Yesterday we hosted the November Novices here. We had a great number of volunteers meaning that we could run it like a fully sanctioned competition. Meaning that our lifters could do it without the intimidation, or fear of a full competition. (Not that there should be anything to be scared or intimidated of). We had 8 lifters in the end, as some people had to pull out due to injury or illness. But the standard was high! Most people got a total, and the one that didn't definitely understood what they need to work on for next time. I just want to take this moment to thank all of the volunteers, lifters and spectators again - they all came together to make an excellent atmosphere, full of support, for the day. I'm very happy with, and grateful for, all of them! Why We Do It.As a NWPL affiliated club we can host fully fledged competitions, and we do so with the next one being July of 2025. However, we recognise that on a grassroots level there isn't a lot on offer for powerlifting competitions at the moment (particularly after the IPF rule updates over the last few years). So, our aim is to offer competitions that may seem a little less intimidating, friendly and easy to access for a new lifter. We do this with Novice competitions, club competitions and charity events/competitions. We also try to offer this on a membership/coaching level with our Strength Training Trial and options like that. A lot of our lifters initially come to the gym just to get a bit stronger but then they see that powerlifting is fun, and competing with yourself can be productive. Grassroots in powerlifting, and weightlifting - which we also offer, headed by Coach Beá - is super important. The sports both grow well, but that growth can be maintained and the lifters involved can be supported by events and continued projects like what we aim to offer. Grassroots are Important.We want to ensure the future of powerlifting, and strength sports in general, are in good hands. So, we're doing our best to coach, mentor, advise and put on events to encourage this. What would you like to see in regards to this? What events? What coaching or gym options? Let us know in the comments, or send us an email! As always, thank you for reading! If you want more information on the gym or coaching then please check out more of the website!
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The latest blog post is written by Coach Beá, and it's about a very important topic - Cutting for Competition. If you've been coached by me you will know that I feel quite strongly about cutting, or rather not cutting, for competition - particularly in your early competitions. I'll let Beá explain the rest. The ultimate debate of powerlifting To cut or not to cut? Most powerlifting coaches would tell you, likely as a straight answer, don’t. But then whenever we hear the success stories from the elites & champions, there’s always a mention of some sort of ‘making weight’, ‘water cut’, ‘fasting’ and other stuff. So why are we, coaches, so against the idea of cutting body weight when it always seems to be part of the winning tool kit. The explanation is that famous phrase ‘it depends.’ But rest assured, in this post I will answer this question. Firstly, what do we mean by cutting/making weight? In powerlifting, in order to make sure the competition is fair for everyone, contestants are divided into age and bodyweight categories. We use Wilks, GL Points or Dots to calculate the score for each lifter based on their bodyweight, total and other factors, the highest score wins. The common understanding, unfortunately, is misleading as the majority of beginners still believe they have to aim for squeezing themselves into the lower body weight category and try to max out the highest total they can possibly hit there. Now...does this in any way, shape or form, resemble a ‘growth mindset’? For instance, a male lifter who weighs 87kg, which is in the middle between the two body weight categories, 83kg & 93kg. This athlete can make the decisions to lose 5kg and cut their strength alongside their size, increase stress levels or sit still and comfortable and take advantage of extra fuel and enhanced recovery rate and maybe even put on a kilo or two knowing it still will be absolutely fine for the comp. When people cut calories and body size that also means cutting potential gains: - gains for heavier lifts, recovery and overall, a heavier total on meet day. Novice lifters, who are still progressing very fast in technique and/or strength, should never worry about cutting weight for this reason. You might win the upcoming competition and take a gold medal home. But you also hindered your potential development by limiting the calorie intake and accumulating higher levels of fatigue (pushing your maxes with decreasing body weight). This means that whilst you got a gold at a smaller comp the one you qualified for will be harder now due to the aforementioned factors. Whilst you’re struggling, your competition is already back in training enjoying calorie surplus and just being an absolute unit. ‘If I wanna become like the elites, I must do what they do..’ Ask anyone of the current world champs, if they’ve done any of the ‘fancy stuff’ when they competed at their first comp? -No, they did not. Elite Powerlifters, the ones who've been in the sport for over 5 years, are not making progress as quickly anymore. They are pushing their biological limitations, and their recovery rate has slowed down over the years. They have to really push their limits and are likely to make a fraction of an increase in total compared to that of a beginner. They have to use every little trick left in the magic hat if they want to get a higher/better score and they’re provided with all the professional aid in order to get the required result. Most recent example, Evie Corrigan (52kg- ), winner of Sheffield, the biggest IPF event of the history,. When Evie started the comp prep she was a 57kg- lifter but was comfortably sitting at 54kg, for her losing 2kg made little to no alteration to strength levels and it also meant a higher chance to get close to hit the highest % over the current world records. For her cut she has assistance from nutritional coach as well and her powerlifting coach. They went through every scenario and drew up every possibility for both 52kg & 57kg category just to make sure it’s indeed a worthy call to make with everything’s at stake. Social Media Social media plays a huge part in overwhelming and distracting rookie lifters from what priority to focus on when prepping for meet day. To clarify for the first 3-5 competitions the biggest goal for any lifter should be to make every attempt, get 9/9 and gain competition experience. What do we mean by ‘experience’ isn’t just being there, it means answering the following;
One dangerous aspect of cutting weight for competition is the impact of dehydration. Which will result in a lack of minerals as well as a lack of energy. This is due to the absence of sugars which the body would naturally need for survival. This puts the athlete in a really unsustainable condition if not monitored, or controlled adequately. The least people would experience who are dehydrated during comp is occasional cramping up but this can quickly turn into total passing out and other, even more severe long lasting damage to the metabolism and to the musculature. It’s crucial that whoever decides to undergo this kind of drastic act, create a sustainable - realistic plan and follow it through. There are different weigh in times for different body categories throughout the day, so not eating all morning for your 2pm weigh in would be a shot-in-the-foot move. This is a whole other science just like powerlifting itself and so it shouldn’t be taken lightly. There’s many useful resources for game day planning, which would also talk about the different approaches on how people can execute weight cuts and still enhance their comp performance. And most importantly, athletes, immediately after they successfully weighed in, are to hurry re-hydrating and re-fuelling within the allocated 2 hours prior to the lift off. Without a well laid out plan, you not only make your competition day harder than necessary, but you also risk potentially bombing out due to poor performance. So to answer this longing question: Cut or not to cut? It depends, are you… A, a beginner lifter who is still developing in physique and gaining experience in competing. B, a veteran lifter, who’s been competing for years and likely to be at their biological threshold for strength levels and would need a more dramatic approach to increase total? If you admit to being A, it’s great because the longer you stay in a rookie mindset, then the more potential you will still have to become a freaking beast. If you’re B, with your experience you are likely to have professional powerlifters in your social circle who are experienced enough, and can guide you on this topic on a qualified level. You'll see Beáta next competing in Olympic Weightlifting in July, but if you'd like to be coached by her then get in touch via the website or find her on instagram @prhousecoaching.
