We all know the importance of a strong core is...especially in strength sports. One exercise rises above the rest to give you that strong core...it is often a forgotten lift, which is a shame because it produces tremendous results. The lift I am talking about is the overhead squat. The overhead squat is especially important if you compete using overhead lifts, but it can also produce great results for powerlifters, or anyone who just wants a strong core. I feel this is the best assistance exercise to building a big overhead press, whether strict pressing or doing a jerk. A lot of people recommend not going heavy with this lift, because it can potentially hurt the shoulders, but I recommend heavy singles as long as you can handle it...at least give it a try. I also include heavy overhead squats to a high box/bench overloading the lift. I go into detail in my upcoming book about the overhead squat and it's importance. If you have any other questions about this lift or it's importance, please let me know.
I get asked to wrap knees fairly often because I've garnered a reputation for being sadistic, which as everyone knows is what lifters look for in a good knee wrapper. It's perfectly okay to wrap your knees yourself, frankly I usually wrap my own unless I'm going heavy and need a little extra pain/support. Having a friend (or at least someone who doesn't smell) wrap your knees when you need them tight can save you a little energy for that big lift, and is well worth it. Because so many of the kids we coach feign incompetence when it comes to knee wraps, i've posted a quick clip of a good (but not the only) method of wrapping someone else's knees. As you can see in the video, the lifter (Molly) braces her foot against the thigh of the wrapper (Jesus), and flexes her quad which keeps her knee cap in place – getting a tight wrap over a floating knee cap sucks in the worst way. We start at the top of the knee, about one wrap width above the top of the knee cap, and the lifter holds the end of the wrap while the wrapper begins wrapping in middle increments around the knee to about one wrap width below, then comes back up. Middle increments means each revolution goes over the bottom 50% of the wrap above, and vice versa on the way up. At the top, we tie off with a simple bow, which will stay in place if done correctly due to the tension in the wrap – a good pull usually suffices. At the end of the lift, just tug on one end of the wrap and the wrap unravels itself. This method saves a lot of wasted time and energy fumbling with the end of the wrap both before and after the lift. Sometimes I fumble on purpose because I am, after all, somewhat sadistic, but if you like your training partners, this is a good way to go.
Hi, my name is Scott Parker. I am honored to be posting on this blog. I am a Colorado resident and have lived and lifted in many places- Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, among others.
For me, powerlifting has been one of the single most powerful influences in my life- besides family. Way back in 1981, I read Terry Todd's great book titled, "Inside Powerlifting." I learned about all of the greats- Larry Pacifico, Tony Fitton and others. I was hooked. No more wrestling or soccer. Powerlifting is what I wanted to learn.
As I said above, I grew up in Ohio. In the book, it indicated that Larry Pacifico is an Ohioan. So, the next day, while at school, I looked him up and used the principal's phone to call. He wasn't there, so I left a mesage. I was nervous and didn't expect a call back. Resigned, I went back to class. Wouldn't you know it, while dozing in class, he called back. My principal fetched me and let me use his phone. I nervously returned the call. I introduced myself and explained that I had read about him and asked if I could meet him. He said yes and invited me to come lift at his gym, Power Elite.
That next Sunday, I drove the 45 minutes to the gym. What a day. I walked in and introduced myself. He then proceeded to introduce me to the best- Mike Bridges, John Topsoglue, Eric Stuber and Tim Martin, among others. I was even allowed to train. What a day! This little 16 year-old kid lifting with giants! I continued training there until I left for college.
This whole reminiscing episode may seem boring to many. What I am trying to point out is that this sport has a great history. One that is never spoken.
Without Larry Pacifico, I could have never competed or, for that matter, I would have eventually injured myself with poor technique. Also, and most importantly, he taught me self-confidence. Without his support, I probably would have never gone to college and then on to become a physician. So, for me, Powerlifting actually made me what I am today. Thank you Larry!
