Training Articles
This page will be dedicated to training articles. These articles will be posted in order assist you to maximize your strength abilities for optimal results.
Post Meet Depression – By Niko Hulslander
You’ve trained for 10-12 long grueling weeks. You have endured more pain and headaches throughout this training cycle than ever before. You wonder why its all worth it. However, you are the most dedicated athlete you know. You figure no one else squats 12 sets of doubles with 100+ pounds in chains on a Sunday morning after drinking til 2am the night before. So who cares if you’ve already puked 3 times in the gym’s trashcan? Another snort of ammonia and you are good to go!
You’ve taxed your Central Nervous System to the max. Meet day comes. The anxiousness, the aggression, the extreme spectrum of emotions that you experience throughout a day that can only produce a variety of results for your efforts. Some warm ups feel like a ton. Lifts that were projected as second attempts or maybe even thirds seems as far away as another galaxy. Other events that sucked in your training become your shining moments! How did you not have any of your best lifts, yet put 5-10 pounds on your all time best total? Or worse, you just bombed out?
Was it consistency in your training, did you warm-up too early, did you drink your AMP energy drink to early and crashed, or did coach have bad breath? The awards ceremony has come and gone, your YouTube videos get tons of hits, and everybody has something to say about your weekend. But it’s that one person that says, “Hey what happened? I thought you said you were gonna do blah blah blah.”
So begins the post meet depression. You feel empty. Time off from the gym has allowed your mind to wonder. You re-write your training program over and over and watch your vids like a college football coach watches scout films. What are you looking for? Is it a flaw in your technique, diet was off, switched gear at last minute? What you need to do is stop driving yourself mad. You came away un-injured, you survived a tough day of judging, and you didn’t allow yourself to quit. If you allow yourself to continue doing crazy stuff like I just mentioned, you’ll stop having fun and enjoying the challenges. Heck even the best in the business like Ed Coan and Kirk Karworski both told me that they could never make a living doing the powerlifting thing.
So, remember, you need to stay both mentally and physically sound in order to do this time and time again. Start doing some GPP, (ie) sled dragging, prowler work, kettlebell complexes, or even some light dumbbell work. Either way, don’t let your mind be your worst enemy. Light recovery workouts post meet can be a great remedy for your soul and your physical well being. Better days are ahead, that’s why they have more meets! Get moving and Stop the Weakness!!!
Cutting Weight and Maintaining Maximum Strength~Jere Hess B.S/ISSA CFT Owner of Separation Training and proud member of Garage Ink
Well I've already told a white lie in the title of this article. Truth be told for a powerlifter cutting weight before a meet will rarely if ever let you perform at what was your maximum strength during your training cycle. Obviously this depends on the severity of the weight cut you are attempting to make. There are a few items I'd like to preface before I delve into the details of cutting weight for a powerlifting competition.
One: As your weight goes down so does your bench. Your bench press numbers will be the first of the 3 lifts effected by weight loss. The squat will be the second place you see a decline in numbers. The deadlift is one of the rare lifts where it's possible to lose weight and have your numbers go upward. I felt that at 198 I was a much better deadlifter than I was at 220. This is due to the fact that some lifters leverage can change for the positive as far getting to the bar as well as large legs getting in the way of lockouts.
Two: A beginning lifter should never worry about cutting weight. When you first start out competing you have enough variables that will be foreign to you. Why add another variable or stressor? Go out and get your best lifts no matter where your bodyweight falls. A beginning lifter is likely still under the age of 28 and should focus on gaining maximum muscle mass during these years. So why chance losing any muscle just to make a certain weight class for a competition. Realistically the majority of fairly seasoned lifters shouldn't worry about weight cutting (this includes myself). Unless you are competing for some sort of championship goal or a qualifying total what is the point? Is it going make you feel better to lift at 198.25 and go 7 for 9 with a 1450 total or lift at 206 and go 9 for 9 with a 1520 total? Those are the types of questions you should be asking yourself.
