Classic stuff.
Exercise. Eat. Rest. Grow. Repeat.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
THE BENCH PRESS
This is the best, most straightforward video on the bench press I have seen.
I hope it goes without saying that you should NEVER bench press without a spotter, EXCEPT if you are in the power rack.
Set the rack bars at chest level if you have no spotter in such a manner so as to catch the barbell if you cannot make the lift. Note: You can also do "bottom position" lifts in the power rack that you would not be able to do on a regular flat bench. Bottom position lifts are when you start from the down position of the lift, increasing the difficulty.
My preference, though, is to have a spotter on the flat bench and not have to spend forever and a day fooling around setting up a bench, rack bars, etc. I'm not made of time, after all!
I hope it goes without saying that you should NEVER bench press without a spotter, EXCEPT if you are in the power rack.
Set the rack bars at chest level if you have no spotter in such a manner so as to catch the barbell if you cannot make the lift. Note: You can also do "bottom position" lifts in the power rack that you would not be able to do on a regular flat bench. Bottom position lifts are when you start from the down position of the lift, increasing the difficulty.
My preference, though, is to have a spotter on the flat bench and not have to spend forever and a day fooling around setting up a bench, rack bars, etc. I'm not made of time, after all!
GREAT FORM: BREAD & BUTTER
Form is the bread and butter of not getting injured. I recently recovered from a lower back injury - back spasms. My training partner and I were working out three times a week after work. At work we had a new manufacturing process going 90 m.p.h., and I was tired by the time I got to the gym anyway. Big mistake. My form suffered. I "good morninged" a weight doing a squat, rather than keeping a flat back and exploding upwards from the deep knee bend position. I felt like a stone was embedded in my spine the next morning, and went to see my doctor. I lost two weeks' time in the gym for bad form and had to do P.T. Root cause: I was dog tired before I got to the gym; I did not focus on my form enough. Now, I have modified my training schedule so that I train on light workdays or offdays, not the days it is balls to the wall.
Below are the things I keep in mind when doing each of these lifts. This is public domain stuff. You will, however, find people who endlessly debate this stuff. As usual, I am not a medical doctor.
Below are the things I keep in mind when doing each of these lifts. This is public domain stuff. You will, however, find people who endlessly debate this stuff. As usual, I am not a medical doctor.
Deadlifts
[Use wrestling shoes!]
1. Shins off the bar approximately 6 inches
2. Grab bar overhand with arms shoulderwidth apart, but slightly outside knees
3. Take huge belly full of air
4. Translate knees forward
5. Drop hips
6. Arch back with head in line with spinE and look forward, not down
7. Brace abs out
8. Lift bar to knees, then make a POWERFUL gluteal contraction
9. Be a STRAIGHT LINE when fully upright.
10. Reverse the movement to drop the bar and keep hamstrings tight
Training partner tips:
*Hit the lats when the lifter is in form to make sure the muscles are tight.
Squats
1. Engage the bar
2. Take three deep breaths
3. Squeeze the hell outta the bar (white knuckle it)
4. Drive elbows down (DON’T let them drift back)
5. Push chest out
6. Drive bar upwards
7. Two steps back
8. Reset air
9. Elbows down
10. Chest out
11. Hips back
12. Knees spread apart
13. Feet in natural position (shoulder-width)
14. Squat slowly and controlled until the thighs are parallel with the floor
15. Drive upwards.
Training partner tips:
Hit the lats when the person has engaged the bar, they should be really tight.
Bench Press
1) Come through with the head
2) Plant feet
3) Belly through, arching back
4) Plant shoulders into bench
5) Training partner should be able to run hand between the lower lumbar and the bench
6) Quads contracted
7) Gluts contracted
8) Upper back tight
9) Deep breath
10) Spotter lifts off with over-under grip
11) “Pull bar apart” with elbow correction and PULL bar down, DO NOT let gravity do the work
12) Reverse elbow correction and drive up with whole body.
13) Always reset air.
THE BASIC EXERCISES
These are informative videos about the Navy's physical fitness standards for SEALS. There are five videos. The fitness program consists of nothing but bodyweight exercises--warm-ups, push, pull, legs, and abs. My experience has been that it is best to be able to master your own weight before going on to heavier lifting. A house has to have a foundation. That sort of thing.
OPERATION HUMAN MONSTER
Remember in That 70s Show when Eric wanted to get bigger and dubbed the endeavor, Operation Fat Eric? Well, I want to get bigger and stronger, so I have dubbed my mission accordingly. I am a complete novice at this sort of thing, as I am as willowy as it gets. One tall, cool glass of water I am. I mean, I could use the advice of all you fat people out there! Did you just one day decide to throw black drapes over all of your mirrors, sidle up to the buffet, loosen your belt, and let the good times roll? I need to live with fat people, like Jane Goodall did with primates, so that I can study their behavior, because obviously I am a rank amateur at getting fat. All kidding aside...some of my best friends are fat people!
I am 79 inches tall and weigh 160 pounds. Thirty-three years old. Male. The ideal weight for a person of my height and gender is a range of 198-242 pounds, roughly. (Here's a source for the geeky completists: Body Weight Index.
The gist of this blog will be no-nonsense exercise and diet programs I have discovered along the way. I'll also regale you with funny stories of my failings, accomplishments, and all sorts of other things.
Essentially, Operation Human Monster is about imbalance to get balance. Let me explain. I am completely, compulsively, neurotically obsessed with exercise and eating to achieve my goals. Everything else that falls by the wayside for me to achieve balance will just have to deal with it. As a former high-school running back told me, "You'd be a monster if you got in the gym." So I did. If I am not in the gym lifting weights, then I am either at work, eating, sleeping, growing, or watching anime.
This blog walks a fine line between the old school lifters and the new school fitness philosophies regarding physical fitness. There have been new developments since lifters like Bob Hoffman wrote, but there are also tons of things that have not changed. I tend to not over-analyze this stuff and defer to the old timers, for the most part.
Admittedly, I do not know jack shit about exercising, and I am not a medical doctor. I am merely cataloguing the information I have collated from reputable sources and running an R&D lab with myself as the test subject. If you learn something new, are entertained, or whatnot, then great.
I am 79 inches tall and weigh 160 pounds. Thirty-three years old. Male. The ideal weight for a person of my height and gender is a range of 198-242 pounds, roughly. (Here's a source for the geeky completists: Body Weight Index.
The gist of this blog will be no-nonsense exercise and diet programs I have discovered along the way. I'll also regale you with funny stories of my failings, accomplishments, and all sorts of other things.
Essentially, Operation Human Monster is about imbalance to get balance. Let me explain. I am completely, compulsively, neurotically obsessed with exercise and eating to achieve my goals. Everything else that falls by the wayside for me to achieve balance will just have to deal with it. As a former high-school running back told me, "You'd be a monster if you got in the gym." So I did. If I am not in the gym lifting weights, then I am either at work, eating, sleeping, growing, or watching anime.
This blog walks a fine line between the old school lifters and the new school fitness philosophies regarding physical fitness. There have been new developments since lifters like Bob Hoffman wrote, but there are also tons of things that have not changed. I tend to not over-analyze this stuff and defer to the old timers, for the most part.
Admittedly, I do not know jack shit about exercising, and I am not a medical doctor. I am merely cataloguing the information I have collated from reputable sources and running an R&D lab with myself as the test subject. If you learn something new, are entertained, or whatnot, then great.
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