[dwagman]

Jim, I think you misunderstood. I’m not “crushing” my thumb before I pull, nor am I looking at changing pain perception. In what I’m doing, I feel as though the stronger grip around my thumb prior to the pull creates a stronger hold once I pull, in that the thumb then doesn’t open up on me. It seems to me that if the grip on my thumb prior to the pull isn’t that strong, then as I pull, my thumb opens up a bit on the barbell and that creates more pain, while still holding my grip on the bar, though.

I think that the above might, however, depend on hand and thumb dimensions so that not every guy experiences this the same way, if at all, and was curious about others’ experiences and if they experimented with it or not.

As to the crushing grip in benching, that’s a silly, old, and totally unfounded, not to mention ineffective concept. For pretty basic reasons of anatomy and physiology, it’s a silly notion which has also been dispelled by research. A few years back we already covered that in JOPP, so there’s really no need to hold on to that one anymore. 🙂

As to Pavel, I’m not even going to go there, other than to say that he certainly is a creative guy. The question, however, is whether creativity should have a place in physiology. Put another way, if you require bypass surgery, would you go to a “creative” surgeon or one whose surgical techniques are firmly grounded in principles of science?

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Hey Jim, nice attempts. Earlier this year I started doing 1-a dl with the goal in mind of breaking the USAWA Open/All record in my weight class. I did the same thing as you, going from straddle to standard style pulls. My reason for doing that was to assess what’s easier on my thumbs. Turns out, in my case, that it makes no difference on my thumbs, but from a pulling machanics perspective, the straddle seems to mitigate some of the leverage issues seen with the conventional way to pull with one arm. So now I pull exclusively straddle style.

A note on the thumbs, and I’d like to have your and others’ feedback on this. I have found that in my case, when I go real heavy, if I tighten my grip around the thumb as much as possible before I pull, the less pain I experience during the pull. It seems a bit strange to force an extremely tight grip prior to loading, but it seems to work during the pull in terms of reducing thumb pain. What are your and others’ experiences in that regard?

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Probably? PROBABLY? Get a grip, woman!

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

[b]Quote from dinoman on May 15, 2013, 11:21[/b]
That’s why I selected THAT picture, so you would remember the occasion!

With friends like you…LOL

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Thanks guys, appreciate it. But in all honesty, I’m sort of surprised because on my first attempt in the db snatch, I lost control and dropped Al’s db and busted it. Now Big Al’s Dino Gym has only one 110-pound db and it’s all my fault. I thought for sure Al would put me on a hit list.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

But Dan, I AM trying to sell something…science!

You see, since Weider, Hoffman, and all the old-time lifters, people have been sharing their personal wisdom as it relates to training, nutrition, recovery, etc. But not until about the 70’s did physiologists show an interest in these hypotheses. Since then, many, if not all training related hypotheses have been tested under the scrutiny and control of scientific investigation. It has been my experience that nearly all personal opinions about training and nutrition have been wrong. Unfortunately, these myths die hard and as a consequence athletes are not maximizing their gains, getting injured, etc.

Look at it this way, Dan. To a person who knows little about metallurgy and automotive engineering, the obvious answer to what axle is strongest would be the thicker one. That’s not true, however, just as it’s not true that you have to train to failure for your muscles to make gains in strength, size, and power. Once even the most novice to matters of automotive engineering is told the basic properties of metal and manufacturing practices, then they’ll immediately get it why you can’t simply go with the thicker axle if you want a stronger one. Same with sport and training. The only difference is that due to the potential of death due to poor auto manufacturing practices, the government tightly controls the industry. In sport and exercise, however, anybody can tell you any sort of crap they make up for purposes of making a buck, or just out of sheer ignorance, and the worst that’ll happen to you is that you won’t maximize your potential.

Man, I could go on and on. Suffice to say, you not training optimally basically means that you have certain hurdles in the way. Based on science, however, we know how to minimize the damage these hurdles could cause, meaning that your training gains can still be maximized based on the conditions of your life, responsibilities, etc.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Guys, please don’t get hung up on my wording, where I state that after an overnight fast you should definitely “eat.” Perhaps a better word would have been “consume.”

If you have maximized training gains in mind, then after an overnight fast it’s critical to consume a mix of protein and carbs before training. Of course food is always best and no supplement can match the benefits of food. But for the situations you illustrated, perhaps a carb/protein drink would be better than a small breakfast of, say, an egg and a small bowl of oatmeal.

