Lifter problems
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@flannel-slut @popvulture Been doing a lot of core in the last few months, but rarely doing anything that directly targets it. So things like swinging a heavy macebell around my head; if you don't brace your core it's going to pull you backwards, and the next day you'll feel the DOMS from 8-o'clock to 4-o'clock around your middle. Heavy unilateral kettlebell presses force you to cinch down on the obliques to stay stable. And this morning I put my Baby Bear sandbag on one shoulder and took it for a walk around the block before repeating on the other side, and boy am I feeling it right now.
I used to laugh at the functional fitness guy doing kneeling unilateral barbell overhead presses in the gym when all I used to do was powerlifting movements, but now I appreciate that he was onto something.
And yeah, yoga. I used to do it 3 times a week during the first lockdowns, but it fell out of my routine a couple of years ago. Last weekend I realised I could no longer touch my toes without bending my knees, so I really need to re-incorporate it back into the routine.
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Oh god — touching my toes with straight legs? Forget about it haha. My flexibility is soooo bad, all the more reason I should get back into some yoga.
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@popvulture never incorporated any of his movements but wish he was around during my hoop days. His vertical is shocking
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@flannel-slut dude, right?!?! I’m a tall guy and yet I can’t even begin to fathom being able to dunk. There’s also this thing he does where he stands on the edge of a pool and bends his knees down almost to the water then straightens back up. It’s like you said, shocking.
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@popvulture @flannel-slut I don't need to watch Knees Over Toes Guy. My baby is still under 2, and watching the way she can turn her little legs into a pretzel, or do a perfect pancake stretch, etc, is inspiring enough to try and increase my own flexibility. Don't know what you lost 'til its gone and all that!
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@EdH ha, yep — little kids are so natural. I remember reading a bit in a book on running where the author described the best runner he’d ever seen. Natural form, effortless efficiency, all that. It was a 4 year old.
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We are all born with the same agility and flexibility. As we get older we live seating most of the time and we dont put our bodys in positions to maintain the flexibility we once had. Most people from mid 20's and up cannot squat properly. We loose hip and ankle mobility. Its fixable but takes time and consistency but is well worth it.
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For mobility, I really like the Kinstretch derived stuff. They emphasize strength at end range and I think that might be more useful than yoga. Check those guys out:
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An easy test of mobility is the overhead squat. Load is not important. If you can overhead squat an empty bar with full depth, ample thoracic extension and heels on the ground you are generally in good shape. It will expose limitations at the upper back, hips and ankle.
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@yannis we do overhead squats a lot for that reason but I'm still looking hillarious while I do it
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@goosehd . Did the bar started coming farward as you were decending into the squat?.
Make sure you use wide grip, snatch grip. With narrow grip are challenging even for people with good mobility. If you can squat decent without the bar above you, and by decent means torso up right as much as possible , hip crease below knee crease and heels in full contact with the floor, but the bar drifts farward when you overheard squat its a thoracic extension limitation. Upper back mobility is very important on overhead squat. -
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No problem man. Anytime.
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Our trainer in the crossfit box always says overhead squats, mountain sprints and wallwalks are crazy underrated exercises which show how capable and fit you are and doing these helps a lot to build strength, core stability and mobility
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good stuff @yannis I had spent a good amount of time with this trying to correct a lower back wink in my squat a few years ago... used a broom stick instead of a barbell to enforce good form (not sure if this is advisable or not)
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@flannel slut. Don't get too worried about butt wink unless is severe. A little butt wink its definitely not the end of the world. The fitness community gets rapped up into too many things that are not as important as they make them seem. A small amount of butt wink is very acceptable in all serious weithlifting circles. If the butt wink happens at the very bottom of the squat, just stop right above and slowly keep enforcing good positions. Also keep in mind that alot of people look good air squatting or squatting without a load, but once load is introduced the squat doesn't look the same anymore. I suggest that you use a moderate load as long as the butt wink is not severe and go from there. But wink although not desirable is way down on the list to be fixed than other more serious issues as a good morning squat for example and i see those very often.
