Sarah Walls 2/7/12 Sarah Walls 2/7/12

Breaking in a New Bench Shirt

This post is definitely a departure from SAPTstrength's usual fare (and essentially the antithesis to Stevo's Monday post). Not only are we diving headfirst into powerlifting preparation, but I'm talking about GEARED powerlifting! For the uninitiated, geared powerlifting involves using very snug fitting "shirts" and "suits" (think the tightest compression shorts or shirts you can possibly imagine and multiply that by 100) to aide in the power lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift.

So, what's the point of these aides? You can move more weight. Plain and simple. There is a huge cool-factor involved (read: ego-factor).

Up until this past summer, I had ONLY competed in geared events and I freaking loved it!

It is worth noting - and this cannot be UNDERstated - the training for geared powerlifting varies significantly from raw powerlifting. As you'll see in Sean's videos below, he has to work to simply get the bar down to his chest. He is literally having to PULL the bar down - hence why back work becomes so critical for the geared bencher. This can be very tough to imagine for someone who has never experienced a shirted bench.

Anyhow, my point here is not to convince you to be pro-gear. What I'd like to do is simply show an excellent progression to help learn the "groove" in a new bench shirt:

Sean starts his first set by touching a 3-board, the next set is to a 2-board, and the third set he is just able to touch his chest. This is a very intelligent way to learn to handle a new shirt. Some people get in them and simply pile on more and more weight until it finally touches their chest. Unfortunately, during this process they may never learn solid, safe, and effective form.

It is worth noting how well Sean is able to stay under control - you see very little, if any, breakdown in form: elbows stays tucked, chest stays up, and he is clearly actively pulling the bar down.

By the way, if you want to go to the true experts in powerlifting, you need to make your way over to EliteFTS.com and check out their training logs, the Q&A, and articles.

Sarah Walls 11/1/11 Sarah Walls 11/1/11

Squat vs. Box Squat (+ Personal Update)

I just stumbled upon a study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research in December 2010 titled: “Comparison of kinetic variables and muscle activity during a squat vs. a box squat.” Basically, what the study found is that box squatting was measured to produce both more force and more power than a traditional squat at certain working percentages!

I’m sure many people assume the box’s only value is to ensure depth, but those of us who are familiar with old articles from Westside Barbell or EliteFTS know better:

A pause on the box – with or without relaxation – takes away the stretch-shortening cycle and forces the athlete to generate all that speed and power from the bottom position. No relying on stored energy, this pays huge dividends when you finally get the opportunity to use a “bounce” out of the hole.
The same pause that removes the stretch-shortening cycle is also the responsible factor for why box squatting or dynamic effort box squatting can be considered valuable supplemental deadlift work, too. Why? In the deadlift you start from the bottom with virtually no stored energy.
A bigger squat and a bigger deadlift?!? Sign me up!

Below I’ve put in a repost of mine from last May. Maybe the big gains were due to the BOX? Eh, it was still the dynamic effort work, I’m certain. But, I've now found real science backing up that decision to use a box:

Dynamic Effort Training to Fuel Huge Strength Gains (from May 2011)

I had something wonderful happen last week: the George Mason Throwers – who just came off the season – retested in the squat and everyone PR’d. I’m not talking 5lb PR’s, we had HUGE PR’s of 55lb and even 60lb (that’s a 365lb squat moving up to 425lb and a 455lb squat moving up to 510lb)! The lowest PR was 20lb. This progress occurred over about 16-weeks. By the way, I called the depth on each attempt myself, anyone who knows me personally knows I’m a stickler for proper squat depth.

I will be (and that day I was) the first to admit how shocked I was at our new numbers. You see, we were retesting so everyone could be sure they are working off the correct percentages for their summer training program. Coming off the season, I figured everyone would be down around their old max (if we’re lucky) or even below… that’s how it works, right? Maybe not…In hindsight, my approach to this team (much like the sprinters and jumpers I wrote about last week) has been extremely conservative. So what was the catalyst for all these great PR’s? Dynamic Effort Squats (or Speed Squats as they’re sometimes called) are the key to their success.

