A Tip for Reducing Back Pain During the Deadlift
See the video below for a “trick” I like to use to help reduce the risk of back pain during the deadlift, after the individual has had enough practice with the basic structural set-up and execution of the deadlift.
Many people are great when it comes to finishing the deadlift with the glutes (“humping the bar”), but I’ve found that few people think about creating tension in the glutes before the genesis of the pull.
I've found this really helps people who complain of "feeling it all in their back" (even after achieving a neutral spine and good set-up) when they pull, and also helps them prevent from "hitching" at their lumbar spine.
What's Different About Your Training?
Do you remember the good ol’ days when you used to wake up and be excited to train? The times when setting a new PR was as satisfying as waking up on Christmas morning. I certainly do, sadly there will come a time when life gets in the way and your training sessions won’t be as awesome as they once were. Sometime last week after yet another lack luster training session of mine I sat down for about 30 minutes and thought about my training since my last meet. My training frequency has stayed the same (four days a week) yet each session seems progressively lazier, as if my head just isn’t in it. So I’m sitting there thinking what’s different, what is different now compared to a few months ago? So I made a list of the things that are different in my everyday routine that could potentially be causing my sessions to be as awful as watching a Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s marathon.
- No Training Partner: All 3 of my previous training partners are off doing internships with their respected teams University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, and the New York Jets. My training partners kept me on track and pushed me which made training fun. We were able to give each other feedback and make fun of each other which always led to good sessions. But I haven’t always had training partners and my training was still productive so what was different then? Music
- Music: It’s clear that if I don’t have a training partner I need to bring back the old days and put the ear-buds in and zone out. I need to be focused on the task at hand and I clearly can’t be trusted to do that when people who are not my training partners are around. They just become an unneeded distraction, not intentionally, just happens. Listening to music on my iPod will block out all the distraction, get me jacked up, and allow me to focus on the task.
- AM Training: For as long as I can remember I trained in the morning before I did anything else. It wasn’t until recently that I started training in the afternoon. And looking back on the situation I am much better suited to train in the morning. It sets the pace for my day. It clears my head and it allows me to take my time rather than rush to get in a workout. I also work better if I get my training out of the way early, I can just focus on work after instead of worrying about getting my training in.
- Food: Recently my nutrition has taken a back seat, out of pure laziness than anything else. My mentality used to be eat to train. I would eat 5 meals a day and I would feel awesome during training sessions. Lately I have been skipping breakfast, A- because I have been lazy and B- because of dumb people in the fitness industry, but more on that in my next point. It’s definitely time to get back to my old eating habits. I AM THE PEANUT BUTTER KING!
- Fitness Professionals: Even a professional strength coach like me can still fall victim to fitness propaganda. You’re probably asking what do other fitness professionals have to do with your training. That’s a good question, and the answer is a lot more than I should have allowed. There is so much crap written by people just trying to sell you stuff that it’s almost impossible not to succumb to it at least once. And sadly it almost made me doubt my own knowledge base. Then I woke up and realized what a bunch of BS it all is. I know this point kind of got off track but it’s something that I realized I didn’t used to let impact my training/nutrition so it’s important that it not impact it now.*
You may be asking what the point was to writing all of this. The goal of all my posts is to get YOU to train better or to help you reach YOUR goals. The best way to do that is to learn from others mistakes so you can in turn avoid the same pitfalls. Hopefully this post has allowed you to evaluate your own training, figure out what the problem is and helped you to get it back on track. The points I listed above are all excuses to not have a good training session. An excuse is a problem that can be rectified, I chose to do so. Will you?
*People I'm currently reading to block out internet BS Mark Rippetoe, Jim Wendler, Dan John, Dave Tate, and Louie Simmons.
Escalated Density Training for a Quick Workout or Training on the Road
Every now and then, when I'm in a rush, or simply looking for a change of pace, I find myself using "escalated density training," otherwise known as EDT. While I wouldn't recommend EDT for the development of pure strength or power, I find it particularly useful for two scenarios: 1) When you have very limited time to train, and just need a simple "Get In, Get Out" workout. Something that will allow you to complete a training session in roughly twenty minutes or less.
