You Have Weak Hips, Bro (The HARSH TRUTH!)

You heard me. The majority of gym bros (and even regular people) highly underestimate the value of the hip muscles in daily and athletic activities. Whether you are training for running, powerlifting, or even bodybuilding, the hip musculature play a vital role in aesthetics, injury-prevention, and strength. 

There are a lot of hip muscles. However, for the purposes of training, there are 3 main hip muscles that I recommend nearly everyone to train.

1. Adductors

 

The adductors are a collective group of muscles located in the inner thighs, and include the adductor brevis, longus and magnus. As you can probably guess by the name, the main function of the adductors is to adduct at the hips ie. bring the knees together. This muscle is activated quite well during squats, and so targeting these muscles in isolation can and will improve you squat numbers. 

The adductors: adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and gracillis

There are two ways to train the adductors. The first way is through the seated isolation machine. This will allow for standard progressive overload. The other way to do target the adductors is through the adduction side plank. This is where you elevate a single foot onto a surface (ie. a bench) and keep your other suspended in the air whilst in a side plank position. You can also do the copenhagen plank, which is a dynamic version of the adduction side plank. Either way, doing these free-weight type exercises will improve mobility at the hips whilst also strengthening the obliques to some degree. The only problem with this is that it is harder to progressively overload. The best thing I have found is putting a weight plate on the hips.

2. Abductors

 

Similar to the adductors, the abductors are a group of muscles located near the glutes which abduct at the hip ie. drive the knees outwards. They also play a role in extending and flexing the hip, and when stabilizing the pelvis. These can also be done on the seated isolation machine. I know that it may look sus but...who cares?? Just because it looks 'sus' doesn't mean we should sacrifice the stability and muscular development of our hips and sacrifice our long term gains! You can also do an abduction side plank, with one foot on the ground and the other foot right above it in the air. 

The abductors: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae, iliacus and psoas

3. Finally, the HIP FLEXORS!

 

The hip flexors are a trouble area. They insert at the hips and work to flex the hip ie. bring the leg upwards towards the torso. Many sprinters and sports players will need strong and resilient hip flexors in order to prevent over-striding when sprinting or just to maintain knee health. Either way, the hip flexors can be trained quite easily. You can do lying cable hip flexion on the cable machines in the gym. These can be done unilaterally, bilaterally, with a bent knee or with a straight knee. You can also do standing hip flexion by loading a kettlebell or ankle weight onto the feet, or you can do isometric hip flexion by loading a dumbbell onto the knees and holding that position for as long as possible. You could also do some hip flexor stretches to loosen them up and keep them mobile (especially since everyone sits way too much in this era). My personal favourite stretches are the couch stretch and the first basemen stretch.

The hip flexor muscles: iliacus, psoas, pectineus, rectus femoris, and sartorius

There you have it! I recommend you train these muscles 1-2x a week with 3 sets of 10-12 reps. I personally spend 6 weeks doing one type of exercise (ie. hip abduction), and then the next 6 weeks on another exercise (ie. cable hip flexion). But really, you train all 3 of these muscle groups in a single program! They are isolation movement after all, and they should be the sprinkle on top in your program. But if you incorporate these properly, your hips WILL become bulletproof and extremely mobile!

My thoughts on Veganism (You may be surprised...)

I believe that veganism has a decent amount of credit to its name. Of course, I do not support vegan activists who terrorize restaurants and provide no contribution to society. However, the idea of veganism, or abstaining from the consumption of animal products, can be beneficial. I also believe that more people should be employing plant based diets both for health reasons and progress in the gym.

Meat has been eaten by humans for as long as humans have existed. I am not against meat consumption. What I am against is large, industrialized meat production. These large corporations are not the most moral or ethical companies and they do not treat their animals with very much respect. I encourage you to watch documentaries about how meat is actually produced on a large scale. What these companies do is very disgusting in my opinion, and I think people should refrain from purchasing their products and supporting them. I am in favor of smaller, localized industries and farms which treat their animals with respect ie. think free range chicken meat production. I obviously do think that cutting meats outright is a viable option for most meat-eaters nowadays, and it is not a practical and foreseeable solution. 

As far as health benefits to eating meat, there are a few. Namely, a increase in iron levels in the body. However, studies generally show that meat should only be consumed 2-3 times PER WEEK (as stated in this Harvard article). Also, these meats should be more fish and less red meats, as red meats are shown to cause significant health problems when eaten outside of moderation (reference). As a result, even if you choose to eat meat, it should be consumed in moderation and the bulk of your diet should still consist of vegetarian meals.

