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In growing numbers, most commercial gyms are adding at least one trap bar to their arsenal of available equipment. As a gym member, you should be counting your blessings.
With all of the unique benefits a trap bar can provide for almost every serious lifter, there’s a good case to make for it to become the number one tool for lower body training. Sorry, barbell, you had a good run.
Credit: carlesmiro / Shutterstock
Though the trap bar can be used for a handful of different exercises, its most commonly put to use for the highly effective trap bar deadlift. Here’s how to get started.
The trap bar is typically a hexagonal shape with two long necks on either end for plate loading and a set of handles at the sides. There are often two types of handles on each end, one elevated higher than the other depending on the bar’s orientation.
The trap bar can work well with either the higher handles facing upward or the higher handles facing the floor. In gym-speak, this is referred to as pulling “high handle” or “low handle” and each has its merits. Here’s more about the movement.
Flip the trap bar with the high handles up, which provides a shorter range of motion as you get the hang of the exercise. Step inside the trap bar with a stance that fits your comfort. Something around hip-width is most common for lifters using a barbell, but when you’re lifting a trap bar, a slightly wider stance — between hip-width and shoulder-width — is a more ideal position. With your feet lined up with one another, reach down and grab the handles.
Be sure to hold the bar in the center of the handles for a balanced grip. Since it’s a large cradle, going off center by even a half an inch can cause the trap bar to tip forward or back, which can wreak havoc on your strength and stability.
Form tip: If your gym has them, load the bar with bumper plates if you’re not yet able to lift the bar with 45-pound plates on either side. Lighter bumper plates are still the same size as 45-pound iron plates and they provide the proper elevation off the ground to make for the ideal lifting point.
Using 10-pound iron plates, for example, will leave the bar very close to floor-level, requiring you to reach down extremely low to pick it up. For many lifters, this long range of motion will affect spine position if they don’t possess the flexibility and mobility to get that far down without rounding their lower back. 10-pound bumper plates will solve this problem because they’re a larger diameter.
Step 2 — Get Tight
Credit: boyceperformance / YouTube
Set your back position and “wedge” yourself into position. To do this, drop your hips down while keeping your heels on the floor. Think about making your spine “long” by sticking your butt out and simultaneously pushing your chest up tall. Think about squeezing your armpits tight to engage your upper back musculature at the same time.
You should feel tension building in your upper back, arms, glutes, and legs. Take a big breath in and hold it before beginning the lifting phase.
Form tip: Keep your knees in line with your toes. It’s okay if your knees end up a bit in front of them, but they must point in the same direction as your toes to reduce strain on your knee and hip joints.
Step 3 — Pull Up
Credit: boyceperformance / YouTube
Dig your feet into the floor, squeeze your glutes and quads, and stand tall with the weight. Your glutes will tell you when you’ve reached full extension. There’s no need to lean backward or overarch your lumbar spine. Once you’re near the top, exhale as you approach lockout.
Your shoulders, hips, and legs should end up nearly in alignment in the top position. Pause briefly to ensure a strong, stable posture and to minimize any swaying of the weights.
Form tip: Keep your arms straight throughout the entire repetition. Pulling a deadlift with bent arms not only reduces your power output, but dangerously increases stress on the relatively smaller biceps muscle and elbow joint.
Step 4 — Lower the Weight
Credit: boyceperformance / YouTube
Reverse the motion to lower the weight under control. It’s important to remain tight and braced the entire way back down. Think about “sticking your butt out” to ensure your back stays flat and doesn’t round as you descend.
Form tip: As you approach the ground, you have the option to either let the weight briefly glance off the ground (sometimes referred to as “touch and go”) or to freeze and let the weight settle on the floor between reps. Each is valid and perfectly acceptable. What’s not acceptable is lowering quickly and actively bouncing off the floor to use the rebound as momentum, making the next repetition easier.
Trap Bar Deadlift Mistakes to Avoid
Simply following the instructions on proper execution will leave you ahead of the game when it comes to avoiding mistakes, but there are still a few things to consider.
Losing Control of Your Knees
The safe and efficient execution of the trap bar deadlift requires your knees and toes to be aligned. It’s unfortunately very common for knees to cave inward during deadlift. This isn’t ideal as it will place stress on the wrong places (like the medial sides of your knee joint).
Credit: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
Part of the issue may be in the footwear being used. Too much cushioning, as well as too little support, can highlight the instability of a lifter’s feet and arches. Your knee will almost always follow the arch of your foot. In the event of arch collapse, your knees will be guaranteed to move in toward each other, especially if serious amounts of weight are being lifted.
Avoid it: Be sure to choose good quality, flat footwear that still offers enough support. Furthermore, help yourself by creating a “tripod” with your feet — raise your arches, spread the toes, and dig in to the ground during your initial setup.
Forgetting Your Head Position
You might get so transfixed on your lumbar and thoracic spine(lower and upper back, respectively) that your forget your head is directly connected to another crucial part of the spine — the cervical region. Respecting proper spinal alignment, from top to bottom, is integral to a safe lift.
