After reading Eric Cressey's latest article at T-Nation, I decided to scroll through the questions and see what people wanted more information about. As always, there's a guy on there purporting the benefits of loaded spinal flexion training (i.e. round back deads, stiff-leg deads, etc.)
Now, before people flake out on me, understand that I'm a realist here. I understand that spinal flexion does occur at some points in time. On a maximal deadlift, there might be some loss of your arch, neutral spine, or even a slight movement into flexion. This isn't the goal though! I believe the research clear states that elite level powerlifters kinesteically know and understand to stay out of end-range flexion (the last 2-3 degrees).
So why, when leading researchers and even coaches tell you to stay out of loaded flexion, do some people continue to purport it? I'd imagine the key here is that they've probably never been injured before. I've often met people who claim to have a "strong back" and they get away with all the no-no's of lifting.
My question then becomes, so what happens when you DO get injured? Did your back all of a sudden become weak?
Whether it's an acute thing or something more chronic, I'm not willing to take that risk with my body. After all, poor strength training may not catch up to you for years - but when it does I'd imagine you'll wish you had trained a little bit smarter.
Stay strong
MR
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Nasty
A little training motivation for the weekend - you've got to respect Captain Kirk!
Stay strong
MR
Stay strong
MR
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The new site is up!
I know, I know - I've been slacking on the blog. But I HAVEN'T been slacking on other things. Check it out:
The NEW Robertson Training Systems website
The new material includes:
- A training blog which I'll be trying to update a few times per week.
- A video clips page for my online clients and others who want to improve upon their exercise technique
- A schedule page that isn't buried!
- A resources page that will keep you up to date with what I'm reading and recommending
It's obviously a work in progress, but hopefully you see where I'm going with this. It will take time, but I want this site to be the best that it can be.
Enjoy!
Stay strong
MR
The NEW Robertson Training Systems website
The new material includes:
- A training blog which I'll be trying to update a few times per week.
- A video clips page for my online clients and others who want to improve upon their exercise technique
- A schedule page that isn't buried!
- A resources page that will keep you up to date with what I'm reading and recommending
It's obviously a work in progress, but hopefully you see where I'm going with this. It will take time, but I want this site to be the best that it can be.
Enjoy!
Stay strong
MR
Monday, March 10, 2008
Q&A with Geoff Neupert
Below is a Q&A question from Geoff's interview that we didn't receive in time to make the newsletter. If you want to post questions to our interviewees, make sure to send them in early!
Q: As an olympic lifter, it is taken for granted that you will go to the deepest squatting level possible, ie calves touching hamstrings. (Q) How do you feel about holding that position unloaded to rest, as is a popular pose in asia, instead of sitting as we westerners are notorious for?
...I have read some information that advises against this because of the levering effect the knees are subjected to in the bottom position. Of course I have also read articles that suggest that this is a great pose to regularly assume, and given that olympic lifters do get in this position while heavily loaded would suggest that it is safe.
A: I have two questions in response to your question:
"Why do you want to hold this position as those in Asia do--what is your expected outcome for doing so?"
Do you intend to assume this position in order to increase your OL mobility?
As an OL myself, I taught myself to transition from a PL style-squat to an OL squat by doing the very same thing you are suggesting, in a "grease-the-groove" style program (see Pavel's "Naked Warrior" for more info on GTG), so I think it's an outstanding idea. However, there are some major caveats here:
As OL's, we do not sit in the bottom position--we drop into it and explode out of it and under load. The governing rule of physiological adaptation is the SAID Principle--Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Which means you will ALWAYS get EXACTLY what you train for. So, if you want to be good at sitting in the hole, then sit in the hole for a long period of time. I personally don't want to be good at sitting in the hole--I want to be great at exploding out of the hole with as much weight as possible.
Upon closer inspection, position wise, the Asian "squat sit" is different from the OL Squat. The Asians sit with their tales tucked under them and their chests collapsed--EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the position we need to maintain in the hole with weight over our heads or across our shoulders. Refering back to point number 1, if you practice this squat for extended periods of time, then it is very likely that this will interfere with your OL technique.
So, your best bet to increase your OL squat mobility is to do what I did--short, fatigue-free sessions of bodyweight squatting, concentrating on awareness in that position. Mike and I wrote an article for T-Nation awhile back, "Olympic v. Powerlifting Squats." Check out the "Prying" we discuss.
Q: As an olympic lifter, it is taken for granted that you will go to the deepest squatting level possible, ie calves touching hamstrings. (Q) How do you feel about holding that position unloaded to rest, as is a popular pose in asia, instead of sitting as we westerners are notorious for?
...I have read some information that advises against this because of the levering effect the knees are subjected to in the bottom position. Of course I have also read articles that suggest that this is a great pose to regularly assume, and given that olympic lifters do get in this position while heavily loaded would suggest that it is safe.
A: I have two questions in response to your question:
"Why do you want to hold this position as those in Asia do--what is your expected outcome for doing so?"
Do you intend to assume this position in order to increase your OL mobility?
As an OL myself, I taught myself to transition from a PL style-squat to an OL squat by doing the very same thing you are suggesting, in a "grease-the-groove" style program (see Pavel's "Naked Warrior" for more info on GTG), so I think it's an outstanding idea. However, there are some major caveats here:
As OL's, we do not sit in the bottom position--we drop into it and explode out of it and under load. The governing rule of physiological adaptation is the SAID Principle--Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Which means you will ALWAYS get EXACTLY what you train for. So, if you want to be good at sitting in the hole, then sit in the hole for a long period of time. I personally don't want to be good at sitting in the hole--I want to be great at exploding out of the hole with as much weight as possible.
