Friday, January 25th, 2008...7:29 pm
All secrets reveled
Thank you, Elite Fitness System, for not only publishing something I wrote, but adding a photo of myself I haven’t seen for over 5 years.
That’s my first or second competition about 6 or 7 years ago, which I also hosted, organized, spotted AND reffed for. I believe we only had about 8 competitors, but we all had one heck of a time. That was also the only time I ever wore wraps in a meet, and haven’t since, partially because Jason Burnell taught me how to properly wrap the knee, and i feared I’d never feel my feet again. Being lazy and with a low pain tolerance, i decided wrapping wasn’t for me.
Workout
Yesterday we followed the last two Thursday’s heavy pulling play day, but with the DB deadlifts done as our new friend Dan mentioned during the comments section:
“Sticking point where ever it is, represents a portion of the range where you “can’t find glutes.” Try a very heavy one hand dumbell deadlift. Turn toes slightly in on your normal width stance. Place the dumbell in front of your left toes when you lift with your right hand and vice versa. Do 3-4 sets of 4-6 reps each side. Rest awhile (3-5 mins) then try your deadlift. See what happens to your sticking point.”
So here’s the workout:
Static deads out-of-the-hole/ DB deads. 5 second hold/5 reps per side. 6 sets. I’m too lazy to build a bigger DB, so I used a 105 pounder for reps, probably bastardizing the original concept even more than my failed attempt to use opposite limbs the first time I tried it, seen in our video of this workout from last week.
Bent Rows/Cleans. One bar, 2 exercises, back-to-back. heavy, 4 sets, 6-8 reps
The super-heavy-short-sweet combo: Weighted pullup/heavy sled tug/heavy farmer’s walk. 1 rep/1 length/ 50 feet, as many times as you can in 10 minutes.
The 3 basics
Most fitness questions have such an amazing repeat rate that if I got a pizza for every instance someone asked ‘how do i lose my gut’ or ‘what’s the best exercise for [insert bodypart of choice here]’ I’d weigh more than the combined total of the first weigh-in on Total Loser.
Once you learn the big secret to all of training, the Three Basics, then all of those questions are answered, but new ones need to be formed. Here we go:
- Train Hard
- Eat Well
- Rest Hard
That’s it. That answers probably 90% of the ubiquitous inquiries out there. So ask, instead, how to train hard, eat well and rest hard, and the you’ll start finding what you’re looking for.
But be aware. The answers then are scary and downright disagreeable to most people because they involve effort. Bummer.
9 Comments
January 25th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
When I saw that article earlier today, the thought of shaven-headed, Slayer-listening, centrally adiposed power lifters around the world reading it made me giggle. It’s damned nice to see voice given to an approach to the sport that is more wholistic and healthy than the typical, hard-assed approach.
Now I’ll have to try them one-handed deadlifts. How’d they feel with the 105s? Think they could be done with a barbell without things getting too weird?
January 26th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Yes, a barbell could be used, except lowering it at an angle is tough. The 105’s were on the conservative edge for me, but I’m too lazy to take out my adjustable handles and build anything bigger, so i just focus on speed.
Not sure if the world is ready for holistic powerlifting, but it’s what’s for dinner around here.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Hrmm, my deadlift is currently just shy of yours, so I’ll give 100lb dbs (the largest I have access to) a try before I mess around with the barbells.
On the “Three Basics,” my question of the moment is “how do I rest hard?” Going back to work after four weeks of vacation, I found that my vacation-expanded training volume *wiped me out* when piled on top of a workday. There just aren’t enough hours in the day…
January 27th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Like the video, those band deadlifts look like some form of demoralising evil! I noticed something on your close up footage of the DB one handers that may interest you. As you lift it immediately, your knee dips in to create internal femur rotation to “get glute.” Particularly on your right foot. Try this:
Turn toes in “pigeon toe.”
Lift DB with opposite hand.
I’m convinced this will improve your start pull. Your knee dips in after the weight is like 2-3 inches off floor, which would then put you in a position of load and strength. If you get glutes to fire as you create initial tension pre pull, it should pop off the floor.
Up the tribe!!
This had inspired me to get deads moving again.
Dan.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Great article on EliteFS, makes me subscribe to this blog instantly.
Petr
January 28th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I did the hand switch technique this week. Liked it a lot. I pigeon toe so much on my squats that I’m trying to straight foot it on other lifts to reduce tension patterns, but, as you noticed, the knee dip is something I’m working on with my narrow stance squats as well (which I throw in to offset my almost-sumo powerlifting squats).
I have a combination of external hip rotation combined with a tighter ankle joint on the opposite side from over compensating a sprained ankle several years ago. I’ve only recently discovered how it has effected my squat and have been working on reducing it.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Hi Petr. Welcome. Glad you liked the article!
January 31st, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Tried “Dan’s weird deads” this evening. I didn’t think my glutes had been lost, but with how they’re burning now, I definately know where they are…
FYI, tried ‘em with a barbell (135). Weird, yes, but not nearly as awkward as I’d expected. The balancing of the barbell definately showed that my left wrist is weaker/less efficient.
February 4th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
[…] Remember the three basics? Train Hard, Eat Well, Rest Hard? Often there is confusing information on the second tenet, and a complete lack of information on the first. An example would be in the most recent issue of AOW. To be fair, the magazine does have a decent quantity of quality (magazine quality, meaning nothing too in depth or provocative due to space constraints, but insightful nonetheless). So perhaps asking for perfection is reserved for only purely actualized beings. I’m far from one, so what can I expect? […]
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