Credit: YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV / Shutterstock
Many lifters will use the sky or ceiling as their “target,” thinking that looking at the place they want to finish will help them through the lift. Though this might help as a visual cue, it isn’t a wise course of action to lift something heavy from the floor while your neck is in full extension (looking upward). Doing so can strain the smaller support muscles of your neck and excessively stress the cervical spine.
Avoid it:Pick a spot two meters (roughly six or seven feet) in front of you on the ground and focus on that spot. It may even help to place an object like your water bottle or cell phone there. Since your head will instinctively follow your eyes, this will keep your neck in the right position.
How to Progress the Trap Bar Deadlift
The trap bar deadlift is adaptable to lifters of many experience levels and abilities. To more finely tune your practice and master the exercise, there are a few specific progressions to consider.
Elevated Trap Bar Deadlift
Adjusting the bar height can be a critical step to customizing your range of motion. If you’re well above-average height, even the high handles might be too low to properly get into a safe and strong pulling position. Placing steps or platforms under each side of the weight plates can put the bar into better alignment.
Of course, it’s essential that you raise both sides to the same height. Double-check your bar before beginning a set to make sure it’s level. An imbalanced bar will put you in an asymmetrical pulling position which would make proper technique nearly impossible.
Deficit Trap Bar Deadlift
Once you’ve mastered the trap bar deadlift (and truly mastered it, not simply gotten tired of learning proper form), you can eventually tackle one of the most challenging progressions, provided you’ve built significant mobility and muscle control.
By standing on a plate or small platform, you increase the range of motion. This is a drastic challenge to total-body mobility, stability, and strength. This can also be used to “bridge the gap” between the high handles and low handles, allowing a more incremental change in the range of motion.
Benefits of the Trap Bar Deadlift
Any type of deadlift is, rightfully, known as an undeniable total-body strength-builder. Because of the postural differences and varied muscle recruitment between a trap bar deadlift and a barbell deadlift, these benefits can be amplified.(2)
Building Better Posture
The trap bar deadlift can be a great way to improve your posture while building strength. Particularly, maintaining a stronger spine is crucial for lifters as they age.(3) For most lifters, the trap bar will be a more accessible version of pulling from the floor and it can allow a lifter to continue training heavy without excessive lower back strain.
Better for Mobility Issues
If you’re a lifter who struggles to achieve the mobility or flexibility for a conventional barbell deadlift, the high handles of the trap bar coupled with its neutral grip will allow you to much more easily attain the correct starting position. This lets you get into a powerful and efficient pulling position with less joint strain.
Ideal Position for Tall Lifters
The trap bar deadlift is a staple movement among professional sports athletes, who often carry larger levers and taller frames. Think of the typical NBA or NFL player — big overall frames often with long limbs.
If you’re a taller or long-legged lifter, you’ll probably be counting your blessings by incorporating the trap bar deadlift instead of force-feeding your oversized body a barbell deadlift. The mobility demands and overall body position, once again, become the movement’s biggest saving grace.
Versatile Strength-Builder
Plainly put, this lift is great for everyone in the gym. Whether it’s a lifter who can’t quite get the flexibility or mobility for a barbell deadlift, a taller lifter with unfavorable leverages for the deadlift pattern, or a strength- or size-focused trainee who’s looking to get more out of a deadlift as far as quadriceps strength and development go.
The trap bar deadlift, with all things equal, is one of the few “do no wrong” exercises that can be invaluable to pretty much anyone’s program.
Muscles Worked in the Trap Bar Deadlift
The deadlift is a movement that spares very few muscles , from gripping the bar with your hands, to stabilizing your core and upper back, to driving wth your legs. However, it is predominantly a lower body movement.
Quadriceps
When performing a trap bar deadlift, there’s one major change to the muscles involved compared to the more familiar barbell deadlift. Since your body can sit a bit taller because your knees and shins can travel forward (due to no bar blocking them), it creates a deeper knee flexion and includes much more quadriceps involvement.(4)
This makes the trap bar deadlift a more complete leg exercise that, unlike the barbell deadlift, isn’t as biased toward the glutes and hamstrings. This is also important information to consider if you struggle with squatting in general, or if you’re dealing with an upper body injury that prevents barbell squatting from being on the menu.
Posterior Chain
Any deadlift movement will heavily recruit the muscles of the posterior chain — especially the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. However, the overall body position during a trap bar deadlift actually reduces lower back recruitment compared to the barbell movement.
The neutral-grip of the trap bar disperses weight more evenly across your body, decreasing the lower back strain, while your glutes and hamstrings are significantly recruited during hip extension to lift the weight and achieve a locked out position.
How to Program the Trap Bar Deadlift
There’s a little bit less wiggle room here compared to other movements in the gym. The trap bar deadlift usually serves as a substitution to the more common deadlift and is best programmed similarly.
Heavy Weight, Lower Volume
The trap bar deadlift is a huge movement that typically enables a lifter to move the greatest amount of weight possible as far as plate-loaded free weight exercises go. It’s best positioned at or near the very beginning of your workout. That’s when your central nervous system will be the sharpest, enabling the greatest outputs of power and strength.
It’s also when your body as a whole will be the freshest compared to later in the workout. It invites a bit more risk to train a deadlift while fatigued near the end of a workout.
