The way you said this implies that you're not allowed to stay loose or warm between events. Is this correct? If so, why?
We're allowed to stay loose by walking around or jumping rope or what have you, but we're usually not allowed to warm up on the equipment before each event. Most venues simply don't have a warm up area. They are at a fair ground or public arena and there simply isn't room for a warm up area. Since you're usually within view of the spectators at all times, you're not allowed to warm up on the equipment while another event is going on because it would distract from the competition taking place. Even if they did have a warm up area away from the public view, the logistics of transporting the equipment from the warm up area to the competition stage in a timely manner is impossible. The other thing is that if there is a 1,000 lb tire at a contest, that is the only tire there. There isn't a 500 or 800 lb warm up tire. They might give the competitors 4 or 5 minutes while they're removing the equipment from the previous event, but it's only enough time for each guy to get a quick flip of the tire. For the most part, it's up to you to make sure you're ready when it's your time to go. So basically, you sit around and wait for your turn and then go out there and lift 3-4x the weight a normal human could lift with no warm up. You get used to it. Personally, I think the biggest challenge is learning how to focus when it's your time to lift and then turning off your focus while everyone else goes. It can be 60-90 minutes between your turn at some contests and it's absolutely exhausting to try and stay focused and ready to lift maximal weight for the duration of a 5 or 6 hour contest. If you're physically strong, you can always summon that strength whether you're warmed up or not, but you simply can't stay 'amped up' for that long without burning out.
Or do a squat program that will half kill you. Work up to 50 reps with your bodyweight on the bar. Complete it without racking the weight. Enjoy.
Fuck you. I did that two weeks ago and walked like a Thai whore after shore leave. Couldn't make it through without breaking it up. Worst goddamn decision making ever.
It's definitely not easy, hah. The first time I did it, I felt fine for about 5 minutes then couldn't straighten my legs and was duck walking around the rest of the day. Subsequent times got much easier though.
Awsome, so I managed to hurt myself deadlifting today. Was near the end of a set and getting fatigued and when I went to pull my back rounded halfway up and when I straightened myself out I felt a crack crack crack down the right side of my back and butt. Now my right leg is slightly numb and putting any weight on it hurts after a few minutes. I'm probably going to have my doctor check it out tomorrow.
So, went to the doctor today and got diagnosed with a pinched nerve; doesn't seem likely it's anything worse and x-rays initially indicated my spine is normal. He said no lifting for four weeks... yeah we'll see about that. Right now I'm planning on taking a week off and then at least getting back to upper body work, and then lower body as soon as I feel up to it. I really don't like the idea of going a whole month without any lifting.
So besides perving out does this actually serve a function of some sort? Or just one of those crossfit moves that are required to be done sixty times in ten minutes every other full moon?
No. Stop that. Do not encourage that ridiculousness. If you want to work your posterior chain - clean, power clean, hang clean, and box jump. That shit featured in the video is just fucking retarded.
I've actually added them on as assistance work so I do them along with GHRs, pullthroughs and the like after my main compound lift. It actually does good work in my opinion since you can load more weight than you can for a band pull through and get good work in. Keep in mind that it's not a "lower back" exercise, meaning that you don't want to hyperextend the lower back at all. Here are a couple of good articles on the subject. http://www.theironsamurai.com/2011/...sode-4-hip-thrusts-for-olympic-weightlifting/ http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...raining_performance/dispelling_the_glute_myth
Agreed on all counts. Sure, the Thigh Master will work your adductors, but there are plenty of less stupid ways to do it.
Side stepping the discussion on weighted hip thrusts, but related to the hip. As I have gotten up to heavier, for me, weights in my 5 x 5 I am noticing that I am really struggling with tightness in my overall groin. I think it's mostly my adductors, but what should I be doing here beyond foam rolling? (Which I do, but frankly I really only know how to hit the big muscle groups with it). Should I stretch before, during, and after? Are there some specific stretches to help with this that I could look at? The major muscles (quads, hammies, and glutes) are fine it's just the flexibility in the connective muscles that seem to be the struggle.
I explained it in my previous post - but to add to it... The load is in the wrong place to do what you're wanting it to do. It's on top of your hips, it's not working explosiveness, and it's not going to be anything other than a great "bridge" or hamstring exercise though even then, great is a stretch. Like I said, if you want to train your posterior chain and work the explosiveness, there are variations of the clean and power clean you can work, along with deadlifts etc.
See, I only disagree because I'm not looking to train my posterior chain, I use it as an assistance exercise to work the glute at the end range contraction point. Sure, it's only one small point in the deadlift, but that's what assistance work is for. I do agree I wouldn't use it for explosiveness, there are better lifts for that. Although having praticed BJJ, I agree with Winterbike that it simulates a bridge position and if you can do heavy weight on a glute bridge from the floor it'll be that much easier to bridge out when some heavy guy has you in mount (hah!).
I've posted it before, but this one as a pre-squat stretch: <a class="postlink" href="http://californiastrength.com/videos/viewvideo/50/cal-strength-exercises/flexibility-exercises-for-the-lower-body-in-olympic-weightlifting" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://californiastrength.com/videos/vi ... ghtlifting</a> Don't just hold the position; bounce around a little bit at the bottom of the squat, really force the knees out. Also, squat shoes always help.
Question about correcting those chicken wing shoulder blades- I think I've irritated my right shoulder blade somehow, and it's sort of chicken winging itself, as well as a weird discomfort sometimes when I fuck around with it. I'm not sure if it's from working out or just day to day stuff, but it's been happening for some time. Any suggestions on exercises that would help correct this? As per usual, the internet is fucking terrible at advice.
Had my first workout since my injury and it went pretty well, all things considering. The most frustrating thing is that I can't lay on a bench with my feet on the floor without intense pain in my right leg, so I won't be able to bench until it gets better. So I ended up doing some dumbbell presses with my feet actually on the bench and it made me realize just how important having your feet on the floor is for generating maximum strength; I had to go down 15 pounds on each dumbbell. I'm going to see a physical therapist to see if I can get a better sense of what I should and shouldn't be doing right now.
If you're talking about true scapular winging that's a weak serratus ant. Google "serratus punches" or do pushup pluses. If you're talking about protracted and rounded-forward shoulders with a forward head that's usually due to a combo of shitty posture, weak mid-back muscles and tight pecs. Hug your scapulae towards your spine and pull them down, away from your ears. This should be your posture aka scap stabilization. Throw in rows, "I's, T's, and Y's" and external rotation. Stretch your pecs.