This digest contains the following messages:

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 15:07:17 +1000
From: Teri Pokere 
Subject: Poor Achilles Tendon Flexibility - Deadlift Technique

Hi Guys,

I have been doing deadlifts in the past and will again do them
tomorrow.  My problem appears to be this: My technique may not be
correct because of a lack of flexibility in my achilles tendons.  I have
read technique recommendations that the hips should be lower than the
knees when beginning the movement but thought that this was a
unintentional mistake until I read it somewhere else as well.  

I do not know if the lack of flexibility was caused by ankle injuries
(Rugby) or just a general lack of motion.  Just testing now, I find it
hard to even go to parallel without my heels wanting to come off the
floor. My questions are 1) what is the best technique to do this
exercise for overall strength and 2) I take it that static stretching
will be involved for flexibility what parameters or techniques have
people found to be effective.

thanx
Teri
PS I am 174 cm tall or 5 foot eight and a half (yes when you're my
height you include the half inches) if this makes any difference to the
technique.  Maybe it's closer to 7/16ths and I'm underselling myself,
wait guys I'll be right back .
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Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:16:10 PST
From: "Berserker _" 
Subject: Leg presses and extensions



Rob, you said that the Cybex PL leg press hurt your knees? How did this 
happen? Usually in injury occurs if you haven't warmed up properly, 
piled on too much weight, used faulty technique, or the machine/exercise 
was biocmechanically incorrect. ALL leg press machines, or any machine 
for that matter, is an ego massager. But then again, so are bench 
presses. I personally, have found the Cybex PL leg press to be quite 
safe because of its stopping mechanism. The older model leg presses have 
them, but they're too far in front and only stop the weight if you're 
locked out. 

So what does this Hammer leg press look like? It seems like no gym in my 
area (L.A) has one. 

About the knee extensions: If balance is not an issue (according to 
Hahn), then why do knee extensions? I have read about and experienced 
safety hazards associated with single-joint exercises such as knee 
extensions, laterals, flyes, tricep extensions, et al, and I don't think 
it matters what machine you do these particular exercises on, since they 
are all potentially aggracating, even with proper technique. Again, this 
is just my experience and I'm sure others can rebuke me for this.





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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 10:21:38 +0200
From: Mark Hill 
Subject: Re: HIT Digest, digest #102

>         I read some real positive comments about using what was called the
> ABCDE diet for gaining mass. What is this diet? What does it consist of? I
> haven't heard about it
> Roy
Details of the ABCDE programme are available at the Muscle Media web
site. URL is www.musclemedia.com

Ciao

Mark Hill
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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 12:46:57 +0200 (EET)
From: Rolf Sodergard 
Subject: Re: Squats, by Ken Roberts (HIT Digest #100)

Ken,

I'm 6'2" (I win :) and also hate squatting. I too feel very awkward doing
the exercise: I can't find a good position for my back, I either lean too
much forward or feel like falling on my butt, I have to take an extra wide
stance, and I can't produce any force in the bottom position. I deadlift
445 and can leg press about the same as anyone my size, but guess how much
(?) I squat... 11x100 lbs!

Anyway, what I decided to do was to squat. I've avoided it for a LONG time
because I feel ridicilous, but then again, my muscles don't know how much
I'm lifting. What I'd like to know is: does anyone have any explanation
for my unproportionally poor squat? (I actually don't have very long
legs.)

	Rolle

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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 09:17:46 EST
From: MacThai@aol.com
Subject: Re: Hipbelt squats

In 35+ years of training I've used the hipbelt a few times. Most recently with
the Iron Mind Hipbelt. I always get the same results. I get stronger but my
knees always start to hurt. The Iron Mind Hip belt is well made as is all
thier products. It's just the movement that bothers me.
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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 09:39:12 -0500 (EST)
From: "R.A. Onufer" 
Subject: strong forearms, stable wrists

	I have found that my regular forearm routine consisting of wrist
curls and hammer curls once a week caused me to develop a very sore left
wrist afterwards. When I abstained from this routine for a couple of weeks
my wrist recovered and no further disomfort followed. Now I am open to any
ideas of how to build forearms without injuring my wrist.
Roy

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Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 00:28:53 +0800
From: John 
Subject: German Volume Training