Apply a fair amount of intensity and volume to the trap bar deadlift as the “leading” movement in your lower body workout. Let the remaining lifts of the day serve as “assistance exercises” that take on relatively less volume with lower intensity. A heavy strength workout with the trap bar would be five sets of five, six sets of four, or even eight sets of three, using weight between 85 and 90% of your one-repetition max.
Trap Bar Deadlift Variations
Technically, the trap bar deadlift could be considered a “variation” of the barbell deadlift. However, there are other exercises the compare to the trap bar deadlift for variety and a range of separate benefits.
Low Handle Trap Bar Deadlift
Going “low handle” with the trap bar deadlift is in order once you’ve mastered the standard version of the movement. This will be the first variation most lifters progress to. Keep aware that low handles properly will mean having the requisite mobility to maintain a flat spine.
If you can’t do it, don’t sweat it. Continue going with the high handle and working on your mobility and flexibility until you can safely achieve a deep position with a flat back.
Heels-Elevated Dumbbell Squat
It can be beneficial to lower body health, strength, and size to let your knees go into deep flexion using the right movements. Many gyms have specific a slant board which puts your feet into a forward slope, creating more room for your knee to travel forward while your torso stays upright.
This is huge knee-strengthener and a major quad-developer, but the position takes some getting used to because many lifters have engrained “knees behind toes” for much of their lifting career. Practicing this exercise with light weights is a great way to prepare for the transition from straight bar deadlifts to a trap bar, especially if you’ve done a lot of barbell deadlifting in your days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between the trap bar deadlift and a barbell deadlift?
The trap bar involves a cradle that surrounds you, rather than a straight bar that rests in front of you when deadlifting. This distinction makes for a few major differences when it comes to the overall execution and geometry of the lift.
In any big lift, the goal should be for the weight’s center of mass to be positioned over your feet (or within the lifter’s “footprint”). This will be the strongest and most efficient way to move the weight with the lowest potential for risk.
In the case of a straight barbell, your shoulder blades need to be positioned over the bar for forces to be properly transferred up the body to support the weight’s vertical path. To achieve this starting position, your shins need to remain fairly vertical which will make for a more angled torso position (a deeper “hinge” at the hip joint).
Comparatively, the trap bar doesn’t block your shins from traveling forward, so your knees can position themselves more naturally forward and your hips can drop for a deeper seated position, resulting in a taller torso with less lumbar strain.
Also, a barbell asks for a double overhand grip (palm down) in front of the body. That keeps your shoulders in an internally rotated position while bearing load, which can strain the shoulder joints. A trap bar allows a lifter to use a neutral-grip (palms facing each other), which can be better for shoulder health and overall posture. It’s also slightly less challenging to your grip strength.
Lastly, using the high handles in the trap bar can reduce the pulling space and overall range of motion, which can suit taller lifters and beginners. All of this explains why many lifters’ trap bar deadlifts are stronger than their barbell deadlifts.
Why do some trap bars look so different from others?
When it comes to individual trap bars, the manufacturer of the bar can make a significant difference. For some trap bars, the entire cradle is longer and the bar’s total mass is heavier — one unloaded bar might weigh 40 pounds while another weighs 75 pounds before you add any plates.
Some trap bars have taller high handles, while others are lower. Some can even rotate. Some bars have a wider hexagon, making the handles farther apart, while other brands are a bit tighter to your body.
All of these things need to be taken into consideration when it comes to tracking your numbers and paving the way to progressive overload. It may end up that you’re lifting much more (or less) than you think if you’re using the guide of a classic 45-pound Olympic bar as your reference point. Do your best to know the weight and dimensions of the trap bar you most consistently use.
Step into the Trap Bar
The trap bar deadlift is a go-to movement for lower body strength and muscle development. As long as you have the key points down pat, this is a game changer for making the deadlift accessible to lifters who otherwise may be frustrated with the movement. If your gym has this wonderful piece of equipment, put it to good use rather than let it collect dust in the rack. This is the one move in the gym that deserves much more popularity and much less disrespect.
References
Valleser, Christian Wisdom & Santos, Garizaldy. (2017). EFFECT OF DEADLIFT TRAINING ON CORE STRENGTH IN PREVIOUSLY-UNTRAINED MALES. Journal of Physical Education Research. 4. 10-18.
Lake, J., Duncan, F., Jackson, M., & Naworynsky, D. (2017). Effect of a Hexagonal Barbell on the Mechanical Demand of Deadlift Performance. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 5(4), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports5040082
Carpenter, D. M., & Nelson, B. W. (1999). Low back strengthening for the prevention and treatment of low back pain. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 31(1), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199901000-00005
Camara, K. D., Coburn, J. W., Dunnick, D. D., Brown, L. E., Galpin, A. J., & Costa, P. B. (2016). An Examination of Muscle Activation and Power Characteristics While Performing the Deadlift Exercise With Straight and Hexagonal Barbells. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 30(5), 1183–1188. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001352
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Before she began competition in the 2022 Rogue Invitational, which will run in Austin, TX, from Oct. 27-30, 2022, Polish CrossFitter Gabriela Migała went to a unique place to refine and polish up her strength and conditioning. It might not have been that outside of the box for an athlete seeking every edge.