What to Know - Word Count - 1200 words. Time to Read - 4 minutes ish. In Part 1 of our diet setup guide, we outlined the 5 components of a diet: 1. Calories. Calories provide the fundamental control on whether weight is gained or lost. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you eat less calories than you burn, then you will lose weight 2. Macros. Macros (Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats), are important in helping you reach physique goals more quickly than if you just focus on calories alone. 3. Micronutrients. Micronutrients aren’t massively important in attaining physique goals - however long-term deficiencies will impact your health and ability to train and recover. 4. Meal timing/frequency. Meal timing and frequency is a topic which generates a lot of discussion and catchy slogans but it doesn’t really matter, if you are hitting your calorie and macro targets. These will be discussed in more detail in a future article. 5. Supplements. Supplements are the smallest part of the puzzle - I wrote about supplements in a previous article (link here). For now, all we need to know is that supplements, supplement your diet and help you reach your calorie and macro targets. The first article focused on the two most important factors in determining diet success - Calories and Macros. Part 2 is focusing on the other three components of diet; micronutrients, meal timing and frequency and supplements. Whilst these are less important than calories and macronutrients to determining success, they do play a role in your long term health and diet success. Micronutrients Micronutrients are nutrients required in the diet in small amounts for optimal health and performance. Whereas macronutrients are measured in grams, micronutrients are usally measured in the diet in miligrams. In the short term they aren’t super important, but long term micronutrient deficiencies cause serious health issues and will impact your ability to train effectively. Micronutrients can be divided into two groups - vitamins and minerals. Minerals are non-organic (e.g. Iron, Zinc, Sodium etc.) whereas vitamins are organic. Vitamins are further subdivided into water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water soluble vitamins (e.g. Vitamin C) pass through the body in urine (which is why your pee turns a bright colour when you take a vitamin C tablet). Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed in the stomach and build up in the body. This means that deficits and surpluses build up in the body over time and can’t be quickly corrected. How do I make sure I get enough micronutrients? Tracking your micronutrition is not recommended unless you have a specific micronutrient deficiency that needs addressing. For most people the micronutrients contained in meat (B-minerals), dairy (calcium, zinc and vitamin A) and starchy carbohydrates (Zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6) will be present in the diet in ample quantities. The micronutrients present in fish (primarily omega-3 fatty acids) and fruits and vegetables (Vitamin A, C, D, E and others) are more likely to be under-represented in the diet.. The simplest way to make sure you’re covering all the bases in terms of micronutrition is to eat a varied diet, with 2 meals of fish a week and plenty of fruit and vegetables each day. Eric Helms gives the following guidelines for his bodybuilding competitors on specific quantities of fruit and veg per day: Calories. Cups of fruit & vegetables / day. 1200 - 2000. 2 cups each. 2000 - 3000. 3 cups each. 3000 - 4000 4 cups each. The reason that these recommendations decrease with calorie intake is twofold:
Can i just take a multivitamin and not eat fruit and vegetables? No. To quote Alan Aragon: ‘a poor diet with a muti(vitamin) is still a poor diet’. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is essential for optimising health and performance. A multivitamin is a good insurance policy - if there are gaps in your micronutrient intake from your diet, then the multivitamin will help cover them. However, they will not provide you with the total health benefits that eating a variety of fruit and vegetables will. Nutrient Timing and Meal Frequency Nutrient timing and meal frequency is overrated. It certainly can have a small impact on body composition and help with diet adherence, particularly when cutting, but the overall success or failure of a diet will be controlled by calories and macronutrients. There is evidence that meal frequency (specifically intermittent fasting), does have health benefits but it’s debated as to whether these impacts are due to intermittent fasting or just caloric restriction and weight loss. For beginners, or those new to tracking calories and macros, simplicity is key. The best diet for you is the one you can stick to. To begin, there are three main considerations:
The number of meals you eat is related to how many calories you have to eat that day. If you are cutting, splitting those calories into 2-4 meals is probably best. If you’re bulking, eating 3-4 meals will work better - trying to cram a calorie surplus into two meals is probably going to be unpleasant. When you’re cutting, eating fewer meals can be psychologically beneficial because you can eat 2 normal meals and one smaller meal or even skip a meal. It is also important, especially when cutting, to space your meals around your training. If you’re training in a calorie deficit, making sure you are fueled properly around the workout is essential for getting the most out of your training that you can. Firstly, never train completely fasted. Even if you are training at 6am, take a protein shake to the gym with you and sip it throughout your workout (p.s. If you find protein shakes too milky to drink during a workout, try MyProtein’s clear whey - it’s excellent for intra-workout shakes). Once you have finished your workout, make sure you eat within two hours of finishing a session. Make sure you eat more in the post-workout meal than the pre-workout meal and try to split your macros evenly between the meals. Finally, breakfast. Skipping breakfast - or having a low calorie meal like a protein shake - can be helpful if you’re cutting. It makes calculating your calories and macros easier as you can just split them between two meals. Typically, people in a calorie deficit find it easier to skip breakfast and then eat two more or less normal meals. Supplements The final piece of the puzzle is supplements. These are supplements to the diet - not a magic bullet. Broadly, protein powder is a worthwhile investment as it can help you boost dietary protein without the addition of excess calories. Make sure your protein powder doesn’t contain a large amount of filler - a good powder will contain 18-20g protein per 25g scoop. There are a range of other supplements which can help your performance - link here - but they are non-essential to your dieting goals. Summary The keys to a successful diet are your calories and macros (link this to article 1). Your micronutrition, nutrient timing and meal frequency have a smaller impact on the overall success of a diet, but cause a huge amount of confusion. Fundamentally, eating 2-4 meals per day, with a varied diet including fruit and vegetables and using high quality protein powders and supplements to fill in the gaps will take care of your basic micro-nutritional and meal frequency needs. This is another article written by Daniel Lee Fitness coach James Kennedy.
If you'd like to get in touch with him directly you can email him on - jlk@dannyleeonline.co.uk The low down - Word Count - 1910. Time to Read - 6.3 minutes. Setting up a diet According to survey data from the US 41% of gym-goers attend the gym to lose weight and 38% go to look better (Source - https://www.statista.com/statistics/639169/reasons-behind-gym-exercise-in-us/ ) . Whilst exercising is a key component of improving your physique and losing weight, your diet is essential to help maximise both muscle growth and fat loss. Diet is a topic for which there is no end of bullshit on the internet. If you don’t get the fundamental parts of a diet sorted, then you will be wasting your time and money. This article will explain what the key components of a diet are, what you should focus on and how to get started with your diet whether you want to build muscle or lose fat. TL; DR
Nutritional Importance There are 5 components to a diet, in order of importance: 1. Calories. Calories provide the fundamental control on whether weight is gained or lost. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you eat less calories than you burn, then you will lose weight 2. Macros. Macros (Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats), are important in helping you reach physique goals more quickly than if you just focus on calories alone 3. Micronutrients. Micronutrients aren’t massively important in attaining physique goals - however long-term deficiencies will impact your health and ability to train and recover. 4. Meal timing/frequency. Meal timing and frequency is a topic which generates a lot of discussion and catchy slogans but it doesn’t really matter, if you are hitting your calorie and macro targets. These will be discussed in more detail in a future article. 