets for our total. This three set total, regardless of the total of each individual set, is what we have to beat the next time we repeat the exercise. Lets say your doing standing press, you will work up to a weight that feels somewhat challenging, yet can still be moved explosively without sticking. Your build up or warm up sets are 3-5 reps, the idea is not to fatigue the body but to ramp up the nervous system. Once you hit that weight, whatever it may be, you are going to perform your first set. Get as many reps as possible while maintaing solid form, rest for 15 breaths (take long, deep, breaths) or 30-45 seconds, perform the 2nd set the same exact way, rest for 15 breaths or 30-45 seconds, and then do the same for a third. Total these three sets up and write the number down in your journal. Once you come back to this exercise, you have to either beat the rep total, or add weight to the exercise and get a similar rep total. ALWAYS PROGRESS!! you have 3 sets to beat what you did the last time, this makes it very realistic for you to improve in a linear fashion since you arent worried about beating just one set like in a traditional approach. If you did the press, the weight you used was 150lbs and you got 7 reps, 5 reps, and 3 reps, then your total is 15 reps at 150lbs. The next time you press, you either need to get 16 reps at 150lbs, or 13-15 reps at 155 lbs. Once your rep total exceeds 25 total reps, you need to add weight to the exercise. If your rep total does not exceed 12 reps, you need to reduce the weight or stay there if you think you can hit 12 or more total the next time. Very simple and very effective way to progress. You will be in and out of the gym in no time and progressing constantly if you adhere to these guidelines.
Okay, so we know that we want a push/pull upper body setup, and we know that we want to use rest-pause set/rep schemes when performing them. Below I am going to give an example of how to set this up using two different upper body workouts (important to have at least two different templates so progression will be possible workout to workout), and how to incorporate assistance type exercises into the plan. The guidelines will be the same, you can adjust the exercises any way you like, just adhere to the structure of the template.
Upper body day 1- (monday)
Bench Press- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging, but you could easily get 2 or 3 more explosive reps with. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results.
Recline Pull ups- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging but could be easily done for 2-3 more explosive reps. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results
(Assistance work)
paralell bar dips- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.
standing bicep curls- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.
shoulder prehabilitation- band pull apart + overhead shrug- 2 sets of 20 reps w/light load, no rest pause sets.
Upper body day 2- (thursday)
Standing Press- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.
Pull up (weighted if need be)- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.
(Assistance work)
Close grip bench press- 2 rest pause sets w/ a moderate weight.
Seated dumbell curl- 2 rest pause sets w/a moderate weight.
** Once you have established a rest-pause total for a given exercise with a certain weight you will know exactly where to end your ramping, warm up sets. Log everything you do and next time you come back to it, DESTROY your previous rep total, or add more weight! Simple but extremely effective!
Okay, so thats about it, hope everyone has a good idea how to implement this type of loading now and can start getting their upper body stronger, more explosive, and in the least amount of time neccessary for growth. This type of loading can go on infinitely but as with any type of program, once you accomodate to the exact same exercise and have not progressed either by adding more weight or more total reps in successive training sessions, just swap the exercise out for another one, then when you come back to it later on you will be able to beat your best performance very shortly
1312
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump and Speed Training
« on: November 21, 2010, 02:53:16 am »
Bands and Chains (Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump Training)
by
LanceSTS
Accomodating resistance is in simple terms, using a progressive resistance that matches the athletes strength curve throughout the lift. For example, during a squat we are much stronger and able to handle much greater loads at the top end than we are at the bottom. With free weight alone we have exactly the same amount of resistance at the top that we do at the bottom, so technically we are mainly training the bottom half of the squat as we will fail here before we would fail with the same resistance in a quarter squat. What the bands do is provide accomodating resistance or progressive resistance throughout the lift. So we may have 225 lbs on the bar and two 50 lb tension bands attached. At the top of the lift, where we are strong enough to handle it, we have 325 lbs. At the bottom of the lift, when the bands are relaxed and we are weakest, we have about 225lbs! This provides our body with the correct tension throughout the whole range of motion, not only to train the bottom half, but the top part as well. So what about chains? Dont they do the same thing? Well, although chains do provide accomodating resistance as you raise them off the floor, the weight increases, but there is no kinetic energy on the eccentric that the bands provide.
