EC: 7/12 and 7/14 Prime Time

[quote]The Gazelle wrote:
Mr. Cressey -
[/quote]

Call me Eric; I’m not old enough to be “mister!” :slight_smile:

[quote]You are very inspiring; in particular, your NNM series inspired me to focus on muscular balance and got me thinking about how years of lifting for football has taken its toll. With all the benching and little rowing, all the squating and little deadlifting or posterior chain work, and a million times as much vertical pressing (push press, jerks, jammer machine, shoulder and military presses) as vertical pulling, I realized am probably pretty f-ing imbalanced! So I am working hard to correct that; however, I have a few questions:

  1. In NNM 5, you recommending racks pulls with scapular retraction. Dave Tate and the big boys over at EliteFTS say that you should always pull with your upper-back rounded, because the bar has to travel less distance. Now, I do this, but I figured that I could arch my upper back in all my training pulls, and just pull without scap. retrac. during testing. Is this a good idea?[/quote]

Don’t confuse goals; powerlifters (myself included) are trying to shorten bar path, not effect favorable biomechanical changes. With that said, the scapular retraction should ONLY take place at lockout. In other words, it’s okay to pull with the upper back somewhat rounded (as long as you are an experienced lifter!), as doing so will actually facilitate the scapular retractors with a pre-stretch.

You could still max bench; it’s volume that is going to determine whether or not you correct your problem. A few triples and singles aren’t going to be too much of a problem. If you do decide to use a rowing movement as your ME exercise, I’d rather see you do it in the 3-5 rep range.

[quote]3) What is your opinion on the o-lifts… should I just hit cleans lightly in upcomming off seasons and focus more on power lifts?

Thank you for your time.[/quote]

I’m not as “amazed” by the O-lifts as a lot of coaches. What you should do in upcoming off-seasons should depend on your weaknesses.

[quote]Mod Zilla wrote:
EC:

I had heard a while back that you used to practice cross-dressing in the few days before a meet.

I was wondering if this is still an important part of your meet prep and what possible benefits you find in this type of practice?[/quote]

That’s only partially true; I do it year-round. You really want to stay relaxed; otherwise you desensitize yourself to the stimulatory effects of the catecholamines. I find that dressing up like a woman and shaking my money-maker does just that. :slight_smile:

Well, some would probably see my making-weight ritual as a big abnormal, but I can’t say that I’m tremendously superstitious about anything. You definitely have specific set-ups on the squat, bench, and deadlift, but rituals are hardly superstitions. If there was a first baseline, I’d never step on it!

EC
On another thread I found out you had a herniated disc. Is there somewhere you discussed that? If not, would you mind divulging a little info on what it was and how you handled it? Thanks a million.

Hi Eric,

A workmate is looking to start ‘getting in shape’ after realising how detrimental their current health situation is. He’s very overweight with high blood pressure, has lower back pains (he says it’s a fused disc, not sure where) and hasn’t exercised for an extended period of time, what sort of weights and/or cardio regime would you recommend?

It was back on November 1, 2002. I was lifting in the morning and haven’t given myself the warm-up that I should have (Maine is cold at that time of year). I tweaked it on a warm-up set of sumo deadlifts; I only had 185 on the bar. It definitely could have been avoided if I hadn’t let some tight hip flexors go too far and had actually warmed up properly. It was L5-S1, the most common place for herniations.

I did all my own rehab. For me, it was just a matter of motor re-education for my glutes, loosening the hip flexors, and not doing anything stupid for a few months while it recovered. I did a ton of single-leg work (which actually served as a great foundation for where I am now; I’m very strong for my size on single-leg work) and plenty of work for my core. I remember pulling 429 in the fall of 2003, and 510 in my first meet in June 2004. I’ll be making a run at 600 shortly; it’s all just a matter of gradual progression.

[quote]DA MAN wrote:
EC
On another thread I found out you had a herniated disc. Is there somewhere you discussed that? If not, would you mind divulging a little info on what it was and how you handled it? Thanks a million.
[/quote]

Check out my “Smart from the Start” article for some general ideas. Make him proficient with his body weight first and foremost and complement such training with added resistance where necessary (e.g. rows). Watch out for high-impact activities, and don’t use low reps intially (especially with his hypertension issues). I couldn’t make specific recommendations for his back problems without knowing exactly what they are, though.

[quote]xil wrote:
Hi Eric,

A workmate is looking to start ‘getting in shape’ after realising how detrimental their current health situation is. He’s very overweight with high blood pressure, has lower back pains (he says it’s a fused disc, not sure where) and hasn’t exercised for an extended period of time, what sort of weights and/or cardio regime would you recommend?[/quote]

[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
lavi wrote:
Whenever I deadlift heavy (ie 5 or less rm), it takes my lower back about 4 days to recover its strength and not be super sore. I have been told that doing rack pulls/lockouts wouldnt give me this problem. Is this true? I would think that since I would be using even more weight than on full rom deads, it would be even worse!