What you think about German Volume Training?  It is a system based on 10

sets x 10 reps of compound movements with a weight of approximately 60%
of 1RM using relatively slow tempo -- 4-0-2-0.  A fuller explanation can

be found at http://www.musclemedia.com/v51/v51_gvt.html

Thanks.
john.mark@pobox.com




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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 13:12:21 -0800
From: Jim 
Subject: re: ABCDE diet

Dear "R. A.",
	go to http://www.musclemedia.com/  and all the articles written about
this diet can be obtained from this site

Best regards,

Jim
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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 10:18:50 PST
From: "Brad Collins" 
Subject: Re: Deadlift and Squat Intensity

Oops, I meant to include the URL where I was viewing the pictures on 
Tom's web site:

http://www.golden.net/~tomb/dead.html

Brad

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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 10:17:46 PST

From: "Brad Collins" 

Subject: Re:  Squats and Deadlift Intensity



Tom Wrote:



>I have some pictures of me doing a squat and deadlift if anyone >sees 

my form is wrong please let me no since I have never actually >had 

anyone look at it. I tried when I was new in the gym but even >then I 

could tell they where just guessing. 



First off, a BIG CONGRATS!  What a transformation you have made!  If 

anyone thinks they "can't", you should take a trip to Tom's web site and 

look at his before and after pics.  An amazing transformation.



On your squat form:  It looks like you may be back lifting your reps 

when you start to get fatigued.  It is hard to tell from the pic, but it 

appears you are doing high bar squats and the angle of your upper body 

with the bar high on your traps leads me to this guess.  And, yes, it is 

a guess.   Your stance appears to be a bit close as well.  A closer 

stance does not mean bigger front quads (a myth).



On your deadlift:  You are back lifting your deadlifts.  I would guess 

the first photos were with a light weight and more "posed".  Or, at the 

beginning of the set.  The last rep picture during the set shows common 

errors in the deadlift that could lead to serious injury.  Or, when done 

over time, chronic back pain.  Especially if you exploded off the floor.  

The bar is out from your body, and your back is rounded.  You may have 

degraded to this form?  Not to pick on Tom here...the errors in the 

photo are COMMON deadlift errors. 



The deadlift movement is not straight up as many people think.  It is 

really back.  The weight should not be on your toes.  Some weighted ab 

work may help your back rounding.  Also, weak quads are sometimes the 

culprit.



Take notice of the top picture when the bar is at the knees and then the 

actual 8th rep in the set.  Big difference.



Also, I think using a Swiss Ball is inviting injury.  Just my opinion.



I hope my comments help you and others with deadlift form.



Again, congrats on a truly remarkable physical transformation!



Brad




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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:16:41 PST
From: "Juan Castro" 
Subject: Re: HIT Digest, digest #102

> From: JawDogs@aol.com

> So let's be clear -- density has nothing to do with total amount. 

In your analogy you are saying that relative and absolute amounts are 
two different things.  You also imply that the absolute amount is the 
one to note.  Yet in your aerobics article in The Master Trainer, you 
argued that sleeping is more aerobic than running.  I can see that the 
*relative* amount of aerobic system vs anaerobic is greater for 
sleeping, but the absolute usage of both must be higher for running.  
Why don't you consider the absolute amount more important in this case?

> It does not take very long at all to adapt neurologically to any > 
strength training exercise, maybe two sessions. An personal > 
observation happened last summer when I stepped into the batting > cages 
at Chelsea Piers after not having hit a fast-pitched baseball > for oh, 
say, 15 years since I played in college. It took me > literally 2 or 3 
swings and I was belting hardline drives all over > the place. (OK I'll 
be honest -- I went into the 80 mile an hour > cage not the 90 -- but 
most college pitchers throw 75-85 mph tops.) > Neural adaptations are 
not that significant after the first few > sessions.

This seems to be in contradiction with what you wrote in your first 
article in Hardgainer.  There you talked about the difficulties of motor 
learning when going from a barbell curl to a dumbbell curl.  Why do you 
say here that neural adaptations are so soon if it takes so long to 
learn the motions?  Also, how do you know that the neural adaptations 
take place so soon?



