Eric,
Just wondering in light of your thoughts on overhead pressing, does this apply to handstand pushups? I have heard they are acutally better for the shoulders and safer(perhaps less range of motion?). I am working on these right now but I would like to avoid shoulder issues. Thanks a lot.
Okay, I’ve got some stuff to do tonight, so I’m on a bit early. Let’s get to it…
If you think it’s compartment syndrome, you need to stretch the tibialis anterior - not exercise it more.
Keep in mind that “shin splints” is basically a garbage term used to describe overuse conditions of several muscles of the lower extremity. It could just be a different muscle that’s acting up now.
[quote]clc315 wrote:
Eric, I’ve noticed when I walk on an incline treadmill or walking at a fast pace that my left lower leg/ankle area starts to hurt. I don’t think it’s shin splints as I have had them before. This is more of a dull, full, aching sensation. I’m thinking anterior compartment syndrome. If so, is there anyway one can fix it theirselves? I’ve tried doing exercies for the tibialus, but to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.[/quote]
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
Interesting, well here is a link to how i am training for the camp; http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=617026 [/quote]
JB and Mike would be the first to tell you that the program outlined in their book isn’t geared toward enhancement of athletic performance. It’s for people who need to get beeg.
[quote]Albeit, I’m not training for the kind of running I’m about to be doing because I am trying to gain some more strength and size. So, It’s kind of like a catch 22. I am primarily doing strength stuff right now. It’s not so much my lower legs hurt after a single practice when I don’t tape… just after several hard practices on the lumpy field over a week or so (Doesn’t help either)… You would think after playing football since I was 6 years old that my ankles and shins would be quite strong. Especially given the positions I have played. HB in high school, W/R now in college, and every other position including QB. During track in high school I noticed the onset of shin splints when I ran hurdles. I did high jump as well and I would warm up until I got shin splints and it seemed I would jump higher… The hurdle practices were the worst and the first case of my shin splints etc… We ran on concrete in the halls with the carpet because the nearby track was of hard dirt and we slipped too much. We of course needed 3 steps in-between each hurdle in the 110meter so that is why we ran inside because we didn’t want to slip. The constant pounding on the floor is where I first noticed it. I never taped in high school for football except for games and at HB I felt more secure when cutting and getting hit in the games. Now in college, I taped for every other practice because the trainers did it all the time and i was like… “cool” I can get them taped all the time. For some reason, the amount of running and constant cutting in and out of breaks and routes I started to get them again. It seems to come and go. Some times its chronic and other times I can go without tape for months. So it’s variable. However, I notice myself and another receiver get them while some of the others don’t.
The other thing is I am the fastest and quickest out of all the receivers for the time stuff and the strongest. I just got done doing the 425lb DL X 2 and I actually just squated 345 X 2 on box squats today. I am by no means strong compared to some of you guys but neither are the other corners and receivers. And some of them don’t get shin splints and the ankle stuff.
But besides that… Maybe I am just not training right for all the cutting and change of direction.
I don’t know but if you got some exercises lower leg struff that will fix this i am all ears.
-Get Lifted[/quote]
Have you ever been told by anyone that you have supinated feet? If not, take a look at the calluses on the bottom of your feet. Are they located at the base of the big and little toes, or are they at the base of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals (index and middle toes)?
Imagine two lifters. Lifter A has been training for six months, and lifter B has been training for six years. Lifter B will be much more neurologically efficient; he’ll be able to recruit a lot more motor units and, in turn, total muscle mass. Moreover, the overall neural stress will be greater. Hitting a 500-pound squat is a lot more challenging than hitting a 135-pound squat even if both lifts are perceived as maximal by the given lifter.
Remember that the nervous system will always be the limiting factor when training for performance; the muscles are much quicker to recover. If you take 8x3, you’ll basically have to use a 5RM load if you want to make your reps on each set. Or, you could simply start with a 3RM and then drop the weight as you go. However, when you drop off like this, you’re imposing a ton of fatigue as you go.