5. Supplements. Supplements are the smallest part of the puzzle - I wrote about supplements in a previous article (link here). For now, all we need to know is that supplements, supplement your diet and help you reach your calorie and macro targets. This article is primarily going to focus on the first two points; calories and macros with micronutrients, meal timing and frequency discussed in a subsequent article. Setting up your diet When setting up a diet - whether your goal is muscle gain, fat loss or to maximise sports performance - the most important thing is calorie balance. There are 3 main components to a diet: 1. Choosing appropriate fat loss or muscle gain targets based your current levels of body fat or training experience 2. Calculating your target energy intake 3. Calculating your macronutrient breakdown Most people want to lose fat or gain muscle, or ideally do both simultaneously. Your ability to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time decreases with body fat percentage and training experience. The less time you’ve been training and the higher body fat percentage you have, the easier it will be to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. However, if you are a complete beginner to training, you may be better focused on just trying to gain muscle - your ‘noob gains’ will be much greater and training will be easier. When we are deciding about whether to lose or gain weight it is important to establish what our goals are. Should we try to gain muscle and add weight (bulk) or try to lose body fat (cut)? The first question to ask yourself is what your training goals are. Are you a powerlifter or strongman competitor who just wants to maximise the amount of weight you can lift? Are you a powerlifter looking to move up or down a weight class? Or are you a bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast who is looking to maximise your physique? Generally, if your body fat percentage is above 15% for a male athlete or above 25% for a female athlete, you can cut your body-fat levels down to 8-10% without losing much strength. For the powerlifters out there, if you are near the bottom of your current weight class and carrying higher levels of body fat, cutting to reach the weight class below may allow you to become highly competitive. For example, if you weigh 85kg and have 20% body fat and compete in the 90kg weight class, you could easily lose 5-8% body-fat and move down to the 82.5kg weight class without losing any strength. This will make you relatively stronger and more competitive in the lower weight class. If you are already fairly lean, below 8-12% body fat levels, deciding to bulk may be more appropriate. Once you have decided whether to bulk or cut, the next step is to calculate how many calories you should eat. Thankfully, there is a helpful tool available to do this (http://dannyleeonline.co.uk/macro-calculator.html). To use this tool, firstly weigh yourself and measure your body fat percentage. The two easiest ways to measure your body fat percentage at home are either the calliper method (https://www.myprotein.com/thezone/nutrition/how-to-use-skin-fold-calipers-measuring-body-fat-percentage/) or the tape measure method developed by the US Navy (https://rippedbody.com/how-calculate-body-fat-percentage/) Once you have these numbers, it’s possible to calculate your lean body mass (LBM). The next step is to establish your target LBM and target body-fat percentages. For those deciding to cut, you are aiming to maintain LBM and lose body-fat. Broadly, the following fat-loss targets are appropriate: Body Fat %. ->30. 20-30. 15-20. 12-15. 8-12. <8 Target fat loss/week - 1.1kg. 0.9kg. 0.7kg. 0.5kg. 0.3kg. 0.2kg (source: https://rippedbody.com/) So, if we go back to our 85kg powerlifter with 20% body fat who is aiming to lose around 8% body-fat (7kg), they should be aiming to lose 0.7kg a week. This means their initial cut should take ten weeks (7kg / 0.7 kg = 10 weeks), and their target body mass is 77kg. What about if we wanted to build more muscle? How much muscle could we expect to gain and how quickly? The first step in assessing how much muscle we could expect to gain is to assess how long you have been training seriously. If you are unsure about where you fit in, ask your coach. Training Status - Beginner. Intermediate Advanced Muscle Gain per month - 0.9-1.2kg. 0.45kg-0.9kg. 0.25kg (source: https://rippedbody.com/) There are several strategies around bulking. A dirty bulk (gain weight as quickly as possible), a controlled bulk (maximise muscle gain without gaining unnecessary fat levels) or a lean bulk (maintain maximal leanness while adding muscle). A dirty bulk is usually a bad idea. Your maximal rate of muscle growth is controlled by training experience, not by calories. Eating more calories above an appropriate level just leads to elevated fat gains. In contrast, the so-called lean bulk or lean gains strategy, aims to build muscle without gaining fat. This can be done, but it will take much longer to build significant muscle mass. The best way, in my view, is to take the middle ground and perform a controlled bulk. This maximises your muscle gain whilst controlling the fat gain. For most people, a ratio of 1:1 muscle : fat gain is realistic. So, to use another example, what if we had a beginner to training, who weighs 70kg at 8% body fat. In this case, the lifter should be trying to gain muscle. As they are a beginner, setting a target of 1kg of muscle a month is a realistic goal. If they aim to gain 1kg of muscle a month, they should expect to gain 1kg of fat per month. Over a 6 month bulk, they should aim to gain 6kg of muscle and 6kg of fat, leaving them at 82kg and 15% body fat. Calories So what happens now? We’ve established what we weigh, what body fat levels and our goals. The next step is to calculate your calories. The first step is to assess your daily, non-exercise activity level. Fundamentally, if you’re an office worker, set it at taking it easy. If you work in a more physically demanding job, set the activity level to beast mode. The second step is to enter how many hours of exercise a week you perform. If you’re training 4 times a week, using 6 hours of exercise as a baseline is typical. Once these have been entered, you’ll be able to calculate your daily calorie targets. Going back to our cutting powerlifter - the output is for them to eat 2546 calories a day. Our bulking beginner has a target of 2711 calories a day. Alongside these numbers, there are then the target macros - Protein, Carbs and Fat. What are these numbers and what should you do with them? Macros Macros or macronutrients refer to a food type required in large amounts in the diet; principally Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates. A common idea is that whilst calorie balance determines weight loss and gain, macronutrients control whether fat is lost or muscle is gained. This isn’t entirely right, but if you get the macro-nutrients correct then it will be much easier to reach your physique goals. The three major macronutrients are Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. Each macronutrient has a certain amount of calories. Protein and carbohydrates both contain 4 calories per gram, with fat containing 9 calories per gram. The calorie target is then made up of a certain amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates per day. Protein Protein is essential for strength and physique athletes. Primarily, protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, thereby helping us recover from training. When we are trying lose weight, eating enough protein is essential to maintain as much lean muscle mass as possible. When we are trying to gain muscle mass, protein is important to help us to build as much muscle as possible. The amount of protein that you consume is dependent on your lean body mass and your diet goals. If you’re cutting, protein intake should be slightly higher than if you’re bulking, with a range of 2.3-3.1g/kg of LBM when cutting and 1.6-2.2g/kg of LMB when bulking. Using the Danny Lee Macro calculator*, we are given 5 options for the protein multiplier (0.8-0.9-1.0-1.1-1.2). If you are cutting, select a value of 1.0-1.2 for the protein multiplier, and a value for 0.8-1.0 if you’re bulking. The reason that protein is boosted in a calorie deficit is two fold; firstly higher levels of protein in the diet when you are in a calorie deficit helps preserve muscle mass. Secondly, protein is a high satiety macronutrient - it helps you feel fuller. When you are in a calorie deficit, eating a higher proportion of your diet from protein will help you feel fuller, making it easy to stick to the diet. Fat Dietary fat is an essential macronutrient - it has a key role in maintaining normal hormonal function, especially testosterone. It should never be completely removed from your diet as this will have adverse health effects over the long term. Fat is the most calorie intensive of the macronutrients, with 9 calories per gram. During a cut, the easiest way to reduce calories is therefore to reduce fat consumption. As fat is over twice as calorie rich as carbohydrates, reducing fat intake can cause a big drop in calories. There is a minimum value that you shouldn’t go below - broadly below 0.9g/kg LBM. During a bulk, fat should make up around 20-30% of the total calorie intake. Using our trusty macro calculator, we have a range of values for the fat multiplier (0.4-0.5-0.6). If you are trying to cut, select the minimum value, 0.4. If you are trying to bulk, select 0.5 or 0.6, to see which value results in a fat intake between the 20-30% range. Carbohydrate The final piece of the macronutrient puzzle are carbohydrates. When setting up a diet and setting your macronutrient targets, carbohydrates make up the remaining calorie amounts once your protein and fat goals have been set. Whilst carbohydrates are technically just the ‘rest’ of your diet, they are still important. Carbohydrates have important roles to play in feeling your workouts, replenishing muscle glycogen and play a role in hormone regulation. Putting it all together Let's go back to our two examples. Our 85kg powerlifter who is trying to cut has calculated they have 20% body fat, giving them a LBM of 68kg. They want to cut down to 12% body fat, giving them a target weight of 77kg. They have a relatively sedentary job and do 6 hours of training a week. This gives them a calorie target of ~2546 cal/day. They are cutting, so they select a protein multiplier of 1.1 and a fat multiplier of 0.4, giving them final macro targets of 186g Protein, 296g Carbohydrates and 67g Fat. The second example is our 70kg beginner who wants to pack on some muscle. They have a calculated body fat of 8%, giving them 64.4kg LBM. They are aiming to gain a kilo of muscle per month over the next six months, giving them a target LBM of 70.4kg, and a body fat percentage of 15%. They have an active job and also do 6 hours of training a week, giving them a calorie target of 3073 calories per day. As they are bulking, they are choose a protein multiplier of 0.9 and a fat multiplier of 0.5, giving them final macro targets of 162g Protein, 402g Carbohydrates and 90g Fat. Summary In this guide we have outlined the key components of setting up a diet, what the components of a diet are and how to calculate your calorie and macronutrient targets. This should serve as the basis for your diet. In the next article we will discuss in more detail how you can use different strategies to hit your calorie and macronutrient targets, as well as discuss the importance of micronutrients. * The Macro calculator is available to clients in the website's 'Client Portal'. This article was written by James Kennedy, if you'd like to get in touch with him directly you can email him via - jlk@dannyleeonline.co.uk
