what do you do for shoulder day?

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by Dan C

Far more than you needed.

I think it was Steve Reeves that said something like, "If you can press your bodyweight overhead for reps, what is the point in doing lateral raises?"

I think that was Reg Park Dan, if you read it in "MILO", either way, I'm sure Steve felt the same way :

I gotta dig up pics of my great uncle and see how he looked, (he's still alive, don't know him really though) I was told by my grandparents that he was built very well, "V" shape and very big arms and shoulders, he used to perform hand balencing acts and used to walk on his hands all the time,(I can imagine his upper body was better developed) plus he competed in "standing military press", "clean and jerk" and "snatch", thats probaily all he trained, he was like 6'3" and 215 (1940's) or so (why didn't I get these genes?)

[Dan C]

Yeah, maybe it was Reg.

That's really cool about your uncle... you should invite him over sometime on a training day. Not that he'd be flippin tires or anything, but I bet he'd like to see what we do - tell him we'll cook up some burgers. I bet he'd take to some grip work though... hand balancers have crazy wrist strength, and I bet he's still strong too.

Either way, it's always cool to hear about the 'golden era' strait from the old-timers. He probably knows half the guys we read about.

[luke.w]

yeah man, I'm suprised my grandmom didn't bring him up to the strongman comp., I know he does photoagrphy on models and stuff (bb'ers) so he works alot, I'll see about getting in touch with him.

[tim_mcf]

Originally Posted by Dan C

Far more than you needed.

I think it was Steve Reeves that said something like, "If you can press your bodyweight overhead for reps, what is the point in doing lateral raises?"

Well, I'm a long way from pressing my bodyweight overhead for reps.

What would you recommend I cut out?

[Jaster]

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

Nate, what's a high pull?

The other day, based on advice from here and research on the internet, I did:

Arnold press, face pull (which didn't go too well - I kept falling over forwards), upright row, back fly, side delt circles, front raise, jaster shrug. Probably more than I needed. The side delt circles were VERY challenging, and the jaster shrug was a great finisher.

Well you all know I do Jaster Shrugs!! I'm glad others are too!!!

To perform a high pull:

STARTING POSITION: 1. Approach bar. Walk up until shins are only approximately 1 inch away. Feet should slightly narrower then shoulder width apart. Feet under hips. Looking straight ahead, squat down, grab bar, use overhand grip with thumb wrapped, hand position is slightly wider than shoulder width. This so when you "rack" the bar at the shoulder, your hands will be shading the outside of the shoulders.

2. Keep the back flat, just as in the bottom of the squat. Do this by tightening the back muscles while expanding the chest and keeping the shoulders square.

3. Keep the shoulders in front of the bar. (Follow this rule through the entire pull)

4. Weight should be distributed evenly on the foot. Hip to shoulder should be at 45 degree angle. The hips should not be so high that your body weight is over the toes or so low that the weight is back over heels.

5. Once this is learned, simply stand up. We are now ready for the power position.

POWER POSITION: Begin standing perfectly upright. Slightly bend knees. Set hips back slightly so to have a natural arch in the low back. Fix and lock your low back in that position. Proud chest. Head is in a natural alignment. This is your power position

HIGH PULL:1. Next component to learning to clean is the high pull. If you have mastered the power position and the power shrug, the high pull and hang clean will be simple.

2. High begins the same as the power shrug. The only difference is once the triple extension is perform along with the shrug, the arms will become unlocked and pull the bar to the top of the chest. Movement is very similar to an upright row done in an explosive, violent fashion. Elbows should travel to the ceiling. This will keep the bar tight to the body, which will make for an easier catch.

3. This is where the STOMP is introduced or the feet will replace. The feet will actually leave the ground and you will get air at the top of the high pull. The feet should land in exactly the same spot or close to where they left the ground. Common mistake is to spread the feet to drop under the bar. Two things happen; you don't generate enough power to pull the bar high enough to catch, and/or your feet are so wide that you can not catch it anyway. Your feet must be under you to make a clean catch.

This description is from PowerByHicks.com and is in preparation for doing a clean.

[Dan C]

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

Well, I'm a long way from pressing my bodyweight overhead for reps.

What would you recommend I cut out?

Everything that gets in the way of you pressing your bodyweight.

You can mess around with pink dumbbells and side delt circles but can't you see that an exercise like that pales in comparison to a press? You work the full range of motion with a heavier weight!

As a rule of thumb, compound movements take priority over isolation. Just pick one or two exercises for that body part, hit em as hard as you can, and move on.

[tim_mcf]

OK, to paraphrase: a high pull means you kind of do a deadlift, then it turns into an explosive upright row, and you catch it at the level of your delts in position to do an overhead press? (but don't actually do the press?)

[DarkLord]

I found something intruiging today, when I was working my shoulders I decided to start with a couple of sets of moderately heavy dumbbell presses, then move on to do a couple of sets of heavy barbell pressing. This way you start with the stablizer muscle getting going first and the core strength is better for the last couple of sets.

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

OK, to paraphrase: a high pull means you kind of do a deadlift, then it turns into an explosive upright row, and you catch it at the level of your delts in position to do an overhead press? (but don't actually do the press?)

Close -- you need to be explosive right from the start. Otherwise you miss out on the benefits of using heavy weights.

Also, you do not drop down and catch it. You finish in the upright row position, then drop the weight down in a controlled manner. If you caught it then it would have turned the movement into a clean.

[Dan C]

There's an exercise that will give you even more bang for your buck - a clean and press! High pulls are a good exercise but they're typically used as an accessory movement to the clean, for the clean.

You could work them from the hang position or the floor, either way you're hitting your shoulders with both a pulling and pressing motion! Cleaning the weight before you press it will strengthen you in a way so that you feel comfortable handling heavier weights overhead.

Find a 'coach' or at least some video clips to teach you the proper form because it is a technical lift that will require some practice to get good at.