Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Elite Training Mentorship - In our August update, I have an in-service called "7 Ways to Progress a Push-up," as well as two new exercise demonstrations and an article. Add in great content from Mike Robertson, Vaughn Bethell, Tyler English, Dave Schmitz, and the Smarter Group Training guys, and you've got loads of new valuable training information waiting for you.
Lessons in Coaching - This article from Mike Robertson should be "must-read" material for all new strength and conditioning coaches and personal trainers.
7 Squat Dilemmas Solved - This squat article from Bret Contreras is a great complement to the excellent piece Dean Somerset wrote for T-Nation a few weeks ago.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning stuff you should read:
Sprinting Lessons - This was an absurdly detailed blog post on Bret Contreras' site; it details the thoughts of coach Greg Potter on developing elite sprinters. There are a lot of great tidbits in here.
Bootcamp in a Box - Mike Robertson, Molly Galbraith, and Jim Laird just released this product this week. Candidly, I haven't seen it yet, but there are two reasons I'm a) excited to see it and b) encouraging you to check it out, too. First, these are three bright people who have a lot to offer the fitness industry, so there is sure to be a lot of excellent information in there. Second, a lot of the technique, progressions/regressions (or lack thereof), and overall programming strategies you see at bootcamps is so atrocious that having a product like this at your fingertips is a great way to separate yourself from the pack.
The Real Biggest Losers? The Show's Audience - This article was a reprinted letter Dr. Yoni Freedhoff sent to the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding their endorsement of The Biggest Loser. This season, the show is including a few children as contestants, and this certainly has a lot of people concerned on a number of fronts. Dr. Freedhoff highlights many of these concerns in a very well researched and prepared letter.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Elite Training Mentorship - I normally post my updates here once a month, but this month, it's especially exciting, as we're running at "30 days for $1" trial at ETM, and as a bonus for signing up, you get all the presentations from the Fitness Business Weekend. So, effectively, you're receiving education on the training and business sides of the fitness industry, and you certainly can't beat the price! Head over to the Elite Training Mentorship site for details, but don't wait, as the deal ends this Friday at midnight.
By the way, for those interested, my in-service this month was "Understanding Common Shoulder Conditions and Surgeries," and I also had two articles and exercise demonstrations posted.
Everybody, Never, and Always - This blog from my friend and business partner, Tony Gentilcore, is a great post on why "absolutes" are never a good fit in our industry. He cites some specific examples, but just as importantly, encourages you to consider how these three words apply to your own training.
When my first book was published back in 2008, a lot of people were surprised that I included speed deadlifts, either because they felt too easy, or because they didn’t think that deadlifting that wasn’t “heavy” couldn’t be productive. Interestingly, when their deadlifts invariably shot up after completing the four-month program, nobody was questioning their inclusion. With that in mind, I thought I’d use today’s article to outline my top five reasons for including speed deadlifts in one’s strength training program.
First, however, I think it’s important to outline what a speed deadlift is. Simply take any variation of the deadlift, and perform it at a lighter percentage: 35-80% of one-rep max (1RM) for sets of 1-5 reps. The higher the percentage, the lower the rep scheme, and vice versa. Examples include 8x1 at 80% of 1RM, 6x3 at 50% of 1RM, and 4x5 at 35% of 1RM. It’s possible to add chains or bands to the exercise, too, if you have access to them. You would rest anywhere from 30s to 120s between sets.
The most important factors, however, are perfect technique and excellent bar speed.
The bar should feel like it is exploding off the floor straight through to lockout.
Now, let’s get down to the reasons you might want to include it in your program.
1. Technique practice
I’ve coached a lot of deadlifts in my career, and people tend to fall into one of three categories:
a. Great technique (~5% of people)
b. Great technique until the load gets heavy (~60% of people)
c. Terrible technique (~35% of people)
In other words, 19 out of 20 people’s technique will go down the tubes as soon as the load gets heavy, so they might as well work on technique as they gradually build the weights up.
When you first took driver’s education class, you didn’t go straight for 65mph on the highway, did you? Nope, you drove around a parking lot, and then headed out for some back roads with very little traffic. Deadlifts are the same way; master the easy stuff before you get to the advanced stuff.
2. Improved bar speed off the floor
Imagine two lifters, both of whom are attempting 500-pound deadlifts. Lifter A puts a ton of force into the ground quickly at the start, and the bar jumps off the ground. Lifter B puts the same amount of force into the ground, but it isn’t applied as quickly, so the bar comes off a bit more slowly. Which lifter is more likely to complete the deadlift? My money is on Lifter A. Bar speed off the floor matters, and that is a very hard thing to teach at higher percentages of 1RM.
What you have to realize is that explosive strength (also known as rate of force development) is dependent on the INTENT to apply force rapidly (lift quickly), not the actual bar speed. An isometric muscle action can be explosive even though the bar doesn’t actually move; just imagine an elite deadlifter pulling against a bar 500 pounds heavier than his 1RM. He’s still applying a lot of force to the bar – and doing so quickly – but the bar isn’t moving. Take a look at my missed deadlift at the 2:12 mark of this video, as an example. You’ll see the bar bending, even if it isn’t moving; there is still force being applied. Advanced lifters get that.
The problem is that less experienced lifters don’t appreciate that you can be explosive in an isometric action; they have to have the feedback of the bar moving fast to teach them that they’re actually being explosive. And, that’s where speed deadlifts can be a great teaching tool and practice mechanism.
