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Messages - AlexV

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1
I agree raptor.  Of course I have a bit of a WGF/Gait Guys Skew so the barefoot training, vibrams, and training foot function is not that new to me.  I wrote a series about it a while ago.  Loooong while ago.  The series was ripped off and turned into a book on amazon :(  I don't see too much new information in his material that Chris K, the gait guys, bosch and klomp haven covered. 

Basically you want a strong stable core, powerful glutes, hamstrings, quads, good foot function WITH ankle stiffness.  center your training around that and you should be fine.




2
First thing I need to say is i didn;t watch the whole video so this is a half assed response... but some of the info and images were annoying me.

not sure if I buy what he is selling.  All high level athletes have these curved toes?  Is that because they are high level athletes or because they wear athletic shoes all day.  Look at a womens feet.  the ones that cram their feet into dress high heel shoes have curved toes.  The ladies that wear flip flops all day tend to have straight toes (no foot fetish, I just watch people move all day long).  Also looking at calluses is only half the story.  the foot is where the rubber meets the road.  literally.  but the engine comes around the hips.  so are the similar calluses the function of the foot or are they a result of the function of the hip muscles and their impact on leg swing and gait patterns.  In other words the foot doesn't necessarily dictate where it strikes and toes off (your calluses) it is the hip and core that mainly influence that.

Dwayne Wade lands on his heel, now I am not a big basketball fan so I have not analyzed his movement BUT the photo they chose you can clearly see that wade is about to change direction.  You do not change direction on your toes very well (not enough traction esp at full speed on the toes).  So to turn you need to slow down.  That involves braking forces and getting your COG behind your foot.  When we accelerate our COG is in front of the foot strike.  So Wade is slowing down and turning.  EVERY player in that instance would be heel striking.

I am not saying he is wrong but with an olympian, multi nba championship winner, all star, and probably future HOFer there sure should be a better photo showing wade heel striking during acceleration.

So foot function is important... Yes, We've been talking about it for years.  Broad generality here: You accelerate on forefoot, maintain speed on forefoot-mid foot, and slow down on heels (unless your name is reggie bush, then the rules go our the window)

I could make a video selling the foot and ankle as the key to high level football playing.  In it I could say that after evaluating a ton of NFL athletes that the commonality is they all have little to no ankle rocker (BTW this is true, it is a horrible weakness).  So is that why they are in the league OR is it because they tape the shit out of their ankles so they are basically walking around in casts 3-5 hours a day?  I could also say the key to being a lineman is having a flat foot (most do) but is that why they are in the league or because their foot experiences high forces and they weigh ~300lbs.  Most people around 300 have flat feet.  See what I am getting at.

Again i didn't watch the whole video and there could be some great info but...


3
squat with less intensity. leave yourself enough gas for the jumping drills.

most vert trainees really screw things up by wanting so much so soon.

Ahh Correct!

Similar to what I posted int the reverse transfer thread.  Follow a simple, long term approach to strength training.  Be patient with it.  And of course if dunking is your goal you must jump.  Jumping is SPP or practice for someone interested in dunking.

Lifting wihtout jumping to improve your dunks is like squatting without practicing football and expecting to be a better football player.  The key is the strength/general work should not be so intense that it interferes with the practice of your chosen sport (SPP)


4
Article & Video Discussion / Re: Reverse transfer effect of training
« on: December 04, 2013, 03:38:50 pm »
Bingisser's bondarchuck approach is interesting.

Research shows us that high speed work Moves the FV curve with it;s greatest impact at the V side.

Strength moves the FV curve with it's greatest impact at the F side

Strength work also positively impacts V to a greater degree than training at high speeds impacts the F side

Thus strength has more general carryover to athletics than Speed work (it is great GPP)

I think the high speed work improved the Snatch because the snatch may have been limited by bar speed.  He got faster.

Personally I like bondarchucks approach to strength training.  He follows something similar to Pavel's Easy Strength or Even Easier Strength (the 40 day program dan john wrote about).  these programs let volume and frequency drive strength as opposed to intensity.  This allows for more time to be spent on SPP and let practices drive performance improvements.  Bingisser described his strength program as a few basic lifts trained every day in the 60-80% range using lower reps (5 or fewer)  So Squat, Press, Pull every day, wave the load, minimize fatigue, keep intensity to 60-80%...  Thats Pavels Even Easier Strength workout.  Pavel would add 1-2 sets of swings and 1-2 sets of a core exercise.

I think an  approach similar to this 70% of the time would be great.  You could drive conditioning up in this period (Strength and endurance form the basis of GPP).  Then in a peaking approach go through a power phase where the loads are similar BUT you emphasize CAT.  Finally finish with a HIGH velocity/peaking phase in the 25-50% range.  Power and peaking phases would have little "strength" work other than the high speed stuff.

