Goodmornings and Pullthroughs

[Jim Ouini]

So I'm going to spend a few weeks doing some assistance excercises to work on some weak points.

Twice a week I'm going to do a core/stabilizer circuit with high rep/low intensity.

The other two days I'm thinking of the following:

1. Speed deads off a block 60% 1RM 5 x 5

2. Goodmornings 5 x 5 and/or pullthroughs (rep range? I'm thinking 3 x 12 or some such. I always associate cable stuff with higher reps for some reason)

3. Reverse Hypers 3 x 10-12

My main question is whether goodmornings and pullthroughs are redundant, and best not to do them in the same workout? Or can I keep them both?

I've done them in the past and like them both. Goodmornings seemed to work my low back more, or maybe it was a function of the weight I was using.

My goal here is to improve my ham/glute strength, primarily.

Appreciate any input.

 

[RipStone]

So I'm going to spend a few weeks doing some assistance excercises to work on some weak points.

Twice a week I'm going to do a core/stabilizer circuit with high rep/low intensity.

The other two days I'm thinking of the following:

1. Speed deads off a block 60% 1RM 5 x 5

2. Goodmornings 5 x 5 and/or pullthroughs (rep range? I'm thinking 3 x 12 or some such. I always associate cable stuff with higher reps for some reason)

3. Reverse Hypers 3 x 10-12

My main question is whether goodmornings and pullthroughs are redundant, and best not to do them in the same workout? Or can I keep them both?

I've done them in the past and like them both. Goodmornings seemed to work my low back more, or maybe it was a function of the weight I was using.

My goal here is to improve my ham/glute strength, primarily.

Appreciate any input.

For me, I feel GMs more in low back and hammies and I feel pullthroughs more in glutes. You can do them both in the same workout if you like considering your goal is to bring up lagging muscles groups. You might wanna consider glute-ham raises too.

 

[anthrax]

They're not redundant but I'll do them on separater days

Like Day1 = squats + GM
Day2 = deads + pull through

 

[Jim Ouini]

Thanks guys. I think I'll keep 'em the same workout since my other days are booked with new age stuff

I need to find a good way to do GHR at my gym, too. I tried'em once and BW is tough!

 

[RipStone]

Thanks guys. I think I'll keep 'em the same workout since my other days are booked with new age stuff

I need to find a good way to do GHR at my gym, too. I tried'em once and BW is tough!

You can use the seat of a lat pulldown machine to do GHRs. Just lock your feet inbetween the seat and where your knees go under. YOu will face the opposite direction you normally would face if you were doing pulldowns. Then you kinda fall to the ground and use your hammies and glutes to pull yourself back up.

 

[Jim Ouini]

You can use the seat of a lat pulldown machine to do GHRs. Just lock your feet inbetween the seat and where your knees go under. YOu will face the opposite direction you normally would face if you were doing pulldowns. Then you kinda fall to the ground and use your hammies and glutes to pull yourself back up.

Yep that's the way I tried them. I couldn't even do 1 with body weight. Maybe I was too scared of falling on my face.

Plus all the people waiting for the lat pulldown machine were giving me dirty looks; kinda the reverse of doing curls in the squat rack

 

[blut wump]

Don't forget the box squats for glutes and hips. The exercise seems to be the mainstay of the WSB lower-body program. Dimmels or RDLs for highish reps might be worth trying too.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I forgot about the box squats being great for the hammies and glutes. I did them on the Wed lighter squat workout my last run through (up until Wk 4).

Like most of my squats I think I went to heavy, and the box may have been too low. I felt like my knees were caving in trying to drive it up, which exacerbated some knee pain I was having, ironically.

This may be a good time to try them with lighter weight and a higher box.

 

[blut wump]

BFold The Truth recommended a super-wide stance too along with a big effort to keep your shins as close to vertical as possible to encourage sitting back rather than down.

