for several months, about once per week, i’ll a few sets of pistols throughout the day (set of 10 at 9, 10 right before lunch, and 10 around 3) as a precursor to a leg workout later that evening. because of a lack of weights to really beef up my squat, i’m kinda stuck with pistols to get my basic pushing leg strength, and it seems that a set every few hours, while not enough to kill as far as volume goes, can still help with basic strength. if i do this during the day, my evening workout will consist typically of good mornings, bw squats done tabata-style, and stance work or yoga.
I’m a big fan of incidental exercise throughout the day. I’ll bust out some pushups, situps, pistols, etc. at random whenecer the chance arrives. Often I’ll be found swinging off doorframes doing a few chins or pullups too.
It’s great for making your body perform at a moments notice as well as improving strength, endurance, whatever…
a pistol is a one-legged squat. unweighted leg is typically pointed straight forward, back is hunched forward to balance the base leg properly. it’s nice, because it also works balance, seems to work the ass end of things a little differently (but i don’t do heavy squats, so i know ford and fatherdog will differ on this one ;)) and just changes things up a bit.
think of it this way:
david weighs (rounding up) 190. guestimate that shins and feet weigh 15 per side, so i’m really only moving 160. now, do that on one leg, and since only one lower leg is unsprung (car talk :p), the remaining lower leg counts as actual weight. thus, i’m technically moving a very roughly estimated 175 with that single leg. add that to the other leg, and that’s 350 and i could probably press 350 for reps. i doubt i could squat that much, as the other muscles in play, particularly those in the posterior chain that hold the weight properly overhead, are much more affected during squats than leg presses.
i’m getting a bit ahead of myself, i think. 7*,ford, fd, iron – check my math and my grasp of the reality of pistols vs. squats/presses.
how do you guys do your good mornings? It’s a lighter variation on a pilates style teaser right? which is just legs extended, and raised,butt/bottom of spine planted, arms extended to front, crunch from floor and hold, extend up…rpt…is that close?
Actually, in my experience Pistols are not really like squatting almost twice your bodyweight. In fact, they don’t seem to work my quads that much, either.
Why do I say this? Here’s why:
I can do pistols for reps but I can’t squat twice my bodyweight even once (haha told you I was weak).
After I finish a hard barbell squat workout and my legs are so shakey I can barely walk, I can still crank out a few pistols. This is why I say they don’t seem like they really involve the quads that much. Yes, I know the quads are responsible for leg extension, which is the movement against gravity here, but still. Maybe it’s just my weird skeletal structure or something.
So it’s weird. I know they DO work the quads, it just doesn’t seem like they do it that much.
As for the original question, doing stuff throughout the day can be helpful. Pavel calls it “greasing the groove” (GTG) I think. He calls something GTG, and I think that’s it. Anyway, he had a “build up to 100 pushups” routine that was based around that principal. It supposedly got you there in 2 weeks (as opposed to the one I always posted the link to which took 10 weeks), but his required doing pushups like every hour or so every day for two weeks, which isn’t practical for everyone.
Anyway, I don’t know too much about different protocol for GTG (like how close to failure you should come, frequency, sets, reps, etc.), but I would assume that it is best for developing neurological efficiency. Like just doing a couple reps of something (not going to failure) every so often throughout the day is most likely the best way to GTG.
Originally posted by blooming lotus how do you guys do your good mornings? It’s a lighter variation on a pilates style teaser right?
No. It’s a barbell exercise where you place the barbell across your back like you’re going to squat, and bend forward at the waist.
Actually, just read the description and see the pictures here. Except it looks to me like this guy bends a little too far forward and bends his neck and rounds his back too much. You should keep your back straight.
Ford, do you agree that the guy in that demo rounds his back too much?
ok..I had a look at that..I can see what you mean about the neck…I’ll see what I come up with for an aternative, but cheers
Originally posted by IronFist
[B]Actually, in my experience Pistols are not really like squatting almost twice your bodyweight. In fact, they don’t seem to work my quads that much, either.
Why do I say this? Here’s why:
I can do pistols for reps but I can’t squat twice my bodyweight even once (haha told you I was weak).
