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As you have read here, there are few pieces of gym equipment I have any use for, save for a couple. One is the Glute Ham Developer, (GHD) and another, the Reverse Hyper Machine, (RHM).

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As an athlete, should you consider it an insult if someone says you are “quad-dominant”? Why? Because it implies the athletic muscles from your posterior side, the backside, are under-developed. Simplistically speaking, the front muscles; bi’s, tri’s, pecs & quads are known as “beach” muscles and while there is nothing wrong with developing them and looking good, the real athleticism comes from the developed posterior chain muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons of the hips, spinal erectors, glutes, hamstrings, calves and down to the ankles.

Since, as Dan John says, “the body is one piece”, you need to work the entire body and not give short shrift to those muscles, ligaments and tendons “hanging out” behind you. Developing these muscles make you more athletic, stronger, faster and a less likely chance of injury. You can’t get any more functional than that, can you? The beauty of human movement is the synchrony of the hips, glutes and hamstrings firing off at just the right time.

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Keg, Sandbag, Barbell and MarkFu

Monday, 7/6/09

Axle Press, doubles: 65×10/105×5/125/135/165/.
Axle Push Press, doubles: 175/175/175/180/180/185/185/165.

Farmer’s Hold: 155# each side. 60 sec/:45/

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Monday, 6/29/09

Deadlifts: (from deficit) 135×10/225×5/225×5/.

275×3/315×2/. Singles: 365/405/415/415/425/425/425/405/405/. 415 and 425 were above 90% 1RM.

Good Mornings: 95×5/115×5/135×5/135×5/135×5/.

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I have never been a fan of the cliche, “less is more” but that is exactly what Olympic and powerlifting coach, Glenn Pendlay of Wichita Falls Weightlifting Club suggests when he says that most people do too much in the gym.

In a very interesting podcast interview, Pendlay lays out a ton of training gems for the few experienced, competitive lifters to the many novice, intermediate and even for the older lifters (I made sure I turned up the volume on my computer so I could hear it).

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Two Hands Anyhow

Another good week of training and mixing it up! Comment on my log.

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“Elizabeth” is…

21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips

Today was only the third time I have done this WOD. In the previous two, as in this one, I subbed out the ring dips for triple the amount of bar dips to 63-30-27.

In the previous two, I cleaned 65# and 95# respectively and the second time, I increased the reps so that the total load would be the same as the prescribed weight would total. At 65#, most were power cleans and only some were squat cleans and even less were squat cleans at 95#. Tonight, I did the prescribed weight of 135# which I wanted to do no matter how long it took or the type of cleans I was able to do. All cleans, however,  were done from the deck so I got plenty of work on my first pull.

This was a high Defcon 4 heart rate workout and as a result, I got smashed in 19:25. Next time I do cleans, I will practice full squat cleans, but today I was thrilled to do the rx’ed 135#.

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Eric Cressey has just posted the third installment of “Mastering the Deadlift” to the T-Nation site. Be sure to find I & II. All have pictures and helpful video. You may want to go here and subscribe to his free newsletter.