I’m here…make me feel useful.
Stay Strong
MR
I know this may be a difficult question to answer but here goes.
Is there a percentage of your back squat that you should be able to flat back good morning to be considered “balanced”.
I ask this as another T-Nation member “stallion” posted a video of him squatting around 475 pounds for reps and was asking for critiques.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=773353
He stated that he does 396 lbs standing and 440 lbs for seated good mornings. I found those numbers for GM’s to be quite impressive.
For someone performing 3 full body workouts a week while on a hypocaloric diet, using a major push, pull, and lower body exercise each session, what kind of volume would you recommend for each session to avoid overtaxing the CNS considering the already inhibited recovery capabilities? I’m sure something like 5x5 for each lift is too much, but I would like to avoid doing too little, thus losing significant muscle mass. Also, the lifts differ from session to session.
Thank you.
Mike,
I recently pinched the ulna(sp) nerve in my left elbow. Rest seems to be healing it up slowly, as the dr and I belive it to be soft tissue based damage in the elbow. I feel some sensation on the inner side of the elbow, on the upper arm, directly above the boney protrusion there. Opinions? concerning to me is that I’m feeling a similar sensation in my right elbow, albiet without any other sensations (no pins and needles). I’ve stopped all pushing motions, and go v light pulls. How worried do think I should be?
A lot of it is dependent upon your leverages; if you have a short torso like EC and I, you can really good morning a good percentage of your squat (if you work at it). If you have a long torso, your good morning isn’t going to be anywhere near your best squat.
Maybe not the answer you wanted exactly, but hopefully it gives you an idea of why people are so different.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]sully’s wrote:
I know this may be a difficult question to answer but here goes.
Is there a percentage of your back squat that you should be able to flat back good morning to be considered “balanced”.
I ask this as another T-Nation member “stallion” posted a video of him squatting around 475 pounds for reps and was asking for critiques.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=773353
He stated that he does 396 lbs standing and 440 lbs for seated good mornings. I found those numbers for GM’s to be quite impressive.[/quote]
Maybe 5x5 on core lifts and something lower volume on the others (5x3, 4x4, etc.) I don’t think it’s the CNS you need to worry about as much as energy levels and glyogen depletion.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]leon79 wrote:
For someone performing 3 full body workouts a week while on a hypocaloric diet, using a major push, pull, and lower body exercise each session, what kind of volume would you recommend for each session to avoid overtaxing the CNS considering the already inhibited recovery capabilities? I’m sure something like 5x5 for each lift is too much, but I would like to avoid doing too little, thus losing significant muscle mass. Also, the lifts differ from session to session.
Thank you.[/quote]
How long have you had this?
Any previous issues in the shoulder or cervical spine?
What movements provoke/exacerbate the pain?
The fact that you feel up further in the kinetic chain could signify something larger, but it’s hard to tell w/o more info. Give me as much info as possible so I can help!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Vorn wrote:
Mike,
I recently pinched the ulna(sp) nerve in my left elbow. Rest seems to be healing it up slowly, as the dr and I belive it to be soft tissue based damage in the elbow. I feel some sensation on the inner side of the elbow, on the upper arm, directly above the boney protrusion there. Opinions? concerning to me is that I’m feeling a similar sensation in my right elbow, albiet without any other sensations (no pins and needles). I’ve stopped all pushing motions, and go v light pulls. How worried do think I should be?
[/quote]
Hi Mike,
I’ve asked EC this, but I think I was being too vague. Certain NASM resistance training protocols (what they term Stabilization Equivalent Training, or Phase 3) call for the use of a stable-to-unstable superset of various exercises with similar biomechanical motions. For instance, a barbell bench press supersetted with a pushup off a small Swiss ball.
One of the benefits of this style of training, at least as touted by NASM, is increased motor unit recruitment and sychronization, even in intermediate lifters. Generally a volume of 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps for each superset. What are your thoughts on this protocol, and have you ever utilized it (or something like it) with any of your athletes/clients?
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
How long have you had this?
Any previous issues in the shoulder or cervical spine?
What movements provoke/exacerbate the pain?