As you may already surmise, my future postings will discuss my version of the history of powerlifting, including it's evolution, individuals that influenced me and the greats of the sport. Of course, I will discuss other topics as I think of them.
Have a great Holiday Season. Feel free to contact me- Scott
Tonights focus was on two of the lifts that I plan on breaking records for at the USAWA record day. So for the next week it is going to be relaxing. The weights that I chose to open with felt pretty good. I will keep you updated on the meet. Im not trying to be secretive, but for some reason I hate talking about what I will be doing, because you never know what God has in store. Have a great rest of the weekend. God Bless.
In the meantime check out 440lbs overhead in a cool HOP shirt!
There are many more lifters out there who train alone than those who train with a team. For over a decade I trained by myself in a high school basement gym. At the time it was my Utopia, or so I thought.
I was never more content than lifting at any time I wanted with nobody to worry about except myself. Oddly enough my gains were tough and training was hard. I didn't realize this was a bad thing until I started training with a team.
In a team environment you ALWAYS have someone pushing you, helping you, giving you feedback and support. All of this is critical to growth and not just physical growth but mental growth. You will be more challenged by a team than by yourself. Goals are set and met by team members and by self that are higher than individual goals.
If you are lucky enough to be a coach the rewards are much greater than self. When one of my lifters does well that means I do well. When one of them fails I have failed them AND myself. The highs are very high but the lows are hell.
Today my team and I went to an L.A. Fitness for a training/recruitment day. We will start training at area gyms in the hopes that we can get one or two NEW team members. This team, Team RIP, was started in a very small garage by three; J.R., Bob and Heather. We are now about 10 or so strong. We have grown by over 300% in the last three years. We did this by word of mouth and recruiting lifters.
Growth, in member numbers, is critical when building a team. They won't come over night but they will come. It's up to me and my O-Coordinator, Bob (aka Puke), to build the team and make them better. We grow together and we grow bigger totals.
If you are new to this sport then find a team and learn. Be open-minded, keep your eyes and ears wide open. Be a vacuum for knowledge. Suck it all in but retain it and learn. Grow in self and grow in team. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger
Stepping on the scales and seeing me in the 400lb range give or take has me asking the famous question again. Can you live a long normal life as a shw lifter? First, being a Christian, I feel anything is possible with the Lord. However, talking to a doctor or someone who doesnt know strength training...most of the time it would be a quick answer of no. A famous answer is: Well do you see many shw's walking around at 70? My answer to that is, do you that many massive shw's period? We are a rare breed. When walking around I get numerous people walking up to me asking about my size...how much do i lift...etc..not tooting my own horn, but just stating a fact. I have personally always been a big guy...Always able to move well and quickly for my size...played full court basketball at around 340lbs...i still surf. So am I supposed to be this big? I really dont know? I know one of the writers on here, Mr Jim Voronin weighed a massive 395sh lbs before deciding to drop down to near 300lbs. I am sure he could shed some light on this topic as well, regarding his decisions. Personally, even before weighing 300lbs I debated losing weight. This was before I became a serious strength athlete. It was mainly so my lifestyle of surfing could be easier. Now every once in a while I will seriously contimplate losing weight, but then always fall back to the old ways of falling off of a diet plan. Living in a busy world, it is hard to eat healthy all the time...and to not eat as much...and of course comes the worry of losing weight and losing strength. I know some talk of how they have done it, but it seems impossible for the most part to not lose strength when you lose weight. I have never really tried to force myself to get bigger...it has come naturally. I have never done steroids, and dont take any supplements. I have always just been a big guy, who slowly keeps getting bigger...but does that matter? I guess there really is not one simple answer. You see marathon runners and track stars passing on, who are supposed to be the epitome of what it means to be in shape...and by the same token you see a man who has smoked his whole life living to his 90s. You just never really know...I certainly dont know the answer...All I can say is to keep the trust in The Lord above. I would love to hear some thoughts from others on this subject. Have a great weekend and God Bless.
