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Messages - Gary

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16
Injury, Prehab, & Rehab talk for the brittlebros / Fixing Up Knees With Heavy Ass Quarter Squats
« on: October 20, 2011, 01:54:53 pm »
Both my knees have been shaky in the midrange squat position, just as I start to descend and until I get below parallel. They were feeling strained and weak in the dip before any jumps and while I would climb stairs. Even getting into a quarter squat position to deadlift was uncomfortable. I could squat fine, but my the knees themselves just didn't seem to be getting any more solid.

Since I was weak in the half and quarter squat positions, I figured I'd get strong in exactly those positions. I started doing heavy ass quarter squats to pins with knees way over toes. Escalating sets of five. Not to up my squat, but to condition my knee joints.

We're cautioned to avoid that movement and that position with load, but it did the trick. Knees snapped right back into shape. The effect was as immediate as when I started PVC pipe rolling my quads and IT band. Immediate improvement in function. This won't up my squat directly, but I suspect it will stop knee weakness from holding me back.

Interesting to note: the effusion I usually suffer from squatting is staying away since I did those heavy quarter squats.

17
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 11, 2011, 10:22:09 am »
Quote from: T0ddday on October 11, 2011, 09:50:00 am
Interesting.  Not to knock the device... But can't you accomplish the same thing with a pair of jump stretch bands? 

Like so?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycTicYEI5Y" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycTicYEI5Y</a>
Who says you can't? I got the same recommendation when I brought up my experience on IronGarmX.net.

The PPJ is a specialty device that you can't wrap around a barbell, but you can wear the PPJ while you squat and deadlift. Jack writes about and demonstrates this.

I can't remember off the top of my head if it's cheaper just to buy the bands. It probably is. But I love my PPJ still.

18
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Meat Strength Versus Meet Strength
« on: October 10, 2011, 11:20:41 pm »
I got up to double bodyweight squat after Smolov: 365 @ 182.

Went down to 170 after that layoff I've already posted about and could only squat 275 when I got back.

Then did 300 at about 175.

Then did 325 at my current 180.

I actually stalled at ~300 at 175 for a couple weeks and realized that I need to gain weight to keep progressing (surprise!).

The reason I stalled is because I didn't want to add weight too fast. But then I realized that I squatted 365 @ 182 after a squat specialization program with my squat strength peaked. Minus the 30 lbs I got from Smolov and I had 335 @ 182. That's exactly in line with my experience wherein I gain about 25 lbs on the squat for every 5 lbs of bodyweight I gain:

275 @ 170
300 @ 175
325 @ 180

If this keeps up, I can expect...

350 @ 185
375 @ 190
400 @ 195

Things may go off the rails after that, but it's not unreasonable to expect 450 @ around 205-210.

A squat specialization program at any time could crank up the squat without too much weight gain. I think that's what happened last time. I got really good at squatting while remaining just over 180 lbs. Those gains were more skewed toward skill and practice, grooving the lift and building volume in it. Those extra 30 lbs weren't from raw, relatively ungrooved strength.

It's possible to peak a lift with something like Smolov...or to groove a lift over a longer time with frequent practice that doesn't increase mass. But for my purposes, strength from mass is better. Longer lasting too. I've banged myself up trying to maintain strength near the levels I got from peaking. I didn't understand that my squat wasn't "really" that high after Smolov, at least not permanently so.  

So when I hit 365 this time it will probably be at 188 instead of 182. But it will be baseline instead of peaked strength at that higher bodyweight. Or "meat" strength versus "meet" strength. The one is due to mass and can be applied elsewhere; the other is groove/lift specific. I won't hit double bodyweight on the squat till I get over 190 lbs either.



Edit: I just realized that Raptor already wrote on article on this: "The Trick of Relative Strength".