The latest one from James Kennedy is all about making a habit. Habit forming is so important to getting into fitness and training. It makes everything easier. Read more to learn how. Word Count - 1331 words. Time to read - 4.3 minutes. One of my favourite quotes about the importance of habits is (mis)attributed to Aristotle ‘we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit’. Whilst this quote is actually from a summation of Aristotle’s work in Nicomachean Ethics by Will Durant (‘these virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions’) - the point is simple. Consistency is key. The key to consistency is to make the desired action a habit - an action which is hard to give up. Habit formation is one of the key phases in generating progress. As mentioned in the previous article half of all new gym members quit within 6 months - making exercise a habit is key to sticking to it and achieving your goals. So how do we form an exercise habit? ~Stage 1 - Develop a routine~ Habits are consistently repeated behaviours. The hardest part of doing anything is getting started. If you don’t have a plan for when and where you are working out it’s far easier to push it off until the next day or the day after, until suddenly you’ve not worked out in a week or two. Making actions routine means it is far easier to do them; you start performing the actions automatically, without thinking about it. If you can make exercising automatic and mindless then you will be able to stick to the plan for much longer. This also applies to diet. If you can make meal planning, prep and macro tracking automatic and mindless it becomes much easier to follow a diet plan. When I first started tracking macros it took a lot of effort and focus to weigh out my food and track the macros, now I do it without even thinking. Turning diet and exercise into a habit makes it much more likely that you will stick with it and achieve your goals. A great way of establishing a routine is to use the concept of implementation intentions. An implementation intention is a plan you make about when and where to act prior to acting. The broad form is ‘When X occurs, I will do Y’. These can be used, and have been shown to be effective, in helping people develop good habits and break bad habits. For exercise, you may amend the form to be ‘I will exercise on DAYS at TIME at GYM NAME’. Once you have committed to this implementation, it is much easier to develop a habit. You no longer have to think about when or where you are training - you have already committed to it. An advantage of using an implementation plan is that you can start to add layers to them. So, if you have committed to training 4 days, at a given time, a logical next implementation plan may be to commit to having your gym kit ready and packed the day before so you don’t have to waste time looking for it when you’re meant to be working out. The next step might be to make sure your pre-workout protein shake is ready and so on. Stacking implementation plans allows you to develop a full routine, enabling you to easily form a complex habit quickly. ~Stage 2 - So easy, you can’t say no~ When people join a gym and decide to start a new exercise routine they are full of enthusiasm, energy and ambition. This leads to them trying to do everything on Day 1. When you first start training, especially if you’re not used to it or coming back to it after a long lay off, you will get delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the day after you train. That initial motivation eventually runs out - and the harder you push it in the beginning, the quicker it runs out. If your workouts are three hour long marathons which leave you crippled for days afterwards, when motivation drops you are far less likely to stick with the habit. To combat this, make it so easy that you can’t say no to yourself. This, builds on the routine developed in stage 1- if you have committed to working out 4 days a week at 06:00 am, waking up every morning with your gym kit ready to go, it requires far less motivation to go to the gym as you don’t have to go through the motions of getting organised and ready to actually go to the gym. If you are struggling with motivation to workout on a day where you have already intended to workout - make it so easy you can’t say no. Instead of aiming to complete the full workout, just go to the gym and do your main exercise for the day. If you go and do only that, great! You’ve achieved what you set out to achieve that day and you’ve continued to built the habit. Often times, once you start a workout you will find your motivation increasing and suddenly you’ve completed the entire workout. What’s important to develop the exercise habit is just to do something, however small, that allows you to keep building the habit. ~Stage 3 - Results come later~ There is no point worrying about results or progress when you start working out. It’s important to have goals but the most important thing is to establish the habit of working out. Once you are used to following a workout plan and exercising consistently, to the point where it has become a habit, then you can start worrying about progress. This may seem counterintuitive but it really isn’t. Setting yourself the goal of losing 10kg in 6 months is great. But, if after 3 months you’ve only lost 3kg you may feel as though you’re not making enough progress, become demotivated and quit. Instead, if you focus on establishing an exercise habit of working out 4 days a week and achieve this, you won’t be worried about the numbers on the scale of weights on the bar. Once you’ve established the exercise habit, which will only take a month or so, then you can focus on achieving your goals. The most important step in achieving any goal is consistency. You will have bad workouts - days where you walk into the gym, look around and just think fuck this. The weights feel heavy and everything seems to be harder. You will also have days when you walk into the gym and feel like you could lift anything you were asked to. These days, both good and bad, are rare. Most days you will walk in, do your workout and leave. These are the days which are key to progress. Consistency is the key - establish the habit and the results will come. ~Stage 4 - Be accountable~ The final stage of developing an exercise habit is to be accountable to someone. By having a training parter or group, or coach, you have to report to someone else that you’re not working out or that you’re feeling low on motivation. A good workout group or coach (link to DLF groups) are brilliant - when you need motivation they’ll help get you in the gym door, as well as make training fun. A coach is perfect for this - alongside helping you plan your workouts and improve your technique - they’ll help you be accountable and develop the exercise habit. There is also a financial commitment to holding yourself accountable - when you’re not working out but paying your coach and gym memberships you’re also wasting money. ~Summary~ Developing new habits is a difficult, challenging process. The ideas outlined in this article provide the basis for developing an exercise habit that will set you up for long term success in 2021 and beyond. Begin by developing a routine and making it too easy to say no to. Get yourself in the habit of following a structured exercise programme before worrying about the results and hold yourself accountable by hiring a coach to monitor your progress and help you establish exercise as a habit. Our first article of 2022 focuses upon what you should expect to happen when you begin training. This is especially useful if you're a beginner to training powerlifting, or just training in general. As is often the case, this article is brought to you by James Kennedy. James has been the main writer for my website for a few months now but as of January of this year he is now also Assistant Coach. So, you may see him working for me in an online capacity, and helping me out at competitions when I'm over run with clients. New Year, New You. Exercising more, losing weight, and learning a new skill or hobby are some of the most common New Year’s resolutions people commit to at the start of the year. Consequently, January is the month with the most new gym membership sales - around 11% of all new memberships start in January. Sadly, half of new gym members quit within 6 months. Why? The reasons people give for quitting the gyms are usually similar. People feel as though they aren’t making progress and aren’t seeing the results they deserve, are worried about