I’ll be on tonight and Thursday; looking forward to hearing from you.
Also, I wanted to get the ball rolling with a thought-provoking question:
With respect to training, what do you perceive your biggest weakness to be, and more importantly, what are you doing to correct it?
Regarding your question: my super-duper flexibility. You don’t run into many 200+ lbs guys who have that particular problem, but it’s a real bummer when going in a squat. I do what MR recommended when I told him about it in a previous PT: 1 1/4 reps out of the bottom. I might also soon start doing negative (emphasising the eccentrique portion of the lift) to strenghten my tendons.
Knowing that EC, what can be done alongside that to help with ligaments strenght? So far nothing I’ve heard seems to be beneficial for laxe ligaments.
Any stretches for groin, hip, and knees?
Just curious your thoughts on why 2 a days exist the way they do?
-Get Lifted
[quote]Zen warrior wrote:
Regarding your question: my super-duper flexibility. You don’t run into many 200+ lbs guys who have that particular problem, but it’s a real bummer when going in a squat. I do what MR recommended when I told him about it in a previous PT: 1 1/4 reps out of the bottom. I might also soon start doing negative (emphasising the eccentrique portion of the lift) to strenghten my tendons.
Knowing that EC, what can be done alongside that to help with ligaments strenght? So far nothing I’ve heard seems to be beneficial for laxe ligaments. [/quote]
Unfortunately, short of surgery, there isn’t a lot that can be done for lax ligaments. Unstable surface training has proven valuable in treating functional ankle instability, but that’s about the only real treatment modality available. This is one reason why AC joint issues are such a pain in the butt; there are only ligamentous restraints (no muscular restraints).
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
Any stretches for groin, hip, and knees?[/quote]
Mike outlined some great ones in his Hardcore Stretching series. Make sure that you’re doing them both dynamically and statically. Static stretching will do a lot to improve tissue qualities, but it won’t have much carryover to dynamic movements.
Not sure what you mean. Are you referring to two-a-days for athletes or lifters?
Hey! I noticed that my knees are rotated inward…is there any sort of exercise that can turn them out and into normal position?
I also know that I had some sort of leg condition when I was a toddler that required the orthopedics to cast my legs off and on for 2 years to correct the problem…I assume this is a result of that or the condition was not fully fixed? My mom doesn’t remember what it was called although I’d be that would help.
royalgoober
I am a firm believer that a good training partner furthers strength gains. That being said, I don’t have one. This is, and always has been, my biggest training weakness. I always look for people with similar goals, but never find them.
Now I have a question. What do you feel is the best way to develop exlosive power out of the hole on a squat? Also, for a newbie powerlifter, how would you recommend getting accustommed to benching with a really big arch? Thank you.
athletes, specifically football camps.
-Get Lifted
Hey EC,
My biggest weakness has got to be glute strength. To bring it up I have been doing a lot of lunge variations and some of the glute activation stuff MR has written about.
On to the questions:
-
I got into a discussion w/ a friend about torso and leg length. I have seen short guys who seem to be all legs and tall guys who seem to be all torso. Is their any measurement that one can do to see were someone falls on the scale of torso/leg length? Does it even exist or just an optical illusion of sorts? It seems like it would be more important to lifting mechanics then even how tall you are.
-
On that topic, I assume that people who have a high leg/torso length ratio would probably be better at DLing sumo from a biomechanics standpoint; is this correct?
-
When doing any sort of row are their any particular grips or arm widths that are best for working on scapular retraction(and upper back) while removing the lats from the exersise? For example neutral vs prone vs supinated grip.
Have a good one
Try this for me: stand up, tighten your glutes, and watch to see if your knees straighten out.
[quote]royalgoober wrote:
Hey! I noticed that my knees are rotated inward…is there any sort of exercise that can turn them out and into normal position?
I also know that I had some sort of leg condition when I was a toddler that required the orthopedics to cast my legs off and on for 2 years to correct the problem…I assume this is a result of that or the condition was not fully fixed? My mom doesn’t remember what it was called although I’d be that would help.
royalgoober[/quote]
EC I know you can’t fully comment on this without reading the full study but here goes. When thumbing through the most recent NSCA Journal of S&C I came across an interesting study
“Activation of the VMO amond Individuals with Patellofermal Pain Syndrome” (Sineed P . O’sullivan Celest A. Paplay)
there conclusion (and what the question to you is) is that and I quote “Squatting with external rotation and the knees flexed at 60 degrees produces the higher degree of VMO activation when compard to squats with no hip rotation”
your thoughts?
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Try this for me: stand up, tighten your glutes, and watch to see if your knees straighten out. [/quote]
Hmmm…yea they straighten out by about an inch and a half.
so butt exercises is the answer?
Maybe you aren’t looking in the right places! I don’t know where you are in Washington, but there are quite a few great powerlifters out there (most notably Brent Mikesell); maybe you ought to meet up with one of their crews and give it a run. You can easily look up your state chair in any of a number of organizations; if you need help, just drop me an email at ericcressey@hotmail.com.
You could even just post something here on T-Nation to find someone in your area.
[quote]Gianacakos wrote:
I am a firm believer that a good training partner furthers strength gains. That being said, I don’t have one. This is, and always has been, my biggest training weakness. I always look for people with similar goals, but never find them.[/quote]
[quote]Now I have a question. What do you feel is the best way to develop exlosive power out of the hole on a squat?
