Muscle Database

Moving Time

2008-05-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Packing up boxes and setting up shop at our new location:

www.patrickperformancetraining.com

After months of trying to figure out this computer mumbo jumbo BS I finally got it set up on my homepage.

Keep up with us, it's only getting better and better

Geek Speak, Heavy weights, and the french toast open

2008-04-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

The zerch off was a big success in every aspect of the manner. I mean after all, I won and was treated to a few plates of stuffed french toast at iHOP (I can break the rules, I won damnit!).

I wish I had the video of it, and I'll be called a liar forever if I don't come up with it, but it was a 75lb safety bar and 6 plates on each side--go ahead, do the math ;)

My arms are tore to shit, and that I do have a picture of!

I probably only did about 5-7 heavy lifts total and my back was fried. Which brings me to my next point-lift heavy. IF you aren't, you will not get big. I don't care how much volume squared or sets cubed you do, 15lb weights aren't changing your body.

Now the geek speak...I'll keep it short & sweet.

There's the argument of lifting for speed, but if you look at the force velocity curve you still need substantial loading to get some power! If you use bodyweight only the velocity is too fast to generate enough force and consequently any power. (see that wasn't bad)

It's great for cutting and getting your heart rate up, but in most cases (drugs aside) the biggest people CAN lift much more.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.

Send in your ?'s, I've gotten a few and looking for more about any and everything

P.S.
I got my first massage, and a word to the wise: If a large woman tells you about some special "vibration" technique and ends up just smacking your ass over and over for a good 30 seconds it's probably not anything real. Funny thing is only my butt got this "special technique"...hmmmm....

The French Toast Open

2008-04-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

That's right, Zerch for French Toast.

Basically we're using a cambered bar seen above, set on pins, to pull a max effort zerch deadlift.

It's not a full deadlift, but it doesn't matter. You don't know what it's like to strain until you try to pull a heavy zercher. I promise that.

Pics and videos will come this weekend so stay tuned and we'll have plenty of contact before then! Prepare to see some freaky feats of strength

Oh, wait, the French Toast. Losers buy the person who placed above them an order of french toast from IHOP. First place is free and the last place dork buys twice.
--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

The Safety Squat Bar

2008-04-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

This bar is pretty bad-ass and can quickly improve your traditional squat.

The large yolk and orientation of the pad do more than make a squat more comfy.

It allows the weight to be shifted forward somewhat so your quads will get a significant amount of overload.

In the pic, you can see the ends of the bar bend and the weights aren't on the same level as your shoulders like a traditional squat bar. This makes the lever shorter and brings it closer to the center of gravity of your body. You can manipulate the mechanics of this and also give your glutes and hamstrings a workout like never before.

When you box squat with this, you really want to sit back and down. Coming up, it teaches your how to pull your traps and upper back into the bar. This will help tremendously bring up your upper back (see yesterday's post) because your have to learn to bring your chest up first.

You can also load this bar and do shrugs with it. It's not the most comfortable thing despite the pad, but you sure as hell load it up and not worry about your grip giving out.

Give it a shot

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

Do you workout?

2008-04-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

How many people do you know that workout that just really don't look like they've seen the inside of a gym? Too many.

And it's sad. The hallmark of knowing if someone works out or not is the traps and shoulders, then people know you're jacked, even from behind. Big arms great, but I think more frat guys like arms than girls do. So watch out who you impress.

3 Bona fide ways to make your upper back and traps thicker than ever.

1. Cheat One Arm Rows-Go heavy as hell on these! While keep you back straight, use a little bit of legs and to help jerk the weight up. when I say heavy, I mean grab a weight you can do 10-15 with, chalk up, and row to 30. Cry form all you want, but I've seen pretty serious changes with this, not to mention a skull crushing grip and arm pump.

2. Front Plate Raises--simple, but so easy. Grab a 45 and crush as many reps as you can between other sets of exercises between your workout. Who gives a shit about the derivative of your set and rep volume times yoru rest squared. Stop majoring in the minor and lift. Get a 100 pound plate too and use a little hip extension.

3. Snatch Grip Deadlifts--this will make a man out of you very quickly. Hike your skirt up, because starting out you will lift with your purse. Get your grip strong (I think I mentioned that somewhere in here) and you'll build a thick back.

So stop with the 15-20 lb lateral raises, grab some weight and add some size. You shouldn't fit into A&F shirts anymore.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

Now vs Then

2008-04-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

I always hear people say, "If I knew what I know now back then...."

The wisdom I have now would surely have been beneficial to me 5 years ago. And I would have loved to of known it then!