The fact that you feel up further in the kinetic chain could signify something larger, but it’s hard to tell w/o more info. Give me as much info as possible so I can help!
Stay strong
MR
[/quote]
Nope, no history of anything. Rotational force towards the outside of my body seems to be unpleasant. Heavy elbow flexation is also not fun. Medium weight bench didn’t bother it(did 2 reps just to test). Initialy, if I bent my arm as far as I could tingling would increase. Tingling is a non-issue today, the only remaining symptom is reduced sensation of pressure all the time, and as I mentioned some movements are not comfortable.
Have I ever used this? No. Would I? Not unless it was in a rehabilitation standpoint.
To be honest, unless you are rehabbing an injury, I think unstable surfaces are pretty useless. I would listen if they have an research to back it up, but I doubt there’s any out there.
I will admit that I’m pretty biased, though, as I see more and more guru trainers using this as the primary focus of their training. The worst are people that have no real business teaching strength, movement or anything else related to athletic performance, so they focus all their attention to “injury prevention” on unstable surfaces or “posture.” Both are necessary components of training, but also rarely need to be the primary focus of training.
Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now…I’m sure a simple “no” would’ve sufficed!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Norweige wrote:
Hi Mike,
I’ve asked EC this, but I think I was being too vague. Certain NASM resistance training protocols (what they term Stabilization Equivalent Training, or Phase 3) call for the use of a stable-to-unstable superset of various exercises with similar biomechanical motions. For instance, a barbell bench press supersetted with a pushup off a small Swiss ball.
One of the benefits of this style of training, at least as touted by NASM, is increased motor unit recruitment and sychronization, even in intermediate lifters. Generally a volume of 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps for each superset. What are your thoughts on this protocol, and have you ever utilized it (or something like it) with any of your athletes/clients?[/quote]
Have you had someone qualified check you out? The fact that you are getting tingling is NOT a great sign, but if it’s localized it could be something like a peripheral nerve entrapment.
Regardless, when it comes to nerve stuff, I would always err on the side of caution and have someone check you out. Let us know what you come up with!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Vorn wrote:
Mike Robertson wrote:
How long have you had this?
Any previous issues in the shoulder or cervical spine?
What movements provoke/exacerbate the pain?
The fact that you feel up further in the kinetic chain could signify something larger, but it’s hard to tell w/o more info. Give me as much info as possible so I can help!
Stay strong
MR
Nope, no history of anything. Rotational force towards the outside of my body seems to be unpleasant. Heavy elbow flexation is also not fun. Medium weight bench didn’t bother it(did 2 reps just to test). Initialy, if I bent my arm as far as I could tingling would increase. Tingling is a non-issue today, the only remaining symptom is reduced sensation of pressure all the time, and as I mentioned some movements are not comfortable.
[/quote]
Mike, I have a pretty bad imbalance between the left and right legs due to 2 surgeries on my left knee. Am I doomed to single leg exercises? How should I incorporate standard lower body movements if at all?
Mike, I unload trucks at Wal-mart. Everything comes in hand stacked and when I throw the trucks it can be quite a workout. Should I stick to a low rep/high weight scheme in the gym or does it matter? I want to avoid overuse injuries. What would you recommend for someone like me training wise? BTW, my main goals are to get to a double body weight DL and body weight overhead press. I am a relatively new trainee.
Thanks, J.
Sam I Am,
What were the injuries? What were the surgeries? How long ago did you have them?
I’ve actually been doing a ton of knee research lately, so give me more info and I’m sure I can help you out!
Also, what movements cause/provoke pain?
Stay strong
MR
[quote]sam747 wrote:
Mike, I have a pretty bad imbalance between the left and right legs due to 2 surgeries on my left knee. Am I doomed to single leg exercises? How should I incorporate standard lower body movements if at all?[/quote]
I went to the dr, and she told me it was a pinched ulna nerve most likely due to soft tissue trama. My concern is the right elbow “soreness” that seems to indicate the root of problem in the left.
Damn, throwing trucks would be quite a workout!
Seriously though, I would just focus on the basics and kind of regulate your loading based on “feel.” There are going to be some killer days when you can’t do much, and hopefully some lighter work days when you can train pretty heavy. The biggest thing here is to listen to your body and do what you can.
