NaterMania

Sounds like you're a bit of a damn genius 8)

Lol! I'm sure it's not very humble to say, but technically speaking I am. I test around 145 on IQ tests.

Thor's Day

Morning:

FL Adv Tuck:

8x20s sets with 90-120s rest. I am much stronger here. Definite improvements! I am holding my knees a few inches past the rings with a 90 degree knee joint angle and a flat back for the full 20s for the first 3 sets, and after that I have to increase rest time to keep up the quality. I won't try to open up any more until I get all 8 sets that way. I am still weaker on my right side due to my shoulder issues, which is what is getting in the way. I did the sixth set with a false grip, which is BRUTAL. The lever itself is far easier, but holding the false grip was TOUGH. Might have had something to do with all that thick bar work lol!

Thats always good man, congratulations on your exams by the way

Still embarrasing how a 100kg guy is stronger in front lever than me (70kg)

When you refer to body levers does that mean you are doing both front and back levers in one set?

Lord no, Saber! I used to do that before I hurt my elbows though. Body levers are essentially dragon flags. It's a straight body core exercise. I will have video of my recent workouts up soon, I have to put them all together on my computer first.

Thanks Razz! Hey, we all have something lol! I can't do a proper flip, front OR back, so you certainly have me handily beaten in the acrobatics! And planche!

Thor's Day, Late Afternoon:

Rotator cuff work. I have phased in work for the supraspinatus starting this workout, as well as lying side dumbbell external rotations. I am now hitting everything but the serratus anterior, which will get plenty of work when I start benching and doing GB pressing again.

Cuban Press:

5x45lbs

5x65lbs

6x65lbs

I didn't go heavier because I am not comfortable yet. I can do several reps with 85lbs fairly steadily, so I'm not actually all that far from a 1/2 BW cuban press. I think I will end up smashing what Poliquin has seen on this one in the long term, possibly since I am one of the few who will be practicing this on a very regular basis long term.

Seated external rotators, abducted:

3x8 reps 32.7 lbs A definite PR. These were solid. I just keep getting stronger. They are making a small but noticeable difference in FL strength as well.

Side lateral raise to 45 degrees(supraspinatus):

2 sets 8 reps, 20 lbs. These are incredibly hard for me! I have no idea how that weight stacks up, i guess for a first attempt it's ok, but it felt very weak. I am glad I learned about this exercise, because it is very important for overhead lifting. That means it is also KEY for any handstand work!

Side lying dumbbell external rotation:

2 sets of 8x20 lbs.

HOOOOOLY crap. I am very weak here on the right side. 20 lbs was a true struggle for 8 reps, but I got it! These are slower reps than I am used to, which was part of the difficulty. It's still not a bad place to start! I'll be doing 30+ lbs within a month, so I'm not worried about it.

slizzardman said:

Lol! I'm sure it's not very humble to say, but technically speaking I am. I test around 145 on IQ tests.

Woohoo!

Around 150 here :oops: :oops:

Thanks for clearing that up.

On the topic of IQ's never got mine tested but I figure I would survive a Darwin test and thats all that really matters lol I am the type of person who will fight with the mind before needing to use the body, because once you control the mind you control the body.

Adriano said:

slizzardman said:

Lol! I'm sure it's not very humble to say, but technically speaking I am. I test around 145 on IQ tests.

Woohoo!

Around 150 here :oops: :oops:

Lol, smarty pants!

Saber: IQ (unless remarkably low) has next to nothing to do with surviving lol! It doesn't mean quite as much as people think. It's just a good indicator of classical academic ability. Says nothing for much of anything else.

slizzardman said:

Saber: IQ (unless remarkably low) has next to nothing to do with surviving lol! It doesn't mean quite as much as people think. It's just a good indicator of classical academic ability. Says nothing for much of anything else.

That's so true.

slizzardman said:

Lol, smarty pants!

Yes, but that doesn't save me from being as lazy as hell and accomplishing less then some less talented colleagues of mine that have better work ethics.

I guess there's a minus for every plus...

I have suffered from the same phenomenon! I'm doing better, though. I am forcing myself to keep a better work ethic. It's hard when you don't need it to do well in school.

Freya's Day

Planche: 8x20s adv frog stand. This is getting better on all fronts: Balance, body position, and elbow straightening. I am happy!

