A Balding Man's Advice on Powerlifting Technique Part II

Part II of the series on squatting by our friend Rob Wagner


By Dr. Rob Wagner

In 1987 I set my first national record in the squat in the ADFPA (now USAPL).  I was competing as a 165 lbs. lifter and needed a 690 lbs. squat to break the old standard.  I had planned to take a shot at this record on my third attempt.  I had opened around the 630 lbs. mark, took a second around the 70's and then proceeded to the record.  Everything seemed fine during the set up.  I brought the bar out, steadied myself and waited for the signal.   The judge verbalized the signal and dropped his hand and I went into my descent.  As I came out of the hole my subconscious suddenly decided that my body was going to attempt a different feat of strength.  Much to my surprise I found myself suddenly attempting a world record 690 lbs. good morning.  The disappointing part was not only did I miss the Squat but my Good Morning was red lighted as well.  The good news was that you could take a fourth attempt on National Records in the ADFPA  in 1987.  During the brief interlude between attempts, my handlers were able to watch the lift on a camcorder.  In reviewing the lift they noticed a flaw in my bar positioning.    The bar was resting in its normal spot but with the heavier weight I was getting pulled forward.  The adjustment recommended was to place the bar just slightly lower on my upper back.  This change resulted in my first National Record. 

As I became more active in coaching I discovered how important the interaction of bar position, stance and foot placement.  In both the competitive arena and in gyms I have seen many heavy lifts missed due the inability to properly orient the factors just mentioned.  Most lifters assume that missing a lift is always a strength problem.  They will attempt to remedy the problem by doing more sets and reps or by adding additional exercises.  Gradually the technique problem manifests itself into an overtraining problem.   At this point the lifter not only has a technique problem but has also encountered a loss of strength due to too much work on the movement.  In the first article of this series I proposed some technical advice on how to set up the squat.  In this article the technical focus will be on positioning of your stance and foot placement and their involvement with bar placement. 

First allow me to define our terminology.  I believe the stance and foot placement is an integral factor in performing the squat movement in accordance with the rules of the sport.  More specifically your ability to break parallel (the rule in most of the rule books) can be greatly affected by your stance and foot placement.  If you look at the squat motion it involves movement in several joints simultaneously.  The hip, knee and ankle all move to decrease the joint angle at the knee.  The movement of these three joints allows the bar to stay over the foot while performing the lift.  Impede the range of motion or flexibility of any of these joints and the ability to reach proper depth or develop maximum force is negated.  Stance and foot placement greatly affect several anatomical elements which will allow the muscles involved to exert their greatest forces relative to the squat. 

Before discussing the determination of your stance I need to point out some rules you should always follow.  The first is to keep the shin as vertical as possible throughout the entire squat movement. The knee should never travel past the toe.  If it does you are placing yourself at an injury risk. The second rule is that you always will keep the knee pointed in the same direction as the foot.  Don't allow your knees to pinch in during your ascent.  The information provided in this article presents general guidelines to better your performance of the lift.  These are not the laws of squatting.  Take the information provided here and use what works for you.

Stance is the width or distance apart you space your feet.  Foot placement is the angular positioning of your feet.  Stance and foot placement will effect a couple of important anatomical considerations related to squat performance.   The first of these relates to your center of gravity (COG).  This is a point at which the mass of the body can be considered to act.  It can almost be thought of as a balance point.  Action on the COG occurs in a vertical line due to the force of gravity.  The barbell also has a center of gravity bCOG and due to its rigid nature the bCOG is fixed and does not move as long as plates are of equal weight and are loaded evenly.  The bCOG is always at the center of the barbell.  The COG of the human body is different however.  It will change as the position of the body changes.  When standing with no weight it is usually located internally in the vicinity of the spine and at around waist level.  When your body position changes it can move up or down and even outside the body.  When a lifter lifts or places a loaded bar on his body you create a combined cCOG.  This cCOG will lie along the line that joins the two COG and bCOG.  The important point is that the location of the cCOG lies closer to the heavier object (the body and the bar).   As the object (bar) increases in weight so does the movement of the cCOG towards the heavier object.  The positing of the cCOG will play a role in your balance and force production.  The cCOG will need to be in close proximity (vertically) of the foot to help with this. A simple way to look at it is to keep the bar over the foot during the squat because it is almost certain that the cCOG will be in close proximity to the bar (see figure 1).  Your stance will greatly affect the positioning of the cCOG  and its positioning over your foot during the squat.  

The other area affected by stance and foot placement is the flexibility of the hips.  Flexibility is defined as the range of motion created around a joint.  The greater this range the greater your flexibility.  Foot placement and stance individually and combined also has an affect on the positioning of the head of the femur in the acetabulum of the pelvis.    By positioning your feet at a certain angles and different widths you can create different ranges of motion around the hip joint.

