Monday’s are devoted to female related topics to help females begin or continue to train. This particular post is relevant to fellas as well.

The Dude: Walter, what is the point? Look, we all know who is at fault here, what the fuck are you talking about?
Walter Sobchak: Huh? No, what the fuck are you… I’m not… We’re talking about unchecked aggression here, dude.
Donny: What the fuck is he talking about?
The Dude: My rug.
Walter Sobchak: Forget it, Donny, you’re out of your element!
The Dude: Walter, the chinaman who peed on my rug, I can’t go give him a bill, so what the fuck are you talking about?
Walter Sobchak: What the fuck are you talking about? The chinaman is not the issue here, Dude. I’m talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT… Also, Dude, chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please.
The Dude: Walter, this isn’t a guy who built the railroads here. This is a guy…
Walter Sobchak: What the fuck are you…?
The Dude: Walter, he peed on my rug!
Donny: He peed on the Dude’s rug.
Walter Sobchak: Donny you’re out of your element! Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue here!

The Dude, Wlater Sobchak, and Theodore Donald ‘Donny’ Kerabatsos display stereotypical personalities placed in an ever evolving group dynamic. The laid back Dude is faced with extraordinary circumstances that include kidnapping, severed toes, and potential death. The Vietnam veteran Wlater Sobchak aggressively confronts any and all situations based on his war experience. The introvert Donny is pushed into a submissive and passive role by Walter’s repeated domineering actions. This hilarious dynamic turns normal conversations into fantastic character dialog that still makes me laugh with every viewing of “The Big Lewboski“.

Personalities and group dynamics are incredibly interesting and every human integrates themselves into groups to socially survive. In the realm of coaching and training, personalities and interpersonal relations dictate the rapport and performance of coach and trainee. A good coach will read a person and adapt their individual communication style to the trainee, but also do so with a group. The coach should groom the trainee’s attitude and ego while they teach the trainee how to move properly. Despite all of this effort and skill by the coach (and usually due to the lack thereof), it’s possible to have rogue trainees that maintain their unique mentalities when lifting.

A common trait among women is that they aim to be perfectionists in their lifting. (Note that not all women exhibit this trait, but enough for me to experience it and two separate females — one a coach and lifter, the other a lifter — to point it out and give me their thoughts on the subject.) The female aims to achieve perfection in their mechanics and lifting skill to the point that it’s detrimental to their success or increase in weight. Knowing why this occurs can be helpful to a coach so that they can help focus the trainee on what really matters. The “perfectionist” mentality seems to be more prevalent in females, but I also see it with men, too.

The Coach’s Fault
I put a lot of the responsibility (and blame) on a coach since they are supposed to be the teacher, guide, and mentor to a trainee’s success. They are supposed to exhibit and implement leadership to not only result in successful lifting, but successful mindsets for lifting. When I’m coaching, I honestly feel I can coach any situation, any movement, and make it the most efficient and successful movement possible given that person’s ability. I also feel that I can communicate efficiently with them to the point that they are prepared and confident about the activity. The real “in the trenches” aspect of coaching is what occurs between sets. Sure, the cues and how they are given are important, but the interaction and discussion in between sets is more important. I feel that coaches spend too much time discussing the mechanics or technique of what just happened.

Having a coach means that the trainee shouldn’t have to think about what you’re doing; sometimes I tell trainees to turn their brain off because I am now their brain. If I give them one or two cues to focus on in a set, and they are also thinking about several other things, then that’s way too much shit going on and none of it will be right. Sometimes coaches will also cue other things that they didn’t focus on before the set, or even things that haven’t yet been taught, and things get complicated really quick. A trainee seeking perfection needs to stop thinking and let the coach tell them what to do.

However, the coach can make things complicated by getting deep into a discussion of mechanics and then not “bring it all home”, a phrase that whittles the conceptual lesson into simple, practical cues. Did you just spend 90 seconds explaining why shoving the knees out improves tightness in the squat? Then give them one or two cues to accomplish it. I even sometimes say, “Okay, that’s all the conceptual shit, but here’s what you’re doing to do: 1) track your knees over to, so “track knees”, and 2) push your butt out of the bottom, so “push butt”.” Then as they are setting up, I’ll remind them again, “Track knees; push butt”. Set the trainee’s brain up for success by simplifying their world into one or two points of emphasis. During the set, focus on these things, but if alternate cues are needed, make sure they are descriptive and simple. Only use “other cues” if the trainee is experienced.