Okay with those items out of the way let’s move on to how a lifter will go about cutting weight and maintaining strength. Keep in mind to this point in my career I have competed in the USAPL and diuretics are something the USAPL test for. Therefore this is a way to cut weight without water pills. The first thing you want to do is find one scale that you will be using for the duration of a training cycle. You do not want to use multiple scales as I don't have to tell you if you step on 5 different gym scales you will likely find your weight has changed 5 different times. Ideally you will have a scale at home. You want to be sure you know how much you weigh during your training cycle. When you have a "indicator" training day you want to know what you weigh. For instance if an indicator for you is whatever you can triple off a 2 board converts to your 1RM in a meet than you want to know what you weigh at the time of that 2 board triple. If you hit 405 for a triple than you'd figure a 402-407 third attempt at your subsequent competition. However what if you weigh 208 on this day and you are going to weigh in at 198 2 hours prior to your competition? Are you going be surprised when your bench attempt with 407 stalls? You shouldn't be, you've lost 10 lbs which is almost 5 % bodyweight decrease from your indicator day. So note what your training weight is on these major days so you can plan accordingly to your weight cut. Some people believe for every 1 % decrease in bodyweight you should decrease your attempts by 1 % from your indicator. In other words if you were to lose 5% bodyweight like the 208 to 198 example then you should knock 5% off the 407 which would knock that down to a 380-385 third attempt. Personally I don't believe it's quite that extreme b/c you have to factor that if you've cut your weight properly which I'll get to later on you will end up weighing 200.5-202.5 by the time you are on the platform. In addition to that I find for every 1% you lose in bodyweight you should subtract 0.75% from your attempt which in the above example would leave you at a 391-396. The only time this may not be true is again in the deadlift as you would want to know how losing and/or gaining weight affects your deadlift numbers.
Okay you now know how to adjust your training indicators to the competition so lets take a look at planning the weight cut. I tell lifters to be cognascent of their weight 8 weeks out but I generally don't concern myself with cutting until about 4-6 weeks out. But be aware of it, if you know you’re making a weight cut to 198 try not to be weight 216 6 weeks out. Get your weight somewhere manageable. To me you never want to drop more than 5-7% of your bodyweight to make a weight class. So if you are a 198 you wouldn't want to go much higher than 212. That would be roughly a 7% decrease in your weight cut. Ideally you would like to keep it in the 5% and under range during a training cycle. I have placed a chart below on ideal limitations on weight cuts for male weight classes.
123 class - 7% 130.5 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 128
132 class - 7% 142 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 139
148 class - 7% 158 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 155.5
165 class - 7% 177 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 173.5
181 class - 7% 193 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 190
198 class - 7% 212 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 208.5
220 class - 7% 236 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 232
242 class - 7% 260 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 255
275 class - 7% 295 top weight 5% Ideal top weight 289
Again this chart shows the maximum top weight you would want to weigh and the ideal top weight you would weigh before moving up in weight class. The 7% is a pretty extreme weight cut for a drug tested strength athlete. If you surpass the 7% range than you may as well move up in weight class. 5% is still a sizeable weight cut but much more manageable.
Along with being aware of your weight 8 weeks out and where your weight is when hitting indicators you also want to develop a feel for what your overnight weight loss is. This is simply done by checking your weight when going to bed and checking weight upon awaking in the morning. Weigh yourself one more time after eating breakfast. You want to track this once or twice a week up till about two weeks out. Two weeks out try to check it every night. This will give you a solid feel for how heavy you can go to bed the night before a competition and how much weight you will gain after eating once weighing in. If you average losing 3 lbs. overnight than you should feel very comfortable if you go to bed at 222 trying to make the 220's. You will also know if you gain a lbs after eating breakfast that if you weigh in at 220 than you will be at least 221 on the opening squat attempt. This is important because picking your attempts in regards to your weight as I spoke about earlier.
When to start cutting weight? Well this really depends on where your top weight is. If your somewhere up in the 7% range you'd like to start cutting weight no fewer than four weeks out this means you'd want to lose a/b 1-1 1/2 % every week leading up to the competition. There's no big secret I'm going to tell you to get your weight down over a month. It's all the normal calorie counting, cardio, and food choices as usual. Basically if you eat Red Meat and tons of heavy carbs 6 days per week cut it down to 4 days. Consume less calories on non-training days and see how your weight adjust from week to week. If you never do cardio...hit some interval training to burn some fat and maintain muscle mass. If interval training is too taxing for you, and has an adverse effect on your training than hit a very light walk for 20 minutes. If you don't do cardio a 10-15 minute walk on a treadmill or around your neighborhood will produce some results in weight loss. But interval training is the optimal avenue to go in order to burn fat and maintain maximum muscle mass. Another tip is to stop eating heavy late at night. Stop eating carbs after 5-6 p.m and hit a low calorie high protein shake. This area could be an article unto itself so if you need more answers than the generalized tips I'm giving in this article contact me.