Jump Stretch bands are probably the most useful tool in our arsenal of methods of accomodating resistance for jump specific training. They not only provide progressive resistance throughout the entire range of motion, but also add kinetic energy on the eccentric portion of the lift. The kinetic energy I am referring to is the overspeed (faster than a normal free weight resistance) effect that they have on the bar. This overspeed eccentric loading can have a huge training effect on both maximal strength, and explosive strength. Bands are basically teaching your body to load the eccentric portion of the lift and the jump harder and faster! This is great news knowing the direct correlation studies have shown with the effect of faster eccentric loading on vertical jump performance. Basically the jumpers that descended or loaded the jump the fastest, jumped the highest! Bands are great at training this aspect. Another thing the bands do in regards to maximal strength training is trick the body into thinking it has a heavier load than it does. At the top of the lift when the bands are pulling down maximally, the body senses a much heavier weight than it will have to deal with at the bottom or the hard part of the lift. The body then responds accordingly by recruiting more of its motor units to do the job. So even though you may only have to actually lift 225 at the bottom of the lift, the body thinks its going to be 325 and responds accordingly, making the 225 a much more explosive lift! This is great news for us as athletes. So now the question is, how much band tension and how much free weight? Well read on and I will explain a progressive system that works very well for implementing band tension in your training.
When you first begin using bands its important to realize just how much tension you need to add to the bar to get the maximum effect of the bands. Different sports like powerlifting will have different requirements for tension values but as athletes is actually pretty simple. A good rule of thumb when starting out is to not let the bands make up over 20 % of the total load on the bar. For example, if you were using two, twenty pound stretch bands on the bar loaded with 100lbs, you would be right on the money. If you had 200lbs of free weight on the bar you could use two, 40 lb. stretch bands and be right on again. The stronger you are at a given lift, the higher the band tension will be but it still should only make up around 20% of the total load. Now keep in mind these are just guidelines and are definitely not set in stone. More experienced athletes will be able to use a higher percentage of band tension and I have done this many times myself. The key is to not use so much band tension that you cannot perform the lift explosively throughout the entire range of motion. Using higher band tension and less free weight will slow the lift down tremendously and cause signifcantly more CNS drain and delayed onset muscle soreness or d.o.m.s. so dont get caught up that. They are a wonderful tool if used correctly and can take your training to another level. Hopefully this will help some of you interested in using these wonderful tools in your training and clarify some of the reasoning behind their uses.This article was originally published in forum thread: Bands and Chains (Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump Training) started by LanceSTS View original post
Tags
by
LanceSTS
Accomodating resistance is in simple terms, using a progressive resistance that matches the athletes strength curve throughout the lift. For example, during a squat we are much stronger and able to handle much greater loads at the top end than we are at the bottom. With free weight alone we have exactly the same amount of resistance at the top that we do at the bottom, so technically we are mainly training the bottom half of the squat as we will fail here before we would fail with the same resistance in a quarter squat. What the bands do is provide accomodating resistance or progressive resistance throughout the lift. So we may have 225 lbs on the bar and two 50 lb tension bands attached. At the top of the lift, where we are strong enough to handle it, we have 325 lbs. At the bottom of the lift, when the bands are relaxed and we are weakest, we have about 225lbs! This provides our body with the correct tension throughout the whole range of motion, not only to train the bottom half, but the top part as well. So what about chains? Dont they do the same thing? Well, although chains do provide accomodating resistance as you raise them off the floor, the weight increases, but there is no kinetic energy on the eccentric that the bands provide.