If you recall in the first article I pointed out the concept of body lean and its importance during the squat.  Body lean can be adjusted greatly by making changes in your stance.  The farther the hips travel away from the foot (backwards) the more you will have to lean to keep the bar itself and the cCOG over the foot.  Positioning the cCOG and bar over the foot will be advantageous to the lifter.  An extreme example of not doing this would be the good morning type position I mentioned in the introduction. When you attain this position the area of force production  (the hips) and the cCOG and bar are greatly displaced.  This puts the load into the low back and glutes and diminishes the force you can generate to move the weight.  In the squat, body lean is required in helping to position the bar over your feet.  If you can imagine a vertical line between the feet and the bar your goal is to try keep your hips as close to this line as possible.  The closer your hips are to this line the greater force you will be able to produce because you will be keeping the bar and the cCOG over the foot.  The stance plays a role here since moving the feet in or out can increase or decrease the displacement between the hips and the bar foot line.   When you descend into a full squat and your hips are placed at an extreme position behind the bar and foot line you lose a force advantage.  Usually if you do complete this lift you will feel it in the low back.  In finding stance we should try to position the hips closer to the bar and foot line in the bottom of the squat in order to take advantage of our ability to produce force.

To determine stance look at the proportionality between the upper and lower leg.   If your upper leg is shorter than the lower leg your stance can stay on the narrow side (inside shoulder width to 3-5" outside shoulder width of each leg) . If your upper leg is longer than the lower I suggest you assume a wider stance outside the distances mentioned above.  Having a shorter upper leg will displace the hips (behind the bar and foot) at a smaller distance relative to your body size even with a narrow stance.  On the other hand if you have a longer upper leg a wider stance will decrease the displacement by decreasing the vertical distance the bar and body will travel and this will help in keeping the hips closer to the foot and bar line.  The final step in finding your stance is setting your foot placement.  The positioning of the feet affects the rotation of your legs.  The rotation of the leg will determine the position of the head of the femur (your upper leg bone) in the acetabulum (the socket of the hip joint).  The placement you are striving for is the one that allows you the greatest range of motion while you are in your stance.  The specific range of motion you are looking for is a legal squat depth.  You should be able to break parallel without having to force yourself down.  The foot positions can range from straight ahead to a more flared 10 of 2-clock position.

Now that you have read the guidelines of this approach we can know find your stance and foot position.  Determine you upper leg : lower leg ratio and start narrow or wide which ever suits you best.  If you have the shorter upper thighs start narrow and work outward and for the opposite category start wide and work in.  Starting with a 5 to 1 (clock position) foot placement try to squat down with your hands on your head.  If you find that your hips bind, try rotating the feet out slightly.  If this doesn't work you may need to work the stance out or in respectively.  The goal is to achieve below parallel depth and this should be done without having to force it.  It may take a little tinkering to find the optimal position.  As you go through this process be aware of the amount of body lean that you need to create to get to parallel.  In the last article I mentioned torso length and bar positioning.  The torso length and body lean should still dictate where you place the bar on your back.  Remember to apply the rules of the first article to help when the bar finally goes on your back.  A lifter who has a shorter thigh and has the flexibility to achieve depth in a wide stance is the best case scenario.  This lifter is taking advantage of the factors mentioned above and reduces the distance the bar will travel overall!  The final issue in determining this stance is comfort.  Now I look at this in two ways.  The first way is to determine that the new stance and foot placement doesn't cause bodily discomfort.  This is taking into consideration that a period of time of about four weeks would be allowed for adjustments of flexibility and different anatomical positioning.  The other way relates to the lifter’s ability to produce effective drive or force in the new set up.  Sometimes what may be a lifter’s best stance may not always be the most effective from a leverage standpoint.  This situation usually requires some minor adjustments to stance and foot placement before the lifter feels that he or she can move weight in this new position. 

Remember even a minor adjustments can have big impact.  The key is to put yourself in the best position possible.  Then it is up to you to move the weight.  You could be breaking some records of your own if you give some of these guidelines a try.  In the next article I will discuss the squat descent and ascent and how to control the body through the movement.

Does Anybody Squat Deep Anymore?

By Stephen Brindle

That’s the question I am trying to figure out.   I’ve noticed something all to often when I visit other schools, attend different gyms and look at videos online. There is an ongoing trend of people squatting shallow. This needs to be addressed!

I recently attended a strength and conditioning conference with speakers from some of the best athletic programs in collegiate sports. One particular strength coach was going through his program for his athletes. During his presentation a slide popped up which read at the top:

Squats-

Parallel ?

He then went on to say, “Do we make our kids squat to parallel? Well, only if they can. It really doesn't matter. ” Me, Cristi, and Steel all looked at each other laughing and said, “WHAAAT?”  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Only if they CAN????” Does this standard apply to all the other exercises in the weight room? Should we tell our athletes, “Only let the bar come down all the way to your chest if you CAN on the bench press. Only rack your power clean with the bar resting on your shoulders if you CAN?

Everyone is so into the single leg work nowadays (which definitely has its place), but are these strength coaches saying, “When you do your lunges only allow your back knee to get close to the ground if you CAN?” Are they saying, “only extend your hips at the top of your bridge exercise if you CAN? “(You don’t even need to spend so much time on these “activation” exercises if you just squat deep anyways which target the muscles you are trying to isolate).

 
I asked another strength coach at the conference what percentage of their athletes got to full depth on the squat exercise. The strength coach responded and said, “About 35%”. WHAAT? I’m left scratching my head wondering why the partial range of motion is allowed on the squat but not on other exercises. Maybe it’s because there is a weight on your back and people somehow think it’s dangerous.