Putting on a squat suit! 
No, seriously, it’s largely a function of training that specific point of the range of motion. If you want explosive strength, try squatting from a dead-stop on the pins (or chains)with a pause in between reps. This will altogether eliminate the contribution of the stretch-shortening cycle.
Conversely, if you need to improve your ability to make use of the SSC, you’re better off with full ROM movements with no pause.
Box squatting is a happy medium between the two; you still get some contribution from the SSC, but not as much. This is a great tool for most lifters, as a result.
Practice, practice, practice! The best way to learn the position is to force oneself into it. I practice my arch frequently in addition to my actual bench sessions.
Coaches just want to cram more work into the same amount of time. In some cases, it’s justified (i.e. doing tactical work in one session and energy systems work in the other). In others, it’s just a way for stupid coaches to fill the voids in their lives.
A lot of my athletes/clients train twice per day, but the set-up is always structured such that different fitness qualities are trained in each session. More importantly, though, by combining CNS-intensive efforts into a single day, one can give athletes complete days of rest more frequently.
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
athletes, specifically football camps.
-Get Lifted[/quote]
Regarding #1 and #2, you’re going to absolutely love an article that Mike and I just submitted to TC. I can’t give away all the details, though; just keep an eye out for it.
[quote]blam wrote:
Hey EC,
My biggest weakness has got to be glute strength. To bring it up I have been doing a lot of lunge variations and some of the glute activation stuff MR has written about.
On to the questions:
-
I got into a discussion w/ a friend about torso and leg length. I have seen short guys who seem to be all legs and tall guys who seem to be all torso. Is their any measurement that one can do to see were someone falls on the scale of torso/leg length? Does it even exist or just an optical illusion of sorts? It seems like it would be more important to lifting mechanics then even how tall you are.
-
On that topic, I assume that people who have a high leg/torso length ratio would probably be better at DLing sumo from a biomechanics standpoint; is this correct?[/quote]
Here’s the continuum:
Lats>>>>>>>>>Scap. Retractors+Ext. Rot.
Supinated>>>>>>>Neutral>>>>>>>Pronated
Yeah, I saw that study a while back, too. It’s been a long time coming, but I think that you’ll find that the medical community will take a while to take to it. There have been so many studies saying that one can’t isolate the VMO that it’ll take a few follow-up studies to get this information accepted.
We’ve always known the importance of the VMO in terminal knee extension, but this certainly supports what one would logically think: external rotation of the femur increases VMO recruitment. I don’t feel like this has a ton of implications for bodybuilders, but I suspect that it could affect the way a lot of physical therapists work.
[quote]bigpump23 wrote:
EC I know you can’t fully comment on this without reading the full study but here goes. When thumbing through the most recent NSCA Journal of S&C I came across an interesting study
“Activation of the VMO amond Individuals with Patellofermal Pain Syndrome” (Sineed P . O’sullivan Celest A. Paplay)
there conclusion (and what the question to you is) is that and I quote “Squatting with external rotation and the knees flexed at 60 degrees produces the higher degree of VMO activation when compard to squats with no hip rotation”
your thoughts?[/quote]
Winner!
Check out the “Neanderthal No More” and “Get Your Butt in Gear” articles for more info. 
[quote]royalgoober wrote:
Eric Cressey wrote:
Try this for me: stand up, tighten your glutes, and watch to see if your knees straighten out.
Hmmm…yea they straighten out by about an inch and a half.
so butt exercises is the answer?[/quote]
EC,
Well I wish you were a ncaa football coach or at least in charge of the schedules. So far, 7 days a week with two practices a day lasting somewhere between 3-4 hours each.(15 hours total if you include the 3 hour break required) you know, meetings etc as well.
I end up crashing after practices and waking up to do it again in 2 hours. It does not feel very good but at least one week left.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=617026&pageNo=15
If you go to pages 16-17 then it may become clear why I was asking the question. LOL
Just curious if I am being a big baby or it’s just excessive. Maybe both.
Anyway, thanks for the article recommendation I’ll do that tonight before I go to bed. We got two again tomorrow so maybe it will help a little.
-Get Lifted
I don’t think you’re being a big baby, as you’re going through hell. Unfortunately, that’s what a ton of teams go through. It isn’t necessarily right, but it is reality. I guarantee you that 95% of the players out there who deal with the same stuff call home at night and complain or do so with their teammates.
At some point, physiology and coaching are going to meet halfway and tactical coaches are going to understand how to impose fatigue effectively. Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening anytime soon.
Good luck to you; keep your chin up.
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
EC,
Well I wish you were a ncaa football coach or at least in charge of the schedules. So far, 7 days a week with two practices a day lasting somewhere between 3-4 hours each.(15 hours total if you include the 3 hour break required) you know, meetings etc as well.
I end up crashing after practices and waking up to do it again in 2 hours. It does not feel very good but at least one week left.
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=617026&pageNo=15
If you go to pages 16-17 then it may become clear why I was asking the question. LOL
Just curious if I am being a big baby or it’s just excessive. Maybe both.
Anyway, thanks for the article recommendation I’ll do that tonight before I go to bed. We got two again tomorrow so maybe it will help a little.
-Get Lifted
[/quote]