PAiN
11-30-2013, 09:45 PM
Training Mistakes Part 1
Critical tips for the bench press & deadlift
Westside Barbell receives lots of calls and e-mails seeking lifting advice: from technique, to periodization, to how to use lifting gear. We always respond with an answer based on a strong foundation of knowledge and experience. Here are some of the most common mistakes being made by lifters that we have corrected.
BENCHING
[*=center]http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/13flex_bench-press-power-lift_970.jpg?itok=nOQ7G3YU
[*=center]
[*=center]■ Always push the bar in a straight line up from where it makes contact with your lower chest—not from your chest in an arc back over your face. If you’re pushing the bar back over your face, you end up rotating the elbows outward, which causes a rotator injury and pec tears. The triceps must be the strongest muscle group involved in this lift. This ensures that the triceps start the lift, and not the pecs, which are highly susceptible to injury.
[*=center]■ It’s better to use your thumb around the bar than a thumbless grip because the harder you squeeze the bar, the more muscles you activate.
[*=center]■ Do not overarch the lower back; the upper back supports the weight of the bar.
[*=center]■ Do not lower the bar too slowly. Faster is better, as long as you maintain control. This way, you’ll have more reversal strength (40% of your eccentric muscle potential is optimal).
[*=center]■ If you tuck your feet up close to your hips, you will lose leg drive. If your butt comes of the bench, flare your feet out in front of the bench and push with your heels.
[*=center]■ If you are weak of the chest, build your upper back and lats; the lats control the path of the bar. If you lack strength at lockout, build your triceps.
[*=center]Work on bar speed, both eccentrically and concentrically, and always use bands or
[*=center]chains for explosive and speed strength work. Use 25–30% at lockout with good tension also at the chest.
[*=center]■ After the bench or deadlift, pick three to four special exercises for both lifts. For benching, the lifter should do two sets of dumbbell presses in one of four angles, with moderate weight. For example, you could perform dumbbell presses for 50 pounds for easy sets of 15 reps, then triceps extensions, followed by upper back and lats, and finally rear and side delts. For deadlifting, do reverse hypers, inverse curls, rows, and abs.
[*=center]■ Remember that 80% of your training should consist of special exercises, and only 20% with the classic lifts. For recovery, 72 hours should separate speed and max-effort workouts. Small workouts can be done on of days or later in the day.
DEADLIFTING
[*=center]http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/FL04017T0_2007-4.jpg?itok=oluFxU-4
[*=center]
[*=center]■ A common mistake is pulling the bar straight up. It must be pulled into the body, toward the body’s center of mass. To help with this, chair deadlifting and bands from the front both pull the bar forward, so you must concentrate on pulling the bar toward you as hard as possible.
[*=center]■ Don’t start with your legs too low. This places the hip joint far away from the bar, when biomechanically your hips must be as close to the bar as possible from the start of the lift through the finish.
[*=center]■ If you feel the majority of the deadlift in any one muscle group, your form is incorrect. The work should be distributed equally between the legs, hips, and back.
[*=center]■ Don’t use a suit that will not let you get into a proper squatting position.
[*=center]■ Always open light. It’s not what you open with, it’s what you finish with.
Training Mistakes Part 2
Critical tips for the squat
http://www.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/article_image_600xany/public/13flex_squat_970.jpg?itok=TC80x32F
There are many mistakes made by lifters when squatting. The most common of these is the mistake of not breaking parallel at the bottom of the lift, which can occur for several reasons, including:
[*=center]■ Not pushing the feet outward, which results in the knees rotating inward
[*=center]■ Not arching the back (rounding the back instead), which results in bending over without the hips actually going lower
[*=center]■ Not pulling the elbows forward and not arching both the upper and lower back, which results in the bar not maintaining its desired position over the hip joint (or as close as possible) to ensure the greatest leverage
When the hips break parallel, the lifter must push upward against the bar, not downward towards the floor. The goal is to lift the bar, so logically the lift should be initiated by driving the back into the bar. If not, the lifter will transition into a bent over position as when doing a good morning, resulting in excess stress on the lower back and a position of poor leverage.
Bands placed in front of the power rack or monolift attached to the bar will teach the lifter to arch the back and push the knees out automatically. This builds a stronger back and perfects form.
All lifters must box squat. If the lifter’s box squat is at or below parallel and the lifter sits down on the box properly, the lifter will break parallel on every rep. Sitting back on the box far enough that the shins break past perpendicular to the floor places the load directly on the hamstrings and hips. This cannot be done in a regular squat or the lifter would fall backward.
The most effective methods to develop explosive and absolute strength are static-overcome-by-dynamic actions and relaxed-overcome-by-dynamic actions. Box squats involve both methods.
http://d20knrsyadwlc4.cloudfront.net/c/images/white-swoop-icon.png
Learn About Small Business Saturday
Finally, Converse Chuck Taylor® is the best shoe for squatting. The soles are completely flat, allowing the lifter to push the feet out to the sides.
http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/13flex_squat-power-lift_inset.jpg?itok=znihm7M7
SPECIAL EXERCISES
At Westside, the ratio between the classical lifts and special exercises implemented is 20:80. Choosing the correct exercises is crucial to success. It does no good to be strong in the wrong exercises.
For squatting and deadlifting, the glutes, hamstrings, and hips are the most important. Reverse hypers, glute-hams, inverse curls, leg curls of all types should be included, but the lifter must never forget the abs! The abs must start every lift. That is why the lifter should take a deep breath before starting the bench or standing press, squat, or pull.