I actually think the reason is simply because people are scared. Flat out scared. People are scared if they do a full range of motion squat with weight on their back they won’t be able to get back up and complete the rep.

In the past I used to buy into the “He’s just tight” rationale as to why some people don’t get deep when they squat. After being at a school where squatting deep is part of the weight room culture I have changed my philosophy.  When everyone else is squatting deep around you it is contagious. It becomes expected that you will do legit ,full range of motion squats.
 
I believe the biggest culprit to squatting shallow is trying to have too much weight on the bar too soon. When people start to check their ego at the door and take some weight off the bar you’d be surprised how deep they can actually get. I could care less how much weight someone can half squat. I think some strength coaches and personal trainers are so concerned with their athletes’/clients’ numbers that they allow them to squat shallow just so they can say they helped contributed to them getting stronger.
 
Like most strength coaches, I have my athletes perform dynamic warm-ups before team lifts and team runs. One of the staple exercises I will have them do is a bodyweight squat. I pay close attention on this particular warm-up drill. If they put forth just a little bit of effort everyone on the team squats below parallel on these bodyweight squats. I expect the same standard when the bar is on their back.
 
I’m not saying that 100% of the population will be able to do a full range of motion squat below parallel. There are definitely exceptions due to injury. Someone coming back from knee surgery, hip surgery, or someone with damaged vertebral discs may very well not be able to squat deep. However, my experience has been when healthy athletes can’t get deep it is not always a mobility issue. Usually it is a confidence issue and them being scared.

You may be wondering, “But isn’t squatting deep bad for your knees?” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that myth. Thankfully ,Tommy Suggs wrote an amazing article on Starting Strength about this topic using actual research and not just hearsay.  (http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/full_squats_or_not)  The notion that squatting is bad for knees often has come from skewed interpretation of a book called “The Knee in Sports” by Karl K. Klein and Fred L. Allman, Jr.
 
Klein says this in page 30 of his book, “The depth of the squat position should be controlled, with the thighs just breaking the parallel position. Much beyond that point the reaction between the hamstrings and calf muscle begin to act as a pry to force the joint apart at the front, as well as on the sides, stretching the ligaments.”

Interesting how Klein suggests actually squatting just below parallel, which is a full range of motion squat. He is saying you should squat below parallel, but squatting excessively deep will be bad for the ligaments and knee joint. Somehow people have taken this to mean do a half squat or “squat deep only if you CAN”.

Klein also talks in his book about how squeezing the knees together in order to gain more pushing power on a heavy rep can be detrimental to the knees. He states when this happens that “repeated actions of this nature are responsible for the stretching of ligaments and for other knee irritations”. This is also known as a valgus collapse.

This is good advice when performing the squat- do not let the knees come together when coming up from the bottom of the lift.

A study by ATC Rob Panariello used professional football players from the New York Giants. In the study the players squatted twice per week with barbell loads of 130% to 200% body weight. The study demonstrated no significant increases in anterior-posterior-tibiofemoral translation in athletes using the squat exercise.  (Panariello, 1994) In other words, squatting relatively heavy loads twice per week was not bad for their knees.  Another more recent study out of the University of South Carolina found doing full range of motion squats did not produce negative stress on the knees.

So why should you squat deep? Here are several reasons:

 -          If full range of motion squats are not performed the hamstring and glutes are not fully activated. These are the most powerful hip extensors in the body and hip extension is a crucial movement for all sports (running, jumping, etc.).

-          If you are squatting simply for appearance and you don’t get deep you won’t be able to shape the hamstrings and glutes the way you want them to look.

-          Squatting deeper means the working muscles will have more time under tension- which has been scientifically proven to lead to growth of muscle fibers.

-          When you perform sets of full squats more work is being done. Work-=force x distance. When more work is being done your metabolism speeds up. Faster metabolism + full range of motion, + targeted muscles being worked = you’ll be leaner and stronger!

-          It is more “functional”. Getting up from a chair, bending down to pick up the groceries,  and grabbing a loose ball in basketball, etc. requires one to be able to come up from a deep squat position.

-          Full range of motion squats improve your flexibility. You will be getting stronger and more flexible at the same time!

-          Decrease the risk of injury. Doing the full range of motion on the squat by sitting back and keeping the weight centered over the middle of your foot will take stress off the knees. The hamstrings work to pull the femur away from scraping on your knee joint when this is done.

The next time I visit your gym or weight room I hope to find you squatting deep. I know that you CAN! Squat deep or go home!

Stephen Brindle is an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of Pennsylvania and can be reached at sbrindle@upenn.edu

Reference

Panariello, Robert & Backus, Sherry, & Parker, Johnny. The Effect of the Squat Exercise on Anterior-Posterior Knee Translation in Professional Football Players. Am J Sports Med December 1994. Vol 22. No 6. 768-773

 A Balding Man's Advice on Powerlifting Technique: Part I

Rob Wagner, M.Ed., C.S.C.S.

This is a first in a series of outstanding articles by Dr. Rob Wagner, multinational powerlifting champion and strength coach.

