Lifting Thread;training for the tattooed warrior.

[kylegrey]

Power comes from the hamstring/glutes which you utilise in deep squats to a far greater extent .Most anyone can load up a leg press with plates and gym members and proceed to knock out partials theres just too many variables with the leg press .

[RoryQ]

I read that T-Nation article on the leg press, and thought it was reasonably good... Although the thing about T-Nation is that if you wait long enough you will eventually have someone write an article in favour of the most maligned exercise / protocol and try and bring it back into fashion. It's the nature of the site, they get stuck for things to write about and sometimes the easiest approach to take to stand out is to be the contrarian.

From my point of view I use the leg-press at the moment, but mainly because it suits the protocol I'm using, in that it's relatively high reps and hypertrophy orientated. I can't imagine trying to use it for a lower rep work. I don't want the spinal loading of conventional squatting, but if I swing back towards a more strength-orientated approach I'd sooner do single leg stuff and heavy drags than try and make the leg press suit that.

Speaking of the sort of T-Nation articles I alluded to earlier, Dan John has been writing lately about the value of both machine exercises and hypertrophy work, particularly for older athletes. Mike Boyle recently wrote an article in favour of lat pull-downs and similar cable pulley rows versus pull-ups for some clients.... Maybe it shouldn't be funny to me, but it is. Things seem to come in a circle. In ten years will HIIT on a nautilus machine be hot again (they were before my time but..), and we'll all be eating high carb wholemeal diets? Stranger things have happened.

[kylegrey]

My training has come full circle so I hope I don't sound like a gung-ho meat-head . I haven't consistently squatted (free bar ) since my early twenties , didn't flat bench or do any heavy singles for over a decade and never ever deadlifted !

[kylegrey]

But I am now and training is fun again .

[RoryQ]

I took a martial arts class on a whim during the week - a Doce Pares escrima class. I don't think jumping back into BJJ or anything with a lot of heavy contact would do my neck any favours this year, so this seemed like a good time for something a bit different.

Class was two hours long. The first fifteen minutes turned out to be a warm-up consisting of a circuit of bodyweight exercises (pushups, squats, hindu pushups, mountain climbers plank variations) and skipping for the rest periods... Made me realise how much of my conditioning I've lost. I got through it OK, but a while ago I would have been a little more composed afterwards.

The stick-fighting itself was more of a technical mind-fuck than a conditioning challenge. Did a lot of four and six count swinging of sticks in each hand - weaving the sticks around and clacking them off a partner's - totally melted my brain trying to keep track of what hand was supposed to be going which direction. I can see how it would be good for building dexterity and hand-eye-cordination but the overall vibe was quite alien compared to my previous background. The idea of practising flow drills to develop attributes that benefit you when you free spar ... People try to make arguments that some manner of pre-arrange partner drilling exists in BJJ, boxing, Muay Thai and the like, and... Sure... It does... but I don't believe it is lent quite the same emphasis, or has the same central place in training as it seems to have in some traditional martial arts. If you were to take the training methodology of some BJJ schools and apply it to stick fighting I think beginners would have a padded stick in their hand and spar one another at the end of their very first class - just perhaps according to some restricted rules of engagement (maybe striking to particular angles only or something).

Someone told me a few years ago that you should hold an escrima stick comparatively loosely. I remember thinking at the time "That's retarded, why would you hold it lightly and let someone smack it out of your hand as a result". I wish I'd listened. Only realised after the class that my death-grip on the sticks had resulted in them carving neat holes in the sides of my thumb. Going to tape up my thumbs before the next class, or they'll never heal.

[kylegrey]

- totally melted my brain trying to keep track of what hand was supposed to be going which direction. I can see how it would be good for building dexterity and hand-eye-cordination but the overall vibe was quite alien compared to my previous background.

Someone told me a few years ago that you should hold an escrima stick comparatively loosely. I remember thinking at the time "That's retarded' date=' why would you hold it lightly and let someone smack it out of your hand as a result". I wish I'd listened. Only realised after the class that my death-grip on the sticks had resulted in them carving neat holes in the sides of my thumb. Going to tape up my thumbs before the next class, or they'll never heal.[/quote']

@RoryQ Check out "The Book of Five Rings " by Miyamoto Musashi .

[Colored Guy]

..... But I did like the leg pressing and will do it alongside the zercher squat as I feel I like to. Here is a good article

T NATION | Is the Leg Press Worthless?

And as Jim Wendler talked that how people knock guys who leg press, well, you put 800lbs on it, you are not weak.Of course if you can squat 800lbs, fuck me...

I prefer the leg press with my back issues, you can put a fuck load of weight on them. The test: are your legs growing, if so you're doing it right. Weight is weight, plain and simple.

CG

[Jack]

I don't work out, i mean at all. But today i wanted to do some push-ups for giggles and my left forearm just felt really weird when i was putting weight on it, like the bone was 'vibrating?'

It wasn't the muscle, i don't think because that eventually got tired too. It was a very singular sensation.

Also, I need to start working out. Holy fuck I'm pretty skinny, but in really bad shape.

[Cork]

Vibrating bone, eh? Hate it when that happens. Keep up with the pushups and I'm sure that as your strength increases, that will go away.

I used to leg press but some how it always manages to be the first removed from my regimen when I try different things. My leg day used to be squats, leg press, walking lunges, seated extensions. Now since I split my leg day into two, it's a whole lot of squats, front squats, dead lifts, and glute ham raises since I have discovered the importance of a well developed posterior chain, which leg press does nothing for.

Most people who have lower back problems have them from an underdeveloped posterior chain. Substituting leg press for squats is only enforcing that weakness. This is coming from my own personal experience. My lower back sucked and I would be afraid of hurting myself on every dead lift day. My core is now stronger than it has ever been, especially my lower back, and it's been through many grueling core strength exercises and strict strengthening of the arch in the lower back.