They ripped my hips to mush which pretty much forced the 2x deload onto me.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Tried the workout today. Not too bad, lots of glute emphasis, though.

Deads on Aerobic Step (about 4")

Warmup to 245 x 5 x 5

Tried to pull these as fast as possible. Felt pretty good but man is my grip weak. I'd only pull out the straps at >315 before, but I was only pulling like 1-2 rep warmups. Doing 5 reps is another story. Plus I'm holding it 4" longer 1st and 2nd sets I did over/over and almost lost it by the 5th rep.

So I switched to a hook grip for my last 3 sets and that helped a lot. Funny thing is I don't even know what a hook grip is

Anyway, the weights were pretty easy, probably <55% of my 1RM so I'll have to bump it up.

Goodmornings

135 x 5 x 5

Pretty easy. Hadn't done them in awhile.

Pullthroughs

70 x 10
80 x 10
90 x 10
100 x 10

Felt pretty light but I think this thing works your core, too. Are you supposed to lock your elbows to your sides? Well that's what I did, I figure it's a glute exercise so no need to worry about anything going on above the hips.

Reverse Hyper

BW x 3 x 10

Easy stuff. Did these facing the other way on the back hyper extension. I'll have to bring some bands in next time.

GHR

3 reps with BW. Just messing around.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Ouch. Day after and my hamstrings are fried. Low back and glutes are tight but nothing like my hammies.

Reminds me of my BB workout days

 

[Guinness5.0]

How far down should you go on GM's? I think I'm going too far on mine ('til upper back is like 2 degrees short of parallel). My low back has been a bit tender lately.

 

[Jim Ouini]

About the same as you, about to parallel maybe a bit short.

I arch my back and have a slight bend in my knees, though. In fact I kind of do these like my RDL.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I think I've got some flexibility issues, because I start to lose the arch in my low back as I get close to parallel. Probably why my back is bothering me.

 

[blut wump]

I tried some GMs and pullthroughs today. I've done GMs once before but never done pullthroughs. The GMs I seem to do with quite bent knees and I bend forward until I'm about in the same position that I row from, except that my arms are going up rather than down. They're both satisfying movements.

Between sets on the pullthroughs I was chatting with a guy using the shoulder press machine. After a short discussion, we agreed with each other that everyone should stick with free weights and forget the machine and cable crap. I'm pretty sure that he missed the irony.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Sometimes I hear people call dumbells 'free weights', and everything else, I guess, isn't. I dunno.

I'm really starting to like pullthrough's. I think I'll be able to go pretty heavy on them soon. Seems like they require some measure of balance, too, a couple times I got back on my heels and almost flew backwards.

The other day I had to explain what these were to some guy, finally. I get lots of strange looks when I do these.

 

[bignate73]

pullthroughs always get weird looks. ALWAYS!

GM's get some head scratching but not nearly as much because its in the squat rack...which no one visits to actually squat in. but since pullthroughs are on cables and its taking away from their "pec" workout....you know...

if you have bands you can set up for some pretty intense pullthroughs with those. especially if you feel your lockout is your weak point, the bands get their tightest at lockout on pullthroughs.

 

[Jim Ouini]

pullthroughs always get weird looks. ALWAYS!

GM's get some head scratching but not nearly as much because its in the squat rack...which no one visits to actually squat in. but since pullthroughs are on cables and its taking away from their "pec" workout....you know...

Yeah that's the thing, fighting for space at THE most popular station in the gym plus you have to take a few steps so it pretty much takes up the whole 'cable cross-over' area.

if you have bands you can set up for some pretty intense pullthroughs with those. especially if you feel your lockout is your weak point, the bands get their tightest at lockout on pullthroughs.

Great idea, hadn't thought of that. I must try this

 

[anthrax]

Where do you guys do your pull-throughs?