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Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 21:50:16 -0800
From: "James Krieger" 
Subject: Reply to Fred Hahn's comments

>From: JawDogs@aol.comSubject:
>First and foremost there is no evidence whatsoever that hyperplasia occurs
inhumans.
> In other words, Mr. Krieger's contention that one must train in acertain
way in order to increase the amount >of myofibrils is unfounded in
thescienctific literature.

I do not recall a single post to this digest where I have stated that
hyperplasia occurs in humans.  Also, you are confusing myofibrils with
muscle fibers.  Muscle fibers are made up of hundreds and thousands of
myofibrils.  An increase in muscle fiber area (hypertrophy) is due to both
an increase in the size and number of myofibrils.  So, you can "increase
the amount of myofibrils."

Hyperplasia is an increase in the total amount of muscle fibers, not
myofibrils.

>So let's be clear -- density has nothing to do withtotal amount.

Density is effected by total amount just as it is effected by fiber size. 
Decrease fiber size, increase density.  However, increase mitochondrial
number, increase density.

>As far as muscular size is concerned, it appears that Mr. Krieger is
completlyoverlooking the issue of >genetics.

I do not understand how I have overlooked the issue of genetics.  Please
clarify.

> If Woody Allen was trained by Dr. Kraemerand others of his ilk, he would
not, let me repeat NOT become >more muscularthan if he was trained by Mike
Mentzer, myself or any other high-intensityinstructor.

Nowhere have I insinuated that Dr. Kraemer would somehow better train Woody
Allen than Mike Mentzer.  However, I also would never insinuate that Mike
Mentzer would do a better job than Dr. Kraemer.

Simply because I cite some of Dr. Kraemer's research and writings does not
mean that I agree with everything that Dr. Kraemer says.  There have been
some writings by Dr. Kraemer that I have definite disagreements with.

> With all due respect, Mr. Krieger's biology regarding fiber type,
proteinbreakdown, neural adaptations, >muscle "damage" as a result of
training, etc.are not quite correct. Put simply, if a muscle is stronger it
>must be larger.It certainly can't be smaller and it can't remain the same
so...  I!
> f we takeMr. Krieger's logic a step further, he is essentially saying
that it ispossible to increase the size of >a muscle without increasing its
strength.

You have distorted my logic.  Let me supply you with the following logic:

A man is an animal.  However, an animal is not necessarily a man.

The same goes with strength training:

A bigger muscle is a stronger muscle (usually).  However, a stronger muscle
is not necessarily a bigger muscle.

Many factors play into strength development.  Muscle hypertrophy is only
one factor.

Also, it is possible to "increase the size of a muscle without increasing
its strength", if the strength task is different from the trained task (1).
 For example, let's say I increase my squat poundage by 40 lbs, and I also
obtain an increase in thigh muscle cross sectional area.  However, if I
were to test myself on leg extensions, I might find that either my leg
extensions have not improved at all or have not improved by the same
percentage that my squats did.  This is the SAID principle at work.

1.  Sale, D.G., J.E. Martin, and D.E. Moroz.  Hypertrophy without increased
isometric strength after weight training.  Eur. J. Appl. Physiol.  64:1. 
51-5.  1992.

>As far as neural degradation is concerned, if you already know how to ride
abike you could wait 20 years >before ever getting on one and once you did,
offyou'd go. It does not take very long at all to adapt >neurologically to
anystrength training exercise, maybe two sessions.

You are confusing the idea of fine motor learning and skill development,
such as riding a bike, with neurological adaptations incurred by resistance
training, such as increased agonist activation.  For example, I could take
an exercise that takes almost no skill at all, such as a leg extension, and
achieve significant strength gains yet see little or no muscle hypertrophy.
 This is due to the complex neural adjustments made within the muscle, such
as an alteration in the frequency of excitations placed upon a motor unit
during activation.

Neural adaptations take place over a much, much longer period of time then
simply two training sessions.  Large increases in strength have been found
over several weeks of training with no hypertrophy (2).  It has also been
found that training only one limb can result in strength gains in the
untrained limb (2), another tribute to neural adaptations.

2.  Moritani, T.  Time Course of Adaptations during Strength and Power
Training.  In:  Strength and Power in Sport, ed. P.V. Komi.  Cambridge, MA:
 Blackwell Scientific.  1992.

James
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