Creator's Training Tip Thread

[PrinceVegeta]

Awesome tips man! that inner tube idea of tim is easy AND CHEAP way to get some rotator cuff warmups in!

 

[Bhana]

Tip 9 was gr8!!

 

[The Creator]

Tip 10

Squat right or dont squat at all! This tip comes in regards to my recent frustration with being surrounded by individuals squating with terrible form. The first thing that you have to make sure to do if you ever want to be a successful squater and have the best development possible is that your heels stay on the ground! Furthermore, the weight of the squat should be driven through the heel of the feet and NOT the ball of the foot. There is a couple reasons for this. When you keep the weight on your heels, it tends to put the force on the hip joint more and less on the knee joint. The Hip is a little more stable and strong than the knee so this is a huge plus! The next reason is for balanced muscles. When you keep the weight on the heels you will activate glutes and hamstrings more with sufficient quad stimulation as opposed to mostly quad usage if you drive through the balls of your feet. I would say that 95% of clients that I run a postural movement analysis on have underactive glutes so dont let this be you! The next thing to pay attention to is the upper body. You got to love it when you see a person doing a "squat" and it ends up looking more like a good morning because they lean over so far. This excess forward lean puts a tremendous amount of stress on the lower back and can also lead to herniated discs. As a general rule of thumb, your lower leg and your spine should line up parallel when you are at the bottom of your squat. Try having a buddy look at this for you or even video record yourself squatting sometime to make sure that you meet this criteria. Keeping your head up and shoulder blades together can help with this. If you find it difficult to do either of these refer to my foam rolling thread. If you struggle with excess forward lean, try placing a ten lb plate under your foot and do a body weight squat. If it is easier for you to stay upright with an elevated heel than you better find a foam roller and work those calves out! It is a sure fire sign that your calves are tighter than a nun!
In conclusion, the squat is a great exercise but make sure that you are doing it correctly for maximum results!

 

[PrinceVegeta]

Totally agree!

 

[bambam55]

Creator I'm so jealous of your avi .....

 

[The Creator]

haha thanks bam

 

[TJ]

I think that's a pretty good tip as far as squatting goes; it's pretty general but good none the less.

Only thing I'd like to add about the forward lean is tight hip flexors. Most people have tight hip flexors and even some elite athletes. So, low-load long duration stretches are good and psoas stretches, too. Most importantly, get off your butt and don't sit down for several hours every day.

 

[Braaq]

Great advice Creator, I see the same thing with squats as well. I also see those that lean over too far cannot break into a certain "poundage" they want to achieve with this being their inhibiting problem. You always want to eliminate a potential "weak link" and this being lower back in this instance. A more upright position will not only help you squat more, but will ensure that you will be squatting longer.

 

[PrinceVegeta]

^^ i had same trouble...but by incorporating front squats my form improved, u cant lean forward with front squats lol

 

[miamiracing]

i always used to use more the ball than the heel while increasing the weight.. i could get rid of it with putting a 10lbs plate under my heel for a while...

 

[The Creator]

I definitely wouldnt recommend getting in the habit of elevating the heel during squats. It is a muscle imbalance that should be addressed.

 

[PrinceVegeta]

Wont it hurt ur lower back more if u use plates onder ur heels while squatting?

 

[miamiracing]

I definitely wouldnt recommend getting in the habit of elevating the heel during squats. It is a muscle imbalance that should be addressed.

well thats how i could get rid of mine.. i did it for like 3-4 workouts and since then i don't "need" it anymore..

do you have any tips for triceps? ala Horseshoe triceps super pump or something

 

[Papa G]

Creator.. haha..Can't agree more with tip10! let's lift on friday or saturday! I'll try to head over that way again by then.. i know i can on saturday for sure!

 

[The Creator]

well thats how i could get rid of mine.. i did it for like 3-4 workouts and since then i don't "need" it anymore..

do you have any tips for triceps? ala Horseshoe triceps super pump or something

Ah the horseshoe! I seem to recognized quite a bit for triceps and I swear by close grip bench press and skull crushers. Make sure that your hands have about six inches (at a minimum) between them. Also, make sure that you dont go all the way down to your chest on a close grip. For the skull crushers, rather than having your arms perpendicular to your body, decrease the angle of your arm to body from 90 degrees to about 75. This will take stress off the shoulders

 

[The Creator]

Creator.. haha..Can't agree more with tip10! let's lift on friday or saturday! I'll try to head over that way again by then.. i know i can on saturday for sure!

Get your ass over here and lets practice tip 1 concerning scapular contraction on a killer back workout

 

[The Creator]

I'm pulling together some definitive research about de-loading, so check back soon for the next tip!

 

[tim290280]

You should be busy applying for Dave Palumbo's old job. This thread is far superior to his tip of the week.

 

[PrinceVegeta]

^^ X2

 

[Hypocrisy86]

You should be busy applying for Dave Palumbo's old job. This thread is far superior to his tip of the week.

x3