My pulley machine doesn't go over 160 lbs and it's not enough
Last time I tried to add additional plates I broke the cable

 

[blut wump]

I did mine on one end of the cable crossover. It was my first time so the fact that I could have managed more weight didn't bother me. I worked up to the full stack and then just did five sets. I'd also just done GMs so the weight was probably plenty, anyway.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Did the full stack today (200) on pullthrough's 3 x 10. Not too bad except I almost lost my balance a couple times and the gym was kinda crowded today so I got lots of weird looks from guys doing their tricep pushdowns and behind the neck pulldowns.

GM's up to 165 x 5, starting to feel heavy. GHR BW x 3 x 5, bent at the waist some to make it easier.

Deads off the step @ 275 were OK til I lost my grip by the 4th set. Had to slink back to my locker and get my straps. Tried the snatch grip a few times to make it harder, weight goes up pretty fast as long as I can hold onto the bar. Man have I ever neglected my grip.

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

Where do you guys do your pull-throughs?

My pulley machine doesn't go over 160 lbs and it's not enough
Last time I tried to add additional plates I broke the cable

We do our pull-throughs most often on the universal also. It is tough to get in there sometimes so we will also use our bands and tie it off to a squat rack or other piece of substantial equipment.

Some of the guys do hang additional weight off the universal stack, I've yet to see a cable break, but I'm sure the day is a comin'.

On the pull-thrus - something to try if not already; place legs in a very wide stance with knees bent slightly. Try to let the weight pull your body through your legs. My head is about 1" off the floor when I do mine, but I am fairly flexible. When you come up to the top of the movement, (no laughing...) 'thrust' your hips forward and squeeze your glutes/hams. Stretch bands are also good for seated leg curls which really hit the hams and hip flexors too. Take care.
__________________
Mythicwrld

"We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more."

 

[bignate73]

did my pullthroughs today with double mini's after doing sumo deads...my hips are tired and hammies are shaking a bit. since my lockout is pretty good and i stalled out on the floor on sumo's, this was a good combo.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yeah I think I'm going to have to bring the bands next time. I have some but have never used 'em, they're pristine

And I'm only going about 90 degrees to the floor, and then do the hip thrust and glute squeeze. That's usually when I get the funny looks.

Getting to where my head is an inch from the floor sounds pretty intense. Another thing I must try.

 

[blut wump]

Ditto, they sound fun. That's going to mean stepping a bit further away from the machine. I have the stance right but I was only going down to parallel. If you use bands would you just tie them to a normal bar?

Great thread Jim.

 

[anthrax]

BTW, do you have a video on a good form pull-through?

I tend to feel it too much in the lower back than I'd like to

 

[Jim Ouini]

Ditto, they sound fun. That's going to mean stepping a bit further away from the machine. I have the stance right but I was only going down to parallel. If you use bands would you just tie them to a normal bar?

Great thread Jim.

Yeah great help from the board on this one. It's great when a cry for help results in something that sends me scurrying back to the gym.

Re: bands, I'm going to tie them to the squat rack. That way I can have my own little private corner to do my pullthroughs.

Which to the rest of the Bally's crowd will probably make them seem even more perverse.

Anthrax, check here under 'Strength' about 3/4 of the way down.

But I don't look nearly as jolly doing mine as Mr. Vegas does in the video.

I may be doing them wrong - but I do them a lot like a GM, or an RDL, where I try to keep a slight arch in my low back.

Although if I try to go all the way down like QS sis suggests somethings gotta give

 

[Quadsweeps Sister]

Although if I try to go all the way down like QS sis suggests somethings gotta give

...and hopefully it is nothing in the groin area...LOL. Be careful!

Wump is right, to get closer to the floor, you do have to really walk it out there and use a wide stance. Happy pulling!
__________________
Mythicwrld

"We deceive ourselves when we fancy that only weakness needs support. Strength needs it far more."

 

[anthrax]

Jim Ouini,

Thanks for the link

I highly doubt you can do pullthrough like that with 200lbs though....

I persoanlly use a wide stance and I have to keep each part of the rope against my legs (otherwise you cheat with your arms)