getting injured or have gotten injured or don’t enjoy going to the gym because they feel judged, uncomfortable or anxious. This article explores how to get started at the gym, what to expect and how to set yourself up for long term success! Making the decision to join the gym and start training is exciting and scary. The best thing you can do on day one is to find a good coach who can help simplify the process for you (some good ones (Danny Lee Link, Lauren May Drake link). For me, getting a coach was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’d been training seriously for around 2 years, and by chance rather than design, had made some solid progress and wanted to give powerlifting a go. I found a powerlifting coach and joined a powerlifting gym. I made more progress in the following 6 months than I had made since I had started training. The coach, the group training environment and the entire culture of the gym made training fun and helped me achieve new personal bests. Whilst it may seem expensive to get a coach, for me it was effectively outsourcing of a lot of my anxiety. Even after 2 years of training and compulsively reading everything I could find about lifting weights, I would second guess every exercise in a plan I wrote, changing plans and targets every few months because I was convinced I was doing something wrong. Once I started paying for a coach, I don't have to think about what exercises, what reps or what weights to use. My coach did that for me. It was only after getting a coach I realised how much mental energy I was wasting by trying to coach myself. Once you have found a coach a lot of the concerns about joining a gym are handled. You’ll make better progress, be taught how to perform the lifts properly and know exactly what you need to do every time you go to the gym. Having a coach will also help create a positive feedback loop. The most important part of your first day at the gym is that you enjoy it and you want to come back for a second workout. Working out is inherently rewarding - working out releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin - which are hormones which are associated with happiness. Exercise is hard but it does feel good. When you go to the gym for the first time, don’t go mad and try to do every exercise and lift every weight in the gym. Have a plan, stick to weights you can safely perform and you’ll feel great when you leave the gym on day 1 and eager to come back for day 2!! What if you feel judged? When you’re working out in a new gym, it’s common to feel as if you are being judged. In reality, you probably aren’t. Every single person who is in the gym was once a noob too - even the super jacked powerlifter with the beard, 150kg bench, and punisher tattoos (he’s called Dennis and is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet). They all had to walk into a gym for the first time and start at the beginning - the same place you are. Most of the time, people at the gym want to get in, get the work done and get out of there. They don’t care what you’re doing and if they are looking at you it’s more likely that they’re thinking ‘way to go’ - the gym is one of the most supportive places I’ve ever been, and generally, the stronger someone is the more supportive they tend to be. Gym Etiquette Whilst gyms are a supportive and friendly place, there is a definite list of rules and etiquette that you should follow to make sure your safe, considerate and not annoying the hell out of other gym members. 1. No curling in the squat rack!!! Whilst this may seem like a bit of a gym-bro joke - it’s important to not use equipment incorrectly, and the squat rack is not the place for curls. 2. Share the equipment This rule may be more relevant post-pandemic, but don’t hog equipment and stop other people from doing their workout. Let them work in and help with unloading and reloading the bar. It helps make the gym a friendlier, more pleasant place to train for everyone. 3. Tidy up your weights Once you’re done using the equipment, clean it up. Strip the bar, put the plates back away and put any dumbbells you have been using away. This is important for several reasons. Firstly, if you don’t tidy your kit away other people won’t know that you’re done using it. Secondly, it’s just rude to expect other people to tidy up after you. 4. Don’t be that guy Don’t be a creep. Don’t go over to a woman you don’t know mid-workout and disturb her, especially if she’s wearing headphones. Don’t mansplain and don’t try to disturb her mid-workout, especially if she’s wearing headphones. People are at the gym to workout - don’t make it awkward or uncomfortable for anyone else to do that. No stupid questions 1. What are sets and reps? A rep is performing an exercise once, for example a push-up. A set is a collection of repetitions. For example, a workout plan might call for 3 sets of 10 repetitions (usually written as 3x10). This means you do ten reps of the exercise, three times. If you are ever confused about what you’re meant to do - ask your coach! There are no stupid questions! 2. How long should I rest for? Rest periods are debated. Some people argue for very long periods - over 3 minutes, whilst others argue for closer to 45 seconds . To some extent, this varies based on what your aims are, but for most people, most of the time around 90s is ideal. 3. What weight should I start with? A weight which is light enough for you to perform the exercise correctly, without injuring yourself. The exact number will vary depending on your previous exercise history and size. Using a coach will help take the guess work out of this process - but start light! Learn the technique, get used to training and add weight slowly as you get stronger. Hopefully, you’ll find this article helpful and it will help you commit to training and develop it into a habit that will change your life! James even has an email you can get in touch with him via - jlk@dannyleeonline.co.uk
So, if you want to talk to him about Online Coaching, or even about stuff he's written, give him a message. The beginner series from James Kennedy continues with some deadlift accessories. Cliff Notes - Word count - 1350 Time to read - 4.5 minutes. Main Points - Deadlift variations and strengthening the legs and back are your most effective way to improve your deadlift. The deadlift is fundamentally a simple lift - accessory work for the deadlift is also simple. The primary muscles involved in the deadlift are the hamstrings and the muscles of the back, primarily the lats. To improve the deadlift it is important to drive hypertrophy in these muscle groups. The deadlift is usually the lift which allows you to lift the most weight and is therefore the most taxing on the central nervous system. The accessory work for the deadlift can also be used to address grip strength issues.
For improving hypertrophy in the muscles involved in the deadlift, the best option is for some close variation on the deadlift that allows you to work the muscles involved from a similar position than the standard deadlift. These include, but are not limited to, paused deadlifts, block or rack pulls, deficit deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and stiff legged deadlifts. Alongside these close variations of the deadlift there are more general compound exercises which will help drive hypertrophy in the back muscles - primarily bent over row and the pendlay row. Isolation exercises are also useful for deadlift accessory work - with glute ham raises, hamstring curls and lat pull downs all useful exercises. Within this article we will go through the main deadlift variations, compound and isolation exercises that form the basis of deadlift accessory work. The deadlift variations all help address specific technical and strength related issues in the deadlift. Paused deadlifts are deadlifts with pauses at some point in the lift - usually just off the floor or at knee height. The paused deadlift is a great accessory pulling exercise for beginners to correct balance issues and stay in the right position throughout the lift. This is especially valuable for people who are transitioning from conventional to sumo deadlifts -a pause just off the floor stops you shooting your hips up and just performing a wide stance, conventional deadlift. Performing a paused variation of a lift will usually reduce the amount of weight you can use. Block pulls or block deadlifts are a deadlift performed with the plates elevated on blocks or mats 2-8 inches of the floor. This shortens the range of motion and allows you to lift more weight. This can be used in two ways - it can be done for low reps and supra maximal loads or for high reps with sub maximal loads. Performing block pulls for triples would allow you to get used to handling weights above your deadlift one rep max which can remove some of the psychological hang ups around performing heavy deadlifts, as well as training your muscles and CNS to handle heavy weights. Alternatively, and more likely with Danny Lee’s coaching, you can also perform block pulls for high reps. This allows you to perform high reps at heavier loads, than you usually would, driving hypertrophy in the hamstrings and back. Personally, I have found this a very effective training technique, building up to 3x10 @ 200kg block pulls whilst having a competition best of 220kg. When I next competed I hit a 25kg deadlift PR - block pulls were a great exercise for me. Deficit deadlifts are the opposite of block pulls as they increase the range of motion. To perform a deficit deadlift you elevate your feet on a plate or box with the deadlift bar on the floor. This increases the range of motion, which can be helpful for people who are weak off the floor and help develop the hamstring muscles as they are working through a greater range of motion. The snatch grip deadlift is another variation which increases the