[quote]pumped340 wrote:
I wasn’t too upset about it but today when I tested my push press after 3 months I was surprised to see it hadn’t really gone up at all. I remembered that in the past when you stopped focusing on bench and did lots of shoulder pressing your bench went up but this did not work the other way around. I guess that’s what happened considering what happened today, even though my (dumbbell) bench press has gone up well. Do you know why there is a strong transfer from shoulder pressing to bench but not the other way around?
Also do you notice a decent transfer from dumbbell benching to barbell benching?[/quote]
I’m not CT but i would assume that it’s because the front delts have a higher involvement in the bench press than the chest does in the push press. I guess it’s kinda like saying that a triceps isolation movement will help you add weight to your bench press, but not the other way around because the main emphasis in the bench press is on the pecs. I dunno, i find it hard to get my point across. Go ahead CT.[/quote]
I would think it’s along those lines too, but it’s not like your shoulders and triceps aren’t involved in a bench press. Anyway like I said it’s not a concern, just wondering out of curiosity.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
I wasn’t too upset about it but today when I tested my push press after 3 months I was surprised to see it hadn’t really gone up at all. I remembered that in the past when you stopped focusing on bench and did lots of shoulder pressing your bench went up but this did not work the other way around.
I guess that’s what happened considering what happened today, even though my (dumbbell) bench press has gone up well. Do you know why there is a strong transfer from shoulder pressing to bench but not the other way around?
Also do you notice a decent transfer from dumbbell benching to barbell benching?[/quote]
I’m not CT but i would assume that it’s because the front delts have a higher involvement in the bench press than the chest does in the push press. I guess it’s kinda like saying that a triceps isolation movement will help you add weight to your bench press, but not the other way around because the main emphasis in the bench press is on the pecs. I dunno, i find it hard to get my point across. Go ahead CT.[/quote]
I would think it’s along those lines too, but it’s not like your shoulders and triceps aren’t involved in a bench press. Anyway like I said it’s not a concern, just wondering out of curiosity.
[/quote]
The overhead press, especially the push press requires a lot more scapular stabilisation and thus involve the rhomboids, traps, serratus and some rotator cuff muscles to a greater extent than during the bench press.
Specialising on the overhead press will make for a more stable base when bench pressing whereas bench pressing while excluding standing overhead work will tend to decrease the capacity to keep the shoulder joint - scapula stable when pressing (in a bench press your scapulas are basically pinned by the bench which artificially stabilizes them).
CT, I have a question regarding epsom salt baths. I recently decided to try them out and I saw that you recomend putting about 400mg in the water. On the bag it says 1 teaspoon equals 495mg which sounds like too little.
I read in a couple of other articles about putting 2 cups in. Im assuming the content is relative to the amount of water it is in. any help clarifying this would be greatly appreciated.
[quote]workhorse34 wrote:
CT, I have a question regarding epsom salt baths. I recently decided to try them out and I saw that you recomend putting about 400mg in the water. On the bag it says 1 teaspoon equals 495mg which sounds like too little.
I read in a couple of other articles about putting 2 cups in. Im assuming the content is relative to the amount of water it is in. any help clarifying this would be greatly appreciated.[/quote]
[quote]workhorse34 wrote:
CT, I have a question regarding epsom salt baths. I recently decided to try them out and I saw that you recomend putting about 400mg in the water. On the bag it says 1 teaspoon equals 495mg which sounds like too little.
I read in a couple of other articles about putting 2 cups in. Im assuming the content is relative to the amount of water it is in. any help clarifying this would be greatly appreciated.[/quote]
Hey WH,
The recommendation is actually 400g not 400mg.
Cheers
Clutch[/quote]
Ha ha wow cant believe I missed that, thanks for setting me straight.
Hi CT,
I have a friend that is approx, 115 lbs, 5’'5 and very lean (a girl obviously). She want to lose some shoulder size/width. So she asked me how she could lose some muscle in her shoulders while preserving the rest of the body. I suggested her to do high reps stuff for shoulders (15-20) but I would like to know your opinion about that case.
[quote]awaken279 wrote:
Hi CT,
I have a friend that is approx, 115 lbs, 5’'5 and very lean (a girl obviously). She want to lose some shoulder size/width. So she asked me how she could lose some muscle in her shoulders while preserving the rest of the body. I suggested her to do high reps stuff for shoulders (15-20) but I would like to know your opinion about that case.