However, there was something about me then that I sometimes gets lost in translation.

I know so much more about program design, muscle physiology, and nutrition than I knew "back in the day".

Back then I didn't know shit compared to now, but I trained like a mad-man. My leg day had way too much volume--my lower back used to kill from the amount of squats, deadlifts, leg presses and RDL's that I did.

But it didn't matter.

I trained like there was no tomorrow and didn't pass on a single concern to the actual program design aspect of it. I just wanted to train, and train hard.

And I blew up.

In spite of everything I did "wrong", the intensity of my workouts seemed to trump everything else.

I had better than average form, and my sets were tainted by the wailing guitars of Pantera, Rob Zombie, and Disturbed. I used to workout in sweats year round because I would love to sweat and push myself to the limit.

I've puked, nearly passed out, and have been a pile of dead mass on the floor more times than I can remember.

So today, I stand ashamed and take lessons from a 17 year-old version of myself who made every workout a self-revealing opportunity.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

Strength is a mother...

2008-04-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

People debate back and forth about what it takes to get big--high volume, low volume, etc etc.

So, do you need strength to get big? Some would argue no, it's not strength because strength and size are poorly correlated.

Find me a huge a** guy in the gym who is using some 20 lb dumbbells for sets of 10. I guarantee you won't see it (there are some genetic anomalies)

Strength itself might not lend much to hypertrophy, but you can't lift heavy enough weights without strength. The biggest guys have huge, and I hesitate to say it but, "structural" lift numbers. That is, their squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press are all huge.

Strength waterfalls down onto other aspects of fitness, you can use more weight for hypertrophy, speed work and so on. Overload, the principle of overload. You can't always be 1-dimensional in your training, you have to bust out and do something different. Train for strength, speed, work capacity and see these carry over into your hypertrophy gains.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

Bodybuilding vs. Powerlifting

2008-04-15T13:14:00.002-07:00

Too often I see people get into wars about which one is superior and I still don't understand it!

The bodybuilders call the powerlifters fat idiots and scream girls don't care how much you lift.

The powerlifters shoot right back and say the bodybuilders are wimps and they just aren't strong enough to be one of the guys.

Truth be told, you can't really separate the two. You can't really have one without the other. Bodybuilders have a thing to learn from the powerlifters, because strength carries over to hypertrophy very nicely once the transition is made back to more traditional bodybuilding work. Bodybuilders envy powerlifters thick traps, huge back, and hamstrings (and they should!).

Powerlifters need to learn some better dietary habits from the bodybuilders. Very few powerlifters I know eat really clean, and if they ate more for performance I think the benefits would be 100 fold.

If I had to choose one I would say that bodybuilders have more to learn from powerlifters. More back work, proper technique, and strength are all things many bodybuilders could use.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

Intensity vs. Science

2008-04-15T13:14:00.001-07:00

When it comes to training experts talk sets and reps and methods. But who really cares?

Let's rewind and revisit this. Who gives a shit about what method you are using or any of it. If you want to get big or better you need to train with some serious intensity.

The best program in the world for you done half-assed will not give the results as a crappy program done with some purpose.

People get caught up in the scientific jargon and miss the point of training: it's supposed to be an experience. It's not to take up time and go through the motions!

We can argue about overtraining and CNS fatigue, but the reality is very few of us train to that level of intensity.

Forget the science this week and train balls out this week, and the next week, and every week after that. You'll reach your fat loss goals, you'll put on the muscle you want.

In the world of strength training and performance intensity trumps science. Mix the two and you'll get freaky results.

--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com

5 Uses for a Smith Machine

2008-04-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

1. Inverted Rows - Put the bar at waist height. Lay under and grab, pull your chest to the bar just like you are doing a seated row. Lower and repeat.

2. Push ups - if you can't do alot of full range pushups you and use the bar and improve until you get lower and lower and eventually all the way to the ground

3. Pull ups - I often make my clients use this for their pullups by putting the bar all the way up. For those that cannot do a pull-up I'll loop a band around it and that will help give them extra "spring" on the concentric part of the lift. With the bands it's easier to be able to stand and get your knees into them than having to jump to a higher bar.

4. Hurting yourself - Your body makes tiny changes throughout the range of motion of a lift and does not move in a linear path. If you are fixed in a linear path then forces can be displaced in a manner not natural to your body's movement which can cause injury. In may not happen for sometime, but when you reach threshold the injury will be devastating. There are some exercises you can get away with using the smith machine, but compared to the free weight varieties it seems unnecessary.

5. Coat Rack
--
Ryan
e: info@patrickperformancetraining.com