Questions about the Crucifix Lift

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 9:49pm

How about the lower body when doing the crucifix (iron cross)?

The official competition crucifix lift is properly performed with the feet together.  The feet are brought together once the weights are brought together overhead and before the weights are allowed to descend.  As you are learning the lift, don't worry about the legs.  Get the weights overhead and learn the upper body movements first. 

The Crucifix is an awesome movement for highlighting that old physical culture concept of symetrically balanced physical development.  You see this as topic of apparently huge importance in the older bodybuilding literature, as measured by the amount of print space devoted to it.  However, from a practical issue, no where has it been better highlighted than during a Crucifix Lift.  I thought the 2 Hand Barbell Snatch made this obvious, with press outs, spear fished barbells and other dramatic missed attempts, but it is even more obvious in the crucifix.  No one in the Atomic Athletic Club has properly held out those weights, with their feet together, the first time.  You will be surprised at how much of an impact the foot position will be, as you get closer to limit lifts.  Once you get everything else nailed down, add in the foot placement.

Read the specifics of the competition lift in the USAWA Official Rule Book, which can be found at www.usawa.com .

What is the best dumbbell for the crucifix?

Man, that is a great question.  I always believe that solid dumbbells are the best, for just about anything.  Obviously, a solid dumbbell is terrible if you need to adjust it.  For training purposes, I am not a big fan of Olympic sized dumbbells.  They are so big that they really limit what you can effectively do with them.  However, if you only have Olympic sized plates, they are clearly the cheapest way to go.  I am a big fan of a rotating dumbbell as well, which is satisfied by the Olympic dumbbell concept.  Standard sized equipment, plates and bars, are much more compact and they are cheaper than the Olympic ones.  We sell a variety of bars, rotating handles, collars, plates and other equipment, including the kettlebell handles that I like for the crucifix.  However, that may not be an invest you are willing to make.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Kettlebell Weirdness or Crucifix Part 2

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 3:49pm

Your note has been created.

While a number a strongman contests have had some form of the crucifix hold, each one seems to be somewhat different, with the “made for TV” aspect seeming to be paramount.  The USAWA Official Rulebook has the only “officially” written rules for a Crucifix Hold that I can find.  If anyone can find anything else that would qualify, I would love to see it.  That being said, I will assume that we are using the USAWA rules for the competition form of the exercise.

3 Training Tips

1. Start of extremely light: Vic Boff recommends that you start off with no more than 12 ½ pounds.  I deferred to Vic's experience, because he has never steered me wrong.  Well, he was right again.  Certainly, experiment light and then continue light for your first week or two of training, after getting some of the technique down.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK22C

2. Kettlebells Hang:  Of course they do, you might say.  Now is the time to read the USAWA Official Rule Book, Lift # E8.  It can be downloaded from their web site.  (Just a tip.  I had several copies spiral bound: 1 for the gym, 1 for the office and 1 for the announcing table during contests.  It has become a valuable reference tool.)  The Crucifix can be done with either dumbbells or kettlebells.  I don't know which one is easier, but they are two different lifts, with the kettlebell version being the more interesting and dramatic, as they hang down when the arms are outstretched.  As you start from the press lockout, with the palms facing each other, the kettlebells will hang down, increasing the leveraged force as they are lowered. 

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=KBC1

3. Dynamic Stretching:  As I started doing training for the Crucifix I did my typical warm-ups with Indian Clubs.  I am really glad I did.  I have since also added curls.  Those are done with light weight in a full range of motion, as a warm-up.  I feel like this combination is really helping my lockout in my snatch as well. 

For those of you unfamiliar with some of the terminology I have used here, you may want to check out Traditional Training Legendary Strength.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK90

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Crucifix Holds

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, September 26, 2011 at 5:00pm

Strange lifts abound in the world of old school strongman feats, but the classic Crucifix Hold would seem to be pretty easy to understand.  Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.  You simply have to start doing this movement to really grasp the coolness and easy application to a variety of training programs.

