Hey guys,
I know we have heard of people using exercises like glute bridges to activate the glutes, have you guys heard of people using this to activate muscles before bench squat or deads. Lets say my triceps are a weak point in my bench press, I do a few heavy sets of tricep skulls before my last bench press warmup, would this help me utilize these muscles more in the lift? Would it help a bodybuilder target lagging muscle groups while just working compound lifts? Anyhow, I’m a powerlifter so i thought i’d post here, something i’ve been thinking about, didn’t know if any of you tried it before.
[quote]Oreillbc wrote:
Hey guys,
I know we have heard of people using exercises like glute bridges to activate the glutes, have you guys heard of people using this to activate muscles before bench squat or deads.[/quote]
If I saw my buddies doing glute bridges before squats I would kick their ass and ban them from the gym until they pulled their head out of their asses. but I may be wrong… Just warm up with light squats, in this case, then progerssively work up until you hit your goal for the day.
I would suggest that if one had weak tri’s that they would do board presses to ‘isolate’ the tri’s. Since you say you are a powerlifter this exercise selection would have direct carryover to your benchpress. I feel that doing tricep work first is only going to sabotage your bench press. The decrease in weight will get in your head. Doing heavy board presses will allow you to get used to doing heavier weight than you can get off your chest, thus building confidence in the lift.
I think it’s 50/50 on here as far as ‘pre exhausting’ effetiveness goes.I’d say try it and see if it works for you.
I think perhaps doing a psych-up set might help. Something like, unracking a supramaximal bench or squat, not doing a rep, then go back to your working weight and try that. It’s helped my squat to walk out with something more than my max, but it’s a mental aspect more than anything.
What do you mean your triceps are the weak point in your bench? Are you saying you fail at lock out? If so, board press and floor press. Hit triceps as an accessory work after your main lift.
Your body will naturally use the strongest muscles, especially as you near a max. The best way to activate a muscle is to get it strong so your body will want to use it.
[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
Your body will naturally use the strongest muscles, especially as you near a max. The best way to activate a muscle is to get it strong so your body will want to use it.[/quote]
I like this guy’s answer. If it’s not firing, then getting it strong in isolation will definitely help get it involved in larger movements.
Here’s the thing for the tough guy a few posts up, if you have sleepy glutes that don’t fire correctly (which is what we’re talking about with activation), then you’re likely going to be unable to recruit them in a squat. Activation exercises tend to be muscle-specific (isolation) that ensure that the inactive muscles are contracting properly when you’re doing the big movement. Your advice is a lot like telling someone with a flat tire to drive faster without changing the tire.
For an athlete with glutes that don’t fire, “just squat more” is likely to be the WORST possible advice.
[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
Your body will naturally use the strongest muscles, especially as you near a max. The best way to activate a muscle is to get it strong so your body will want to use it.[/quote]
Fucking Awesome.
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
[quote]Wild_Iron_Gym wrote:
Your body will naturally use the strongest muscles, especially as you near a max. The best way to activate a muscle is to get it strong so your body will want to use it.[/quote]
Fucking Awesome.[/quote]
I have been thinking about this comment all day. And its still fucking awesome.
haha, thanks! That’s why I don’t relentlessly harp on our new guys about technique. We let them know what good technique is so they can work on it, but I think it’s more important to develop strength in the right muscles. Once that starts to happen the technique will happen with it. We definitely use a lot of posterior chain accessories. I’ve yet to see someone walk into our gym that wasn’t a quad dominant lifter.
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Here’s the thing for the tough guy a few posts up, if you have sleepy glutes that don’t fire correctly (which is what we’re talking about with activation), then you’re likely going to be unable to recruit them in a squat…[/quote]
Another example of why we desperately need a sarcasm font…lol. Didn’t mean to come off as a dick or a tough guy…and I assume you meant me as no one else was a wise ass 
[quote]Stronghold wrote:Activation exercises tend to be muscle-specific (isolation) that ensure that the inactive muscles are contracting properly when you’re doing the big movement. Your advice is a lot like telling someone with a flat tire to drive faster without changing the tire.
For an athlete with glutes that don’t fire, “just squat more” is likely to be the WORST possible advice.[/quote]
Been thinking about what you said and fully agree when all other ‘normal’ approaches have been done, IE form, stance width etc. which we don’t know what the OP has tried to corect his problem as he didn’t say.I guess I went from the old school view of getting the form down properly to activate all the muscles. I didn’t articulate that. This guy could be one of these ‘sit down’ squatters so it would be no wonder his glutes don’t fire but again we don’t know that.