I do not advocate for vegetarian diets for environmental reasons. The evidence and reasoning employed by vegans and climate change activists as to why eating less meat will save the planning is dodgy at best. Animal production still utilizes valuable land and their manure is used as plant fertilizers. In all, I think both vegetarian and meat products both positively and negatively impact the environment, so switching between one-another will not miraculously save the planet.

I am a huge fan of milk, eggs and honey. These non-meat animal products are vital both for health and for gains in the gym. Eggs and honey can largely be consumed without any adverse health effects, and they taste friggin delicious. The benefits of eggs are described in this study. With milk, caution must be taken. A large population of people are lactose intolerant (68% of people have lactose malabsorption), and milk is infamous for creating gut and health problems when consumed frequently. In saying this, the science clearly shows that milk reduces the chance of type 2 diabetes as well as benefits to bone health, as shown in this study. Therefore, if you are not lactose intolerant to a large degree, milk should be consumed in my opinion.

The benefits of plants and plant-based foods is well known. I'm not even going to bother with citing any studies; we know that the root cause for rising obesity in this day and age IS a lack of plant-based, nutritional food in Western diets. Even with completely vegan diets, eating enough protein is NOT a problem. With beans, lentils, tofu etc, is is easy for you to consume the adequate amount of protein to recover from workouts and build muscle (this is explained well in Alex Leonidas's video). 

All in all, I am a fan of veganism. However, for most people, I would recommend either going vegetarian OR reducing meat consumption to only 2-3 meals a week for optimal health, gains and life!

- Hawtsauce

AUTO-REGULATE Your Training For GOD TIER GAINZ!!

Auto-regulation is a method of training where each load used in a session is based upon the body's readiness in said session. Essentially, it refers to the fact that you only use the weight that your body "feels" like it can lift on a particular day. 

The reason this method of progression is so effective is that your body's readiness to lift some heavy weights WILL fluctuate on a day-to-day basis. On some days you may not get adequate sleep, on other days you may have stress, or your recovery may have been halted in a specific week. Even if your recovery is on point, these arbitrary external influences are bound to pop up now and then. What this means is that on some days, you may not be able to actually lift the weight which is programmed for you if your body doesn't feel ready/capable.

In an auto-regulated style of training, you only do what your body is capable of. The best way to incorporate auto-regulated training is through ramp-ups. A ramp-up is when you work up to a heavy top set for that day. I have detailed how to ramp-up properly in an earlier blog post, which you can read here. Basically, in a heavy training session, you would work up to a top set, and then you could also do some backoff sets with lighter weights. The main point is that you only work to a weight which feels heavy on that specific day. Just because you hit a certain weight last week DOES NOT mean you will hit the same weight the next week. Performance fluctuates, and so you should only go as far as your body is capable. Trying to reach to far could lead to injuries.

If you are more hypertrophy focused, you could also base your other sessions on your ramp up. For example, on one day I could ramp up to a heavy top set of 5 reps on the back squat. Then, on my other leg day, I could use 80% of the top set for a 5 x 5 volume session. This way, your fatigue and performance is managed throughout the week whilst still progressing in your lifts. Of course, if you care just about strength, you could simply do a ramp up in every single session, in addition to 2-3 backoff sets.

I want to note that linear progression is not a bad progression method. I think it is applicable to most of the population most of the time. However, for serious trainees looking to gain specifically strength, I couldn't recommend auto-regulated training more highly. It is important to mention that you should only auto-regulate your big, compound lifts. Isolation work lie curls, triceps, and machine work does not need to be auto-regulated, and you can use simple straight sets there.

Keep training like creatures!

There Is NO Good Reason to CUT! (Listen Up, Gym Bros...)

You heard that right. In my opinion, there is no good reason to cut!

Let me explain why. A "cut" in typical bodybuilding/gym methodology is when a trainee eats in a caloric deficit with the goal or removing body fat and appearing more lean and "shredded". However, I believe that for most trainees, going on a cut is a completely counterproductive waste of time and effort. 

The reason for this is that a cut, by reducing food consumption, will lead to a decrease in strength gains, a decrease in gym/sport performance, a decrease in recovery capacity and a decrease in mental efficiency. Let's break these down.

As you reduce your body fat levels, you ability to gain strength and thus size is GREATLY reduced. Having a decent amount of body fat and eating in a caloric surplus will allow you to hit new PR's as you have the ability to recover and fuel your muscles. Eating in a caloric deficit impedes recovery significantly and thus results in a decrease in strength. Although there are ways to cut which minimis strength loss, the best case scenario is that your strength numbers will remain the same. However, as a trainee, YOU must make the decision of whether or not having visible abs and a lean BF% is worth sacrificing your muscle and strength gains. For the majority of people, I believe that this is not a sacrifice that should be made. I think that the majority of people can benefit from embracing a LONG bulk (I recommend bulking for at least 2 years before you even think about cutting). 

