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by Bret Contreras 12/10/2012 Previous installments of the Contreras Files were largely an assortment of information gleaned from the latest literature. While I plan to return to addressing the new research soon, this installment of the Contreras Files is another compilation of practical tips that I've learned as a lifter. (You can check out the first one here.) If you can't find at least one actionable item in this article, then there's simply no pleasing you!
Bottom line is, you must set better standards for yourself!
2. Stone Lifts, Tire Flips, and Log Lifts for Ultimate Man-Power
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In Stu McGill's 2009 study on strongman exercises, the researchers examined muscle activity in the abs, obliques, erectors, lats, glutes, hammies, and rectus femoris during the farmer's walk, log lift, suitcase carry, super yoke walk, Atlas stone lift, tire flip, and keg walk. For the rectus abdominis, tire flips and stone lifts finished first and second, respectively. For the external obliques, stone lifts and tire flips finished first and second, respectively. For the internal obliques, tire flips and stone lifts finished first and second, respectively. For the latissimus dorsi, tire flips and log lifts finished first and second, respectively. For the upper erector spinae, stone lifts and log lifts finished first and second, respectively. For the lower erector spinae, tire flips and stone lifts finished first and second, respectively. For the gluteus medius, stone lifts and tire flips finished first and second, respectively. For the gluteus maximus, stone lifts and tire flips finished first and second respectively. For the biceps femoris, tire flips and stone lifts finished first and second respectively. For the rectus femoris, stone lifts and tire flips finished first and second respectively. Essentially, three lifts topped the number one and number two spots for each of the muscles tested. It's interesting that the peak activity for the hamstrings wasn't nearly as high as it was for the glutes during the various strongman exercises (highest peak for hamstrings was 91% in the tire flip, compared to 259% in the glutes for the stone lift), indicating that strongman training is great for glutes but not so good for hammies.
When you get really strong at the barbell curl, you realize that it's a full body exercise. Tens reps with 135 pounds requires a ton of core stability, and along with taxing the biceps, it'll work a ton of spinal extensor and upper back musculature. This helps explain why they can get you breathing like crazy following an all-out set. Don't underestimate the challenge produced on the entire body's musculature with this exercise. Weak people bash curling because they can't fathom the total body strength and stability requirements involved in getting strong. Check out this chart from an experiment I conducted on myself a while back. Mean Bicep ActivityMean Mid Trap ActivityMean Lower Trap ActivityMean Lumbar Erector Activity 135-pound Barbell Curl95% 67% 45% 71% I'm sure there are more muscles that get challenged significantly during a barbell curl, but what's important to note is that they hammer the biceps while stimulating a lot of other muscles in the process.
10. Don't Be Afraid to Sit Down to do Shoulder Presses, But if You do, do it Right
If your low back consistently hurts when you perform standing military presses, try squeezing your glutes and abs to lock the core and prevent lumbar hyperextension. Hopefully that does the trick, but if not, don't be afraid to sit down for shoulder pressing I prefer this method to the standing variation. Just make sure you use a military bench with a low seat height. If you use a seat that's too tall, your scapulae will be pinned against the bench and will fail to upwardly rotate. This is a recipe for disaster.
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I'm not that good at one-arm push-ups. Instead, I prefer to do "self-assisted" one-arm push-ups. I do these whenever I'm on vacation and need a good pec/triceps workout but don't have access to equipment. Three sets of ten kicks my butt!
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15. Spinal, Pelvic, and Hip Biomechanics for Squats, Deadlifts, Hip Thrusts, and Back Extensions
I recorded this video six months ago and never embedded it into a blog post or article. I don't know why, but it's really important information. Please watch this video when you have 15 minutes to spare:
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and perhaps picked up something useful you can use in your own training. See you next month!
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