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Defining your weaknesses

7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2007/12/21, 09:22 AM Hey thought I would throw this out here. Lets talk about how to define what a weakness is for a lift and how to treat it. -------------- FOR MY WIFE: Her little ring was a little thing but it was all that i could afford now shes mine all mine till the day i die and i never wanted nothing more 7707mutt@freetrainers.com
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2007/12/21, 10:52 AM Did you read the sticky at the top Determining and Strengthening Weaknesses? It has some helpfully tips on how to identify some of them. I like the idea of this thread. It has potential.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/21, 11:02 AM I think my biggest problem is I'm just plain weak. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/21, 11:09 AM A big problem I have is poor self feedback. A lot of times I don't realize the technical errors I am making. I think I'm getting better at this though. The way I correct it is by trying to have workout partners as often as possible, and lifting at the right times. At the moment, my only progression that I am using for lower body is technical. I won't be able to load weight up till the spring, so I'm trying to fix all the technical errors I am making. I've quickly found that a technical errors can be a HUGE weakness. For me, these are: weight on heals don't move head forward/drive head back and shoulders into bar lead with head -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2007/12/21, 11:56 AM The weight on the heals thing is weird with bands. If they are trying to pull you back even a little then you gravitate to your toes almost automatically.
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2007/12/21, 12:02 PM I have a hard time figuring out exactly what my areas are. Mainly with bench -------------- FOR MY WIFE: Her little ring was a little thing but it was all that i could afford now shes mine all mine till the day i die and i never wanted nothing more 7707mutt@freetrainers.com
merrillj Posts: 197 Joined: 2007/06/28	2007/12/21, 12:39 PM My vertical pulling is weak. I can only get 3 wide-grip pullups with my own bodyweight. I can only get 4 close supinated grip chins.
rev8ball Posts: 3,081 Joined: 2001/12/27	2007/12/21, 12:54 PM Looking at weaknesses in specific lifts is one thing. What should also be considered are weaknesses/strengths in specific areas. For example, doing Step downs for hip girdle strength; OH squat for trunk stability; Stick pointer for posterior chain, etc. Look at the full picture, not just the specific movement. -------------- Michael Strength & Conditioning is not everything; it just really sucks to be weak and slow.
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/21, 01:03 PM I don't just mean with bands, I mean when I free squat as well. It's getting better though. ============ Quoting from Pemdas: The weight on the heals thing is weird with bands. If they are trying to pull you back even a little then you gravitate to your toes almost automatically. ============= -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2007/12/21, 04:48 PM I'm going to go ahead and second that one. The sticky in this form though does point out a lot though. For instance where you fail on bench there is a specific coaching point for that. Mine happens to be my triceps, I fail about 4 inches off of my chest of so. Obviously I need to all around just get stronger, but I am putting an emphasis right now on my triceps to work through this. ============ Quoting from wrestler125: I think my biggest problem is I'm just plain weak. =============
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/21, 08:30 PM That is most peoples problem. The bigger problem though, is when weak people don't realize how weak they are. Being the strongest person at a weak gym still means you are weak. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
merrillj Posts: 197 Joined: 2007/06/28	2007/12/22, 06:03 AM Here is a good article from Jim Wendler. Some things you can consider. http://www.elitefitnesssystems.com/documents/raw_bench_pressing.htm ============ Quoting from 7707mutt: I have a hard time figuring out exactly what my areas are. Mainly with bench =============
merrillj Posts: 197 Joined: 2007/06/28	2007/12/22, 02:18 PM Define what is weak Steve. You call yourself weak, but in comparison to what? A 300lb lifter? I think if you take a long look at your accomplishments you will see that you are not as weak as you think you are. ============ Quoting from wrestler125: That is most peoples problem. The bigger problem though, is when weak people don't realize how weak they are. Being the strongest person at a weak gym still means you are weak. =============
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2007/12/22, 03:03 PM Your right. He is weaker than he thinks he is. ============ Quoting from merrillj: Define what is weak Steve. You call yourself weak, but in comparison to what? A 300lb lifter? I think if you take a long look at your accomplishments you will see that you are not as weak as you think you are. =============
merrillj Posts: 197 Joined: 2007/06/28	2007/12/22, 03:12 PM No he's not. Stop it! ============ Quoting from pemdas: Your right. He is weaker than he thinks he is. =============
jbennett Posts: 1,558 Joined: 2001/02/28	2007/12/22, 03:42 PM Weakness is perceived. I work with someone who can pull a 255 deadlift. Some can say that's weak, but when you consider this was done by a petite 115lb 40-year-old woman, that's pretty impressive. Going back to the original post, I think Mutt was referring to the 'sticking points' in a specific lift. For something like bench, it could be something like weak triceps. Or it could just be that the grip and/or overall form one has needs to be tweeked a bit. That brings me to my point. Those that do not start off using proper form will usually fall short of their goals due to the underdevelopment of the muscles that are targeting during a particular excercise. After seeing the way some people perform squats, it's no wonder they have no strength or size in their quads. Speaking for myself, I am just a hair shy of deadlifting 500+. Being able to pull that much requires one to strengthen the back, hips, etc. Simply performing deads isn't going to make me get stronger as quickly as if I did other excercises to strengthen all of the muscles involved. Reverse hypers, rack pulls, Keystone deads, and other lifts in combination with plyometrics has helped me get away from 475lbs (where I had plateaued for quite some time) to being on the verge of over a quarter ton. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but identifying ALL muscles involved in a particular exercise and strengthing them is just as important as the main compound lift itself, in my opinion. As rev8ball stated above, "Look at the full picture, not just the specific movement." -------------- --JBennett "I've up-ed my intensity.... now up yours!" "Pain is only weakness leaving the body." "Never think of how weak you are; think of how strong you're going to be."