I believe that even that one day of thick barbell curls has helped noticeably. We shall see how it goes over the next few months, but I thing that I will have great results. It has been far too long since I have been serious about combining the most productive exercises into one routine, regardless of whether they are GB or weighted.

There has been a definite improvement in my handstands and my XR L-sit from doing the rotator work. My shoulders are MUCH more stable. I reviewed the video footage from the rotator cuff training video I am making, and I have to re-shoot supraspinatus since I went WAY past 45 degrees on many of the reps! I'll probably record that with a webcam or something. It's hard to tell when I get to the 45 degree angle on my own.

3 sets body rows, for working on scapular retractors. I'll be doing some dumbbell work later to round things off with my traps and such.

A few random pull ups and chins. These still feel bad, but I think it's more from my rotators being sore this time lol! All that new stuff took its toll.

Hmm yeah can't remember think I got 120 or 130 on an IQ test 1 or 2 years ago and i'm 18 now don't know if that says anything or not, I have no clue really but yeah my work ethic for school is shit basically because I don't need to do anything to keep good grades

good work going on here, I'm excited to see how your daily squat experiment ends up

I have honestly decided to not do the daily squatting. I am instead going with Poliquin's 4 day split for resistance training, with separate sessions for statics. Just the few sessions of full range front and back squats have made a huge difference in the ease with which I perform my SLS, it's never been easier.

My current split is:

1)legs/shoulders

2)arms/abs

3)chest(just planche statics, L-sit, and ring supports right now, I won't be doing any serious pressing for a while. As a side note, despite not working them for well over a month, my PPP are massively improved. My hands are at my hips and my shoulders are perfectly stable!)

4)back

5)"rest"

... and then repeat. I am using relative strength protocols only, and I will be rotating through a number of different ones to keep my body guessing. My current plan is to cycle through 1-6(1RM followed by 6RM, obviously with 5-8 minutes in between for recovery), 5% solution, 5-3-1, and heavy singles. As soon as I get a weight vest I will do this for HeSPU as well.

slizzardman said:

Thor's Day, Late Afternoon:

Rotator cuff work. I have phased in work for the supraspinatus starting this workout, as well as lying side dumbbell external rotations. I am now hitting everything but the serratus anterior, which will get plenty of work when I start benching and doing GB pressing again.

Side lying dumbbell external rotation:

2 sets of 8x20 lbs.

HOOOOOLY crap. I am very weak here on the right side. 20 lbs was a true struggle for 8 reps, but I got it! These are slower reps than I am used to, which was part of the difficulty. It's still not a bad place to start! I'll be doing 30+ lbs within a month, so I'm not worried about it.

From my long term problems with rotator cuff I'd say be very wary of anything where your elbows go above shoulder level. The best thing I've found for the supraspinitus is open can lateral raises up to shoulder height at high reps or isometrically. The same story with the L-flys, isometrics and/or reps of >30 with a lighter are much safer. I don't want to sound like your mum or anything but if you get hurt you'll be gutted. I've had a lot of 3 steps forward 1 step back progress and the step back was always when I tried lower reps (<20ish), and overhead work.

Longshanks said:

From my long term problems with rotator cuff I'd say be very wary of anything where your elbows go above shoulder level. The best thing I've found for the supraspinitus is open can lateral raises up to shoulder height at high reps or isometrically. The same story with the L-flys, isometrics and/or reps of >30 with a lighter are much safer. I don't want to sound like your mum or anything but if you get hurt you'll be gutted. I've had a lot of 3 steps forward 1 step back progress and the step back was always when I tried lower reps (<20ish), and overhead work.

If you have long-term rotator problems then just like me you have not adjusted your program for full recovery. It takes a LONG time, but you only have to do it once. Even now, in the beginning, I am more stable and feel stronger than I ever have inside my shoulders.

Most injuries with this type of training come from increasing the weight too much. You have to have fractional plates or be smart enough to tape a bottle or two of water to your dumbbells so you can control the weight an ounce or three at a time.