range of motion through which you lift the weight. To perform a snatch grip deadlift you take a wider grip - similar to the grip taken by olympic weightlifters whilst performing a snatch - usually with your hands outside the rings on the bar. This increases the range of motion at both the bottom and top of the deadlift as the bar locks out higher, closer to your hips making it a great accessory exercise for people who are weak off the floor and at lockout. When you are performing a snatch grip deadlift, it is helpful to use lifting straps. As you’re taking a wide grip on the bar, it can be difficult to hold the bar unless you’re using a hook grip, which becomes uncomfortable when you’re using high reps. The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) and Stiff-legged deadlifts are both great variations for targeting the hamstring specifically without taxing the back. Romanian deadlifts are primarily a hip hinge movement from the top down. To begin a RDL you either perform a normal deadlift from the floor before the first rep or set the bar in a rack around hip height, picking it up and stepping forward. Once you are stood up with the bar in your hands, arch your back and slightly bend your knees. Then hinge forward at the hips until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings and stand back up. The stiff-legged deadlift variation are similar to the RDL. You begin with the bar on the floor and perform a deadlift with your knees slightly unlocked and perform the rep by just hinging at the hips. This variation requires you to have a greater degree of hip mobility than the Romanian Deadlift. The final deadlift variation is the single leg deadlift. Single-leg work is typically unpopular with powerlifters; they’re hard and you have to use low weights. However, single leg deadlifts are a great exercise for stretching and strengthening the hip muscles, primarily the abductors and external rotators which can help keep the hips healthy - increasing longevity and keeping you feeling good for your heavy squats and deadlifts. Outside of deadlift variations, there are a couple of good accessory compound and isolation exercises which help develop the muscles used in the deadlift. For the hamstrings, glute ham raises, nordic curls, leg curls and single leg curls are useful for developing hamstring hypertrophy. To perform these exercises requires some equipment - either a glute ham raise or leg curl machine. These exercises can be done for high reps, 10-20 reps, for multiple sets. For hip and glute hypertrophy the best exercises are squats, deadlifts and there close variations. Alongside these exercises, hip thrusts are a great additional exercise. To perform these, rest with your back against a bench with a barbell across your hips. Thrust up with your hips and drive the barbell towards the ceiling and contract your hips when you reach lockout. By targeting the hips and glutes, you will drastically improve your lockout strength for the deadlift. The final set of accessory exercises for the deadlifts are barbell rows and their variations; the barbell row, the underhand row and the penally row. These exercises all target the muscles of the back and help keep the shoulders healthy for bench press. Generally speaking, deadlifts are the best exercise for developing the back muscles but rows are a great option to help develop the lats and deltoids. Rows - and their variations - should be an accessory work in your program to help protect the shoulder from heavy pressing work, but they’re a great exercise for developing back strength for the deadlift. The deadlift is an exercise where the accessory work is most similar to the main lift. For most lifters, issues within the deadlift are either technical - i.e. the hips raising too fast - or weakness at a specific position within the lift - e.g. at lockout. Deadlift accessory work therefore attempts to address these issues by replicating the movement closely with subtle variations to target these weaknesses. The muscles involved in the deadlift: the hamstrings, glutes and lats; all receive significant hypertrophic stimulus from the deadlift and its variations. Additional isolation work to target these muscle groups will help improve the deadlift by making the muscles involved bigger and stronger - with hamstring curls, glute bridges and rows all excellent choices. Combining your main deadlift with a well targeted accessory variation to address weakness with some hamstring and back isolation work to drive hypertrophy will have you pulling a PR in no time! Here we are - back again with The Beginner Series. Today we're looking at the accessories for the bench press. James Kennedy has written this one and has even included a sample routine to try. Give it a look below. Cliff Notes - Read Time - 3.5 minutes. Word Count - 1050. Main Points - You'll struggle with bench in certain positions - read below to figure out where. Certain muscles contribute massively to bench press - see how to improve them individually, and as part of a larger unit. Continuing our series on the big three power lifts, in this article we will outline accessory work for the bench press. As discussed in the article on accessory work for the squat, the purpose of accessory work is to address imbalances developed during the primary lift, address weak points and develop hypertrophy in the muscles used during the major lift. The main muscles used within the bench press are the pectorals, deltoids and the triceps. There is also a need, for shoulder health and longevity, to perform upper back work. The bench press puts a lot of strain on the shoulder joint within one plane - the horizontal push. This leads to the development of the muscles at the front of the shoulder but not the back; accessory work for the bench press should involve upper back work to address this imbalance. Furthermore, powerlifting puts a lot of strain on the shoulder joint. The low bar squat and bench press requires a reasonable degree of shoulder mobility and health - most powerlifters reading this will have had shoulder pain, discomfort or injury at some point. It is essential to use accessory work to address this, strengthen the shoulder muscles and reduce the injury risk. Accessory work for the bench press can be split into two groups on this basis - pressing accessories and shoulder health accessories. Pressing accessory exercises are exercises targeting the pressing muscles - pectorals, deltoids and triceps. These exercises range from compound exercises - e.g. overhead press - to isolation exercises - e.g. tricep extensions. Shoulder health accessory work is primarily focused on improving the strength of the shoulder joint and addressing the muscular imbalances caused by pressing. Examples of this kind of exercise include rear lateral raises or dumbbell rows. People tend to fail the bench press in two positions - off the chest or at lockout. Failing off the chest indicates that the pressing muscles need to get stronger, whereas failing at lockout indicates relatively weak triceps. The first set of accessory exercises will be pressing exercises, relatively similar to the bench press, aimed at improving general pushing strength. The second set of pressing accessories will be aimed at improving strength at lockout and will primarily target the triceps. The spoto press may look like you're just cheating on reps - however if you are doing it correctly it will massively improve both your bench technique and strength. The spoto press was popularised by legendary powerlifter, Eric Spoto, who set multiple bench press world records including a 327.5kg raw bench press. He credits the spoto press with developing the strength of his chest at the bottom of the lift. To perform the spoto press, pause the bar an inch or two above the chest instead of touching the bar to the press. This forces you to lower the bar under control and builds ‘reversal strength’ within the pectoral muscles as you cannot sink the bar into your chest and ‘heave’ the bar back up. Incline press and shoulder press, with barbells or dumbbells, both target the deltoids, pectorals and the triceps. By performing the bench press on an inclined surface, the shoulders are targeted to a greater degree. The shoulder press and it’s variations primarily helps develop shoulder strength but it will also develop tricep and pectoral strength. For powerlifters, the focus should almost always be on the bench press, relegating overhead pressing to accessory lifts. For general physique or strongmen athletes a more balanced approach to pressing would make more sense, with alternation between bench press and shoulder press as the primary pressing movement or even relegating the bench press to an accessory movement for strongman athletes. The key compound exercises used to address triceps weaknesses are the narrow or close grip bench press. This is similar to a normal bench press, except instead of taking as wide of grip as possible, your grip should be narrower than shoulder width. This forces the triceps to do more work, improving their strength and driving hypertrophy. Another good option, which can be done for high reps, are dips. These can either be done using a bench - bench dips - or using dip bars. Performing high rep sets of tricep dips is a great way of developing tricep hypertrophy. Alongside these major lifts to develop pectoral, deltoid and tricep hypertrophy, accessory work to improve shoulder health and muscular imbalances is also needed. These exercises should be added to any routine that involves heavy pressing to balance out the muscular development of the shoulder. To begin with, keep it simple - pull-ups and dumbbell rows will help develop your traps, delta and lats. Pull ups in particular are a great exercise for shoulder health as they also open out the chest and stretch the pectoral muscles. If you can’t do a pull-up do not be