19
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: Two And Half Months Without Squatting
« on: October 10, 2011, 09:51:23 pm »
Quote from: ghettoracer on October 08, 2011, 01:18:00 pm
i would imagine it is just CNS needs to be reworked up primarily...  the muscle strength should mostly still be there as long as you have done some sort of exercise in the 2 months off.  it's like the brain connection to the muscles need to be tuned up; get the feeling back.  you should be able to get it back up pretty fast.

i had like 6 months period with out squats (due to constantly stiff piriformis muscle pain)...  i only lost ~15% strength even the 1st time i squat after that much time.  i just did a lot full court bball...

I also lost almost 15 lbs, or almost 10% of my bodyweight.

20
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 04, 2011, 07:03:35 pm »
Quote from: steven-miller on October 04, 2011, 04:02:24 pm
What was your best powersnatch back then Gary and at what bodyweight was that?

Not really sure. I weighed about 80 kilos when I was seriously pursuing higher classic lift numbers last year. I got my best snatch to 74 kilos at the time. My technique wasn't the most efficient and I was slooooooow (22" vertical) so my power snatch wasn't that much lower, maybe 70 kilos or so. I could probably power snatch 135 lbs right now without too much trouble and maybe 145.


21
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 04, 2011, 05:23:44 pm »
Quote from: steven-miller on October 04, 2011, 04:44:57 pm
I think if you had such great success with jumping + bands you should probably try that again. That would only be logical to do. But there might be other reasons for this success that are not related to that method itself. I guess the only way to find out is to use the power jumper and see if it works again.
I think powersnatches work well to enhance SVJ. I think jumpsquats are by far the inferior solution but there might be ways to address some of the problems with them. In the way they are generally used I think their implementation is problematic though. That is because most don't use tools to measure progress with them and don't have an idea of how to program jumpsquats. This makes it a hit or miss solution largely depended on chance. They can work, but can also do nothing for you at all. Powersnatches can be programmed similarly to other lifts and progress can be measured a lot easier.

But yeah, try the power jumper if it worked well before. I am just saying that it might not lead to success this time. Still, best of luck and report how it goes.

TM is looking good btw. I would switch focus from bench-press to press every other week though. And you would need to be clever about implementing the explosive stuff in there.

Other reasons indeed! This is the reason for my posting. I know I suck for WL, but the bands might have addressed a need I had at the time that no longer exists. I'd spent years doing the kind of volume work that kills speed while upping mass and slow strength. I gained half of my added inches in the first session with the bands. They obviously turned on something that had been turned off. Diminishing returns after that.

Hard to say what to do, but thanks for the input. I train in a couple of hours and will report back.

22
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 04, 2011, 03:22:22 pm »
Just realized that I'm leaning toward Old School Westside...

Repetition Day for mass
Dynamic Day for recovery and speed
Maximal Effort Day for strength

At least for lower body. Sets of five on Monday for volume. Lighter squats on Wednesday to allow for recovery and to move quickly. Then very low volume and high intensity on Friday.

23
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 04, 2011, 01:50:53 pm »
Jumping with bands put five inches on my vertical in under a month. Worked way better for increasing my speed than weightlifting ever did.

I'm far from an expert on this, but from what I can tell weightlifting is more a way to demonstrate existing strength and speed than it is to build it. I bring up my shitty build for weightlifting because I suspect that people who are built to move more weight with the clean and snatch are likely to get more out of it than long-armed people like me. But that is only a suspicion based on observation and experience and I'm not suggesting anyone take my word for it.

But yeah, I spent a couple years trying to use weightlifting to jump higher and run faster with zero results. I then spend a few weeks jumping with bands and put inches on my vertical. But I do love weightlifting so it's hard for me to let it go entirely. I love the idea of a day with snatches, cleans, jerks and front squats. I just don't know if it would be as productive for me as jumping and sprinting.

24
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: What To Do
« on: October 04, 2011, 10:37:19 am »
I was under the impression that I could get a lot stronger at given bodyweights. I've been corrected of that notion. I was hoping that I didn't really have to get up to 200 lbs to be as strong as I wanted (200 kilo high bar squat), but it looks like that's exactly where I need to go.