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/22, 05:24 PM It's weak compared to where I need to be. It's weak compared to other 165lb powerlifters. The second I start thinking I'm not weak, is when I am lying to myself and compromising my own gains. You can't become what you are in awe of. So the next step in getting stronger, is realizing that you are capable of more. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
Pemdas Posts: 973 Joined: 2004/07/22	2007/12/23, 12:09 PM I just messing with him. We have an understanding. ============ Quoting from merrillj: No he's not. Stop it! =============
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/23, 03:27 PM ============ Quoting from pemdas: I just messing with him. We have an understanding. ============= I don't understand. Back to weak points though... This isn't really a weak point in a lift, but rather an overall weak point. Conditioning: I've let my conditioning slip since I've been focusing on powerlifting instead of strongman. It usually only takes me a few weeks to get back to full condition, so this makes a lot of sense to focus on strength and let conditioning slip for a season. But I think it's gotten too bad. I noticed today that even during accessory work, I've been taking longer breaks than I should. After the holiday season, I will be cutting back on rest between accessory work, and reworking the way I do my accessory work. On a scale of 1-10, powerlifters may only need a conditioning rating of 4. But there is no reason my conditioning should even be close to 4. Time to fix this. -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2007/12/23, 09:20 PM Ok so how do YOU define a ME workout compared to a DE one? -------------- FOR MY WIFE: Her little ring was a little thing but it was all that i could afford now shes mine all mine till the day i die and i never wanted nothing more 7707mutt@freetrainers.com
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/12/23, 09:59 PM What does this have to do with weak points? A max effort workout involves heavy weights, the goal of a dynamic effort exercise is rate of force development at a lighter weight. ============ Quoting from 7707mutt: Ok so how do YOU define a ME workout compared to a DE one? ============= -------------- SQUAT MORE ~Jesse Marunde Blood Guts Sweat Chalk
7707mutt Posts: 7,686 Joined: 2002/06/18	2007/12/23, 10:09 PM Just something that I saw in a log here. I always thought that a DE day would be done with lighter weights explosivly. Is that correct? This is a weakness in that I may or maynot understand that. -------------- FOR MY WIFE: Her little ring was a little thing but it was all that i could afford now shes mine all mine till the day i die and i never wanted nothing more 7707mutt@freetrainers.com
gatormade Posts: 1,355 Joined: 2003/10/01	2007/12/24, 12:19 AM Speed can be a weakness for some people. For me, my speed is an asset so I focus more on my sticking points. For me in the deadlift my sticking point is 3 inches below my knee. So, I do partials starting at 3 inches below my knee. I box squat to parallel or a few inches below parallel and this helps with my DL and my squat. My bench sticking point is 2-4 inches of my chest so I do 2 or 3 board close grip bench. Everyone has weaknesses. Find them. Train them. Fine more. Train them. Repeat indefinitely. This is how you get strong. It is simple. If anyone wants to come to Florida to train with me I will be more than happy to help you find your weaknesses. I will also be more than happy to help you address those weaknesses. Wrestler, I'm a little shocked you haven't come down here yet. Slightly insulted in fact. Get off your ass and come down here. I'm done hearing excuses about you being weak. I can help you. Crawl, walk, fly, swim here. Just get here. You have some good book smarts. Now come get some real education. Because you don't have it yet. You will. I can help you get it. But you need to come visit.