Revenge of the Sith: AngryVader's Log

Training Training Logs
141

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
I will oggle the beauty of your biomechanics later, but I wanted to add that you should absolutely train barefoot. I have always had a bad lower back and bad posture, and going barefoot has done wonders for me.

How often do you do SMR? I have a single tennis ball and a pair of them duct taped together that I use, plus a large foam roller. I used to do SMR 2-3 days a week on days I did not lift, including cardio, abs and stretching.

I can only do rack pull DLs at the moment but need to improve my flexibility so that I can pull from the floor. My friend said until I do that I am mostly working my lower back. Honestly, it is my mid back that has ballooned with the rack pulls so far.

Also, for stretching, do you consider stretching the antagonist of the muscle being worked during a set, or do you not stretch anything until the end of a particular exercise?

I forget where I read it but I could’ve sworn I saw a recommendation to stretch, say, the triceps if you are working biceps, in between sets for the biceps. I am thinking about doing this - antagonist stretching - but stretching the agonist at the end of the exercise, DC style.

Good to see you recovering.[/quote]

I actually do SMR every day. I do a short session after I get up in the morning, along with some mobility and stretching. Sometimes if I miss this session, my glute is so tight that I have a hard time putting my socks on. It’s that tight sometimes. I still have some work to do with my mobility and flexibility, but it has improved since I started working on it.

I will do a very short (like 5 minute) session for SMR for the target muscles that I train before a workout.

Then I do a final, much longer session once I get home from work. I used this session to really dig into the tender spots in my glutes and calves. I usually feel fantastic after this session.

I do sometimes stretch the antagonists between sets. I will stretch my hamstrings after every other set or so for my quads. It’s not something I always do though. I should probably experiment a little more with that.

142

[quote]Flow wrote:
AngryVader wrote:
pushmepullme wrote:
You’ve got plenty of strength there, you are practically hopping out of the hole (see end of Squat #2, 195). Your feet even look like they come up. What kind of shoes are those?

Those are one my many pairs of Nike Frees. I’ve been meaning to experiment with squatting barefoot. I notice that my right foot sometimes ‘rolls around’ during a set and I think that’s why my right knee sometimes feels weird. I think squatting barefoot might fix that issue and ensure my foot is in firm contact with the ground.

I just always forget to do this once I get to the gym. I think Cressey suggested that you, at a minimum, should do your warmups barefoot so that you get used to the way they should feel on the ground. Then, switch to your shoes for your work sets, as it should carry over.

I have the same problem with my Frees. They are 5.0s and really have no added stability side-to-side (in the frontal plane). The only remedy to this problem I have been able to come up with is to do exactly as you say- where Chuck’s for lower body days.

It is a pain in the ass to have so many shoes hangin’ around :confused: I bring sandals for the shower, frees for walking around during the day, Chuck’s for sqwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaatz, and dress shoes for work :expressionless: Yeah, I guess you could call my feet whores.[/quote]

All my Frees are 7.0s, but I still have problems with the side to side movement. They are great for everything else, but I’m just not convinced they are the best things for squats and deads anymore.

I guess if I switch to barefoot, I could get away with only carrying one extra pair of shoes though. I guess that would prevent some of the foot whoriness. :slight_smile:

If I do end up switching back to Chucks, at least they don’t take up a lot of space in my gym bag.

143

Tuesday 10/21 - Chest and tris

Incline BB Press: 230 x 3,3,3,3,3,3, 235 x 3,3

Decline HS Press: 360 x 5,5,5,5,5

Flat DB Fly: 65 x 6 - My right shoulder was really bothering me during this set, so I quit flyes and did

Cable side external rotations: 20 x 8,8,10

and

Light band pull aparts: 8,8,8 - I followed up each set with some shoulder traction with the light band.

Then my shoulder felt better, so since I was already at the cable station:

Crossovers: 60 x 8, 70 x 8, 80 x 8

Decline Tri Extension: 105 x 8,8,8,8

Reverse/Regular Tri Ext (double set): 80 x 8/6,8/5,8/5 - This felt better than the rope double set I had been doing.

Moving forward, I need to do more external rotation work. I’ll continue add a few sets to this workout and then maybe some cuban presses on my shoulder day.