Bulking for a long period of time will skyrocket your performance in every aspect of life. If you are an athlete, bulking will increase your sports performance. That is why ALL strength coaches in athlete weight rooms tell their athletes to eat in a caloric surplus. Cutting whilst playing a sport is a great way to ensure that your team loses! Not to mention that many of the trainee who want to cut are rank novices! All novice trainees should be BULKING to actually gain the strength that they need to become intermediates. A novice shouldn't even be thinking about cutting if they have a long term plan to advance significantly in the weight room. Is starving yourself just so you can show your six pack and get some Instagram likes worth taking months away from your gym progress? In my opinion, no.

Furthermore, bulking also improves you mental performance and your libido. Eating less than is required by your body can potentially leave you lethargic and mentally unwell, which can seriously impact your ability to sleep and recovery in addition to decreasing your libido. Basically, if you don't give your body the nutrition that it deserves, your health will suffer!

Of course, there will be a minority of people who can benefit from a cut. This obviously includes bodybuilders during show prep or athletes trying to make it into a certain weight class. However, this does not reflect to lifestyle or the goals of the majority of the lifting population!

That is why there is no good reason to cut.

Enjoy!

Do REVERSE HACK SQUATS! (Underrated Exercise)

The reverse hack squat is the No.1 quad accessory that I program for myself and for my clients. In my opinion, it is better than any belt squat, and unilateral lunge, and if DEFINITELY the best lower-body machine you can find in the gym!

There are 2 types of reverse hack squat machines. The first is the traditional hack squat machine that goes straight up and down (Figure 1.). The second is the reverse hack squat which moves in a pendulum-like motion (ie. in a curve instead of a straight line)(Figure 2.). For the purposes of this article, I am referring most to the latter type of hack squat machine. However, I have seen Jonnie Candito (who you should subscribe to) perform this exercise on the former version of machine, so it obviously is still pretty effective.

Figure 1: Jonnie Candito reverse hack squat

Figure 2: "Pendulum" reverse hack squat

This exercise can be compared to a Hatfield squat. A Hatfield squat is essentially a full ROM squat which is achievable if the trainee holds onto an external support. This increases the ROM since the trainee center of mass if pushed backwards, which allows the trainee to sit deeper into the squat compared to in a regular free-weight squat. This change in the Centre of mass is emulated in the reverse hack squat since the machine itself is moving in a curve-like trajectory, which allows the knees to travel very far forward and increases the ROM on the quads (this happens in both types of reverse hack squat machine).

Why the reverse hack squat instead of the regular hack squat? The regular hack squat requires the legs to be in front of the body, which is a VASTLY different movement pattern to the barbell squat, which requires the weight to stay over the mid-foot. Also, the stretch-reflex on the regular hack squat is slightly different to what is experienced in a barbell back squat. Therefore, for the best carryover to the back squat, the reverse hack squat is superior.

There are also other advantages to the reverse hack squat. The nature of the machine allows for numerous heavy reps to be pumped out without substantial recovery impediment. Even if your first rep is extremely slow on this exercise, you will still be able to grind out many more reps. This is not applicable to other quad accessories such as the belt squat, which required you to go 10+ reps if you actually want to push to RPE 9 because that first rep will be too sensitive to leverage. Furthermore, the reverse hack squat is extremally low skill. All you have to do is go down and back up. This is makes it a better choice for most lifters in comparison the lunge variation, for example, which can be extremely technical and taxing. 

Finally, it is important to not that there is some lower-back involvement in this lift. Since the weight is being axially loaded onto the shoulders, there is a chance of experiencing lower back fatigue. However, that is just the cost of doing business with a lift that carryovers so well to the back squat. 

As far as sets and reps go, you can basically do anything! Due to this movement having such a high stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, you can really use any rep range that you prefer. Personally, I program all my quad accessories with 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Enjoy!

How to Perform a PERFECT BENCH PRESS

The flat barbell bench press is one of the 3 major lifts tested in a powerlifting competition and the definitive test of upper body and pectoral strength! It is also one of the most mis-executed lifts in the weight room. So here' show to actually do a bench press the right way. 

Bench press execution can be broken down into 5 parts:

1. Setup
2. Unrack
3. Descent
4. Off the Chest
5. Lockout

1. Setup

First, you want to set your foot position. There are two ways you can do this: either your feet are flat on the ground or only your toes touch the ground. The former method would use a wider foot position compared to the latter. Either way, the reason for this is the maximize leg drive, which is essentially the force of your legs pushing against the ground. Maximizing leg drive will create stability in the lift and will allow your upper body to stay more tight. Some lifters find that using heeled weightlifting shoes helps here. Ultimately, you will have to experiment with which foot stance works best for you.

