CHAT TRANSCRIPT 07.05.2005
Administrator
Hey folks, as always, great questions! Unfortunately, there are some we didn't have time to get to, so feel free to ask away in the Discussion Forum!
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 13:08:51: I GOTTA GO NOW! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
fireman1
Marty:
darn right I'm up for it. I've got some questions about how this strategy will work-in with the rest of my work-out. I don't have time now to write all the particulars - can I drop you a line at your email address?
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 13:00:48:
Shore!
fireman1
Marty:
As you'll recall from last week's chat I asked you about a warm-up strategy for hitting a deadlift PR. I wanted to follow-up with you and let you know that I employed your strategy and hit my goal of a 330lbs. dead! I was very pleased. My wife and 14 year old daughter watched (always helps to have a cheering squad!). It really made me smile when my daughter exclaimed - 'Dad - the bar is bending!'
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:49:31:
Alright! Great job!
Now let's head back down to 185-pounds and do two sets of 10-reps using a DEAD STOP between each rep...zero bounce...set the weight onto the platform and without losing muscle tension (don't relax between reps) pull each sucessive rep perfectly. Starting from the dead stop builds "start strength" the ability to pry heavy pundage from the floor and get it moving upward...most trainees bounce their deadlift reps and use the momentum to make the reps easier...dead-stop on every rep. When you are able to hit 185x10x2 dead-stopped, add ten pounds the following week. Killer! Are you up for it?
JimmyV
Back from vacation and a "catch-up" week where I did some higher-rep work to get back in the swing of things. I'm ready to hit the 3x3s, per your recommendation. I've just got one nagging thing that's driving me a bit nuts: for the past couple of months, my squat seems to be lagging.
Anything I should try form-wise to try to break through? I've been doing them to parallel with a medium-wide stance, but I was thinking of moving the jumprope I've got slung across the back of my power rack down a couple of inches and really drilling down on depth.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:39:17:
Yes your thinking is good - I would take squat totally out of whatver current technical context you are using. Can you - with no weight - sit down flat-footed on your haunches like a vietnamesse rice paddy farmer? Once you can do that for 25 reps start with 45-pound empty bar and see if you can do 10-reps squatting down that far. Pause at the bottom (no bouncing) and stay upright as you come erect. Huge inhale timed so the inhale is maximum when you are at the deep point - forget all about 'conventional' squatting for a while - forget about 3x3 - set's of 10 adding a little bit to the lite weight each week...let's rebuild your squat technique like a car restorer tricking out a 57 chevy nomad...write back
JT
I am getting set to change gears. I just finished a 6-week cycle where my main work sets in each main exercise was 3x10, static weight. I'm looking to hit cardio hard for the next two months, and want to do a cycle with 20-rep sets. Do you recommend doing any more than one top set, or do you ever do multiple, static sets of that many reps? Also, I am planning on keeping deadlifts to 10-rep sets.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:45:20:
perfect instincts...yes when doing anything over 10-reps one set only...never more than 10-reps in the deadlift - work up to one all-out set of 20 then move on to the next exercise - try and squeeze in as many exercises as possible into the workout session...this type of training is all about feel and contraction; not poundage...don't even pay attention to the poundage...feel it on every single rep of the 20 - exchruciatingly effective!
You're the best!
Marty,
Your breadth and depth of knowledge, combined with your intelligent and humorous writing, make you the best fitness writer in the industry, in my opinion.
Rumor has it you're looking to put out a book or training video. I don't know if you even have a manuscript already, but may I suggest that you write more than one book? You have so much knowledge in many areas, I would pay top dollar for a diet/nutrition book, training book, and even a cook book!
You should also have your own reality show...The Biggest Loser in Hell's Kitchen at the Mountain Compound!
Yours,
Jake
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:55:19:
Thanks Jake - hey I love the title...Biggest Losers in Hell's Kitchen at the Mountain Compound...I like that better than our current working title, "let's be cruel to the out-of- shape fat people and make our audience laugh in hopes of big sweeps ratings."
where are you located at?
Lisamn
Hey Marty,
I am looking for some guidance as to where to start my resistance routine again, after a few months of not lifting due to a trapezius injury. I need to find my grove again with both resistance and cardio again. I have been walking 2-3 miles most days a lunch over the last few months, and taking a spinning class Sat mornings, but I need to get back into it. I am having a mental block putting a routine together for myself so hoping that you can help with that. My goal is to lose about 15 pounds if that helps.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:59:06:
do you belong to a commercial gym and do you know the basic weight exercises? We could train all around that trap and never come within a country mile of making it contract -
Greg Elias
I work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to help get rid of some fat, and because it's the only time I have to put in. However, I find that I don't have as much energy and therefore can't work out as intensely as I should. I think you mentioned using caffeine for energy. Would downing some MCTs before the workout also help boost my energy/intensity?
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 13:01:14:
sure - do you really thing drinking mct oil (yuck) will give you more of a jolt than a 16-ounce 7-11 mega monster java? As sponge bob says, "well, good luck with that."
The Wild Rover
You a sailor? Some of the best sailing in the world is off the west coast of Ireland
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:27:10:
No, but I got lots of moxy and will try anything just about...
Andrew
Marty, great article about Nautilus!