afraid (or too proud) to use a resistance band to start with. Alongside pull ups and dumbbell rows, there are three varieties of raises that can be performed to develop different, hard to isolate muscles of the deltoids. The front raise targets the posterior deltoids, lateral raises the medial deltoids and rear deltoid raises target the posterior deltoids. Utilising these exercises allows you to build up all the muscles of the shoulder, improving shoulder health, stability and strength. If you're unsure what exactly you need to work on for your bench press or you’re just starting out and need to develop general pressing strength and upper body hypertrophy, the training split outlined below would be suitable for you. To perform this plan, you should be doing two pressing workouts in a microcycle (a microcycle is the shortest unit of training time within a longer, structured training cycle - usually a week). Day 1 Bench Press 3x5 @ 75-85% RM Incline Press 3x8-12 @ 65-75% RM Dips 3x10 Pull-ups 3x6-10 Lateral Raises 2x15 Day 2 Spoto Press 3x5 @ 75-85% RM Shoulder Press 3x5 @ 75-85% RM Dumbell Rows 3x8-12 Tricep Pushdowns 3x15-20 Dumbell Flys 3x10-12 Face Pulls 3x8 Rear delt raise 2x15 By performing the following split you’ll be developing the technical skills to dominate the bench press - the most technical of the powerlifts - and the hypertrophy necessary to continue progression. In addition to the hypertrophy in your pecs, delts and triceps, this plan will enable you to build up the shoulder strength you need to continue powerlifting and pressing impressive weights! We've gone over how to do the Big 3, but what else do we do? Why do we do it in the way we've done it? Luckily, James Kennedy is back with some information on Squat Accessories. Enjoy! Whilst most of your training as a natural strength athlete should be focused on the big 3 - the squat, the bench and the deadlift - your programme should also include accessory lifts. Accessory lifts are used for a variety of reasons within your training. Primarily, accessory lifts are used as a way of getting targeted training for a specific muscle group without increasing the wear and tear that repeating the same movement patterns can cause. The reason that accessory work is needed is for three reasons. Firstly, as you train a movement - for example the squat - you will develop muscular imbalances. The accessory lifts target the muscular imbalances, reducing your injury risk. Secondly, training compound movements can lead to overtraining due to the higher weights used. Using accessory work allows you to increase training volume but minimally increases the fatigue you accumulate. Thirdly, it adds some variety to training - training should be fun and doing the same exercises over and over again gets boring, fast. The selection of accessory work is important. As accessory work helps develop more complete hypertrophy, it should be used to target specific weaknesses you have in a lift. To give a very simple example - if you are struggling to lock out a bench press it suggests your triceps are too weak. Therefore, you should be using accessory work to target tricep strength and hypertrophy. Why does hypertrophy matter? Hypertrophy matters for lifters, even if you’re just trying to get as strong as possible. Simply put, the larger the muscle, the larger the force it can exert and the more weight you can lift. With the squat, there are three main weaknesses; technical, leg strength and back strength. The technical weaknesses can be addressed through practice - i.e. doing more squats and focussing on the technical issues that you have with the lifts. Filming your sets and talking through the videos with your coach - or refering to the squat guide (link here) - will help you identify the technical aspects you need to work on within the squat. The other two weaknesses - leg and back strength - can be identified from how you fail or struggle with the squat exercise. Generally, most people can deadlift more than they can squat and, generally, most people have a stronger back than legs. Whilst this is generally true, It is important to identify the weaknesses within the squat, to more specifically target the accessory work. The most common weakness is relatively weak legs vs the back during the squat. Without going too deep into the biomechanics this boils down to being able to produce greater torque via hip extension than knee extension. When squatting, this results in people doing a so-called ‘good-morning’ squat. This is where the hips rise quickly but the bar doesn’t. The knees extend and shoot back, driving the hips up, but the bar does not move up. This leaves the lifter in a bent-over, good-morning, position, leaving them to use their hips and backs to lock out the lift. To address this weakness it is essential to train the quads directly using movements where the back cannot take over, allowing you to to isolate the quad muscles needed for knee extension. The exercises that more directly target the quads can be split into several groups: squat variations, bi-lateral movements and unilateral variations. These variations all target different aspects of leg strength and have different degrees of crossover. The squat variations are exercises with a high degree of cross-over between the primary squat movement (the low-bar squat) and the accessory exercise. The bi-lateral and unilateral movements have less direct crossover, however they help address muscular imbalances and weaknesses. The secondary squat exercises which target the quads to a greater degree are the high bar squat and the front squat. If your gym has one, the safety bar squat also works really well for this. As these squats are accessory lifts which are being used to develop leg strength they should be performed at a lower intensity, with a higher volume, than the main squat movement. Ideally, perform 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps on the secondary leg training day. The bilateral and unilateral movements are more varied. For bilateral movements, the hack squat and leg press are excellent exercises for isolating the legs and stimulating quad hypertrophy. Bilateral movements should be performed for 3-4 sets in the 8-20 rep range. Most lifters find that they can lift significantly more weight using bilateral movements. Unilateral movements are movements where only one limb is used. In this case, we are using only one leg at a time, to isolate the quads and drive quad hypertrophy and leg strength. Classic examples of unilateral exercises are the split squat, rear-leg elevated split squats, lunges and step ups. You can also use machines to do single leg leg extensions. Unilateral movements should be performed for 3-4 sets for 8-20 reps per set per leg. Whilst you can usually lift more weight on a leg press than a squat, unilateral movements are humbling. Usually, a relatively low weight can be incredibly challenging. The second major weakness in the squat is driven by relatively weak back vs strong quads. This is more common in olympic weightlifters than powerlifters, as weightlifters spend more time squatting and less time deadlifting compared to powerlifters. When a lifter has a relatively weak back to their quads they still end up in a ‘good-morning’ squat position. However, in contrast to strong backed lifters who can often grind out multiple reps from this position, weak-backed lifters fail squats once they reach this position. If you’re failing squats due to back strength, the solution, obviously, is to increase your back and hip strength so you can lock out the hips and complete the lift. If you don’t already include it in your training, the conventional deadlift is the best exercise for back and hip strength development. Incorporating 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps will massively improve your hip and back strength. If you are including the deadlift already there are still multiple good options. The Romanian Deadlift (RDL) - a top down deadlift, where you isolate the hips and glutes to develop hip and leg strength - is a fantastic developer of hip strength. For an in depth guide to the romanian deadlift, this guide from Eric Helms will teach you everything you need to know (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sd1AZZ77aw). Performing 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of RDL’s after your squat workout will develop hip and back strength. As the weak-backed lifter ends up in the good-morning position, but is not strong enough to actually perform the good-morning, good morning’s are a good, specific way of targeting this weakness. To perform a good-morning, set up for a squat, then bend at the hips whilst keeping the knees softly bent. This movement targets the lower back, hips and spinal erectors - the exact muscles needed to lock out a squat from this position. Personally, I prefer to do this for high reps and lower weights, focusing on form and developing lower back hypertrophy. Programming 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps, with a lower weight, is ideal for this accessory movement. Putting it all together At this point you should have an idea about how to recognise if your back strength or leg strength is the limiting factor in your squat and what exercises will help you address these weaknesses. I’ve outlined a sample program below for weak legged and weak backed squatters. Sample Program A - Leg strength weakness Day 1 Squat 3x5 @ 75-85% Leg Press 4x8-12 @ 60-70% Lunges 4x15-20 Split Squats 4x15-20 Day 2 Deadlift 3x5 @ 75-85% Front Squat 3x12 @ 60-70% Leg extension 5x10 Step-ups 5x12 Sample Program B - Back strength weakness Day 1 Squat 3x5 @ 75-85% RDL 5x12 @ 60% Split Squat 4x15-20 Glute Ham Raise 5x10-12 Day 2 Deadlift 3x5 @ 75-85% Squat 3x8 @ 65-75% Good Morning 4x10-15 Back extensions 4x10-15 Beginner to Powerlifting? Want to get started in the Liverpool area?
