Michigan Muscle Boy

Maximimizing Max Strength: Hip Flexor Stretch

So, Nancy and I have put up some new videos at muscleventures. This is our hip flexor stretch. It was a hoot to make at 8:30 AM last Sunday.  We do these stretches to help get us in shape for max strength.

In our training, we've been progressing from 5 sets of triples at 90% to 5 sets of doubles at 95%. Those are hard.  Here's a sample workout:

• Hammerstrength Leg Press (95% 1RM): 505 lbs/ 2 reps X 5 sets;
• Partial stiff legged deadlift (80%): 167.5 lbs/6X5;
• Bench press (95%): 182.5/2X5;
• Seated bent over row with cable (95%): 160/2X5;
• Hack machine calf raise (95%): 300/2X5;
• Hammerstrength ab machine (80%): 40/6X5

Nancy and I have never done max strength before this cycle.  It's kind of fun but hard.

Leg Press Fandango

So, a few months ago, Scott asked us for a leg press series on Muscle Ventures.  At the time, we were doing squats.  Leg presses seemed the furthest possible thing from our minds.  Well, we're back on leg presses hard core.  Not because we think squatting is bad, but Nancy's back problems seemed to preclude it.  Because the back is supported in a leg press, two things happen.

First, your back is not strained in the exercise, a good thing if you have back issues.  Second, you do not get the same level of gluteal involvement.  You have to sub in something else, if you want to work the glutes.

The first picture on the left shows Nancy doing the paramount leg press (see the full analysis).  It's a 45 degree press that closely approximates a squat in terms of how the legs move.  The second picture on the left shows me doing the  Hammerstrength iso-lateral leg press.  The interesting thing about this device is that legs move indepedently, increasing the level of difficulty (see the full analysis).

Interesting lunge analysis from Gold's Gym

The image at left is from our most recent exercise analysis of the lunge on the Smith Machine at Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor.  The drawing shows the basic leg positioning at the start of the exercise (yellow) and at exercise's end (orange).  This type of analysis gives a good perspective on the movement's basic elements.  It also shows how well form holds up over multiple reps.  We'll probably use it again.

Thank God Scott Has His Rack Back

Scott produced an interesting squat analysis, an important component of which is illustrated at left.  Scott tested his flexibility by squatting while holding on to his power rack.  The fact that he could get pretty far down indicated to him that his issue was more technique than flexibility related.

I'm not so sure.  Squats seem to be a combination of balance plus flexibility.  They're contingent on each other.  The question is whether you are flexible in a way that allows you to maintain your balance.

I tried this same exercise today in the woods, holding on to a small tree.  I could get down, but I really had to hold on to the tree (with both hands). 

My read: sure I can flex down but not in a way that lets me retain my balance.  Scott has a number of good links on his site for improving technique and flexibility.  I'll be interested to see what he works out now that he has his rack back.

On Hypertrophy and Functional Training

This is just a quick thought inspired by some of our discussion of squat depth the last two weeks or so (see here, here, here, and here).  Ralfe summed it up best when he talked about how bodybuilders are accused of trying to get big muscles without necessarily getting the functional benefit.  For men, it really becomes clear in your forties that you lose muscle mass.  It's a big contribution to frailty and gradual loss of function that goes on with aging.  There are actually real benefits to just increasing muscle mass independent of flexibility and balance.  I don't want to ignore those two, just make the point that muscle mass is important all by itself, particularly as you get older.

Smith Squat Analysis Up

Well, I thought Scott stated it best in his comment yesterday:

No doubt the analysis on Muscle Ventures will compare the Smith squats to the regular free-weight variety, but I hardly think mixing the two will create mass panic. Now, if you remain on the dark side ... :)

which was well seconded by Ralfe in this comment:

It is not a bad thing to alter the training of the body between machine and free weight.

We now have the analysis on muscle ventures with plenty of links to informative resources on the squat.  We're learning a lot as we go along and slowly getting better.

To squat or not to squat

We've had quite a bit of feedback on our squat analyses and our recent 1RM attempts.  Chris, Stinn, Jamie, Scott, and Ralfe have been particularly helpful with suggestions and observations on form.  As Nancy has mentioned, we are in the midst of moving toward max strength.

I think there is a real case for us to replace free standing squats in the program.  I have balance and flexibility issues.  Nancy has back issues.  Personally I am thinking about going over to squats on the Smith Machine.  It removes the balance element, and I go deeper, the real key to good muscular development.

Of course by doing this, I'm dropping the functional benefit of getting the exercise down.

Profile in Squat

So, I thought it might be instructive to compare the 1RM squat from our attempt at the end of May (bottom) and just this past week (top).  Bottom line, the one just this past week was a lot lower, like by maybe six inches.  That's just plainly apparent no matter how you look at the pictures.

I think I'm still not quite at parallel though.  That one is harder to judge because in both pictures, the camera is skewed.  However, if you compare the upper leg with the cross bar on the rack, you get an idea.  Definitely not at parallel in the bottom picture and much closer in the top.  Looking at the middle of the leg (vs. top of the quad), I'm all but there.

My goal is to get low enough that it is unequivocal.  Chris D. is suggesting dynamic stretching, and we did some of that this week.  Jason has some ideas for how to better measure 1RMs.  I'm all for it.

I am happy though to have made the progress I've made so far.  I feel like I am adding a new capability.

In the style of Eric Cressey

Back When Chris Dorr was giving us advice on how to squat better, I remember picking up a post by Eric Cressey where he talked about diagnosing squat problems based on muscles that were weak or over tight.  I remember having thought that was all rather remarkable.  How could he tell?

In that regard, I'll also say that I don't think there is always some supplemental exercise you can do to fix your squat problems.  The squat is so complicated that it is frequently a series of things, and you have to look at a system level.

Well, Nancy has produced an exercise analysis in the style of Eric Cressey where she goes through and analyzes our remarkably different squat techniques.  She actually produces tables of weak and overly tight muscles for each of us.  It seems believable because they agree with my own assessment.  But, I'm left wondering what we should do.  It seems like I have had some of these issues my whole life.  I'm just that way.

Why don't you wander over and share your thoughts.

Bodybuilding poses: Arnold goes out with a bang

Nancy has completed her bodybuilding posing series with ab and thigh.  Back last spring, I encouraged Nancy to undertake the series because, training with her, I had been impressed with how much discipline posing required.  It's not just flopping up on stage and holding yourself out for all to see.

Instead, as Nancy demonstrates in this series, posing consists of:

Strategy:  What are you trying to display?  How does that play to your strengths and how can you make sure they show through?

Sustained isometric contraction:  The effort is apparent in the videos, taken the day before Nancy's show.  Just holding a pose for 15 seconds was hard after having gone through a final practice.

Visualization:  To me, this was the most surprising part, and only became apparent once I read the exercise analyses.  However, once you read one of these, you realize how integral visualization is to achieving and then maintaining proper form.

What sets this series apart is Nancy's personal insight into what it takes to achieve and hold a pose.  She provides a number of links to resources on the web that provide additional details.  If you like the poses, you might want to view our podcast series on the last month of Nancy's show prep.