AB's Happy Smiley Thoughts journal

[anotherbutters]

I'm probably making this sound like a bigger deal than it is. I know it's not complicated

That said... wouldn't you want to clamp everything down first, then breathe in to 'fill the gaps', rather than trying to clamp down as best you can after breathing in?

As a side note, the SLDLs, chins and core work have given me the biggest DOMS I've ever had! Traps, upper and lower back, shoulders and abs are all asking me what I've done to them.

 

[blut wump]

You want as much air in as you can get. It'll move itself around as your body sees fit once it's in. You're going to be tight under the wieght anyway and trying to squeeze before pulling air will mean less air inside you.

Fill yourself with air, tighten yourself and arch the weight out and take a step back as needed. Try to suck some more in or go straight down to the first rep. If you're doing reps then you're going to have to breath but try to go down on full. The more weight you're loaded with, the harder it is to suck and stay tight.

Re the doms, that just tells you that you've overdone the restart.

 

[fortunatesun]

I feel like I'm flogging the subject a bit, but I want to add that they teach the same breath technique in yoga as well. When you breath in air, do it through your diaphram, not your chest. Your stomach should naturally expand to hold the air. That's when you tighten up. You've created a wider base on which to carry the weight instead of a smaller one. This will help you stabilize and distribute the load.
Breathing technique is something you can easily practice any time of day and you get the hang of in just a few minutes.

 

[anotherbutters]

Don't worry, the horse isn't quite dead yet.

I mentioned breathing into my stomach to the physio girl and she gave me a stern look and started talking about the diaphram not being supported unless you contract the core muscles to start with. But then again, when I mentioned the deadlift, she started asking about overhead lifting

 

[Jim Ouini]

Glad to see you doing 'normal' exercises now

BTW, if you get Facts and Fallicies by Siff, he has a little ditty on the 'pull the belly button towards your spine' thing.

 

[nelmsjer]

Don't worry, the horse isn't quite dead yet.

I mentioned breathing into my stomach to the physio girl and she gave me a stern look and started talking about the diaphram not being supported unless you contract the core muscles to start with. But then again, when I mentioned the deadlift, she started asking about overhead lifting

I was fine with your physio until this one...

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

I was fine with your physio until this one...

Actually, think twice buddy. I agree with her on this due to what I've read from Dr. McGill. You should be forming an abdominal brace to support your back during heavy lifting. Basically, do what you do during those exercises, AB. Flex the abdominals without them distending. Also, try standing upright, proper posture. Put your finger tips on your lower back, just over your erectors. Hunch forward slightly. They should flex and stick out against your fingers. Now resume the upright position. Form an abdominal brace with your fingers against the erectors. They should be flexing if you're doing it correctly, just as when you bent forward...'cept you should still be upright.

That was a mouthful. Either way, I believe she's right. Give it a shot.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Glad to see you doing 'normal' exercises now

BTW, if you get Facts and Fallicies by Siff, he has a little ditty on the 'pull the belly button towards your spine' thing.

And I'd say he's correct in being that way.

Siff & McGill in a cage match. Word.

 

[nelmsjer]

Sorry...referring to deadlift = overhead lifting. oops! I'll be sure to bold next time...

Otherwise, I agree with the whole abdominal bracing thing. There's no freaking way I would squat without keeping the core tight.

Preach on.

 

[anotherbutters]

5x5 Week 1, Monday

Having gotten last week's exploratory work out of the way, I can safely say I'm back. I'm going to follow a slightly modified SF 5x5 workout, in which I'll increase the weights every workout for as long as I can, then I'll drop back to the standard SF 5x5. The reason for SF 5x5 is just that it's very effective and I enjoy it!

1. Paused OH Squats (5 secs)
bar x 4
bar x 3

The weight is no problem here, but I'm struggling with upper back flexibility. My arms and upper back just want to come forward. I held the position in the hole for 5 seconds again, to see if that helps, although I could probably do with some specific stretches. Any ideas?

2. Squats (kg)
(warmup: bar x 5)
40 x 5
50 x 5
60 x 5
70 x 5
80 x 5

The final rep was a bit of a grind, but at least I got the reps in today.

3. Powercleans (kg)
(warmup: bar x 5)
30 x 5
35 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 3
46 x 3

Up 1kg from Saturday. I don't like doing these for reps, which is why I dropped down to 3 reps at the end.

4. Bench (kg)
(warmup: bar x 5)
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
61 x 5

Up 1kg from Saturday, and easier.

5. Reverse hypers
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15

6. Core work
Some single and double leg lowers. I'll do more core work tonight as I couldn't focus on it at the end of the workout.


Comments

I think I'll squat 'heavy' 3 times per week until things slow down. My squat 5RM is 105kg, so I've a lot of slack to take up. I'll try to add 1-2kg to my squat each workout, so that's 3-6kg per week. For bench and powercleans, I'll try to add 1kg each workout (2kg each week).