Question of Power
By Ian King
Whenever
I think about Australian strength coach Ian King, I think about one of
those Foster's Beer commercials. You know the ones...for instance, they
might show a great white shark gnawing some poor bloke's leg off, and
then the announcer says "Guppy" up on the screen. Then, they show a big
can of Foster's, followed by the word "Beer," except that when you say
it in "Australian," the word sounds like it's got a couple of extra e's
in it or something.Anyhow, I get this image of Ian picking up a
rock that's about the size of that one in the opening scenes of the
first Indiana Jones movie and hurling it at one of his trainees, only
to see the poor guy pile driven into the ground from the sheer bulk of
the thing. Then, I hear the announcer's voice saying, "Strength Coach."Regardless,
Ian King is to Australia what Charles Poliquin is to North America.
They're both very highly regarded, and with Ian on the Testosterone
staff, we figure we've got roughly 2/3 of the strength world covered.
(We'd have the whole world covered if we could get the Chinese version
of Charles Poliquin, known as Chow Porriquin, to join us.)Hence
this new question and answer column. You may have noticed it's called
"Question of Power," while Charles' column is called "Question of
Strength." Neither man is concerned solely with strength or solely with
power. They're both experts on just about every aspect of performance
enhancement. We just liked the synergy of the two titles. You
may find, however, that they'll occasionally have different opinions
about certain subjects. That's okay, though. Whoever said that all the
"rules" of weight training were set in stone?
Q: My neck
would look more natural on a chicken. How do I build it up? My gym
doesn't have any of those fancy-schmancy four-way neck machines. Any
suggestions?A: The appearance of the neck in regard to thickness
(or thinness) is influenced by the length of the neck. People with
shorter necks may appear to have thicker necks. Not that we can do
anything about the length of your neck, unless of course there is a new
wave of "Soviet-scam" on how the Russians shortened the necks of their
athletes.One way we can reduce the "thin-neck look" is to build
up the upper trapezius muscle. In fact, this is perhaps the main neck
muscle that responds to hypertrophy training. We have two options in
training the neck. We can "bring the shoulders to the head," or we can
"bring the head to the shoulders." Most of the four-way neck machines
bring the head to the shoulders. This is nice, but as the loading
capacity is greater in shoulders-to-head exercises, I prioritize those
exercises instead.Try the following two upper trap tri-sets. In all these exercises, ensure the following technical cues:

? Keep the arms straight at all time, i.e. no elbow bending.
? Keep chin in, head still.
? Shrug straight upward, not up and forward.
? Terminate the movement if you can no longer maintain the full range you used in the earlier reps.

Tri-Set 1?Bar Shrugs

1) Standing, bar in front of body, overhand wide grip, shrug shoulders (1x10, using a 321 tempo)

No rest, then:

2) Standing, bar behind body, overhand medium grip, shrug shoulders (1x10, 321)

No rest, then:

3) Standing, bar in front of body, underhand medium grip, shrug shoulders (1x10, 321)

Use a second set of the above tri-set only after you have determined the body's response to this workout, i.e. not on the first workout! Now go the second routine:Tri-Set 2 ?DB Shrugs

1) Standing, DBs behind body (actually behind your bum), palms facing backward, shrug shoulders (1x10, 321)

No rest, then:

2) Standing, DBs beside body, palms facing thighs, shrug shoulders (1x10, 321)

No rest, then:

3) Standing, DBs in front of body, palms facing body, shrug shoulders (1x10, 321)

To
reiterate, do one set of the first tri-set, followed by one set of the
second tri-set. Don't repeat either tri-set until you have assessed how
the body responds to it. Basically, if one set can make you grow, don't
use any more. Only add more if the desired response fails to occur.Q:
I don't squat, because I'm fearful for my knees. If I do a squat-like
movement to pick something up off the floor, I can hear a
walnut-crunching sound at the end of the downward movement and the
beginning of the upward movement. Knowing you're not a physician,
should I be concerned about doing squats? What kinds of questions would
I ask a physician to get a concrete answer?I do leg extensions,
but given my knee concerns, should I? I know you guys aren't too keen
on them. For that matter, I know you don't think much of Smith
machines, hack squat machine, and leg press machines, when compared to
the squat. Do they damage the knees?Also, what (good or bad) does knee-wrapping do on squat-like movements?A:
You don't have to squat. The squat is a great exercise, but its absence
won't affect your quality of life! However, if you want to squat, there
is always a way to achieve this. The "cracking" noise you describe is
not uncommon. However, it in itself doesn't give you enough information
to determine whether you should squat or not. If you want to gain the
opinion of a physician, go ahead, but don't expect too much in the way
of up-to-date information. They will, however, be able to answer the
following three questions:

1) Are my ligaments stable (or are they torn)?
2) Are my meniscus intact (or are there tears in them)?
3) Are the patella-femoral or any other of the surfaces of the knee showing signs of wear?

Regarding
leg extensions, the negativity toward them is a knee-jerk reaction by a
group of people who are trying to quell their consciences following the
"discovery" that the exercise they were promoting in the 80s as
superior to the squat is no longer politically correct. If it hurts,
don't do it. If it doesn't hurt, use it. In regard to knee-wrapping,
the positives are that they allow you to lift more weight, in addition
to maintaining joint temperature.Many people think that wraps
have a potential negative effect on patella tracking, but I don't
agree. I believe the greatest limitation of wraps is that they may
allow you to lift more weight than your technique or joints are capable
of handling. For that reason, I recommend knee sleeves instead.Regarding
the Smith machine, leg press, and hack squat, I like them because they
offer you variety; variety to stimulate muscle mass, and variety when
other exercises are contraindicated due to pain experienced. The
crucial question is which device or exercise deserves to be used the
majority of the time, not which is bad or good. For the athlete,
squatting is generally superior. But for bodybuilding, it doesn't
matter as much, as long as you get the result. Having said that, I
believe squats are the corner stone of most programs, but I love the
options that the machines provide.Which machine is best? Use them all. Make your own mind up. You don't need me to tell which one does it for you! You may also benefit from warming up for squats to reduce joint friction and wear.Q:
I love doing deadlifts, but I'm not sure how valuable they are as far
as a bodybuilding routine. What do you think of them, and while your at
it, could you give me a short primer on the proper way to do them?A:
Hey! I finally found someone with enough interest in the deadlift to
make it worthwhile telling them how great an exercise this is! Most
don't want to know, trapped in a mistaken belief that it is a redundant
and/or dangerous exercise. Granted, if you deadlift the way most people
do, it is. But do it my way, and you will benefit in the following ways:

? You will strengthen and develop the muscles of both the lower and upper back in a way that no other exercise can.? You will counteract the anterior-posterior imbalances brought about by doing more upper body pushing exercises (e.g. bench press) than pulling
exercises. In fact, deadlifting is the only way I can see to counter
this imbalance. The amount of loading presented in bench pressing is
difficult to match in the conventional pulling (rowing) movements.
Deadlifting (my way) presents the opportunity to expose the upper back
to similar loading.? You will develop another aspect of leg strength and size (again, if you do it my way).?
You will, if you're a running/jumping athlete, develop leg strength in
a joint angle not available in any other leg exercise. In fact, I feel
that the deadlift can offer more than the squat to the start of the
sprint!

This is how I generally recommend you deadlift:Start Position:? Feet shoulder width apart
? Symmetrical overhand grip*
? Bar against shins
? Shoulders vertically over the bar
? Back flat, pelvis and head aligned with spine
? Scapula retracted and depressed*Reverse
the grip (over/under) when loading causes slippage. Use of straps
should be minimized (for forearm size development in the bodybuilder,
and grip strength in the athlete).Get Set:
(Immediately prior to take-off)? Extend the legs slightly to take up slack (tension on the bar).
? Suck the tummy thin (ensuring pelvis is neutral with spine, not arched or rounded).
? Squeeze cheeks?no, not those cheeks, the other ones (to add focus to the point that this is where I want the drive to come from).
? Raise tension in the upper back, where scapula position is to be held.Take Off:
(First pull from ground to just above the knees)? Extend the legs, imagining pushing the legs through the ground, using gluts as prime mover.
?
As the legs extend, the trunk angle does not change (stays at the same
angle as in start), i.e. the hips do not raise them faster than the
shoulders?even slightly!).
? The upper back is maintained in a flat position (scapula retracted/depressed).
? Bar stays in contact with the skin at all times.
? Drive with legs?the back is a stabilizer!Second Pull:
(From just above the knees to standing)? Now you stand up, forcing the hips through with drive from the gluteals.
? Bar stays in contact with the skin at all times.
? Finish in an upright position (no need to hyperextend the trunk or roll the shoulders!).
? If the upper back position is held throughout, the shoulders will be down and back in the finish position automatically.Lowering:Unlike
most exercises (including the squat), the eccentric phase of the
deadlift is not a reverse mirror image of the concentric. As a general
comment, unless I see the specific need, I therefore do not place as
much importance on the lowering of the deadlift as I would in other
lifts, such as the squat.As far as how often to do them,
frequency is influenced by many factors, but generally speaking, the
deadlift warrants equal or slightly less frequency than the squat. I
usually do one of each (or their variations) per week; that is the
full, loaded, conventional (bent-knee deadlift). The lighter variations
may survive greater frequency, but if balanced in volume with quad
dominant exercises, I still would not usually raise frequency from 1
per week or 1 microcycle.Now, deadlift away!Q: I'm sure
you've heard this over and over, but I'll ask it again at the risk of
sounding redundant. How the hell can I put some mass on my calves?!
I've been training for a solid six years, and in that time I've gone
from 115 to 175 pounds. Unfortunately, my calves (and forearms) are
pretty much weak and pathetic. I've tried high reps, low reps, and
everything in between, with little in the way of real results. Help!A:
You say that you have tried all sorts of methods over six years to
increase your calves. But the first thing I want to know is this?have
you ever done a program where calves and/or forearms were the first
muscle group trained on the first day of the week or microcycle? If
not, then doing this may be all I need to tell you for you to take it
to the next level. Additionally, if these muscles are your true weak
links, what percentage of total training time have you spent using
programs that prioritized these muscle groups in the way I suggest?Just in case you passed the above "test," try the following calf workout:

1) Single leg bodyweight standing calf press to failure using body weight, done at a 321 tempo

No rest, then:

2) Same leg, single leg bodyweight calf press to failure with your torso bent forward, at 321

No rest, then:

3) Same leg, single leg calf press on incline leg press machine at 321

No rest, then:

4) Same leg, single leg calf press on seated calf press machine at 321

No rest, then:

5)
Same leg, single leg toe ups (dorsi flexion?you can do this on the
lying leg curl machine by putting your toes under the bottom roller pad
and raising the foot toward your body) to failure at 311

No rest, then:

6)
Same leg, single leg hopping for between 60-120 reps, without any heel
contact on ground (height of hop is not that important for now? just
get the volume in?the more the better)

No rest, then:

7) Same leg, single leg balance for 30 seconds to 1 minute (if you find it to be easy, close your eyes)

Now you can rest for a minute or two or go to the hospital. Then make sure you do the other leg.Make sure you use full range and controlled tempo. When you are no longer able to maintain either, move to the next exercise.If
you are really keen, you can always go for a second multi-set, but I
would prefer you wait until the next day or two before determining your
calves' tolerance to this program. After all, not being able to walk
can be a limiting factor.T
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