Jump Stretch bands are probably the most useful tool in our arsenal of methods of accomodating resistance for jump specific training. They not only provide progressive resistance throughout the entire range of motion, but also add kinetic energy on the eccentric portion of the lift. The kinetic energy I am referring to is the overspeed (faster than a normal free weight resistance) effect that they have on the bar. This overspeed eccentric loading can have a huge training effect on both maximal strength, and explosive strength. Bands are basically teaching your body to load the eccentric portion of the lift and the jump harder and faster! This is great news knowing the direct correlation studies have shown with the effect of faster eccentric loading on vertical jump performance. Basically the jumpers that descended or loaded the jump the fastest, jumped the highest! Bands are great at training this aspect. Another thing the bands do in regards to maximal strength training is trick the body into thinking it has a heavier load than it does. At the top of the lift when the bands are pulling down maximally, the body senses a much heavier weight than it will have to deal with at the bottom or the hard part of the lift. The body then responds accordingly by recruiting more of its motor units to do the job. So even though you may only have to actually lift 225 at the bottom of the lift, the body thinks its going to be 325 and responds accordingly, making the 225 a much more explosive lift! This is great news for us as athletes. So now the question is, how much band tension and how much free weight? Well read on and I will explain a progressive system that works very well for implementing band tension in your training.
When you first begin using bands its important to realize just how much tension you need to add to the bar to get the maximum effect of the bands. Different sports like powerlifting will have different requirements for tension values but as athletes is actually pretty simple. A good rule of thumb when starting out is to not let the bands make up over 20 % of the total load on the bar. For example, if you were using two, twenty pound stretch bands on the bar loaded with 100lbs, you would be right on the money. If you had 200lbs of free weight on the bar you could use two, 40 lb. stretch bands and be right on again. The stronger you are at a given lift, the higher the band tension will be but it still should only make up around 20% of the total load. Now keep in mind these are just guidelines and are definitely not set in stone. More experienced athletes will be able to use a higher percentage of band tension and I have done this many times myself. The key is to not use so much band tension that you cannot perform the lift explosively throughout the entire range of motion. Using higher band tension and less free weight will slow the lift down tremendously and cause signifcantly more CNS drain and delayed onset muscle soreness or d.o.m.s. so dont get caught up that. They are a wonderful tool if used correctly and can take your training to another level. Hopefully this will help some of you interested in using these wonderful tools in your training and clarify some of the reasoning behind their uses.This article was originally published in forum thread: Bands and Chains (Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump Training) started by LanceSTS View original post
Tags
1313
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Wasted Sets, Wasted Reps, Wasted Time
« on: November 21, 2010, 02:47:45 am »
Wasted Reps, Wasted Sets, Wasted Time
by
LanceSTS
One thing that we all take for granted from time to time is the perfect execution of our workout. Now Im not speaking specifically about having proper form on the exercises, adhering to the template, or keeping focused on the time of the workout and rest intervals as those things are extremely important and should be a rule with no exception. What I am talking about is every single rep in every single set that we perform each and every time we train.
How many times can you say that youve looked back on a workout, and without a doubt, every rep or every set was perfect? Well, if you want to make the most timely and rewarding progress you have ever made, I suggest you start implementing this. Lets say your workout calls for 5 sets of 5 reps on squats with 80 percent of your one rep max. That gives us 25 total repetitions in this particular squat workout. Now, of course you could go through some of the sets, lifting at a decent cadence, and still get your 25 reps in with 80 percent of your max.
So you completed your workout and now youre on to the next exercise, it will be a couple of days before you get to squat again since you have to recover. Did you get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits out of that particular squat workout? Absolutely not. You did just enough work to complete the workout but no more. The way to get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits of every rep of every set in your workout, is to put 100 percent of your bodys ability into each and every single repetition you perform. This means that if you have 220 pounds on the bar and you are capable of putting 320 pounds of force into it, then you absolutely put every ounce of power in every fiber of your body into that bar, on EVERY SINGLE REP you perform. Try to bend the bar on the way up. This type of lifting is extremely conducive to not only vertical jumping gains, but maximal strength gains as well. Implement this mindset on every applicable lift in your workout and watch your gains in both strength and jumping skyrocket. Think about it next time you head to the gym. One wasted rep leads to one wasted set, one wasted set leads to one wasted workout.