Yet the coach should be prepping the person’s ego from the moment they meet. The act of doing so is entirely dependent on the individual trainee, and the coach should adapt their personality to them. Trainees can be unsure, aggressive, motivated, willing to learn, or skeptical (among other traits). If the coach gets the impression the person will be timid or unsure of their ability, then they should passively address it from the start.
“You’re gonna do great, lifting isn’t as hard as people make it out to be.”
“That’s a really good set for a beginner.”
“And that’s a squat. First set down and you’re already a pro. Guess you don’t need me anymore, huh?”
Obviously you won’t lie to the trainee, but if you’re a good coach, then they are going to squat well; the point is that you let them know they are.

You will also have long-term trainees that develop this attitude. They feel that since they have worked with you, they should be perfect. This is the time when you remind them where they came from.
“Remember when you got here you were just squatting 50 pounds? Now you’re doing 135, AND you’re tracking your knees properly.”
“You forget that it was a struggle to do 65 pounds, and now you’re doing 95 pounds with rock solid form.”
“You’ve really come a long way. A year ago you were soft and weak, and now you’re lean and strong. Sure, we’re having trouble with 200, but it’s a hell of a lot more than any of the girls you work with can do.”
All of these comments are things I’ve said to female trainees before. When a trainee is kicking themselves for “not being good enough”, it gives them perspective on where they are at and how much they’ve improved.

One of the coach’s jobs is to reduce the amount of thinking a trainee needs to do and act as their brain to improve technique. The other is to maintain a positive outlook, show perspective, and give credit when it’s due. Sometimes a trainee loses sight of all the impressive progress they have made. But what if you don’t have a coach or you aren’t a coach?

The Trainee’s Fault
Most trainees are the “type A” personality that actively wants to improve and get shit done. They want to do something, be good at it, and be the best at it. They lack perspective in that they think they will be excessively awesome at everything they do just because they jump into it with fervor. But things like squatting, snatching, and cleaning are simple to learn, but hard to master. If they were easy to master, then coaches wouldn’t exist and we’d have a lot more competitors (people often don’t compete because they think they aren’t good enough, an unfortunate fallacy). There aren’t many people who can easily replicate movement patterns by viewing them. And if they can, it doesn’t mean that they will be flawless. The first step to reducing the desire to be perfect is accepting that you aren’t.

Trainees should also avoid comparing themselves to others. It’s okay to have a role model or admire people who excel, but to constantly compare themselves to the best can result in the “I suck” mentality. In reality, you may suck, but who gives a shit? Decide to get better every training session and commit to doing it consistently. A year of determined training will result in progress.

Un-coached trainees should also create one or two simple cues to focus on each set. They should aim to create a triage that focuses on the big issues before worrying about little specific movement details. Most of these “big issues” can be picked up from cues that I talk about on this site or by listening to other coaches online (but keep in mind the cues may be specific to their system, or the coach may not be any good). By only focusing on one or two things, the trainee won’t have a sensory overload from trying to make everything perfect at once. It also frees up the mind to let the movement freely occur without restriction.

Trainees who aim to be perfect will get frustrated when they aren’t. They need to realize that failing and not doing well are apart of the growing process — that goes for life or lifting. Missing a snatch or failing a squat triple are data points that help provide information on how to get better. The “getting better” process is more difficult without a coach, yet the desire remains high to do so. Frustration is vented in different ways. Guys will typically get pissed and probably kick things (possibly breaking something). Women will typically get so fucking pissed that they tear up and want to avoid the situation altogether (“If it’s not right, what’s the fucking point?” or “I was supposed to PR and I didn’t”) Some women, including the strongest and best performers, will sit down on the platform and have a bit of a cry. It happens. Instead of saying, “Forget this,” the trainee should take an objective look at the situation.

Failure is an opportunity to observe what went wrong and figure out how to improve it, but failure is an irritating bitch. Take a second to vent your frustration, but then objectively analyze the situation.

