Getting Stronger
If you can treat personal tragedy like a heavy set of 20 squats, you'll do better than someone who has never met any challenge.--Mark Rippetoe
Now that my health is somewhat better, I have been working out more--mainly with light weights, aerobics and Kra Maga once a week. I wanted to take it up a notch so I decided to read up on some tips for strength training more effectively. I was delighted that Glenn received two books by Mark Rippetoe recently in the mail: Strong Enough? Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training
and Starting Strength. 
I used to weight train religiously in my twenties up until my thirties when I had my heart attack. I am taking it slow but I still love reading about weight training. If you do, you might also enjoy Rippetoe's books. I picked up the "Strong Enough" book because it looked like it had some good advice. Rippetoe explains that the squat, press, deadlift and bench press have been used by the strongest athletes on the planet:
There is a reason for that. Any program that doesn't use them is inferior to one that does, and an athlete that leaves them out of the program is doing less than possible for performance, and less than absolutely necessary to have the best strength possible.
He describes each exercise in separate sections and gives some pictures and details about how to do each one correctly. Interestedly, Rippetoe does not believe that full squats are bad for the knees and thinks that doctors and physical therapists who warn people against them just do not know how to do a squat properly:
What generally happens is that when one of these professionals explains why you will die if you do squats, he will demonstrate with squat technique so incorrect that even unweighted, it hurts to watch, and then he'll say SEE, THERE, SQUATS ARE BAD FOR YOUR KNEES. This is like saying that if you burn the beans, they stink up the house, so you shouldn't eat beans. You don't get to define the argument in terms that prove you're right, and then charge money because you won the argument.
Apparently, this guy has never been in academia. But that's beside the point. I have often heard that full squats are bad for one's knees but they seem to be the best exercise for me as they really work the back of the legs and glutes. I sometimes do them with no or little weight. Anyway, the rest of the book is good with sections on biomechanics, good form, and "being very alive" in which he makes fun of the term "wellness." Why? "Wellness means having a salad and baked potato after your aerobics class." Rippetoe believes exercise should be mentally and physically challenging. While I concur, I must say that after experiencing what it is to be very ill, I am pretty happy with a baked potato and aerobics class but then, maybe I'm not his target audience.
If you are, check out his books, they are inspirational.
Labels: exercise
posted by Helen at 12:25 PM
21 Comments:
The squat can be a very dangerous exercise if you are using substantial weight. Any misalignment and back injuries can result. I was never good at it and blew out my abdomen doing them incorrectly (hernia).
Its true that it is great for an athlete, because it mimics natural movements, as the leg extension and leg curl do not-- but a safer exercise is the leg press. Sitting and pressing forward is Ok, but pressing up is the best ( either straight up or at an angle) and no huge weight is lying on your spine.
Tall people are especially at risk I have noticed in the squat-- a mechanical thing , no doubt.
The military press is best done sitting-- as it causes back strain, as does the standing barbell curl.
Typically people never discover they are prone to a back injury until it occurs, so its a good idea to play it safe.
Its easy to injure your back lifting weights, and when you do-- there is no going back from that injury.
Apparently, this guy has never been in academia.
From my position, very close indeed to one of the largest examples of academia and all that comes with it, this was absolutely freaking hilarious. Fortunately, everyone else is off at lunch, or I'd have to explain the heresy behind my laughter...
lovemelikeareptile: I agree with you somewhat. Squats can be dangerous if one is trying to lift a lot more weight than one's body can handle. However, if you build yo your core strength,and dont try to out-lift the steroid-fueled monsters in the gym, squats are a great exercise. Of course, correct form, and a spotter are essential too.
Helen- I am trying to get back in shape, trying to force my body to heal itself after 12 years ruined by brain cancer, a heart attack, and other health issues caused by chemotherapy and the other medications.
Hopefully, I will be able to complete a half-marathon next fall :):)
Best of luck to you.
I 'd get those 2 books too, but, I am dead-assed broke !!:):):)
Yeah-- I checked those two out-- look pretty good. But just the basic movements-- looks to be for a powerlifter primarily. Sure got rave reviews
The squat is the king of leg and butt developers, no doubt about that... many people find that lunges holding dumbells are good also. Thats a brutal exercise, though.
Lifting free weights is not a risk-free activity. The machines are much safer, but they are not as effective, IMO. Anyone who has been in gyms for many years-- even the "meathead" variety-- has seen his share of mishaps.
And the old bodybuilding books-- like Arnold's "Education of a Bodybuilder "from 1977--- often had a lot of bad techniques and advice that everyone copied then.