Years ago I attended the C.J. Batten's Bench Press and Powerlifting Seminar in Michigan as a guest speaker.  As I awaited my turn at the podium, I heard an interesting quote.  One of the speakers was talking about how important it is for powerlifters to learn the lifts from people who excel at them and not from those who are mediocre performers.  The adage he used to enforce his point was, ‘never ask a bald man how to grow hair.

Initially I agreed with the statement and thoroughly understood what he was saying.  However as I rubbed my own balding scalp,  I realized that I knew a hell of a lot about how to grow hair even though I couldn't get it to grow.   In the 80's there was biotin, polysorbate 80 and the Helsinki formula for hair growth and in the 90's came Rogaine, Folligen and Propecia.  It's amazing how motivated I became to learn about growing hair when I saw my own hair clogging up the shower and the sink.  Despite this cruel trick of nature and my poor hair genetics, I was still able to became an amateur hair replacement/regrowth consultant for my balding friends and myself.  Although this is not an article about hair, having pondered the hair growth analogy I  realize that understanding how to do the lifts and doing the lifts are two completely different things.  From my years in the sport I have found that even if you are not predisposed to excel at certain lifts, you are not precluded from improving on them if you are motivated enough to pay attention and refine your technique.

This series of articles will provide information on lifting techniques for all three of the powerlifts.  This advice has nothing to do with training routines or weights.  The ideas I will present range from things I've had to learn through necessity to simply observing athletes lifting in the weight room.

From a competitive lifting total standpoint I have never been a very balanced lifter.  I used to go to the meet with a big squat and feel as if I was relying on my early lead to get through the final two lifts in front of the competition.  Of all the lifts, I could always depend on the squat.  Recently, this method of approaching a meet encountered a tragic blow.  My 6th or 7^th back injury, I've lost count at this point, relinquished my favorite lift to a hated and dreaded process of compressing my vertebral disks into vertebral Ritz crackers.  Over a two-year period, the movement grew awkward and often was painful to perform.  After one serious back injury had healed, I felt like I had forgotten how to squat, and in a sense I had.  The process of squatting that I had adhered to for years was gone. 

Let me point out that I never took this lift for granted.  I knew each and every mechanism of the movement.  By profession I teach the squat motion a couple of hundred times per year to athletes.  Add to that the daily reinforcement of coaching technique and you can be coaching the lift thousands of times per year.  Unfortunately by not following the processes I preached daily, I had lost the mastery of the lift.  This actually led to another back injury, when I decided it was time to fix the problem or retire.  The technique information you will read is part of the process of how I regained my form in this lift.

The Squat

I find that most lifters tend to underestimate the importance of the set up in the squat.  Just get it out of the rack and squat, right?  Wrong!  The set up can make the lift or leave it in the hole.  When the set up is done properly the weight can feel "light" on your back and the movement will feel smooth.  The set up can greatly affect your body control and balance during the execution of the lift. 

The first step is to remember to have the rack height adjusted to a height you can safely remove and return the bar.  The clearance from the racks when you stand erect with the bar should be 3 - 4 inches from the bottom of the holder.  This will ensure that you will be successful in returning the bar even if it moves down your back a little during the lift.  As you approach the bar you must be focused on the lift and nothing else.  Indulging yourself in a conversation about the NFL draft or that evening’s date plans while approaching the bar may lead to trouble in the lift.  Instead, see yourself do the lift, whether it's a single rep or a set of five, do it in your head first.  Make sure you concentrate on all aspects of the lift from placing your hands on the bar to taking your belt off at the end. 

When you get to the bar the first thing you will do is place your hands on it in an evenly spaced manner.  Regardless of whether you false or true grip the bar, get a solid grasp on it.  The hands can greatly aid in keeping the bar from rolling on your back during the movement.  The distance between the hands can be determined partially by function and comfort.  The function involves holding the upper back musculature in an isometric contraction through the entire movement.  The comfort aspect relates to the flexibility of the shoulders and wrists.  Factors that play into this are arm length and torso size.  The bigger the torso is than the wider the hand placement should be.  Longer arms also fit this approach.  There are no absolutes here, however, because the individual's flexibility, acceptance of discomfort and anatomical make up all vary.  The objective is to get the hands as close to the body with the least amount of discomfort to the shoulders and wrists.  The final point is that once you've found this position you must be able to rotate your elbows upwards.  If the elbows are pointing towards the floor (perpendicular) you should move the hands so the elbows can achieve a more parallel position in relation to the floor.  Once your elbows get in this position the upper back will perform as a more effective shelf for placing the bar.

Once your hands are placed, you are ready to go under the bar.  Prior to going under, take a deep breath and hold it (I'll get back to this in a little bit).  I suggest that you place your feet in a parallel position prior to lifting the bar off the racks.  Your stance under the bar should be shoulder width or wider.  This will depend on the rack system and whether you have to walk the bar out or stay in place (Monolift use).  If you are walking out find a position that will allow you to step the weight out in 2 - 3 steps and no more.  This includes that little stutter step you take to get the left foot 4 inches wider.  Remember that there is no descent until you are set and you receive the signal from the head judge.  Your postural muscles are under stress as soon as you have the weight out of the racks.  Time is of the essence.  The quicker you are set the less energy you will exert supporting the weight.  If you are using a Monolift type device in competition it is best to assume your stance in the device and save your energy in terms of walking the weight out.  However, if you don't have the opportunity to train on this type of apparatus don't, change your technique on the day of the contest.  By not following your normal set up ritual you can throw off your normal breathing patterns and steps that you have been taking for the past several weeks of training.  This will usually lead to unpleasant consequences in the performance of the lift. 

