Several years ago I made it a point to always encourage women to train with weights and high intensity exercise as opposed to the LSD methods associated with conventional fitness. It has, and always will be, an interest of mine because it benefits everyone; it benefits the chick because she’s not beat down by stupid conventional skinny-body dysmorphia, she’s healthier, she’s stronger and capable, and it benefits me (or her husband, boyfriend, etc.) cause she looks better. After coaching 50,000 squats, you can’t help but say, “Yeah, she’d be better if she squatted.”

I saw a quote the other day that said, “Women, we don’t care about your shoes, just your body. Go to the gym and not the store.” In the time that I’ve been training and coaching people — as well as the lifespan of this website — I’ve tried to show why and how training can benefit women. One Fit Mother does women’s personal trainer Charlottesville. However, despite the daily readership of 70’s Big, you can only shout the same message so many times before it gets jaded and fails to reach new ears.

One of the female readers once asked, “What we can do to spread this message?” Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen from this site; the message only reaches so far, and it’s typically getting to the women who already train (or at least who lift weights and condition regularly). I think that the realm of conventional fitness has to be broken into before this concept will become more popular. I hope that FIT (Fan Page and Twitter) can help open the door in what will be a long struggle of improving how people train. But will it be enough? Will it help mold America’s (the world’s?) perception of what an attractive woman will be? Women who are suffering from vascular conditions like varicose veins or venous ulcers that affect their health and self-confidence are advised to seek treatment at https://foxvalleysurgical.com/vein-clinic/treatments/.

I don’t know, because I’m very much not a woman, and my opinion may only be partially relevant. I had intended on interviewing some of the chicks I know through this site and getting their point of view for this post, but instead I welcome girls/chicks/women to post in the comments and give your thoughts on how you think training can be introduced and spread to a greater female population (whether through this site, on the internet, or in general). We’ll see if we can draw any conclusions because I’m sincerely interested in the discussion.

Fantasy Football

On the 70’s Big Facebook Fan Page we are organizing a 70’s Big Fantasy Football League. Go to this discussion and enter in where you live. Since each league really shouldn’t have more than 10 teams, they will be broken up according to region. If you don’t have Facebook, then just post here in the comments or e-mail me. Some time next week we’ll schedule the drafting after everyone is organized.

And if you haven’t liked the fan page, then…fuck.

Reader Appreciation Day

Here is an e-mail from Jay about how the site helped convince him to do a meet. He went 9/9 and had “one of the best experiences of (his) life”.

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Hey Justin,

I competed for the first time in USAPL Michigan’s Smitty’s Iron Works 7 on Saturday July 30th in the 198 (I weighed in at 185) RAW division.
All in all it was a great day. I am glad I decided to compete because it was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I went 9/9 and ended up with at best squat of 330, bench was 286 and deadlift was 440. The biggest thing I learned was to make bigger jumps after my opener. I have very little experience with true one rep maxes and it showed. I was far to conservative in the squat, I had plenty in the tank after 330 and should have gone bigger. It got a bit better on the bench making a 40lb jump after attempt #2 but again I should have done that after my opener. I think next time I will go for 300 because 286 went up without much ado. By the time the deadlift rolled around I had the attempt process down. I opened with 403, which is the last 5 rep max I did (well 405) jumped to 424 an all time PR and nailed it. Then for attempt 3 I went for a goal of mine which was to pull 200kg. Truthfully I did not think I could do it, but then I got really psyched up, told my self it was coming off the floor and there’s nothing else that matters and pulled that fucker! Putting that bar down after a successful final lift of my first competition was a great feeling of relief and excitement.

I found your site at a great time in my training career. Your insistence on competition as a focal point of and legitimizing factor to training hit home with me. As was all the meet recaps from Thunderthighs and Mike and others featured on your site. Thanks again and keep up the good work on 70sbig.com.

A fan,

Jay

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Here’s a video of 23 year old Sam pulling a PR of 240kg in the 105kg class to qualify for the British Unequipped (which sounds like the UK’s Raw Nationals within IPF ruling). Well done, Sam.

PR Friday

Post your training PRs or updates to the comments. Good luck to Vince Urbank and all the other competitors at the America’s Strongest Man this weekend.
Here’s a video of Donny hitting his second attempt of 203kg at nationals a few weeks ago.

Dr. Lon Kilgore has always aimed to develop the realm of fitness, exercise, and barbell training through research, teaching, and writing. His long term vision of developing a manual that anyone could pick up and read and get the real direction on how to get fit has come to fruition.

FIT started as a brief resource to address many of the common misconceptions about fitness and what it takes to program it, yet has morphed into a 300+ page book that beginning and advanced trainees alike can benefit from. Dr. Michael Hartman and I were recruited to add content to what will be an incredibly informative book.

FIT provides the “why” and “how” of the purposeful integration of strength, endurance, and mobility training; addresses misinformation associated with fitness; and gives the readers direction to make decisions regarding their fitness. FIT fills the void in taking the theory and applying it to exercise programming.

Fit: Table of Contents

Fitness – What it is
Fitness Adaptation – How we become fit
Strength
Endurance
Mobility
Multi-Element Fitness
Strength Exercises
Endurance Exercises
Mobility Exercises
Getting Ready to Train
Physics, Physiology & Food
Exercise Performance Standards

The strength chapter alone would be well worth the price for a 70’s Big reader. At 50 pages it’s a hefty dose of programming at many levels including an array of templates that aren’t common in the “online training communities”.

The endurance chapter dissects why the traditional long, slow distance method of training isn’t effective, discusses the anatomy of endurance, provides a thorough analysis of running economy and technique, recommends efficient footwear, and discusses specific methods to prepare for endurance goals.

