Creator's Training Tip Thread

[PrizeFighteR]

I've never caught myself doing this but I will definitely keep a closer eye for it. Any more bench strength tips will be greatly appreciated because I'm gunning for 275 by New Years!

Creator how do you like your major? It seems very interesting, is it difficult?

 

[bambam55]

great tip, you guys dont want to tear a meniscus, its not the end of the world but its certainly not any fun.

Creator- congrats on finishing up. Will you be graduating this semester or in may? Are you thinking about grad school?

 

[Braaq]

Can you give me a tip on how to strengthen my Cremaster muscle? Also, any tips on how I can get more reps out with my penis push-ups? I am at a plateau. Thanks buddy

 

[Lionheart]

^Its called cock push-ups you n00b

 

[The Creator]

Prize- I really like it! It is definitely getting tough but all the information ties together nicely and it is very interesting.

Bam- I wont be graduating until next spring. At this point I will most likely be entering grad school for an MS in human performance.

Braaq- The cremaster muscle is often difficult to contract properly. It is usually found to hypertrophy most in those with frequent nocturnal emissions. biggrinsanta Take that and lionhearts suggestion into consideration!

 

[tim290280]

Weightlifters refer to this as the decceleration phase of the lockout. You essentially want the bar to have become weightless as you lock it out because your body has caught it at the same time as it has reached its apex. A good way to practice is with an unloaded bar after having performed a plyometric exercise. An example would be explosive/clapping pushups followed by unloaded bar benching.

 

[TJ]

I've never caught myself doing this but I will definitely keep a closer eye for it. Any more bench strength tips will be greatly appreciated because I'm gunning for 275 by New Years!

I hope I'm not stepping on Creator's toes but just some basic tips:

Leg drive - Basically, you want to drive your heels into the ground while still keeping your butt on the bench. Keep your glutes tight and upper back tight (like you just discovered) and your body will have a much more solid base to press off of.

Upper back work - Keep doing a lot of upper back work and hit your upper back frequently while keeping volume the same. For example, instead of doing 3-4 upper back movements in one day spread them out over the course of 2 or 3 days. Also, remember to incorporate proper scapulae depression and retraction when doing rows or pulldown/pull up movements

Core - Do things that will hit your core but not any type of crunch. Pallof press and pallof press isometric holds, hip thrusts, pillar bridges, etc.

Lockout strength - Even if your triceps are not a sticking point in the movement do a lot of lockout movements for your bench (board presses, reverse band presses, floor presses, presses with chains, etc). This will help overload the CNS which will in turn increase all lifts, increase confidence and increase your ability to strain while still thinking your way through the lift.

 

[Braaq]

^Its called cock push-ups you n00b

I like to use the scientific term for it ok.... santaroll

 

[PrinceVegeta]

I hope I'm not stepping on Creator's toes but just some basic tips:

Leg drive - Basically, you want to drive your heels into the ground while still keeping your butt on the bench. Keep your glutes tight and upper back tight (like you just discovered) and your body will have a much more solid base to press off of.

Upper back work - Keep doing a lot of upper back work and hit your upper back frequently while keeping volume the same. For example, instead of doing 3-4 upper back movements in one day spread them out over the course of 2 or 3 days. Also, remember to incorporate proper scapulae depression and retraction when doing rows or pulldown/pull up movements

Core - Do things that will hit your core but not any type of crunch. Pallof press and pallof press isometric holds, hip thrusts, pillar bridges, etc.

Lockout strength - Even if your triceps are not a sticking point in the movement do a lot of lockout movements for your bench (board presses, reverse band presses, floor presses, presses with chains, etc). This will help overload the CNS which will in turn increase all lifts, increase confidence and increase your ability to strain while still thinking your way through the lift.

Nice suggestions TJ! useful stuff!

 

[JS316]

Thanks Creator. I just tried some press ups with scapular retraction and found them bloody hard but definitely felt more in the pecs. I'm sure it will get easier with practice.
I'm very interested to see if it helps the pushing movements I have in my sport rugby. I just don't know how i'm gonna train myself to apply this movement while playing as you have no time to think.Got any suggestions?

 

[The Creator]

Thanks Creator. I just tried some press ups with scapular retraction and found them bloody hard but definitely felt more in the pecs. I'm sure it will get easier with practice.
I'm very interested to see if it helps the pushing movements I have in my sport rugby. I just don't know how i'm gonna train myself to apply this movement while playing as you have no time to think.Got any suggestions?

As you said, it would be very difficult to consciously retract the scapulae in in a split second situation. However, as you train for scapular retraction/depression, the position of the scapula at rest will change. Make sure that you are executing your rows with this principle applied and it is important to make sure you are stretching your chest often. If you do these two things, the rhomboids and trap 3 will naturally tighten (make sure to include chest stretching) and pull your scapula into a retracted state so you dont have to think about doing it so much in those sport specific situations. I would also recommend strengthening your serratus anterior (scapular pushups, pullovers, etc.) as this muscle helps to stabilize scapula and thus will help in those instant burst pressing situations.