The problem with standing supraspinatus work is that the traps and deltoids get involved fairly quickly. Lying down, they do not. You get to target the supraspinatus directly, and I believe this to be preferable. As you say, you CAN overdo this, but that involves increasing the weight too fast. Gyms are not equipped with fractional plates or .25 lb increments in dumbbells, and therefore you have to A) use your own adjustable dumbbells with fractional plates, as I do, or B) use your brain and come up with creative ways to make small increases in weight. You never want to increase more than 5% from one workout to the next, even if it feels ok, which it usually won't. Standing supraspinatus work is more acceptable, I think, once you develop the strength to do this properly with decent weight, but it can never replace the lying because the heavier weights get the sooner the big muscles will take over if they are in a position to do so. Lying on your side prevents this from happening. Try it yourself, you'll feel the difference immediately. Make sure your shoulder is shrugged up to prevent undue stretching of the supraspinatus, which can be painful when trying to lift up.

As for external rotators, with side-lying rotation you never want to go past 45 degrees above horizontal as you will be cruising for impingement problems. The seated rotations with elbow on the knee are mechanically different, and are safe to raise to vertical, but not beyond. Full stretch position tension at the bottom is key, full ROM MUST be used.

Once decent strength is built AND symptoms have been gone completely for a few months then it's a good idea to start building explosive rotator strength with bands.

There is a timetable for everything, generally speaking, and to try and rush it is a mistake. It is also a mistake to try and use inferior exercises for rehab/prehab. Do it right, take the extra time, and you will actually make more progress over a 2 year period than you would have without it.

The beliefs you have concerning rotator cuff training are the primary reason you have experienced long-term problems. I shared those beliefs until a short time ago, and since I have seen the error of those beliefs and adopted a more proactive approach I have experienced results that have already eclipsed my previous longer term efforts.

If thats works for you then I'm happy for you. I did try the methods you're speaking of for a long time with only detremental results.

Are you SURE there are no postural issues in your body? You'd be surprised what can keep you from achieving meaningful progress.

You're right, to some extent different things work for different people, but unless you have permanent damage that has to be surgically repaired you shouldn't have any issues with ounce by ounce progression.

Mani's Day, 24May2010 Legs and Shoulders #2

I made excellent progress in the Front Squat from last time. I expect slow but steady progress from here on out.

This evening will be statics: FL, PL, L-sit. I may do rotators in the same session, but I might do a third just for them later on. Dunno.

Mani's Day, Evening:

Scapular Work: Wow. I haven't done this in a LOOOOONG time and it feels like it too! I figure you can't recommend anything if you don't practice it yourself, so my shrug recommendations have prompted me to get back into them a few times a week! Because there were questions about how to do these with body weight, and because I am too lazy to go around adjusting my dumbbells, I am doing these with body weight movements instead. I will show this on video as well soon!

Edit: Night time work

Nice front squat, my current max for that is right around my body weight, so 165 (thats ass to the ground though). I tried some insane rep scheme today and I used way to much weight for the volume of reps and only got halfway through (still 12 solid reps), I actually got stuck at the bottom on the last rep I tired, I tried so hard I thought I was doing to explode but I didnt even get it back up to parallel and just had to drop the weight. Luckily I was using the power rack today (it was actually open, shocker I know!) so I had the spotting bars about 2 inches below my lowest point in the squat so I just set the bar on them and called it a day. I cant wait to get a FS over 200, that would be crazy, I lift alone so I really cant press the weight up very fast, no spotter to help me grind out that last rep or save my ass if I fail horribly. I usually find myself way over prepared when I go up in weight, at least that’s how my deadlifts go, which isn’t a bad thing, it just takes a bit longer.

I looked up the Zercher squat and I am so going to give that a try next monday! I dont think I will do it all the way from the ground though ( I might with just the bar but I will have to practice a ton before I add weight to that one), just set it up in the power rack so I can get the bar in the crook of my arms and just do the squat version. Should be fun and I always enjoy the WTF looks lol

250 is ok. I'll be happier when it's 350. I may have stronger than normal upper spinal erectors, but to me zerchers are easier than front squats by a long shot. Everything I do is full range, partials are really only useful in relatively small doses and I'm just not to the point where they will benefit me.

I always squat in my power rack, it's so awesome to have one at home! I will go ahead and recommend either padding on the bar or padding for your arms, because I always have bruises from catching the weight with my biceps. I do strap front squats so it's not so bad.

Looks like we have similar external rotation routines :wink:

Sweet! The rotator programs work, I tell you what! Just gotta be patient.

Tyr's Day: Arms and Abs