Chalk Talk #8 – Speed Deadlifts & RDL

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Justin

In a recent post by my Australian SOF buddy, Shaun Trainor, he reminded me that I recommended he do speed deadlifts and RDL’s while he was deployed in lieu of heavy deadlifts. In a program or circumstance that can’t tolerate the systemic depression or local soreness associated with heavy deadlifts, using speed deadlifts with posterior chain work will still get explosive work with the posterior chain. When Shaun returned home, he was able to jump back up to his previous deadlift numbers fairly quick.

Speed deadlifts can be alternated every week with heavy deadlifts, as they are in a few of my Texas Method templates, or they can be done every week to maintain some deadlift work without getting beat down. Not to mention you can accumulate some decent volume with doubles or triples on deadlift to develop a jacked back.

If you watch until the end of the video, you’ll see an explanation of NOT leaning back at the top of a deadlift. It’s a common fault that is incredibly injurious, looks ugly, and makes someone look inexperienced with anatomy or lifting. Simply lift the chest to ensure a neutral spine; don’t lean back.

PR Friday – 12 Sep 2014

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Justin

PR Friday — Post your training updates, PR’s, and questions to the comments and the 70′s Big crew will respond.

Weekly Q&A gives you a chance to ask anyone from the 70′s Big Crew a question in the comments below, on Facebook, or Twitter. Follow 70’s Big on Instagram.

Recap: On Monday we had a guest post from Australian SOF vet Shaun Trainor on a flexible training program when deployed, super busy, or beat down. Chalk Talk #7 shows how to work on the quadratus lumborum and glute medius to alleviate pain in the low back and sacro-iliac area.

Here’s a sweet video of AC hitting a PR double at the time of 600×2. You see his warm-up sets and then the final set where he loses his god damn shit. AC is, how do you say…more of an emotional lifter. He uses a big adrenaline dump prior to lifting and gets pumped when he hits his lifts in training and meets.

What is your lifting style? Do you get emotionally amped? Yell and scream? Or do you have a silent rage? A calm before the storm?

Chalk Talk #7 – QLGM

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Justin

Low back pain? Sacro-iliac problems? Chances are you have jacked up muscles as opposed to disc or S/I joint issues. Enter QLGM into your vernacular, and it stands for quadratus lumborum and glute medius. These are the muscles you should focus on if you have low back, sacral, and rear pelvic pain.

The quadratus lumborum (kwa-DRAY-tus lum-BOR-um) connects from the bottom rib and sides of the vertebrae (specifically the transverse processes) to the top of the pelvis on both sides. This muscles laterally flexes the trunk, but it mostly functions as a stabilizer and supports the entire upper body. Since it attaches on the rim of the pelvis, tension in the QL will pull up on the pelvis. The more tension there is on the pelvis or sacrum, the more pain there can be. The video shows how to do some soft tissue work on the QL to relieve tension.

The glute medius attaches from the outside rim of the pelvis to upper thigh bone (specifically the greater trochanter of the femur). When you take a step with your right foot, the left glute medius holds the pelvis in place by supporting the entire body weight. Because of the leverage, it handles a force around twice body weight, so it’s working really hard just when you’re walking. Things like walking with a load, running, or lifting can tighten it up…so everything we do. The video shows how to identify the GM as well as the glute minimus (which has similar function to the GM) and some soft tissue work you can do to address it.

Chalk Talk #6 – Waiter’s Walks for Shoulders

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Justin

Waiter’s walks are an exercise where a load is held in a one arm overhead position while walking. They have a variety of benefits, including:

– Working all of the muscles around the shoulder, including the smaller, stabilizing rotator cuff muscles, to hold the head of the humerus in position.
– The body is loaded asymetrically, so it will work on proper trunk alignment and the endurance of those muscles. The walking will also add some variation to the loading.
– It focuses on upward rotation of the scapula to build stability in the overhead position.

When doing these, focus on a keeping the trunk engaged and neutral without slouching to one side or the other. Put some light external rotation on the shoulder and actively push into the bell to achieve the upward scapula rotation.

During these assymetrical carry exercises I put an emphasis on good mechanics overall from the head to feet. Also short and stable steps are better than flowing steps in order to optimally keep the trunk tight.

Read more about a slightly different type of waiter’s walk on Eric Cressey’s site.

PR Friday – 22 AUG 2014

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Justin

PR Friday — Post your training updates, PR’s, and questions to the comments and the 70′s Big crew will respond.

Weekly Q&A gives you a chance to ask anyone from the 70′s Big Crew a question in the comments below, on Facebook, or Twitter. Follow 70’s Big on Instagram.

Recap: On Monday I introduced Category Programming, a method that works well for very busy or beat down trainees like SOF personnel. Chalk Talk #4 came out on Wednesday, and it focuses on actively contracting the lower abs to stabilize the trunk while pressing.

Here’s a video that talks about Usain Bolt’s difficult training regime. He says that race day is the fun part, but all the hard work is miserable. His own dad even says he can’t go to his practices anymore because he doesn’t like to watch him suffer.

Being a professional athlete isn’t the same as our training. Bolt dedicates his life to that one moment in which he displays his prowess on the track. There’s nothing corny in Bolt’s presentation. It’s simple and brutal: being great is a trying, vomitous affair that makes you want to quit every step of the way. Anything good or successful in life demands the same.

What do you think is the worst part about training? Pushing through a set? Doing mobility work? Eating right?