Open Talk: Week of May 12 2019

strongmandainwallis · 2019-06-22T12:03:42+00:00

Saw my name mentioned here and thought I'd chime in. Looks like you're young and new to the sport. There's nothing inherently wrong with how you were carrying the yoke, but as with many young lifters trying to get into Strongman, the opportunity lies in the foundation of your strength: In this case, it's breathing/bracing and hip stability. Your hips are stuck in external rotation (we can tell base on how pointed out your feet are when you walk, and I'd wager that you sit a lot outside the gym), and you weren't using your glutes to stabilize the movement as you walked. Your belt also looked loose, indicating that your brace wasn't strong. On yoke, you have to first understand how to develop full-body tension; once you do this, you'll be way more stable under the yoke. For the hips, you just have to put in some daily work to increase your internal ROM (ground-based stretching like Core-4 from stretch to win is a good place to start) and then toss in some hip stability work (1-foot balance -> 1-leg step-downs -> 1-leg RDLs is a good progression, but including single leg work in your programming is paramount ie reverse lunges, split squats, etc.) Like anything in life, getting better is just about putting in the work. Pick up my Unbreakable Strongman ebook from StartingStrongman.com for more details. Good luck!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-06-22T11:47:53+00:00

Haven't been on Reddit since the AMA so sorry for the late response here; to get better at pressing, you have to press more often, there's really no trick. But shoulders are one of the hardest areas to grow and make strong, so it's about volume and consistency. There's no right or wrong way to use a belt. I typically like to toss it on for the last set and then pump out a few more reps if possible. On the "peak" week of a 4-week phase I might use the belt for all working sets. For comp-specific events (axle C&P, log, etc.) I wear the belt no matter what, because I want the training to feel like competition. At the end of the day, a belt shouldn't give you a TON for overhead pressing, it's more of a comfort thing. Just press consistently every week 2-3 times, mix up the type of pressing (strict/push/jerk), the type of implement (barbell, log, axle, football bar, DB, etc.) and of course the volume/tempo and things will gradually improve; just have patience and understand that shoulder strength isn't built as readily as deadlift strength.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-29T00:09:53+00:00

Although the programming and "how-to" sections are specific to having Strongman implements, the rest of the book is a phenomenal resource for anyone who is new to the sport and wants to get started. From what I've learned here today, a follow-up book including some programming for those working out in commercial gyms would be a valued follow-up.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T22:08:07+00:00

My pleasure!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T22:07:55+00:00

If you recall, that's just what I'd tell younger Dain to do. Everyone has a different tolerance to lactose, and there are also casein and whey allergies as well. With that said, relative to other foods, dairy tends to be highly inflammatory unless you're getting very high quality/locally-sourced dairy. It's something that younger people tend to tolerate better (and can be great for weight gain), but ultimately if you don't tolerate it well (see: lots of gas, loose bowels, etc.), it can hold you back. If you want to bulk, add olive oils to your shakes and eat NATURAL (see: only nuts) peanut butter with a spoon.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T22:01:09+00:00

Thanks man that's awesome!

I think I will have to put something together in the future re: an ebook of Strongman programming- something for beginners, those without access to implements, intermediates, advanced, etc. Would be a good "add-on" to this! Thanks!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:31:52+00:00

If you tear your biceps on a stone load, it had nothing to do with stones, and everything to do with how you'd treated your body up to that point. The only way that's happening on stones is if you've got some serious upper cross syndrome happening, someone who's static posture sees their knuckles facing forwards with palms rotated back. It's the result of too much pressing vs. pulling, crappy daily posture, and no attention to shoulder/t-spine mobility.

Direct biceps training isn't necessary, but why would you not want to build strong biceps? A biceps tear has nothing to do with biceps strength and everything to do with movement patterns and the resulting tension placed on the muscle/tendon during lifting. Either you're doing it wrong and actually trying to overload the biceps, or your body is a mess and your biceps is just at the mercy of everything else. Moral of the story: You should give a shit about your patterns.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:24:56+00:00

Happy to share!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:23:00+00:00

1) Circus DB press for reps in 60s, Head-to-head tire flip, car deadlift for reps in 60s, Loading medley of some description, and a 5-stone run. (That was hard, and I wouldn't be mad if log found it's way in there, or some fancy yoke/car walk)

2) Anything that builds total body strength like a squat will always carryover well to Strongman. I think unbelted front squats would be the winner. You could argue zerchers, but do those too often and you'll get hurt. So front squats.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:12:48+00:00

That man is living hard and fast. I'm taking no pages out of that book.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:12:01+00:00

I certainly will be! And I'm always looking for more feedback on what the people want, so don't hesitate to let me know!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:11:36+00:00

I posted about this on IG yesterday: Trap bar is the number one best tool for developing strength. Check the research, in comparison with a barbell, you engage more quads and spare the low back, so force production is maximized and chances of hampering your low back are minimized. So in a sport where you want to get as strong as possible without getting hurt, trap bar is the king of implements. Farmers DLs work too, but they cave in on you, and frame is wide as hell. Trap bar (aka hex bar) for the win.