Finally everyone on Bingissers team benches around 500# (I believe that is what was said in his interview)  So what good is it to focus intensely on driving that up to 550 or 600?  That drive would require high intensity methods which would fight for compensation with sport practice taking away adaptive reserves that should be left for throwing.  It would also increase the risk of injury rather than taking the slow approach.

Food for thought

5
Article & Video Discussion / Re: Squats vs. Performance
« on: October 01, 2013, 09:51:18 pm »
Bondarchuk said what T0dday just said; that improving general strength only helps beginners and does not help with elite athletes. he syudied throwers though, and found that the strongest squatters wwre definitely not the best throwers. the best throwers certainly were nlt weak howeevr in the squat.


I think this is dead on.

Bondarchuck found that impoving general strength improves performance in beginners, intermediates, and lower level advanced athletes.  Thing is most of us discussing here and most of the athletes we will be coaching fall into these categories.

Even then he also found that improving strength in some exercises improves performance in elite athletes.  So it comes down to figuring out what carries over to what.  I think the full squat does not carry over as well to sprinting as a narrower stance (hip width), hip loaded, 1/3 squat (just above hamstring parallel). squat. 

So then the question is What is a squat?
The other question is why are we squatting? 

I call my variation a performance squat.  I started using it after watching my fastest athletes squat and move.  This is what they generally gravitated to.  Cal Deitz uses a similar squat that he calls the sport back squat.  Are we full squat, ATG, powerlifting, front, hi bar, lo bar, performance?

Then thinking about levels of athletes.  Beginners and intermediaes may benefit most from full squats or SS style.  Even advanced athletes in the general strength phase or when in strength maintenance mode (keep in mingd any strength training is GPP).  Beginners and intermediates should get after it.  Advanced could program like easy strength or even easier strength.  This way they lift heavy, not hard.  the fatigue doesnt interfere with the SPP.  The performance/sport squat is more of an SPP squat and suited as we start focusing on competition.

why are we squtting is to increase strength, to move the force velocity curve over, which improves power output.  You can get stronger in squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc... doesn;t really matter.its strengthening the thighs and hips that matters.

wow this rambled a bit

Moral of the story is get stronger in the hips and thighs (squats and deads are most time efficient)  As you advance decrease the volume of these lifts in the program.  Still lift heavy, but not hard.  shift more focus onto spp type stuff.  Unless you judge sporting imprvement on an annual or semi annual basis (you get better 1-2x/year) you are an intermediate and strength will still help.    somewhere around an advanced intermediate stage move towards a less voluminous approach.

6
I guess the most important question about this was why do you want to squat like that?

From your response it sounds like you want to be an olympic lifter.  That is one technique that you can use to be a better olympic lifter.  I have never seen anyone actually train their back squat n the positions shown in the picture (the vids showed theory but lacked in their technique when under a bar).  I am not saying they are wrong.  For Olympic lifting they may very well be correct.

IMO it borders on the point of diminishing returns for an athlete.  The further one goes down the rabbit hole of sport specific training for olympic lifting or powerlifting the further they stray from their goals as an athlete.

7
Boxing / Re: floyd vs canelo - who do you have?
« on: September 11, 2013, 08:48:46 pm »
Hoping for Canelo (Im a white mexican-american too)  Think Mayweather will win though.

The Mathysse-Garcia fight looks great too. 

8
Jst did a quick google search of images showing olympic squats back and front.

The only pics where the knees even come close to that far forward is in a front squat.  Even then most front squats dont have the knees that far forward. 

My question is why do you want to back squat like that?

9
I guess it depends on your goal.

The first back squat image is almost impossible to attain UNLESS you are front squatting.  Of course the pic is a back squat and a drawing so the laws of physics don't apply (you could rest the bar on the neck).  This squatting style will build quads and some glutes (a traditional front squat will have quad and more glute plus be easier on the knees).  It will place more stress on the knees and requires a ton of ankle mobility.  Also be sure to drive the knees outward.  That will clear space in the hips AND the ankles.  Knees should travel WAY outside the foot.  If you wanna squat like this then goblet squat and front squat.  Getting into the position will be easier.  IME Olympic lifters don't really front squat in that position.  That crazy position mostly comes from the catch phase in heavy cleans.  Their back squats and front squats are more traditional.

The second image is more balanced.  You will get quad and glute work (although lesser) and hamstring strength.  All 3 are needed for athletes who run so this is the more common approach.  It also allows more weight so ou see it is more similar to a power lifter squat.  Starting strength is a classic example  of this style.