On Oct. 27, 2022, Migała posted a video to her YouTube channel that features her traveling to Hafthor Björnsson’s commercial gym, Thor’s Power Gym, in Kópavogur, Iceland. Her primary mission was to work on her deadlift and sandbag proficiency while being coached by two-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) finalist Stefán Sölvi Pétursson.
From the moment she stepped out of her car — beaming while speculating if Björnsson is actually as big as his reputation says he is — Migała seemed eager to continue implementing some strongwoman-level training into her general routine. (Note: Björnsson was not in attendance.)
“I’m really happy to learn some new stuff from the best people,” Migała explains to the camera. “So it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be really helpful.”
Veering away from her usual CrossFit-centric routine apparently wasn’t easy for Migała. She describes herself as a person who appreciates consistency in her daily planning, making the initial slight transition a little challenging.
“Before I came to Iceland, that was one of my concerns,” Migała said of her reservations about trying a different training style. “I’m the type of person who likes to have everything scheduled. I like my routine. I don’t really like too many changes. Leaving my gym, and my equipment, and my everything was quite stressful. I wasn’t sure about this, especially so close to a competition [the 2022 Rogue Invitational].”
Ultimately, Migała appeared to be won over by the temporary variation after some time. She seemed to believe she acclimated well and that this sort of focus helped her become more versatile.
“It actually turned out to be a really good decision,” Migała says. “It’s really good training because I think, as an athlete, you should be able to adapt to everything and not really be used to doing the same stuff in the same safe space.”
As for her workout, Migała kept it quick, efficient, and effective when it came to the deadlift. That’s because her workout was not centered around pulling heavy weight. Pétursson had Migała refocus and rework her deadlift technique in a healthy manner for improved strength in the long run, and she seemed to appreciate the coaching.
“It’s so different; I think it’d be so much easier if you could start from zero rather than forgetting your old technique after doing it for so many years,” Migała said. “… But, yeah, practice makes perfect.”
Migała would follow the initial deadlift coaching by cruising through a field portion length of the gym while lifting and re-lifting an 80-kilogram (176.3-pound) sandbag. By the end of the workout, Migała shined with excitement about what she was able to accomplish.
“It was the best session from all of the sessions since we came to Iceland,” Migała expressed. “It’s been so beneficial to be able to train with Stefan [Sölvi Pétursson]. He showed a few more cues for [lifting] sandbags … so it’s very good.”
Migała is currently utilizing what she learned in training as a strongwoman at the 2022 Rogue Invitational. Chances are, it might help her round out an excellent performance in Austin.
Mark’s Daily Apple turns 16 today. I guess we could say it’s officially “come of age.” It was the platform that launched the primal mission, and I couldn’t have spread the word without it — and without you, my dedicated readers, of course. So let’s get a little reminiscent, shall we? After all, that’s what birthdays are for.
Many of you are familiar with my personal journey. A career as an endurance athlete left me sick and injured, making me acutely aware that the standard health and nutrition advice I’d been following was misguided at best and destructive at worst. I’ve always loved challenging my brain as much as I do my body, so I dug into all the science available and began experimenting with a more evolutionary approach to food and fitness. I noticed the benefits right away and wanted to document my journey and help other people reclaim their health as well. I started Mark’s Daily Apple for that very reason, with a measurable goal in mind — to change the lives of 10 million people.
I soon discovered just how many people out there are sick of being failed by mainstream dietary and fitness advice. Visits to Mark’s Daily Apple skyrocketed as more people found their way to the blog, many of whom encouraged me to consolidate my research and way of life — which I call the primal lifestyle — in a book. And so I did.
Time passed, and I continued researching and investigating what it means to live primally, sharing my findings with you here. I also hosted in-person retreats and seminars and developed specialized online courses like the 21-Day Primal Reset Course. But I wanted to do more. I wanted to develop a program for those that desired to go beyond the blog and books and take an even deeper dive into the primal lifestyle.
So the primal mission took another leap and I created the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification program in 2014. It was an incredibly comprehensive exploration of ancestral health — on par with a college-level science course. It was for the primal enthusiast who wanted to become an expert for their own edification, but we soon discovered that the majority of people enrolling in the course had professional aspirations. They were either already a health or fitness professional or wanted to become one. With this discovery, I knew there was an opportunity to take the primal mission even further.
So I founded Primal Health Coach Institute to train other people in primal health and, with their help, change the lives of 100 million people around the world.
Primal Health Coach Institute is, in a sense, the culmination of my collective efforts to share the primal message and help people reclaim their health and wellness. I’ve gone from writing about ancestral health through daily articles on this blog to training people to become health and fitness coaches so they can go out and spread the word. And the compounding network effect has been powerful.
I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish with Primal Health Coach Institute. It’s not just an online platform that lets you take your pick of coaching courses. We’ve nurtured a tight community of coaches around the world. And we make sure they have the resources they need to launch and run a successful practice, so we can keep changing lives, one person and one coach at a time.
We’ve also spun off other endeavors, like myPrimalCoach, which matches users with their very own health coach through a convenient app. You’d better believe once we reach 100 million people, we’re going even bigger. And I know we can do it with everything Primal Health Coach Institute has in the works.
So happy birthday to the blog that started it all and continues to have a massive impact on the world. It’s certainly had a huge impact on mine.
