My .02: conventional/textbook anatomy theory is that with the leg raise, from the hanging position to 90 degrees or so, it is pretty much all hip flexors and the part of the quads that crosses your hip doing all the work. Your HLRs look like your legs stop at 90 degrees relative to your torso, so basically you are working your hip flexors big time with that exercise -could be why they’re so tight.
Too much hip flexor is why I don`t care for HLRs. I do them on occasion but I much prefer weighted rollouts.
HLR’s: Start with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and paralell to the floor and then bring your knees to your elbows if your in a ab harness or to your shoulders if your hanging from the bar. Takes most of the off of the hip flexors.
Basicaly start like a L and end like a V.
Make sense?
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
That makes a lot of sense about the HLR’s and it sounds like what Fischer is recommending will correct the problem of working the hip flexors. I definitely feel them in my abs now and imagine that if I remove even more of my hip flexors that I’ll feel them even more.
Elbows tighter on my rows. That’s totally the opposite of the technique I’m doing now. I’ll give that a go for a while to change things up and see how I like them. I might do them today if my shoulder is up for it and film them again.
james
15 Nov,
Back is still sore as is my shoulder so I took it easy today and worked on mobility mostly.
Squats: 5135, 185, 225, 275. 2330
HLR: As Fischer described
Three minutes on the bike per today’s article
Lot’s of foam rolling and stretching
I tried putting my feet up on the small 2.5lb plates to see what it would be like squating with a heel and I liked it conceptually. It’s not the same by a long shot though but I’m going to give the Addidas a shot and see how they treat me. I also ordered some Fat Gripz from EFS since they were on sale. What I’m hoping to get from them is enhanced ability to really squeeze the bar on my pressing movements. Right now I don’t feel like I can really do that as the bar is on the thin side.
Back felt OK during the squats and I did them primarily to keep my head in the game. I find that if I get hurt and then skip that lift again it really messes with me. I need to show myself that I am not really hurt which is what those sets were.
I’m going to move to the three day a week template which gives me more time for conditioning and mobility work. It also means I’m only squatting three days a week which I think my body will thank me for. Essentially it’s two heavy days and one light day (my regular JM squat session is fairly light for me).
james
Wendler has been recommending doing squats 3x per week. Your new template should work just fine.
Three day template works nicely, plenty of options and added conditioning will help us older fellers stay young. Even though I’m only 36 little pains have already started creaping in.
Good stuff as always.
Solid work in here James.
I love my Fat Gripz.
I over did it with them at the start and developed some tendinitis so my opinion is they need to be cycled into any program much like everything else.
18 Nov
Squats: 5135, 185, 225, 275. 3330
Bench: 55210. 112210
Pull ups: 5 sets
Pendlay rows: 55260
JM Floor press: bar, 65, 135, 185, 185
Started over on the 5 wave because of the shoulder and back. Back felt good but not 100%. Shoulder started bothering me during the JM press but I did a bunch of self massage in between sets and that really helped. It feels fine now.
Everything went well. I concentrated on getting my elbows tucked in for my rows but didn’t get the chance to film them. All in all a good session.
james
20 Nov
Squats: 55255, 110255
Front squats: 135, 155, 185
10 minutes on stationary bike
Notes:
I was sick from Friday night through Sat night. I didn’t sleep at all Friday night as I had a fever and really bad sinus pain. That lasted most of the day up until Sat evening when I felt better but not much. I took some NyQuil and woke up feeling just fine. I’ve got a touch of sinus pain but nothing bad. My wife and son are both sick so I think I really dodged a bullet there.
Back isn’t 100% so I kept the squats to 10 instead of trying to get more. I’m looking forward to getting back into good mornings too. I bought a pair of the Adidas Power Lifts and this was my first time using them. I really like the new shoes and can really tell the difference on depth and especially so on my front squats.
I am really, really impressed with the Adidas.com website. I ordered these shoes on Weds and I got them on Sat and shipping was free. I definitely did not expect a Saturday delivery and I will definitely order from them again because of that experience.
james
That’s cool about the Adidas. I’ve had my eye on them for a while. When you are feeling up to it, maybe you could toss up a squat vid?