Next, you want to arch your back. Do this by retracting your shoulders blades AND pinching them DOWN. This will create and arch in your lower and thoracic spine. You should make this arch as large as possible WHILE keeping your butt on the bench. Your butt and upper back should always be in contact with the bench during the entire duration of the lift, other than during the unrack. Squeezing your glutes can also help with this.

Next, set your grip width. For almost all people, the strongest width will be outside of shoulder width. A good guideline for general strength is that when the bar is on your chest, your arms should be completely vertical and parallel with gravity. However, some strength athletes choose to go way outside of this grip width. Again, this is personal preference. You should keep your width consistent with all your sets.

A final note here. If you are bench pressing in a power rack, PLEASE use the available safety arms. These safety arms are an invaluable tool when doing heavy bench presses, and they WILL stop you from killing yourself under heavy weight!

2. Unrack

Once you have your arch and width set up, position you head so that your eyes/forehead is directly under the barbell. Take a deep breath of air and unrack the barbell and move it forward until your arms are vertical. Your grip should be solid and firm here. A loose grip could mean dropping the barbell mid-set ie. killing yourself. 

3. Descent

Take in a huge breath of air into your gut. This breath is referred to as the Valsalva maneuver, and will create intra-abdominal pressure. Then, you can begin the descent.

The bar should move in a forward and down motion until it touches your chest. The exact contact point should be on the sternum, right below the nipple line. You can decide to pause on the chest for however long you life, but this will depend on your individual goals. I recommend you pause every rep for a 1 count. No matter your pause length, the descent should ALWAYS be controlled. Do NOT divebomb the weight, ever.

4. Off the Chest

Now, you PUSH! The push of the barbell of the chest should be synchronized with your legs pushing as hard as they can into the floor (this is the leg drive I mentioned earlier). The Bar should first be pushed BACK towards the face and THEN up. This creates optimal bar path and will allow for the most weight to be lifted. Remember the breath that you breathed in at the start? Yeah, that breath should still be in your gut. The breath should only be released around 2/3 of the way up, which is usually after a sticking point in the lift. Failing to maintain core stability will limit your strength.

5. Lockout

Continue the press until your elbows are fully locked out. This should be the easy part for most raw lifters. Then, begin your next rep by taking in a fresh breath of air or rerack the weight.

So there you have it! The Cavern Of Creatures Gym method of executing a perfect bench press to help you lift the most weight!

Enjoy!

Why YOU SHOULD Be TRAINING EVERYDAY!!

I believe that almost everyone, no matter your current circumstance or goals, should be training every day. However, this training DOES NOT have to be heavy/high intensity training. People always confuse "training" as balls-to-the-wall max effort workouts, but this is not the case. Training can encompass your normal programmed workouts IN ADDITION to active recovery workouts, endurance challenges or mobility work. 

You should NOT train heavy everyday(at least in most cases). Training heavy/to a high intensity every day simply will not allow for full physical and psychological recovery between training sessions. Muscles usually take around 48 hours to fully recover, and so it would be pretty hard to train everyday whilst still optimizing recovery. Of course, there are some programs which call for training heavy every single day, such as the Bulgarian method or the squat-everyday programs. However, these are usually employed by high-level athletes who are on a shitload of drugs.

So, at least 1 rest day should be implemented every single week given that you are an average trainee. On these rest days, you should NOT be laying around on your couch and doing absolutely nothing. Rest days should be used for ACTIVE RECOVERY.

When people think of recovery, they usually think of foam rollers, massage guns and ice baths. However, these typical recovery tools don't really do much in increasing blood flow or increasing work capacity, and their effectiveness is even questioned through numerous studies (eg. this ice bath study). This time should instead be dedicated to active recovery. 

Active recovery entails anything that involves moving the body at a low to moderate intensity. This type of movement is the body's medicine, and will increase blood flow, increase work capacity and decrease muscle soreness. For example, let's take a trainee on a upper/lower split 4x a week as shown in the schedule below:

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Upper

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Lower

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Upper

Saturday: Lower

 

If this trainee was fond of endurance running, he could run after each lower body session so that his running doesn't impede on his lower-body strength. This running will also increase his work capacity, meaning he can push harder and feel less fatigued after his normal workouts. If this trainee was a combat athlete, he could do neck training on each of the rest days. The trainee could also do mobility work every single day, which will benefit his normal workouts by increasing the ROM and reducing the chance of injury.

This is what a hypothetical "train-everyday" week would look like for the same trainee mentioned above:

Sunday: 2 mile run, mobility

Monday: Upper, mobility

Tuesday: Swimming, mobility

Wednesday: Lower, mobility

Thursday: Hike, mobility

Friday: Upper, mobility

Saturday: Lower, mobility 

 

Essentially, the possibilities are endless! Depending on your hobbies and preferences, you can organize your week so that you do some sort of training every single day! Of course, the activity that you plan to do will probably determine the day that you do it. For example, you probably shouldn't have a boxing match the day after a heavy upper-body workout! But, in the end, this is all individual preference. 

