One of my favorite things about powerlifting is that it matters not a whit what you looked like ,physically,when you did it.I went to powerlifting directly from bodybuilding where the ONLY thing that mattered is what you looked like.How much you trained or lifted to achieve that look didnt count at all and was basically irrelevant. As long as it worked for you you could use zero weight and zero intensity and it didnt matter.Virtual muscle, as Pavel would say.
When I went to my first national level powerlifting meet in 1990 to help coach one of the lifters from my gym I was unimpressed at first at the level of "muscle" these guys had.Lots of what I considered back then "little" guys and regular looking guys.Certainly no bodybuilding type freaks.
Unimpressed until I saw what actual numbers they were doing in meet conditions.And that being strong and looking strong were many times not actually connected at all. Man that changed me forever and threw me headlong into powerlifting. After suffering through the no real competition of the male beauty show that is bodybuilding I really needed something athletic. Where it mattered what you could do, not what you looked like. Power ifting, was and is, perfect for that.
And that goes for how each powerlift looks as well.Some of the ugliest powerlifts I have ever seen have been for world records! Head down,knees in, ass out bent over good morning looking squats, elbows out benches or benches with way too close or wide( you thought) grip and virtual stiff leg , round back deadlifts.
One of the most important lessons I took from Mr Simmons was that when one fails to complete a lift; be it squat bench or dead, its not the LIFT that fails but a muscle group instead.Your back or abs werent strong enough to maintain position or get you through the sticking point during your squat, your triceps arent strong enough to stay under the bar in the bench or your abs or hammies arent strong enough to keep your hips in you pull.
Louie said you had to analyze WHAT gives out during a max lift then focus on strengthening THAT and voila, your lift should get better. Until ANOTHER weak point appears and that has to get the same treatment as well.
It could be a muscle group. It could also be your starting strength, or rate of force development,or ability to maintain total tension,all requiring a different solution. The point is to really analyze where you fail in the lift and then bring that up.An unwavering devotion to where you are weak is the only way to get stronger. Because we are always just as strong as our weakest link.Everyone likes to train their strengths, cause its 'fun'. Training your weakness is what makes you better.
And you have to find out where YOU are strongest.If you dont know where you have the best leverage it will be hard to maximize that position. ANd sometimes that position ain't exactly "pretty". as long as its( relatively) safe( I mean how safe can trying to ever increase the maximal load you can move be?) go with it.Seek out, analyze and attack your weak links, wherever they may be or wherever you find them and keep getting better!
It could be a muscle group. It could also be your starting strength, or rate of force development,or ability to maintain total tension,all requiring a different solution. The point is to really analyze where you fail in the lift and then bring that up.An unwavering devotion to where you are weak is the only way to get stronger. Because we are always just as strong as our weakest link.Everyone likes to train their strengths, cause its 'fun'. Training your weakness is what makes you better.
And you have to find out where YOU are strongest.If you dont know where you have the best leverage it will be hard to maximize that position. ANd sometimes that position ain't exactly "pretty". as long as its( relatively) safe( I mean how safe can trying to ever increase the maximal load you can move be?) go with it.Seek out, analyze and attack your weak links, wherever they may be or wherever you find them and keep getting better!
.jpg)
7 comments:
Definitely not pretty. One of the reasons I love it, now that I think of it.
strong is pretty :)
Strong is BEAUTIFUL!
And yeah, I know the point of getting on a horse is STAYING on a horse, But the best part of the ride is not knowing where you will land!
I'm feeling some weak link in my left military press. Lats sitting on sponge, something like this.
Great post, as always.
takei,
sponge between arm and lat, squeeze it to activate lat.
jes,
I'm not sure about you but when I fell off stuff in the past I always wanted a crash mat, not hard earth.to each their own,though,lol.
One of the most important lessons I took from Mr Simmons was that when one fails to complete a lift; be it squat bench or dead, its not the LIFT that fails but a muscle group instead... Louie said you had to analyze WHAT gives out during a max lift then focus on strengthening THAT and voila, your lift should get better. Until ANOTHER weak point appears and that has to get the same treatment as well.
There's a corollary to that, though. A few years ago I was having problems with my DL where my lower back was giving out way before my legs or grip. When I asked a knowledgeable friend what I should do to try to correct this, the answer was: more deadlifts. Because what lift will train your lower back for DLs better than DLs?
sam,
the problem with that is that one can usually only do the classical exercises so long and so hard without going backwards. so while dl's might strengthen the back well you might need another variation of it( dl with bands, off blocks, in rack, etc) to keep the progress going.
also, depending on how one dls( sumo vs conv etc) it may or may not hit the weak point enough to improve it.
Post a Comment