Upon closer inspection, position wise, the Asian "squat sit" is different from the OL Squat. The Asians sit with their tales tucked under them and their chests collapsed--EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of the position we need to maintain in the hole with weight over our heads or across our shoulders. Refering back to point number 1, if you practice this squat for extended periods of time, then it is very likely that this will interfere with your OL technique.
So, your best bet to increase your OL squat mobility is to do what I did--short, fatigue-free sessions of bodyweight squatting, concentrating on awareness in that position. Mike and I wrote an article for T-Nation awhile back, "Olympic v. Powerlifting Squats." Check out the "Prying" we discuss.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Back in action...
Sorry for the delay, but the Aussie trip has totally wrecked me on the back end! I felt great the whole time I was there, but the last couple of days have been rough.
Just in case you're not signed up for my newsletter, here's a link to today's. In this I discuss some upcoming seminars, a teleseminar I'm taking part in (which starts really soon!), and an exclusive interview with the one and only Dave Tate. Check it out here:
February 28th Newsletter
Enjoy!
Stay strong
MR
Just in case you're not signed up for my newsletter, here's a link to today's. In this I discuss some upcoming seminars, a teleseminar I'm taking part in (which starts really soon!), and an exclusive interview with the one and only Dave Tate. Check it out here:
February 28th Newsletter
Enjoy!
Stay strong
MR
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Random thoughts...
Today has been totally random so far, so here are some random thoughts on my end:
- Congrats again to the UHS girls b-ball team. They gave a gutty performance in game 1 of their regional, falling behind 27-14 in the second quarter. The other team simply could not miss from three point range! They weathered the storm, made a few key runs of their own, and won the first game 61-53 (or something like that).
I didn't get to attend the evening game (I went to IU vs. MSU), but it wasn't even close - I heard it was a 20 point win. Congrats ladies!
The next opponent is a good one - the 4th ranked team in 1A, but I feel like our girls are coming together at the perfect time. More importantly, they can play at a speed and intensity level that wears on girls over the course of the game. Good luck this weekend girls, and if you win I'll be at state!
- No one should ever travel with me; every time I try to get on a plane there's a delay.
- I think people are starting to figure out this whole warm-up/mobility thing, now if they could only fix their programs!
We all know the first exercise may be the most important; here are some first exercise selections I saw in the gym today:
Curls on a bosu ball
Seated hip abductor machine
Machine preacher curls
Hell, I'd rather see someone bench - at least it would be a compound movement!
That's it for now. As many of you know I'm on my way to Australia today, so I'll do my best to blog from the road. I even have the digital camera to help chronicle my trip, so we'll see if I can't git-r-done!
Stay strong
MR
- Congrats again to the UHS girls b-ball team. They gave a gutty performance in game 1 of their regional, falling behind 27-14 in the second quarter. The other team simply could not miss from three point range! They weathered the storm, made a few key runs of their own, and won the first game 61-53 (or something like that).
I didn't get to attend the evening game (I went to IU vs. MSU), but it wasn't even close - I heard it was a 20 point win. Congrats ladies!
The next opponent is a good one - the 4th ranked team in 1A, but I feel like our girls are coming together at the perfect time. More importantly, they can play at a speed and intensity level that wears on girls over the course of the game. Good luck this weekend girls, and if you win I'll be at state!
- No one should ever travel with me; every time I try to get on a plane there's a delay.
- I think people are starting to figure out this whole warm-up/mobility thing, now if they could only fix their programs!
We all know the first exercise may be the most important; here are some first exercise selections I saw in the gym today:
Curls on a bosu ball
Seated hip abductor machine
Machine preacher curls
Hell, I'd rather see someone bench - at least it would be a compound movement!
That's it for now. As many of you know I'm on my way to Australia today, so I'll do my best to blog from the road. I even have the digital camera to help chronicle my trip, so we'll see if I can't git-r-done!
Stay strong
MR
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Testimonials
Building the Efficient Athlete:
This is a must for anyone looking to work with athletes or general fitness. Mike and Eric do a great job of addressing functional anatomy/biomechanics and various assements that can be done to help the trainer design better programs. This product should be in any serious trainers library
Magnificiant Mobility:
Great DVD outlining various dynamic flexibility exercise that could be included any client warm-ups to give them great results for improving their mobility and function. This DVD gives you a lot of great ideas to include in getting your clients ready to workout, while improving on an often neglected part of many client workouts - utilizing the warm-up.
Inside Out:
Great DVD going over various exercises to help improve upper body mobility, especially thoracic spine and scapula. This DVD outlines some great exercises that are often overlooked and not addressed in many programs. This DVD should be in any trainers toolbox - outstanding product.
Keep turning out these great products!
Thanks
Jeff Fellure, MS, CSCS, PES
Performance Enhancement Director
Results By Design, LLC
This is a must for anyone looking to work with athletes or general fitness. Mike and Eric do a great job of addressing functional anatomy/biomechanics and various assements that can be done to help the trainer design better programs. This product should be in any serious trainers library
Magnificiant Mobility:
Great DVD outlining various dynamic flexibility exercise that could be included any client warm-ups to give them great results for improving their mobility and function. This DVD gives you a lot of great ideas to include in getting your clients ready to workout, while improving on an often neglected part of many client workouts - utilizing the warm-up.
Inside Out:
Great DVD going over various exercises to help improve upper body mobility, especially thoracic spine and scapula. This DVD outlines some great exercises that are often overlooked and not addressed in many programs. This DVD should be in any trainers toolbox - outstanding product.
Keep turning out these great products!
Thanks
Jeff Fellure, MS, CSCS, PES
Performance Enhancement Director
Results By Design, LLC
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