View All Posts: JFL
| » Altitude training (Go to post) | 22-10-2013 @ 19:53 | ||
| Altitude Training+ I always hear people talking about it and sometimes people get the idea and some don't, so I thought it would be good to lay out the background, pros and cons of altitude training. Altitude training is classed as training at more than 2000metres/6500feet above sea level. At sea level the oxygen (O2) in the air is about 20% and your normal oxygen levels (oxygen saturations) in your blood are about 98-100% depending on your health ( if you have any vascular or respiratory disorders this may lead to a reduction in O2 levels to as low as 85% in extreme cases). At altitudes of 2500 metres the air is thinner and the oxygen levels are lower at around 15% and at 3000metres it's about 12%. Oxygen saturation levels above 1500 meters/5000 feet are normally about 90% and as you go higher the lower your blood saturations are. For example at about 4000 metres the oxygen consumption in your work of breathing is more than your ability to ventilate. Your bodies systems can function normal at oxygen saturations as low as 88% and if you have end stage chronic respiratory disorders your saturation levels can be lower however they need to supplement oxygen so your body is amazing at accommodating and managing in varied environments and acclimatises well. However for training you can't function with blood oxygenation levels this low. So, training at altitude means you work your anaerobic systems harder due to the low oxygen levels. This isn't a new idea and has been known for years however in the last 10-20 years technology has improved so there are low oxygen level training centres and you can train with a masks that limit your O2 levels so the need to travel to high altitude locations like denver in colorado, new mexico, sun city in south africa for months at a time isn't needed. The benefits of high-altitude training in athletes is increased red blood cell count. 1. Increased Red Blood Cell (RBC) count and intern increase your haemoglobin. 2.Formation of small vessels (angiogenesis) which assist with point 5. 3. Your lungs are able to work more efficiently and perfuse higher levels of blood O2 across the alveolar-capillary membrane 4. Maximising you strength and power (studies have shown that reducing a blood flow to a muscle and exercising it over a 6 week period can improve its power better than if you don't! This surprised me as muscle needs oxygen but in relation to high altitude training it makes sense) So when you train at high altitudes your body produces a hormone called erythromycin (EPO) which increases your ability to reproduce RBC. This in turn makes your blood thicker ( due to the increase red blood cells) and as a result can put you at risk of blood clots and increase the work of your heart. EPO is what is used in endurance athletes to give them the edge and famously the Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong used. Blood doping also gives you similar effects by taking a pint of blood out and then putting it back in to your body before you competition not as effective. The main point with altitude training is, it can take 4 weeks to acclimatise yourself to high altitude training but the minute you come back down sea level your body will adjust very rapidly and will be back to normal levels with in 2 weeks. Based on the research and evidence training centres where you mimic training at high altitude environments wont be effective unless you live in that environment for 6-12 weeks. You may or may not be aware but a common drug that is helpful for managing altitude sickness and low O2 saturation levels is sildenifil/Viagra. This has been shown to increase your performance by up to 45% if you are responsive to the drug, as some may have no improvement at all. Viagra is a drug that was originally designed to treat hypertension as it causes blood vessels in certains parts of your body to to relax particularly the lungs. So you can see how it can help as this would improve your cardiac output. In conclusion, to get the benefits of altitude training you need to live in that environment for 4 weeks to accommodate and thrn a further 6 weeks minmum to train and then when you compete at sea level you need to do it with in 2-4 weeks to get the benefits. All of the evidence that I have read has left it open and known effects of training centre is kind of woolly but the theory is sound, and with all things it's very dependent on the person as some may get good effects from it and some won't. I'm not amazing at research and I'm always learning but to give you a little tip regarding research: - it's not all published, -word count can limit the detail in the research, -certain journals will accept everything and some are very specific, -some seem to be biased towards certain companies or products although they are not suppose to be and will only report the positives, -testing people is always a bias as there are so many variables that can affect an outcome and research costs a lot of money. - it takes time to learn how to read literature so don't worry if it's a jumble of words but keep an open mind and read the method and the results and see if you agree, if it's written well you maybe able to form your own conclusions before reading the discussion and conclusion. - A lot of reading research is about knowing the background so plenty of reading lol. So be careful if you read research what it is, it's a nightmare and long winded to do the background search but worth it in the end. By Lloyd Renals | |||
| » World log lifting championship (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 20:27 | ||
