I trained HIT style today, after an 8 day rest. It was an excellent workout, and a minor tweak drastically increased the difficulty.
8kg Weighted Pullup - 75 Seconds
75# Barbell Press - 75 Seconds
145# Partial Romanian Deadlift - 72 Seconds.
The focus in this workout was to spend almost all my time in the portion of the rep where mechanical advantage was the smallest. In otherwords, I spent little time where I am strong, and lots of time where I am weak. Times where I am strong are during the lockout of the press, the very top of the pullup, and at lockout in the deadlift. With the first two movements, I tried to very quickly move through the strong portions of the movement, and very slowly through the weak portions. For the Romanian Deadlift, I simply didn't proceed past the lower quad.
Because the weight is so light, the RDL becomes extremely easy when the bar is at mid-thigh and above, which defeats the purpose of HIT in my mind. I wanted to maintain a high level of tension for the entire time under load. So, once the bar reached the bottom of my quads, I descended back into the bottom of the rep. This made for a tremendous amount of tension on the hamstrings and glutes, which was the goal. My spinal erectors also felt the burn, since they were given no breaks where the lockout portion would usually be. So while my TUL for the RDL is lower than it was, I don't count it as a regression, since this method of execution is much more difficult.
I'm on leave at the moment, and I'm trying to make the best of it, physically. I did indulge in some sweets over the weekend, including a trip to an amazing Italian Pastry Cafe off Arthur Ave in the Bronx. However, I'm trying to eat cleanly and maximize my sleep for the rest of my time off. I don't want to pass on the chance to do some quality recovering.
Paleolithic Poop and Carbs
1 hour ago
3 comments:
Hey Bryce,
The partial reps in the weak region of the movement is a trick I have found the trainers use sometimes. I had one use it on me when my TUL was stretching over 2 minutes and the trick helped me fail sooner.
Another thought on this is a recent post on www.bodybyscience.net blog where John Little unveiled his new "Max Pyramid" protocol. In this it is a repeated static hold in the weak zone with lower weights. Check out his post if interested. I am going to be trying that soon.
jeff
Hi
I'f d really recommend you read Bill DeSimone's book Moment Arm Exercise - he explains the mechanics behind the proper range of motion and (I think) he inspired John Little's recent protocol in part at least.
I interviewed Bill:
http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2009/11/congruent-exercise-interview-with-bill_18.html
Jeff,
The partials were indeed challenging, even though they did cover a considerable range of motion (lower shin to lower thing). The only way I could see a complete Romanian being as challenging would be if bands or chains were used to increase difficulty at the top.
I did see the video's on John Little's new protocol, and down the road I may have to give it a shot.
Chris,
I do remember that interview with Bill, and it was a good one. I think I may check out that book, as he seems to provide the research behind some concepts I've been playing with.
It's funny because a year ago I'd have laughed you out of the room if you told me I'd be training with machines and not doing "functional" training. While I still love conventional lifting for strength, I quickly grew tired of the injuries associated with training that way all the time. Enter BBS/HIT!
Cheers guys.
-Bryce
Post a Comment