Guest Forum: 48 Hours of EC & MR

From now through Friday at midnight, post any questions you have for Mike and I here. Whether your goals are strength, physique, or performance-related, we’re glad to help and look forward to talking shop with all of you.

Yay lol.

Guys I was wondering if there was a way to improve hyperpafination which causes tibial torsion and suprapantella tendonitis (please forgive the butchering im giving the terms), without custom orthotics? Ive been having this problem for months and really can’t cough up the cash for the ortho’s, any advice would be great.

What would be the optimal way to combine weight training and plyometrics to increase your vertical. Out of curiosity does carrying too much muslce mass inhibit vertical jumping(not that I have that “problem”). Any other tips would be appreciated.
Thanx for your time.
Andrew Jones

Um, hyperpafination? I’ve never heard of it, and a Yahoo search doesn’t come up with anything. Do you mean hyper pronation? If so, I can give you some ideas. Let me know!

Stay strong
MR

[quote]fusion360 wrote:
Yay lol.

Guys I was wondering if there was a way to improve hyperpafination which causes tibial torsion and suprapantella tendonitis (please forgive the butchering im giving the terms), without custom orthotics? Ive been having this problem for months and really can’t cough up the cash for the ortho’s, any advice would be great.[/quote]

I’ve seen conflicting info on what style of deadlift is best for ones body type.

I’m six feet tall, with longish limbs. Would I be better off with sumo or conventional style deads? Or is there more to it than that?

sorry Mike,

yes I do mean Hyper pronation,the horrible writing by my doctor and my lack of knowledge around the knee about that. Anyways any tips?

I’m a competitive OL and want to start PL competitively also. What recommendations can you give me? I sumo DL so the movement won’t mess with my clean pull motor pattern (I feel it is just different enough not to interfere). I use a hybrid WSB protocol, which I’ve post on the strength sport forum.

May I ask what you would prescribe to fix a combination of anterior pelvic tilt, and excessive hyperlordosis.
Many thanks on any advice.

[quote]fusion360 wrote:
sorry Mike,

yes I do mean Hyper pronation,the horrible writing by my doctor and my lack of knowledge around the knee about that. Anyways any tips? [/quote]

Do our “Neanderthal No More” program as written and pay specific attention to all the lower body interventions, especially the calf stretches and dorsiflexion exercises. Watch our for shoes with significant heel-lifts and lots of padding, too; you don’t want that in a chronic sense.

As for the tendonitis aspect, are you sure it’s tendonitis and not tendonosis? Check out my “ACSM Recap: Part I” for details, and we can help you out.

Andrew,

This would be highly dependent upon your current usage of the stretch shortening cycle, among other factors.

To make a long story short, if you are really strong and not explosive (like a lot of bodybuilders), you’ll need to focus on power and plyos. If you are really explosive but weak overall (think a skinny basketball player), you’d be better served focusing on maximal strength. You’ll also find people that sit somewhere in between on the continuum; these will benefit from training both equally, with perhaps a slight edge towards the maximal strength.

This isn’t a cut and dry answer, but hopefully it will help you out. Good luck!

Stay strong
MR

[quote]andrewjones wrote:
What would be the optimal way to combine weight training and plyometrics to increase your vertical. Out of curiosity does carrying too much muslce mass inhibit vertical jumping(not that I have that “problem”). Any other tips would be appreciated.
Thanx for your time.
Andrew Jones[/quote]

[quote]andrewjones wrote:
What would be the optimal way to combine weight training and plyometrics to increase your vertical.[/quote]

Wow, there’s a loaded question. I’m assuming that you mean “shock training” methods by “plyometrics,” as even walking is a plyometric activity. With that in mind, there is no specific “correct” way. I have some set protocols/progressions I use for introducing these interventions to newbies who aren’t familiar with them, but when it comes to more experienced trainees, there are several “right” ways. I’ve used them in complex training with great success, but you have to be careful to not overdo it in this regard. Low to moderate level plyos can be good on off-days as part of linear and lateral speed sessions and dynamic flexibility circuits. It’s also going to depend on where the athlete falls on the static-spring proficiency continuum, as well as whether or not he/she is in-season.