Critical tips for the bench press & deadlift
Westside Barbell receives lots of calls and e-mails seeking lifting advice: from technique, to periodization, to how to use lifting gear. We always respond with an answer based on a strong foundation of knowledge and experience. Here are some of the most common mistakes being made by lifters that we have corrected.
BENCHING
[*=center]http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/13flex_bench-press-power-lift_970.jpg?itok=nOQ7G3YU
[*=center]
[*=center]■ Always push the bar in a straight line up from where it makes contact with your lower chest—not from your chest in an arc back over your face. If you’re pushing the bar back over your face, you end up rotating the elbows outward, which causes a rotator injury and pec tears. The triceps must be the strongest muscle group involved in this lift. This ensures that the triceps start the lift, and not the pecs, which are highly susceptible to injury.
[*=center]■ It’s better to use your thumb around the bar than a thumbless grip because the harder you squeeze the bar, the more muscles you activate.
[*=center]■ Do not overarch the lower back; the upper back supports the weight of the bar.
[*=center]■ Do not lower the bar too slowly. Faster is better, as long as you maintain control. This way, you’ll have more reversal strength (40% of your eccentric muscle potential is optimal).
[*=center]■ If you tuck your feet up close to your hips, you will lose leg drive. If your butt comes of the bench, flare your feet out in front of the bench and push with your heels.
[*=center]■ If you are weak of the chest, build your upper back and lats; the lats control the path of the bar. If you lack strength at lockout, build your triceps.
[*=center]Work on bar speed, both eccentrically and concentrically, and always use bands or
[*=center]chains for explosive and speed strength work. Use 25–30% at lockout with good tension also at the chest.
[*=center]■ After the bench or deadlift, pick three to four special exercises for both lifts. For benching, the lifter should do two sets of dumbbell presses in one of four angles, with moderate weight. For example, you could perform dumbbell presses for 50 pounds for easy sets of 15 reps, then triceps extensions, followed by upper back and lats, and finally rear and side delts. For deadlifting, do reverse hypers, inverse curls, rows, and abs.
[*=center]■ Remember that 80% of your training should consist of special exercises, and only 20% with the classic lifts. For recovery, 72 hours should separate speed and max-effort workouts. Small workouts can be done on of days or later in the day.
DEADLIFTING
[*=center]http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/FL04017T0_2007-4.jpg?itok=oluFxU-4
[*=center]
[*=center]■ A common mistake is pulling the bar straight up. It must be pulled into the body, toward the body’s center of mass. To help with this, chair deadlifting and bands from the front both pull the bar forward, so you must concentrate on pulling the bar toward you as hard as possible.
[*=center]■ Don’t start with your legs too low. This places the hip joint far away from the bar, when biomechanically your hips must be as close to the bar as possible from the start of the lift through the finish.
[*=center]■ If you feel the majority of the deadlift in any one muscle group, your form is incorrect. The work should be distributed equally between the legs, hips, and back.
[*=center]■ Don’t use a suit that will not let you get into a proper squatting position.
[*=center]■ Always open light. It’s not what you open with, it’s what you finish with.
Training Mistakes Part 2
Critical tips for the squat
http://www.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/article_image_600xany/public/13flex_squat_970.jpg?itok=TC80x32F
There are many mistakes made by lifters when squatting. The most common of these is the mistake of not breaking parallel at the bottom of the lift, which can occur for several reasons, including:
[*=center]■ Not pushing the feet outward, which results in the knees rotating inward
[*=center]■ Not arching the back (rounding the back instead), which results in bending over without the hips actually going lower
[*=center]■ Not pulling the elbows forward and not arching both the upper and lower back, which results in the bar not maintaining its desired position over the hip joint (or as close as possible) to ensure the greatest leverage
When the hips break parallel, the lifter must push upward against the bar, not downward towards the floor. The goal is to lift the bar, so logically the lift should be initiated by driving the back into the bar. If not, the lifter will transition into a bent over position as when doing a good morning, resulting in excess stress on the lower back and a position of poor leverage.
Bands placed in front of the power rack or monolift attached to the bar will teach the lifter to arch the back and push the knees out automatically. This builds a stronger back and perfects form.
All lifters must box squat. If the lifter’s box squat is at or below parallel and the lifter sits down on the box properly, the lifter will break parallel on every rep. Sitting back on the box far enough that the shins break past perpendicular to the floor places the load directly on the hamstrings and hips. This cannot be done in a regular squat or the lifter would fall backward.
The most effective methods to develop explosive and absolute strength are static-overcome-by-dynamic actions and relaxed-overcome-by-dynamic actions. Box squats involve both methods.
http://d20knrsyadwlc4.cloudfront.net/c/images/white-swoop-icon.png
Learn About Small Business Saturday
Finally, Converse Chuck Taylor® is the best shoe for squatting. The soles are completely flat, allowing the lifter to push the feet out to the sides.
http://editorial.flexonline.com/sites/flexonline.com/files/styles/node_image/public/13flex_squat-power-lift_inset.jpg?itok=znihm7M7
SPECIAL EXERCISES
At Westside, the ratio between the classical lifts and special exercises implemented is 20:80. Choosing the correct exercises is crucial to success. It does no good to be strong in the wrong exercises.
For squatting and deadlifting, the glutes, hamstrings, and hips are the most important. Reverse hypers, glute-hams, inverse curls, leg curls of all types should be included, but the lifter must never forget the abs! The abs must start every lift. That is why the lifter should take a deep breath before starting the bench or standing press, squat, or pull.