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Yangsu Ren is young compared to some of his peers, but he only started competitive powerlifting when he was 28 years old. With a new feat of strength, the athlete appears to be more than making up for any perceived past lost time.
On Oct. 26, 2022, Ren shared an Instagram clip of himself capturing a 390-kilogram (860-pound) deadlift from a sumo stance, with lifting straps, during a training session. (Note: He did not disclose his body weight for the lift.)
According to Open Powerlifting, the pull is 50.1 kilograms (110.5 pounds) more than his all-time competition best from the 2017 USA Powerlifting Raw National Championships. This deadlift is also 27.5 kilograms (60.6 pounds) more than Owen Hubbard’s current International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Record in the 83-kilogram weight class. Ren’s previous training best was a 410.5-kilogram pull (905 pounds) from December 2020, when he weighed 196 pounds.
On an official competitive level, Ren has not formally stepped onto a sanctioned lifting platform in roughly four years since October 2018. At the time of this writing, he’s staying true to that trend and hasn’t alluded to any upcoming contests. That hasn’t stopped the athlete from crushing it in the gym, per his Instagram feed — where it’s apparent he regularly makes it a point to share clips of himself completing massive deadlifts.
Other notable recent deadlift sessions include Ren capturing a 336-kilogram (740-pound) conventional deadlift for three reps in September 2022. With that said and those caveats in mind, here’s an overview of Ren’s all-time competition bests:
As for Ren’s competitive history, he enjoyed some peaks and valleys but showed plenty of flashes should he ever return to the stage. Here’s a rundown of some of his notable career results:
Yangsu Ren | Complete Career Results
2016 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) Grinder Open (Raw/Open) — Second place
2017 USAPL CA State Games & USA Masters Games (Raw/Open) — First place
2017 USAPL Raw National Championships (Raw/Open) — Fifth place
2018 USAPL California State Games (Raw/Open) — First place
2018 USAPL Raw Nationals (Raw/Open) — Seventh place
While Ren hasn’t competed as a powerlifter in a little while, he’s still kept busy with other aspects of his life. According to his LinkedIn and social media, Ren has a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Michigan and currently works with computational biology as a professional.
It seems this prolific deadlifting athlete knows how to rigidly study and maintain his unique power at the same.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
As a former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion in 2017, there’s little doubt that Eddie Hall possesses the requisite strength and power needed to thrive as an American football player. The strongman legend recently decided to put some of his other skills to the test in a direct application.
On Oct. 23, 2022, Hall posted a video to his YouTube channel where he tried several drills featured in the National Football League’s (NFL) annual Scouting Combine that test the athletic aptitude of incoming rookie players. Going a little bit out of his comfort zone seemed fun for Hall to check up on his overall athletic talents in an unfamiliar environment.
To ensure he would conduct every drill appropriately, Hall had former long-time NFL veteran Jack Crawford and rugby/former NFL player Christian Scotland-Williamson on hand to help. The combine-style workout took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK. (Note: The stadium is one of the few venues in which the NFL sometimes plays regular season games, with another notable location being Wembley Stadium, also in London.)
After maintaining that he “can’t catch, can’t throw, and can’t run” but can probably “mow people down,” Hall padded himself in equipment and got to work.
The first drill saw Hall test his agility in the 20-yard shuttle to see how he changed direction. The drill has an athlete start in between a 10-yard margin. While pivoting, they run five yards to each side before a final 10-yard sprint. Hall notched a time of 5.15 seconds. For someone of his 300-plus-pound size, such a time compares well to NFL offensive linemen. For example, Houston Texans offensive guard and 2022 NFL draft selection Kenyon Green completed his official shuttle run in 5.12 seconds, per the NFL database.
Hall followed the shuttle run with the broad jump — where the athlete tests their forward-leaping ability. Hall managed to notch a distance of 6.5 feet (or 78 inches). This compared less favorably to NFL offensive linemen, as someone like the Los Angeles Chargers’ Zion Johnson broad-jumped 9.3 feet (or 112 inches) in March 2022’s edition of the actual Combine, according to Pro Football Reference. (Note: Hall completed his broad jump in shoulder pads and protective knee wear, potentially limiting his mobility. Whereas NFL athletes complete their tests in shorts and shirts.)
Hall finally tried his hand at the famed 40-yard dash to close this short mock NFL combine. A simple ask, all he had to do was run 40 yards in a straight line as fast as possible. He finished with a time of 5.73 seconds. Considering his lack of experience, that time might be solid. Though, again, mobility issues aside, that time doesn’t compare well with young professional offensive linemen, as someone like Johnson had a 40-yard dash of 5.18 seconds. In this drill, more than half a second is a significant difference.
With this Combine mock-up in the rearview mirror, Hall is preparing for his strongman comeback. After retirement in 2017, he will return as captain of Team UK at the 2022 Giants Live World Nation on Nov. 26, 2022, at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. Hall might have been a successful American football player in a different world.
In this reality, strongman is his calling, and it should be fascinating to see how he fares in what will likely be a highly-anticipated return.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
After winning the 2022 New York Pro and Indy Pro shows, it might be fair to say Blessing Awodibu is one of the bigger up-and-coming names in bodybuilding. To help further cement his place at the upcoming 2022 Mr. Olympia — his debut in the sport’s flagship contest — he recently enlisted the help of a living legend.