The third pic is what your squat will look like if you try the first style and dont have enough hip and ankle mobility.  Goodbye spine.  Watch out a disk might shoot your eye out.

10
Article & Video Discussion / Re: Creating torque?
« on: August 14, 2013, 09:43:27 pm »
Kinda lame

Pavel calls this rooting and has been talking about this for over 15 years (that I know of).  OLympic lifters and powerlifters have been doing it since the dawn of time.  Basically you are taking the slack out of a joint and making it more stable.  More stable joint = more efficient force production from prime movers cause you are not leaking energy.


11
Decent GPP exercise.  I would vertical jump rather than broad jump so that you can get full extension.  Of course there is always the hardstyle swing which really makes for snappy hips.  People rarely get full hip extension while broad jumping.  Like box jumps the landing  tends to make one tuck their knees/hips early.  Or like in cleans where you worry too much about the drop under the bar to finish your pull

12
the downside of the starrett book is that i'm thinking too hard now during squats. i need to relax and trust my form, which is still solid, and not overthink mid-set. also i think my legs were tired from yesterday. might be time to move away from straight sets of 4x8 and switch back to 3x3 + 3x8 once a week and MSEM once or twice a week.

Happens to me all the time.  I will spend time reworking the squat and then my back will get sore.  My wife will watch my squat and say stop overthinking it.  Then, as any smart husband does, I listen to her and everything gets better.  I just need to remember that I have mastered the squat for my body type.  Don;t fix it if it aint broken.

Liked Kellys book BUT he needs a more clear application. 

For example he could do one of the following ideas:

In the exercise section when he shows the fails he could include all the correctives from later in the book in order that he would have worked through them with appropriate page numbers. 

Or a list of common injury areas and then list in rehab order the page numbers.

For example Plantar Fascitis: roll out bottom of foot P#,  massage between toes P#, Foam roll peroneals P#, heel cord smash P#, heel cord saw P#

I know all of these are not in the book but I don;t remember all of the correctives.

With out this when I have an ache pop up I end up having to read the whole section on that joint all over to figure out which drills help it.

13
bracing is simply what Raptor said.  Tense your entire abdominal girdle like you are going to take a punch.  We can talk more complex about this but this is essentially what it is.  to regulate stiffness you brace the wall and do the valsalva maneuver pushing the diaphragm down and into the brace.  This is what you would do if you are attempting a big pull or squat.  So the valsalva is not always part of it but it is definitely a component of a good brace. 

When you valsalva into the brace you will see the abs push outward a bit.

So it is NOT drawing in, it is not pushing your belly out like buddah (i think tat came from louie simmons and his use of the weight belt),  it is just tighten your gut like your friend is trying to knock the wind out of you.  Then valsalva into the brace to create as much stiffness as the job requires.  Picking up a 45lb plate?  may not need more than a little tightness.  Squatting 315? Brace and valsalva into it to create as much stiffness as you need.  Squatting 600?  brace and valsalva maximally into it.

Wanna get better at bracing.

lie down
keeping 1 leg straight on the ground bend the other knee to 90 and keep the foot resting on the ground
brace
Valsalva into the brace
perform small crunch into the brace not letting the valsalva or brace go (just get your shoulderblades off the ground)
this is my understanding of a mcgill crunch

as your brace and valsalva get stronger they will resist the crunch more and make it more and more difficult

Use as much or as little as you need to get the job done.  If my nephew is punching my gut it is a little brace.  If it one of my MMA fighters it is much more and will include valsalva.

14
OK read.  I am not a fan of the overcorrection into posterior pelvic tilt.  I guess we should expect it because spinal flexion was bad so there was an emphasis on lordosis/ant tilt.  Now we are hearing how bad excessive lordisis is and are correcting to flexion/post tilt.

Of course the answer lies in the middle.  Train proper core function (neutral spine and pelvis) and then layer on hip mobility, strength, and power. 

Not to say I don't ever cue posterior tilt, as it is handy when trying to get an athlete from ant tilt to neutral.

The clean pull on to toes looked like a nightmare.  Cant imagine a group of guys doing that one well.  Also why do we have to always include an olympic lift variant in any discussion about training an athlete.  To be honest it didn't look much like a clean pull.  I like his suggestion of bounds for the ankle and hip pop.  Korfist has some good ones as does bosch.

15
Brace.  Cant squat real heavy without a solid bracing.  Plus research sows it is safer.  Oh and the TVA from the hollowing ( the main argument for it) actually TVA and proper core activation comes from diaphragmic breathing...  so belly breathe and brace and core function will take care of itself.

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