Results matching “thumb”

UK events for the remainder of 2005.

Aside from the recent snatch-grip deadlifts, I've been ignoring the conventional deadlift for quite some time (the last time I tested my max was back in December). I was hoping that the 'no deadlift' approach may have had a positive benefit here - a 2 x bodyweight lift isn't all that far away.

After warming up with a little ab work (and there is a fine line between warming up and pre-exhaustion) I began climbing the pyramid. It was only after I managed a double at 140kg that I remembered reading the benefits of a hook grip, which I elected to give a run on a 150 attempt. Alas, the bar moved a little, then the grip gave way. A second and third attempt produced the same result. Hmmm.

The hook grip involves wrapping the fingers around the thumb (the regular grip puts the thumb over the fingers). It helps to have fairly large hands for this. With a little practice this should see an extra kilo or two slapped on the bar.

I decided to call it a day there and have a think about future deadlift training. After a few months of almost deadlift-free workouts I may try giving it a lot more time in the sun; probably twice per week. The first of these days will follow a similar pattern to that employed by Andy Boulton (certainly not a deadlift lightweight), and the second will be a westside-style session of speed pulls. Now I just need to make sure this allows enough recovery time.

On the subject of recovery, time to get a bit of shut-eye.

Hanging knee raise 30@bw
Seated knee raise/crunch 20@bw
Deadlift 10@60kg, 5@80kg, 3@100kg, 3@120kg, 3@130kg, 2@140kg, 0@150kg

Aside from the recent snatch-grip deadlifts, I've been ignoring the conventional deadlift for quite some time (the last time I tested my max was back in December). I was hoping that the 'no deadlift' approach may have had a positive benefit here - a 2 x bodyweight lift isn't all that far away.

After warming up with a little ab work (and there is a fine line between warming up and pre-exhaustion) I began climbing the pyramid. It was only after I managed a double at 140kg that I remembered reading the benefits of a hook grip, which I elected to give a run on a 150 attempt. Alas, the bar moved a little, then the grip gave way. A second and third attempt produced the same result. Hmmm.

The hook grip involves wrapping the fingers around the thumb (the regular grip puts the thumb over the fingers. It helps to have fairly large hands for this. With a little practice this should see an extra kilo or two slapped on the bar.

I decided to call it a day there and have a think about future deadlift training. After a few months of almost deadlift-free workouts I may try giving it a lot more time in the sun; probably twice per week. The first of these days will follow a similar pattern to that employed by Andy Boulton (certainly not a deadlift lightweight), and the second will be a westside-style session of speed pulls. Now I just need to make sure this allows enough recovery time.

On the subject of recovery, time to get a bit of shut-eye.

Hanging knee raise 30@bw
Seated knee raise/crunch 20@bw
Deadlift 10@60kg, 5@80kg, 3@100kg, 3@120kg, 3@130kg, 2@140kg, 0@150kg

Following the recent switch from using the cage's chin-up bar to the slippery square surface of the cage itself, I began today's session with a few Gorilla chins on the back of the cage. Unlike the bar, the painted surface ensures the first thing to give way is grip - perfect for a quick Friday workout.

Gorilla chin (rear of cage) 6@bw

Next up came a quick combination of standing L-Flyes and fingertip pushups (with hyperextension); which performed the dual roles of testing finger strength and stretching the subscaps a little.

Standing L-Flye 3x7@6.5kg (each side)
Fingertip push-up 10@bw

The final component of the workout was a motley crew of grip exercises, covering pinch, holding and crushing grips. These included :

Single hand deadlift - grip gave way at 80kg
Dumbell hold (untimed, 46.5kg)
Bar hang (untimed, square edge of cage)
Plate pinch (mixture of 2 and 4 plate pinching)
CoC grippers (T and 1)

Following the recent switch from using the cage's chin-up bar to the slippery square surface of the cage itself, I began today's session with a few Gorilla chins on the back of the cage. Unlike the bar, the painted surface ensures the first thing to give way is grip - perfect for a quick Friday workout.

Gorilla chin (rear of cage) 6@bw

Next up came a quick combination of standing L-Flyes and fingertip pushups (with hyperextension); which performed the dual roles of testing finger strength and stretching the subscaps a little.