| Rob competed but don't know the result | |||
| » Booost Oxygen (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 20:24 | ||
terryhollands said:I'm not slagging the stuff off just can't see the point, I managed perfectly well for 9 years without it and being a smoker. I agree with you I just think people will try anything for an edge | |||
| » Booost Oxygen (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 13:55 | ||
George_Winston said: I understand that, but i think alot of people started wearing them for the sake of it after seeing people like rob wear then. Agree very true | |||
| » Booost Oxygen (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 13:49 | ||
George_Winston said:It seems to me like another strongman fashion accessory, like gum-shields were. Gum shields are to prevent grinding and wear to your teeth so I don't think they were fashion like oxygen I just don't think people will try anything to get an edge | |||
| » Booost Oxygen (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 13:33 | ||
terryhollands said:Also surely with the money involved in some sports we'd see top sportsman (football players, athletes, rugby players etc) using it? Well research is all about reducing 02 to get stronger. Oxygen is only used in sport when your pushed to physical exhaustion and to preserve your brain due to secondary issues like seizures, headaches, etc Oxygen does have its place in speeding up recovery but I think it's only needed if you push to extreme levels But that isn't a good training sense. But literature is conflicting and I think that's why sports teams don't use it. Not to forget Oxygen is a drug and like anything shouldn't be abused. Which may also be the other reason. | |||
| » Booost Oxygen (Go to post) | 19-10-2013 @ 13:21 | ||
Bear said:Interestung article here if anyone is interested. Sorry if its a repost http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/ergogenic-aids-can-increasing-... I have a question though, if you use pure oxygen, how long would that intake take to reach the muscles? Have been googling and cant really find a timeframe. I am presuming its HR dependant, anybody any rough ideas? Within 45-60 seconds bud. Depends on what muscle energy source you use but fast oxidative is 45-60 if not quicker | |||
| » Types of Training sort of blog by Lloyd (Go to post) | 16-10-2013 @ 20:21 | ||
| Types of training I thought i would go through the different types of training as its a massive blur if I'm honest and not knowing what is used for what and when and how much. When I look for best ways to train and gain I always come across the same words which are continuous, interval, fartlek, circuits, plyometric and strength training. I find these exercises can really work you hard cardiovascularly if you know what your doing or get the right trainer. Cardiovascular has multiple benefits in muscle, tendon and bone healing. Don't forget when you put bone structures under heavy loads it can cause micro fractures which won't impact the integrity of the bones matrix and stability but is the reason why you can ache for long periods after heavy training sessions. This inevitably makes the bone stronger and able to tolerate greater forces. It also helps with life expectancy (lol), recovery, HR, BP, metabolism, and hormones. When I started I forgot about cardiovascular exercise as it had a massive impact on my strength training as I only did it in short burst on and off and never gave myself a chance to accommodate to the different exercise. But if you want your body to utilise your diet the most efficiently you need CV in your training. Also exercise in general will increase your bodies ability to increase your endorphin level which is based In your pituitary gland and spread through your nervous system. When released Endorphins can reduce pain, stress, release sexual hormones and the best effect of all the feeling of euphoria. Which is why you can feel good after training. Both pain and stress can impact you diet and strength gains by suppressing your need to eat. Importantly any form of exercise releases endorphins so it doesn't matter which type you do. So continuous is gives the best benefit from cardiovascular fitness and it is as simple as carrying out an exercise for long periods of time with no rest. This primarily will work your slow twitch muscle fibres which rely on oxygen to reboots the energy stores/ATP in the muscle cell. To get benefits from this you need to carry out continuous exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes at about 60% of your max HR, 3-4 times a week. Although continuous training has its benefits this isn't particularly helpful in strongman as we tend to carry out events in bursts of 1-2 minutes. Interval, circuits and fartlek are the same in the way, as they are alternate burst based exercise either from station to station or post to post. Interval training is bursts of hard exercise followed by periods of rest. E.G. 400m sprints followed by walking 400m and then repeat or swimming under water the length of a pool and then rest and repeat. You have to set a pace and stick to the pace each time which is what I find difficult to keep. Circuits is where you go around 6-10 different stations where you focus on a particular muscle group/s for periods of 1-2 minutes. I remember at university we were trained by a navy fitness instructor who use to leave a bucket in the middle of the room and guard entered we would all use it! He was right we all did. Very effective on boosting your CV in the gym environment but equally this isn't going to make you strong or big as you'll lack the energy to train your strength effectively. Fartlek is where you