[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Here’s the thing for the tough guy a few posts up, if you have sleepy glutes that don’t fire correctly (which is what we’re talking about with activation), then you’re likely going to be unable to recruit them in a squat…[/quote]
Another example of why we desperately need a sarcasm font…lol. Didn’t mean to come off as a dick or a tough guy…and I assume you meant me as no one else was a wise ass
[quote]Stronghold wrote:Activation exercises tend to be muscle-specific (isolation) that ensure that the inactive muscles are contracting properly when you’re doing the big movement. Your advice is a lot like telling someone with a flat tire to drive faster without changing the tire.
For an athlete with glutes that don’t fire, “just squat more” is likely to be the WORST possible advice.[/quote]
Been thinking about what you said and fully agree when all other ‘normal’ approaches have been done, IE form, stance width etc. which we don’t know what the OP has tried to corect his problem as he didn’t say.I guess I went from the old school view of getting the form down properly to activate all the muscles. I didn’t articulate that. This guy could be one of these ‘sit down’ squatters so it would be no wonder his glutes don’t fire but again we don’t know that.
[/quote]
Hey guys,
I didn’t think anything posted until i checked the hub this morning. The website screwed up when i made the post. I was using the glutes as an example, I do think I have weak tris though as I find it harder to push the bench in a straight line vs over the face. I dunno what kind of squatter I would be, I’m definately wide and I really try to push the butt back, so I’d say i’m hip dominant vs quad dominant. I suck at close stance things, weak quads?
[quote]Oreillbc wrote:
I do think I have weak tris though as I find it harder to push the bench in a straight line vs over the face.[/quote]
There’s nothing wrong with doing this. In fact, the majority of big (600+ raw, 800+ equipped) benchers that I’ve seen lift throw it back. Do a search on Youtube for “Metal Militia” and “Sebastien Burns”. I know Wendler also recommends never trying to bench in a straight line.
[quote]StrengthDawg wrote:
[quote]Stronghold wrote:
Here’s the thing for the tough guy a few posts up, if you have sleepy glutes that don’t fire correctly (which is what we’re talking about with activation), then you’re likely going to be unable to recruit them in a squat…[/quote]
Another example of why we desperately need a sarcasm font…lol. Didn’t mean to come off as a dick or a tough guy…and I assume you meant me as no one else was a wise ass
[quote]Stronghold wrote:Activation exercises tend to be muscle-specific (isolation) that ensure that the inactive muscles are contracting properly when you’re doing the big movement. Your advice is a lot like telling someone with a flat tire to drive faster without changing the tire.
For an athlete with glutes that don’t fire, “just squat more” is likely to be the WORST possible advice.[/quote]
Been thinking about what you said and fully agree when all other ‘normal’ approaches have been done, IE form, stance width etc. which we don’t know what the OP has tried to corect his problem as he didn’t say.I guess I went from the old school view of getting the form down properly to activate all the muscles. I didn’t articulate that. This guy could be one of these ‘sit down’ squatters so it would be no wonder his glutes don’t fire but again we don’t know that.
[/quote]
Hey man, no problem. My sarcasm detector sucks anyways
Not to state the obvious here…
Just do close grip bench presses, they work the tris more than the chest and you can use very heavy poundages.
Check out Nate Green’s most recent article on T-Nation… oh, wait this is T-Nation… where you been under a rock?!
"One-arm Power Curl: We’ve all heard about antagonist training. For example, if you want to ensure your chest works harder during the bench press, you’d do a back exercise first. The goal is to pre-fatigue the opposite muscle (the back) so the working muscle (the chest) will have less resistance from the antagonist and will take on more of the lift. But in the case of the bench press, it doesn’t work. Why?
“Because if you’re doing a bench press correctly, your upper back will need to be as tight as possible,” says Thibaudeau. “Doing a back exercise before the bench press is stupid.”
Instead, Thibaudeau recommends doing a curl.
Wait. A curl?
“If you pre-fatigue the biceps using a one-arm power curl, you’ll activate your nervous system, and the pump in your biceps will stabilize your elbow joints. The triceps will be free to take on more of the weight, and your body will produce more force because it’ll be stable,” explains Thibaudeau.
Since you’re not directly working your primary movers with the one-arm power curl, Thibaudeau recommends alternating one set on each arm with one set of bench presses. Again, keep the reps under 3 and be sure to ramp the weight.
(Thibaudeau recommends holding onto a power rack with one hand for stability, and putting your feet in an athletic stance before doing the one-arm power curl. Oh, and this is one curl where it’s OK to use your body to help get the dumbbell up.)"
I usually do something light weight reps then something dynamic. For example, I use the empty bar for 20-25 quick reps, then move on to some dynamic benches or plyo pushups. No more than 1-2 reps so I don’t fatigue the muscles for the real work to come.
I perform BB Hip Thrusts or BB Glute Bridges after Squats or DL.
Realistically, they are similar to a ground fighting technique of getting someone off your stomach(the mount)
Coincidentally, today’s article at Elitefts covers glute work. Check it out!