He's completely correct about full squats. They are in fact safer than parallel squats. Think about it. The point of maximum leverage on the knee joint is at 90 degrees. When you reverse the movement there, you doing a plyometric stretch at the point of maximum instability. But in a full squat, your hips take the ploymetric stretch.
I'm 43, and I've been doing Olympic-style weight lifting for over a decade, including heavy full squats. It's kept my knees and hips and back healthy.
I do Crossfit and Parkour. The Parkour guys give me a ration of shit for being the old man. Oh well.
I highly recommend both for functional fitness. Of course, I wrestle and box too.
And it's all fun!
Go to T-nation.com and learn the proper squat technique from the dozens of free articles and videos. Most people hurt themselves because they do not have proper form. Also, they don't check the ego at the door and slam a bunch of plates on the bar.
Ever see a baby fold his or her legs and then plop down between them? You don't squat on top of your legs, but inbetween.
Squats, rows, pull ups, deadlifts and dumbell bench press should be 90% of your weight training. I do squats and deads with no belt or gloves and have been for years, with proper form, proper (and slowly increasing) weight, and correct rest.
All other exercises are for shoring up inbalances if your goal is visual (curls and such). Cardio is good and you should do that on days you don't lift. Avoid magazine quick fix workouts.
Eat properly, 5 or 6 times a day, and get tons of sleep. You'll feel like a new person in just a few weeks.
Here is an excerpt from the interview with Mark Rippetoe, the author of "Starting Strength", on t-nation:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/starting_strength
"A squat is the full range of motion exercise that involves you lowering a bar held on your body eccentrically, and then raising it up after your femurs have broken the plane of parallel to the ground. That's the squat.
And you can do that wrong or you can do that right. But you don't get to do it high and call it a "squat" or call it "bad for the knees." You don't teach little kids how to do these exercises incorrectly, and then come back and say that the problems caused by doing them incorrectly are the fault of barbell training.
Furthermore, they're not strong enough to use enough weight to hurt themselves, which is one real good argument against quarter squats. You can lift big weights in quarter squats. But if you have to go all the way down below parallel, and stand all the way back up with the weight, you're not going to be able to do it until you get really strong. That goes for adults and children."
Here is an excerpt from the interview with Mark Rippetoe, the author of "Starting Strength", on t-nation:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/starting_strength
"A squat is the full range of motion exercise that involves you lowering a bar held on your body eccentrically, and then raising it up after your femurs have broken the plane of parallel to the ground. That's the squat.
And you can do that wrong or you can do that right. But you don't get to do it high and call it a "squat" or call it "bad for the knees." You don't teach little kids how to do these exercises incorrectly, and then come back and say that the problems caused by doing them incorrectly are the fault of barbell training.
Furthermore, they're not strong enough to use enough weight to hurt themselves, which is one real good argument against quarter squats. You can lift big weights in quarter squats. But if you have to go all the way down below parallel, and stand all the way back up with the weight, you're not going to be able to do it until you get really strong. That goes for adults and children."
Randall Strossen( sp?) at www.ironmind.com has a great site will all kinds of good training books, some gear too.
Jeff Y. would you contact me backchannel? I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about Olympic weightlifting. Lookslike not a single gym here in my town has lifting platforms or the Olympic barbells or plates. In fact I asked one of the "trainers" at the gold's Gym,and he didnt know what "Olympic weightlifting" was!!! :):):)
Dr. Helen,
I'd like to suggest that you check out some of the bodyweight programs for getting strong, if for no other reason than to provide a change of pace in your workout. The workouts found here are very good. However, I would caution you about the isometric exercises. They tend to raise the blood pressure a little, which is contraindicated for a heart attack survivor. Everything else, though, will definitely get you strong.
I recommend extreme caution with squats. Last spring my 15 year old son suffer an avulsion fracture of his pelvis doing squats. That means his hamstring muscle literally pulled a piece of bone off of the pelvis. He still isn't 100% healed but should be soon and should not suffer any permanent problems.
From what I've been told and read, younger people's muscle to bone connections are not fully matured and heavy lifting in the squat like my son was doing should be avoided.
I do think that exercise has mental benefits as well as physical ones.
I found a long time ago that I could use push ups, dips, curls, crunches and a couple of other exercises to do an awful lot.
I may not be ripped like I was in my twenties, but the exercises still work well.
Thanks all for the tips. I realize that squats can be dangerous for some and do them with no weight or just a few pounds.