Enjoy!

Want BOULDERS For SHOULDERS? Do these...

There are 3 exercises that I recommend for anyone who wants to turn those puny shoulders into real BOULDERS! These 3 exercises are:

1. Strict Overhead Press
2. Lu Raise
3. Facepull

Let me elaborate.

1. Strict Overhead Press

The strict overhead press is the definitive test of front and side delt strength. It is used by both powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters as a means of increasing their pressing strength. This exercises is an efficient way to load the front and side delts through their anatomical function: shoulder flexion. In addition, this exercise involves elbow extension and upward scapular rotations, which grows the triceps and trapezius muscle. 

Although I mention the strict overhead press specifically, there are other vertical press variations that work just as well. For example, the AD Press (also known as the anterior-deltoid press) is basically a seated overhead press, and allows for greater stability and a slightly better hypertrophy stimulus. Overhead presses done with specialty bars like the trap bar could also work well for developing that front delt. 

You could also try a specialization phase where you increase your OHP frequency and vary the loads, and eventually peak and hit a PR. This will certainly blow up those front delts! I recommend you have one session where you ramp up to a heavy set of 1-3 reps, a secondary session where you do 4 sets of 4-6 reps, and a tertiary session where you do 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

2. Lu Raise

The Lu raise is essentially an extended range-of-motion lateral raise. This exercise is better than regular lateral raises for two reasons. Firstly, the Lu raise engages the scapula/upper back muscles. This will increase the size of the upper back and especially those upper traps. Secondly, the Lu raise can help in strengthening your shoulders and can benefit your overhead position. Due to the scapular engagement and extended ROM, the Lu raise creates a more stable overhead position and works as a prehab/rehab tool for bulletproof shoulders! This will help both powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters. For me, this exercise leaves my shoulders screaming and it has also built some serious mass on my traps!

This exercise can be done with plates or dumbbells, but I recommend dumbbells for most people since it allows for easier progression. I recommend you do rest-pause style training with this exercise.

The legendary Olympic weightlifter Lu Xiaojun, of whom this exercise was named after, performing Lu raises with plates.

3. Facepull

The facepull is a superior rear delt exercise! The reason for this is that it involves BOTH functions of the rear delt; namely shoulder extension and shoulder external rotation. This exercise also recruits the traps, rhomboids and rotator cuffs and leads to a strong as HELL upper back! 

This exercise is best done with higher reps; around 10-20 reps per set. I recommend you either use a cable station or resistance band. I also recommend you lay on the floor with a high attachment; I find this provides a better "feeling" to the movement and leads to more hypertrophy. Also, you can hold the fully contracted position for 1-2 counts. If you can't do this exercise for some reason, rear delt flyes and band pull aparts are also great.

So there you have it! It is reasonably easy to employ all 3 of these exercises into a standard program, and by staying consistent with these exercises you are GUARANTEED to built Indian Jones-type boulders for those shoulders!

Enjoy!

The HSKY Beginner Program

This is a novice/beginner general strength training program. It aims to build a solid amount of muscle and strength to someone with little to no experience in the weight room. It should be run for around 12 weeks, since this is enough time for the benefits of the program to be reaped. However, it can be run for many more weeks if necessary. 

Without any more rambling, here is the program:

Additional Notes:

- Rest 1 day between sessions

- Focus on mastering the form from the beginning while the weight is still light. Recording yourself can really help with this

- For exercises in the "C" category, weight is less important than form

- There is no need to increase the weight on these exercises until it becomes easy, so only do so every few weeks

- All the exercises in the program can be substituted/rotated depending on preference, past injuries etc. I have provided a exercises substitution list below.

- Assistance exercises (C category) can be rotated every 3-4 weeks if wanted

- The main exercises (A and B category) shouldn't be changed for the duration of the cycle(12-16 weeks)

- Test your main lifts on the last day of the cycle

Substitutions include but are not limited to:

- Squat Variation: High Bar Back Squat, Low Bar Back Squat, Front Squat, Pause Back Squat

- Hip Hinge(Hamstrings): Romanian Deadlift, Hyperextension, Goodmorning, Stiff Legged Deadlift

- Quad Accessory: Step Up, Leg Press, Reverse Hack Squat, Reverse Lunge

- Core Exercise: Ab Wheel Rollout, Suitcase Hold, Leg Raise

- Horizontal Press: Bench Press, Weighted Dip, Larsen Press

- Vertical Press: Overhead Press, Pin Press, Trap Bar Overhead Press, AD Press

- Vertical Pull: Chinup, Neutral Grip Pullup

- Horizontal Row: Facepull, Rear Delt Flye, Cable Y Raise, Inverted Row, Seal Row