All things considered, this isn’t a big deal. I missed a training lift? Okay, I’m not hurt. This is but one training day of many, perhaps a lifetime. Oh, wait, this was a meet and I bombed out? This is a national meet and I hit my chin and missed a jerk? Fuck iiiiiiit. At least my dick/ovaries/boobs are still attached. Worse things have happened to better people.

Put it all in perspective. One time, John Welbourn told a 15 year old kid I was training, “Well, you’ve got two choices every morning. You can wake up and put the barrel of a gun in your mouth, or you can go and kick ass all day. The choice is yours.” He strode away, and after taking a breath from laughing, I told him that the kid was 15, to which he replied, “Oh shit. Hey, don’t kill yourself; I thought you were at least 18.” But the point still applies: be a quitter or figure out what you need to do to be the best you can be. The choice is yours: Glock or go.

Summary
Aiming to be perfect is a natural trait, especially in someone who is motivated to succeed. Yet lifting is easy to learn and hard to master; if everyone was perfect then coaches wouldn’t exist. The coach should aim to be the trainee’s brain and simplify their cues to improve execution. The coach should also prepare the ego and confidence for lifting, and that usually means giving credit where it’s due and giving the trainee perspective in how they have improved. Trainees need to accept that they aren’t perfect and stop comparing themselves to better lifters. The un-coached trainee should also simplify their points of emphasis, or cues, to one or two things for each set; these should always focus on the gross motor aspects of the movement instead of frivolous details. Lastly, the trainee should put everything in perspective. How far have I come from when I started? Does a lack of perfection matter in the grand scheme of things? Make a decision between “Glock or go”; quit or kick ass. Adjust the mindset and work to get better instead of worrying about deficiency.

It’s PR Friday, so post your training updates and weekly PR’s to the comments.
Question of the Weekend: What is a piece of training information you learned recently outside of 70sBig.com? This can be from an external source or based on personal experience.

Weekly Reading List
[spoiler]Unfortunately I haven’t read many internet articles this week because I’ve started Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold. I actually started reading The Heroes, but realized BSC comes first. They are stand alone novels, but there are some characters and plot points from BSC in The Heroes, and I didn’t want to read them out of order. For those of you who don’t know who Abercrombie is, he wrote the amazing “First Law Trilogy”. If you have a vague interest in diabolical plots, dynamic characters, mild fantasy, or viking and barbarian violence, then you need to read that trilogy as soon as fucking possible.

Here are some articles that I’ve been linked in the last week. To be honest, I haven’t read them, but I think that they will either be good, or will spark some discussion. I’ll get to them and try to post my thoughts in these comments.

From Mike H.:
Interview with Dr. Stuart McGill
Eric Cressey on “lower back savers”
Eric Cressey and hip internal rotation
Cressey on ankle mobility
Cressey IR hip stretch
From Courtney:
“What We Need Is A Smaller Government”
Stuff I found:
Joe Abercrombie on swearing in fantasy writing.
Do zombies poop?[/spoiler]

Q&A Time

Hi Justin,

After reading some of Rudy Nielsen and Louie Simmon’s observations on training using the Prilepin table, I’m wondering if you had any thoughts on the applicability of the table to conditioning. Would it make any sense at all to include the lower end of the table (55-65% of 1RM) into any continuous activity? For example, with a deadlift max of 500lbs, would a conditioning workout consisting of 6 continuous rounds of 4 reps of deadlift at 275lbs coupled with some other exercise (lets say pushups) make any sense, or would the lack of rest completely destroy any benefits of such a workout? I suspect it might, but does that mean that anything above 55% of 1RM is verboten for conditioning work?

Just got my copy of ‘Fit’ by the way, and will be using it to get my head screwed on straight after three years of CrossFit. Thanks for that!

Cheers,
canuckian

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Throughout 70’s Big’s history, we’ve put an emphasis on entering and training for competitions (1, 2, 3, etc.). Today’s world is one where a person can wiggle through life without any real confrontation, any real challenge. The biggest challenge they face may be waking up on time in the morning or where to eat for lunch. Men and women of today may never subject themselves to something that really tests their mettle.

Signing up for a competition — whether it’s powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, strongman, highland games, judo, mountain bike racing, or whatever — forces a person into an uncomfortable situation. Not only will they be graded with a very specific standard, but they will be in direct competition with other people. Many people immediately think, “I’m not good enough to compete,” and “I’m not gonna win, why bother?” These comments usually arise because of fear; the fear of failure and the fear to put oneself in a vulnerable position. This would be enough of a reason to compete; it forces a person to confront their fear.

