May 2007
|
|
|
|
The dip of the jerk and push press demands the torso remain perfectly upright and rigid. Any forward lean will result in pushing the bar out front, making a near-max effort jerk or push press impossible to complete successfully. Stabilize the torso by filling the abdominal and thoracic cavities completely with air without allowing the chest to rise any more than necessary.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Need to pull your metal sled on cement without pissing off the neighbors and destroying the sled? Some aftermarket modification will get that thing usable again for less than $10 in parts and half an hour of labor.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Active static flexibility is the extensibility of a muscle under only the contraction of its agonist(s). That is, the muscle is stretched with no external help. For the sake of stability and joint safety, minimizing the gap between active and passive static flexibility is a good idea. Read more in Getting Stiff, Performance Menu issue 15.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Save your hands during high-rep kettlebell snatching by employing the corkscrew. While it can be used both on the way up and down, it's most helpful on the way down in reducing the friction on your hand. From the fixed top position, begin the descent by supinating the palm, allowing the bell to drop with the handle oriented vertically, and pronate again as the bell reaches the bottom of the arc.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Get your breath under control when lifting. Expand the abdominal and thoracic cavities as much as possible by inhaling deeply. Then clamp down the epiglottis to lock in the air and contract the abdominal musculature to further increase internal abdominal and thoracic pressure. This will turn the torso into a stable column ready to accommodate great loading. This practice should be employed during all heavy lifting such as squatting, deadlift, pressing, snatching, cleaning and jerking.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
The power position is the position into which the scoop or double knee bend delivers the lifter in the snatch and clean and the position from which the lifter jerks. It involves no lean of the torso—only flexion of the knees—and the feet are flat. This is the same position reached at the bottom of the dip for the push press. Read more about the power position in Issue 23 of the Performance Menu.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
When performing a lunge stretch, maintain an upright torso to ensure a stretch of the hip flexors of the back leg. Leaning forward will reduce the effectiveness of the stretch, and unless you're extremely tight, make it a waste of time.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
If rope climbs are not yet possible, scale the movement down. The easiest form is simply gripping the rope while standing and attempting to lift the body—in some cases, the feet may never even leave the floor. The next step would be lowering hand over hand from standing to lying on the floor—the more the legs and hips are bent, the easier it will be. Once a client can lower to the floor with a straight body, the next step is adding the return climb back to standing. Again, the more the legs and hips are bent, the easier this will be.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Rings are a remarkably versatile piece of equipment and thanks to Tyler Haas of Power Athletes, LLC, are easy to find and affordable. Dips, muscle-ups, body rows, inverted rows and numerous other movements lend themselves well to performance on rings.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
During a snatch or a clean, the elbows should be rotated outward in the starting position. This will ensure the elbows remain high and driving to the sides, keeping the hands and therefore the bar close to the body. Leaving the elbows to naturally orient themselves backward will encourage swinging of the bar.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Wrist mobility is critical for continued health when training the Olympic lifts. View discussion and recommended stretches on the PM Forum.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Vertical jump testing doesn't require expensive measuring equipment—just some chalk and a wall that isn't white. Chalk up the fingers and stand next to the wall. Reach as high as possible with flat feet and press the chalked fingers to the wall to leave a starting mark. Next, test 3 vertical jumps, slapping the chalked fingers against the wall to mark the height. Measure the difference between the starting mark and the highest jump mark.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