What are they? Dynamic Effort squatting is a squat that is performed using relatively low percentages and performed as fast as possible through the concentric portion.

Why did we use them?The Throws’ coach communicated to me at some point in December or January that the group, generally speaking, needed to learn to accelerate through to the “block” portion of the throw. I suggested Speed Squats.

How do you use them? Don’t mess with success: There is a pretty tried and true method to speed squat success and you can work off of these parameters for YEARS. If you are new to speed squatting try this wave over a three-week period: Week 1 10x2@50% - Week 2 10x2@55% - Week 3 8x2@60% - stay strict with a maximum of 60 seconds rest between sets.

Can Olympic lifts take the place of Dynamic Effort Squats? Theoretically, yes. In practice, absolutely not! The problem with the Olympic lifts and their variations is the complexity of the movement – it is, after all, its own sport. You are better off taking a simple movement that an athlete is familiar with and squeezing out every drop of progress (which will last through 4-5 years of a college career, I promise).

It blows my mind how relatively unknown Dynamic Effort lifting remains to many coaches. But, then again, the only reason I know the ins and outs of the method is via my colleagues over the years. Okay, I NEVER do this, so since you’re probably already sitting down – stay there! I don’t want anyone injured… Below are a full 4 waves of lower body lifting I wrote for the throwers this past semester. You’ll see that we did a lot of speed squatting and very little heavy accessory work. Really take a close look at the last few weeks. Oh, and a note about Wave 3, the team’s CNS was trashed so I took the DE squats out to let the team recoup. Finally, in addition to this mandatory team session lower body training day, we had an additional Saturday lift that was to be completed on their own. It consisted of very basic movements to “clean up” what we couldn’t get to during the two days they see me.

Wave 1: Weeks 1-3

A1 High Pull

6x3@65%

5x2@75%

4x1@85%+

A2 Rocking Ankle Mob

2x10

Banded DE Box Squat

10x2@40-50%

9x2@45-55%

8x2@50-60%

B1 Band Pistol Sq

2x5

3x5

3x6

B2 Pallof Press

2x6

2x7

2x8

C1 DB Swing

2x12

3x10

3x12

C2 Plate Pinch

2x:15

2x:20

3x:15

Wave 2: Weeks 4-6

DE Box Squat

10x2@50%

9x2@55%

8x2@60%

A1 Oblique Deadlift

6x3

6x2

4x1

A2 Body Saw

3x10

B1 Bulgarian Split Sq

2x5

3x5

3x6

B2 St. Arm Walkout

2x6

2x7

2x8

C1 OH Plate Squat

3x6

3x8

4x6

C2 Plate Pinch Driver

2x10

3x8

3x10

Week 7: Deload Week – light DB and bodyweight work… step away from the barbell!Wave 3: Weeks 8-10 – Taper Begins

“Low” Bar Squat (1/4 Squat depth)

4x3@75%

3x2@80%

3x1@85%+

A1 Oblique Deadlift

4x3

3x2

skip

A2 Partner Plank

4x:15

3x:20

2x:10

B1 SL DB RDL

3x6

2x8

2x5

B2 MB Side Throw

3x6

3x7

2x5

C1 OH Plate Squat

2x10

3x8

3x6

C2 Hex Hold

2xFAIL!

Wave 4: Weeks 11-13 – Taper Continues to Conference

DE Box Squat

5x2@50%

4x2@55%

n/a

“Low” Bar Squat

3x1

n/a

A1 SL ¼ Squat

2x5

A2 MB OH Throw

2x5

DB OH Squat

2x6

2x5

3x6

Lastly, here's a personal update from the weekend: Arabella "successfully completed" her first 1K race - I believe it was with a blazing fast time of 17:25. She made it on her own for a little less than half the race and I carried her the rest of the way.

In all honestly, the "Fun" Run was anything but fun. 1. It was super cold outside which wouldn't have been so much of a problem if they had started the race on time, not made everyone stand there for an extra 25 minutes. 2. Number 1 led to a fairly uncomfortable and cranky Arabella (finely tuned athletes can not be kept waiting!). 3. There was ice all over the place! Arabella slipped several times as she pushed for a PR.