The week of the competition: Hopefully by now you have your weight down to a few last lbs. Either way my advice will be the same. To maintain maximum strength you will want to cut most of the weight through water weight. So try to keep your eating in line without any radical changes. Starving yourself will certainly have an effect on your strength. I'm going to give you an example of what a lifter would do who is weighing in at 7 a.m. and competing at 9 am on a Saturday. Sunday go out and get yourself a bottle of vitamin B6 and make sure you have a measuring device for liquids. Monday drink 2 gallons of water throughout the day. It's a lot of water to get down so drink early and often that day and keep on sipping throughout the day. Tuesday drink 1 gallon of water. Wednesday drink a half gallon of water. Thursday drink a quarter gallon of water. And Friday drink only when your thirsty and have to drink. This manipulation of water weight alone will be enough to make weight for most people. Make sure you are keeping track of your weight every day. For example if you are waking up Thursday making weight than you can feel pretty good that whatever you drank on Wednesday will be safe to drink on Friday. If the water weight alone will not be enough try taking one B6 pill in the morning and then one with dinner. The night before the competition if you have to, take 4 or 5. B6 will increase your protein metabolism and will likely help you cut a couple lbs fairly quickly. Don't make a habit out of taking more than one per day but if you’re in a pinch making weight they will help. Again I cannot reiterate enough taking tons of B6 is not a good plan for the everyday diet.
When you step off the scale make sure you know what you weighed so you have a feel for how you may need to adjust your attempts according to your weight loss like I mentioned earlier. Get some Pedialyte in you right away and begin sipping water. Eat what you would normally eat before training, and use things such as soup broth, pickles, and beef jerky as food sources that will add in rehydrating you and keeping you hydrated throughout your competition. Once the competition starts adhere to the norms of competition day in that you want to stay hydrated.
Cutting weight can be a major stressor to a lifter and take focus off what you love to do and that's lift heavy. Try not to waste valuable energy sitting in a sauna the night before or morning of. Manage your weight and get a feel for how your body reacts to changing your diet, upping your cardio, and manipulating water weight. Different combinations will work for different people. Cutting weight is just like training, there is not one way and one way only of accomplishing your goal. Like any other endeavor in life the more experience you gain the better you will become. Hopefully this gives you some good guidelines to follow and if you want to cut weight and lift at your optimal potential then you need to treat weight cutting as serious as you treat your training. Become good at it because any time spent worrying a/b making weight is time lost that could and should be spent on performing at your full potential. And hell, when all else fails eat pizza, get fat, and squat heavy!
Increase Your Hip Drive– by Niko Hulslander
You are in the middle of a HUGE, GUT BUSTING, MAX Effort Deadlift rep and you hear someone scream; “Hips, Hips, Hips”! In your mind all you are thinking about is locking that dang bar out. But as gravity kicks in and your body starts to shake like a bowl full of Lime Jell-O, the bar comes crashing down to earth. What happened?
Was it your grip? Was the bar too far away from your body? Did you wear the wrong shoes or underwear? Alright, why did that person yell at you, “Hips”, during your lift? I guess it’s time for a bite of some humble pie. As you stroll over and ask, “What’s up”? They respond, “Hip Ups”! Huh? What the heck are those? Did they mean the Ab movement or the Yoga move; you’re confused. “You gotta strengthen those hips, core, and hamstrings”, they state. Come on, you already do crunches and leg curls, aren’t they enough? NO!
Hip Ups- Garage Ink Style; have turned into a new core craze exercise. Did we invent them, no. Are we making them work for us, yes! If you want an increase in strength for your core, glutes, hamstrings, and low back; you need to do these.
Hip ups are performed with a barbell, a utility bench, a bar pad or towel, and close attention to form. While seated on the floor, roll or place the barbell across your lap. Don’t you forget to place that bar pad on, or you’ll regret it! Bar position will be in your lap towards the hip flexor area. The utility bench is behind you for your leverage point. Place your elbows behind you and in a good fixed point on the bench. Next, bring your feet back so that your knees are bent to about a 45 degree angle. Ensuring your feet/soles of your shoes are flat on the floor, begin thrusting your hips towards the ceiling. During the execution of this accessory lift, be sure to squeeze the glutes at the top and try not wearing a belt. Not wearing a belt will increase the intensity and trigger more core activation throughout the exercise. The Garage Ink Style of Hip Ups should be done for 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps for beginners. Trust me, you’ll feel it! This exercise has become a great part of our core rotation. Along with Reverse Hyper Extensions, Zercher Squats, and GHR’s; our version of the Hip Ups will give you more powerful, explosive hips and core.
Go to our video page and subscribe to our videos. You’ll see an extreme result of this movement. A bigger squat, stronger lockout in the deadlift, or more stability for your strongman events; you might just need Hip Ups- Garage Ink Style for that next PR!
Rehabbing a Troubled Back - By Niko Hulslander
I thought my lifting career was over. The days of me squatting over 800 and deadlifting in the 700’s consistently were gone. The status of being an elite drug-free powerlifter; to be forgotten, or was it?
After I received the invite for the 2008 USAPL/IPF GNC Pro Deadlift show at the Arnold Classic, I set out on a quest. I had planned out a training regimen that would allow me to conquer a new PR deadlift. My previous best RAW pull, prior to this show, was a 738 in a 3 lift meet. My focus, since the Arnold was a single lift event, would be to pull 771+. Sounds not only rational, but virtually rock solid. Since I wouldn’t be squatting or benching for max efforts, it is just logical that I would pull more in a single lift event.