Once your feet are in this parallel position and your hips are underneath the bar, you are ready to fit the bar to your back.  Fitting the bar involves placing the bar in its appropriate position on your upper back and fitting your body tightly under the bar.  Avoid placing the bar on top of your cervical vertabrae.  These are the bony protrusions on the back of your neck.  Instead you will place it on top of your contracted trapezius muscles and rear delts.  The first step in creating this fit is to rotate the elbows upwards. This will help contract the trapezius and posterior deltoids.  You must contract these muscles to help you keep the bar on top of the body.  My coach Phil Pelura taught this idea to me fifteen years ago.  The idea is to not let the weight sink into your traps and upper back, the more it does the more you will feel it.  The positioning of the bar on your back has a lot of variables involved with it.  I will give you a couple examples of this, but remember that organizations have rules about how far down the back the bar can be placed.  If you have a short torso in relationship to your legs you should probably place the bar higher on your traps. 

The opposite of this is also true.  A long torso in relationship to your legs and the bar should be placed lower on your traps and rear delts.  For those of you who have perfect anatomical dimensions or you fall into another category your positioning can be determined by the need for lean.  I am not talking about meat quality but rather the angle that is created by your torso at the hip joint.  During the squat the bar must stay over the foot otherwise you will fall.  Keeping the bar in this position becomes most difficult at the bottom of the squat because your hips are at their greatest displacement in relation to the bar and your feet.  Even the most upright squatters have to lean a little to get the bar over the foot.  If the bar is positioned low on your upper back and you only have to lean a little then you're in good shape.  If you have the bar low and you find yourself in a good morning position to get the bar over your foot you may want to move the bar up a little to reduce this lean.  Both styles are used successfully, John Kuc and Frank Schramm both carried the bar high on the traps.  Low bar squatters include Kirk Karwoski and Ed Coan.  Keep in mind the lower bar position has its advantages when it fits the lifters anatomical needs.  This bar position reduces the length of the weight arm.  From a physics standpoint this will reduce the force production required by the erectors, glutes and hamstrings to maintain an erect torso when compared to the higher bar position.  The other way to look at this is if you move the bar lower you will increase the amount of weight you will be able to hold upright.

Removing the bar from the rack requires control of the bar and your body.  Once you've fitted the bar into its appropriate position on your back, you should then lift your rib cage upwards to aid in tightening your lower back.  Briefly recall the breath you took earlier before heading under the bar.  You should still be holding it, and should continue to hold it until you finish stepping out of the racks.  This is one of those little things that is easy to forget to do but that does make a difference.  To remove the bar you will simply lock the knees out by driving the arch of your foot down into the floor (remember your feet are parallel and at least shoulder width apart).  Once you have cleared the racks and you let the bar stabilize, you will now be ready to proceed with stepping back into your stance.  The steps should be low so you do not tilt your pelvis.  Tilting the pelvis to any large degree will cause the weight to tip unevenly left to right.  Picking your feet up and stepping can create this situation.  I often suggest that instead of stepping out think of sliding or gliding the feet out behind you.  The surface you are lifting on can play a role on how low you will keep your feet.  Carpeted surfaces need a little more clearance than a hard wood platform surface.  As mentioned earlier you want to limit your steps to two or three.  The quicker you get to your squat position the quicker you will receive a down signal.  Two final notes on the set up are to make sure all body parts are still and motionless once you get in your stance.  In one of my early contests I was timed out on an attempt because I was opening and closing my hand around the bar while waiting for the signal.  The second is to get your eyes on the head judge as soon as possible.  Getting the judge's attention with your eyes will let the judge know you are ready to squat.  In next month’s article I will cover what to do from this point including; determination of your stance, foot placement and the squat movement from descent to placing the weight back on the racks.  

Busy Lifestyle Week 4

Day 1
5 minute bike warm-up
Squats (75x3 80x3 85x2)3. This means that you perform a set at 75% for 3, then 80%x3 then 85%x2, then back down to 75%x3, then 80%x3, then 85%x2, then go through it one more time.
Leave

Day 2
5 minute bike warm-up
Push Press 7x2, work up in weight each set supersetted with  Bent Rows or Chins 7x5-10
Weighted Pushups- 3x10-15

Day 3
Sprints- 20-40 yards, 20 minutes total, (This could be done on a Saturday if you are worried about your recovery for the deadlift)

Day 4
5 minute bike warm-up
Squats or Front Squats 75% 3x2
Deadlift 5x3 at 85% of their 1RM with a 2-3 minute rest between sets
Leave

Day 5
Assistance Day-All 3x10- NO REST!
Jump Rope-2x2 minutes with a 1 minute rest
One Arm Row
Hammer Curls
Dips
DB Shrugs
DB Press

Self Made Man

I have this thing about people who excel and thrive in spite of their circumstances. I have a good friend, Rob who grew up a lot different than I did. Although we all grew up in the same town, and all of us were suburban Maryland kids, Rob definitely had it rougher than  most. Both of my parents stayed together and both of them worked. Rob's dad was an electrician by trade, but mostly he was a drunk. After his father and mother divorced, his mom got a new boyfriend when Rob was in high school. Pretty soon it got serious and his mother was outta there, and got remarried. So Rob was on his own.