The Goblin Gallop was well run, as always, and they certainly didn't have control over the weather. Regardless, I think this will be a wonderful memory for my family in the future!

Sarah Walls 9/29/11 Sarah Walls 9/29/11

A good way to improve your deadlift lockout…tear your calluses…and old skool video footage to prove it!!!

Today, from the vault I share with you deadlifting against bands. Staring myself, and two of my old training partners, with musical contributions by the great Earl Simmons aka DMX, the most prominent members of all the Ruff Ryders.

Applications for, and what I like about, pulling against bands:

-Great for improving lockout, or “crushing the walnut” as we say at SAPT. In retrospect, I’d program these in more of a speed, or dynamic, fashion as opposed to max effort (as seen in the video). I feel training the speed in which the hip extension occurs will ultimately have a greater carryover.

-You can really overload lockout without having to perform the movement in a shortened ROM (i.e. rack pull). Additionally, the overload at the top absolutely slams your grip, and promotes the adaptations necessary to handle your 9^th max effort attempt of the day (in the case of a powerlifting competition which we were training for at the time).

-They are a great way to rip the calluses right-off your hand! You’ll notice at the 1:12 mark I do a dainty little skip at the end of my set; ya, that’s where I partially tear the callus, and then at the 1:45 mark is where I finish it off. Great, thanks for sharing, Chris.

***Note, a great way to keep your calluses at bay is while in the shower gently shave over them with your standard razor. This removes most of the dead skin while not removing the callus all together. Thanks, Todd Hamer!***

What I don’t like about pulling against bands:

-Kind-of a pain to set-up.

-They put the bar in a fixed plane which may be detrimental for some trying to find their groove.

-From a programming standpoint I feel that they are more of an advanced progression and therefore aren't appliciable to most.

-They’ll rip the calluses right-off your hand!

Yes, it should be noted that the lifting form exhibited in the video, by one individual in particular (crappy, fragmented footage used to protect the innocent), should not be used as reference for a “how to” deadlift manual. Might I suggest you focus on the swarthy young-man in the green t-shirt…

Good times…hard to believe it’s been three years…

Chris AKA Romo

Sarah Walls 9/27/11 Sarah Walls 9/27/11

Cluster Training: Your Meathead Tip of the Day

Note - This is a re-post from about a year ago:

Cluster Training is a form of interval training in which, much like track athletes, the goal is to increase strength-endurance by manipulating and cycling work and recovery phases. Clusters, specifically, involve performing one or more repetitions with 10-20 seconds rest between each repetition or “cluster” of repetitions, in the case of an extended set.

Notes for cluster success:

Minimum load used is a 5RM for 4-6 sets

Extensive clustering – 4-6 repetitions with 4-6RM and a 10 second rest between each cluster.

Intensive clustering – 4-6 sets with 75-90% 1RM with 20 seconds rest between online casino repetitions for 4-6 repetitions total. Ex: 6x1x4 @ 80-85%

Clusters are best used in moderation during times when a plateau needs to be smashed to continue forward progress. I would suggest only applying this method once a week for a two- or three-week wave.

Sarah Walls 9/13/11 Sarah Walls 9/13/11

7 Days of Insanity

Over the past 7 days I’ve had multiple experiences every day that I think most Strength & Conditioning Coaches would kill to experience with NCAA Division 1 athletes. Last week was one of those special weeks when I’ve got a couple of my teams in-season, a couple teams in pre-season, and several teams just getting started for the semester with testing. The last week was extremely rich with everything from recovery sessions for soccer, 1RM squat testing, conditioning for two teams, and working out the details of a new research project. I even saw an ACL completely tear and another one we thought tore, but – thankfully – did not. My point in this post is to give you a weeklong peek into the life of a college strength coach… and let me tell you, it is WAY different than the private sector.