[PhilB]

Squats, deadlifts and bench (add shoulder presses and rows too) rule for a reason. For me, there is no substitute for large compound exercises.

[Petri Aspvik]

2/13.2012 deadlifted 7x1 with 110kg/242pounds. Friday I did 1x4 with 115kg/253pounds and 4x4 with 110kg/242pounds. Progress! Still one leg training and a rest week after that, then doing twos.

[kylegrey]

http://youtu.be/zFXczzxWwRU

[Kev]

Took pics of my upper body last night- realized a) I need more tattoos b) my chest has not really grown much, but my upper back has gotten WIDE which I like :D

Keto this off week; check in on Monday with a Tanita machine reading. May 7th I was 11.2 BF and 141.81 FFM- hoping a little of that moved around.

[ChrisvK]

got my shit back together and lost the weight i gained after i started not giving a fuck about anything and drinking too much when my girl left me.

I'm 1,89m and weigh 80,5kg atm but with a high (20ish%, can't be sure with those electric measure devices) so now i can focus again on losing fat and improving my shape. Got the mindset back and this time i won't fail

[kylegrey]

I'm working on more of an Olympic style squat shunning power over postural development and core tie-ins .Aside from certain bodybuilders the athletes whose leg development most impressed me has always been ballet dancers and I attribute this to flexibility and straight back squatting .Check this link and give me your thoughts .T NATION | Olympic vs. Powerlifting Squats

[RoryQ]

Kyle-

When I was o-lifting in the main I high bar squatted but mainly I preferred the front squat, I felt like there was a more direct carry-over in terms of the movement pattern. There's no doubt I could low bar back squat a fair bit more, but I was never super comfortable under the bar and with that movement pattern. I think for sports performance and leg development high bar or front squats are better, but that's a very anecdotal / personal opinion.

While I've always aimed to break parallel when I squat I never actually went 'ass to grass' - felt like it was overkill, and also like I was going quite slack at the very end range of that movement at the bottom, whereas just going under parallel I felt like I was loading tension and ready to come up out of the hole.

I think I've exhausted this cycle of GVT. Gained 2kg but I think i'm a little leaner too so quite happy with it. Despite all the benching my shoulders feel good. I wondered how I would know it was time to switch things up, and the simple answer is that about a fortnight ago I felt like I was going into the gym and just couldn't face the 10x10 and wasn't giving it my 'all'. I think variety is important to keep motivated and I gather it's probably no harm when it comes to hypertrophy either so I have gone to this for now-

Upper body day

A1 Flat bench variation

A2 Inverted row / bent over row variation

B1 Incline bench variation

B2 Pull down variation / pull up variation

C1 Bicep variation

C2 Tricep variation

D Core

Lower body day

A1 Leg press

A2 Leg curl

B1 Single leg squat variation

B2 Single leg posterior chain varation

C1 Supplementary work

C2 Supplementary work

D Core

Keeping the rest between super sets to 90 seconds, keeping the rep ranges in 8-10 for the big exercises, 12-15 on the supplementary stuff. I know you guys hate the leg press but I still want to steer clear of putting a bar on my back at the moment. Back to bulgarians on the single leg work, single leg RDLs for the other exercise in that super set.

Getting about 3 sessions in a week, plus 1-2 escrima classes.

[irezumi]

I moved a fold-out sofa up 2 flights of stairs, with twists and turns. Not sure if I want to do reps of that tho.

[kylegrey]

While I've always aimed to break parallel when I squat I never actually went 'ass to grass' - felt like it was overkill, and also like I was going quite slack at the very end range of that movement at the bottom, whereas just going under parallel I felt like I was loading tension and ready to come up out of the hole.

Yeah I agree it can become like bouncing the bar off your chest on the bench , coming from a bodybuilding background you learn to keep tension on the muscle and even to make a weight feel heavier by doing so .Also I feel the Olympic squat more mimics the stuff like bulgarian splits and single legs in Quad isolation and mental dexterity .Very smart to listen to your body ,best way to avoid injuries and keep gaining .

[Petri Aspvik]

I know you guys hate the leg press but I still want to steer clear of putting a bar on my back at the moment.

Doug Daniels - The Daniels File (The old etc. Elitefts site)

[kylegrey]

Gotta say I rate the old vertical leg press over the 45 degree version.

[kylegrey]

Is anyone familiar with the Hammer Strength H Squat machine ? Shit looks like something from the NASA space programme , my old gym had one which at the time was the only one in the country I think . Crazy big and if you've got a head for heights improves on the old vertical leg press / squat hybrid .

[RoryQ]

Holy crap, that looks mental. The way it's painted it looks like it might belong on a building site.

[Petri Aspvik]

Crazy fucking machine! At least it looks like one...

[ChrisvK]

Lost another kilogram of fat again this week, which is strange since i sticked to my diet but since it's the first week of the year we actually have sun i spend most evenings/nights drinking around a campfire with my mates. Think i finaly figured out what i need to eat to loose about 1,5-2kg a week without feeling hungry. Add alcohol to that and it drops to 1kg which im still happy with. Feeling a lot fitter allready. I wake up feeling more rested and that feeling lasts through the day. It's awesome

[kylegrey]

Lost another kilogram of fat again this week, which is strange since i sticked to my diet but since it's the first week of the year we actually have sun i spend most evenings/nights drinking around a campfire with my mates. Think i finaly figured out what i need to eat to loose about 1,5-2kg a week without feeling hungry. Add alcohol to that and it drops to 1kg which im still happy with. Feeling a lot fitter allready. I wake up feeling more rested and that feeling lasts through the day. It's awesome

Theres a lot to be said for a bit of vitamin D and happiness for weight-loss and health .