A question of strength Part 24

Bench press with elevated feet

Q: Why do some people perform bench presses with their feet elevated or knees pointing up? Are there any benefits to this?

A: If you don't like someone, tell them to bench press with their feet elevated.

Some people claim that this isolates the pecs better, but the only thing I've observed with this exercise is some pretty nasty accidents.

Others argue that bench presses with elevated feet are safer for the spine as the back stays flatter. However, this is not an issue unless you are using a bench that is 120 cm high. I prefer to stay in a more stable position with my feet on the floor and be able to react quickly in the event of an uneven arm movement.

You see this quite often with college athletes - guys who choose to train with their legs lifted to go with the fashion (and who choose not to move a lot of weight as a result).

I wouldn't recommend this type of bench press execution.

Bulky guy, weird grip

Q: The cover of your book "Ask Coach Poliquin" shows a very muscular guy doing dumbbell shoulder presses in a seated position with his palms facing each other. Why?

A: His name is Ethan Brooks and he used to play for the Baltimore Ravens.

His palms face each other during the dumbbell shoulder press as this is anatomically more natural for the shoulders than the classic grip for this exercise. Of course, this does not mean that you should never use the classic grip, but an athlete will achieve better results if they take it easy on their shoulders after the competition season.

Shoulder width made easy

Q: I desperately need wider shoulders. Do you have a quick results program that can help me with this?

A: Wide, round shoulders are built with heavy weights and high volume. Powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters have built impressive upright shoulders using low reps on multiple sets of basic exercises like presses and rows.

On the other hand, there are numerous bodybuilders with fantastic shoulder development who have achieved their level of development with high reps, short rest intervals and primarily isolation exercises.

People achieve better shoulder development when both approaches are used in cyclical alternation. I believe that descending sets and the pre-fatigue method are particularly effective when it comes to promoting shoulder growth.

If someone is having trouble getting the midsection of the shoulder muscles to grow, then I find that triple sets or what I call omni rep breakdown sets are appropriate. Triple sets are an extended series of three exercises performed one after the other without rest. A good triple set for the middle shoulder muscles would be the following:

	Exercise	Sets		Tempo
A1	Side raise standing	3	8-12	40X0
A2	Rowing upright on cable pulley	3	8-12	40X0
A3	Dumbbell shoulder press sitting	3	8-12	40X0

Perform one set of exercises A1, A2 and A3 in succession before resting for 2 minutes. Repeat this process until you have performed all triple sets.

When performing standing side raises, the concentric part of the movement should be performed explosively (X), as the lever arm is unfavorable in this exercise.

For upright rows on the cable pulley, I recommend using a rope grip, as is often used for tricep presses. This will take the strain off your wrists.

For an Omni Rep Breakdown set, choose a basic exercise and its variations and basically destroy all the muscle fibers that can be used in this exercise:

1. Perform standing one-arm side raises with your 6 to 8 RM weight and a 20X0 tempo. For this set, target the muscle fibers in your shoulders with the highest threshold.
2. Perform standing one-arm lean-away side raises (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u8s1E7cxK0) with your 10 to 12 RM weight and a 20X0 tempo. By changing the mechanics, you will take most of the supra-spinatus muscles out of the movement and change the point of resistance, ultimately changing the strength curve for the middle shoulder muscles. You will also draw more on the medium-fast contracting glycolytic muscle fibers.
3. Perform standing single arm side raises on the cable pulley with your 20 to 25 RM weight and a 1010 tempo. By using the cable pulley, you will be able to build up even more tension during the movement. The higher number of repetitions will take care of the remaining muscle fibers with a low stimulus threshold that are still able to contract after steps 1 and 2.

Do not pause between steps 1 and 3. Take a 90 second break after step 3 and repeat with the other arm until you have performed three of these sets for each arm.

Notes: These exercise programs are reserved for people with a high pain tolerance. Wimps should stay away from these.

Try each of these workout programs for 6 workouts and I'm sure you'll build new muscle mass in your shoulders.

Splits for hypertrophy

Q: What training splits could I use if my main goal is to build muscle mass? Do you have anything unconventional?

A: Here are two splits you could use:

Split #1:

• Day 1: Chest and back
• Day 2: Lower body workout
• Day 3: No workout
• Day 4: Shoulders and arms
• Day 5: Workout free
• Day 6: Repetition of the cycle

Split #2:

• Day 1: Chest and biceps
• Day 2: Lower body
• Day 3: Workout free
• Day 4: Back and triceps
• Day 5: Workout free
• Day 6: Repeat the cycle

Vibration training: is it worth it?

Q: What do you think of vibration training?

Vibration training is about as useful as nipples on a bull. How likely are you to have to do squats during an earthquake?

In fairness, it should be mentioned that such training has been shown to have benefits for cerebral palsy and some other neurological disorders. But one of my students, who wrote his master's thesis at the University of Calgary on vibration training, did not observe any effects of this training in Olympic athletes and was not able to reproduce any of the benefits described in previous publications.

Not surprisingly, a Dutch scientist recently admitted that he had falsified the data in a number of studies on the subject.

I'm not completely writing off vibration training just yet, but I don't think it makes a huge difference or is worth the effort.

If I'm honest, none of my "colleagues" who are enthusiastic about vibration training have managed to get anyone strong with this type of training.

Leg stretches: The rules

Q: Is there ever a good time to use the leg extension machine?

A: Most people I know are not big fans of leg stretches. The main reason for this is that, like me, they believe that exercise should give you the most value for your effort.