On the other hand, if you don’t consume something, it’s not the end of the world as your body holds many levels of adaptability, meaning that you’ll still be able to make training gains…just not maximally.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Interesting you should pose this question at this time as JOPP‘s current issue reviews new research on the topic of nutrient timing. And best of all…BIG ole ET is in the opening picture.

This is one of those issues that’s perfect for purposes of explaining the research process a bit. You see, there are some people out there who lack the scientific training, but know enough to know that the truth only comes from science, who look for research to support their own ideas because they fall into the category of self-proclaimed training guru. So the people who believe that nutrient timing is a big deal, they cite research showing that it does indeed make a difference. But since they’re laypersons as it pertains to the scientific process, they overlook such important things as the methodology the study employed, how the findings can be generalized, how they can be interpreted, etc., not to mention what subjects were used, how much and what type of nutrients were given, what the exercise protocol was, etc.

Example: A study found that protein synthesis rates are higher within about 90 minutes after training. Well, of course that means that you should eat within 90 minutes after training if you want to maximize your gains. NOT!

You see, what happens is that your cells become more sensitive to the uptake of nutrients after training. So they suck up nutrients quickly within a window after training. But does “an increased rate of protein synthesis” equal “MORE protein synthesis,” meaning you end up using more protein if you eat shortly after training as opposed to 2 hrs. after training? Nope! Bottom line, you can’t force your body to use more protein than it needs (and as a side note, training more intensely doesn’t increase protein synthesis either).

So what should you do? After a prolonged fast, such as sleeping through the night, you should most definitely eat before training. What should you eat? A combination of protein and carbs. How long before you train should you eat? That depends on how much you eat and how quickly you can digest what you ate to the point where you feel physically comfortable to lift and don a lifting belt. That’s an individual thing. And as far as you taking protein “immediately” after training, that’s wholly unnecessary and what would actually be better is to consume protein and carbs after training.

There are more interesting details about this in our April issue, where I would argue, however, that a far more important question to answer would be whether there is a meal timing approach that would increase the likelihood of looking as good as ET.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

OUCH! lol

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

That’s the way a base CO ought to be.

By the way, my condolences for having been a Marine. 🙂

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Thanks Thom. That’s very interesting.

I wouldn’t be surprised if being Irish and American made Rose just a tad bit ornery, especially since he had to strut his stuff in front of King Edward VII…and especially if he didn’t have his morning Bushmills yet. 🙂

Then again, them being upset about that is akin to some of us getting upset about our flag being&#8212in contrast though, probably inadvertently&#8212hung improperly.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

VERY cool. Do you know what year that was, Thom?

dan

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

What are you talking about RJ? ET counts as two.

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Q U E S T I O N S for Al:

– If it’s the Dragster, why are you pushing it?
– Why are you looking down Darren’s butt crack?
– If there are “front quads,” what are the back quads?

🙂

-d

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[dwagman]

Ruth and I did our Postal yesterday (Sat.). Ruth weighed in at 107 and me at 180.6. She did a one-armed snatch with 55 (right) on her second, unofficially beating Noi’s 23 year-old record but missed 60 on her third. I spanked 130 on a second (left) and got all excited because it’s 5 pounds more than my open record I just set at Al’s Record Breakers…and just dropped the bar. Ruth shook her head and told me I needed to remain in control of the bar. I told her it was a snatch, that the rules of the snatch applied, and that I can drop it. We checked the rules. I guess the 1-a snatch ain’t a snatch and had to repeat 130 on my third and got white lights. Here’s a picture of my 1-a snatch:

Ruth went 3 for 3 on the clean and press, ending up with 85 pounds, but was disappointed because it was 10 pounds less than what she’s done in training. I got a solid 190 on my second and went to 200 on my third. Just before lockout I lost balance a bit and my heels popped up. Red lights. Here’s a picture of my c&p:

Ruth took 235 on her second attempt in the Jefferson and made a solid, strong, and perfect lift, but skipped her third because she was worn out. Same with me. I took 505 on my second, hammered it, and called it a day. Check out my Jefferson:

This was our first Postal ever and it was fun, albeit a bit strange in that we didn’t have the support we’re used to from o

—
Dan

For Body Intellect Brochure click here: https://www.icloud.com/keynote/0fcsokZWooW_1B1uZmL1AI5fA#BI-DW

Those who are enamored of practice without science
are like a pilot who goes onto a ship without rudder or
compass and never has any certainty to where he is going.
Leonardo Da Vinci; 1452-1519

[Author]

Posts