Now, being that he never had a damn thing growing up, he had worked at Adelphi Mobil gas staion since he was like 14 or something. We all ended up working there, but Rob HAD to work there. He also cut lawns and fixed stuff, doing everything for himself.

 So anyway, his mom left when he was 16. She just left one day and Rob was on his own.

We loved it because we could go over there all of the time, and he had a gym in his basement. His mom had some guy move in for awhile, to "watch over" Rob and the house, but he didn't have much control over anything at all, except to kick me out of the weight room because he was a big old..well..that's another story.

 So now he is 16, his dad split, his mom spit, we are living in the early 80's in suburban Maryland where the climate was drugs and drugs and more drugs.

So what did Rob do? He graduates high school which was no small feat considering he was 16 and had nobody telling him to get his ass up and go to school. Then he puts himself through the University Of Maryland where he gets his degree in Construction Management. All the while he was in school, he worked. Mowing lawns, making pizzas, selling rings for Josten's, paying his way through school, paying his insurance, and the best thing about him? He never once complained, not once did he say, man what a shitty hand I was dealt in this godforsaken life. Nope he just got up and got going, day after day.

What is he doing now? He is a Construction Supervisor at a major company in Maryland. He is in charge of the job site, all the workers, everything. He works his ass off, everyday.

 A few years back, he decided to move out of Adelphi after crime got too bad. He bought a plot of land a few counties away, and built a house. He built it himself. I would drive down from Jersey every couple of weeks and he would be closer and closer to being finished. He worked every night after getting off of his regular job.

The damn house is beautiful, a million dollar house. He has 3 kids. His oldest is going into college next year, and he has been married to the same girl since 1989.

Rob is a self made man in every sense of the word; taking care of business when nobody cared if he ever did a damn thing with his life. When some folks would have just packed it in and felt sorry for themselves or took a turn down a road to nowhere, Rob persevered and made it, with hard work and something inside of him that I would love to bottle up and sell to everyone who bitches and moans on how hard they have it in life.

Rob Wagner Meet Coverage

Here is some  meet coverage of one of Bas' Barbell's contributing writers  Dr. Rob Wagner. Rob is a technician and a damn fine coach. Note the squat speed!  I was fortunate enough to train with him for a few years, but I actually forgot how freaking strong he was, especially at a light bodyweight. I will get him to write up his most productive training cycle when he gets a chance. (Video courtesy of wfrice1 off of youtube)

It's Your Lifestyle, Damn It!

I have to admit that I got this idea from Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, but it has always stuck with me- the idea that when questioning why one isnt getting stronger one must focus on everything involved in the process. Its the lifestyle that must be examined, not just the training program or session itself.

Let's take a competitve powerlifter for example. He is dismayed that he missed his squat, even though he warmed up properly and followed the program to the letter. He complains to his coach that the program just isn't working, or that he needs some Superduper NOX cocktail that he read about in some muscle rag.

So the coach digs a little further and finds out that the athlete's girlfriend broke up with him two days before his lift and he doesn't handle the stress of rejection too well. And although the athlete slept well the night before the big squat, he took Tylenol PM that evening  and that made him feel groggy and lethargic all day. He also switched his protein drink and he ended up spending most of the day on the toilet, and failed to replenish the fluids lost during those episodes. And on and on it goes.

It's the Lifestyle, damn it! There is so much more involved in getting stronger than just the training. The way I see it, there are so many holes in the dam that must be filled in order for the strength level to increase, and when one of them isn't filled, the athlete's performance is compromised. You want to be super strong? Pay attention to all of it, the meals, the sleep , the warmup, the mobility, and yes, even the supplements. Look inside yourself, focus on everything that you can control and dedicate yourself.

Most programs work. If the athlete is using sets of 2-5 reps and staying in the 70-95% range and progressing through high and low volume days, he will make gains...if and only if all of the other factors involved are taken care of correctly.

Now we all have had workouts that kicked ass when we felt like crap, but that is not going to happen on a consistent basis.

All of the programming on the world won't do a damn thing if you are inconsistent with the other factors involved in strength building.

Busy Lifestyle Training Week 3

I changed some things up, but its still efficient- get in and out and push yourself. And I thought this goes without saying, but squat deep. That means upper thigh below parallel. No matter what anyone says, its really the only way to do it. And don't look straight up when you squat, look slightly down or straight ahead. And presses are good for your shoulders. And motivation comes from within, not from a "guru" who never squatted his bodyweight...and Strength is first, last and always.  Onto the program!

