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5 signs you might be training like a bafoon.

“Deadlift is a great lowerback exercise”

This is the most common thing I would say with bodybuilders or people who just deadlift without a coach.  Terminal rounding of the lowerback and post set or session stiffness of the lower back is not a good sign!

If you are just after doing a strongman competition or powerlifting competition then you just gotta do what needs done to get the weight shifted but in training chronic stiffness or pain after a deadlift sign is a one way ticket to snap city.

Solution – Drop the weight back to 50% and workout what your meant to be doing.

 

I only do compound exercises because it’s all you need to get big.

Why does almost every bodybuilder on the face of the planet do a huge amount of isolation and variation in their routine?  Because it is necessary to get the optimal muscular development from your training.

You can read all the articles on the internet you want written by fat or weak people sitting behind a keyboard supposing words and reality onto the screen.  Every person who trains for size professionally isn’t wrong.

Solution – If you want bigger shoulders do some raises, if you want bigger triceps do some pushdowns, if you want a bigger chest do some flys…. you get the idea

I don’t lift heavy because I only train for power!

Do you like having sex with only the tip of your penis?  Because that’s what your doing right now your only putting the tip in.  If you can’t squat your own body weight you don’t really have much to put into your power training.

Maximal strength is the foundation from where you can reap the benefits of strength and power training.  If your not a track and field athlete chances are your jump and running technique aren’t honed to the point where you can jump high and run fast because you move beautifully.  Chances are you don’t move beautifully if your 20 years and older I’m sorry but the ship has sailed we are pretty much making the best of what we got now.  And if you aren’t reasonably strong we are not working with much.

Maximal strength training makes up the majority of the shaft when it comes to training for power and speed with resistance so do yourself a favour and go balls deep so you can realise prolonged progression with your power training (if your a female athlete you can insert [see what I did there] your own metaphor here).

Solution – train all of the force velocity curve not just the fun bit.

I only train functional movements.

I bet you only eat grass fed beef as well?  Stop drinking the koolaid there is nothing in the weights room or training that isn’t functional.  Doing cardiovascular fitness on an eliptical machine is functional for improving lower levels of cardiac-respritory function and getting better at using the elliptical machine.  Training knee extension on a leg extension machine is pretty good for training your quadriceps your muscles don’t really care if they are putting force through the floor or into a nicely padded precor machine.  They contract against a load… that’s about it.

If you want to get good at doing shit on an unstable surface or using piss light weights in ridiculous planes of motion then functional training is extremely functional.

Solution – train for an objective outcome not to follow a weird movement cult.

I don’t Squat deep because it’s bad for my knees.

You don’t squat deep because you haven’t take the time to both get flexible and mobile enough to perform the movement correctly or you haven’t taken the time to learn how to perform the full movement with a good technique.  Let me rephrase that –

Lifting weights with the wrong technique is bad for your everything.

This same person would climb into someone for doing a bench press only half way down or doing a partial curl.  Guess what just because you change the joints you don’t change the rational.  Squatting with a full range of motion has a much greater carry over to almost every activity that isn’t squatting deep when compared to partial squatting.  Full squatting even makes you better at partial squatting than partial squatting.

 

Squat Depth and Vertical Jump Performance

Dr Hagen Hartmann et al of the University of Frankfurt looked at the effect of 2x a week, 10 week perodised training programme consisting of partial and full squats on Squat Jump, Counter movement jump, Rate of Force Development and maximal voluntary contraction.

33 women and 36 men where split into 4 groups – Deep Front Squat, Deep Back Squat, 1/4 Back Squat and Control.

After 10 week of training the following changes where realised.

Deep Front Squat – Significantly increased – Squat Jump, Counter movement jump, Maximal Strength in both deep squat and quarter squat, increased rate of force development and an increase in maximal voluntary contraction.

Deep Back Squat – Significantly increased – Squat Jump, Counter movement jump, Maximal Strength in both deep squat and quarter squat, increased rate of force development and an increase in maximal voluntary contraction.

1/4 Back SquatSignificantly decreased – Squat Jump, Counter movement jump, Maximal Strength in deep squat, significantly decreased  rate of force development and a de-training of  maximal voluntary contraction.  They significantly increased their 1/4 squat loads.

Control Group – Significantly decreased – Squat Jump, Counter movement jump, Maximal Strength in deep squat and 1/4, significantly decreased  rate of force development and a de-training of  maximal voluntary contraction.

So It would appear if you want jump lower, develop force slower, detrain strength in deep squat positions and detrain your maximal capacities then shallow squatting is the way to go.

Solution Squat all the way down you wet blanket.

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About Marc Keys

As a coach Marc's philosophy uses a minamilast approach that yields superior performance gains. Having worked as a coach for over 7 years providing support for athletes from over 30 sports (Olympic, Paralympic and commonwealth medallists) he has plenty of time to learn his craft.Marc currently works full time as a strength coach based in Edinburgh.A competitive power lifter for 5 years some carrer highlights include (2011 - British and Commonwealth Senior Champion, 2012 World Championship squad member for great britian and former holder of 3 British records). Marc Coaches strength and power sports in his spare time and continues to develop castironstrength.