Yet competition inherently teaches many lessons; in essence it builds “character”. Character isn’t something your grandpa rambled about, but the foundation of what makes a person. Competition is comprised of victory and success, but also can be riddled with defeat and failure. It helps a person enter a realm of competitiveness, a place where people are actively trying to do better than others. It even allows situations where they can win in sloth, or lose with intensity. The competitive arena knows no bounds, and it asks the competitor: can you perform to your maximum potential today? That is why we urge you to compete; you’ll never achieve your full potential training alone.

Despite the benefit in most sport competitions available to us, there’s not anything that truly tests the potential of the mind. Yes, anxiety builds before hitting your opening snatch in weightlifting, but that’s very different than finding the will to continue when the body simply wants to sit down and have a nap. Enter the GoRuck Challenge.

The GoRuck Challenge was created by former Army Special Forces soldiers and is a team event that includes carrying a pack mixed with other, uh, festivities that lasts at least 10 hours and covers at least 15 miles. The cadre for the challenges consist of various SOF personnel, and the training is said to be similar to a day in Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). It’s not exactly a “road march” in the classical sense, but partipants carry a ruck that weighs 30 to 35 pounds of bricks (not counting water or snacks). Sounds fun, eh?

To most civilians, it may sound insane and unnecessary. But today’s warriors not only must be able to endure physical pain and stress, but they also must endure copious amounts of mental stress (which is no doubt exacerbated by the physical stress). Completing a GoRuck Challenge isn’t merely a physical obstacle to overcome; it’s a lesson in mental toughness. And that’s why it’s good for you. No where else in your life will you subject yourself to getting wet, muddy, and tired for several hours, and then consciously decide to keep doing it for several more hours. Running marathons or sitting on a bike can’t replicate the feeling of 40 pounds straining on your back; that weight is a constant reminder that each step you take is a victory. Note that the GoRuck Challenge isn’t designed to weed people out and make them quit, but instead aims for the team to work together to complete the course. The GoRuck Challenge is a fantastic way to test your mettle.

The coolest thing about the GoRuck Challenge is its location; they are held in most major cities in the U.S. and are now creeping out internationally. The original location was Washington D.C., and the challenge took participants through downtown and past all of the U.S.’s famous monuments. The constant reminder of American sacrifice in the American Revoulution, American Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, and current wars is an inspiration as participants pay tribute to each monumnet. In other cities, participants will visit major landmarks or monuments during their quest through the night (most challenges start at 9:00 PM and end in the early morning).

A rucking challenge wouldn’t be complete without a ruck, and GoRuck specializes in tested, life-time guarantee rucks. These rucks were designed by SOF personnel for SOF personnel and are being used around the world this very second. Note that these are un-framed rucks, and are more like assault packs instead of ALICE or MOLLE frames (and you can get one that is “book bag” sized for every day carry).

Jeremy and I are signed up for the GoRuck Challenge that starts on Friday, June 15th at 9:00 PM. I’m told that this date is special because all of the cadre are being brought in for the weekend (that’s probably both a good and bad thing for us). In any case, I encourage anyone in the region to join us that weekend as it’ll be a joyous jaunt through D.C.’s monuments followed by copious ale consumption (beer is the official GoRuck beverage). If you’re looking for a unique physical and mental challenge, then this is for you.

If you’re interested, then check out the GoRuck Challenge website. If you have questions, you can, of course, ask them here, but the folks at GoRuck are really nice and will help you out (but search their site first). They have some other cool events, like this mountaineering course (pre-req is to complete a standard GoRuck Challenge). Check the shop to see all of their gear.

Yesterday I talked about how the “toes more forward” position increases torque about the hip and how the musculoskeletal anatomy is used more efficiently when doing so. The finer points are still being cleared up, but the overall point seems logical and objective. But does that mean you should point your toes forward in your next squatting session? This video was filmed right after yesterday’s video while at the Arnold; it details some general points concerning cuing toe angle when squatting:



Should I point my toes forward?
The answer, as always, depends on the individual. If you don’t currently have the mobility to do so, then no, you shouldn’t try to alter your toe angle. If a person with “poor” mobility — in that they don’t have the capability to achieve proper positioning with the toes angled more forward of their current toe angle — attempts to squat this way, then at best they will facilitate poor mechanics and at worst could experience an injury. The poor mechanics could simply result in the inside of the foot being lifted from the ground, thus reducing the stability and force applied at the foot. The potential injury could be due to undue torsion at the knee if the ankles, knees, hips, and everything in between don’t have acceptable mobility. The message should be clear: don’t jump into if you lack the mobility.

