We’re only as strong as our weakest links, really – so it’s in order for us to give ourselves a once-over to see what needs to be done to get the most out of our workouts and hit the muscles we’re trying to stimulate into solid growth and development.
With that said, you could be a straight beast in the weightroom, where lifting heavy ain’t no thang. Good on you for training hard and getting some solid results in the process. Though the muscle is there, and the firing capacity is too, it’s time to review your technique and programming.
Of course, it’s going to take some form of technical prowess across the board to be able to be deemed an “advanced weightlifter” from the get-go. But we’re not talking about the simple cues like keeping your heels down when squatting, or pulling the shoulders back when doing the bench press. Nor simple programming methods like focusing on progression each week, or making sure the primal movement patterns are the hub of your training programs. Rather, these are smaller errors that slip through the cracks of an otherwise tight program setup by the average experienced trainee.
Time to check out the fantastic four.
Jerking the Deadlift
It’s not uncommon for me to see lifters try to get pumped before they’re attempting a heavy set of deadlifts. The token growl or roar, a couple of self-claps and maybe even a double thigh-slap, and maybe even a buddy’s honorary push and shove to get in the zone, and it’s off to the races. A decent initial setup is followed by a wind-up and yank of the bar off the ground. Here are two videos to show what I mean. Watch closely:
But the weight got up to the top—and that’s all that matters, right…?
Right?
Wrong. See, using the cue, “bend the bar before you pull it off the ground” can get a lifter into the right frame of mind when it comes to solid deadlifts. Simply put: the elbows should NEVER bend during a deadlift, not even before the pull happens. Bending the elbows to “wind up,” so to speak, may add to a lifter’s confidence but it kills their back tightness. To contrast, here’s a video of a heavy pull while remaining tight before the bar leaves the floor. You can actually see the bar bend before it raises!
The take home point is, if you want your back—especially the upper back—to contribute to your next PR’s, it’s going to mean lifting differently to keep those muscles involved. Stop jerking the deadlift!
Choosing the Wrong Supersets
There’s more to a superset than just choosing a pair of arbitrary movements to train back-to-back in order to make the body work harder with less rest.
If you look closer at supersets you’ll see that many of them out there usually take on the “antagonistic” nature. The push/pull style or “front of the body/back of the body” methods are both keystones in programming today. The problem is, though the muscles that are being targeted may indeed oppose each other, the loads placed on the skeletal frame could be doubling up on its stress. Here’s an example:
A1) Barbell Deadlift or RDL
A2) Barbell Standing Press or Push Press
We’ve got a pulling movement followed by a pushing movement that is usually a common superset in a total body workout—especially a vertical push/pull emphasis workout. Even though the directions of force are opposite one another, what’s common is the fact that both exercises place compressional load on the spine. As a result, the low back doesn’t get a break and this can lead to weakness, early fatigue, poor performance, and possibly even an overuse injury. It’s always important to think of the effects supersets have not only on muscles, but the bones in question too.
A superior alternative involving both of these exercises in a total body workout may look something like this:
A1) Barbell Deadlift or RDL
A2) Bodyweight Dips
And also,
A1) Barbell Standing Press or Push Press
A2) Wide Grip Pull Ups or Lat Pulldowns
In both cases, we have an example of an exercise that provides a decompression of the vertebrae placed after the compressional first exercise. This is a subtle change in thinking that your body will be glad you made.
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Training the Biceps Before the Shoulders
Speaking of supersets, the muscle combos matter also. In the case of training the biceps before the shoulders, that can be questionable not only in the case of supersets, but even as one after the other in general.
Unless you have a foundation in anatomy or kinesiology, the reasons behind this may be surprising. See, the biceps attach on the scapulae in two places by way of the short and long head tendons. That means that to get to the scapulae, the muscle tissue and tendons have to pass under plenty of deltoid tissue and enter the space under the acromion process.
With this in mind, filling up the biceps with blood via a good pump and full biceps training workout, could only be bad news when that inflamed tissue decreases subacromial space, just when the lifter is about to proceed to do a shoulder—dominant pressing workout next. Integrity of motion is the prime concern of the shoulder joint, and to avoid nagging twinges and tweaks, I’ve found that doing everything possible for preventive care is most important to the shoulder joint than any other, due to its shallow socket in the glenoid fossa and complex structure.
To add to this, everyone’s not the same. Above, I was speaking in general terms, but if you zero in on the issue even more, it would be smart to think of the variety in tendon and joint structure among people. Shorter tendon attachments means more thick muscle belly up higher towards the shoulders, which may create less space under the acromion process all on its own, let alone inflamed from a biceps workout. It’ll just make shoulder pressing after that much more uncomfortable. It’s also important to think about the 3 common types of shoulder joints, seen in the figure below.
The sketch on the left would show an ideal environment for pain-free overhead pressing movements, due to the large space underneath the acromion process. Unfortunately, not ever lifter is built this way. In a worst case scenario, you’ll have a situation like the shoulder on the right of the image, where a beaked tip prevents most overhead movements from being safely doable.
This atmosphere, plus plenty of blood and muscle tissue, is a recipe for abrasions, tendinitis, impingement, and other bad stuff that deserves no business in our programs. To play it safe, just train the biceps on a different day than shoulder day!
pressmaster
Never Use the ‘Tap and Go’ Method when Deadlifting
I’ll keep this section short and sweet. Deadstop deadlifts are overhyped.
If you’re not sure of the difference between a deadstop deadlift and a tap-and-go deadlift, then check out these videos:The first video allows for a complete stop in order to reset, ensure that each lift uses no stretch reflex. The second video allows for continuous movement due to the quick bounce off the floor. Many view this method as a “cheat” since the floor rebound can be helpful to perform more reps.
Sure, deadstop deadlifts are good for strength training. They’re a great way to kill your momentum and tap into “true” lifts that determine your levels of absolute strength, but if you’re moving that weight with good form, and you’re not a competitive powerlifter, sorry—there’s only so much one could care!
But the reasoning behind this is many layers deeper than what you’ve just read. There’s actually a benefit to doing the tap-and-go method. Simply put, it improves your grip strength. A lot. Smaller muscles like the forearm flexors respond well to endurance work, which is why exercises like farmer’s walks and fireman’s carries work so well. In other words, holding anything without letting go for a long time works.
Summary
Training smart is more than just one layer deep. Even advanced trainees can take advantage of refreshing their programming or approach to training, and that’s what articles like this one are here for. If you’ve fallen victim to one or more of these subtle mistakes in your training, do the right thing and fix them early. You’ll be glad you did.
