Last chance to learn everything before the weekend!!!
Hey Dan, not a particularly technical question here: have you considered coming over to Scotland to do some higland games in their home?
Dan,
-
How often do you “mess up” the nutritional aspect of your training and eat donuts for breakfast? How about sleep? How often do you stay up “too late” when you should be going to bed? Roughly of course.
-
Have you ever suffered any kind of tendonitis or overuse injuries in your throwing arm? How did you rehab it if you did?
-
Yesterday you were talking about a picture (I asked you about imbalances) where your throwing arm was big and your other arm was not. Do you ever feel the need to do a lot of dumbbell work/unilateral work (presses) to bring up your weaker arm for your barbell presses? Obviously you haven’t had too many problems if you’ve pressed nearly 400lbs which is just crazy!
-
I know you are a big fan of pullups/chinups (I am too) but are they really necessary for a “pulling” movement if you get a pulling movement while doing power cleans, deadlifts, etc or is it just nice variety?
All I need is an invite…maybe a few bucks for travel…and some information…
[quote]JohnGullick wrote:
Hey Dan, not a particularly technical question here: have you considered coming over to Scotland to do some higland games in their home?[/quote]
Hey Dan,
You’re on record as saying that uphill sprints are better than flat sprints. Does the same hold true for swimming???
And what do you think about supersetting stability ball kettlebell swing snatches with a sack race???
Have a nice weekend,
DB
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
Swimming uphill is much better than swimming on the flat. True, it takes more water. But, that is just something you have to sacrifice.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
Hey Dan,
You’re on record as saying that uphill sprints are better than flat sprints. Does the same hold true for swimming???
And what do you think about supersetting stability ball kettlebell swing snatches with a sack race???
Have a nice weekend,
DB[/quote]
I rarely cheat on food, booze maybe, but rarely food. Sleep is just something you have to deal with sometimes with work and life. I strive for quality sleep every day.
[quote]BPC wrote:
Dan,
-
How often do you “mess up” the nutritional aspect of your training and eat donuts for breakfast? How about sleep? How often do you stay up “too late” when you should be going to bed? Roughly of course.
-
Have you ever suffered any kind of tendonitis or overuse injuries in your throwing arm? How did you rehab it if you did?
-
Yesterday you were talking about a picture (I asked you about imbalances) where your throwing arm was big and your other arm was not. Do you ever feel the need to do a lot of dumbbell work/unilateral work (presses) to bring up your weaker arm for your barbell presses? Obviously you haven’t had too many problems if you’ve pressed nearly 400lbs which is just crazy!
-
I know you are a big fan of pullups/chinups (I am too) but are they really necessary for a “pulling” movement if you get a pulling movement while doing power cleans, deadlifts, etc or is it just nice variety?[/quote]
[quote]Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith[/quote]
That’s awesome!! Good job man.
I love overhead squats but I think I need to layoff of deep squats because my knee is giving me just a little bit of trouble.
[quote]Danny John wrote:
I rarely cheat on food, booze maybe, but rarely food. Sleep is just something you have to deal with sometimes with work and life. I strive for quality sleep every day.
BPC wrote:
Dan,
-
How often do you “mess up” the nutritional aspect of your training and eat donuts for breakfast? How about sleep? How often do you stay up “too late” when you should be going to bed? Roughly of course.
-
Have you ever suffered any kind of tendonitis or overuse injuries in your throwing arm? How did you rehab it if you did?
-
Yesterday you were talking about a picture (I asked you about imbalances) where your throwing arm was big and your other arm was not. Do you ever feel the need to do a lot of dumbbell work/unilateral work (presses) to bring up your weaker arm for your barbell presses? Obviously you haven’t had too many problems if you’ve pressed nearly 400lbs which is just crazy!
-
I know you are a big fan of pullups/chinups (I am too) but are they really necessary for a “pulling” movement if you get a pulling movement while doing power cleans, deadlifts, etc or is it just nice variety?
[/quote]
True, very true.
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
[quote]Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith[/quote]
[quote]Danny John wrote:
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
[/quote]
Dan/Keith-
That’s really awesome! It really just “makes sense” that overhead squats are one of (if not the best) things you can do for all around development.
Ever had any clicking/crunching sounds in either of your knees?
I have a clicking sound in my left knee only when I squat ass to grass but really no pain. Every once in a while I’ll feel a very slight mild pain in that same knee for a split second but squatting/sprinting/playing basketball doesn’t aggravate it. I only feel that slight mild quick pain when I’m sitting down in my chair at work and I twist my leg a certain way. Mike Robertson thinks it could be crepitus (spelling)if there’s no pain accompanied by the clicking.