During my career, I've only had an average of 11 weeks to work with an athlete. For example, that's about the amount of time NFL players have to get in shape for the season. Time is money - and leg stretching is usually a waste of both.

With that information in mind, here are some random thoughts on leg stretches:

1. If you're going to use this exercise, use the best machine. The choice of machine is important. The best models are those made by DAVID, Atlantis, Flex and Avenger. These are the brands that best mimic the strength curve.
2. The angle of the seat is important. Research shows that 90 degrees is optimal. Angles like 100 or 110 degrees reduce the recruitment of the quadriceps.
3. The position of your toes influences quadriceps recruitment. This statement is true when using magnetic resonance imaging or EMG measurements. The basic rule is based on the continuum of recruitment. If the toes point inwards, then there is preferential recruitment of the vastus lateralis. If the toes point outward, then there is preferential recruitment of the medial vastus.
4. Follow protocols. Leg extensions should be used during hypertrophy or strength endurance protocols.
5. Wait until the point of exhaustion. Leg extensions should be performed as the last exercise for the quadriceps.
6. Scientific research shows that leg extensions have a special behavior. Most exercises show an increased recruitment of motor units when performed unilaterally with only one leg or arm. This is not the case with leg extensions. In leg extensions, the strongest recruitment of motor units is achieved when the exercise is performed with both legs.

Leg extensions are not a particularly good exercise for athletes who are under time pressure, but they can be a valuable addition for athletes who need more hypertrophy like bodybuilders or more strength endurance like speed skaters.

The end for linseed oil?

Q: After the introduction of fish oil supplements or EPA/DHA blends, is there any reason to continue using linseed oil?

A: No, not for linseed oil - but flaxseed and flaxseed hulls are good for detoxification of xenoestrogens.

I have never been a fan of linseed oil because overweight people lack the enzymes to convert it into omega-3 fatty acids that can be utilized by the human body. So what is the point of using it at all?

Another problem is that most linseed oil products are already rancid in the store. One study found that this was the case in 40 out of 42 linseed oil products bought in stores. And even if you get it fresh, it will go rancid very quickly after opening - sometimes one to two weeks is enough.

But flaxseed can be used for its anti-estrogen effects and to add fiber to the diet. You can buy them either as whole seeds or ground, although I would prefer to grind them myself.

Pull-up parameters

Q: What is a respectable number of pull-ups to aim for? Or is it all about using as much extra weight as possible? And how can I increase my performance on pull-ups?

A: There are two variations of pull-ups. Firstly, there are overhand pull-ups, where the palms face away from you and are usually performed with a shoulder-width or wider grip. And then there are pull-ups with an underhand grip, where your palms face towards your body.

The former variation is a more widely accepted performance test, as your palms will also be facing away from you when you climb a wall in real life.

Everyone in the gym should be able to do at least 12 pull-ups with an overhand grip - and that goes for women too. Over 20 years ago, I had to testify as an expert witness in a court case where a woman claimed that the entrance tests for firefighters were discriminatory.

I testified for the fire department and talked about the goal being to be able to meet the requirements regardless of whether you are a man, a woman or a goat. I pointed out that statistically, pull-ups are the exercise where a woman comes closest to a man's performance - assuming proper training.

The guy who testified first said that the firefighter's requirements were unachievable. However, I was able to show that if you look at it on a kilo per kilo basis, women can perform about 85% of what men can. Then I showed a video in the courtroom of a woman doing 12 pull-ups with a 12.5 kilo barbell between her feet. And I saw an 11-year-old girl who could do 50 pull-ups.

I tell people who get certified by me that if they can't get a woman to the point where she can do 12 pull-ups in 12 weeks, they don't know how to train a client properly. This is how you can evaluate a good trainer. If he manages to get a woman to the point where she can do 12 pull-ups, then he is a good trainer. If he doesn't know how to achieve this, then he knows nothing about training.

As for additional weight on pull-ups, anyone who can do 3 pull-ups from a position with arms fully extended with an additional weight equal to 66% of their bodyweight is pretty damn impressive.

As for increasing the number of pull-ups, the principle of time under tension is always applicable. If you can only do 3 pull-ups, then do 3. On the third pull-up, try to lower yourself over a period of 30 seconds. Also, if you can only do 3 repetitions, you should do 10 sets of 3 repetitions.

Another system I use is to perform 10 sets of an exercise. If you can do 6 pull-ups, divide that number by 2, which is 3 pull-ups. Do 10 sets of 3 pull-ups. In the next training session, try to increase the total number of repetitions until you can do 10 sets of 6 repetitions. The day you can do 10 sets of 6 reps will also be the day you will be able to do 12 pull-ups in a row. I have seen people achieve this within three weeks.

Another method is to aim for a certain total number of repetitions - say 30. Do as many sets as it takes to complete the 30 repetitions and see how long it takes you. The next time you try to do 30 reps, try to beat that time.

Now let's talk about how you can add weight to pull-ups. Weight vests can compress nerves, which is why the best way for the average exerciser is to use a dips belt. I like to use a tree climbing harness and chain.

These things can cost up to 300 euros, but if you're lucky you can get them used on Ebay for very little money. With a climbing harness the weight is evenly distributed and these harnesses are much more durable than a dip belt. You can use over 100 kilos of weight without feeling any pressure on your hips.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-42, https://www.t-nation.com/training/question-of-strength-43

From Charles Poliquin