Standing L-Flye 3×7@6.5kg (each side)
Fingertip push-up 10@bw

The final component of the workout was a motley crew of grip exercises, covering pinch, holding and crushing grips. These included :

Single hand deadlift - grip gave way at 80kg
Dumbell hold (untimed, 46.5kg)
Bar hang (untimed, square edge of cage)
Plate pinch (mixture of 2 and 4 plate pinching)
CoC grippers (T and 1)

The chin-ups that fronted last Wednesday's workout took a little more of a toll than I would have liked, and were accordingly relegated to a happy home well behind the core exercise. In the interest of variety (and expressing a slight tendency to make things that little bit more difficult) I switched over to a pronated grip, removed the thumbs from the equation by placing them on top with the fingers, and did them from the slippery square bar at the rear of the cage. Fun.

These were coupled with a few sets of Bent rows, which haven't made an appearance for a while. Just to finish things off, I closed with a quick set of common-or-garden variety chin-ups - this time from the comparitively normal chin-up bar.

Bench press 20@20kg, 10@40kg, 5@50kg, 5@60kg, 3@65kg, 3@70kg, 3@75kg, 1@80kg
Tricep extension (barbell) 4x8@40kg
Pull-up (no thumbs, rear of cage) 6@bw
Bent row 10,10,5,2 @60kg
Chin-up 5@bw

The chin-ups that fronted last Wednesday's workout took a little more of a toll than I would have liked, and were accordingly relegated to a happy home well behind the core exercise. In the interest of variety (and expressing a slight tendency to make things that little bit more difficult) I switched over to a pronated grip, removed the thumbs from the equation by placing them on top with the fingers, and did them from the slippery square bar at the rear of the cage. Fun.

These were coupled with a few sets of Bent rows, which haven't made an appearance for a while. Just to finish things off, I closed with a quick set of common-or-garden variety chin-ups - this time from the comparitively normal chin-up bar.

Bench press 20@20kg, 10@40kg, 5@50kg, 5@60kg, 3@65kg, 3@70kg, 3@75kg, 1@80kg
Tricep extension (barbell) 4×8@40kg
Pull-up (no thumbs, rear of cage) 6@bw
Bent row 10,10,5,2 @60kg
Chin-up 5@bw

It's been just over a year since I first began to share my bedroom with weight plates. Over that time the act of lifting weights has gradually moved towards the status of 'healthy obsession' (although there are some who would dispute the 'healthy' part of that phrase), and shows no signs of becoming anything less.

The following is a quick look back at the major events that shaped my training :

March '04
The Marcy Pro weight bench arrived. Complete with attachments for hamstring and preacher curls, this promised to support far more weight than I'll be looking at for quite some time.

If starting again, I'd probably buy a simpler bench; however at the time I bought this, the power cage was yet to be even a consideration.

My initial routine was based on a 10 week plan from a Mens Fitness magazine (it's the only time I've ever been tempted to buy one), with a few changes to suit the lack of equipment. Still, with a barbell, two dumbbells and a bench, I certainly had the basics covered.

April '04
I increased my cardio with a daily dose of cycling. It was only 15 mins, but that was quite enough for me at the time.

This was the month when I first uttered 'time to buy some more weights'. Well, I only started with 50kg. I decided to switch to Olympic plates (for several reasons, the main one being the increased size of the bar) and grabbed a set - barbell and 145kg of weights.

My diet slowly improved.

The deadlift entered my routines.

Knocked up wrist roller and a chain for grip work.

May '04
Photos and video first made an appearance on this blog.

Switched from a 3 day/week beginner's routine to a 4 day/week westside powerlifting routine.

Acquired a couple of Captains of Crush grippers (Trainer and #1), and moved the grip training up a notch.

Introduced both dynamic and isometric stretching to the routines.

June '04
First sampled the delights of Zercher Squats.

Power cage arrived. This is a purchase I've never regretted - the extra safety allowed me to push harder with confidence; the cage's versatility enabled me to try out a greater range of exercises. Fantastic.

One of the new exercises the cage enabled me to explore is the chin-up - and I still love them. Quick, simple and highly effective.