This first Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin, covering the Crucifix Hold is going to highlight some of the many benefits, where to fit it into your routine and some initial tips for you to get started.  This will help you bypass a few of the stumbling blocks I hit along the way. 

1.Shoulder Development:  The crucifix is just one of the exercises that Vic Boff recommends for use with kettlebell handles.  As Vic Boff says in his “Body Builder's Bible”, “The exercises, when carefully followed through,will give excellent results when intelligently applied.” (Boff, p. 125)   I highly recommend that you actually work the various kettlebell handle exercises in Vic's book.  They provide outstanding supplementary training for the competition lift, which is not just part of the USAWA, but frequently seen in strongman contests as well.

2.Tools:  The old classic shots of strongmen, from fifty to one hundred years ago, almost always show the strongman doing the Crucifix Hold with some sort of globe kettlebell.  As I have a pretty good selection of equipment, including antique Milo Bar Bell globes, I figured this was the way to go.  Wrong.  Then I tried various dumbbells, which turned out to be varying degrees of “acceptable”.  The best was definitely NOT solid kettlebells, as the small solid heads and somewhat rounded handles had strange torque issues.  Maybe competition grade kettlebells would have been better, but I don't have any of those here to try.  Certainly the best, and cheapest, were the kettlebell handles.  I would love to push sets of solid kettlebells, simply from a profit perspective, but I would be giving you my honest opinion.

3.Timing: I am finding that a solid warm-up with light Indian Clubs is essential, but I would be doing that for my Olympic weightlifting anyway.  Then do some of the light exercises Vic recommends, with no more than 15 pounds per kettlebell.  Then go right into progressively heavier poundages.

The USAWA Official Rulebook has the Crucifix in Section E8, which would correspond to the Top Exercise on Page 129 of Vic's Book.

Kettlebell Handles

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=KBC1

USAWA Web Site

http://www.usawa.com/

Vic Boff's Body Builder's Bible

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK22

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

The Wet Boots Problem

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 4:16pm

Andy Says: “We do our Farmers Walks on the Railroad Easement behind the gym, which looks like a dirt road, but isn't. It's heavy crushed stone & washout. If it's raining, your boots will look like their coated in concrete, but you can spray them off quickly. The problem: WET Boots.”

Andy pretty much manages the Atomic Athletic Club Warehouse Gym, so he is well aware of what our guys go through.  There's no walking on that stuff with bare feet, like the Cross Fit guys.  The sharp stones are nothing compared to the broken glass and shards of cracked steel and cast iron that can also be treacherous.  You know what I'm talking about if you've ever hiked a rail road track.

Here is what you do:

1.Don't cook your boots.  That will destroy the fabric or leather, stitching, glue and foam padding. That means you NEVER use heat.

2.Pull your laces out, down to the last holes.

3.Next stretch out the tongues.  Roll down the sides of your boots, if they are high tops.

4.Tie them together with a knot at the ends of your laces.

5.Stick them in your clothes dryer, hanging by the laces.  You will keep the knot you tied hanging outside the clothes dryer door, centered at the top. 

6.Turn on the dryer using the lowest heat setting, like: “low heat, air dry or permanent press”. That setting is different for each dryer unit.

7.If the boots are banging around as the dryer rotates, then re-tie your knot and shorten up your laces so the boots don't don't touch your agitator.  If they are tumbling around, they will be hard on your dryer and wear out your boots more quickly.

You can get more helpful tips in the Atomic Athletic Garage Gym Guide:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK1000

Home Made Farmers Walks:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/articles/detail.asp?ArtID=94

Farmers Walk Poster:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=POS0711

I highly recommend you practice this method with an old pair of shoes you don't mind potentially destroying.  You may even do it the first time at a laundry mat.  If you can wipe down or squeeze out as much excess water as possible before throwing them in the dryer, you will just speed up the process.

Atomic Athletic Farmers Walks:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SUT002

Roger LaPointe

Live strong,

Clean Up Your Gym

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 2:07pm

You want to improve your numbers?

Yes, I am talking about your members, but it also applies to your lifts as well. Everyone loves a clean and efficient gym. It breeds a positive attitude.