- Explosive Exercise: Power Clean, Power Snatch, Snatch Grip High Pull, Jump Squat, Kettlebell Swing

- Deadlift Variation: Conventional Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift

- Knee Flexion: Seated Leg Curl, Glute Ham Raise, Nordic Curl

This is a perfect program for novice trainees. The 3 day split allows for full recovery between sessions. The main premise of this program is to perform 5 x 5 for every primary movements and add 2.5kgs every week(this may not be possible for some upper-body movements). A trainee can run this program for as long as they like until they reach the early-intermediate stage(for most, this will be around the 100kg bench press, 140kgs squat and 180kgs deadlift). If you decide to run the program past 16 weeks, test your maxes and then reset the program with 70% of your 1RM on each lift. Your progress will slow down as you spend more time on this program. 

Just in case you don't understand the progression model presented here, below is a hypothetical scenario of a lifter who is on the program and the progression that this lifter would employ:

This is a great friggin program and I would run it myself if I had to start training all over again. All you have to do is work hard, stay consistent, sleep and eat plenty of food. Enjoy!

Quick Tip: How to actually FIX BUTT WINK (The Final Answer)

Butt wink describes the rounding of the lower back(also known as posterior pelvic tilt, if you're a nerd) in the bottom position in the squat. This is a problem since it intervenes with the stretch-reflex and increases the chance of injury when working with heavy weights. 

I should probably mention off-the-bat that slight lower back rounding is NOT a major problem that most people need to be concerned about. As Jonnie Candito outlined in this video, slight lumbar flexion in the squat is common amongst most Olympic weightlifters, who are literally built to squat and have super mobility! 

If Lu Xiaojun cannot maintain a perfectly neutral spine in the bottom position,

 I highly doubt that we can!

In saying this, butt wink can be minimized in order to maximize performance and longevity when training squats. The most basic thing you should do is ensure that your ankle and hip mobility is on point. Check to see how far your ankle can push forward past your toes. Also, warm up your hips prior to squatting by doing leg swings and hip rotations, and by warming up those adductors. Doing just a warmup set of cossack squats will allow you to open up your hip and sit forward in the squat rather than backwards,

Assuming that you have tried all the above, it is now time to talk about morphology and anatomy. Firstly, some people are not built to squat deep. Depending on your hip morphology, the level of depth that you can squat into may be greatly reduced, and this is something that largely cannot be changed. The best you can do is widen your stance and flare your toes out more. This topic is discussed in further detail by Bret Contreras in this video. Secondly, the ratio of you tibia and femur length may also limit your squat depth. If you are a tall lifter with long femurs and relatively shorter tibias, it will be much harder for you to achieve full depth with a completely neutral back. On the other hand, if you are a shorter lifter with shorter femurs, it will be easier to hit depth. 

A fix for this issue is using a heel elevation. Olympic weightlifters like using weightlifting shoes/squat shoes, but bodybuilders but small plates under their heels. Either way, this heel elevation increases the relative length of your tibia bone, and this makes hitting the bottom position much easier. 

Weightlifting shoes have a heel elevation which increases the relative length of the 

tibia bone. I recommend the Nike Romaleos 2 or the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2/3

A good way to test if you have the general mobility to achieve a sound bottom position is by performing the close grip overhead squat. This is like a regular overhead squat but with a shoulder-width grip instead of a wider snatch grip. If you can go to below parallel depth with this exercise, then you have the adequate mobility to squat irrespective of if you have butt wink on not. If you cannot perform this exercise, work up to it until you can, and then you can squat deep for the rest of your life!

Enjoy!

How to RAMP UP to your working weight!

I many programs that I write, I include a "ramp-up" protocol on heavy lifts like the squat and bench press where you work up to your desired working weight for that session. There are 3 main goals of this ramp-up:

1. To maximize nervous system activation
2. Prime the motor pattern of the specific lift
3. Minimize fatigue accumulation as you warm up

Without any further waffling, here is the optimal ramp-up protocol which I recommend:

Set 1: Empty Bar(20kg) x 10-15 reps

Set 2: 30% x 5-10 reps

Set 3: 40% x 5-7 reps

Set 4: 50% x 3-5 reps

Set 5: 60% x 3-5 reps

Set 6: 70% x 2-3 reps

Set 7: 75% x 1-2 reps

Set 8: 80% x 1-2 reps

Set 9: 85% x 1 rep

All the percentages given here are percentages of your 1RM (1 rep max) for the particular lift your are warming up for. For example, if you were warming up for a squat session with your 1RM being 180kgs (405lbs), this is what a ramp-up would look like:

Set 1: Empty Bar x 10-15

Set 2: 50kgs x 5-10

Set 3: 70kgs x 5-7

Set 4: 90kgs x 3-5

Set 5: 110kgs x 3-5

Set 6: 125kgs x 2-3 

Set 7: 135kgs x 1-2

Set 8: 145kgs x 1-2

Set 9: 155kgs x 1

There are a couple of things you may notice here. Firstly, the gap between each weight for each set progressively becomes smaller. This is to increase the nervous system efficiency as it gets accustomed to lifting heavier absolute loads. Secondly, you will notice the weights do not equal the exact percentages mentioned in the ramp-up template. This is because some of the weights require more tedious loading, so it is just better and more time-efficient to round up the weights to an easy number.

It is important to mention some caveats. Firstly, this ramp up work should be done AFTER you complete your general warmup, mobility and priming work. A good routine for this other stuff can be found here. Secondly, this ramp-up protocol should be taken with a grain of salt. If you are not a particularly strong trainee (ie. a beginner with less than 6-12 months of lifting experience), you do not need to go through every single set of the warmup. If you are only using 60kgs for your working weight, you do not need to do all 9 sets. Just doing the empty bar, 40kgs, and then 50kgs should be enough. The full ramp up could take anywhere between 15-20 minutes, and should be employed fully by at least intermediate and advanced trainees.

As you perform this ramp up, increase rest times from 1 minute to 2 minutes as you get to heavier loads. With that said, this is a damn good way to prep for any heavy lift, and it is definitely going to maximize your performance and minimize your chance of injury.

Enjoy!

How to WARM UP for ANY Weight Training!

Warm ups are an underrated yet frequently complicated part of weight training methodology. The goal of a good warmup is not only the activate the muscles in your body and increase body temperature, but also to be specific to the exercise being performed. I have devised the warm up I am about to present into 3 categories:

1. Light Cardio
2. General Warmup
3. Specific Warmup

1. Light Cardio

This is exactly what it sounds like. Prior to beginning training, you should be increasing your body temperature and blood circulation to the point of breaking a light sweat. This is to prime your body both mentally and physically to intense movement. This will also increase your force production capabilities as you move into your actual exercises for the he day.

This can include really anything. Walking, treadmills, reverse treadmills, reverse sled, reverse stationary bike, or jogging. Generally, I would recommend around 400m or 5-10 mins of light cardio first.

2. General Warmup

This includes movements that are going to limber up your joints and mobilize your muscles. A good protocol is the "Agile 8" warmup created by Joe DeFranco. However, I have made some modifications to this routine to make it more time efficient and applicable to the general population. Here is the routine:

1. Foam Rolling/T Spine Mobility: Foam roll your hamstrings, IT band, glutes/piriformis and your adductors. Then, lay on a flat bench and roll your T spine with the foam roller. Also roll your lower back. This will serve as a great warmup for any lower-body workout or bench press session. Aim for 2-3 minutes total: do not spend too long on this.
2. Leg Swings: Do both side/side leg swings and front/back leg swings, 10 reps for each movement. This will warmup the hips and adductors, both of which are problem points in the squat. Hold onto a support to make the swings for effective and stable.
3. First Basemen Stretch OR Couch Stretch: Both of these will loosen tight hip flexors. Choose one or the other. If you have a bench or plyo box, do the couch stretch for 15-30 seconds on each leg. Avoid hyperextending the lower back. If you do not have this equipment, do a simple first basemen stretch with one knee on the floor. The trial leg is the one being stretched here. Also aim for 15-30 secs/side, squeeze the glute to encourage the hip flexors to loosen.
4. Band Facepull: This will warm up the rotator cuffs with external rotation, which will help in shoulder mobility/pain in the back squat and in warming up the shoulders and upper back prior to pressing. You can also use banded shoulder external rotations here. Do 1 set of 20-25 reps.
5. Deep Squat Prying: This is a little drill that I recommend for anyone struggling with squat mobility or to warmup to a deep squatting session. First, hold onto supports(like in a power rack), go into a deep squat and drive the knees over the toes whilst staying on your toes. Move around in this position. Then go back onto your feet and sink the hips back. Rotate the hips and 'pry' them open. Then, push the ankles forward by driving the knees forward and shifting you bodyweight. Do some cossack squats if you like. This is a great primer to limber up the knees, ankles and hips before squatting or weightlifting,

3. Specific Warmup

A specific warmup should emulate which exercise you are doing next. This can really be anything. For example, if you were performing a deadlift next, you may do some light RDLs with the empty bar, and then do some barbell rows, and then some backs squats in one complex. If you were doing overhead pressing, you may warmup by doing behind-the-neck presses and presses in the hull. Below are a list of movements I recommend for a specific warmup for the big barbell lifts:

- Bench Press: Light overhead presses and light bench presses

- Back Squat: Barbell rows, RDLs, front squats

- Deadlift: Goodmornings/RDLs, barbell rows, back squats

- Snatch: Muscle snatch, overhead squat, snatch balance

- Clean & Jerk: Overhead press, front squats, push presses

 

I should mention that another part of the warm up process is ramping up to your working weight. These is a proper way to go about this, and I have detailed this in this post.