144

This was my first set with 235 x 3 (7th set overall) on Incline BB Press.

145

Random notes:

Just finished doing my longer SMR session. I focused a bit on the right shoulder as well since that’s bugging me today. I think I need to work on shoulder flexibility in general. I cut my morning session short because I wanted to go to Target before work and pick up a copy of Hulk on Blu-Ray.

146

Shit, I’ve been out of the gym for a week now (cold, then achey joints, then midterms). Getting antsy…

Some more questions:

  1. How long are your ‘longer’ SMR sessions that you tend to do when you get home from the gym?

I used to do abs first, then 10 min of light cardio to warmup the joins, then 25-45 min of stretching in ‘sets’ of 45-90 seconds per side, usually 2 sets each side. This was SMR/Ab day in between lifting days.

  1. What do you normally take in your gym bag?

  2. What devices do you use for SMR? I have a foam roller, a single tennis ball and a pair of them duct taped together which is an amazing tool.

I might pick up one of these: Lifting Large - Serious Gear for Serious Athletes … or try to make one out of PVC piping and my ashtray change.

For SMR I will try to stretch while applying pressure into the muscle belly - is that not the premise of ART? - as I’ve had success in the past doing this and following it up with 10-15 min of ice pack compression on the worked areas.

By the way, if you can find a chiro or physical therapist that has one, getting ultrasound treatment on tight muscles is an amazing thing. I’d pick up the machine but have nobody trained well enough on ultrasound to use it on me.

147

Which kind of Nike Free 7.0s do you have? I’ve used the Everyday and Running Frees and my ankles roll around if I try to squat in them. However, I’ve used the Trainers and Dynamic Trainers without any trouble. Those models have an extra pad of sole along the outside of each foot that provides extra stability.

148

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
On the squats- do all your reps like your last one because that’s the only one where you’re getting full hip extension. Just pretend one of your admirers here is bent over invitingly in front of you.

When you mean full hip extension, are you talking about how I’m stopping short of full lockout or is it something I’m doing in the bottom half of the range of motion?[/quote]

Stopping short of lockout.

149

Have you checked out the Vibram Five Fingers footwear?

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO.cfm

I like the KSO (Keep Stuff Out) model because of the added mesh that covers the top of the foot. I’ll probably pick up this pair in a few weeks.

Have heard great things about this footwear.

150

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
Which kind of Nike Free 7.0s do you have? I’ve used the Everyday and Running Frees and my ankles roll around if I try to squat in them. However, I’ve used the Trainers and Dynamic Trainers without any trouble. Those models have an extra pad of sole along the outside of each foot that provides extra stability.[/quote]

I have a few of the 7.0 Trainers, but I’ve had them a while, so they are wearing out. I just got a new pair of the Dynamic Trainers though and those do seem to be more stable (and flatter soled). I haven’t actually used them for squatting though. Just another thing to try in the upcoming weeks.

151

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Have you checked out the Vibram Five Fingers footwear?

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO.cfm

I like the KSO (Keep Stuff Out) model because of the added mesh that covers the top of the foot. I’ll probably pick up this pair in a few weeks.

Have heard great things about this footwear.[/quote]

I’ve heard good things too. I think Renton swears by them. I’ve just never been able to get past the way they look. They just kind of unnerve me. If you do get them, let me know if they look better in person.

152

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:

  1. How long are your ‘longer’ SMR sessions that you tend to do when you get home from the gym?[/quote]

My longer session is 20-30 minutes, plus a few minutes of stretching when I’m done. I’ve noticed that these sessions are getting shorter now that I have fewer trigger points that need to be worked on.

In the morning, I used to do 10-15 minutes on the bike to warm up before doing the SMR and stretching, but now, I’m just usually doing mobility stuff as my warmup, and then doing the SMR and stretching after.

As far as SMR stuff, I only keep a tennis ball and lacrosse ball in my bag. I actually keep a small foam roller in my cube at work and that’s where I’ll so the short session before I head to the gym.

The regular stuff I keep in my bag:

  • APT straps
  • A few pairs of APT wrist wraps
  • Dipping belt
  • Regular and liquid chalk
  • Sugar free Halls
  • Rehband knee and elbow sleeves - I also have a Rehband back support, but I haven’t had to use it for a while since I’m not lifting ‘heavy’ yet.
  • Bottle of blue heat.
  • A few jump stretch bands (mini, monster-mini, light, avg).
  • iPod full of THE METAL!!!