One thing I would really focus on with you is flexibility/mobility. I would assume with all the work you’re doing that you have a propensity to get tight; make sure you are getting your flex/mobility work in to help you stay injury-free. Good luck!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]J-dog77 wrote:
Mike, I unload trucks at Wal-mart. Everything comes in hand stacked and when I throw the trucks it can be quite a workout. Should I stick to a low rep/high weight scheme in the gym or does it matter? I want to avoid overuse injuries. What would you recommend for someone like me training wise? BTW, my main goals are to get to a double body weight DL and body weight overhead press. I am a relatively new trainee.
Thanks, J.
[/quote]
Vorn,
Ok, next question: What is your posture like? Head forward? Rounded shoulders? Like I stated before, issues further up the kinetic chain could be causing issues on BOTH sides, not just one.
Any thoughts on what your posture is like?
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Vorn wrote:
I went to the dr, and she told me it was a pinched ulna nerve most likely due to soft tissue trama. My concern is the right elbow “soreness” that seems to indicate the root of problem in the left.[/quote]
I’ve had 3 kneecap dislocations and 2 surgeries the most recent was 2+ years ago. I had lateral release then. Not sure about the first surgery I guess it was the same thing 12+ years ago.
I don’t have any real pain, I can feel that my left knee is weaker at the joint (if that makes sense) and my left leg overall is weaker and smaller. Also I think I might favor the right leg in some exercises as it is usually sorer.
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
Sam I Am,
What were the injuries? What were the surgeries? How long ago did you have them?
I’ve actually been doing a ton of knee research lately, so give me more info and I’m sure I can help you out!
Also, what movements cause/provoke pain?
Stay strong
MR
sam747 wrote:
Mike, I have a pretty bad imbalance between the left and right legs due to 2 surgeries on my left knee. Am I doomed to single leg exercises? How should I incorporate standard lower body movements if at all?
[/quote]
If you haven’t checked out Ian King’s “Limping” series, that would be the best place to start. Obviously you want to get to the big movements, but you also want to make sure your strength and flexibility are balance side-to-side as well.
If you needed to have a lateral release, I would also urge you to focus on maintaining patellar balance between the medial and lateral structures. VMO recruitment/strengthening exercises coupled with lateral tissue stretching/ART/massage will be your best friends.
I don’t think that side will ever grow until you sort out the imbalance and do your best to rectify it. Once your body figures out its getting stronger, it will be more willing to take on more load. Good luck!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]sam747 wrote:
I’ve had 3 kneecap dislocations and 2 surgeries the most recent was 2+ years ago. I had lateral release then. Not sure about the first surgery I guess it was the same thing 12+ years ago.
I don’t have any real pain, I can feel that my left knee is weaker at the joint (if that makes sense) and my left leg overall is weaker and smaller. Also I think I might favor the right leg in some exercises as it is usually sorer.
Mike Robertson wrote:
Sam I Am,
What were the injuries? What were the surgeries? How long ago did you have them?
I’ve actually been doing a ton of knee research lately, so give me more info and I’m sure I can help you out!
Also, what movements cause/provoke pain?
Stay strong
MR
sam747 wrote:
Mike, I have a pretty bad imbalance between the left and right legs due to 2 surgeries on my left knee. Am I doomed to single leg exercises? How should I incorporate standard lower body movements if at all?
[/quote]
Thanks for the reply, Mike, I appreciate it. I feel the same way, but in the face of the proliferation and popularity of this type of stuff I’m glad to hear I am justified (now by several excellent S/C coaches) in not over-emphasizing it like everyone else.
On a side note, the personal training director for the small chain of clubs I work at tells me that it is flat-out incorrect to squat deeply, even to parallel, which is what I demonstrated to her when we ran into each other in the gym today. I’m not the king of squatting, but I can hold my own, have excellent form and HEALTHIER knees since I stopped this shallow, hips-stay-above-knees, no-knees-over-toes squatting nonsense. It is frustrating to be working with “fitness professionals” who buy into and preach this crap.
Sorry for the rant, thanks again for the reply. Love your new website!