Make every single rep in every single set the best rep youve ever done, then when youve finished, look back ask yourself the question, did I push each and every rep in each and every set as explosively and powerfully as possible? If your answer is yes then you are well on the way to a stronger, more athletic body and a higher vertical jump as well.
by
LanceSTS
One thing that we all take for granted from time to time is the perfect execution of our workout. Now Im not speaking specifically about having proper form on the exercises, adhering to the template, or keeping focused on the time of the workout and rest intervals as those things are extremely important and should be a rule with no exception. What I am talking about is every single rep in every single set that we perform each and every time we train.
How many times can you say that youve looked back on a workout, and without a doubt, every rep or every set was perfect? Well, if you want to make the most timely and rewarding progress you have ever made, I suggest you start implementing this. Lets say your workout calls for 5 sets of 5 reps on squats with 80 percent of your one rep max. That gives us 25 total repetitions in this particular squat workout. Now, of course you could go through some of the sets, lifting at a decent cadence, and still get your 25 reps in with 80 percent of your max.
So you completed your workout and now youre on to the next exercise, it will be a couple of days before you get to squat again since you have to recover. Did you get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits out of that particular squat workout? Absolutely not. You did just enough work to complete the workout but no more. The way to get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits of every rep of every set in your workout, is to put 100 percent of your bodys ability into each and every single repetition you perform. This means that if you have 220 pounds on the bar and you are capable of putting 320 pounds of force into it, then you absolutely put every ounce of power in every fiber of your body into that bar, on EVERY SINGLE REP you perform. Try to bend the bar on the way up. This type of lifting is extremely conducive to not only vertical jumping gains, but maximal strength gains as well. Implement this mindset on every applicable lift in your workout and watch your gains in both strength and jumping skyrocket. Think about it next time you head to the gym. One wasted rep leads to one wasted set, one wasted set leads to one wasted workout.
Make every single rep in every single set the best rep youve ever done, then when youve finished, look back ask yourself the question, did I push each and every rep in each and every set as explosively and powerfully as possible? If your answer is yes then you are well on the way to a stronger, more athletic body and a higher vertical jump as well.
1314
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: low bar squat vs high bar squat
« on: November 18, 2010, 12:09:20 am »
Yea, Ive seen him cue the feet out when the lifter is having trouble with depth, I do the same thing. If someone has an issue with the knees turning in or needs a little more depth then its a good way to fix it, whatever is most comfortable though, angles will vary.
1315
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: low bar squat vs high bar squat
« on: November 17, 2010, 11:24:45 pm »
Yes that makes perfect sense and is another variable that will dictate the amount of forward lean of the torso and forward knee travel to reach full depth. From what Ive seen of his videos and read from his book and posts he is teaching a "higher" low bar position than alot of powerlifters use. If you look at alot of his guys squatting they keep their torsos fairly upright compared to lifters utilitzing a deeper bar position and less knee travel. Steven Miller would be a better person to ask about what exactly Rip says but from the info i have seen and read from him that is what he is advocating.
Individual levers will play a big role in optimal bar placement as well, longer torsos and shorter legs will be able to keep the torso more upright (see olympic lifters adarq posted), and shorter torso, longer legs (see the low bar squat adarq posted) will have to have more forward lean regardless of bar position. The low bar position allows the lifters with shorter torsos to stay more upright and allow the knee travel without as much knee stress.
(here is one of rips lifters squatting at wfac)
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqjXWZaOElA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqjXWZaOElA</a>
Individual levers will play a big role in optimal bar placement as well, longer torsos and shorter legs will be able to keep the torso more upright (see olympic lifters adarq posted), and shorter torso, longer legs (see the low bar squat adarq posted) will have to have more forward lean regardless of bar position. The low bar position allows the lifters with shorter torsos to stay more upright and allow the knee travel without as much knee stress.