Given that, once you've attained a reasonable level of strength, it can take you thirty or more minutes just to warm up to your working sets of deadlifts or squats, EDT allows you to finish your workout rather quickly due to the lighter weights involved.
2) If you're traveling, and - as is unfortunately common in hotel rooms - the weights available are extremely limited (often capping out at 50lbs or less).
How To Do It
You'll complete two "blocks" of 5-10 minute intervals, utilizing two exercises in each block. These two exercises will ideally utilize opposing muscle groups, or "antagonist" pairings. For example, the good ol' push-pull pairing.
Pick a weight for each exercise that is roughly your 12-rep maximum, but only perform ten reps for the first set. Then, you're going to go back and forth between each exercise, using the same weight, without resting, for 5-10 minutes straight.
Let's use a dumbbell bench press and chest-supported row, for an example.
Chest- Supported Row (reps)
Dumbbell Bench Press (reps)
Set 1:
10
10
Set 2:
9
8
Set 3:
7
6
Set 4:
7
5
If you can perform 10 reps for multiple sets, then the weight is too light. On the contrary, if the number of reps you can perform with good form drops too rapidly (i.e. you can only get 4-5 reps on the second set), then it is too heavy. Also, note that the first set should especially not be taken to failure, as this will cause you to burn out too quickly. Always stop each set before your form degrades.
Begin on the low end of the time spectrum (5 minutes) for each "block," during your first session, and slowly increase the total time to 10 minutes as your body adapts and your endurance improves.
You'll also find that you'll be able to squeeze in more sets in the same period of time as you progress.
Perform two blocks of exercise pairings (four total exercises per workout), and you'll be in and out of the gym in twenty minutes. Also, for the those in the crowd who love "feelin' the burn," this will be right up your alley!
To help you out, I've provided a list (albeit far from comprehensive) of some exercises you can choose from. Choose one from each column for each pairing.
“Pull”
“Push”
Chest-Supported Row (various grips)
DB Bench Press (various grips)
TRX Inverted Row
Inclined DB Bench Press (various grips)
BB Inverted Row
(x infinity variations)
Lat Pulldowns (various)
Bent-Over DB Row (all kinds)
DB Military Press (various grips)
Pullups (various grips)
BB Military Press (various grips)
Bent-Over BB Row (various grips)
DB Floor Press (various grips)
Seated Cable Row (various grips)
Single-Arm Presses (all kinds)
Curls (various)
Pressdowns (various)
You can certainly use EDT with the lower body, as well, just don't be a doofus with your exercise pairings (ex. deadlifts with back squats, or 400m sprints with snatches).
Olympic Trials, Wimbledon, Where I've Been
So, today is my first post in about 4-weeks. It feels kind of awkward... like if you've been purposely avoiding someone and then run into them at a store. I, of course, haven't been purposely avoiding my posts, I just feel kind of bad that I've been breaking my own rules. You see, we have two simple rules for SAPT posts: get it up by 10am and make sure there is fresh content every day of the week. Obvisouly, I break the 10am rule almost every week and recently had to break the fresh content rule, too.
Sigh! It couldn't be helped... I have at least four partially finished posts marked as "draft" just waiting to be completed.
Well, here's a quick wrap-up of some recent events:
- Two track athletes I coach at Mason made it to the Olympic Trails. One went for the long jump and triple jump and the other for 400m. I'm proud to say David made it to the FINALS in the 400m. WOW. He said it was pretty amazing to be running next to the legends he grew up watching on TV.
- Wimbledon is easily my favorite sporting event of the year.Easily! I started watching it when I was bored one summer (I think I was about 14 years old) and got hooked. To this day I can't really explain why my love of Wimbledon does not extend to other major tennis tournaments. Serena Williams is also easily my favorite female athlete. I feel strongly that if the other women trained in a way that would help them gain a little of what Serena's training and genetics have provided, we'd see a lot more power and explosiveness in the game. Tennis players at the college level are notorious for placing little value on the type of physical preparation that will help "first-step" and other power indicators.
- My training is in the toilet.