Have the same issues with a thin bar, fat gripz is a great idea, helps shoulder health as well. I actually just bought some Adidas Vibetouches and I love’em as well as the way they look.
Catching up on my training.
22 Nov
Squats: 5135, 185,225, 275, 315, 275, 225
OHP: 55135. 10135
Pull ups: 5 sets
DB Rows: 3f140
Front plate raises: 3 sets w/ 45lb plate
25 Nov
Squats: 5135, 185, 225, 275. 1315
Deads: 55325 110325
Good mornings
Lots of foam rolling
Both of these sessions were pretty stripped down but I like doing just the basics. I’m at the in-laws for the holiday and I’m definitely not used to training in the cold and altitude. I also got the opportunity to use a much fatter bar for my deads which added a completely new level of pain. I really liked doing them with the larger diameter bar and will try to incorporate my fat gripz when I get home.
I hate traveling for the holidays. It’s an 8 -10 hour drive followed by sleeping either on a really, really soft mattress (which just destroys my back) or sleeping on the sofa. Damn, I hate traveling for the holidays. We could stay in a motel but that’s always tough with a toddler and our BFD.
I did take the son and dog to the snow though which was fun. Joey and I did some hill sprints in the snow which he seemed to like. Holden just went sledding and he had a blast.
james
Here are some squat vids. One thing that I notice is that I don’t necessarily sit back in my squats. The shoes do help with my tailbone tucking under when I’m down. I also need to work on depth more but that’s secondary to the other cues that I want to work on.
Keep your chest up more. You seem to fold down like a GM. And depth is a little short. But nothing that can’t be fixed.
Similar to what Snap said, and it’s hard to tell from the angle, but it appears that you are losing your upper back arch. If you maintain that arch, then your chest will be higher and the bar will stay over your hips without you folding over. Get that arch before you unrack the bar and don’t lose it.
Thinking about driving your head back into the bar and pushing your elbows forward are cues that can help with upper back.
edit: I still have a pair of those shoes on my wish list.
Thanks Snap and Git. That’s what I really focused on today. I filmed myself but the vids look like crap when I rotate them in youtube. The back looked better but my feet aren’t staying stable now so I think the cue for that is to spread the floor which is what I’ll work on next.
27 Nov
Squats: 5135, 135, 185, 185, 225, 245, 275, 295
Bench: 2195, 215, 35230 (with fat gripz), 7230 (w/o fat gripz)
Pull ups: 5 sets between bench
Pendlay rows: 55*265
Rear delt flyes
Adding squats, filming them, reviewing them, etc definitely eats into my training so I’m forced to keep my lifts to the absolute minimum. I’m OK with that because the squat is my priority right now and I know that I need to nail my form if I ever hope to get to 500. Besides, I like keeping just the basic lifts going.
I used fat gripz for the first few bench sets. I like them but they tend to rotate around unless you’re really gripping the bar hard. This is definitely a good thing though as it keeps me from getting lazy. It’s certainly a lot more taxing with the fat gripz on and I can tell they were a good purchase. I’m going to ease them into my training for now.
james
I notice you pressed 230 with a w/o fat gripz. Other than the need to squeeze, did the movement feel any different?
I’ve seen comments that pressing with a fat bar is easier on the shoulders, but I don’t know (haven’t researched) why that would be.
I did that last set w/o fat gripz simply because it’s supposed to be an all out set and I don’t know if I can go all out with these yet.
The movement felt the same to me but honestly I was really just concentrating on not letting the bar slip. I think once I’m more used to them I’ll be able to better answer your question.
james
29 Nov
Squats: 5135, 185. 2235, 265. 35280. 110280
Fat gripz pull ups: 5 sets
Front squats: 35135
GMs: 3 sets with 135
I did pull ups in between my squat sets and used the fat gripz. I can get about 8 per set using those things but they definitely tax your grip but I don’t feel any extra work in my back. People are going to be scared to shake my hand in a few months of using these.
Squats went well and I really concentrated on spreading the floor and keeping my feet planted. I went light on front squats and good mornings to work on form. I’ll add weight back onto these over time but I really just needed the stretch out of the gm’s.
I’m driving up to Burbank (120 miles…either 2 hours or 3 hours depending on traffic) at least once a week so I’m trying to work extra hard on my mobility stuff.
james