(here is one of rips lifters squatting at wfac)
1316
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: low bar squat vs high bar squat
« on: November 17, 2010, 08:47:21 pm »
Right, there is no question that if your goal is an SPP type movement, the half squat will win hands down. The thing that alot seem confused on is that the bar position can still be a low bar position and be an olympic style squat, the squat in the video above is definitely more of a powerlifting style squat with less knee involvement. This is a good example of a low bar "olympic style" squat.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6sqL4PLdA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6sqL4PLdA</a>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6sqL4PLdA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6sqL4PLdA
1317
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: low bar squat vs high bar squat
« on: November 17, 2010, 08:35:50 pm »
Low bar position does not mean less knee travel, in fact, in the style of squat Steven is referring to the knees track forward quite a bit compared to a traditional wide stance, low bar, hip squat. There are plenty of lifters who squat high bar with very minimal forward knee travel and sit the hips back very far just like there are plenty of low bar squatters who allow the knees to drift forward and sit more straight down rather than back.
The bar position is simply giving you better leverage on the bar, what you do from there will determine the other things mentioned more. One big advantage of using the low bar, moderate stance, knees tracking over feet, style squat that Rip preaches is it allows the knees to track forward with much less pressure on them due to the bar position. I have had several athletes used to high bar squatting with lots of knee travel simply switch the bar position and still maintain nearly the exact same squat with that one exception, the difference in the stress on the knees is huge, the low bar position greatly aids this issue.
For athletes who are jumping, running, etc, and also squatting, I like to use that style of squat MOST of the time, I have found that it is easy to teach and greatly reduces the stress on the knees, strengthens the hell out of the hamstrings, and allows more weight to be used than other styles. If someone is comfortable with another style then by all means I have no issues with them doing that, the most important thing is that you get a style of squat that you are comfortable with and believe in, if youre always guessing wether or not you should be doing something else you will not get optimal results from anything youre doing anyhow.
The bar position is simply giving you better leverage on the bar, what you do from there will determine the other things mentioned more. One big advantage of using the low bar, moderate stance, knees tracking over feet, style squat that Rip preaches is it allows the knees to track forward with much less pressure on them due to the bar position. I have had several athletes used to high bar squatting with lots of knee travel simply switch the bar position and still maintain nearly the exact same squat with that one exception, the difference in the stress on the knees is huge, the low bar position greatly aids this issue.
For athletes who are jumping, running, etc, and also squatting, I like to use that style of squat MOST of the time, I have found that it is easy to teach and greatly reduces the stress on the knees, strengthens the hell out of the hamstrings, and allows more weight to be used than other styles. If someone is comfortable with another style then by all means I have no issues with them doing that, the most important thing is that you get a style of squat that you are comfortable with and believe in, if youre always guessing wether or not you should be doing something else you will not get optimal results from anything youre doing anyhow.
1318
Pics, Videos, & Links / Re: My Training Videos
« on: November 17, 2010, 01:54:40 pm »
Jump snatch- looks very good for the most part, especially considering the amount of time youve been using it, good job bud! Your starting position needs to be a little less knee bend and more hips back, the bar shouldnt be quite as low as youre currently starting from. Just push the hips back with knees slightly bent, rdl position, then jump. On the catch the reason youre getting off balance is youre on your toes, sit back to mid foot or back half of the foot on the catch.
Agree, look athetic and the ghr was impressive. youre doing a great job of jumping the weight up on the snatches and cleans and not pulling it up with the arms, just tighten that starting position and catch up and youre good to go.
Agree, look athetic and the ghr was impressive. youre doing a great job of jumping the weight up on the snatches and cleans and not pulling it up with the arms, just tighten that starting position and catch up and youre good to go.
1319
Pics, Videos, & Links / Re: funny / horrible training videos
« on: November 07, 2010, 06:57:10 pm »
hahahahahhaah wtf! that had to be set up as a joke, that kid had no chance of doing anything with that weight.
1320
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: 3x8 or 3x5?
« on: November 02, 2010, 06:08:06 pm »
You can do some flexibility work and that will help to a certain extent, but you have to get the weight of the bar out of you hands. Learning to let it sink into the rear delts is key, sometimes you have to widen the grip a little to allow this to happen. I used to use a close grip and got some shoulder issues from it, moved it out and have not had an issue since. If you look at the bar position in this video, you can see how little of the bar weight I actually carry in my hands, 99% of it is in the rear delts and upper traps. This isnt to say that this position is best for everyone but it works for a long limbed frame very well.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEoJnhEqu_o" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEoJnhEqu_o</a>