On Oct. 24, 2022, Awodibu posted a video to his YouTube channel where he trained with seven-time Mr. Olympia champion (2011-2017) Phil Heath. The two have previously worked together in the gym and, in this instance, they focused on polishing up Awodibu’s arms.
With introductions out of the way, the pair immediately jumped into the workout fray. While Awodibu tackled his biceps on the preacher curl machine, he discussed Heath’s approach to arm training during the early parts of his career. It apparently came to a point where Heath was training his arms so well he had to slow down and let the other parts of his physique fall in line.
“I would have a full arm day, but then I would do chest and tris, then back and bis,” Heath said. “By the time I turned pro, my arms were overpowering everything.”
As Awodibu transitioned to an incline biceps curl machine, Heath gave him a tip to warm-up first for a measure of established control.
“I know how to do this, but after the contraction, the machine almost pulls me down when I lower it,” Heath explained to Awodibu. “I really have to control this one.”
Eventually, Heath had Awodibu do some “Heath Curls” — the bodybuilding legend’s variation of single-arm dumbbell curls where one does several reps on one side before alternating. This differs from traditional curls, with an athlete alternating every individual rep. A mix of concentration curls, rope pushdowns for the triceps, cable overhead extensions, and single-arm cable pushdowns would follow through the rest of the routine.
Here’s an overview of the workout:
*Blessing Awodibu Arm Workout with Phil Heath, October 2022
While Heath won’t be competing alongside Awodibu at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, that doesn’t mean he won’t have an important role. The bodybuilding great will be one of the lead commentators in the announcers’ booth, offering his experienced insights on the contest.
Meanwhile, Awodibu will try to make a name for himself amongst some of the sport’s active dynamos like Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and Nick Walker. If he’s taking cues from someone such as Heath, chances are Awodibu might flourish. The 2022 Mr. Olympia will take place on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
In the greater CrossFit pantheon, Rich Froning Jr.’s resume is largely unassailable. After an Individual career where he captured four Men’s CrossFit Games titles, Froning Jr. transitioned to a successful Teams career where he led six consecutive squads to championships. With all his accomplishments in mind, the living legend is ready for something new.
During an Oct. 25, 2022, episode of The Sevan Podcast, Froning Jr. announced that he plans to retire from the CrossFit Teams division. The 35-year-old noted that he enjoyed his run at the head of Team Mayhem Freedom — the most successful Team in CrossFit Games history — but is now planning for the future.
Froning Jr. might not be calling it quits forever. While he’s putting a bow on his major Individual and Teams career, the athlete noted he might compete in the CrossFit Masters division in the future. (Note: He isn’t the first long-time CrossFit competitor to announce plans to hang up his kettlebells in some fashion in October 2022.) For now, he seems to be settling into a calmer life, away from the sport and with his family.
The athlete offered more clarity on what might be in store for him in an Oct. 25 Instagram post.
“I’ve had an incredible career to this point as an Individual and on a Team,” Froning Jr. expressed. “From now on, whether I compete will be decided on a year-to-year basis depending on what season of life we’re in and how this old body feels.”
The competitor signed off with a word of thanks and appreciation for the greater CrossFit community.
“Thank you to our [CrossFit Mayhem] family and the rest of the [CrossFit] community for lifting us up during competition, you guys are the best fans in all of sports,” Froning Jr. wrote. “I’m sure I’ll see you all again on the floor sometime in the future, but until then … thank you!”
When accounting for his Individual (four) and Teams victories (six), Froning Jr. is comfortably the most decorated CrossFitter of all time. (Note: Only fellow CrossFit legend Mat Fraser has earned more Individual Men’s titles, with five.) Froning Jr. also possesses an impeccable record of consistency. Save for the 2020 CrossFit Games — where the Team competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the athlete finished, in some fashion, on every Games podium since 2010.
As he looks to a life without competitive CrossFit on his mind (for now), Froning Jr. leaves behind an indelible legacy. It’s the end of a memorable era for one of the sport’s most accomplished greats.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Kristy Hawkins is at a stage in her powerlifting career where the baseline expectation might be that she’ll lift something incredible whenever she gets a barbell in her hands. The athlete didn’t disappoint on this billing with her latest noteworthy feat of strength.
On Oct. 25, 2022, Hawkins posted an Instagram clip of herself capturing a 250-kilogram (551-pound) raw back squat for three reps during a training session. According to the caption of her post, the massive squat is a personal record (PR) for Hawkins. The athlete wore a lifting belt to help with the latest demonstration of her unique power.
As impressive as Hawkins’ squat achievement is at first glance, she was her harshest critic as the athlete didn’t seem pleased with the overall result. Especially on a lift that appeared to be smooth and go off without a hitch through all three reps. In her Instagram post, the powerlifter seemed to imply she may have been able to squat more on a better day.
Not happy with how squats felt and moved tonight but managed a PR.