If you take 2-3 sets of 3 with a load that’s close to your 3RM, you’re going to impose a lot less fatigue and will be able to come back sooner than if you had allowed that drop-off to kick in.
[quote]SquatBenchDead wrote:
Eric,
Last week you wrote this answer to someones question. Could you expand on this statement at all? Why as you get stronger can you not handle as much volume of high intensity? Also are you saying powerlifters keep the volume low so they don’t burn out as quick? Anything to help me better understand your statment would be appreciated.
You learned your lesson the hard way! The stronger you get, the less volume of high intensity work you can handle. It’s why cookie-cutter 5x5 programs won’t work forever. If you want to get stronger, you pick and choose your max effort work and don’t do a ton of volume. Look at what most powerlifters do: 3x3 or something comparable or just hit a heavy triple or single and call it a day. You don’t see them doing 8x3 and 5x5; leave that for the bodybuilders who really only have strength as a secondary goal.
[/quote]
Good stuff, freejury! Good to know people here on T-Nation are catching what Mike and I are throwing!
Just add in some static stretching for the hip flexors (IT Band included) and you should be all set.
[quote]freejury wrote:
Ceaze wrote:
My girlfriend can’t do a bodyweight squat without her heels coming off the ground. What steps can she take to correct this?
That would be because her gastronemius, soleus and peroneals are tight and her anterior/posterior tibials are weak. Basically to correct this you want to stretch the tight muscles. All three pre and post workout stretches involve holding onto something sturdy, one leg forward, other leg back and bending until u feel tension in the back leg and holding for 20-30seconds.
Gastro - back leg strait, tilt pelvis and upper body to get tightening
Soleus - bend back leg knee till tightening
Peroneal - internally rotate rear leg/foot lean forward till tightness in shin
Again, do these three before and after the workout until imbalance is corrected.
Ide also suggest doing a Bridge before the workout each day to help with probably tight hip flexors.
Bridge - Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and pointing strait ahead, arms on the side palms up. Lift pelvis off the floor until knees hips and shoulders are in line then slowly lower back to floor, do this for 10-20 reps and 2-3 sets.
I’m sure EC can add something as well =)[/quote]
Anytime that you deal with closed chain motion, stability is enhanced in the shoulder. They wouldn’t be quite as problematic, but if you’ve already got some existing shoulder pathologies, they’ll likely be a problem.
[quote]BradS wrote:
Eric,
Just wondering in light of your thoughts on overhead pressing, does this apply to handstand pushups? I have heard they are acutally better for the shoulders and safer(perhaps less range of motion?). I am working on these right now but I would like to avoid shoulder issues. Thanks a lot.[/quote]
No… I have calluses on the outside of the big toe. I don’t know why but during the summer they go away and then in football they come back and get pretty “hard.”
While their book may be geared toward those who are getting bigger and not geared toward athletic performance directly it has indirectly helped me out athletically. For one thing I am able to slam dunk with ease now just by standing under the rim. In addition, I feel more powerful when my feet strike the ground. I understand it was not directly for athletes but in order to compete at the highest level size is becoming more and more prevelant at least in the draft and nfl level.
But no, noone has told me about that with my feet.
-Get Lifted
Wait, I don’t have any sores on my bottom of toes only on the side of my big toe on the outside.
Just in case I was not clear with the first post.
The thing is my 40 time feels great at a 4.42 PR last testing and my ankles seem fine as far as being straight and everything and my ankle snapping and tucking back up BUT when I am cutting around I land and cut hard and it seems the hard surface is partly to blame besides my ankles I guess.
The S2B book was to gain some strength and size because bigger objects flying at a constant rate the bigger one will win. My ability to get off the line has been better since my strength and size increases so I figure if I can keep my speed and gain more mass and strength I would be better.
-Get Lifted
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
No… I have calluses on the outside of the big toe. I don’t know why but during the summer they go away and then in football they come back and get pretty “hard.”[/quote]
But nothing on the bottoms at all?
Correct, but only if the addition of that size does not significantly compromise relative strength. Otherwise, it’s just non-functional hypertrophy.