I used to just use a regular, white foam roller and a tennis ball, but they quickly became too easy. I then messed around with the TP ball for a while, but that broke down too fast. I still use the TP Quadballer on the calves and the TP Footballer on the bottom of my feet. I use a lacrosse ball for the glute/piriformis, specific trigger points in my calves and for the chest and shoulders.

I recently purchased this roller:

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=143&pid=1465

But I’ve been a little disappointed with it as it wasn’t as big in diameter as I was hoping. I was thinking of getting a Foam Roller Plus.

[quote]I might pick up one of these: http://www.liftinglarge.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=187 … or try to make one out of PVC piping and my ashtray change.

For SMR I will try to stretch while applying pressure into the muscle belly - is that not the premise of ART? - as I’ve had success in the past doing this and following it up with 10-15 min of ice pack compression on the worked areas.[/quote]

That tool looks interesting. I was thinking of getting one of these.

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=143&pid=1461

But I’m not really sure how to use it and the one video I saw on where they using it on the psoas I’m not sure if I’d do it correctly to myself.

I don’t know much about ART, but I’ve always heard you should follow up SMR with stretching of the area, so that’s just how I’ve been doing it. I’m trying to find a local ART guy to see what they can do for me.

My PT used ultrasound on my glute when it was at it’s worst. It seemed to really help me get moving again.

153

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
Doug Adams wrote:
Which kind of Nike Free 7.0s do you have? I’ve used the Everyday and Running Frees and my ankles roll around if I try to squat in them. However, I’ve used the Trainers and Dynamic Trainers without any trouble. Those models have an extra pad of sole along the outside of each foot that provides extra stability.

I have a few of the 7.0 Trainers, but I’ve had them a while, so they are wearing out. I just got a new pair of the Dynamic Trainers though and those do seem to be more stable (and flatter soled). I haven’t actually used them for squatting though. Just another thing to try in the upcoming weeks.[/quote]

I probably should clarify this a bit. When I say my foot ‘rolls around’, I didn’t mean it was necessarily from shoe instability. My right foot just seems to do weird things sometimes during my squat. I’m hoping that experimenting with barefoot or different footwear will correct this.

154

Wednesday 10/22

Nothing special today.

  • 15 minutes on the recumbent bike. I read two chapters of Star Wars: Outbound Flight while I did this. Yeah, I’m really into cardio.
  • A whole bunch of SMR for the whole body. For a change, I focused a bit more on the upper body. Judging by the number of the tender spots I found in my back and shoulders with the lacrosse ball, I need to be doing this a lot more of this for those areas. Feels pretty good right now though.
  • 3 x 8 of wall slides
  • 3 x 10 of the ‘no money’ drill
  • A mixed bag of assorted stretching.

My right shoulder still feels a little weird, but it feels a hell of a lot better after the stuff I did at the gym today.

I also found out that my 24 Hour will be closing in a few months and it is going to be replaced with a new Super Sport 24 Hour just around the corner. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. The closest Super Sport to me is an overcrowded, under-equipped mess. They do have nicer equipment though. I just don’t want to lose all my squat racks.

155

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
I also found out that my 24 Hour will be closing in a few months and it is going to be replaced with a new Super Sport 24 Hour just around the corner. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. The closest Super Sport to me is an overcrowded, under-equipped mess. They do have nicer equipment though. I just don’t want to lose all my squat racks. [/quote]

Maybe they’ll sell off their equipment and you can pick something up cheap, if you have room.

156

My ankles roll outward, too, and I am lifting barefoot.

I really need to get back into SMR’ing the shit outta my body. I remember it took a few weeks for me to notice improvements, but it was a linear progress from that point on.

First things first, though: my hamstrings are tight as hell so I cannot comfortable DL from the floor and am stuck with rack pulls from just below the knee. I try to stiff leg these to focus on hams and glutes but my friend says I am short changing myself and am only working my back. Surprisingly, my mid back has ballooned the past few months and I at least try to do leg curls to pre-fatigue the hams before I do rack pulls.