Hawkins is no stranger to incredible milestones on her lifts. The athlete owns the World Record for the squat, deadlift, and total in the 75-kilogram weight class. Her top-ever competitive bench press of 155 kilograms (341.7 pounds) is also the second heaviest all-time, behind Allison Hind’s press of 163.3 kilograms (360 pounds) from the 2022 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) North American and New Jersey State Championships.
Here’s an overview of Hawkins’ all-time raw competition bests:
Kristy Hawkins (75KG) | All-Time Raw Competition Bests
Squat — 262.5 kilograms (578.7 pounds) | World Record
Deadlift — 278 kilograms (611.7 pounds) | World Record
Total — 685 kilograms (1,510.1 pounds) | World Record
At the time of this writing, Hawkins’ three-rep squat PR seems connected to preparation for an undisclosed powerlifting contest in December. A previous social media post saw the athlete alluding to a competition in the late fall, but she didn’t share what that contest was. At the same time, her social media is littered with recent clips of rep PRs on her squat and deadlift. (Notably, in mid-July 2022, Hawkins deadlifted over 22 pounds above her World Record figure.)
For Hawkins, she will likely excel wherever that stage is, considering the powerlifter has won 11 straight competitions dating back to mid-May 2015. To date, she has also never failed to qualify for the podium and has only failed to win outright on four occasions in a career that began in April 2014.
Hawkins’ records of success and achievement can probably speak for themselves. As one of powerlifting’s elite superstars, she very well might cap the 2022 calendar year by standing on top of yet another podium.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Few exercises can be as daunting as the pull-up. Having the strength necessary to perform one single repetition is a challenge for many. Yet, it is a milestone everyone should strive for. It’s frustrating to struggle performing pull-ups, but it’s even worse to leave them out of your program entirely.
Credit: tsyhun / Shutterstock
This staple exercise should be the backbone of many pulling workouts for beginners and advanced lifters alike. You don’t even need a gym. Heck, you don’t really even a pull-up bar. A sturdy tree or swingset can be enough to deliver you massive back, shoulder, and arm gains. Mastering the pull-up will be a game changer in your fitness journey.
The pull-up is a training staple for a reason. It delivers a myriad of benefits from mastering your own body to getting stronger to adding lean muscle. Let’s cover them all.
Functional Strength
Yes, functional training has been a trend in recent years. To specifically define what makes an exercise “functional” is a bit of headache, but there is a certain beauty and practicality in being able to move your own body around, just like with the push-up, running, or jumping. Mastering bodyweight movements and building coordination is a quality every human should strive for.
Credit: Microgen / Shutterstock
What is clear is that the pull-up can improve your overall strength and is transferable to many other activities and exercises, such as climbing, gymnastics, or even wrestling. Being stronger at the pull-up is being stronger at life, with improved grip strength and stronger back, arm, and core muscles.
Building Muscle
The pull-up shows up in so many resistance training plans because of its efficient ability to build size. It is one of the best, if not the best, muscle-builders for the back.(1) It is also a tremendous exercise for upper arm and forearm size. Moreover, it spares your lower back and legs from participating in the movement, which can be great if you’re injured or want to avoid excessive training volume in these body parts.
You can focus more on your pulling muscles, which improves your mind-muscle connection and provides quality volume to the target muscles. This will give you the best chance of building a well-developed back.(2)(3)
Better Grip
Grip strength can be easily overlooked, but is actually invaluable. Most exercises, even for the lower body, use your hands. The pull-up can improve your grip because you are required to lift your entire body and connect yourself to the bar.
This will directly be transferable to other pulling exercises and deadlift variations, but strong forearms and grip will also stabilize your wrists during pressing exercises such as the bench press, and can improve overall wrist, elbow, and shoulder joint health.(4) Grip strength is also linked to longevity and general health, which is a hefty bonus.(5)
How to Do the Pull-Up
The pull-up might be a bodyweight exercise, there is still technique involved if you want to master it and reap all its benefits.
Credit: MilanMarkovic78 / Shutterstock
Set yourself in position by hanging from a bar with your arms completely extended using a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip and your hands pronated (palms facing away from you).
Pull your shoulder blades back, raise your chest, and engage your core to prevent yourself from swaying.
Pull yourself toward the bar by flexing your elbows and squeezing your back until your chin is over the bar. If you’re a taller lifter or have long limbs, you might need to stop sooner if your back and arms fully contract before that point.
Exhale and hold the contraction for one second while keeping your chest arched and your body tensed.
Lower slowly by extending your arms in a controlled fashion to prevent as much swaying as possible.
Once you’re at a dead-hang, you’ve completed a pull-up. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.
Pull-Up Variations
The task ahead is daunting, but the challenge of the pull-up is worthy and you shouldn’t be intimidated by it. If you struggle with the movement, there are some variations that will help you towards your first good rep.
Negative Pull-Up
With this variation, you’re only doing the eccentric (lowering) part of the lift. To perform it, simply stand on a box, grab the bar and jump into the top position. Then slowly lower yourself in four to five seconds.
This is an excellent variation if you struggle with pull-ups, want to build pull-up strength, or cannot perform one strict repetition. You’ll be able to do these because muscles are stronger during the eccentric part of a lift.(6) This way, you can accumulate pull-up volume and practice the lift as well as gain strength in the desired muscles, even if you can’t perform a full range of motion pull-up.