EC, what do you think about using a lighter load for novices but instead of 8-15 rep sets, using a greater number of lower rep sets?
It’s good for the more technical lifts - especially those that aren’t as dependent on the stretch-shortening cycle (e.g. deadlifts, Olympic lifts).
However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for most movements; you just won’t establish the same connective tissue integrity unless you’re tapping into that motor unit pool a bit more through the repetition method.
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
EC, what do you think about using a lighter load for novices but instead of 8-15 rep sets, using a greater number of lower rep sets?[/quote]
Nothing on the bottom of my foot. The only thing I had when I was playing during spring was calluses on the inside of my feet on the ball but that was because of the cleats coming through the shoe and we were on our feet and running all the time. I had that on all the points where the cleats were screwn in.
For the gain in size I am worried about relative strength for sure. I guess I am just not sure how to go about doing them both at the same time and still gaining size at the same time. Although, my lifts are going up from all this S2B. They are still compound movements. Deadllifts, cleans, snatch, squats. What else would there be to increase relative strength. I have some great gains this far from this program and I I figure 2 a days will torch any of the fat off I got and force me to use my body with all this weight on it. Otherwise, I’ll be miserable. A chance I was willing to take but AM scared for sure.
-Get Lifted
Basically, I’m just saying that specificity takes the cake. Relative strength is a broad term; your squat and deadlift might be going up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your ability to decelerate high VELOCITY movements in different planes with larger forces (read: your body weight) than you’ve become accustomed to controlling.
It could very well just be overuse. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Then again, overuse is a relative term; it could just mean underprepared.
[quote]Get Lifted wrote:
Nothing on the bottom of my foot. The only thing I had when I was playing during spring was calluses on the inside of my feet on the ball but that was because of the cleats coming through the shoe and we were on our feet and running all the time. I had that on all the points where the cleats were screwn in.
For the gain in size I am worried about relative strength for sure. I guess I am just not sure how to go about doing them both at the same time and still gaining size at the same time. Although, my lifts are going up from all this S2B. They are still compound movements. Deadllifts, cleans, snatch, squats. What else would there be to increase relative strength. I have some great gains this far from this program and I I figure 2 a days will torch any of the fat off I got and force me to use my body with all this weight on it. Otherwise, I’ll be miserable. A chance I was willing to take but AM scared for sure.
-Get Lifted[/quote]
Thanks. I mention it because of a suggestion from Charles Staley. I’ve started training my girlfriend’s youngest brother. He’s only 14, and I’ve started him off in the 8-15 rep range as you recommend. Charles though it might be a good idea because you have that many more opportunities for setting up, re-racking the bar, etc. And most of the skill associated with free weigh lifts involves the beginning and the end of the set. He also felt that he would be able to manage fatigue more effectively this way.
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
It’s good for the more technical lifts - especially those that aren’t as dependent on the stretch-shortening cycle (e.g. deadlifts, Olympic lifts).
However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for most movements; you just won’t establish the same connective tissue integrity unless you’re tapping into that motor unit pool a bit more through the repetition method.
jsbrook wrote:
EC, what do you think about using a lighter load for novices but instead of 8-15 rep sets, using a greater number of lower rep sets?
[/quote]
True, but remember two things:
You’re going to have to teach him to strain at some point. Might as well make it reasonably early-on.
You’re essentially compromising the training effect that very well could enhance exercise adherence in the long-term. Remember, there is a psychological component to this, too - especially in kids.
You’re going to lose his attention if all he’s doing is racking and unracking weights. Kids definitely have a preconceived notion of what they expect to be doing, so it’s going to be a tough sell and he’s not going to have as much fun as he would otherwise. Let him sweat a little!
Good points from Charles still, though!
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
Thanks. I mention it because of a suggestion from Charles Staley. I’ve started training my girlfriend’s youngest brother. He’s only 14, and I’ve started him off in the 8-15 rep range as you recommend. Charles though it might be a good idea because you have that many more opportunities for setting up, re-racking the bar, etc. And most of the skill associated with free weigh lifts involves the beginning and the end of the set. He also felt that he would be able to manage fatigue more effectively this way.