Week 3

Day 1
5 minute bike warm-up
Squat 10x2 at 80% of their 1RM with a 2-3 minute rest between sets
Leave

Day 2
5 minute bike warm-up
Press 7x3 at 80% supersetted with Reverse Grip Bent Rows or Chins 7x5-10
Lying Triceps Extensions- 3x15

Day 3
Hill Sprints- 20-40 yards, 20 minutes total, sprint up, jog or walk down.(This could be done on a Saturday if you are worried about your recovery for the deadlift)

Day 4
5 minute bike warm-up
Squats  or Front Squats 70% 3x2
Deadlift 5x3 at 80% of their 1RM with a 2-3 minute rest between sets
Leave

Day 5
Assistance Day-All 3x10- NO REST!
Jump Rope-2x2 minutes with a 1 minute rest
One Arm Row
Barbell Curls
Dips
DB Front Raise
DB Push Press(use your legs)
Push-ups

Book of the Week

Lights Out is a book that I read a few years back and I keep giving it to my friends. The cover is worn off it now and I have ordered it on Kindle so I can refer to it time and time again.

The book is based on the theory that electricity was the beginning of the end for the human race. To quote from the book-

" We've been told that once upon a time we existed in sync with all biophysical cycles and rhythm in nature. Now, not only do we control the food supply, but we have pushed back the night and the weather...the unending artificial light we live in registers as the long days of summer on that internal sundial because night never falls and winter never comes.  As mammals, we are hardwired to store fat when exposed to long days and then to sleep or at the very least to starve...for a while."(Introduction, page 5)

The book also rails against the "low fat lie"(page 120), recommending that you eat fat and meat and even organ meats once in awhile. This book was talking Paleo before Paleo was avant-garde. As far as exercise goes, the authors recommend that you "Don't run, Stairmaster or aerobicize. Lift weights or try Pilates instead and learn to meditate". They also recommend a low carb diet for the winter time and a low carb diet for  overweight people all of the time. (page 163)

Here is one of my favorite passages from the book "When you exercise day and night to stave off the weight gain your body and mind crave, you kick in your "stress response" The message that your sending to those systems is "Oh my God, a famine's coming and there's a tiger chasing me!!"(page 14)

They also discuss how runners high is really a response where your brain thinks that you are dying(page 12). They recommend sleeping at least 9.5 hours a night(page 164) and never forcing yourself to stay awake. Of course, that is tough for most folks to do; to go asleep when the sun goes down and to wake up when the sun  comes up, but the authors think that it is worth it for a longer, healthier, disease free life.

And sometimes the book gets a little off topic, but I like that also. The authors put themselves out there, and it's cool to see them go where most books in this genre are afraid to go.

 Fascinating stuff.

The Switch

I was thinking about how just being motivated solves a lot of issues. Issues like little injuries crush people when excelling doesn't mean anything to them, but the motivated athlete overlooks all the little stuff and wills himself to excel. Its a switch, a switch that turns on when something inside of someone just happens, an awakening, and you see it and feel it.

I have a kid that I coach who always wanted to clean 315. A real Power Clean. No straps, from the floor. Legit. He is under 200 pounds, and when he told me his goal about a year ago, he was cleaning something like 265, and I was like, yeah right, and he was skinny and he liked to lift, but he didn't LOVE it, it wasn't all consuming. But he suprised me,  he kept going. He kept reading, watching videos, getting into it. He asked me questions, he started hanging around people who loved to train.

In March, he cleaned 315, and today he deadlifted 545 like it was nothing. I mean, this was a skinny little kid who I thought was all talk, and lots of bravado, but damn, he kept pushing, kept drinking protein, pushing, pushing, showing up on Saturdays and training....never questioning. When he met Kirk Karwoski, he was thrilled, I was suprised that he knew who Kirk was, but he was pumped.

And it is like I always have said, Motivation is Life. Think about it, you can be tired as hell, and feeling sorry for yourself, but if something comes up that is really important to you, something that fires you up more than anything else, you would get your ass off of the couch pretty quick.

I play those tricks on myself all of the time. I'll be lying there and think, now if Randy White(my boyhood idol) walked through the door and asked me to go lift weights and run hills and then go to the bar to discuss his greatest games, I would be out the door in a second. So I say to myself, well, you really ain't that tired. Get your ass up.

Or you picture those guys in World War II, on the Battaan Death March, starving, drinking out of Water Buffalo holes on the side of the road because they were so thirsty and actually getting shot for drinking that dung water and you say, I can't go deadlift? Ooh, my back is sore, I didn't get my protein in today, I missed a meal, my girlfriend was mean to me, my car didn't start, I just couldn't get it in, I was too busy, I was gonna but my boss pissed me off so I went to the bar instead...and on and on.You didn't earn the right to go to the bar. But then you turn on the Training Hall tapes from Bulgaria with the holes in the windows and they are lifting in the freezing cold and damn, you feel shitty about yourself. Get your ass up. I guarantee that you aren't that hungry, not as hungry as most of the world.  I guarantee that you aren't overtrained, it's hard as hell to get overtrained. Most of the time it's lack of motivation.

Motivation! Its the spark. Life is not worth living if you can't get immensely excited about SOMETHING, something that raises the hairs on the back of your neck and makes you move.