Maybe I should do sumo rack pulls to hit hams and glutes until I have stretched enough to be able to touch my toes. What are your thoughts on this?

What are TP balls/quadballer/footballer? And how do you like the lacrosse ball? I think that’s a little advanced for me at the moment.

157

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
My ankles roll outward, too, and I am lifting barefoot.

I really need to get back into SMR’ing the shit outta my body. I remember it took a few weeks for me to notice improvements, but it was a linear progress from that point on.

First things first, though: my hamstrings are tight as hell so I cannot comfortable DL from the floor and am stuck with rack pulls from just below the knee. I try to stiff leg these to focus on hams and glutes but my friend says I am short changing myself and am only working my back. Surprisingly, my mid back has ballooned the past few months and I at least try to do leg curls to pre-fatigue the hams before I do rack pulls.

Maybe I should do sumo rack pulls to hit hams and glutes until I have stretched enough to be able to touch my toes. What are your thoughts on this?

What are TP balls/quadballer/footballer? And how do you like the lacrosse ball? I think that’s a little advanced for me at the moment.[/quote]

This whole glute/calf thing I’ve been dealing with has really taught me the importance of SMR. I bought a foam roller a few years ago and it just sat in a corner in my room. I just didn’t see the point. If only I had been as diligent about it then as I am now, this whole issue might not have happened.

I say keep working on the hamstrings until you have the mobility to do them from the floor. In the long run, I think you’ll be better off sticking with it.

I do like sumo pulls and rack pulls personally. In general, I was always more of a sumo puller. They just felt more comfortable to me and I always felt like my glutes were working harder when I did them. I don’t think it would hurt to throw in a few sets and give them a try. See how you respond to them.

The TP stuff I have, you can find more information about here:

http://www.tptherapy.com/products.php

I have set #6, but I got them on sale on EliteFTS. I really liked the TP Massage ball initially, but the material in the ball breaks down after use and the ball loses effectiveness. You’re right about the lacrosse ball though. The TP ball actually worked well as an interim step between the tennis ball and the lacrosse ball. After using the TP ball for a few weeks, I was able to move into using the lacrosse ball without it being too difficult.

I have a love/hate relationship with the lacrosse ball now. Like today, I hated it during all the SMR stuff for the upper body, but when I was done, I loved how I felt.

I still like the Quadballer and Footballer though as there’s a hard rod in the middle that still allows me roll specific areas well.

Honestly though, I wouldn’t buy them again if I had to do it over. I would just say to get a real sturdy foam roller and some tennis and lacrosse balls and just work into them.

158

[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
AngryVader wrote:
I also found out that my 24 Hour will be closing in a few months and it is going to be replaced with a new Super Sport 24 Hour just around the corner. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. The closest Super Sport to me is an overcrowded, under-equipped mess. They do have nicer equipment though. I just don’t want to lose all my squat racks.

Maybe they’ll sell off their equipment and you can pick something up cheap, if you have room.[/quote]

When they got rid of the Olympic lifting platform, I bugged them for weeks about buying the bumper plates off them, but they said they didn’t know what happened to them. Riiiiiiight.

I’m going to ask the management if we are going to get any feedback on the equipment or if we can suggest equipment they should get. I’d really like it if they could get a reverse hyper or legit glute/ham raise, but I doubt it.

My only real concern is lack of squat racks. The other Super Sport in my area on has ONE squat rack, which is a joke. My current gym has three and most of the time, they will be in use, although not always for the correct purposes.

159

I can relate. They gym here on base only has one squat rack as well…it irks me, every time I go in there and there is someone using it for lunges, or you know the other dreaded exercise people do in squat racks…

I just recently started wearing Airwalks(sort of like converse) to the gym…WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!

160

[quote]AngryVader wrote:
I probably should clarify this a bit. When I say my foot ‘rolls around’, I didn’t mean it was necessarily from shoe instability. My right foot just seems to do weird things sometimes during my squat. I’m hoping that experimenting with barefoot or different footwear will correct this.[/quote]

Are you stretching out your calves and doing soft tissue work around your ankles? I’ve had that problem too and found out I had a bunch of trigger points all along my lower leg. I have a “mini-stick” that I use all around my ankle and calf, but a lacrosse or tennis ball can work too.