Here is everything put together: 

Enjoy!

 

No, Push Pull Legs is NOT the best training split!!!

Technically, there is no training split that is the "best". The productivity of a certain training split comes down to how the trainee uses and customises that split. However, generally speaking, push-pull-legs is probably the most inefficient training split for any level of trainee, but especially beginners (amongst whom it is the most popular).

The push-pull-legs split is based on the muscles responsible for certain movement patterns. On a "push" day, you target the chest, shoulders and triceps, which are the muscles largely responsible for any pushing movement. Similarly, the "pull" day is reserved for the back and biceps, and the leg day, well, for the legs. There are two main problems I have with this split: 

    1. This split is commonly executed incorrectly

    2. It is generally inefficient

1. PPL is usually executed terribly!

Like I said, there is no training split that is superior on its own. Training splits only shine when they are executed correctly; and the same holds for PPL! When you are training 6x a week, the higher frequency means that you MUST reduce your volume so that a high intensity of training can be maintained without impeding recovery. 

All too often do I say cookie-cutter PPL routine with 7, 8 or 9 exercises per workout. This is WAY too much volume for a beginner or intermediate lifter, given that you are training at a pretty high intensity(1-2 reps short of failure on most exercises). Advanced trainees would just waste their time doing all of this junk volume 6 times a week. A good PPL split would only have around 4 exercises per session. Even to maintain this, recovery MUST be on point. This means at least 8 hours of sleep and a consistent and sufficient calorie surplus and balanced diet.

2. PPL is an inefficient split

The main advantage of a PPL split is its high frequency. Each muscle group is being trained 2x a week. However, this is not unique to the PPL split! Splits like upper/lower 4x a week and full body 3x a week offer similar or even higher frequencies of training each muscle group WHILST allowing for more rest days and thus more recovery. So a PPL split has you spending endless hours in the gym for inferior results. Many trainees think they can get more recovery by doing Push/Pull/Legs/Rest and then repeat. However, this removes the high frequency of the split, which is a major reason someone would choose it in the first place! This makes the PPL split an inefficient allocation of time and energy, and most trainees would benefit from switching their split to upper/lower 4-6x a week or full body 3x a week.

Finally, I wanted to provide an example of what a good PPL split looks like. Although I just slandered the split, I do believe it has some value since it allows for relatively more volume to be directed to each muscle group. Here is what a pretty decent PPL split would look like for an intermediate to advanced trainee looking to gain size and strength:

Additional Notes:

    - The pull day is put before the push day to minimize lower-back fatigue during leg days IF you choose to use a free-standing rowing variation on the pull days.

    - A rest day should be taken after the final leg session. You could have a rest day after every pull/push/legs cycle for better recovery, although this would decrease frequency.

    - Deload from this program every 12-18 weeks

    - A and B category exercises can be rotated every 5-6 weeks, whereas C exercises can be rotated    every 3-4 weeks

    - Below are some suitable exercise substitutions that you can make

Exercise Substitutions:

    - Horizontal Row - Dumbbell Seal Row, Pronated Inverted Row, Seated Cable Row, Neutral Grip Inverted Row

    - Horizontal Press - Bench Press, Larsen Press, Weighted Pushup, Weighted Dip, Incline Bench Press, Pin Bench Press, Bottoms Up Dip, Pause Bench Press

    - Vertical Press - Strict Press, AD Press, Push Press, Z Press, BTN Press, Trap Bar Overhead Press

    - Squat Variation - High Bar Back Squat, Front Squat, Pause Back Squat, Low Bar Squat, SSB Squat, Zombie Front Squat

    - Deadlift Variation - Conventional Deadlift, Sumo Deadlift

    - Knee Flexion - Seated Leg Curl, Nordic Curl, Glute Ham Raise   

    - Core Exercise - Weighted Plank, Bodysaw, Standing Ab Wheel Rollout

    - Heavy Hold - Suitcase Hold, Pallof Hold, Front Squat Hold

And there you have it! This is a damn decent program that you could choose to run if that was your wish. I personally would never run a program like this since the frequency is just not ideal for the amount of work you are putting in, in my opinion. However, this is the way I would go about programming a PPL split if I had to. Enjoy!