The cage also marked the beginnings of my squat training. Prior to that I didn't have so much as a pair of squat stands; so my leg work up to that point consisted of the usual raises and curls.

New exercises: Bradford Press, Sweeping the Floor, Box squatting, Rack Pulls and the Floor press.

Began noting weights for each exercise on blog.

July '04
Spent a gym-free week in The Netherlands. Managed to lose 3kg in the process, but put it back on with a few weeks. Illness shortly afterward made sure this was a light training month.

Dipped a toe in the waters of Olympic lifting with a go at the Hang clean. Toe in, toe straight back out.

New exercises: Zottman Curl, Incline close-grip bench press, Hang clean, Seated good morning.

August '04
New exercises: Neider press, Floor press (close grip).

Departed for a month of sun in Australia.

It's been just over a year since I first began to share my bedroom with weight plates. Over that time the act of lifting weights has gradually moved towards the status of 'healthy obsession' (although there are some who would dispute the 'healthy' part of that phrase), and shows no signs of becoming anything less.

The following is a quick look back at the major events that shaped my training :

March '04
The Marcy Pro weight bench arrived. Complete with attachments for hamstring and preacher curls, this promised to support far more weight than I'll be looking at for quite some time.

If starting again, I'd probably buy a simpler bench; however at the time I bought this, the power cage was yet to be even a consideration.

My initial routine was based on a 10 week plan from a Mens Fitness magazine (it's the only time I've ever been tempted to buy one), with a few changes to suit the lack of equipment. Still, with a barbell, two dumbells and a bench, I certainly had the basics covered.

April '04
I increased my cardio with a daily dose of cycling. It was only 15 mins, but that was quite enough for me at the time.

This was the month when I first uttered 'time to buy some more weights'. Well, I only started with 50kg. I decided to switch to Olympic plates (for several reasons, the main one being the increased size of the bar) and grabbed a set - barbell and 145kg of weights.

My diet slowly improved.

The deadlift entered my routines.

Knocked up wrist roller and a chain for grip work.

May '04
Photos and video first made an appearance on this blog.

Switched from a 3 day/week beginner's routine to a 4 day/week westside powerlifting routine.

Acquired a couple of Captains of Crush grippers (Trainer and #1), and moved the grip training up a notch.

Introduced both dynamic and isometric stretching to the routines.

June '04
First sampled the delights of Zercher squats.

Power cage arrived. This is a purchase I've never regretted - the extra safety allowed me to push harder with confidence; the cage's versatility enabled me to try out a greater range of exercises. Fantastic.

One of the new exercises the cage enabled me to explore is the chin-up - and I still love them. Quick, simple and highly effective.

The cage also marked the beginnings of my squat training. Prior to that I didn't have so much as a pair of squat stands; so my leg work up to that point consisted of the usual raises and curls.

New exercises: Bradford press, Sweeping the Floor, Box squatting, Rack Pulls and the Floor press.

Began noting weights for each exercise on blog.

July '04
Spent a gym-free week in The Netherlands. Managed to lose 3kg in the process, but put it back on with a few weeks. Illness shortly afterward made sure this was a light training month.

Dipped a toe in the waters of Olympic lifting with a go at the Hang clean. Toe in, toe straight back out.

New exercises: Zottman curl, Incline close-grip bench press, Hang clean, Seated good morning.

August '04
New exercises: Neider press, Floor press (close grip).

Departed for a month of sun in Australia.

Today was a mixed bag of hand/arm exercises; as well as the fun of Hindu squats and pushups. And a few gorilla chins thrown in for good measure.

Before things began came some shoulder rehab - largely in the form of standing L-Flyes and hyper push-ups. Slow, strict and certainly doing their thing.

Standing L-Flye 3x8@6.5kg
Hyper push-up 20@bw

Following a couple of rounds of Hindu squats/pushups (bordering on aerobics) came a barrage of grip/wrist exercises, all for time :

Plate pinch (2x5kg, 2x10kg)
Grippers T and 1
Bar hangs (from top of rack, not using thumbs - pictured)
Dumbell hold (16.5kg each hand)
One hand deadlift, together with dumbell hold (worked up to 70kg)

plus

Gorilla chin 13@bw

Time: a little over an hour