Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Just get stronger



MMA is a great example of this.











  1. For me, study and science about lifting is like being on a power-play in hockey. You have to know how to take the advantage of it and you still have to play to score the goal.

  2. I agree without a proper base and without a proper progression of increased intensity over the period of the "real" training plan, these wrestlers raise up their chance of injury exponentially not to mention the head-games that can occur this early in the mma gym.

  3. Really needed that article Paul.

    I was lucky enough to train with Andy Bolton for 3 hours at his gym in leeds last week. It was my Christmas present from my girlfriend. Meeting Andy was an amazing experience for me and he is a awesome guy.
    He taught me to squat with a really wide stance and to really shove my knees out as much as can on my decent. Now ive always squatted with a raw shoulder width squat. So squatting really wide felt very unnatural for me. I am a complete beginner and still have not even squatted or deadlifted 300lbs Also he recommended squatting 1 time a week as well (which for me still at beginners stage I know I can squat heavy at least twice). . My point is meeting Andy was unbelievable for me and I will never for get it. But I think I should tweak what he taught me to my lifting goals and needs.

    He did say to me that I had pretty good technique on all my big lifts anyway. So if Andy Bolton says that to me then I should stop worrying over every fucking minute detail and just focus on getting stronger. Cheers Paul

  4. To me what your article emphasizes is what nurses have been using for decades....EBP vs SS. Or Evidence Based Practice versus Scientific Study.

    The lifters reading phd level thesis on range of movement, speed of movement etc. versus "every time I squeeze the bar like I want to break it on the bench my elbows rotate in and I have a stronger push."

    Lifters need a combination of both, but primarily EBP.

    Another example, I work with people that have sustained traumatic brain injuries. We have an office dog. The clients are visibly happier and more relaxed when/after petting the dog. My EBP says the dog has a positive effect on client mood. I don't need a scientific study to prove it, the proof is in the pudding so to speak. Though studies on endorphin and serotonin triggers in the brain due to tactile stimulation have been studied at length, I don't need them.

    Time under the bar finding what works has more weight and application the specialized studies, in my opinion.

    To further this discussion these two principles, lifters could also employ, either loosely or formally with a very itemized/specific journal: SMART and ADPIE.

    SMART is for goal setting. Goals are general, objectives are specific. or..I want to lift more on the squat is the goal. Dan will squat 5lbs more by Jan 1, 2014 on his EDM. Every Goal can me broken down into many smaller Objectives. Objectives are Specific, Measurable,Achievable, Realistic, and have a Time element.

    ADPIE you apply to your overall plan. Assess, Diagnose, Plan, Implement, Evaluate. This is how you develop and evaluate your own EBP to your lifting. When I squat at my EDM my knees buckle, Assess. I have a weakness in my outer quads. I will add the following exercises, A, B, C. I Implement those exercises for 6-8 weeks. After 6-8 weeks I evaluate my squat with my current EDM. and so on.

    This was quite long. I apologize. Hopefully you will find it somewhat helpful. Thank you for the time you put into your blog.


    1. No I quite enjoyed that! The input about the dog is a great example. You don't need any scientific data for you to know the effect that the dog has on patients. You can see it for your eyes. Shit, I wish I would have thought of such an example.

  5. hey paul currently whats your deadlift max or edm and your stiff legged romanian deadlift edm or max? because i was doing stiff rdl last night and it seemed too too light for me i was getting no affect im very strict on my form, my deads right is about 315-330ish for a single, but i was doing a top single of stiff rdl at 185, i think i programmed too low. How much weight in relation to your dead max are you throwing around so i can have an idea? thank you paul!

    1. If your EDM is 330 then 280 should be what you're working with. I don't base my stiff legged off of it. I don't test a max on that.

  6. hi paul my deadlift max is 210kg/426lb and i will work with BB model I for deadlift with 160kg/352lb 5x3... how long should i do that and when i should move to heavier weight??

  7. I don't need to get stronger ED COAN SAID I CAN PULL 1200 SO I QUIT LIFTING CAUSE THAT MEANS I ALREADY PULLED 12000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

    1. First - If you're going to troll, get the joke right.

      Second - You don't even post with a name, because it's easier to hide behind a fake name on the internet than to talk shit to someone's face, which you assuredly would not do. Not to me. Ever.