I went to the chief of Physical medicine and she said I had great range of motion (toe touch easy, I showed her that I could do a rock bottom pistol, broomstick overhead squat,etc)and she felt my kneecap and said it was very well lubricated, etc. They did no xrays but asked me why did I squat to such a deep position. I explained to her that I lifted weights and after I thought about it, realized that actually everybody squats down really low in everyday life especially when dealing w/children and/or picking things up off the floor and don’t think about any “safety/injury” issues then.
I know that neither one of you are Physical Therapists or MD’s but I really want to continue to up my overhead squats but I don’t want any knee problems later on in life either.
Any experiences or commments that you could share w/be much appreciated.
Injuries don’t always make sense. Just because you can’t find something wrong, doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Having said that, I have usually decided to go and do it anyway. I figure after I am dead I can worry about the injuries…
[quote]BPC wrote:
Danny John wrote:
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
Dan/Keith-
That’s really awesome! It really just “makes sense” that overhead squats are one of (if not the best) things you can do for all around development.
Ever had any clicking/crunching sounds in either of your knees?
I have a clicking sound in my left knee only when I squat ass to grass but really no pain. Every once in a while I’ll feel a very slight mild pain in that same knee for a split second but squatting/sprinting/playing basketball doesn’t aggravate it. I only feel that slight mild quick pain when I’m sitting down in my chair at work and I twist my leg a certain way. Mike Robertson thinks it could be crepitus (spelling)if there’s no pain accompanied by the clicking.
I went to the chief of Physical medicine and she said I had great range of motion (toe touch easy, I showed her that I could do a rock bottom pistol, broomstick overhead squat,etc)and she felt my kneecap and said it was very well lubricated, etc. They did no xrays but asked me why did I squat to such a deep position. I explained to her that I lifted weights and after I thought about it, realized that actually everybody squats down really low in everyday life especially when dealing w/children and/or picking things up off the floor and don’t think about any “safety/injury” issues then.
I know that neither one of you are Physical Therapists or MD’s but I really want to continue to up my overhead squats but I don’t want any knee problems later on in life either.
Any experiences or commments that you could share w/be much appreciated.
[/quote]
[quote]Danny John wrote:
Injuries don’t always make sense. Just because you can’t find something wrong, doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Having said that, I have usually decided to go and do it anyway. I figure after I am dead I can worry about the injuries…
BPC wrote:
Danny John wrote:
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
Dan/Keith-
That’s really awesome! It really just “makes sense” that overhead squats are one of (if not the best) things you can do for all around development.
Ever had any clicking/crunching sounds in either of your knees?
I have a clicking sound in my left knee only when I squat ass to grass but really no pain. Every once in a while I’ll feel a very slight mild pain in that same knee for a split second but squatting/sprinting/playing basketball doesn’t aggravate it. I only feel that slight mild quick pain when I’m sitting down in my chair at work and I twist my leg a certain way. Mike Robertson thinks it could be crepitus (spelling)if there’s no pain accompanied by the clicking.
I went to the chief of Physical medicine and she said I had great range of motion (toe touch easy, I showed her that I could do a rock bottom pistol, broomstick overhead squat,etc)and she felt my kneecap and said it was very well lubricated, etc. They did no xrays but asked me why did I squat to such a deep position. I explained to her that I lifted weights and after I thought about it, realized that actually everybody squats down really low in everyday life especially when dealing w/children and/or picking things up off the floor and don’t think about any “safety/injury” issues then.
I know that neither one of you are Physical Therapists or MD’s but I really want to continue to up my overhead squats but I don’t want any knee problems later on in life either.
Any experiences or commments that you could share w/be much appreciated.
[/quote]
Hell yeah! That’s what I’m saying.
I’m going to continue because power snatches/overhead squats are awesome. They are sooooo awkward and hard especially for the other “gym” clowns:) 
Thanks Dan. I’ve said this over and over but your simple style is refreshing in a day and age where everybody’s saying " do this unilateral movement for this imbalance" and “you’ll get injured by doing this” has us in such a state of paranoia and paralysis.
I mean for pete’s sake, the doctors don’t even know much about exercise because she told me that jumping and exploding w/the weight (power snatch/power clean) was “bad for my body”. That makes no logical sense. If that’s the case, then why are we made to jump and explode and how would cavemen even survived if they wouldn’t have exploded for short fast bursts to hunt for their dinner?
[quote]BPC wrote:
Danny John wrote:
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
Dan/Keith-
That’s really awesome! It really just “makes sense” that overhead squats are one of (if not the best) things you can do for all around development.
Ever had any clicking/crunching sounds in either of your knees?
I have a clicking sound in my left knee only when I squat ass to grass but really no pain. Every once in a while I’ll feel a very slight mild pain in that same knee for a split second but squatting/sprinting/playing basketball doesn’t aggravate it. I only feel that slight mild quick pain when I’m sitting down in my chair at work and I twist my leg a certain way. Mike Robertson thinks it could be crepitus (spelling)if there’s no pain accompanied by the clicking.