What's your opinion on the Hammer Strength machines? On the plus side, they use free weights, but it fixes the ROM to a specific plane. Does that outweigh the benefit of being able to go very heavy on them?
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:27:57:
as machines go I think I like hammer best - I believe (if memory serves) that arthur jones son is responsible for Hammer strength - I used to use machines to finish off a body part (when I belonged to commercial gyms) after all the heavy flat benching with various grips, after the flat bench dumbbells and inclines, I'd do a high rep set or two of hammer flat and then hammer incline - slow and precise and burn the hell out of the lower and upper pec - then one final 30-rep pec dec set. The blow torch was on those pecs...no mas!
Zones
Hi Marty, what's the deal with those "heart rate training zones?" The ones that say a particular target heart rate is for fat burning, another for aerobics, etc. Do we need to stay within those zones to get the benefits the chart says? I talked with a PT, and he said that those zones are pretty much wrong and that you should do your cardio with a high level of intensity.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:19:34:
FORGET ABOUT IT! The zones are not important; there are two important benchmarks
1. identify your blended session average for the cardio session - convert the number (142 for example) into a percentage (77% for example) - use this percentage to compare one session to another and plot future courses of action.
You could, for example, develop a forward-looking aerobic periodization plan. to wit...
week 1 60% of age-related HR max for 30-minutes
week 2 65%
week 3 70%
week 4 75%
week 5 80%
I would purchase a HR monitor that counts calories; I currently shoot for 600-calories per session and foget all about duration and intensity - I just do whatever it takes until I've burned 600...food for thought
The Wild Rover
Hey Marty,
Just back from the old country. Got in some good hiking, sailing, and 45 holes of golv at the venerable Connemara links. And I drank enough Guinness and Smithwick's to drown a cow.
But as they time, time to stop mucking around.
I currently have a mixed lifting routine- 2-3 lifts per muscle group. Getting a little monotonous and was thinking about switching to the 10 sets of 10 for one lift each day.
Since I'm leaning out, is there any variation to this strategy I should consider?
And what lifts do you recommend for chest, back, arms, legs, and back (one each day)?
Thanks
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:13:45:
my suggestion is break back in light using an exaggerated range-of-motion and reps in the 10-12 range - all feel and stretch and contraction...3-4 sessions of an hour each...one day legs, then chest/tris, back/bis, shoulders and chest again...do this for 4-6 weeks as this will build a great base for power work - no sense doing 10x10 when leaning out - save that for the big calorie days...c'mon up! I would work up to one all out set per exercise and move on - see how many exercises you can squeeze in in an hour...light/fast/full ROM - lots of cardio, fewer calories, cleaner calories....
Let's go over together sometime - stacy and I will gladly go over to Ireland - we can salmon fish by day and pub hop at night
guitarfreak
After doing 2 months of 20 reps and 60 minute sessions of cardio 4 plus times a week, I just switched to 5 reps, 30 minutes of cardio 4 plus times a week and am sucking down tons of good food and washing it down with milk. The first week I gained 5 pounds and amazingly no noticeable fat increase. How long should I keep up with 5 reps? What should I switch to followin this? I'd like to keep gaining for a 3 month period.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 13:03:24:
use the mirror and be critical - you are undergoing some sort of anabolic burst but if you keep up the mega-calories for too long you'll "spillover" and starting adding more fat than muscle - a burst lasts for around 10-14 days....be cool!
ecouls1
So coach, what was on your grill this July 4th?
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 12:05:54:
Actually shindig #1 occured last weekend in conjunction with the little local powermeet...chuck deluxe was upset - its was like Leon Spinks knocking out the ancient ali - he shook off his blues and wailed on the alto like Paul Desmond on acid...it was sublime...tomorrow BOBCAT and his wife will be rolling in for some powerlifting finishing school discussions and Fred and Hillary are shooting up to talk video tapes - I think tomorrow it'll be a smogasboard of hickory smoked turkey on the weber, tiny black angus fillets (If there are any left after the 4th) and stream trout - plus I'll stop at the religious fundamentalist vegetable stand and buy up a big pile of the just-picked green beans, rad bell peppers, asparagus and maybe a loaf of fanatic bread...
parksgirl
Coach, I was out walking my hills today and noted that I had to slow down a bit in the heat a humidity while still seeing a nice high heartrate on the monitor. Question is, if I am going slower but my heartrate is still higher than normal workout am I really buring more calories as my heart rate monitor indicates (got one of the Polar's you recommend) It seems illogical that I slow down the workout but burn more calories.
Marty Gallagher replies on 07-05-2005 at 11:48:59:
1. calories are calories
2. heat causes the heart to work harder
3. use it to your advantage - try and build back up to 'normal' while the heat is still with us - just don't dehydrate and keel over - the polar oposite occurs in february. If you were to trek the same course then you would find it hard to jack up the heart rate...often in the cold weather I will have to do 100 jumping jacks, thirty strict pushups or 50 super deep free-hand squats just to get my heart rate over 110. In the 90-degree heat within 30-steps I'm at 110.
Marty Gallagher
Hello, and welcome to this week's chat! You may submit questions ahead of time, and I'll answer them when the chat starts at noon.
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