The Burgener Warmup was created by USA Weightlifting Senior International Coach Mike Burgener to teach the snatch to new lifters. The Warmup breaks the snatch into more digestible segments, each successive segment adding to the previous until finally becoming a hang power snatch. The Warmup is not only a great coaching tool, but, as the name suggests, a great warmup for lifters.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Flexibility requirements depend on each individual's sport or chosen activities. Inadequate flexibility is often seen as the only flexibility-related issue, but it is possible to be too flexible for your discipline. Read more in Getting Stiff, Performance Menu issue 15.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Try this workout: 70M shuttle run, 10 D-ball slams, 10 pull-ups. 6 rounds. Record time for completion of each round and allow a 1-minute rest between rounds.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Increase the AKP of your runs by carrying objects of various shapes and weights in various manners. Be creative and ignore the neighbors' stares.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Gluten intolerance is becoming ever more recognized as a legitimate and serious health concern for millions of people worldwide. This has relegated the celiacs amongst us to drinking unholy concoctions like mixed drinks and wine. NO MORE! Several lines of gluten free beers have hit the market and many more are on the way. If you happen to be in the UK you can check out the Gluten Free Beer Festival or you can get your fix via online vendors.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Yes, women need to pick up and move around big heavy things too. A woman's muscles are no different than her male counterpart's and respond in essentially the same way to any given stimuli—the real difference is the degree of response due to the difference in hormonal environments. With the exception of those in possession of abnormally high levels of testosterone (whether naturally occurring or not), women cannot become largely muscled, so fear that strength training will produce this result is wholly unfounded.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Dr. Jim Martin paints a compelling picture to use it or lose it with regards to peak athletic performance. What are the key features of longevity and performance?
1. Maintain muscle mass.
2. Maintain intensity and consistency of exercise.
It’s interesting to note those objectives are intimately related.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Aimee Anaya, Casey Burgener, Natalie Woolfolk and others lift this weekend at the USA Weightlifting Senior National Championships. Best of luck to them all.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Box squats can be a great help in improving squat numbers. Pictured is Ricardo Costa, California State powerlifting champion and author of an article on box squats in Issue 28 of the Performance Menu.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Safe, incremental sun exposure may reduce the incidence Multiple Sclerosis and many types of cancer due to increased levels of Vitamin-D. Construction workers and other people who spend most of the year working outside show decreased rates of these diseases. The key is to avoid burning and to slowly increase exposure. BE smart and don’t overdo it!
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Get a little more overload on your squats by having your coach or training partner 'unload' the bar slightly through your sticking point. He or she should provide just enough pressure for just long enough to get you through, not lift the bar for you.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Even the Canadians are clueless! A comparison of a low glycemic load diet vs. the Canada Food Guide showed dramatic benefit in the low glycemic load approach. Time to get with it Eh?
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Throw those balls. Medicine balls can be thrown a number of ways, including backward from a swing, pushed vertically or horizontally with one or two arms, and forward or backward torso rotation.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
If you spend significant time on a computer you should consider a standing workstation. Why? Sitting with the legs bent in a chair shortens both the hamstrings and hip flexors. This leads to increased incidence of low back and knee pain. We looked into several models of standing workstations made specifically for computers and the price ranged from $700-4,000. These desks were ugly and obviously expensive. We found this pub table and chair at Ikea for about $200.
|
| |
| |
|
|
The Cinco de Mayo workout:
5 snatch - 50% 1RM
5 burpees
5 muscle-ups (or pull-ups)
5 1-arm kettlebell swing (per arm - 30% of bodyweight)
5 push press (75% of bodyweight)
-----
5 rounds
Perform prior to tequila consumption.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
To stretch the lateral hamstrings more, perform a basic hamstring stretch with one leg elevated on a box and rotate the hips into that leg.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Weight gain in its essence is far simpler than is commonly believed—eat more. If you're not gaining weight, you're not eating enough. If you're serious about gaining weight, eating must become part of your training—whether or not you enjoy it is immaterial. Pictured is a single meal of 10 eggs, 1 avocado, 1 tomato, spinach, 2 oranges and 2 apples.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Short on equipment and have a big group to train? A single dumbbell per client can go a long way.
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
Performance Menu Issue 28 is now available. This issue includes MMA fight preparation, how to coach the clean, an interview with Krista Scott of Stumptuous, a look at the box squat, and more recipes.
|
| |
| |
