70’s Big Radio – Episode 16

After a long break, we’re back at it again. This is largely a Q&A to knock the rust off.

Topics include:

– Powerlifting with Olympic lifting programming
– Upper back training
– Conditioning in 5/3/1
– Stretching vs. soft tissue work
– Shoulder mobility for snatch
– Does grunting increase strength?
– How many carbs? (Paleo for Lifters)
– Dropping a weight class for a meet
– GoRuck training
– Farmer’s walk in conditioning
– Back rehab
– Sprints for conditioning
– Rowing for conditioning
– Assistance exercises for the press

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8 thoughts on “70’s Big Radio – Episode 16

  1. Glad the podcast is back. Always lots of useful information and thorough answers to good questions.

    Since I think it’s relevant, I’d love to hear more soundboard utilization in future episodes. The Judge Judy one is always a favorite.

  2. Hey Justin, I have a question:

    I was doing a leg workout at this gym I go to today (workout consists of 5 sets of back squats, 5 of front squats, 5 of deadlifts, and 5 of cleans). Anyways, I started warming up a bit for my first set of squats. I had 135 pounds on and I was doing what I thought was perfect form (basically everything “Starting Strength” by Mark Rippetoe says to do) and I was approached by a gym trainer mid-set who wanted to “fix my form”. I’ve recently turned 16 and i’ve been squatting for 2 years so I am still improving my squat so I always keep an open mind. Since this guy is a gym trainer he must know his stuff, right? That’s what I thought, but then here was his advice:

    a: I need to point my toes directly forward instead of out 30 degrees (again, I just follow what Starting Strength says to do so I point my toes out 30 degrees)
    b: I look directly forward
    c: I shouldn’t be “bouncing” at the bottom
    and most preposterously,
    c: He said that I was “squatting too low” (I squat ALL the way down). His recommended depth was about two inches above parallel because “that’s where I get my power”

    Well, my first reaction was “are you fucking retarded?” This guy was a gym trainer and was a fat middle aged man with no muscle mass whatsoever, it was baffling how he got that job in the first place. But he is an employee so I didn’t want to disrespect him (yet). I decided to just do my sets of power cleans and wait for him to leave (he was having his trainee do curls in the squat rack which pisses me off). Anyways once he left I finished my workout, but it got me thinking: “maybe he is right, maybe it’s because I’m younger I should be exercising differently, he is ‘qualified’ after all”. So my question is: Is he at all right?

    • Your doing too much shit in your workout. 20 HEAVY SETS OF SQUATS AND PULLS?!? How long does that take you? In general, you won’t be getting the full benefit of each compound exercise if your doing them all on one day. Try splitting them throughout the week. As far as squat form, stick with what you learned in Starting Strength.

  3. Was reading through old 70s big posts today. Thought I should post a food PR. Ate 3 lbs of steak and a 6 pack of IPA for dinner tonight. While I’ve never been a regular poster, I’ve followed the site for a while now. Hope everyone is doing well, drinking good beer, and eating all of the animals.

  4. For episode 17(which doesn’t seem to have been posted on the blog yet) I’d like to suggest that the SI joint/lower back problems may not be exclusively training related.

    In my personal experience, every back injury I’ve had happens to have a strong correlation with my spent sitting down. My first training session back after Christmas resulted in a lower back tweak. I think this is because I typically spend Christmas sitting and eating, sitting and talking, sitting a drinking with friends and family etc. and I think this is something that may trouble a lot of us.

    I seem to be susceptible to losing mobility(particularly in the hip flexors and hamstrings) and becoming stiff quite easily even though I already am conscious about reducing my time sitting down and being sedentary.

    Since the 2nd of this month I’ve set up a standing work-station, habitually MOB’d and SMR’d(which I did anyway) and my back, hips and hams have never felt better.

    I’d like to open a point of discussion for those more knowledgeable with regards to anatomy, physiology etc. to comment on the perils of sitting down for too long or too frequently like what kind of funny positions it puts our spines in, the lack of blood flow to our muscles, the shortening of hip musculature and other such interesting things.

    • Does anyone else have problems software wise with the site updating? Oftentimes I delete my history and that allows me to see the current articles. For ex, with this podcast, I checked everyday last week and it didn’t post until 24 jan.

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