I went to the chief of Physical medicine and she said I had great range of motion (toe touch easy, I showed her that I could do a rock bottom pistol, broomstick overhead squat,etc)and she felt my kneecap and said it was very well lubricated, etc. They did no xrays but asked me why did I squat to such a deep position. I explained to her that I lifted weights and after I thought about it, realized that actually everybody squats down really low in everyday life especially when dealing w/children and/or picking things up off the floor and don’t think about any “safety/injury” issues then.
I know that neither one of you are Physical Therapists or MD’s but I really want to continue to up my overhead squats but I don’t want any knee problems later on in life either.
Any experiences or commments that you could share w/be much appreciated.
[/quote]
BPC,
I do work in the health care field and have written close to one hundred health education and research papers, so I do have some background in this…but,tough to tell without seeing it in person. Rather than trying to pinpoint your condition, I will give you some general thoughts.
-I would consider locating a good sports physician type in your town-could be a sports PT, MD or other, but these types of folks tend to look at our bodies more from a function and performance standpoint rather than a simple presence and absence of symptoms approach. That would be my starting point. I have always preached to guys that they need to locate a team of support professionals in their community LONG before they ever get injured or actually have need of one.
-I think if you train long enough and heavy enough, then it is going to have some sort of negative effect on the joints of the body-dont get me wrong, the positives FAR outweigh the negatives, but none of us are invincible and physical stress and micro-trauma catches up.
-The overhead squats have been wonderful-they have made my lifting not just better but more “fluid” if that makes any sense at all. I was making progress before I started doing them, but they seem to take off the rough edges and extra discomfort of the compound movements. A couple of years ago, I was having a lot of little “twinges” in my knee, nothing real severe, but after a game of basketball with my teenage son and his friends, they would ache and be stiff the next day. I started doing a lot of free hand bodyweight squats for high reps and even some hindu squats and after about 6 weeks of doing that, I noticed major improvement and have not had any problem since then.
-look to the mineral/supplement chest, I think taking some type of joint formula with glucosmine is a great idea, I also take magnesium, zinc and some other minerals.
-consider some type of custom fitted orthotics for your shoes-what is the wear pattern of the soles of your shoes like?
Just a few thoughts-maybe Dan or others can add to this
keith
Supplements…big.
I’m telling you, it might be my one “secret.” I always shout out (Dan…from the hood) to:
- Fish Oil Caps
- Extra fiber
Since starting ZMA, I really think this helps with the sleep and dreamworld stuff. Better sleep=better recovery.
TC also hooked me up with Carbolin 19. This seems to really help my moods as well as my…ahem…interest in things…
I have taken just about everything, but when I get it right…I recover better.
I can relate to this. About two months ago I started doing OHS. Even though they don’t feature in the program I am doing now I have noticed my back squats have become a lot easier and I seem to be able to keep a better lower back arch, most probably due to increased flexibility which I attribute to OHS and snatches. I will be starting them up again when I go into a new program in about 2 weeks.
Ben
[quote]Danny John wrote:
I noted “quantum” improvements in athletic success from every “real jump” in the overhead Squats…
135
165
185
205
225
and beyond!
So, I’m not surprised to hear how your other lifts picked up after…what seems, anyway…only minute (pronounced “minute” not “minute.”) improvements in the lift. It’s funny but 135 to 190 in the OvSqt is like adding two hundred in the squat or a couple more plates with the FS.
Good to hear this…
Keith Wassung wrote:
Dan,
I wanted to give you a progress report on my overhead squats. This past year I decided to really hit full squats and front squats hard again-I have been a bit slack in the last 18 months with the birth of our twins, etc, etc. I started in January and made steady progress, but the squat sessions were hard, a lot of “grinders”, and I was always drained afterwards.
Of course I average 4 hours a sleep a night due to the kids. I implemented the overhead squats in March, starting with a broomstick, I quickly progressed to 65x8, then in April I hit 135x8 and all of a sudden I noticed that my regular full squats and front squats became incredibly smooth and solid, almost effortless and I have hit new PR’s for weight and reps each week since May. My overhead squat is 190x8 and I continue to push that higher.
Thanks
keith
[/quote]
Weird.
I just vanished for a minute. Now, I am back. I hope it wasn’t another alien abduction…I tire of that…
[quote]Danny John wrote:
Weird.
I just vanished for a minute. Now, I am back. I hope it wasn’t another alien abduction…I tire of that…[/quote]
Charles doesn’t. In fact, I think he looks forward to them.
What do you consider deep squats I have noticed a big difference in my quad defininition and the program I have been on but started getting knee pain, so bad one day, seems like it happens on occasion maybe from yrs of powerlifting back in college, are you saying past 90 degrees, Its hard for me to determine sometimes unless i go deep, because if i dont , im not going down far enough if that makes any sense