vary your speed at interval bursts. E.G. 10 metre square where you walk 10m, jog 10m, run at 3/4 pace 10 m and sprint 10 m and repeat. This is good for both boosting your anaerobic and aerobic CV fitness. The rest periods between these are what differs these exercise and changes the use from your slow twitch fibres to your fast twitch. In order for your glycogen stores to restore and your ATP to regenerate from ADP your body needs 45-60seconds. So it's interval yu would rest for a minute between sets but with fartlek it's the time your walking and jogging so your never completely resting which is why it's the hardest of the 3 and circuits you get a rest of 20-30 seconds or as long as it takes to get set up at the next station. Out of the 3, interval training is probably the best form, where you look at repetitive movement and it has the most carry over for strongman events. Repetitive movements are the best, for not only CV fitness but improving your central and peripheral nervous system by speeding up the rate at which the nerve stimulate the muscle fibres. This type of CV also boost type 2b/fast oxidative muscle fibres which are what you predominantly need when your repeatedly lifting heavy weights. Strength training is what strongmen do about 90% of the time (everyone is different, so sometimes people respond better to more or less cardio) and this is where you work fast twitch muscle fibres/ type 2a. These muscle fibres are the largest of all 3 and use practically no oxygen when it contracts , so as expected it exhaust faster than the other fibre types. In a workout this is your 5sets of 5 repetitions or your 3 sets of 3 reps. When using the fast twitch you can go up to 8-10 reps but you will get cross over between your fast twitch and fast oxidative. For powerlifting you would typically stick to strength training with a dominance in the low rep range, long rest, and high amount of sets which is the same as weightlifting. This is because their training is based around power movements which exhaust muscle quicker and require longer rest periods. Rugby players will tend to use strength, fartlek training and circuits because their sport is very fast paced and their rest periods are short between rucks and mauls, but they need the strength for speed and power in the scrums, rucks, tackles, etc. Strongman is a sport where it's a combination of CV, Power, Strength and endurance on 1 day competitions. So its difficult to train all 3 and expect gains so I mostly use interval training with strength training and will use power based movements in the basic lifts like deadlift, squat and press. How you train will have an impact on your performance so you need to make sure your training right. | |||
| » Bench vs no bench to improve your shoulder press (Go to post) | 16-10-2013 @ 20:12 | ||
Harry said: I am all for the long limbed people but the strongest strongmen are well over 6. If you fill out your frame and can utilise technique, I dont see how a short limbed person can out perform you. Granted a man with longer arms does take longer to fill out, I've found adding bicep exercises helps stability in pressing. It's biomechanics basics short levers equal more power so yer a long limbed person might be as strong but shorter limbed people have a bigger advantage | |||
| » Bench vs no bench to improve your shoulder press (Go to post) | 30-09-2013 @ 20:04 | ||
| The point about this post was to acknowledge the differences in developing your shoulder press versus the use of the bench press everyone will find different exercises will help them no exercise if done properly is cheating and purity in weight lifting will never happen we all have different body shapes longer trunks typically have to work their core harder on push press or military vs a short trucked individuals. Short limbed has a good benefit for bench vs a long limbed person. Taller individuals tend to use heir trunk unlike shorter individuals tend to squat down hence why short statured people are naturally good at squat and taller individuals are naturally better at deadlif. It's all recognising your strengths and what suits you. Incline bench has has a big impact as well as floor press on my shoulder press. I'm lad this sparked a conversation cheers | |||
| » Shoulder press (Go to post) | 27-09-2013 @ 20:19 | ||
| No probs | |||
| » Shoulder press (Go to post) | 26-09-2013 @ 18:47 | ||
Post Edited: 26.09.2013 @ 18:47 PM by JFL No probs will try and think of a few more any ideas et me know | |||
| » Resistance bands (Go to post) | 25-09-2013 @ 19:57 | ||
| 4) Resistance bands This is what's known as a isokinetic movement meaning the resistance increases as you perform the movement and controls your speed. Resistance bands were originally used for exercise and over the last 10 years they are now used in rehabilitation. They are very effective for increasing strength and power and are a big tool of mine when it comes to boosting strength in certain parts of my ROM. Obviously the stronger the resistance the harder it is but I have found it doesn't have that much difference it just exhausts me the stronger the resistance and it impacts on my CNS. So i usually only use the super mini or small bands and just add weight. For deadlifts I use them to boost my acceleration and power from the floor to the knee. Likewise I use them for reverse band deadlifts to work on heavy deadlifts and from the floor to work on my strength on the lock out stage. For squats I don't tend to use them as I don't train heavy enough (this is me of my weaknesses and trying to work heavier I just need spotters and it's not always guard entered). Chains are more beneficial for squats I find