Dadvocate,
Ouch! Hope your son heals soon!
He's doing quite well. He should be able to play football in the next couple of weeks.
Danny, I can't access your blogger profile. That means I can't email you.
I'm unsurprised that the trainer didn't know what Olympic-style weight lifting is all about. It's hard to find gyms that have drop plates, too. But one thing I've definitely learned: there is no safe way to slowly set down heavy weight from over your head. You just have to drop it.
When I was hardcore, my strength workouts were 20 sets of 1 rep, as close to my max as possible. Today, I do 3 sets of 3 with at least ten minutes between sets. My technique and conditioning workouts are centered around high pulls, power snatches, and full-ass-to-the-heels back squats under maximal isometric tension.
You know the squats are done right when you hear the weights clink against the bottom of the bar as they try to keep accelerating after you legs are straight. The idea is train your body to accelerate throughout the movement all the way to the top. When my feet start coming off the ground, I add weight to keep me down.
It's a weight class sport, so the idea is to get as strong as possible without adding body weight. That means very low reps and very heavy weight. You really need a coach at first for safety. It's important to know how to fail a lift. If you know that, it'll be very hard for you to hurt yourself.
Sorry you're having a hard time finding a gym with drop plates. Been there done that. Sucks.
As for some of these gym "trainers": --- pffft. I was once thrown out of a gym for doing clean and jerks with less than 200 lbs. They freaked out. And they are supposed to be the experts. Insane.
JeffY- Thanks for yuor comment about Olympic weightlifting. You can contact me at : ldsdannyATgmail.com
And YouTube has quite a few videos posted of Mark Rippetoe training people at his Gym, where he talks them through doing a given exercise using correct form etc.
I've looked at "Starting Strength." It's a good book, and I've ordered it from Amazon.
I'd like to take issue with the idea the bench press, squat, and deadlift are the lifts we should use to judge an athlete's strength.
First, the lifts are done slowly. They don't test power, despite the term "power lifting."
Second, they don't test the full chain of strength from foot to hand. The bench press is shoulder to hand. The squat tests foot to shoulder. The deadlift tests foot to hand, but from the shoulder to the hand it's isometric only.
I think power lifts test just maximal strength, not power. If you want to test power, you have account for speed. One way to do this is to choose lifts that allow you to lift more weight, if you move faster.
If I'm right, then the lift that tests power and athleticism to the fullest degree is the Snatch. It tests strength from the foot to the hand, both dynamically and isometrically, showing the athlete's ability to conduct the power of the legs to the hands through the body. It doesn't get more fundamental than that. And, you have to be super fast to make the lift at heavy weights.
I think the Snatch movement is the most athletic movement in all of sports. It's a maximal strength, whole body move upwards at maximal speed, then a maximal speed duck under, then an overhead squat to a full isometric hold. That gets it all. It is the supreme test of athletic power.
Jeff Y. : I agree with you. I think the Snatch and the Clean&Jerk are two of thebest ways to gauge a person's functional strength.
Until the last football season, the Strength&Conditioning Coaches at the Univ f Michigan had the football team train like powerlifters. No Olympic lifts were taught or allowed. When the new coaching regime took over in January, they had a completely new Strenght&Conditioning Coaching team come in. They train in the Olympic lifts and train for functional strength and endurance. The 330+ LB lineman have all lost about 25 to 30 lbs on average, yet are claiming that they are far stronger than under the previous coach's training regime,and that they have more endurance too.
I'll speak up and second Jeff Y. I fell off the wagon recently when I had way too many plates spinning at once in my life, but I used to do Crossfit, too- and I'm a sedentary nerd, not an athlete of any description. Scaled back to levels I could accomplish, the program (and its emphasis on heavy, multijoint lifts and functional strength) did INFINITELY more for me- mentally, physically, and healthwise- in less time than any machine-based program I've ever used.
I'll also provide another vote for "squats, done correctly, are not only not dangerous, they're very beneficial"- I was very careful about form and safety (I have a power cage, so if I lift proves too much for me, I can literally "drop out" and save my back), and after full squats had become a regular part of my life, the chronic weakness and instability in my right ankle I'd had since two lateral ligament tears years ago... went away. The right is as strong as the left, now.
I always lifted very light since I didn't have a good coach for form and had to learn much of it from videos and the inside out, so to speak, but even light the Olympic lifts were also great in improving both my functional strength and my (formerly LOUSY) coordination.
Rippetoe is a great resource, and his philosophy of challenge in exercise is a great one.
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