After I finish a hard barbell squat workout and my legs are so shakey I can barely walk, I can still crank out a few pistols. This is why I say they don’t seem like they really involve the quads that much. Yes, I know the quads are responsible for leg extension, which is the movement against gravity here, but still. Maybe it’s just my weird skeletal structure or something.
So it’s weird. I know they DO work the quads, it just doesn’t seem like they do it that much.
MAYBE IT’S SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE IN SQUATS AND PISTOLS YOUR ONLY REALLY DOING THE SAME MUSCLE GROUP BUT WALKING USES A DIFFERENT RANGE SO MAYBE THE LACTIC ACID IS NOT SO PROMINENT OR FRE WHEN IN THE SAME MOVEMENT OR GROUP???
As for the original question, doing stuff throughout the day can be helpful. Pavel calls it “greasing the groove” (GTG) I think. He calls something GTG, and I think that’s it. Anyway, he had a “build up to 100 pushups” routine that was based around that principal. It supposedly got you there in 2 weeks (as opposed to the one I always posted the link to which took 10 weeks), but his required doing pushups like every hour or so every day for two weeks, which isn’t practical for everyone.
[/B]
i CAME BACK FROM cHINA IN NOV SICK AS A DOG, WITH SARS LIKE CRAP IN BODY…LONG STORY SHORT, JUST RECENTLY AS IN MID/END OF JAN GOT BACK INTO FULL(ISH ROUTINE AND NO SH*T I WAS HAVING DOUBTS, BUT YOU JST GOTTA DO IT. YRS OF PRECONDITIONING HELPS BUT PUMPING OUT A HUNDRED SHOULD BE NO DRAMA, IT’S IN YOUR HEAD…GET THE JOB DONE
I do pistols and one-arm push-ups throughout the day too as well as some other flexability, ROM, and breath stuff. I even just started the exercises in that gymnastics article at dragondoor. The principle behind “greasing the groove” is synaptic facillitation, which is refininement of neuro-motor pathways. I think we talked about this a bit on some other thread, but basically the more you do something, the more efficient your nervous system becomes at making your body do it due to a number of factors like increased fiber recruitment, neuropathway selection, growth of synapses along that neuro-motor pathway, etc. This is one of the same driving forces behind Pavel’s PTP program as well.
Originally posted by rubthebuddha seems to work the ass end of things a little differently (but i don’t do heavy squats, so i know ford and fatherdog will differ on this one ;))
Well, I know when I do pistols, my squatting leg isn’t positioned the same as when I do squats. If you squatted with your legs in the same positioning as when you do pistols, it would probably work the muscles the same way.
are you telling me that you guys only train wide squats??
as for greasing the groove and working up to the 100 pushups…while I agree with that exercise andactivity should be done throughout your day…what kinda bullsh*tted excuse is that? What I was saying is that I was recently and for a while quite sick and not in the greatest condition…I found the best remedy for that is to start as you mean to continue, get it done already…I’m sure you’ll all disagree but I think the whole working up to it jazz is greatly people gradually convincing themselves they can do more…what ever works though
Iron does narrow squats. That’s why he’s so weak :D.
As to the 100 pushups thing, there’s no way I could do 100 pushups. Maybe if I had an hour to do them in and could rest at the top. Dunno, never tried, not a priority. I struggle with 30, and my speed goes way down at the end. I don’t think it’s a mental thing, more a lack of endurance in that specific exercise.
The guy doing good mornings is doing them with locked knees. I don’t even have that much flexibility without rounding my back. I’m no good-morning expert, but I’d be looking straight ahead at the bottom to help maintain a straight back, not looking at the ground. I’d also bend my knees a bit to help my lack of flexibility. It’s not a hamstring stretch exercise, although that’s probably a side benefit. I’d probably have the bar a bit lower too, a hangover from my squat style.
Originally posted by Toby
[B]Iron does narrow squats. That’s why he’s so weak :D.
. I’d also bend my knees a bit to help my lack of flexibility.my [/B]
I’m obviously no goodmorning expert myself, but I think if you did that you’d take some work out of your glutes? but then again..could be wrong …but I’m pretty sure you’d comprimise something???
I want to leave this one up for a day or two, then I’ll take it down.