The mobility chapter provides knowledge on the physiology of stretching, motor abilities, how to improve agility and balance, and specific exercises and stretches that can help balance the body.

The 25,000+ word multi-element fitness chapter that I wrote funnels this information together and provides the direction for the fitness trainee. The hierarchy of emphasis in training elements is thoroughly explained and guidelines are provided to the reader. High intensity endurance training is categorized based on the level of stress it imparts on the body with very clear descriptions of each type. However, not all trainees need the toughest stress; types of trainees defined with very clear progressions on how to take someone from sedentary and very un-fit to a strong, sleek, and enduring specimen. There are lines of progression and programming templates for every type of trainee whether they aim to get strong and maintain their conditioning or get conditioned after a specialization in strength.

Each of these chapters are worth the book price alone, yet are all pieces of the project that has become FIT. The paper-back book will be released around August 15th on Amazon.com
Post any questions you have about the book to the comments.

UPDATE: Like the Facebook Fan Page and Follow on Twitter.

Remember the other day when I was bitching about how the actors in Thor and Conan could be bigger? Well, then Paul S. sent me some information on Urbank and things got real. Real real.

Turns out Vince is a big mother trucker, and he kinda looks like the little dude who played Thor.
(By the way, the average guy in Australia is smaller and weaker than in America. Strength training is less popular there than it is here, and endurance training is what is en vogue. I’m not really a big guy and I stood out in most places. That must be why the media got all excited when Chris Hemsworth gained a couple of kilos to not be such a girly man. I’ll never understood why they cast him in the first place.)
What I’m trying to say is that Urbank should have been Thor, because a 7 foot tall muscular 300 pounder is definitely what I imagine when I think Mjölnir.

Urbank is a strongman competitor who just received his pro card in the American Strongman Corporation. The former Marine trains powerlifting-style and doing extremely well:


Here’s a video of him doing a strongman comp and another ripping a phone book in half. I’ve been told he’s 23 years old (although I haven’t seen that officially), is in PT school, and aims to continuously improve in strongman. Hopefully we’ll see him at the big show some day. Click here for an interview with Vince.



Update: Vince is competing in the America’s Strongest Man competition in the ASC this weekend (Kevin Nee will be there). Good luck, Vince.
He’s sort of agreed to an interview after this competition, so post your questions for him in the comments.

…train your back(side).

The famous IronMind poster is more than just an end-goal. It signifies the process of successful lifting. The back can collectively start at the upper traps which flow down into the spine of the scapula (the sideways ridge on your shoulder blade). The middle and lower traps (attaching all the way down to the last thoracic vertebrae) flow up and attach along that same position as well. Then, the rhomboids hold the medial (inside) border of the scapulae to the spine. The rear deltoids could be considered part of the back as well, and they attach along the spine of the scapula over the important external shoulder rotators (which are primarily located along different aspects of the scapula). However, it’s the middle/lower traps, lats (which attach anywhere from the iliac crest — rear hip area — to the mid thoracic area and funnel into an insertion on the medial aspect of the proximal humerus, or upper arm bone), and erector spinae muscles (i.e. spinal erectors) that attach along the vertebral column.

What It All Does
That collection of musculature has the primary of function of holding the trunk in proper alignment and posture during lifting. The upper back muscles maintain good thoracic extension during squatting, pressing, and deadlifting and they hold the scapulae together and maintain shoulder position on the bench. The lower back muscles hold the pelvis in place to allow for a stretch on the hamstrings during squats (specifically the low bar variation), deadlifts, RDLs, rack pulls, and other pulling movements. The back and hamstrings are so finely integrated that many movements train both at the same time. However, this area of the body is largely neglected because it can’t be seen easily in the mirror.

Training Inclusion
Most training sessions, especially for less experienced lifters, should include a squat, a press, and a pulling movement. If you are worry about your back and hamstring strength or development, then it’s already too late. This should be the proudest area of your body as it will set you apart from others, balance your physique, and so effectively contribute to your lifting that most of everything else will improve along with the front of your physique. If you don’t currently include RDLs or a horizontal rowing movement, sprinkle them in your training week (this advice applies to any general strength trainee as well as powerlifters that aren’t tapering for a meet).

Other Indicators of Back/Hamstring Weakness
Some glaring indicators of requiring improved strength and musculature in the back and hamstrings include, but are not limited to dropping the chest in any movement, the torso tipping forward out of the bottom of a squat or at the start of a deadlift, a weak second pull in the Olympic lifts, and the knees scooping forward under the bar on heavy deadlift lockouts. While you may be able to get by with these inefficient mechanics, sooner or later you will reach a point that is too limited by your lack of back or hamstring strength that it must be addressed before progress can continue.

Short on time?
Lastly, if you are ever limited in your training time then make an effort to train your back, even if you neglect squatting. The back and hamstrings sometimes are so limiting for some trainees that accumulated work is necessary over time to develop them to improve the foundation lifts (squat, press, bench, and deadlift). Using RDLs as opposed to squats or deadlifts will be a good substitute when feeling overtrained, coming back from sickness, or easing back into training after a rough travel or work schedule. Furthermore, by getting the upper back musculature stronger and thicker, all upper body movements are reinforced and subsequently strengthened.

Making the upper back and hamstrings strong doesn’t have to be a soul draining experience. Lifts that improve these areas are easy to add into existing programs and might even need to maintain priority on those constrained training sessions. Rest assured, if you’re already doubting the strength or size of your backside, then you’re already in a deficiency — but it’s never too late to start.

Here are some more videos from the Australia trip that have nothing to do with building an impressive back.
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