[quote]Gary John wrote:
I am his brother, but I don’t know nothing. The ten# plates work fine. Dan goes up to a 2"x4", but I lift in 8"work boots, I like the ankle support.
Dan got me started back in August, 2002 with his first “GetUp”. I was 53 and finally starting to feel old. Real long story short, we are both going to the Master’s Weight pentathlon in Dallas next week. I ended up throwing the discus, then added the shotput, hammer, javelin, and weight throw.
Most of what I do is farmwer’s walks, waiter’s walks, pull-ups, and lots of deadlifts. I try to pass on any little tricks I learn from Dan. But, then, I’m kind of the “GetUp” lab rat. When something new comes along, I usually run out and try it first.
You’ll find the deadlift will get you a lot of bang for the buck. Throw in a ton of overhead squats and you’re half the way there.[/quote]
It’s great to have you on board. If you’re Dan’s brother, I’m sure you know a little something. If I remember correctly, in his book he gave you credit for teaching him sports.
I’ve just begun to really hit deadlifts hard. My goal is to get to 500 lbs by next year. I have to work on my overhead squats. I think flexibility is an issue; I have a hard time getting to parallel. Thanks for all the advice. I’ll give the plates a try and see what happens.
Good luck in Dallas. That’s awesome that you’ve made such a big change at this point in your life. A lot of people tend to give up on things when they reach a certain age, especially something so challenging. Let us know how you do.
[quote]TTewell342 wrote:
Don’t keep your hips close to the bar!! That will only cause a lot of problems. You need the set up with the bar just about against your shins and then set your hips and lower back like you are doing an arched back good morning. So you want a tight arch abd push your hips back. This will help you to pull the weight back and keep your shoulders behind the bar.[/quote]
In Dave Tate’s article he says “the closer you can keep your hips to the bar when you pull, the better the leverages are going to be.”
So is it a matter of preference in the hip position? What problems could result by keeping the hips close to the bar?
I think what he means is you want to start in the most erect position possible. You have better leverage at the top of a squat than at the bottom, so you want to avoid squatting down to the bar father than you have to.
I used to have trouble getting behind the bar but someone at my gym fixed my form and had me start with my heels under the bar so that if I were to let go of the bar I would fall over. If you do this and keep your shoulders behind the bar everything else should fall in place.
If you keep your hips as close to the bar as possible you will be stiff legging it, rounding over, and probably have the weight too far forward. so keep a tight arch and find the line between squatting it up and stiff legging it.
[quote]super saiyan wrote:
In Dave Tate’s article he says “the closer you can keep your hips to the bar when you pull, the better the leverages are going to be.”
So is it a matter of preference in the hip position? What problems could result by keeping the hips close to the bar?[/quote]
Simple, yet effective solution:
Wiggle your toes before you pull.
If they’re wiggling, you aren’t putting weight on them.
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Simple, yet effective solution:
Wiggle your toes before you pull.
If they’re wiggling, you aren’t putting weight on them.[/quote]
Great suggestion, Eric. I was about to reccomend something similar: pull your toes back like you’re the wicked witch of the west.
It really will make your DL go up, as you’re using your weight against the bar. You almost “fall backwards”.
Dan “lean back” McVicker