It would depend on your form and definitely the height of the pins from which you pull. Anything in the mid-shin range is really going to hammer your lower back. If you’re recovering that slowly, you either need to learn to use your glutes and hams more, or just focus on recovery approaches as outlined in my “Cardio Confusion” article.

also, what about doing say 5 sets of 3 or something on deads. In this case itd be more volume and less weight. Would I still have the recovery issue? I would think so as well, no?

If your form was still a problem, then yes. Honestly, if someone is struggling with form, the last thing I want them to do is pull consecutive reps. If you’re going to do more than singles, just pause in between reps and step back from the bar before resetting.

[/quote]

i think its just because i got to a relatively heavy weight? i weighed 140 and deadlifted 365, and then within 2 months using a 5x5 program it went up to 420 at 140. i cant continue such a program however as my back doesnt recover quickly enough to do fullbody workouts 3x/week. what do you recommend for learning to use my glutes and hams more?

so high rack pulls would be less draining on the lower back?

thanks

Thanks for answering before. One more question about training multiple strength quanities. Since I am fairly new at using a set program for weight training i was thinking about hitting three to four different strength areas all within in the same session. They would be power(sets of 3 with 50%max) strength 5 rep sets, hypertrophy 10-12 reps, and endurance 20 reps. Right now i am just looking for total body performance enhancement. I am not training for a certain sport in particular just more general fitness but i want to build a solid base off which to build.

Could combining the four quanities i mentioned in to three total body sessions a week be effective or would the cns become confused trying to catch up with all i was throwing at it in one session.

I was then planning on doing 2 10 minute edt like pr zones at the end of my four major lifts(one upper push,pull, one lower hip, quad) in which i would enclude some nnm exercises and some beach muscle exercises like those suggested by ct. My ulitimate goal is to become baseball ready while losing some body fat and increasing total body conditioning(i am doing your weight circuit routine from cardio confussion and so far it is great). Does my plan seem reasonable or should i just focus on a couple of quanities first then bridge out into others

EC,
I asked this question over at Elitefts but haven’t gotten an answer that has really answered the root of my question. They recommend using a narrow stance when doing ME squats. I wanted to know why they would use a narrow stance when, as I understand it, a wide stance puts stress on the posterior chain and a narrow stance is more quad dominated. Thanks,
TR

EC,

After reading Mike’s latest article on how bodybuilders could benefit from adding some powerlifting methods into their training, it got me thinking.

Are their any concepts that powerlifters could adopt from bodybuilders?

Also, what concepts can athletes (football players, particurlay) borrow from each of these schools of lifting?

[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
It was back on November 1, 2002. I was lifting in the morning and haven’t given myself the warm-up that I should have (Maine is cold at that time of year). I tweaked it on a warm-up set of sumo deadlifts; I only had 185 on the bar. It definitely could have been avoided if I hadn’t let some tight hip flexors go too far and had actually warmed up properly. It was L5-S1, the most common place for herniations.

I did all my own rehab. For me, it was just a matter of motor re-education for my glutes, loosening the hip flexors, and not doing anything stupid for a few months while it recovered. I did a ton of single-leg work (which actually served as a great foundation for where I am now; I’m very strong for my size on single-leg work) and plenty of work for my core. I remember pulling 429 in the fall of 2003, and 510 in my first meet in June 2004. I’ll be making a run at 600 shortly; it’s all just a matter of gradual progression.

DA MAN wrote:
EC
On another thread I found out you had a herniated disc. Is there somewhere you discussed that? If not, would you mind divulging a little info on what it was and how you handled it? Thanks a million.

[/quote]

EC
Thanks man. Mine is L5-S1 as well- the one thing i am average in is a disc herniation- yeah!
A lot of my issue is dormant glutes and tight hip flexors, as well. Thanks again man, and that is awesome work you are doing.

[quote]lavi wrote:
i think its just because i got to a relatively heavy weight? i weighed 140 and deadlifted 365, and then within 2 months using a 5x5 program it went up to 420 at 140. i cant continue such a program however as my back doesnt recover quickly enough to do fullbody workouts 3x/week. what do you recommend for learning to use my glutes and hams more?[/quote]

You learned your lesson the hard way! The stronger you get, the less volume of high intensity work you can handle. It’s why cookie-cutter 5x5 programs won’t work forever. If you want to get stronger, you pick and choose your max effort work and don’t do a ton of volume. Look at what most powerlifters do: 3x3 or something comparable or just hit a heavy triple or single and call it a day. You don’t see them doing 8x3 and 5x5; leave that for the bodybuilders who really only have strength as a secondary goal.

