Question For Dan John

Training Powerlifting, Strength Sports
1

Hey Dan,

I was reading an article on your site that was talking about, well, hard work. You posted a link to the Hoffman gold, silver and bronze standards for a number of lifts. I downloaded that and decided to pick a couple to use as goals. I am so far off the mark with all of them it is hilarious.

My question is this:

What ARE half of these lifts? I think I need some pointers.

How about:

1 arm DL - is this in front or on the side?

bridge press - please don’t tell me this is a bench press from the bridge, ie supported by just my head and feet…for 260lbs…for the BRONZE standard…

crucifix - ???

UP row - upright row??

old leg press - is this that really clever and safe lift where you do leg presses by balancing the bar on the soles of your feet whilst lying on the ground on your back?

old leg curl - ???

side press - ???

alternate press - ???

bend over - ???

strict Press - ???

PBN - ???

cont. & jerk - ???

cont. press - ???

thanks,

Craig

2

where was this?

3

scrooge wrote:
Hey Dan,

I was reading an article on your site that was talking about, well, hard work. You posted a link to the Hoffman gold, silver and bronze standards for a number of lifts. I downloaded that and decided to pick a couple to use as goals. I am so far off the mark with all of them it is hilarious.

My question is this:

What ARE half of these lifts? I think I need some pointers.

How about:

1 arm DL - is this in front or on the side?

–Either works, side is called a Suitcase deadlift.

bridge press - please don’t tell me this is a bench press from the bridge, ie supported by just my head and feet…for 260lbs…for the BRONZE standard…

–yes it is

crucifix - ???

–Usually holding 2 dumbells out to the sides with straight arms, as if you were hanging on a cross.

UP row - upright row??

–Not sure

old leg press - is this that really clever and safe lift where you do leg presses by balancing the bar on the soles of your feet whilst lying on the ground on your back?

–This is the old style, but I would reccomend against it unless you dont care much about your teeth.

old leg curl - ???

–Leg curl with Iron Boots

side press - ???

–Similar to a bent press.

alternate press - ???

–Sometimes called bradford press, 1 front, 1 back…like Rocky did in Rocky I

bend over - ???

–Not sure.

strict Press - ???

–A very strict military press, usually heels together.

PBN - ???

–Don’t know.

cont. & jerk - ???

–A contintental is sort of a clean but it is not smooth…you can stop the bar at any point…think of it as a deadlift where you are trying to get the object to your shoulders no matter what you have to do.

cont. press - ???

–I’m guessing thats Cont&Press…if so, see above.

thanks,

Craig

4

sam747,

It was an article on gaining muscle. Entertaining read, btw.

Try this link:

article:

Hoffman standards:

enjoy.

5

Thanks, I’ve been perusing his site since this weekend, lots of good stuff there.

6

If there is a ‘continental’ clean does that mean there is a way to get the bar racked on the shoulders other than exploding in a regular clean?

7

1-arm deads unvolve stradling the bar and picking it up that way.

A “continental” anything is when you get the bar up anyway possible. Usually you use your body as a rest stop for the bar as you make your way up. As you lift the bar, you can rest it on your knees, belly, belt, shoulders, etc. It was used to set the bar for overhead presses when the lifter wasn’t able to shoulder the heavier weights.

Hope this helps

  • Dan John is the Best.
8

Yes. Usually a guy will deadlift the bar, rest it on his thighs, then lift it to his stomach, even using a belt as a rest stop, then just sort of heave it up to his shoulders.

9

Is there a way to make it work without belt?

10

[quote]Zulu wrote:
Is there a way to make it work without belt?[/quote]

Sure, just rest it on your stomach. The point is to get the bar to your shoulders using your body. Be creative.

11

I will look for the whole thing…it was on Andy Foctman’s Old School Site for at least a millennia, but things get lost on the net.

That is an OLD article! It still rings true…I love simple measures like that, you know, a bronze standard or whatever. I always think you need to test yourself against something that will stand the test of time…even if “time” for you is only a few weeks.

I still like these two standards:

Snatch or Press Bodyweight

Deadlift Double Bodyweight.

From there, you can go in a lot of directions, but those two marks are just basic “you are strong” marks.

I have snuck up on a triple bodyweight deadlift…but…

12

I’m lookin at the long term goal of a double BW Push Press.

13

I’d like to hit 6 hundredweight in the straddle lift, but I need to gain some muscle so I drink half a hogshead of whole milk per month. Also, want to keep the fat down so I run a few chain sprints until I hit a furlong.

14

flabtoslab,

I don’t want to belabor the point, but can you continental the bar if you don?t have a protruding stomach? Is there any use to resting it on the thighs? I think (if it works) this would make a tremendous strength move.

15

Everyone seems to be ignoring me here but…

Zulu,

You can rest it on the thighs, it’s pretty much “get it up no matter how.” I’ve seen guys rest it on mid thigh, then right where the hips meet the abs, then sort of heave it up.

16

Those standards ARE in pounds, right, not kilos…?

If they’re in kilos I have a LOT more work to do.

17

For some, kilos…for the rest of us, pounds.

18

In regards to the “UP Row” it seems to be, based on the format of the rest of the exercise names that “UP” is an acronym, not the word ‘up’.

19

Il Cazzo, double bodyweight pushpress would qualify as insanely strong in my book.

I’m going to experiment with continental cleans. I was under the imperssion that the clean & jerks performed by O-lifters were ~the~ way to maximize poundage overhead. I’ve always wondered why the rules never read: “Get max weight from the ground to overhead”.

20

Hey Dan John,

Since I read your top 10 tips I have set as my next goal to get to a 2xbodyweight deadlift(almost there) and a 2xbodyweight military press(a ways off).

Should I hold off on the dynamic lifting(westside style) until I reach this goal? Is this what you referred to as an advanced method?

thanks, hope to hear you on D-Tap sometime soon

end of hijack