A corollary is to not cue someone to put their toes forward when they lack the necessary mobility. If you don’t know if they have the mobility, then reconsider your role or job as their coach. If you accept the consequences in the previous paragraph, then prematurely adjusting to a “forward toe angle” stance could have a range of negative consequences. Don’t blindly cue because you read something on the internet. Instead, develop your trainee so that they are able to handle the new mobility demands by improving their mobility over time. The best way to do that is to take them through pre/post mobility routines from MobilityWOD.com and give the trainee “homework” to do on their own. Use any and all of Kelly’s methods; they clearly work.
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Dr. Kelly Starrett of Mobility WOD has been preaching a more forward toe angle in the squat for a few years now. I respect everything Kelly has to say, but I don’t like to follow anyone blindly without reason. When Kelly talked about “improving torque” at the hip, it confused me. I asked various people to explain it, but nobody could give me an explanation that used mechanics and musculoskeletal anatomy.

I never got a chance to talk to Kelly about it (and haven’t attended his seminar yet, but will), but after thinking about it for a long time it makes a lot of sense. It all has to do with the distribution of force from the ground up, but the entire process is dependent on the mobility of everything from the foot to the back. The following video is a (thorough) explanation of what’s going on along with necessary visuals.



Put simply, hip torque is dependent on having good mobility. Good mobility allows the lifter to squat with a more forward toe angle, thus having optimal torque at the hip is dependent on having a more forward toe angle. When a lifter has the mobility to use a “forward toe angle” — or one that is about 10 degrees outside of “straight ahead” — and maintain proper knee and hip positioning, the distribution of their force application is more even across the posterior and anterior aspects of the thigh (regardless of squatting type). Here is another simple way of saying that: more musculature is used in a tighter way when the lifter has the mobility to use a more forward toe angle correctly. Being tighter with more musculature would result in being stronger throughout a squat.

The “torque” part is referring to the hip’s ability to externally rotate. Torque is a rotational force, and the external rotators rotate the femur laterally away from the mid-line of the body. When the lifter’s thigh, knee, shin, and ankle structures are able to allow the external rotators to do this, it loads the hip in a way that can be described as improving the “torque”, or rotational force at the hip itself. Torque can also increase at the knee and ankle since if the knee is tracked slightly outside of the toe angle, the tibia slightly laterally rotates with respect to the ankle. The result of greater torque from the foot to the hip is that the force distributes optimally across all of segments and joints to have a stronger and more stable position. This increases both performance and safety.

Specifically force is distributed more optimally to the lateral portions of the thigh. Anyone who actually has the mobility to squat with a more forward toe angle reports feeling “tighter”, especially through the proximal and lateral portion of the hamstrings, lateral portion of the quadriceps, and lateral and distal portion of the hips. It turns these areas “on” whereas with a wider toe angle these areas are more “off”. It’s not possible to show this to someone who is unable to achieve the more forward toe angle because they won’t be able to achieve proper positioning, and therefore won’t feel the difference. As someone who can do this, I can tell you that having a wider toe angle (that is anywhere from 20ish to 30ish degrees) places a greater emphasis on the adductors (inner thigh muscles), medial hamstrings, and medial quads. If you have ever been sore from low bar squats in the inner thigh region, this is part of the reason why (the adductors will still be “on” with the “toes more forward” position, it’s just that you won’t specifically be focusing on them and you’ll probably experience soreness in other areas instead).

It is very clear to me how torque is increased from a mechanics perspective, given that the “toes more forward” position increases the rotational force at the ankles, knees, and hips. It is also very clear to me, both from analyzing it and doing it, that the force is distributed evenly across the anterior and posterior aspects of the thighs and hips better in this forward toe position. If you have watched the above video and read this post and are still fuzzy on the issue, then post your questions to comments and we’ll improve our understanding of it.