Increasing body weight certainly can, which underscores the importance of functional hypertrophy (rather than purely structural, which is basically what you see in bodybuilders). The Lewis and Sayers equations are the most popular formulas for converting jumping performance to power units in light of body weight; this is very important in research settings where subjects’ body weights change over the course of a study and jumping tests are used. I’m actually doing it with my thesis now.

I would say that whichever is most comfortable and allows you to move the most weight. Simplistic, but true. As well, I would always train both as they give you different benefits with regards to muscular development.

Stay strong
MR

[quote]wtf wrote:
I’ve seen conflicting info on what style of deadlift is best for ones body type.

I’m six feet tall, with longish limbs. Would I be better off with sumo or conventional style deads? Or is there more to it than that?
[/quote]

Without seeing your current program, it would be impossible to tell you what’s right or wrong. If you give us more info, I’m sure we can help.

Stay strong
MR

[quote]Crow wrote:
I’m a competitive OL and want to start PL competitively also. What recommendations can you give me? I sumo DL so the movement won’t mess with my clean pull motor pattern (I feel it is just different enough not to interfere). I use a hybrid WSB protocol, which I’ve post on the strength sport forum.[/quote]

Read and perform the NNM program; it will work to address these issues, among others.

Stay strong
MR

[quote]mutant wrote:
May I ask what you would prescribe to fix a combination of anterior pelvic tilt, and excessive hyperlordosis.
Many thanks on any advice.[/quote]

What are each of your thoughts on total body workouts especially as they relate to hypertrophy and overall body composition. Also, what are some parameters that you might suggest for an individual to lose body fat through weight training and energy system work, would the cardio recommendations in cardio confusion be enough for fat loss.

One final question for either eric or mike. I really enjoy mike’s designer athlete article and would love to give it a try, but what sort of rep set scheme would be must productive. Do you either of you like switching training parameters or rep/set schemes with each workout or do you like following a system for a longer period of time before switching the reps.

[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
fusion360 wrote:
sorry Mike,

yes I do mean Hyper pronation,the horrible writing by my doctor and my lack of knowledge around the knee about that. Anyways any tips?

Do our “Neanderthal No More” program as written and pay specific attention to all the lower body interventions, especially the calf stretches and dorsiflexion exercises. Watch our for shoes with significant heel-lifts and lots of padding, too; you don’t want that in a chronic sense.

As for the tendonitis aspect, are you sure it’s tendonitis and not tendonosis? Check out my “ACSM Recap: Part I” for details, and we can help you out.[/quote]

After reading that it looks like tendonosis. NSAID’s haven’t really worked (primarily Naproxin and Pennsaid) and this is occuring in both knees. I’ve had ART treatments to no success as well, primarily because I’ve been told before that ART could be considered an inflammatory. Accupuncture and stim directly on the pain had some success, but it has since returned. Any training/rehab advice would be great.

Eric and Mike, thank you for your time!

what are some good or even bulletproof (if that exists) ways to monitor workout to workout fatigue? so far, the best ways i know of are by how pumped i am for each workout hours and even days before the workout, and by my focus and performance during each workout. im hoping you know a few other ways to monitor how frequently and intensely one can lift.

Hi guys.

I have a question about lower back strengthening and safety that I would like to hear your take on. I currently train low back with squats, deads, RDL, good mornings etc… and do these all with neutral (vs. flat or flexed) secondary to health and safety concerns. I know there are some advocates of doing some variations of good mornings and other exs. with some flexion to more dyanmically strengthen these muscles. To each their own but after reading Stuart McGill’s Low Back Disorder book I am very wary of these type of variations. However, I recently came across an article by Dr. Hatfield addressing some exercise techniques and after reading the following excerpt, was left with a couple of questions.

BACK EXTENSIONS
Picture this: The great Olympic weightlifter Vasily Alexeev?s ponderous body draped over a gymnastics long horse with his feet wedged between the stall bars of an unbelievably archaic training gym in Moscow?s Lenin Institute of Sport. With four hundred pounds precariously perched behind his head, he explodes for five reps of back raises. There is virtually NO hip extensor involvement, only pure erector spinae contraction. That means 1) tremendous low back limit strength and speed-strength is developed far beyond what any other low back exercise could possibly accomplish, and 2) virtually NO trauma to the tenuous intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine, which is something no other low back exercise ever conceived can claim.