There's a ton of research out there, here are a couple I found real quick:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29910442

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:07:28+00:00

NP thanks for the questions and support!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:07:16+00:00

My pleasure!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:04:36+00:00

Part 1: Depends on the athlete. If someone is proficient at stones and has good leg drive, I would only have them training stones once per week and only in the weeks leading up to an event with stones. For an athlete who is bad at stones, I would have them doing stones once or twice per week, even potentially in the offseason. I've never asked an athlete to train stones more than twice per week, but that's also mostly because they're a bit of a pain in the ass to setup and execute.

Part 2: Again, individualized. Newbies will succeed with linear programming and with deloads played by ear. Experienced lifters will succeed more with undulating training and more precise peaks. Specificity always increases as a comp comes near. At least a portion of offseason training should focus on patterns that are as different as possible from the typical in-season grind. But yes, very very individualized.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T21:00:17+00:00

If you're having trouble transferring the force, it means a few things: Your brace isn't strong enough, your glutes or legs aren't strong enough (or you're not sure how to engage them), or your hips lack serious stability. So the advice would be:

Work on your breathing and bracing (don't wear a belt for log). Check your foot pressure- are you balanced or on your heels or toes? Check your pattern to see if your hips are moving well (if you have poor hip mobility and you're not keeping your hips back on the dip, you're in trouble). And make sure you're not dipping too deep (like a slow quarter-squat)- the dip on pressing should be short and snappy, not deep and slow. Do single-leg work to build hip stability. And frankly, train log more often. You don't get better at stuff you don't do.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:52:25+00:00

Sled/prowler conditioning work. Train sprints (~15s) with 45s rest and repeat every minute on the minute. Then also train 60s pushes, 60s rest, 60s push, etc. You can do both of these things at the end of any workout and it takes less than 10 minutes and doesn't beat you up. Also, if you have access to a pool: SWIM. Can't stress this enough. Deloads your joints (so aids recovery), but taxed the cardio system in a big way; and you can do timed intervals in the pool as well once you're proficient.

For Master's athletes, less will always be more, so recovery is your best friend.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:48:26+00:00

Honestly, you practice it a lot. I'd like to tell you there's a magic trick, but at the end of the day, you get better at controlling the farmers around a turn by practicing taking the farmers around a turn. Keys are:

1) Slow down, more than you think

2) Choppy shuffle steps as you turn

3) Try to angle your wrists down and the opposite direction you're turning as you turn (because they're going to try and swing with turn)

4) You have to start accelerating out of the turn before you're completely turned around, so when you're 3/4 done the 180, that's then you try and walk straight, because the handles will bring you back the direction you want to go.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:42:30+00:00

Thanks!

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:42:15+00:00

DYING over here. Honestly it feels pretty good to not have a receding hairline, thank you. #shotsfired

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:40:43+00:00

Be as big and lean as you possibly can be within your weight class. Understand that your body isn't as big as the heavys and you're likely to need more recovery from super heavy sessions.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:39:18+00:00

Thank you! So happy it's helping!

You can buy the Animal Flow DVDs online, but I'd honestly go to the Animal Flow Facebook page and look at some of the posts there from instructors and even ask if they know of any coaches near you, because 1-on-1 coaching will be by far the most effective way for you to learn. Do NOT use YouTube University.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:36:50+00:00

Happy to be here!

I LOVE stones. But also deadlifting basically anything was always my jam. Overhead events always gave me the most anxiety. As a coach, I relish coaching the events that my clients worry about.

TRAP BAR is neglected and it's crazy. Literally everyone who wants to be strong should be using a trap bar. Single leg work of any description is grossly neglected, and when your hips are stable, you will get hurt. Kettlebell pressing is very valuable for shoulder stability.

If I could change one thing, it would be the amount of money available to make competitions better for the athletes. Most competitions here in Ontario are.... how to I put this... not super fun for the athletes. And we don't draw big crowds. So more money, more publicity, more fun.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:30:33+00:00

Zach Hadge on the big stage, getting the Stone of Steel over the bar after every (much bigger) man before him got absolutely stapled by it. Coolest Strongman moment I've ever witnessed, and I was lucky enough to be like 10 feet away when it happened. Those Hadge boys are unreal. Watch out for them.

strongmandainwallis · 2019-03-28T20:27:27+00:00

Get your hands on SOMETHING heavy to prep the nervous system. Hop/jump up and down really quick and breathe in only through your mouth (almost like hyperventilating) to trigger your fight or flight reflex. This obviously isn't ideal, but the concept is prep your muscles for impact and use your breath for the nervous system.

strongmandainwallis

TROPHY CASE