and reverse band work. A tip for knowing what percentage of your 1RM to work in depending on your aim. For strength training il use bands anywhere between 70-90% of my 1RM, for speed il work from 50-75% of my 1RM and for endurance based stuff which I very rarely use I won't go below 50% of my 1RM. The literature behind resistant band training is varied in athletes some say you can increase you strength from 10-20% in relation to isotonic exercise (which is using a barbell or dumbbell so the resistance doesn't change throughout the movement) and some literature will say there is no difference. So based on that it's good to mix it up and use the bands intermittently and on parts you feel you need to change it up if your weights are getting static. I have used a lot band work to boost my upper body strength particularly on shoulder press and bench. I use resistance on seated barbell press mostly with the pins racked so I'm pressing the weight from chin height. This really helps me boost my acceleration from the point I catch the weight after I jerk the weight off my chest. I mostly like resistant band work cause it means I don't have to shift the heavy weights constantly and it means I can hit more reps and concentrate on my form because if you got the bands right the resistance will let you know your weaknesses. I also enjoy band work cause if you don't get your form and power right and you don't use the momentum you will fail the lift particularly when tired and this can put you at a high risk for injury so make sure you start light and get the technique before the strength. | |||
| » Shoulder press (Go to post) | 25-09-2013 @ 19:56 | ||
| The Shoulder Press Here's some bits I have learnt along the way in the last 3 years and I have tried and practiced all 3 techniques. You need to look at how you press so getting a video camera is recommended and a second opinion is always helpful. To make it clear the best way, is to go through the 3 different ways to push weight above your head and your technique. 1) Jerk: This goes without saying but this is all technique and not about brute force so if your starting out i wouldn't recommend you start with this technique unless your well practiced at it already as it will take time to build up to a big weight. This is where with either a bar or log at the top of your chest and shoulders using your power from your legs and accelerating the bar over your head and dropping below (split or the squat jerk) the weight with your arms locked out and then stand up with the bar. Typically when you carry out a jerk you have a narrow stance with feet forwards at shoulder width apart to get the most power from your calfs, quads, hamstrings and glutes. This also puts your spine in a neutral position which will enable you to utilise the maximum out of your core and back muscles so you provide like a stiff shelf to to project the weight over head. This position also put your trunk and legs in a position to enable you drop under the weight when your lock the bar over head. As your about to jerk the weight make sure your hands are in the right position on the bar and this is ideally where you feel most comfortable and how much elbow and shoulder flexibility you have as youll need more if you want your arms closer into your shoulders. With a log a good idea is to make sure that your little finger is high. This is a quick snap movement so you need to make sure that your in the right position. Dip only a few inches through your heels and then quick transference of weight onto your toes and accelerate the bar upwards. I always try and imagine jumping when doing this movement. Then as the bar lifts of your shoulders you need to drop under the weight. This technique is the most energy efficient on your arms but a lot on on your body. So to improve this technique you need to know what your weaknesses are and don't necessarily take my word as gospel look around, ask and try different things. Here are a few ways to increase different aspects of this technique: - Ultimately you need to have a good front squat for this technique as the stance is the same petty much. - With the bar locked out over your head and squatting. Obviously start light and work on technique. - Barbell shrugs as any overhead movement means the traps are the hardest working muscle group. - Tricep extensions over head. Work on both speed, strength - Behind the head presses: help with shoulder mobility and make the triceps work harder as well as the front delt - Resistance bands shoulder press - One arm dumbbell press - Typically with this sort of lift you need weightlifting shoes to firstly keep your patella tendons tight to give you that quick fire movement but to enable to drive through your fore-foot. The extra height in your heel also enable you to to arch through your lumbar more making you able to stabilise the weight more. - wrist wraps are helpful for longevity in this sport with this technique purely because of the power in this technique. 