Why Are Barbells So Sexy?
The first squat cycle I attempted was in 2011. I spent 8 weeks and the goal was to go from a 405# back squat to #425. I ate everything, hit all of the grueling sets and reps, and then eight weeks later I walked out 425#, sat down, stood up, high fived, and NEVER did it again. I practiced a single movement, increased my proficiency of that movement by 5%, and instantly lost all of the strength I made over the eight week period. That squat cycle was the equivalent of cramming for my last final exam in college just to eke out a D+ in Personal Finance 401.
Hilary Achauer recently wrote “You Don’t Know Squat” for the CrossFit Journal. She talks to really strong people, some that have squatted over 1200#, and all of them echo this same story from their athletes and themselves; “You will get stronger, but it’s very temporary.” I dig the article, it is great, and Hilary is really smart. However, all of the information pertains specifically to training for CrossFit (it is in the CrossFit Journal so this makes sense), not life, not sport, and definitely not daily movement and function.
Barbells, so hot right now.
San Diego Athletics is home to 76 barbells. That is an absurd number. We have never run a class with 76 people so why in the hell do we have so many? I do not actually know but we love them.
The barbell is the perfect tool for picking things up. It spins, it is perfectly balanced, little diamonds are carved in it for grip, it loads weight on the ends really well, and for the most part, makes picking up really heavy stuff a lot easier. Imagine deadlifting 300# with a barbell and then a 300# rock. This isn’t rocket science, that rock is not going anywhere.
The part that interests me the most though is the psychology of the athlete that stands under the barbell. The barbell is an external object. No matter how strong you are or how bad your form is, you are able to apply force to that object. As soon as people realize this, they quickly learn about linear progression and try a little more weight every time they are in the gym. Even better, they succeed.
I have seen tons of athletes get really strong creating terrible movement patters all while staying relatively healthy. And the greatest part of the barbell; numbers are sexy. Every time the number goes up, there is the instant gratification that you just got stronger.
Anyone for a strict Muscle Up cycle?
If you google “Squat Cycle” you will get 660,000 results beginning with the popular Smolov, Russian, and Wendler cycles. Googling “Strict Muscle Up cycle” will returns 220,000 results and not one single program for developing strict muscle ups. There are a lot of articles saying you should do this, but no programs, and definitely no instructions. For some reason, the Russians forgot about publishing their introduction to gymnastics journals.
The reason you cannot find a strict muscle up cycle on the internet is because, “try and do a little more,” without a numeric metric sounds very unsexy. I mean, to start a muscle up cycle you would have to start doing a bunch of strict pull ups, BORING. And, if you cannot do pull ups, we would need to do a bunch of ring rows, or maybe even DB Rows just to activate the back muscles. And where do you even start if you do not have an athletic background and you have to teach your body proper pulling mechanics, activating the lats, pulling to your sternum, and the coordination of pulling your head through the rings? It would be so awesome if there was a simple barbell tool to use for moving your bodyweight around.
The reason these gymnastics strength movements are so important is because they create athleticism. They create neurological pathways that allow your brain to communicate with your body. Squatting is as basic of a functional movement as it gets. It is a resting position and an active position that can create power. Proper hip function in the squat allows for movement in all plains and it is a great position to do your morning work, naturally speaking.
But, as soon as you put a barbell on your back, the squat has lost its “functionality.” You no longer are bending, twisting, moving side to side, or shitting (hopefully). When you perfect bodyweight strength movements, you maintain natural movement patterns and the body functions as a unit. Coincidentally, it takes longer to create these neurological pathways, the strength development required to build them, and the athleticism to carry them out. The results come slower but they also last longer and more applicable to sport and daily life.
Change Your Game
In the past year I have incorporated and played with many of these aspects of training. Greg Pitts started this process when he did 30 strict muscle ups in 5:08. That is annoying because it took me three times as long and I refuse to believe he is three times better than me at anything. He worked for about six months on this and sits on our top five record board against everyone else that does them kipping.
Recently, in the last six months, I have incorporated a ton of single leg work to develop more balance and stability. When I pick up a barbell I focus on squatting perfectly, at low weights, in the 8-10 rep range. When pull ups, muscle ups, or hand stands come up in the daily gym program, I do them strict and focus on positioning, not speed.
Stronger? Sort of….
Last month, my really strong training partner was in town for three weeks with a broken nose. I call these “Game Days” in which I get to see how strong I still am. We turned the music up and I snatched 232#, cleaned 308#, and squatted 375x3 – all numbers are within 95% of my all-time personal records and touching a barbell once a week. You do not need more weight to be strong. You need to be more balanced, move more efficiently, and develop more athleticism.
The barbell is a great tool for providing instant feedback and results based on numbers that easily trend upwards. It is also a great tool for developing strength. But, strength can be measured in many ways. Creating the neurological pathways that develop the functionality of your body will increase athleticism and create the results that we all actually desire. Spend time doing the more difficult tasks that will carry over to everything else.
San Diego Athletics will be attacking many of these ideas over the next 12 weeks. Follow along on our Programs page starting this Monday and email any questions or comments to admin@sandiegoathletics.com.
