Future's Q & A

[Future]

Future your the king of squats so i think you might be able to help me on this one...

im tall 6'3 and i find it hard to recruit my posterior chain(hamstrings/glutes) during squats. Even when i go ham to calve it turns into a quad and lower back movement for me. Ive been lowering the bar down to my rear delts as well. As before it was a lot higher up. Im stuck around 495 for 5 good reps but after that my back cant keep up. I know i have more leg strength. With the help of with hammies and glutes i know i could get more but i can never seem to feel them during squats. Any tips? But on the other hand when i do fronts i feel it in my hams and glutes just fine.

Thanks big guy!

Spread eagle situps, crunches with pauses at the top, low pulley kickbacks and hypers, hypers, hypers.

Abs 2-3 times a week. Low pulley and hypers twice a week. Simple 3-4 sets of 10 reps NOT to fail will help. AND STRETCH. If you can put up a vid of your form that would help a bit as well.

 

[Future]

Delts struggling? Try this for a few weeks.

I have read things like this before. This is a NON DC shoulder routine. I would only do this once a week. Someone with better recovery might be able to do it on a rotating routine of 3 sessions in 2 weeks.


You can use whatever equipment you have handy. The movements are what really matters. If you can't do upright rows substitute for slow rep shrugs or Kelso rows.
warm up rotators, light sp work 1x20


Delt Blast: One NASTY SET!
Smith Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
Upright Rows 8-12 reps
Smith Shoulder Press 6-8 reps (less reps cause of fatigue)
Upright Rows 6-8 reps
Smith Shoulder Press 4-6 reps
Upright Rows 4-6 reps
21's (dumbell laterals done in 3 directions)


STRETCH. DONE. You can drop the weight if you need to as the sets progress because of fatigue as well. It all depends on what you can do.
Again, there are lots of routines. This is just one.

 

[Future]

Tricep Blast
Swissball Dumbell Skullcrushers (that's a dumbell in EACH hand) do as many reps as you'd like but in a higher range of 12-15 reps. Then go straight to tricep pushdowns. Don't lock out. Smooth and controlled reps. 5 cnt up...5 cnt down. Same idea for reps. Once you are done STRETCH! Take a dumbell like a one arm dumbell overhead ext and just let the dumbell hang for about 30 sec each arm.


Repeat for 2 more sets.


Last thing:
JM Press or Rev Grip Press for high reps. 1 set. 15+ reps. Stretch. If you hit 30 reps great.
There is nothing magical about this routine. Just another idea. Skullcrushers are the best tricep exercise that I know of. I totally recommend them. The swiss ball is just more comfortable than the bench.

 

[Future]

Foot placement for leg press or hacks
People can seemingly perform their reps on the leg press or hack squats without much consideration to their foot placement.

1. High placement will bring in the glutes and ham more. A person must be careful while lowering the weight that their body doesn't role up causing potential damage to the lower back. Drive hard with the heals when extending.

2. Low placement can be really productive for the quads. Generally it can be very dangerous because the toes will be moving much further past the knees. Go light with higher reps to avoid any patella damage.

These two placements can create additional exercises for people with limited equipment.

 

[Future]

Squatting: depth, bar placement and stance.
If you are getting bored with the standard back squat and want some variety you can change up some things.

* Depth
* Bar Placement
* Stance

Your depth doesn't have to be DEEEEP all the time. For some it just isn't possible. Work always within the ROM that is comfortable for you. But using overloads or partials can really increase you confidence and overall power in time. Doing super deep reps and coming up half way keeps so much tension on the quads you will look like Platz's little brother or sister. Obviously there is ever range in between. Using 3-4 different depths obviously creates 3-4 different squat movements.

Bar placement can be high bar, bar of traps or on the rear delts like a powerlifter. And ever in the front for front squats. These different placement require you to respect them as you get the feel for them. Conventionally a power stance using the low bar placement keeps the bar in the center of gravity with your hips to lift MORE which is ideal for powerlifter. IT can also cause micro damage to your shoulders as well. High bar squats force you to maintain a very upright position which is great for the quads and glutes. This would be more for a bodybuilder or Olympic style lifter. The mid range tends to be more for the norm. It is usually when people use a pad on the bar because placing at the base of the traps can dig into the back.

Foot placement is just how narrow or wide you stand. I don't really think there is a specific benefit with any stance but I do think the variety makes for more complete leg development.

Take these three concepts to make squatting fresh and develop a more well rounded leg training scheme.

 

[Future]

Back Tips
Many have seen the knowledge of using different angles in training back. There is a rowing type movement, a pulldown type movement and a stretch.

* Consistently do your rows and pulldowns with a shoulder width grip.
* Try to tuck the elbows in as you pull them behind you and squeeze your shoulder blades.
* Use a pullover movement to finish off the back. It is great support for the rotator cuffs. Also it supports that last small motion of the row and pulldown: squeezing the elbows back and the blades together.

 

[Future]

5 Reasons We Fail
1. Overtraining by training too often, too heavy and/or too long.


2. Not eating enough or just the right nutrient balance to reach your goals.


3. Neglecting the post workout nutrition.


4. Not stretching to facilitate easy growth.


5. Not spending enough planning time to reach your goals.

 

[Future]

Rep Schemes
So many choices. We search for that MAGICAL system that will put us over the top. Let's get real. THERE ISNT ONE! The system that works best is one that makes you stronger over time, keeps your motivation high and hopefully allows you to grow injury free.

What are the options? The sky is the limit. I was talked about changing the position of the bar and the foot stance to make a myriad of different squat styles. Reps are not really different. You can rest pause, drop set, do partials, high rep sets and on and on.

THEY KEY IS TO TRY SOMETHING LONG ENOUGH TO SEE IF IT HAS MERIT IN YOUR TRAINING.

