Jefferson Curl Progression

Howdy Y'all!

I'm very excited to be starting the FOUNDATIONS series.  However, on just my 2nd day I completely wrecked my neck doing Jefferson Curls.  

I didn't see a starting weight to go with.  In the tutorial, they were using a male bar, but when I started yesterday I was using a woman's bar.  I do believe my form was correct as instructed, but my gut tells me I loaded with too much weight.

May I please trouble y'all as to:

1) What the general rule of thumb is with weight to start off with in adhering to Jefferson Curl protocol?    

 

2)  How do I progress with increasing weight & when is it safe for me to do so?

3) Any exercises I should avoid on days that I'm doing Jefferson Curls?  I like to "cool down" with some glute work when I'm done and upon doing my Glute-Ham-Raises was when all hell broke lose in my neck.  Though there was moderate discomfort before then.  

Was all this due to the the fascia surrounding my spinal column or is this fascia bigger/wider/cover more ground?  I couldn't sleep at all, last night & thank God my chiropractor was able to get my neck moving a bit better.

I can imagine a bunch of you are rolling your eyes at me, reading this.  I definitely screwed up.  I'll be taking this next week or so off so as not to compromise myself, anymore, but would just like some feedback as to how to go about with my Curls from here on out so that I may avoid these & other injuries in the future.

Thank you for your help!

Sensations play a big role here, start with 8-10% on your BW and perform the prescribed 5 reps, if you have no fatigue on the following days or strange sensation (heavy JF usually lead to abs pain rather than lower back pain) you can use this weight for another training to increase conditioning, on the following week you will add 2.5-3 kg kg. I discovered with the powerlifters athletes that once a 5x5 is achieved you can restart on 3x1 adding 5 kg to your previous 1RM. since JF is harder is prefer a safety approach and I cut the weight in half.

hey momo

 

like you, i found loading up heavy quick kind of produced a "hold me back" kind of reaction from jefferson curls, i couldnt at the end ROM, pull myself deeper down with 45lbs. i would reach a point and the strain would make me "stop" no extra ROM pulsing at the bottom. I simply played with loading the barbell with what would allow me to hang in the bottom yet still be light enough for me to "pulse" the bottom portion. not bounce, not jump out of, a controlled lowering of the weight, reached the stretch wall, pulse the bottom, relax, count a few Mississippi's and come back up.

as time goes on, bump up the weight. I go based on how the descent feels.

on #2, just approach your training sensibly, don't push through joint pain or put yourself in a position where coming out of an exercise can be disastrous if you're fatigued (like a handstand on the wall, for example, so don't do these to max if you can't cartwheel out of the wall or roll out of it safely.)

You can start JC with as little as 2.5 or 5 lbs, or even unweighted and just use your torso's weight to begin with. Increase weight slowly over time.

Hard to give a standard protocol on increasing weight with these, but at first err on the side of too little weight than too much.

Thank you all for the hearty responses! Am definitely a bit more squared in approaching these!

Much obliged!

For clarity, you stated it was only your second day of starting foundations, but the progressions you speak of are not the first. I know Jefferson Curls are only coupled with the second strength progression for manna development but did you even try for mastery of PE1 and the stiff leg windmills?

 

Same for the Glute-ham-raise, they are the 8th strength progression for SLS development.

 

You basically experienced a strong contraction and shortening of your posterior chain muscles in the region of your neck. This suggests to me that you need to take the time letting your nervous system adapt to this kind of training. I don't know what you have done before but assuming its been traditional weight based training, its a very different kettle of fish. WIth weights, muscles tend to be isolated, even though lots of motor units will be 'fired up' in any given muscle, it doesn't tend to recruit many muscle groups in a chain like fashion as occurs with GST. Activating the calves, hamstrings, gluteals and erector spinae in glute-ham-raises is VERY different than what happens in a dead lift. Being horizontal instead of vertical is also another factor.

 

Anyway, I am assuming and could be very wrong. Just give your body time to adapt, particularly with the mobility drills! As everyone has said above add weight slowly with Jefferson Curls.

 

One last point. Weighted mobility should be in correlation to your flexibility levels first, more than strength levels. This evens out over time but if one is not very flexible in a Pike fold and try's adding resistance to that movement the nervous system will react like an alarm!

 

Have fun with the training!

 

Wes 

I started with a broomstick and waited until that was comfortable before adding any weight. Of course, this was after working windmills for several weeks.

Wes & Co.,

Thank you so much for the clarity.  I did do my assessment & it stated for me to start with PE2.  I do appreciate you elaborating on what's going on with the neuromuscular components of my development (or lack their of, at present!)

I'm taking the week off to make sure my ROM gets back to full range, but next week I'll be more more conscious of my actions throughout this program.  

Thank you guys, again, so much!  This is frickin' awesome!!