Tuesday, September 6:

8:30a – women’s soccer in weight room for a light total body lift, capped on either end of the session with active & static stretching and SMR (foam rolling).
10:30a – women’s basketball in weight room for an upper body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Post players ran routes on the court and guards ran stairs.
2:00p – on the field with women’s soccer to run their warm-up and conditioning routes.
3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room for power clean 1RM testing.
3:45p – throwers testing 3 vertical jump variations: counter-movement, static start, depth jump (from low box).
4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room for power clean 1RM testing.

Wednesday, September 7:

8:45a – women’s volleyball in weight room to lift. The start and finish of the lift involved active & static stretching and SMR.
2:00p – on the field to warm-up women’s soccer.
2:30p – women’s lacrosse testing on single leg broad jump, vertical jump, and 3RM front squat to BELOW parallel depth (we had a freshmen hit 170 x 3 – yikes!)
3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test 1RM bench press.
4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test 1RM bench press (one guy pressed 305lbs)

Thursday, September 8:

10:30a – women’s basketball in weight room for a lower body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Guards ran routes on the court and posts ran a low impact total body conditioning circuit.
2:00p – lead an on-field body weight only training session for women’s soccer (technically it wasn’t “on-field” due to the monsoon outside… we were in the Field House).
3:00p – rowing team in weight room for first day of training – big team with 15 new athletes means lots of instruction.
3:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test ½ Squat 1RM
3:45p – throwers in weight room to test bench press 1RM and review lifts for following week.
4:30p – male sprinters and jumpers in weight room to test ½ Squat 1RM.

Friday, September 9:

10:30a - women’s basketball in weight room for an upper body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Post players ran routes on the court and guards ran stair sprints with full recovery.
2:30p – women’s lacrosse testing for seated MB Toss, Perfect Pushup Assessment for 1 set of 10, Yo-Yo Intermittent Beep test.
3:45p – throwers in weight room for 1RM back squat test with introduction of following week’s lower body lifts.

Saturday, September 10:

10:00a – on-field with women’s soccer for practice.

Sunday, September 11:

1:00p – women’s soccer game. Witnessed a member of the opposing team destroy her ACL during a contact situation. I’ve seen this before and I’ll see it again, many times I’m sure. It’s always terrible to see this type of season ending injury that, because of my background and experience, I know will affect her for the rest of her life.

Monday, September 12:

8:45a – women’s volleyball in the weight room for lifting. The start and finish of the lift involved active & static stretching and SMR.
10:30a - women’s basketball in weight room for a lower body lift. We then go over to the Patriot Center to begin conditioning by 11:15a. Guards ran routes on the court and Posts ran stairs for speed work with full recovery.
1:30p – Single lacrosse player in to lift.
2:30p – women’s lacrosse in for first lifting session. Lots of teaching.
3:45p – throwers in for first lifting session. We did some serious volume with some serious low rest periods. No one threw-up, amazing! They must have been ready for it!
4:30p – female sprinters and jumpers in for first lifting session.
5:30p – male sprinters in for first lifting session.

Congratulations, you made it to the end of my 7 days!!! I don’t have the time or the patience to convey the details that were left out of this recap, but trust me when I tell you I think I garnered an additional year’s worth of experience in just 7 days.

As I’ve seen many very talented strength coaches completely leave the field over my 7-years of experience, I have learned that being a college strength coach is not everyone’s cup of tea. But for some sick reason it seems to be mine. I thrive on the stress and intensity. If you’re thinking of stepping into the college environment, reread my week above one more time and factor in having a life (and in my case a business, too) on top of all that – can you handle it?

Sarah Walls 7/28/11 Sarah Walls 7/28/11

Sometimes I squat...and sometimes I should think before I squat...

I'm void of any kind of informative strength-coach banter this week. So, here's a clip of me squatting on Monday...for those keeping score, thats 355,000lbs x 15. While I know it's not Stevo pushing 1000lbs on the prowler, or doing single-arm pushups with 200lbs extra load, hopefully it'll satisfy those of you that come to our site looking for tantilizing exploits of strength-endurance. I'm off to scower craigslist for good deals on "Hoverounds..." this DOMS is no fun.