Thanks a lot ![/quote]
You can’t make a muscle smaller via weight training, regardless of how light it is. A muscle either hypertrophies or atrophies (or stay the same). Any type of resistance training will tend to make the muscles gain size or at the worst, maintain size but not make them smaller.
I’ve always wondered what the application purpose is behind “1 1/4” reps. I’ve seen them in some of Charles Poliquin’s programs, and I think you may have used them in some of your older programs as well, but I may be wrong about that.
Are they meant to prolong time under tension? I’ve seen people do them, and it always look like half the rep is reflex. Granted, they may be doing them incorrectly.
Would they accentuate the micro-drop portion of a chest press, if done with an initial slow eccentric, slow first part of the quarter rep, then an explosive second part of the quarter rep up into the lock out? I hope that description makes sense?
Do you feel that these are the opposite of some of your most recent training methods?
If this a totally worthless question, please disregard…it’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while.
I’ve always wondered what the application purpose is behind “1 1/4” reps. I’ve seen them in some of Charles Poliquin’s programs, and I think you may have used them in some of your older programs as well, but I may be wrong about that.
Are they meant to prolong time under tension? I’ve seen people do them, and it always look like half the rep is reflex. Granted, they may be doing them incorrectly.
Would they accentuate the micro-drop portion of a chest press, if done with an initial slow eccentric, slow first part of the quarter rep, then an explosive second part of the quarter rep up into the lock out? I hope that description makes sense?
Do you feel that these are the opposite of some of your most recent training methods?
If this a totally worthless question, please disregard…it’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while.[/quote]
It depends on how you do it. If you do the quarter reps from the stretch position you actually use the quarter rep much like you would use the dip in a vertical jump, so you do want to utilize the stretch reflex.
If you use them in the contracted position it’s to increase time under tension and should thus be performed more like a normal rep.
[quote]awaken279 wrote:
Hi CT,
I have a friend that is approx, 115 lbs, 5’'5 and very lean (a girl obviously). She want to lose some shoulder size/width. So she asked me how she could lose some muscle in her shoulders while preserving the rest of the body. I suggested her to do high reps stuff for shoulders (15-20) but I would like to know your opinion about that case.
Thanks a lot ![/quote]
You can’t make a muscle smaller via weight training, regardless of how light it is. A muscle either hypertrophies or atrophies (or stay the same). Any type of resistance training will tend to make the muscles gain size or at the worst, maintain size but not make them smaller.[/quote]
Couldn’t she manage this by making the “mistakes” we try to avoid? For instance, daily quadruple drop sets for that muscle while in a caloric deficit?
Has she really got “too big” delts or could the real problem actually be the width of her clavicles, or something like that?
[quote]awaken279 wrote:
Hi CT,
I have a friend that is approx, 115 lbs, 5’'5 and very lean (a girl obviously). She want to lose some shoulder size/width. So she asked me how she could lose some muscle in her shoulders while preserving the rest of the body. I suggested her to do high reps stuff for shoulders (15-20) but I would like to know your opinion about that case.
Thanks a lot ![/quote]
You can’t make a muscle smaller via weight training, regardless of how light it is. A muscle either hypertrophies or atrophies (or stay the same). Any type of resistance training will tend to make the muscles gain size or at the worst, maintain size but not make them smaller.[/quote]
Couldn’t she manage this by making the “mistakes” we try to avoid? For instance, daily quadruple drop sets for that muscle while in a caloric deficit?
Has she really got “too big” delts or could the real problem actually be the width of her clavicles, or something like that?[/quote]
Gotta work with what you got - it’s an illusion, simply change the other measurements (lower body) to compensate. It’s the same as a bodybuilder with wider hips; gotta get barn door wide shoulders to compensate and make hips look smaller. I would work at elongating the quads - sissy squats wonderful for this, makes person look much taller. Vince Gironda was only 5’ 8" tall but from his photos you would never know because his quads were so long.
There is a topic about the slow and fast twitch muscle fibers in different muscle groups in any person. We know from experience and scientific data that many muscles have more type IIb, IIa or I muscle fibers and they respond better in specific training protocols (volume & high reps, intensity & low reps e.t.c.).