- We've got two new service offerings that will take place at the old SAPT on Pickett: Team Training (we've received about a bazillion requests for low-cost team training over the years, so here ya go!) and Batting Cages designed for soft-toss and tee work. Stay tuned for the roll-out of both! More info to come shortly.
That's it. Sorry about not providing any eye-candy. Maybe I'll get a chance to update this later on.
Monday Musings: New Facility, Backpacking Europe, and Deadlift Foot Placement
Gotta make this one brief today... 1. I'm thrilled to say that, last Friday, we successfully moved SAPT into our new location last Friday. To those of you who train with us, you can look forward to a climate controlled environment during your next session!
Also, thank you again to all those that came to help us move. Your assistance was MUCH appreciated, and we're extremely grateful that you gave up your time on Friday to aid us.
Our new address is 3160 Unit E, Spring Street, Fairfax, Va 22031.
2. This October, I'll be fulfilling a childhood dream of mine by going backpacking in Europe. Thanks to pretty much the most awesome boss, SAPT team, and wife, that I could ask for, I'm able to take a couple weeks off to backpack through Ireland, Switzerland, and Italy.
Needless to say, I'm already as giddy as a little schoolgirl for October to arrive, as I've been literally dreaming about it (and slowly, very slowly....been saving up for it) since I was twelve years old.
For those interested, I'll be glad to share more details in the future, but for now I did want to share one of the things I'm most excited about: Canyoning in Interlaken, Switzerland.
One of my good buddies did this last year, and told me it was literally the experience of a lifetime. Basically, you take a bus up right into the heart of the Swiss Alps, and then repel, jump off, and slide down the canyons and waters of Switzerland to return to the bottom.
Here is a video of what I'll be doing, you can catch the gist of it in the first 45 seconds of the vid:
While in Switzerland, we also plan on visiting Schilthorn, the breathtaking summit of Burnese Alps, upon which a revolving restaurant sits. The restaurant, Piz Gloria, was actually a setting used during the old James Bond Film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Here's a picture of the location:
Needless to say the entire experience will be pretty surreal and I'm definitely open for suggestions from those of you who may have traveled Europe before.
3. My friend Tony Gentilcore recently uploaded a brief video explaining the "ideal" foot placement for deadlifting. Given that he discusses what is easily one of the most common mistakes I see (both in commercial gyms and in people entering SAPT for the first time), I thought I'd share it here:
Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!
SAPT is Moving Today
So it's 615am, and in fifteen minutes I'll be heading to the Magic Kingdom (that would be, the SAPT facility) to join the SAPT crew - along with a few awesome clients/athletes who're helping - to pack up our facility and move it to a new location. We will be doing this ourselves, as none of the moving companies returned our emails/phone calls. I have a sneaking suspicion that part of it has to do with the fact we're a gym. Sarah already gave some details on the new space, HERE, where you can see a few pictures. She has been working her butt off and been doing more "behind the scenes" work than I ever thought would be possible or necessary, so a huge thank you to her for helping us get the new digs!
It goes without saying that this move has been much anticipated. In case you were unaware, up until now we have not had a working HVAC unit, which means no climate controlled environment (yep, I realize this a first world problem, but still...). There are a four things I'm particularly looking forward to:
1) Air conditioning in the Summer. Training in the heat isn't so bad....it's just when you begin filling up the spaces between the keys on the keyboard with your sweat dripping that you know the 105ºF+ degree weather is a bit too hot for office work.
2) Heating during the Winter. Having your fingers stick to the pullup bar is always interesting.
3) Actual office walls. You'd be surprised at how many people feel they can walk, uninvited, into your office and snoop around when you work in a cubicle as opposed to an office with a door. Not to mention, it will be nice to place phone calls without music blaring and weights smashing in the background.
4) The same awesome, warehouse training environment with the concrete walls, no mirrors, and a large bay door.
This should be an all-day event, so, for you office workers in the crowd: If any of you are in the area, and want to help "undo" your day spent in cervical flexion, shortened hip flexors and kyphotic posture, you are welcome to come help. A gold star being the reward for your aid.
And with that, I'm out. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
For future reference, our new address is going to be:
3160 Unit E Spring Street Fairfax, Va 22031