When you have weights strewn all over the place, random small tools in piles on the floor and a general sense of clutter, the anarchy breeds tension. Tension is the enemy of a positive attitude. Positive attitudes in the gym breed camaraderie.

Whether you have a garage gym or military facility that is constantly in flux with rapidly changing membership, everyone knows that great training partners and friendly challenges lead to bigger numbers on the lifting platform. It's not just an issue of having a challenge barbell, but that helps. It's not an issue of having a competition team: powerlifting, crossfit, or Olympic lifting; but that is great too. These things are all great, but you need to start off on the right foot. Camaraderie breeds added membership in your gym.  

Here are three things you can start today:

1. Put all your plates in racks. If they don't have a place, then you need to find a place. Piled in the corner is not acceptable.
2. Design traffic flow. You need enough open space to walk in circles without dead ends. They lead to unused equipment and wasted square footage.
3. Cleanliness. You know what that means. Work on it every day.

Check out these links:

Atomic Athletic Garage Gym Guide

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK1000

Vertical Bar Rack

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y6916

Horizontal Plate Racks

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=Y69040

Norb's book is completely out of print and we have only a few copies left. It's packed with photos and info about his colorful life and tips about his unusual training methodology. Don't forget, you also get copies of the interviews I did from the 1990s for the IWF!

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

How to Train for One Arm Chins

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 5:08pm

Chin-ups are a great way to show off, but lots of guys can do several good chin-ups. If you are actually wanting to impress someone, do a 1 handed chin-up. Odds are you can tell if someone else watching might be capable of doing a one handed chin-up.

Training Tips

Here are three quick training tips to help get you genuinely strong enough to do those one handed chins.

1. Heavy Barbell Curls: Chin-ups are really a biceps tester. This might sound strange, but you do not need to be able to curl double your bodyweight to do a one handed chin-up. However, you do need to really work at getting as close to your own bodyweight as possible.
2. One Hand Barbell Deadlifts: Lots of guys with really strong biceps simply don't have the grip and wrist strength to do the movement. I believe that you absolutely must be able to do a one hand barbell deadlift with 120% of your bodyweight, but that is just a guess.
3. Regular Chin-ups & Pull-ups: Of course you need to work your two handed chin-ups. I would think that this is an obvious one. Make sure you do a full range of motion. Do your chins first, while you are fresh and then move into pull-ups.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Doing 1 Good Pull-Up

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 4:23pm

You would be surprised at how many people CAN'T do even a single good pull-up.  Here are some tips on how to improve your pull-ups, even if you are already pretty good.

1.Abdominal Work: Make sure you do some type of abdominal work hanging from a pull-up bar. Yep, all kinds of hanging crunches and knee raises.  They don't have to include iron boots, but that always helps, but make sure you do them at the end of every workout.  This will improve your start and stop positions, as well as your grip.  Oh yeah, you may improve that gut at the same time.

2.Negatives: Slow negatives from that chinning bar are fantastic.  Use assistance from your training partner, or a chair or do a “kipping” chin-up to get up there.

3.Chin-ups: Chin-ups (palms facing your body) will help your pull-ups.  If you have been big on biceps work, then you might be able to do more chin-ups than pull-ups.  Great.  When you finish doing as many pull-ups as you can, then do chins.

4.Good Equipment: Bad, wobbly equipment feels unsafe.  Remember this rule.  IF IT FEELS UNSAFE, THEN IT PROBABLY IS UNSAFE!  Do a proper installation.  Over do your installation.  Look at the wall mounted Pull-up Bar we have at the Atomic Athletic Club warehouse gym.  You will see total overkill with the mounting boards and bolts.  This means you do not have to think about safety and you only need to think about the exercise.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Exercise of the Day: Double Ropes

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, September 12, 2011 at 5:00pm

Before you destroy your grip, go for the ropes.  Pass on the Chinning Bar work and head straight for the rope stuff.  It is a totally different feel, but you need fairly fresh hands to make it worth it.