2) Push Press: This is probably the best technique to start with if your just starting out as its not as technical as the jerk and allows you to use you triceps and shoulders more into the press. With this technique it doesn't matter if you have a wider stance and it's recommended if don't use weightlifting shoes to keep your balance. With the bar or log on your shoulders you initiate the jerk technique but instead of dropping your body under the bar you start the drive from your shoulders and use the momentum of the bar and accelerate through your shoulders and triceps and lock out the bar over head. The difference between using weightlifting shoes is purely down to where your strengths are. If you tend to lean back through you thoracic and use your chest more with your press and shoulders you may find it more comfortable with flat shoes. With using ollie shoes you tend to use less chest and more triceps. Gym ideas to improve your push press: - Close grip bench press to get your medial and LH triceps - Incline bench barbell press and Dumbbell press - Floor pressing to work on your static strength. - Dumbbell press to help with shoulder stability - Overhead tricep extensions to strengthen your tricep in the locked out position. - Rear Deltoid work for the stability of the weight when it's on your shoulders - Upright rows - Resistant bands, and work on speed. - Seated shoulder press 3) Strict Press: This technique is all about raw strength and good bench pressers typically use this technique. Your feet are typically wider than the jerk technique and this is only because you have to extend through your trunk more. Its dependent on you if find it comfortable in ollie shoes or not. I will use weightlifting shoes as I tend to roll to far back on my feels making me unsteady. When the log or bar is on your shoulders you would use the same grip as you would on a bench press so in comparison to the jerk and push press your grip is a little wider giving you a chance to drive from your chest. Gym ideas to improve you strict press: - Bench press like a power lifter and not like a bodybuilder - Floor Press to work on the static lift to increase your strength - Seated press as you do push through your calves on the press - Resistant bands to boost the speed of the weight off your chest - Incline bench to develop the power of the press from the inner to outer range of the movement. With all techniques the second the bar leaves your chest you need to keep your momentum going through to lock out, so I imagine trying to punch through the weight. The grip you use whether its suicide grip or normal it doesn't make much difference and it's more down to personal preference. It's down to flexibility as the gripping the bar means you need turn your hand in more (Or pronate more) when the bar is resting on your shoulders and the bigger you get the less likely this is. | |||
| » Grip training (Go to post) | 25-09-2013 @ 19:54 | ||
| my grip training Grip is one of the most difficult to train because of secondary problems which il go through in abit. My experience is that you have either have a good grip and find these tests of strength effortless or like me your constantly trying to strengthen your grip. My grip is far from the likes of Mark Felix , Mike Burke , or Steve Gardener and I have learnt all the tricks in the book to help me get the best grip out of a bar and not the other way around. There are a number of ways of looking at your grip strength and how to improve it. Firstly you need to look at the different types of grip, there's the power grip, lumbar grip, pinch grip, hook grip, spherical grip and cylindrical grip (these 2 are extensions of the power grip). So in my opinion and looking at the strongman events pinch doesn't have much use in the sport and the power grip is only helpful if you compete in grip contests and use the captain of crush. Grip competitions are a good experience and worth doing so highly recommend it cause those guys really know their stuff. So for me I found that lumbar grip carries over into strongman events and is good to train to increase the strength I your lubricals, thenar and hyper thenar eminence (I won't go through the muscle groups it'll bore you lol ), which is needed in all gripping events and and it works the muscle in your hand in their outer range. I also tend to train the spherical and cylindrical grip which not only is an extension of the power grip but also an complex extension of the lumbar grip but in strongman the most functional and probably the easiest to train throughout the week. Also hook grip is a good grip to train as this can be a naturally really strong grip and when your competing it can make the difference between first and last. So the best way to train this is with your finger loop handles for pull downs. Due to the structure and biomechanics of the hand and muscle structure grip will respond well to regular and frequent training. The obvious side effect of this is tendonitis so the trick is little and often and also working the eccentric more than the concentric. So some tips and I'm open to any ideas you all have lets keep it all open: - deadlift, try not to use straps but keep an eye on your biceps on the heavy weights. - fat grips are good to use on 2-3 days a week and I only use on 1-2 exercises tops. - rolling thunder - resistant band rolling thunder and block pinch grip (yes this is dangerous lol) - extension bands - sledge hammer work - finger loops for pull downs - axel pressing and deadlift - double overhand deadlift Hammer training is helpful for farmers cause when that weight starts to move/sway front-back or when pressing the log you need that wrist stability to prevent your grip opening up and dropping the weight and also stabilising the weight overhead. I have found that the best way to train grip is to make sure you train with your elbow straight (There are some exercise you cant help this so when you do try to keep the weight light) as that will put the muscle in a shortened position and because your have small muscle bellies and attached to a long tendon there is a lot of strain on the muscle. The key to increasing your grip is to increase your tendon strength. Big forearms don't equal strong grip but big hands help. I have to be very strict with training this as if I slack off for 2-3 weeks my grip reduces. By Lloyd Renals | |||