I’m still trying to finish my work up on “FIT”, so here are some interesting Q&A’s from recent comments interspersed with some videos.
Question about alternating deadlifts and rack pulls on a TM, and then my response about active deloading in this specific scenario.
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Ron Viking says:
Question for anyone with experience:
I am going to start alternating deadlifts with rack pulls, and I was wondering how much heavier people typically start with rack pulls.
I pulled 190×5 two Fridays ago, and 195×4 last Friday. I was thinking somewhere around 210 for rack pulls? I will feel it out as I warm-up/acclimate, but I was just curious to hear others’ advice and experience.
And I will be pulling from below the patella. Thanks.
I assume you’re using kilos. If you’re going to do the rack pulls below the knee, and do them correctly, then you’ll find it difficult to do them much higher than where your dead is at, especially when you start.
As for your program, altering DLs and rack pulls every week will stop progressing pretty quickly. It’d be better if you treated your DLs with an active deload if the rack pulls were something that you were set on doing (probably to improve your lockout, if I had to assume).
–Justin
Ron Viking says:
Thanks for the reply, Justin.
Yes, those numbers were kilos. And as far as programming goes, I have been using a TM setup with Squat/Bench or Press/Deadlift on intensity day.
How frequently would you suggest utilizing an active deload, and with what protocol? Something like a triple with my last successful set of 5? Thanks.
I would have you squat every intensity day. I would cycle your deadlift stuff. But I’m just a guy who wrote an e-book on it. (EDIT: He is squatting every intensity day.)
The active deload concept would have you use a movement with a mechanical disadvantage with respect to the original lift. In the case of the deadlift, I’d probably tell you to just pull it with a regular double overhand hook grip instead of alternating your grip, using a hook, or using straps. Obviously you can’t lift as much with a double overhand grip, and the lighter load and fewer reps will be less than had you used the alternate/hook/straps. This would allow you to still deadlift (as opposed to doing something that is drastically different), and provide the “deload” so you can still push heavy on the rack pulls (in this example you would alternate the overhand deadlift and rack pulls every week). This would be exceptionally useful if you were powerlifting, but I don’t know your goals.
–Justin
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Question on Linearly Progressing Weighted Chins
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rknaughton asks:
“You can’t linearly progress weighted chins.”
True, in my experience. But I don’t understand *why* this is true, and I’m perplexed on that point. Justin (or anyone else), could you say a bit about *why* linear progression doesn’t work here? Just curious. Thanks.
Did I say that? If I did, it was because you can’t do them on a daily basis and recover. That’s a stress that is “more than body weight” on a small (relatively speaking) amount of musculature. The structures (in this case tendons and muscles) would not be able to recover on a daily basis. You can linearly progress them in that they can have weight added to them every session, but that will only be once or twice a week (and will look linear over time).
Did that help? (EDIT: It did.)
–Justin
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I thought that this video by Epic Meal Time was funny, but more so because of the response it got.
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The Epic Meal Time gang went out to Montreal, got drunk, and ate a bunch of food while acting rowdy. It was directly funny and satirically funny, and a bunch of people got butt hurt about it. At the time of me writing this, there are over 37,000 dislikes on the video. Others said the were unsubscribing. I made this comment on the video:
“I think all of these poons who are upset about this video are hilarious. You were okay with the guys spending hundreds of dollars and getting drunk at home, but when they do it in the city, you’re upset? Grow up.”
Someone has since replied to me saying they “appear more arrogant here”. This is a case of the missing sense of humor. Someone call the Hardly Boys. This is also the case of “too dense for satire”. Jonathan Swift — who had huge balls (a testament to his boldness, not his scrote) — would roll over in his fucking grave. One of my pet peeves are people not having a sense of humor and then thinking that anyone gives a shit about them not having a sense of humor. If you don’t like them anymore based on one video, who cares? Just fucking unsubscribe and don’t look at it anymore.
Jonathan Swift had huge balls because he wrote satire since he was too fucking beta to actually come out and say what he meant directly to anybody’s face?????? because he used psuedonyms for what he wrote because he was too much of a pussy virgin Mormon to stand behind his words????????????
he had huge balls because he was stuck in a “bff” relationship with a girl for his entire life, which is the most beta thing a dude can do???????????? “oh i’m so emotionally attached to you but i’m terrified of getting my dick wet in you”
give me a fucking break bro
You may impress the readers, but I know for a fact you looked Swift up on wikipedia before posting. You ever go against the grain to stand on the opposite side of social norms when doing so can get you killed? He had death threats for the rest of his life and had to live in hiding. The only thing you stand up for is your limp dick with vain kegel exercises, Brent. You know nothing.
–Justin
he once gave a lady an ultimatum for marriage
“if you don’t marry me i’ll leave Ireland and never return”
(she refused his proposal)
is that what you mean by Jonathan Swift having huge balls?????????????? because that sounds really fucking pussy to me
Is it VD or ID on the kegels today? I bet you’re stopping your urine flow too.
–Justin
that poutine-pizza roll-up looks incredible.
I don’t get that video.
I would be a little upset if I was in that queue….
Actually, I would probably have left before that. Nothing short of Aerosmith is worth queueing for that long.
Yeah, I would have been annoyed if I didn’t know who they were and I was in line for food (drunk food places are packed at that time of night in an area like that). But we’re talking about people who have liked or loved Epic Meal Time enough to subscribe and watch a minimum of several videos.
–Justin
No denying they were slightly more obnoxious in that video than their previous ones, but it’s really noting to get all pissy and faggy about.
They aren’t obnoxious enough imo
–Justin
The Epic Meal Time crew get a lot of mileage on their improve ability for sure, but those schwarmas were pre-ordered, and no one waiting in line there paid for their food that night. I am sure of it! That was a great episode too, I love the way they plug other websites for “bacon money”. They make selling out look cool! Who here has tried any of their dishes? I have made a meat salad or two!
I have some questions regarding programing, and how to fit it into my rugby sked – do I post them here or email you?
I’m just waiting for the Epic Meal Time guys to do a video with Tom Green. It’s destiny.
“No disrespect, I got a job to do. I got YouTube money to make.”
I fucking LOL’d hard that entire video. Those guys go harder than Brent Kim’s little dick when he sees Japanese girls squirting eels out of their asses.
And regarding “selling out,” who gives a shit. They’re making YouTube money.
Damn, Canadians cannot go hard, excepting their hockey players, and Steve Nash. I see a similar video in 70s Big Future…except in Abilene or Valdosta or something.
As for Jonathan Swift, is Epic Meal Time gonna eat Irish kids next? A modest youtube video.
Quick question to Justin or anyone else that can answer…
Recently moved from a high bar squat to low bar (I won’t get into why I was high bar squating because there is no good answer). I am struggling with shoulder flexibility/mobility in the low bar position. Obviously I’ve looked at mobwod for suggestions but it is information overload. Can anyone point me in the right direction as a good general mob/stretch to start with?
You need to improve the flexibility in the anterior portion of your shoulder and probably need to fix your grip. The former narrows your mwod search down, but you can also search Brent’s training log — he has used and posted links to a lot of the stretches that have helped him a lot with his shoulders. The grip issue is gonna be you learning how to do it right, because I can’t see it unless you do a vid or pic. Keep your clothes on.
–Justin
I suspected that there would be trouble from that Epic Meal Time. I dont see how that episode was anything but the whole thing playing out its natural destiny.
It makes perfect sense to me that they’d run an episode where they went out and partied.
Thanks Justin.
haters are getting weak and we’re bulking up!