Could you please give us your personal believe about it? Have you any experience or scientific references about specific muscle group?
In example we accept the connection of quads with slow twitch muscle fibers (type I or type IIa) and hams with fast twitch muscle fibers (type IIb). Also calves (gastro: 60% fast + 40% slow, soleus: 88% slow + 12% fast), gluteus maximus (60-68% fast + 32-40% slow) and the debate never stop for many muscles like forearms, abs, traps, lats, biceps, triceps e.t.c.
i recently read an article about cluster training. With clusters it is possible to do more reps at a given rep percentage… for example: 20 reps at 8rm with 10 seconds between each rep.
if id use 20 lbs thats 2020=400lbs with clusters instead of just 820=160lbs with constant tension.
Thats a huge difference. Now my question: Why not always train this way? Or is it simply too stressfull for the nervous system? What are the disadvantages of Cluster Training?
i recently read an article about cluster training. With clusters it is possible to do more reps at a given rep percentage… for example: 20 reps at 8rm with 10 seconds between each rep.
if id use 20 lbs thats 2020=400lbs with clusters instead of just 820=160lbs with constant tension.
Thats a huge difference. Now my question: Why not always train this way? Or is it simply too stressfull for the nervous system? What are the disadvantages of Cluster Training? [/quote]
I love cluster training… heck, I’ve done a DVD called ‘‘Cluster training’’ and included it in the original IBB program. However it IS tremendously stressful on the nervous system which means that as effective as it may be, it can easily be abused and lead to stagnation.
I recommend no more that 1 cluster exercise per muscle group when this technique is used.
i recently read an article about cluster training. With clusters it is possible to do more reps at a given rep percentage… for example: 20 reps at 8rm with 10 seconds between each rep.
if id use 20 lbs thats 2020=400lbs with clusters instead of just 820=160lbs with constant tension.
Thats a huge difference. Now my question: Why not always train this way? Or is it simply too stressfull for the nervous system? What are the disadvantages of Cluster Training? [/quote]
I love cluster training… heck, I’ve done a DVD called ‘‘Cluster training’’ and included it in the original IBB program. However it IS tremendously stressful on the nervous system which means that as effective as it may be, it can easily be abused and lead to stagnation.
I recommend no more that 1 cluster exercise per muscle group when this technique is used.[/quote]
This is similar to your method for high reps HTH correct? The one you mentioned in your tip of the day thread.
I’ve been using this on Yates rows because I wanted to use heavier weight but with rows it’s really easy for form to turn to shit if reps are low. I’ve been happy with the strength gains so far.
i recently read an article about cluster training. With clusters it is possible to do more reps at a given rep percentage… for example: 20 reps at 8rm with 10 seconds between each rep.
if id use 20 lbs thats 2020=400lbs with clusters instead of just 820=160lbs with constant tension.
Thats a huge difference. Now my question: Why not always train this way? Or is it simply too stressfull for the nervous system? What are the disadvantages of Cluster Training? [/quote]
I love cluster training… heck, I’ve done a DVD called ‘‘Cluster training’’ and included it in the original IBB program. However it IS tremendously stressful on the nervous system which means that as effective as it may be, it can easily be abused and lead to stagnation.
I recommend no more that 1 cluster exercise per muscle group when this technique is used.[/quote]
This is similar to your method for high reps HTH correct? The one you mentioned in your tip of the day thread.
I’ve been using this on Yates rows because I wanted to use heavier weight but with rows it’s really easy for form to turn to shit if reps are low. I’ve been happy with the strength gains so far. [/quote]
Yep, high reps HTH is basically a form of rest-pause or clusters. The method itself it not new, it’s the execution of the set (how to do the reps, when to stop each leg of a set and the set itself) that allows it to be used a bit more frequentely than regular clusters.
What’s your take on the standing behind the neck press? I’ve been doing them almost every week without any problems. However, I constantly read that they may cause problems down the road.
I don’t have any shoulder issues, nor do I want any. But, I like the standing BNP and would like to keep it as it helps my mobility and seems like a good medial deltoid exercise(my medials grew a bit when I started them.) I also make sure to go down as far as possible and not cheat with too much weight(perfect rep). As long as my mobility stays good and I take my Flameout(haha), do you think I will run into any problems? Obviously, I’m going to see how it continues to feel, but I was wondering your opinion.