Back squat, high bar x 5 x 3-6
Bench Press x 5 x 3-5
Chin Up or Pull Up ladders

Light back squat (or front squat) x 3 x 5-8 w/ ~60-65% for speed and recovery
Press x 5 x 3
Pull Up or Chin Up ladders

Back Squat, high bar to heavy single
Bench Press to heavy single
Deadlift to heavy-ish single

I usually start my sessions with clean grip snatches + clean grip overhead squats. Great for speed and flexibility. I go up to 135 these days, but at my strongest I would use 155.

I was thinking of using jumping w/ bands in lieu of snatches, cleans and jerks.





25
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / What To Do
« on: October 03, 2011, 10:10:22 pm »
Linear progression on a Texas Method set up to get my detrained ass back to my old levels. Consuming mass quantities because I have discovered that my strength levels are directly tied to what I weigh.

My question is on what to do on my light days. I was thinking front squat instead of back squat and only as heavy as allows me to maintain perfect form.

But what about an explosive movement? I am not built for Olympic style weightlifting and I really don't know how effective that stuff is for me. That's why I started using jumping + bands as my power training.

I'm not even sure I should resume dedicated jump training while my strength levels are so low anyway.

Any thoughts? Maybe just do front squat with upper body press and pull?

26
Injury, Prehab, & Rehab talk for the brittlebros / Re: gary draining his knee - concerns?
« on: September 28, 2011, 01:54:33 pm »
Voltaren seems to have broken the inflammation cycle and stopped the fluid accumulation.

Left knee can still be problematic. Never got it to calm down as much as the right knee and it is still a lot fuller than the right at all times.

27
Injury, Prehab, & Rehab talk for the brittlebros / Knee Filling Up Again. Was It The Broad Jumps?
« on: September 28, 2011, 11:24:48 am »
I thought I had my knee effusion under control, but my left knee (still a bit more full than it should be) is acting up this morning. I don't know if it's just that I'm training again period and squatting is upsetting it. Or if the standing broad jumps I did yesterday are responsible. Maybe it's a combination with the broad jumps being the last straw..?

I did the jumps in bare feet on grass. They were pretty high impact. My knee has been fine with squatting and pulling these past couple of weeks.

28
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: Two And Half Months Without Squatting
« on: September 26, 2011, 12:29:03 am »
Week two, second high bar squat session. 300 even for a solid but tough single. Able to do five sets of four with 80%. Big improvement from last week's 275 maximum and two triples with 80%.

Would be thrilled with 315 next week. 

29
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: front squat vs back squat
« on: September 23, 2011, 11:51:45 am »
Quote from: Kellyb on September 22, 2011, 01:36:45 pm
Tis true. What the front squat does is eliminate hamstirng involvement, the glutes are still very involved if not more involved.   Take 2 big groups of people and have one group do back squats and jumps and one do front squats and jumps it wouldn't surprise me if the front squat group made better vert specific gains due to the inherent increased lower body loading involved (you can't lean forward and take stress off the legs) - they do have some advantages (harder to cheat, less lower back involvement, more lower quad involvement etc.). But they're also kinda a pain in the ass.  

Trust me, Kelly, with the right proportions plenty of forward lean is possible in the front squat. I am living proof!

I actually felt my quads a lot more with the back squat with after my layoff. Just plain ol' back squatting had them quivering and aching during the session. Second place were the adductors with very little pain in the hamstrings and none in the glutes.

A few days later when I front squatted my glutes were threatening to give out. Quads didn't feel anything at all.

This isn't empirical proof of anything. I just found it surprising.

30
Strength, Power, Reactivity, & Speed Discussion / Re: front squat vs back squat
« on: September 23, 2011, 10:02:57 am »
Quote from: ruso15 on September 22, 2011, 06:10:17 pm
i dont know why but i have never felt any pain on shoulders or upper back while doing front squats, even though i used crossed arms stand.
But somethimes i feel they put much presure on the calves

Doing it cross arm style will not require nearly as much upper back involvement as keeping the elbows up in the Olympic style.

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