3. Power development
In an old installment of The Contreras Files, Bret Contreras did a great job of making a case for submaximal conventional and trap bar deadlifts (30-40% of 1RM) as potentially being as valuable as Olympic lifts in terms of the peak power production, in light of some recent research. I think we all still have questions about this comparison, as the Olympic lifts require an athlete to apply force for longer (greater ROM) on each rep (allowing for greater carryover to athletes), and more seasoned Olympic lifters may be able to demonstrate higher power numbers simply from better technique. However, the important takeaway message with respect to my article today is that submaximal deadlifts can, in fact, be a great option for training peak power - and I'd definitely recommend them over Olympic lifts for folks who don't have a qualified Olympic lifting coach available to teach technique.
4. Double extension is probably safer than triple extension in older, uncoordinated, inexperienced exercisers.
I'll probably get some nasty comments for this point; oh well.
We know that as people get older, the age-related loss in power is a huge deal. So, training power is important for not only folks who are trying to get stronger and more athletic, but also folks who just want to preserve power for quality of life purposes. I'd love nothing more than to be able to do loads of jumping, sprinting progressions, and Olympic lifts with a middle-aged population, but I'm just not sure that's a good idea in light of the number of degenerative Achilles tendons there are in the crowd, and how poorly many folks move. These are exercises toward which we can build, no doubt, but early on, double extension exercises for training power can still be beneficial.
I think this is one of many reasons that kettlebell swings have become so popular; they allow you to train power via double extension with a lot of the same benefits as the aforementioned modalities, but more safely. Speed deadlift variations can work in much the same way: double extension, compound exercise, plenty of opportunity for power development, and less risk. Eventually, when you want to start to introduce some eccentric challenges and triple extension, skipping drills, uphill sprints, and sled sprints are all good ways to do so gradually.
5. A way to train squats and deadlifts on the same day without feeling like poop.
Heavy squats are hard, and so are heavy deadlifts. Doing both on the same day is brutal - and it can increase your injury risk in training. Accordingly, powerlifters need to lower the intensity on one of the two if they want to get in plenty of quality work on both.
On this front, a training approach that worked really well for me during my powerlifting career was two have two lower body days per week, and break them up as:
Day 1: Squat for Speed, then Deadlift Heavy
Day 2: Squat Heavy, then Deadlift for Speed
Speed deadlifts allowed me to train bar speed, pull frequently enough to enhance technique, and get girls to like me - all without feeling like poop. It was a win/win situation.
Speed deadlifts aren't the be-all, end-all of training initiatives, but then again, nothing is for everyone at every time. One thing that makes them unique is that they yield benefits to beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters - but for all different reasons. Try incorporating them here and there in your training and I think you'll find them to be valuable.
For more deadlifting tips, I'd encourage you to check out our free newsletter opt-in offer. When you sign up (no charge), you'll receive a detailed 9-minute video tutorial and three-part follow-up series on the deadlift. You can sign up here:
Here's this week's list of recommended reading. You'll be happy to note that there is absolutely no discussion of the election; I think we're all sick and tired of that by now!
8 Laws of Strength Training - This is a basic, but outstanding post from Bret Contreras. I'd call this must-read for every beginning strength training enthusiast.
Jaundice or Just Yellow? - This is an excellent post at Precision Nutrition by Spencer Nadolsky. If you eat a lot of pumpkin, give this a read.
Player Interview with Cubs Prospect John Andreoli - Current CP intern Jay Kolster interviews one of our pro guys on his hitting approach and how he prepares in the batting cage. This is a great read for coaches and players alike, as John is a guy who has worked extremely hard - and smart - to get to where he is.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Tough or Reasonable? - There's not much else to say about this one except, "Dan John is still the man." This is an entertaining and thought-provoking article.
Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Four Must-Try Mobility Drills - In case you haven't already seen this, it's a article I had published at Arnold Schwartzenegger's website yesterday, including a lengthy video.
Everything You Need to Know about the Hip Thrust - This is a thorough blog post from Bret Contreras on "everything hip thrust." Bret's devoted his career to glutes and pioneered this exercise, so you could say that he's an authority on the matter.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
Corrective Carries - This excellent piece from Bill Hartman highlights just how valuable carrying exercises can be if they are executed with correct form.
The Paradox of the Strength and Conditioning Professional - This guest blog from Rob Panariello for Bret Contreras' blog was excellent, even if it did read very "sciency." I'd call it must-read material for up-and-coming strength and conditioning coaches.
6 Primo Pressing Permutations - Here's another innovative article from Ben Bruno. He always has some good exercises for spicing things up in your strength training programs.
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Here are some recommended strength and conditioning readings for the week:
Recovery: Athlete vs. Average Joe - Patrick Ward summarized some great research on how it takes a lot more to negatively impact performance when you reduce the outside stress in one's life.
Force of Habit - This article by Lindsay Berra just ran in ESPN The Magazine. Lindsay interviewed me for the piece on Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction), and while I wasn't mentioned in the final version, I thought she did an outstanding job of outlining some complex topics - everything from the mechanics to the politics - in the piece.
21 Strength Exercises for Injury-Free Mass - Bret Contreras provides some great options - and the rationale for them - for those looking to make their strength training programs a little more joint-friendly over the long-term.
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Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:
How Much Strength Do Our Athletes Need? - I thought this was an outstanding piece from Rob Panariello at Bret Contreras' blog. It's a question I've asked myself a lot over the past few years, and Rob does an excellent job of discussing how the answer is likely different for every athlete.
Paula Deen's an Idiot - On the surface, this blog post from Dean Somerset seems to be a rant on this outrageous example of hypocrisy with respect to Deen's announcement that she had Type 2 Diabetes. While that would have been spot-on, Dean kicked it up a notch when he busted out some great statistics to show that her "it was my genetics" argument was bogus. Wildly entertaining; well done, Dean.
What a Puppy Can Teach You About Resistance Training Progress - I came across this article while I was searching for another one in my archives. I wrote it shortly after we got our dog (who is now about 1.5 years old), but the message still resounds.
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