 

[TJ]

With all this talk about rowing and scapula depression/retraction I think this is the perfect article to throw in here. One of my fav's:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1744957

Mike addresses the proper way to row and then will show some very common mistakes you see in the gym. One things for sure, you will probably have to drop the weight quite a bit but it's definitely worth it!

 

[The Creator]

^^ Nice link bro!

Tip 3
Always always always dorsiflex the feet at the ankle when doing hamstring curls.
This is something that I rarely see in the gym. Dorsiflexion is when the foot is flexed toward the body as opposed to plantarflexion where the toes are pointed away from the body (see pic below). I will often have a client do a hamstring curl and they always seem to plantarflex their feet to assist with the movement. When complete, I ask where they felt it and they point to there gastrocnemius aka calves. To fully understand why we must always dorsiflex while doing hamstring curls, we must understand the anatomy of the posterior leg. The gastrocnemius (calves) attach superior (above) the knee joint. Therefore, the calves CAN most definitely assist in flexion of the knee joint. Clients are amazed at the difference this small adjustment can make towards hamstring stimulation and to be honest, I was too. In conclusion, save your gastrocs for their intended exercises and get the most out of your hamstring curls!

 

[Samoan-Z]

^^ Nice link bro!

Tip 3
Always always always dorsiflex the feet at the ankle when doing hamstring curls.
This is something that I rarely see in the gym. Dorsiflexion is when the foot is flexed toward the body as opposed to plantarflexion where the toes are pointed away from the body (see pic below). I will often have a client do a hamstring curl and they always seem to plantarflex their feet to assist with the movement. When complete, I ask where they felt it and they point to there gastrocnemius aka calves. To fully understand why we must always dorsiflex while doing hamstring curls, we must understand the anatomy of the posterior leg. The gastrocnemius (calves) attach superior (above) the knee joint. Therefore, the calves CAN most definitely assist in flexion of the knee joint. Clients are amazed at the difference this small adjustment can make towards hamstring stimulation and to be honest, I was too. In conclusion, save your gastrocs for their intended exercises and get the most out of your hamstring curls!

With that said is it more beneficial to elevate your toes during a SLDL?

 

[The Creator]

With that said is it more beneficial to elevate your toes during a SLDL?

I dont think you need to elevate them because the feet naturally go into slight dorsiflexion as the tibia tilts forward. However, you should make sure that you drive through your heels and heels absolutely must stay on the ground the whole time.

 

[Achilles]

Great tips man

 

[tim290280]

With that said is it more beneficial to elevate your toes during a SLDL?

No it actually decreases recruitment of some of the muscles.
http://www.musclemecca.com/showthread.php/legs-do-now-34836.html

 

[The Creator]

Tip 4

Always make sure that your shoulder press movements are indeed over your head. I know it sounds elementary to grasp this understanding yet I rarely see the shoulder press executed properly. The classic wrong way to do a shoulder press (standing or seated) involves putting the lumbar spine into extreme lordosis, moving the head back while looking up, and essentially doing an incline press. I have nothing against an incline press, but when it comes time to work the delts, lets actually make sure we are working all of the deltoid. This is obviously leads to the fact that I am opposed to smith machine presses. When a proper overhead press is executed, the arms should align with the ears (when the head is upright) at the top of the movement. The problem arises when you lean back and do this half overhead half incline chest press. This is a great movement for the anterior (front) muscles but neglects the posterior (back) musculature. It is in this situation where deviations are created and somebody starts complaining about a bugged rotator cuff. This movement is easily executed with dumbells but what about a barbell? Whether standing or seated, the bar should be pressed from the chin to the top of the head and then "up and over" the middle of the head so the arms line with the ears. This may cause instability at first so start light and build your way up. This will lead to increase hypertrophy in the deltoid as a whole and decrease both back injury and pain as well as rotator cuff problems!

Example of a correct overhead press (discussion and advice aside)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sebbhlKhs2E

Could be worse but, an example of a not so good overhead press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIpNTb2-594&feature=related

and lulz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAOb93YGqCY&feature=related

 

[tim290280]

Whether standing or seated, the bar should be pressed from the chin to the top of the head and then "up and over" the middle of the head so the arms line with the ears.

This also relates to the structure of the shoulder in that you have to keep the arms in the scapular plane until past parrallel before moving the arms back so that you don't grind the bones of the shoulder together. Lateral raises should thusly be performed in the scapular plane.

 

[The Creator]

Tip 5

When doing sit ups, try putting your feet up on a wall. For those of you looking for an effective way to improve abs, try this tip for a change. Lay down on the floor as you normally would, but place yourself by a wall and put your feet up on a wall so that your hip and knee joint are at 90 degrees when laying down flat. By doing this you virtually eliminate the usage of hip flexor muscles, namely the iliopsoas complex, that can contribute to unwanted work during the movement. To add a little extra challenge do this holding up a plate in front of your face. Make sure that the movement is slow and controlled and that you squeeze for a half second at the top! The psoas muscles are generally way to tight and overworked in most individuals so make sure that you are working the muscles that you want to rather than having those unwanted muscles steal the stimuli!