Comments on A Philosophy of Strength and Health: More Thoughts on Back Health

Katie,I teach the Waiter's Bow and 45 deg hip exte...

2008-06-23T17:08:00.000-07:00

Katie,

I teach the Waiter's Bow and 45 deg hip extension as a beginning GM/SLDL movement. Whether or not we move on from there, depends on the athlete's needs and abilities.

-TCF

Jeremiah,Yes, I'm mostly talking about young athle...

2008-06-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah,

Yes, I'm mostly talking about young athletes; and certainly not experienced fighters or strong men. My goal is to build a good foundation of mobility/stability/strength and body awareness with good torso positioning for the novice and basic hs/college/masters athlete.

If an advanced athlete with sport-specific training demands--grappling--then you can be very creative like Greg is and do some specific advanced torso work. Obviously, the goal is make the athlete as adept and capable as possible, while limiting the amount of direct stress in training. Optimal stress, not maximal.

-TCF

Katie,I like the GM and SLDL. Everyone should lea...

2008-06-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Katie,

I like the GM and SLDL. Everyone should learn the movement; not everyone is ready for barbell loading. Some respond to the SLDL better than the GM. If I had to pick, I would say the SLDL is preferential to use with more people than GMs. It really depends on how advanced the person is.

-tcf

Joe P,I agree; I think he could go further in his ...

2008-06-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Joe P,

I agree; I think he could go further in his books--not sure what the second ed of his latest book says. I don't know if he has in his talks. This is something I will address in my talk at the NSCA--most specifically with LE based CK movement. The UEs do come into play with certain sports. It is all about context of the movement.

-tcf

What is your thoughts on training the hip with a g...

2008-06-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

What is your thoughts on training the hip with a good morning? I'm not really a fan of these (prefer stiff leg deadlift variations), but I want to hear your thoughts.

Katie

I may modify some conventional lifts, like odd-obj...

2008-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I may modify some conventional lifts, like odd-object deadlifts, carries, cleans, etc., but also use less conventional ones like Turkish get-up variants and such. Nothing extreme - I want it to serve a protective function, but I also want to encourage athletes to attempt to place themselves in the most structurally sound and mechanically advantageous positions whenever possible - it's just not always possible.

Right on Greg. Tracey- "we want to develop the ab...

2008-06-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Right on Greg. Tracey- "we want to develop the ability to stabilize the spine and transfer force through the torso, from the ground up" OK, then why does McGill choose to go to the floor/ horizontal with his rehab? Why uni-planar? And why not top down? UE position does not influence the spine? I'm not being critical, I've only read his books, and never taken a course of his. Does anyone know if he's addressed these issues?

I personally see a difference between learning to ...

2008-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

I personally see a difference between learning to lift in a flexed position, after a solid base is laid, and actively extending the back. I have always been very leary to teaching active movements to postural muscles. Isn't that the difference you were talking about Tracy?

Yep, I see your point with that. Would you choose...

2008-06-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, I see your point with that. Would you choose to modify some of the more conventional barbell movements to simulate the activity, or use other methods?

I forget about that end of the spectrum, as I tend to work mostly with the usual team sport suspects.

Off the top of my head, grapplers or MMA fighters,...

2008-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Off the top of my head, grapplers or MMA fighters, strongmen, and the like. Things like sandbag, stone, people lifting to simulate events or potential fight situations. That kind of work of course wouldn't comprise a remarkably large portion of training, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sending any of those athletes into competition without at least some preparation of that nature. Does it offer potential risk? Sure, but their chosen sports offer more.

I think it depends on the situation and task the a...

2008-06-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

I think it depends on the situation and task the athletes face. Lifting odd objects will usually present that situation; and I do think there can be a place for that. There are some bodyweight and light medball/plate movements I like that have some spine movement. But with daily training, and particularly with a barbell, or with secondary LE work, i.e posterior chain, my druthers are to utilize best practices that focus on intentionally stabilizing the torso while the hips work, and as much as possible.

Can you give me some examples of what you might use, with whom and why?

What are your thoughts on preparing athletes for i...

2008-06-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts on preparing athletes for instances in which neutral spine position is not possible? There will always be cases in which lifting certain objects because of their shape or size will be impossible with the ideal spine position, or movements that include some degree of spine rotation and flexion during hip extension. Is it not wise to perform movements including these positions in training to prepare the athlete to cope with less than optimal positions and mechanics in real life?