I would say that barring any crazy scheme 6-8 weeks would be sufficient to let you know if what you are doing is a keeper. From there it can be something to add to your arsenal.

YES, I cruise and take a break from my DC training. I do. It's mentally brutal at times. There is nothing wrong with that. A big forgotten concept in training is MOTIVATION. That word can keep you on course for success.

 

[PrinceVegeta]

Awesome thread mate!! quality information for sure!!

Question...routine for building outer chest without using dips..cant do them because of shoulder injury

 

[Future]

Awesome thread mate!! quality information for sure!!

Question...routine for building outer chest without using dips..cant do them because of shoulder injury

Quality stretching with flyes and calbes will help. Illegal grip bench pressing is great but go lighter with high reps to protect the AC joint and rotator cuffs. Try doing oncline pressing to the throat in a smith machine with a very wide grip as well. AGAIN, the wider you go be careful with the shoulders.

Slow down the rep speed and control the weight. Do more reps. Get a quality burn.

 

[Ironslave]

Cool posts dude, great to see you back here

 

[PrinceVegeta]

Thanx for the advice....u advice flat or incline flye's? which one is safer/better??

 

[Future]

Either is fine. If one bothers you dont do it. The idea is a nice range of motion with controlling the weight.

 

[Beau]

whats your recommendation for a natural lifter (reason i say that is for rest/recuperation purposes) on lagging legs. Exercises, sets, reps etc

 

[Future]

future i'm glad you mentioned dumbbell skulls 'cause traditional version with a bar feels very awkward for me and the dumbbells have a much more natural feeling to the lift. but i have a question about the movement: where do you lower the dumbbells too? Normally i've been lowering them till the dumbbell hits/is next to my ear, should i lower them as far back as i can go, or stop at my head/ear?

thanks

No problem. The bar is always an option but for the right person. Dumbells can go back as far as you are comfortable with. A rolling tricep extension actually places the dumbell on the floor flat for each rep upon extension.

 

[Future]

That's Interesting stuff future; keep it coming! Hey, is there any way to emphasize the lateral (outer side) of the biceps? Mine are pretty full on the inside, but rather flat on the outside. Basically, I want to (also) make the biceps apear "wider/thicker" when viewed from the front. Are hammers good for this? Also, What abt the lower part? My biceps are up high on the arm, and quite "peakey". There is quite a gap between the bottom of the muscle and the elbow. I guess what I mean is I want the muscle to appear longer. I've read that hammers ARE good for this. I used to do reverse curls and preachers with full extension for this with moderate results. This may be largley genetic, but any help is appriciated.

Shape is preterminded from birth that is for sure. I would say to try using some rep variety along with more exercises. Using a rotation of exercises over time can narrow down what tends to work for you. Personally I like mostly dumbell spider or preachers, cable curls and machine curls. I do mostly unilateral work. Patience is the next thing you need to add to your training because it just takes time. And don't forget to eat and stretch! Good luck!

 

[Future]

whats your recommendation for a natural lifter (reason i say that is for rest/recuperation purposes) on lagging legs. Exercises, sets, reps etc

I would train the bodypart 1-2 times per week and considering adding active recovery days to help stimulate the growth for 4-6 weeks. Like doing pushups every day for the upper body etc. It doesn't have to be dramatic in regards to your active recovery but it can help over time.

The sets and reps should be geared toward your individual recovery. Large bodypart: 10 total sets. Smaller: 4-6 total sets.

I also like intensity techniques like negatives, static holds, stripdowns and rest pausing. Add 1-2 of these techniques per work out.

Reps can vary easily. I like 3-100 But generally, try getting somewhere in the 8-12 range. You can plus and minus it from there to see how your respond.

 

[Future]

Hey Future I got one for ya. Im 6'2".....legs are long and torso is not short, but my legs take up some of the height.....

I wanna do squats and I have been starting off slow and low with the weights until I get the technique down.....Right now I am putting a bench in between my legs and squatting until my butt gets near the bench (basically like a spotter for me)

Is this an ok technique to use to build up my squatting......Do you have any tips that might help??? I did notice widening my stance helped.....I used to try keeping my legs close like Arnold did but I could keep my balance well and my heels kept coming off the ground....

I watched Trop's DVD again and noticed his wide stance and gave it a shot, so far its good, but I still need to work on it.....

Thanks for the help!

Yes, that is not a bad concept at all. Be careful with it though. Don't get caught on the bench and watch LOOKING for the bench and not focusing on the weight.

I like varied stances and bar rides. Those two aspects can make many variations for squatting.

I had a small ACL tear years back and all I could do was partials for about 1/4 of the movement. I would do 8-10 count negatives with that small movement...it helped my recovery and mindset.

 

[Future]

Future your the king of squats so i think you might be able to help me on this one...

im tall 6'3 and i find it hard to recruit my posterior chain(hamstrings/glutes) during squats. Even when i go ham to calve it turns into a quad and lower back movement for me. Ive been lowering the bar down to my rear delts as well. As before it was a lot higher up. Im stuck around 495 for 5 good reps but after that my back cant keep up. I know i have more leg strength. With the help of with hammies and glutes i know i could get more but i can never seem to feel them during squats. Any tips? But on the other hand when i do fronts i feel it in my hams and glutes just fine.

Thanks big guy!

Spread eagle situps, crunches with pauses at the top, low pulley kickbacks and hypers, hypers, hypers.

Abs 2-3 times a week. Low pulley and hypers twice a week. Simple 3-4 sets of 10 reps NOT to fail will help. AND STRETCH. If you can put up a vid of your form that would help a bit as well.

 

[Lionheart]

Excellent thread
That shoulder blast looks interesting.