The Relationship between Lever Distance and Squatting Success-Bringing “Math” Into the Equation..get it?
You don’t have to be a calculus teacher to be strong, or do you? Well, not really, BUT math is a big part of our success with the iron. You can discuss the anatomy, physiology, and cellular level focus on generating movement, but in addition to these topics it’s also import to understand the biomechanical aspect of lifting which in this case, we will focus on the levers of the body. These levers are the bones of our body, but if you were to get really technical, it would be the appendicular skeleton we would be discussing. For the focus of this topic, I would like to discuss how the lever distance of the femur can have an effect on your squat. In other words, why do some people seem to squat better than others?
The Effects of Imagery and Arousal in Powerlifting-Graduate School Flashback
The term “powerlifting” can be broken down into two components: strength and speed. In order to conquer any feat in the world of competitive weightlifting, it requires the manifestation of strength and speed to defy the odds. For the past several years, I have been a competitor and continue to train for future events. My biggest accomplishment, though, occurred in March of 2011, when I set a personal record of deadlifting 630 pounds at a body weight of 234. The amount of time and effort dedicated to this task required several months of training, physically and mentally. Initially, training towards this goal consisted of typical training protocol; less reps and more weight.
Training Your Sprint Without Sprinting: Part I (Strength)
In order to be a better sprinter, you have to sprint. That will probably be the most accurate statement I make in this series. However, if you are looking to improve your performance without partaking in the traditional concepts of sprint training…try taking a break from your running and look into some other areas of sprint development. For years I worked in the private sector of sports performance, meeting a ton of athletes who were interested in speed acquisition. The problem was, though, that our facility was limited in space and didn’t have room to run traditional distances. Although this could be a “turn off” for most, this only creates an opportunity for us to be creative towards promoting sprint training without the traditional distances. We used our space, did a “needs analysis” on the athletes and realized the best approach would be breaking down the sprint into several components and using several exercises and movements to help develop their sprint without sprinting.
Training Strongman without Strongman: EVENT TRAINING
We have investigated this topic extensively, discussing the areas of corrective movement as well as various tactics for triple extension. Now it’s time to focus on the heart of the sport and actually begin to implement various types of event training. To bring us back to the start, the purpose of this series was to document our success with training for strongman without traditional strongman equipment and access. COVID-19 had just hit the US, and it was limiting my ability with various clients to promote strength training especially in the area of strongman
Why do I need to know how to squat, bench and deadlift if I do not compete?
These individuals who are referencing the squat, bench and deadlift also call them “the big three”. The big three are important for many reasons, as they incorporate all the major muscle groups and support our growth and development to evolve from “average” to “great”. Yes…there is an argument as to why certain lifters would choose to do certain movements, there is no arguing that. But I believe if you are not a fan of the deadlift, what about the Romanian deadlifts? If you are not a fan of the deadlift, what about a single leg deadlift? What I am doing with these statements is adding a version of the deadlift that although it is not the authentic deadlift, it is a variation of the deadlift that best fits an individual of different “needs”. So if you are a distance runner and do not feel necessary to deadlift, the single leg deadlift becomes a movement that transfers to your sport or hobby tremendously that it is hard to argue against.
A Bull Can’t Spear its Prey with the Tempo of a Sloth-DON’T FOCUS ON THE FILTER, FOCUS ON THE ANGER!
To elevate our performance by using this aggressive approach, we need to indulge in habits and a mindset of aggressive behavior. If you have head phones, blare some music with a faster tempo to elevate your heart rate. If you show up to the gym with your friends, make sure your friends take it serious and come to inspire, not come to distract. If you come prepared, meaning you have intefully thought about the weights prescribed and the goals you have, you will be much more successful with the iron and be able to focus much harder.
Training Strongman without Strongman-Part II: Triple Extension
Let me paint a picture for you…
It’s Friday night on sorority row, and your rival fraternity takes the party by storm and pins you as their target. It’s a swarm of socialites wanting to beat your rear for taking the coolest girl on campus. You have to retreat and find shelter before the storm erupts. You have to hop the fence and leap the sky to escape their hunt…
Best solution for this crisis? BECOME MORE DYNAMIC! TAP INTO TRIPLE EXTENSION!
Training Strongman without Strongman: Part I-Correcting your Movement
In this video, Spencer and I worked on three movements that I believe are big indicators of success in strongman: squat, deadlift, and overhead press. During these three movements, I watched Spencer and not only indicated the deficiencies, but how to correct them and promote better movement! Please watch and see the information provided. Knowledge is KEY!
Quit being that pipsqueak that complains about their lack of gains. Make the girls gawk at your superior bench supported by your superior pecs!
Let me paint a picture for you…you’re at dinner, took your girl to the finest Applebee’s establishment nearby and order the unlimited boneless wings special. Things get exciting, she might even be the one…she looks you in the eyes and says…
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but you have a subpar bench. Your bottom speed is decent, but your transitional speed needs work and you have no tricep development whatsoever”
Let’s just put this out there: if you want to squat like a king or pull like a Viking, you HAVE to have stronger hips, even if you risk looking foolish in the gym.
When looking back at my younger years, I can tell you that I definitely had under-developed hips that I think caused my lifts to suffer for a long time. I think the people I even worked with had the same issue. To this day, I still work with clients and while overlooking the squat and deadlift development, I can easily tell they are hip-deficient and need various movements to help elevate their lifts not just for max effort, but for also correcting their movement for safer engagement in lifting. So how do we do this?