Band-Assisted Pull-Up
A resistance band will “lighten” your body weight so the exercise requires less strength. This is a better variation to get better at pull-ups than the machine assisted pull-up, because the band incorporates some components of total-body stability and coordination.
Loop a durable resistance band around the bar and let it hang down. Put your feet in it, keeping your legs straight and your body tense. Now start pulling. The feeling and overall technique is very close to the unassisted bodyweight pull-up, so it will have plenty of direct carryover.
Inverted Row
This goes by many different names — horizontal row, bodyweight row, Australian pull-up — but it’s a relatively easier version of the pull-up because now you’re pulling horizontally and you’re moving a lower percentage of your body weight. It’s a perfect variation to master before trying pull-ups, as it recruits and trains the same muscles.
Set yourself under a fixed bar and grab it using a pronated (palms down) grip. Flex your core and legs so that your body is tense and in a straight line. Now, pull your chest to the bar. The inverted row is efficient because you can easily scale it down or up.
If it’s too tough, set the bar higher which improves your leverage and decreases the body weight being pulled. If it’s not challenging enough, reduce the bar height, and eventually elevate your feet to make the lift even harder. When you feel confident enough, the pull-up will be awaiting you.
Pull-Up Form Tips
If you want to really nail down your pull-up game, pay attention to these form tips. Proper technique is essential to prevent injuries and progress faster.
Brace Your Whole Body
You might think of the pull-up as only a back and arms movement, but that’s not the case if you want maximum efficiency. Studies have shown that the abs, for instance, are heavily involved in the pull-up.(7) Why is that? Your core — composed of your abs, lower back, and some hip muscles — as well as your legs have to work extra hard to stabilize your body.
Credit: lunamarina / Shutterstock
During the pull-up, take a deep breath in and flex your abs as much as you can to prevent excessive swinging, which would otherwise alter the efficiency and mechanics of the lift. To recruit your core even more, straighten your legs and hold them together. If you still have trouble preventing swaying, take a few seconds between each rep to reset yourself and ensure picture perfect form.
Keep Your Chest Up
When the lift becomes difficult, it’s tempting to round your upper back and use the assistance of more muscles. The problem is that it internally rotates your shoulders (making them roll forward) and places the shoulder joint in a precarious position.
You have to keep your chest up and your back slightly arched if you want to avoid injuries and train the target muscles correctly. Keep in mind that it will always be better to do fewer repetitions with better form. Doing your pull correctly will ensure you use your lats as efficiently as possible.
Use a Full Range of Motion
If you’re doing half-reps, you’re not “really” doing pull-ups. Yes, pull-ups are a challenging exercise, but cutting the range of motion short is not a valid strategy to get better at them. By reducing the length of pull, you never work the hardest part of the movement and you reduce time under tension, resulting in poorer muscle gains and strength development.(8)
Sure, you really want to nail this exercise, but you’ll be better off practicing the alternatives with proper form, like negative pull-ups or band-assisted pull-ups, rather than performing half-repetitions and getting half results. Practice perfect technique, use the variations, and you’ll master the pull-up soon enough.
Programming the Pull-Up
The pull-up is a versatile exercise that can be suited to beginners and experienced lifters alike, for a variety of goals. All along your lifting journey, the pull-up is a valuable exercise no matter what your goal is. If you’re stronger, you can even add weight to your pull-ups to keep reaping the strength and size benefits of the exercise.
For Strength: Perform three to five sets of three to five reps.
For Muscle Growth: Do three to four sets of eight to 12 reps.
For Muscular Endurance and Conditioning: Perform two to three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
For Strength-Skill (Technique): Do eight to 12 sets of one to three reps using short rest periods and avoiding muscular failure.
Credit: Natalie magic / Shutterstock
Pull-ups, like many bodyweight exercises, are a skill dictated by your muscles as well as your nervous system. Remember that perfect technique should always be respected if you want to progress efficiently. Avoid reaching muscular failure while learning the lift. This will prevent excessive fatigue from negatively affecting your technique.
Don’t Pull the Plug on Pull-Ups
The pull-up is too valuable of an exercise to skip just because it’s challenging to learn. Set aside your anxiety, follow the advice laid out above, and start working towards your first pull-up. By the time you’re able to bang a few good reps, your fitness and physique will have drastically improved.
References
Hewit, Jennifer. (2018). A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports. 5. 10.19080/JPFMTS.2018.05.555669.
Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Krieger J, Grgic J, Delcastillo K, Belliard R, Alto A. Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jan;51(1):94-103. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764. PMID: 30153194; PMCID: PMC6303131.
Coombes BK, Bisset L, Vicenzino B. Management of Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: One Size Does Not Fit All. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Nov;45(11):938-49. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2015.5841. Epub 2015 Sep 17. PMID: 26381484.
Bohannon RW. Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:1681-1691 https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S194543
Hody S, Croisier JL, Bury T, Rogister B, Leprince P. Eccentric Muscle Contractions: Risks and Benefits. Front Physiol. 2019 May 3;10:536. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00536. PMID: 31130877; PMCID: PMC6510035.
Hewit, Jennifer. (2018). A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports. 5. 10.19080/JPFMTS.2018.05.555669.
Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.
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