[/quote]
Sounds good. So far he’s been very into training and gung-ho every workout. He’s a sprinter and next year will be his first year as a high school sprinter. He wants to build up his strength by the winter to have a solid starting point for indoor. The higher rep workouts have been good so far, so I’ll keep that up for the most part. But maybe I’ll throw in some days of more lower rep sets occasionally since it’s always good to mix things up. And Charles had some valid points. Thanks!
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
True, but remember two things:
You’re going to have to teach him to strain at some point. Might as well make it reasonably early-on.
You’re essentially compromising the training effect that very well could enhance exercise adherence in the long-term. Remember, there is a psychological component to this, too - especially in kids.
You’re going to lose his attention if all he’s doing is racking and unracking weights. Kids definitely have a preconceived notion of what they expect to be doing, so it’s going to be a tough sell and he’s not going to have as much fun as he would otherwise. Let him sweat a little!
Good points from Charles still, though!
jsbrook wrote:
Thanks. I mention it because of a suggestion from Charles Staley. I’ve started training my girlfriend’s youngest brother. He’s only 14, and I’ve started him off in the 8-15 rep range as you recommend. Charles though it might be a good idea because you have that many more opportunities for setting up, re-racking the bar, etc. And most of the skill associated with free weigh lifts involves the beginning and the end of the set. He also felt that he would be able to manage fatigue more effectively this way.
[/quote]
EC,
I read your debunking exercise myths article about overhead pressing. Is there a bench mark for how much you can pull (row) vs. push (bench) to determine a muscular imbalance in your shoulder- internally or externally rotated? Or is this something you can tell by looking at the shoulder itself? Thanks a lot,
TR
Question - about fixing knee joint problems…
How do i get the lateral muscle in my leg to activate - it seems like my VMO is defined, but the lateral part of my quad is just not there. I’m not looking to make my legs super large, but just to equalize the two sides.
Other than that I have worked my hamstring to quad ratio so it has been more balanced and my knees have gotten into better shape - very little irritation. Yet there is still some. Wondering if there is anythign else to do besides Glute activation and hamstring strengthening for the legs. I have also done abductor adductor work and do single leg lifts once in a while to work the stabalizers.
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Basically, I’m just saying that specificity takes the cake. Relative strength is a broad term; your squat and deadlift might be going up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your ability to decelerate high VELOCITY movements in different planes with larger forces (read: your body weight) than you’ve become accustomed to controlling.
It could very well just be overuse. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. Then again, overuse is a relative term; it could just mean underprepared.
Get Lifted wrote:
Nothing on the bottom of my foot. The only thing I had when I was playing during spring was calluses on the inside of my feet on the ball but that was because of the cleats coming through the shoe and we were on our feet and running all the time. I had that on all the points where the cleats were screwn in.
For the gain in size I am worried about relative strength for sure. I guess I am just not sure how to go about doing them both at the same time and still gaining size at the same time. Although, my lifts are going up from all this S2B. They are still compound movements. Deadllifts, cleans, snatch, squats. What else would there be to increase relative strength. I have some great gains this far from this program and I I figure 2 a days will torch any of the fat off I got and force me to use my body with all this weight on it. Otherwise, I’ll be miserable. A chance I was willing to take but AM scared for sure.
-Get Lifted
[/quote]
Yes, I see your point. However, you may be able to adapt to the new weight in time… Which could be a good thing if you can control it? I don’t know how much we really can prepare for the hell that’s about to occur anyway without turning into lance armstrong. LOL
Hey, You know what… All this acceleration and deacceleration is cool and I remember I asked you awhile ago if it was possible for you to right an article on how to improve these things… I think a lot of the athletes on this site would benefit from a program you could write in an article.(and I don’t think it has been done before… not much speed stuff on this site) It seems appropriate given the time frame and time of year in the US at least.
So what can I do with my ankles and how about an article about speed and acceleration and cutting and deacceleration. Side to side stuff. It would be the first on this site for sure!
-Get Lifted