[quote]Airtruth wrote:
PLEASE when asking a question on here or listening to advice, keep in mind what your goal is.
I can’t answer your question specifically as it relates to the Westside ME program because I haven’t done it. But if you are training for your maximum effort, it would make more sense to rest between efforts. On the other hand if, if you are trying to train your stretch reflex which applies more in sports then you would do the touch and go. If you are trying to build muscle then you will go a little slower overall unless you are using an extremely heavy wieght.(Then the weight most likely will have you going slow regardless of how fast you pull)
You will get a ton of conflicting advice from people because everybody has their own agenda. If you have no specific goal but to workout then it is good to try different methods. But don’t just try them, learn from them. Every time you do something differently pay attention to how it feels at the moment, an hour later and days later. How does it effect other lifts, how does it make you look, DOES IT MAKE SENSE?
On a side note, I’ve never witnessed an Olympic deadlift, maybe this is a new event. Are you sure you were not doing a clean, I can’t imagine a trainer telling you that.[/quote]
You are right, I should have specified what my ultimate goal is. I am 25 years old and my ultimate goal is to become a better athlete. I play basketball twice a week in a corporate league and I was tired of getting pushed around by less skilled but stronger players. I was a decent athlete (and stronger) in high school and college.
I want to regain this lost strength and develop more explosiveness and the ability to hold my ground in the paint. I suppose my desire for explosiveness dictates I do more of a touch and go but according to Defranco in order to develop explosiveness I need to build a base of pure strength.
What I have been doing seems to be working as I now find myself getting quicker and stronger. I can now grab a rebound and easily go right back up for a two-handed dunk and I can also more easily hold my ground in the paint.
I appreciate your questioning b/c it forced me to actually write down my goal for training. Also, I’m positive I was deadlifting. Is it even possible to do a clean with a trapbar?
One more thing, I know this should have probably been posted in the beginners section but for some reason that section was missing when I originally posted.
Thanks again for all the input.