Click the above image for more information now. Here we have the final of the main lifts for you - the sumo deadlift. Sumo gets a bad reputation as being easier than the conventional deadlift, but this just isn't true. It's a very technical lift that shouldn't be taken lightly. As usual, this post is written by our very own, James Kennedy. Enjoy - The sumo deadlift is a variation of the deadlift movement where the lifter has a wide stance with their hands inside their legs at the start of the lift - like a sumo wrestler. The sumo deadlift works the same muscles as the conventional deadlift, primarily the posterior chain (back, hips and hamstrings), as well as working the quads to a greater degree than the conventional deadlift. For some lifters, the specific demands on the hips and the biomechanics of the sumo deadlift allow them to lift a greater weight, more safely than the conventional deadlift.
This style of deadlift is illegal (or at least, strongly frowned upon) in strongman competitions but is legal in powerlifting and is a good deadlift variation for a lot of people. For weightlifters it is often a better variation. This is because the conventional deadlift start position is similar to the clean start position used in weightlifting - which can lead to poor deadlift technique and poor clean technique for the weightlifter. The sumo deadlift leads to the same muscular development but has less chance of interfering with a weightlifter's clean technique. For powerlifters and general fitness athletes the sumo deadlift can be a more comfortable and stronger deadlift variation. Generally speaking, if you are a smaller lifter or you have a relatively long torso the sumo deadlift can help you lift heavier weights as it is a more bio-mechanically advantageous lift. The sumo deadlift is a more technical variation than the conventional deadlift, especially in the set up. When most people fail a sumo deadlift for a technical reason it is due to poor technique off the floor. Often, you will see or hear conventional deadlifts talking about gripping and ripping; basically just walking over to the bar and picking it up, a technique best exemplified by John Haack (video of his 400kg deadlift). The sumo deadlift is not so simple. The lift can be broken down into three phases: the set-up, the preparation and the lift. This article will outline the fundamentals of these three phases as well as how to troubleshoot the some common issues people have with the sumo deadlift The Set-Up The set up phase of a sumo deadlift is important - errors in this phase makes it difficult to be in the correct positions to perform the lift. The set-up contains three parts - stance, grip and bracing.
When initiating the sumo deadlift, your shins should be perpendicular to the floor, with the bar over the midfoot. Your stance width for the sumo deadlift should therefore be the width that allows your shins to be perpendicular to the floor when you are initiating the pull. Your stance width then dictates your foot position. When performing the sumo deadlift, your knees should be in line with your first or second toe. The wider your stance, the more turned out your toes will need to be. 2. Grip With the sumo deadlift, you can have a narrower grip on the bar as your knees aren’t in the way. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders - this makes your arms as long as possible - and shortens the range of motion. If placing your hands below your shoulders means your hand is on the smooth part of the bar you should widen your grip so your hand is on the knurling otherwise you will have trouble holding on to the bar. In terms of grip style, overhand, mixed grip or hook grip all work. As discussed in our previous article (insert link), hook grip is the strongest but most painful. In my experience of the sumo deadlift, there seems to be a greater grip strength difference between hook grip and mixed grip, with hook grip being considerably stronger. 3.Bracing As in the conventional deadlift, breathing and bracing your core properly is essential for protecting the spine. As you place your hands on the bar, take a deep diaphragmatic breath, into your stomach and obliques and hold this breath throughout the lift. If you’re doing multiple reps, release this breath at the top of the lift, lower the bar and then take a new breath and rebrace the core prior to the next rep. The three parts of the set-up phase - the stance, grip and breathing - all tie together. There are two ways to tie these events together to set up for the sumo deadlift. Firstly, take your stance. Once you have set your stance you have two options to get your hips into position to initiate the lift. The first is to take your stance and grip on the bar before loading the hamstrings by straightening your legs. You then use your grip to pull your hips into position. As you pull your hips down, squeeze the chest up and pull your shoulder blades together. The second is to take your stance but remain upright. Breathe, brace your core and retract the shoulder blades to force the chest up. Then bend the knees until you can grip the bar. Preparation Once you have your hands on the bar, it’s time to prepare to lift. With the sumo deadlift it is important to build full body tension. This comes from two places with the sumo deadlift - your grip and lats and your hips. When you have taken your grip upon the bar it is essential to take the slack out of the bar. To do this, engage your lats and retract the shoulder blades - pinch them together like you are trying to hold a pencil between the shoulder blades. Doing this will force your chest up and help you pull your hips into the correct position. The second part of preparation is to generate tension through the hips. To do this, try and tear the floor apart with your feet by trying to push your feet apart. Your feet won’t move, but this will generate tension in the hips and quads - the best analogy I have to describe this feeling is revving a car engine with the hand brake on. It should feel as if the bar is about to come off the floor before you actually try to do the lift. The Pull Now you’ve set up and generated full body tension, it’s time to lift the weight. The pull can be divided into two parts; breaking the bar off the floor and locking out the lift. As you take the tension out of the bar and try to tear the floor apart with your feet, it should feel as if the bar is about to break the floor. The first portion of the pull is to drive the floor away whilst keeping the knees out. To keep your knees out, keep trying to tear the floor in half as you initiate the lift. Once the bar reaches your knees, lock your knees out. As quickly as possible. The process of locking out your knees locks the hips out. This means your sumo deadlift can look and feel a bit odd. You build tension slowly before breaking the bar off the floor. The bar then moves slowly off the floor until it reaches the knees. At the point it reaches the knees the bar then moves rapidly to lockout as you lock the knees out. If you're moving from a conventional to sumo deadlift this will be the opposite of what you usually experience - conventional deadlifts tend to be quick off the floor and slower at lockout. If you are doing sumo deadlifts, it’s important to stay patient. Take the slack out of the bar and build full body tension. Drive the floor away whilst keeping the knees out. Once the bar reaches the knees, lock the knees and the hips out. Troubleshooting When people are struggling with the sumo deadlift, it is often related to a poor technique or just not being strong enough. With the sumo deadlift, you will be weakest on the floor. If you’re missing sumo deadlifts at or just off the floor and there is no technical reason for this, you just need to get stronger at deadlifting. If you miss sumo deadlifts at the lockout without a technical flaw, then you just need to get stronger. Conversely, if you start to miss sumo deadlifts in the midrange the main reason is usually due to your hips shooting up too quickly. This is sometimes due to having weak quads and glutes relative to hamstrings - an especially common problem if you’re moving from conventional to sumo deadlifts. As you initiate the lift, the hips shooting up allows the lifter to use the hamstrings to get the bar off the floor. This then puts the hips in a disadvantageous position for the midrange, causing people to fail the lift. The solution to this is practice. Doing lots of reps with correct form will develop the glutes and quads and reinforce the correct position for the lifter off the floor. Once the lifter is in the correct position off the floor, the midrange sorts itself out. A really good accessory exercise to reinforce the correct position and strengthen the quad and glute muscles are paused sumo deadlifts, where you pause immediately when the bar breaks the floor. Summary The sumo deadlift is a variation of the deadlift that is a slightly more complicated, technical variation of the deadlift. It works and develops the muscles and strength of the posterior chain and is especially effective for those with relatively long torsos and short legs. For Olympic Weightlifters it is also a great deadlift variation to develop posterior chain strength without interfering with weightlifting technique. Hopefully, this article will help you perfect your sumo deadlift technique and improve your deadlift! |
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