[quote]so high rack pulls would be less draining on the lower back?

thanks[/quote]

Assuming appropriate form, yes.

bigTR,

From what I understand the guys at Westside use primarly a medium to close stance on their ME days because they use nearly always use a wide stance on their D/E days. BigMartin (I wish he was still active on this board, he was the source for anything Westside) stated that going wide for two days in a row would absolutley trash a lifters hips, which could cause some problems. I believe Tate and Wendler have said the same thing.

I’m sure EC will have alot more to add as far as squat stance selection on M/E day.

Well, I’m not particularly impressed with what you have from a baseball specificity standpoint.

I might leave out the endurance work in those sessions and instead do it (if you absolutely must) on separate days. A better option would be to try some of the low-intensity options I outlined in my “Cardio Confusion” article and then supplement that work with baseball specific energy systems training (depending on the time of year).

Instead of trying to improve all those qualities at once, pick one or two and prioritize them within a certain phase while maintaining the others. Eventually, change things up and prioritize something else.
It’s very difficult to ride several horses with one ass, and strength/power and endurance will always work contrary to one another.

[quote]brotzfrog10 wrote:
Thanks for answering before. One more question about training multiple strength quanities. Since I am fairly new at using a set program for weight training i was thinking about hitting three to four different strength areas all within in the same session. They would be power(sets of 3 with 50%max) strength 5 rep sets, hypertrophy 10-12 reps, and endurance 20 reps. Right now i am just looking for total body performance enhancement. I am not training for a certain sport in particular just more general fitness but i want to build a solid base off which to build.

Could combining the four quanities i mentioned in to three total body sessions a week be effective or would the cns become confused trying to catch up with all i was throwing at it in one session.

I was then planning on doing 2 10 minute edt like pr zones at the end of my four major lifts(one upper push,pull, one lower hip, quad) in which i would enclude some nnm exercises and some beach muscle exercises like those suggested by ct. My ulitimate goal is to become baseball ready while losing some body fat and increasing total body conditioning(i am doing your weight circuit routine from cardio confussion and so far it is great). Does my plan seem reasonable or should i just focus on a couple of quanities first then bridge out into others[/quote]

EC, What changes would you have made to my Bench program below? In the thread “six weeks out”. Also, can you make any suggestions as to when and how to back off for supercompensation?

Squatting wide too often - especially when working from a box - will really beat up your hips eventually. Most of the Westside guys will wear their briefs for the DE day to protect their hips. It’s not great to become too dependent on your equipment, though, so if they’re going to ditch the briefs and want to still keep the hips healthy, it’s best to bring the stance in.

Likewise, remember that one of the most rewarding aspects of the Westside template is variety; you’re exposing your system to a ton of different stimuli. Over time, this really improves your ability to adapt to whatever is thrown your way, and you build up a good base of strength on a variety of movements so that you can rotate exercises frequently while maintaining a training effect without frying your CNS (as you would be more likely to do if you hit the same movements every week).

There’s also value to “quad” work for powerlifters. Remember, just as too much quad work can lead to knee pain, too little can cause similar problems.

[quote]bigTR wrote:
EC,
I asked this question over at Elitefts but haven’t gotten an answer that has really answered the root of my question. They recommend using a narrow stance when doing ME squats. I wanted to know why they would use a narrow stance when, as I understand it, a wide stance puts stress on the posterior chain and a narrow stance is more quad dominated. Thanks,
TR[/quote]

[quote]buckeye75 wrote:
EC,

After reading Mike’s latest article on how bodybuilders could benefit from adding some powerlifting methods into their training, it got me thinking.

Are their any concepts that powerlifters could adopt from bodybuilders?[/quote]

Definitely, and without a doubt, it would be DIET! Regardless of whether you’re training for appearance or performance, you need to put the right food in your body.

There are a ton. Basically, you get the best of both worlds. Eat right, but train all strength qualities. Obviously, it would depend on what school of thought within each discipline you’re considering. If you’ve got HIT jedis and linear periodization boneheads, there probably isn’t much to learn!

No problem; let me know if there’s anything I can do. Injuries are no fun! :frowning:

[quote]DA MAN wrote:
EC
Thanks man. Mine is L5-S1 as well- the one thing i am average in is a disc herniation- yeah!
A lot of my issue is dormant glutes and tight hip flexors, as well. Thanks again man, and that is awesome work you are doing.[/quote]

Well said!

[quote]buckeye75 wrote:
bigTR,

From what I understand the guys at Westside use primarly a medium to close stance on their ME days because they use nearly always use a wide stance on their D/E days. BigMartin (I wish he was still active on this board, he was the source for anything Westside) stated that going wide for two days in a row would absolutley trash a lifters hips, which could cause some problems. I believe Tate and Wendler have said the same thing.

I’m sure EC will have alot more to add as far as squat stance selection on M/E day. [/quote]

EC

I just thought of one more question and wanted to get it to you tonight. I recall you saying that when you put together a carido workout (per your cardio confusion article) that it needs to be specific for the sport. Could you give an example cardio workout for a football player using those parameters?