Hi Fitness Friends! I have 15 things to share with you today:
The Beard is Gone!
It was fun while it lasted, but the beard had to go. I definitely looked a lot cooler as Mr. T / Zangief – now I just feel like a little boy. I think most ladies prefer me beardless though, including my girlfriend.
How Pregnancy Changes a Runner’s Body – VERY IMPORTANT INFO!
THIS is an excellent NY Times article with input from an outstanding professor (Heiderscheit) regarding the physical changes that take place in women following pregnancy.
Essentially, the pelvis is in greater anterior tilt and also laterally tilts to a greater degree during running. Here’s a quote from the article:
“None of this was surprising,” Dr. Heiderscheit says. “Pregnancy and labor stretch the muscles and connective tissues in the abdomen,” which allows the slightly unmoored pelvis to tilt and sway. Unless a woman strengthens the affected muscles after pregnancy, the tissues remain stretched.
Relying on that gym standby, crunches, won’t do the trick, though, Dr. Heiderscheit says. They don’t activate the small muscles deep within the abdomen. Instead, he suggests pulling the belly up and in multiple times and also “imagining that you’re trying to cut off the flow of urine.”
If you’ve been following my blog and Youtube channel over the years, then you know that there’s not a single S&C coach who has emphasized pelvic strength and posture like I have. It’s very important!!! Click HERE & HERE for more training info along these lines.
Gluteus Maximus Webinar
Chris Beardsley and I created an informative webinar on the gluteus maximus for Mike Reinold. You can’t buy it outright though; you need to be subscribed to the monthly service in order to watch it. Click HERE (not an affiliate link) to check it out.
Health & Fitness Documentary – Needs Donations
My friend Elsbeth is undertaking a project to film a realistic health & fitness documentary. Click HERE to check it out, and if you have some spare $ please donate to her cause.
Hanging with Girls Gone Strong
Last week I finally got a chance to meet Molly Galbraith in person, along with Alli McKee (I’ve met her twice) from the Girls Gone Strong in Las Vegas where I presented at the NSCA National Conference on Sprint Biomechanics.
Molly & Alli from GGS
Barbell Glute Bridge: 101 Reps with 115 lbs!
Here is Derrick Blanton performing a four-and-a-half minute non-stop set of barbell glute bridges. Talk about serious glute pump! I like the set up Derrick uses here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5-14bxnZNo
Great Article on Slow vs. Fast Eccentrics
HERE Dan Ogborn writes an excellent article on speed of eccentrics. I agree with his conclusion – you don’t necessarily need to accentuate the negative component for maximal results.
Kenta Bell Thrustin’ Away
Here’s a video of Olympic Triple Jumper Kenta Bell performing barbell hip thrusts. Some strong glutes on this guy!
Train Like A Man, Look Like One Sexy Lady
HERE is a great article by Melissa of MissyJillFit on women’s training.
How the Old Time Strongmen Trained
HERE is a good article about the old-time strongmen and the lifts they performed.
Halteres for Standing Long Jump Distance
As early as 708 BC, Olympians were using halteres (hand-held weights) for broad jumping. These 2-9 kg stone or lead weights allowed the athletes to jump as much as 17 cm. See THIS abstract for more info. My buddy Matt Brughelli (research professor at AUT University) has recently conducted some research on haltere training and broad jumping, and I’m very interested to see the results.
Koklyaev pulls nearly 800 lbs x 9 Reps!
Usain Bolt with a recent 200m Win
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bCeLUgsPeg
Was this Dude Born to Squat? Best Squat Structure Ever!
Raw Bench Pressing Champion Eric Spoto Going from 0-600 in 30 Seconds
Hey BC, I found very interesting that video of Kenta Bell wearing weightlifting shoes to do barbell hip thrusts. Here my 2 cents… I don’t have any problem with his technique. That would be like daring to criticise Usain Bolt’s Cleans…. However, I wonder if his intension is to engage more the quads and share the “prime moving duties” with gluteus and hamstrings rather than mostly gluteus. Fair enough if thats the case. For the sake of experimenting with different vectors, I tried the hip thrusts wearing weightlifting shoes about a year ago and such experience taught a few lessons that i would resume them by stating that nothing beats Bare foot Hip Thrust for 5 main reasons:
• first, somehow it stimulates my kinaesthetic sense as i can feel that I’m driving the barbell exactly within the vertical line i want plus it allows me to posterio-pelvic-tilting effectively, as the locking hip extension with high heels might also lead to potential lumbar hyperextension;
• second, Hip-Thrusts-bare-feet unequivocally hits the glut max, rather than sharing the prime mover role, which is the point of Hip thrusts, isn’t it? otherwise i would choose something more “multipurpose” such as deep squats or barbell reverse lunges, etc (i guess Kenta Bell prefers the Hip Thrusts to avoid the DOMS from other exercises, as quick recovery is paramount for an elite athlete)
• third, bare feet gives you better grip to all sort of surfaces than the plastic sole of the weightlifting shoes;
• fourth, while bare foot, it seems easier to find an standard distance between heels and the bench:
• and, fifth, the talocrurial joint might remain more neutral instead of “plantar flexed” when wearing that kind of one-inch-weightlifting shoes while hip thrusting. That model he is wearing is great for front squats though.
I also wonder if the set up used by Derrick is to avoid cervical flexors fatigue. I would be after a minute, let alone 4’30”! (Very impressive, by the way) Otherwise, that kind of “ramp” or pillow might be an issue for kyphotic people while trying to secure ideal hip flexion (particularly with such a low base of support) Thanks for reading. Cheers, Will
Well now I just feel inadequate:)
I’ve got leg day tomorrow and I won’t be able to get that guys squats out of my head. Didn’t even look like he had anything on the bar. Wow.
I’ll use it as motivation though and get out the best ones I can.
Good post for random thoughts.
Bret,
Couple of random questions:
First, would you mind doing a post in the future on squatting with flared feet v. feet pointed forward? And what role anthro measurements play in flared v. forward?
Second, one of the most amazing feats I have ever seen was Vernon Davis running a 4.3 40 at a BW of 262. I was wondering if you might discuss his mechanics, training, RFD, etc.
If you have already touched on either of these please point me to the post. Thanks and I very much enjoyed your talk a Summer Strong.