Yeah, some reverse grip for triceps too. I’ve been following a joint friendly, old guy routine. And you cycle through Overhand, Neutral, Underhanded/Reverse Grip or Rotating from Neutral to Overhand grip on lots the assistance work.
So DB Bench and Pushdowns will be “in” on Push days. First week will be overhand grip, the next week neutral, then reverse grip, then the last week rotating.
Later in the week on arm day there’s some type of tricep extension, maybe more pushdowns or close grip pressing or something. And the rotating grips continue here too.
So most weeks, at least some tricep move is reverse gripped. All the variety is nice on the wrists and elbows. And it’s soft-tissue building assistance work, so you’re not even trying to get high force production or massive torque.
@jskrabac thats a truly interesting perspective, because I actually tend to believe most of us aren’t as special as we want to think (in terms of needing some nuanced approach).
I agree with your example, though, but to me it isn’t necessarily saying everyone needs a customized plan, but that we all need to be realistic/ appropriate with our own progressions. I’m big on a sport for much the same reason (and I don’t like 5/3/1, either, but recognize that’s not the point).
I think you make a really interesting point about survivor/ sample bias and the fallacy of perceived subject matter expertise. I agree, academically, with everything you wrote. Practically it begs the question: if we (the experienced lifters) aren’t the right mentors, who is?
Anyway, you made me think (very difficult) - great post!
I liked the routine so much that when I got to the end I went looking for new “Arm Days” to plug in and start over.
The old guy routine (Matt Weening Anti Aging Routine) was based on info from Charles Poliquin, and I looked at his book “Winning the Arms Race.”
Instead of making adjustments week to week, Poliquin changed the grips up month to month. The first month focused on brachialus the routine was
Reverse Grip EZ Bar Curl, 5 count eccentric x 4-6 reps
Rest 10 seconds
Zottman Curl, 3 count eccentric x 4-6 reps
Rest 10 seconds
Reverse Grip EZ Curl, 5 count eccentric x 6-8 reps
Rest 2 minutes. Do 3 circuits
When I was doing reverse grip DB presses I could feel that something was “off” in my forearm, like some muscle was weak, and I during overhand grip work I was twisting my wrist funny to take the pressure off. This made my elbow hurt, on the inside. And doing reverse grip presses taught me not to do that with my wrist.
Then, when I did the reverse curls, I could feel my wrist and that weak forearm muscle trying to squirm away from the tension. Moving slow let me Make that forearm muscle accept tension and lengthen properly. And the pain trained itself away.
I don’t think that’s much of a hot take. His performance was generally praised. Just the writing wasn’t up to task.
A big problem with BvS is they made Bruce Wayne into Lex Luthor, Lex Luthor into the Riddler, and Superman into Dr Manhattan. Seriously, if you watch BvS through the lens of Affleck as Lex Luthor, he crushes it lol. And Eisenberg becomes way more tolerable if you just accept he’s the Riddler.
I’m trying to respect all opinions, but this is simply wrong - from both a moral and factual perspective.
To get somewhat back on track: I think variety is both under- and overrated.
You can certainly get big eating the same meal and doing the exact same routine every day for a long time. Eventually, though, you’ll hit a limit. So variety in the micro-term would be overrated, but underrated in the macro.
To not be an intellectual coward, however, I’ll say underrated. Variety prevents total adaptation (a bad thing), helps prevent/ mitigate chronic injuries, potentially improves nutrition, helps keep you mentally engaged… and, at the end of the day, it’s just good across the board to try new things. I think being open to variety also helps develop an “I can” attitude that is so critical to the consistency that is at the bottom of all this: when you have made anything work, there are no obstacles.
I was just trying to retrack the thread. I had hoped my additional comments would make clear my respect for Batman. I am not a comic book guy and usually prefer movies without superheroes. But Batman is cool. Why?
He has no superpowers. Could be you.
He has relatable fears and flaws.
He does not kill his enemies.^
He lives by a personal moral code.
He spends his money on fancy gadgets, mancaves, vehicles.
The media dislike him.
Batman and his enemies have a sense of humour.
Animated versions are even better.
Sexiest female counterparts.
Summoned by spotlight.
Best sound effects. KAPOWIE!
^See The Dark Knight Returns when taunted by The Joker.
Who underrates ribs? Only caveat is I often make my own low sugar sauce.
Overrated:
Olympic Basketball
Olympic lifting
Mount Olympus
Underrated:
Lifting at the Olympics
Asterix at the Olympic Games
Old school “Summer Games” software