By far the biggest muscles of your lower back are the “erector” muscles. They’re also the most visible. Your erector spinae muscles are designed to extend (and hyperextend) your spine. They do NOT act on your hip joint, so there’s no reason to engage in exercises which require hip joint movement (i.e., traditional “hypers”).

The best way to target your erectors is with “back extensions.” This exercise requires the use of a specialized bench quite unlike the ones you’re probably used to seeing around the gyms (the “hyper” benches you are used to seeing are, in my opinion, relatively worthless). The bench of choice is called (by its inventor, Dr. Mike Yessis) a “glute-ham-gastroc machine.” He called it that because those muscles are the ones the Soviets target with a similar exercise which Dr. Yessis improved upon. Glute-ham-gastroc raises are discussed in the section (below) dealing with leg and hip exercises.

To use this device to target your erectors, your feet are secured by the two foot pads which are backed by a metal plate that prevents your feet from slipping through. Your “belly button” is placed in the middle of the padded support. Your knees are bent. Then, your feet push against the metal plate in order to “lock” your upper legs against the padded bench. All of this ensures that only your erector muscles are targeted, and NOT your hip extensors (gluteals). Simply assume the described position and flex your spine (round your back downward). Hold as much weight behind your head as you can, and extend your spine (straighten it back out again). You should not raise way up by arching (hyperextending) your back, as doing so places too much strain on the intervertebral discs of your lumbar spine. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

This exercise is quite probably the ONLY low back exercise you will ever have to do. It is that effective.

Noted exceptions are deadlifts, squats, glute-ham raises and explosive high pulls, all of which involve the lower back muscles as either stabilizers or synergists. However, none is done for the express purpose of developing your lower back, and are probably unsuitable for most trainees outside clinical and sports-specific applications.

What is your take on the glute ham machine exercise that he describes. Does the positioning of the body on the pad limit flexion ROM enough that the paraspinal muscles cont. to be very active and do not reach the point of shutting down and relying on ligamentous support. Would you still consider such an exercise high risk. I found it very interesting that he was in favor this exercise and was more wary of RDLs and other hip extension exs.

Thank you very much for any opinions you have on the subject.

For Eric and Mike:

  1. How did you get to where you are today? Perhaps some personal background, bio, influences, how you became involved w/T-Nation, etc.

  2. What are you currently working on (besides T-Nation and that other site)? Education, jobs, your own training, etc.

  3. What’s a typical day in the life of (you)? Emails, clients, school, etc.

  4. What are your plans for the near and distant future? Finish school, take up a hobby, personal goals, etc.

  5. I’d really like to be in your shoes in the next 3 to 4 years; what advice can you give to me and other aspiring strength coaches?

Thanks guys,
Tim

Total body workouts can be great for both hypertrophy and leaning out. However, I wouldn’t use them forever; instead, use them for a mesocycle interspersed with your normal training to maximize the benefits.

With regards to losing fat, all methods of cardio are acceptable; when you use each method is far more important. If you’re looking strictly to lean out, though, a high intensity approach coupled with a clean diet is second to none. If you want to gradually lean out and also focus on some strength/mass improvements, the Cardio Confusion or Superior Circuit articles will get you there, just in a slower manner.

I believe I outlined some set/rep schemes for the Designer Athletes article; I tend to switch the exercises up every 3-4 weeks. However, a very advanced athlete is going to need far greater variation in their program than a beginner. Just something to think about.

Stay strong
MR

[quote]brotzfrog10 wrote:
What are each of your thoughts on total body workouts especially as they relate to hypertrophy and overall body composition. Also, what are some parameters that you might suggest for an individual to lose body fat through weight training and energy system work, would the cardio recommendations in cardio confusion be enough for fat loss.

One final question for either eric or mike. I really enjoy mike’s designer athlete article and would love to give it a try, but what sort of rep set scheme would be must productive. Do you either of you like switching training parameters or rep/set schemes with each workout or do you like following a system for a longer period of time before switching the reps.[/quote]