I set out on my journey. This path of training that I took was like no other. The training I had done in the past was primarily focused on a Dynamic Effort/Speed Pull Westside Barbell type routine. I got away from pulling lighter weights off the floor for quick doubles with very little rest periods. I wanted to focus more on what I thought my weakness was. As they say, you are only as strong as your weakest link. In my “chain” of Conventional Deadlift technique, I had a sticking point right around the knee area. This weak point was especially evident as the weight got heavier. So, I decided to switch things up
Rack Pulls set at my sticking point is where I started. Every week, I dropped the pins 1 hole. For the next 8 weeks I pulled 805 pounds, with just a belt, no straps for a max single. The 805 pounds became my focus every week. However, I followed this movement up with an “accessory” movement of speed pulls every week too. So, yes that’s correct, I pulled a heavy 805 from a certain pin height, then followed that up with speed pulls. My speed pulls were 8 sets of doubles with just 45 seconds rest periods. I was able to make all my lifts each week. I was able to produce the result of pulling a RAW 805 from pin 1 in the rack. At this height, the bottoms of the 45’s were only 4 inches off the floor! Was this a great program to follow? Result, NO! I was unable to have a successful attempt with my deadlift opener of 705. I had bombed out of the Arnold! What happened next? I proceeded to blame it on everything under the sun, except my training. Too hyped, opened too heavy, no training partners, too cold in the training facility, had to drive 7 hours to the meet, etc…the list went on. As pig headed as I am, I tried to force the “new” program to work. End result, in the summer of 2008 I had (2) bulging discs at L2 & L3. Pain shooting down my legs, hips feeling like they were getting crushed in a vice, and I couldn’t stand for any length of time. Sitting on the toilet became my favorite past time; even when I didn’t have to go! A horrible experience of an epidural shot and 3 oxychodone pills left me with thoughts beyond imaginable. My life as I knew it, was practically over.
I had to do something. Chiropractic care, inversion tables, walking, and taking NSAID’s like candy were not helping. I know I had neglected my core during that time. So, I had to start slow. Stability ball crunches, a lot of hamstring stretches, both dynamic and static hip stretches, Reverse Hyper Extensions, and the use of Jump Stretch Bands for traction proved to be the course of relief. Adding in slowly, the routine of more aggressive ab and core work followed up with Hip Specific work aided my return to the platform.
So far, I have had 2 successful returns to the platform in 2009. A 622 pound bench press, a 722 pull and a 2,039 total have attested that you can overcome a serious injury, rehab, train drug-free and become stronger from a setback.
I have a completely different respect and outlook now for those who come to me with low back issues and are looking for help. Don’t let it stop you, it didn’t me; and it won’t ever. Sometimes the journey takes you on a course through “lesson-ville”. Get educated and get stronger!
Customized Powerlifting Programs
Now you can have the Garage Ink Edge!!!! Get your program now that will take you to the next level. Better technique, better conditioning, tips on gear useage, leverages, program design will have your goals in mind. Based upon tested and proven methods such as; 5 x 5, Reactive Methods, Dynamic/Speed and Max Effort Rotational Exercises for the drug-free lifter in Garage Ink Style. You will need to prepare for a NEW Innovative Approach to your training. Go to our "Products" page and order your customized program for your edge on the competition! We offer programs for your squat, bench, deadlift or all 3! Assessment and previous lifting history info will be needed for evaluation purposes.(NOT RESPONSIBLE/LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES OR LIABILITIES. CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE STARTING ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM. RELEASE OF LIABILITY WILL NEED TO BE SIGNED BEFORE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED.)
Why Football Players Should Do Board Presses
The following is from a very highly popular web site for training football players on ANY Level...check it out! The info is from an article about specific exercises that football players aren't doing, but should be. This is one exercise from the list!
"Board Press – If anyone has kept up with the sport of Powerlifting, Westside Barbell re-introduced an old exercise used to help increase tricep strength in the Bench Press. And while the Bench Press is pretty much a mainstay in most football programs, the Board Press has more applications than just making one’s bench press increase. If you have an athlete with shoulder issues, this exercise variation will allow the athlete to still press and not put the shoulder joint in too much extension. Your quarterback will have less shoulder impingement stress and have a healthier joint for the long run. You can do this exercise on a max effort method for a max single, double or triple – or you could use a dynamic effort method and use 50-60% for several speed rep of three – use a close grip for 4-6 sets of eight for tricep size and strength."
So, as you can see, Board Press Bench movements just aren't for powerlifters. For a safer way of board benching and using a great tool to develop a young athletes power, try out our vest. You will see results, we'vve already proved that!!!