 I am proud of the kid who cleaned 315. He was motivated, he was hungry, it meant the world to him to succeed.  Mostly I am proud that he proved me wrong, and that he had that switch inside of himself that I didn't know was there. Good stuff.

Seminar

I will be giving a seminar at Crossfit Woodshed in Littleton, Massachusets on Saturday, June 30th.
This will be a great day- we will have questions and answers, program design, a hands on portion, anything and everything will be covered. There are only 10 slots left!

 For more information, contact Justin Keane at 857-753-6738 or email him at woodshedfitness@gmail.com

You Run, I'll Squat Instead

Brady is one of my online clients and has made the switch from recreational runner, to serious lifter.  He sent me this blog and I think it's worth sharing.

                                                              by Brady McElhaney

Being a distance runner the past couple years, the month of May brings the Indy Mini Marathon. Since it is coming up, I thought some readers might enjoy a situation that occured at my gym several weeks ago. While some friends of mine are still running, the past 6 months I've been working with Steel to get stronger. I've lost my desire to go "pound the pavement."

Receiving my squat workout on Sunday night, I looked at it with some nervousness. "Brady, give me 3x12 with xxx pounds and go home." Ok, boss. We'll give it a shot.

When Monday comes, I'm at the gym early and have 2x12 done before the running group comes in. Admittedly, I'm already spent, when one friend says, "You gonna run the mini or keep sitting around over there by the rack?"  "Todd, you can run it. I made my goals already. You run, I'll squat instead."

So on my way to the rack, the idea of recalling the course from last year with each rep came to me.
Rep 1, mile 1: just getting started off real slow trying to weave through a crowd of 40,000 runners. We go by the Indy Zoo and they have a giraffe or elephant standing by the gate as you run by. This rep is just getting the kinks out. Rep 2 is starting to groove as mile 2 has bands playing music as we go along--blues, rock, acoustic, reggae, anything you want.

Rep 3,4,5 comes real fast as we're nearing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I just blew through my best 5k and 10k is coming. Better slow down because the faster you start the more agonizing the finish is. So a couple deep breaths before rep 6 and onto the track we go, some of the fastest cars in history have been on this track. Rep 7 and 8 comes up and my head dropped down a little noticing the grooved pavement for the cars to grip to. As we cross the brickyard and leave the track, I notice this little corner bar has a table with cups and an ice cold pitcher of beer out front. Man, that would be nice. I bet my body would soak up anything for energy now, especially into rep 9/mile 9.

The crowd is thinner now and parting to one side or the other because mile 9 puts you "in the hood." Dodging potholes, running by burned-out cars and the sky isn't looking good either as rep 10/mile 10 is getting slower. The only thing keeping me going is the will to finish what I've started. Everything is hurting, sweaty, sore and the music is gone. Only a couple more to go and the rain comes. Not just a little but a downpour. In a way its relief but it can't last long.

Mile 11 brings out the sun and the heat after a quick downpour. This is awful. Is this ever gonna end? Rep 11 is ugly going up because the bar rolled then stopped a bit lower then I'm used to. "Come on! Stay tight! Almost done!" is the last pep talk I give myself . Rep 12/ mile 12 is insight as I approach slower feeling every body part ache. Depleted won't even describe the feeling.  As I descend to depth, the bounce is gone. Only will power is bringing this back up.

Then end of mile 12 is the White River bridge. Going up it is like climbing Mt. Everest. Just keep pushing through as my eyes are red from the strain going up to standing position. I'm up and rep 12 is done. When mile 13 comes ,every stride feels like baby steps. Thank god for the finish line. Walking up to rack the bar, this indescribable feeling comes. This overwhelming sense of pride and relief. All the hard work, dedication and sacrifice just paid off. As I turn to leave, the same people on the same treadmill are running their lives away. I just waved, smiled and left. Steak and potatoes all day long.

In a person's life there are many accomplishments and the best ones are those personal moments. The ones that you can say that was a defining point in my life. I've just described two of mine in this article. One was the first of two half marathon completions and the second was a squat workout I would have never convinced myself to do. Vince Lombardi said,"You have a body that can endure just about anything. It's the mind you have to convince." And he's right.

Busy Lifestyle Training Part 2

Here is part 2 of  "Busy Lifestyle Training."  I upped the percentages some, changed some exercises but kept the template basically the same.  None of these workouts should take more then an hour to complete.

Week 2

Day 1
5 minute bike warm-up
Squat 12x3 at 75% of their 1RM with a 2-3 minute rest between sets
Leave

Day 2
5 minute bike warm-up
Press 7x4 at 75% supersetted with Bent Over Rows or Chins 5x5-10
Close Grip Bench Press- 75% 4x6

Day 3
Sprints at a local field.  8x80 yard sprints at 80% intensity(estimate) with a 1 minute rest

Day 4
5 minute bike warm-up
Squats 70% 3x2 (I like these to warm up the deadlift)
Deadlift 8x3 at 75% of their 1RM with a 2 minute rest between sets
Leave

Day 5
Assistance Day-All 3x10- NO REST!
Jump Rope-2x2 minutes with a 1 minute rest
Lat pulls
Hammer Curls
Cable Rows
BB Front Raise
DB shoulder Press
BB Triceps Extensions
Push-ups