1.Double Rope Climb: This is the real deal baby!  With one rope in each hand, go all the way up and then all the way back down.  Do it as many times as you can.

2.So your hands are shot, but you have plenty left in your back, at shoulder height tie a loop in each rope.  Grab that loop and lean back.  This will be like a bent over row, but you will be looking at the ceiling.

3.Now your back is also shot, so re-tie those loops higher up.  Hang from the ropes and do L-sits for time.  Do three reps with your buddy timing you.  Odds are that even with a single minute of rest, rep number 2 will be the longest.

4.If you have anything left, do push-ups or dips.

I know, you want something with a barbell.  Before you start this little routine, do your over head work: barbell presses, power jerks, full split jerks.  Make sure to do them out of the rack. 

Work like this is a good 4th or 5th day “extra” workout.  Enjoy.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

USED Strength Equipment

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, September 9, 2011 at 4:04pm

I have been working on the Used Equipment page.  As you can imagine, it needs fairly regular updates.

Here is the link:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SPEC2

The newest items, and tremendous deals, are the Horizontal Plate Racks I picked up.  You can buy one or both of them.  They are so cool, I am actually keeping some of these for the Atomic Athletic Club Warehouse Gym, but we certainly don't have the space to keep them all.  Make sure to call us to place the order (419)352-5100.

In addition to the items we have here at Atomic Athletic, we regularly have contacts who want to get rid of a list of pieces, which I won't bring in to the warehouse to take up space.  You will have to call us about those pieces.  Obviously, the available items change on a regular basis.

We can ship them, or you can come and pick-up at our warehouse location in Bowling Green, OH.  Make sure you make an appointment if you are planning on showing up.  First come, first serve.

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe

Quick Snap

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 4:46pm

They say that you can't make more fast twitch muscle fibers, or increase their reaction time speed.  That is a total BS excuse to not train.

The Truth

I have seen some slow lifters do some very nice numbers, even in the full snatch.  It is possible because they have made the most of what they have.  Here is what those lifters have done: increased lifting efficiency through better technique and utilizing as much of those fast twitch muscle fibers as possible while also fully utilizing the the slow twitch fibers for general fitness, supporting strength and tendon and ligament strength.

Trick for Developing a Snappy Snatch

This sounds so simple it is almost unbelievable, but it works.

Start off with a really light weight, for example, we might use 40 kg, because it is just the empty bar and a pair of 10 kg bumpers.

Snatch it three times, perfectly.  Then move up by 2 ½ kg and snatch that three times, perfectly.  Keep moving up in weight by 2 ½ kg until you can't do three perfectly in a row.  When you have done three imperfect attempts in one set, then you can move on to any other exercise that is not an explosive one, or quit for the day.  Remember, you don't get to move up in weight until that set of three reps has each and every one perfect.

Man, that sounds easy, right?

“Perfect” is the key word.  I don't mean a snatch with a little press out or slight delt raise movement with the shoulder.  I don't mean a snatch with “only a little hop forward or backward” to catch the lift.  I don't mean “competition legal”.  I am talking 3 white lights, so perfect my 4 year old could be the official type perfect.  You get the idea?

Do this once a week for at least a month straight.  At the end of that month, you will find yourself more slippery fast than a Detroit City Street Racer.  Enjoy.

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe

Solid Wall Mounted Chinning Bar

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 5:10pm

How many pull-ups can you do?

Pull-ups and chin-ups are some of the very best back training exercises. They have been a staple of the world of physical culture since... well, forever.

Bust out a dozen pull-ups and everyone has respect for you.

Here is the single most important factor in getting better at doing pull-ups: have a solid pull-up station.

If you have ever tried doing pull-ups on a wobbly pull-up, especially if it feels unsafe, then you know exactly what I am talking about. Here is our Wall Mounted Pull-up Bar:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BMO0451

This is the most solid pull-up bar I have ever used. It is made with 11 Gauge Tubular and Plate Steel. The Bar is 1-1/4 inches in diameter and coated with a proprietary high density foam rubber. With this construction, it can handle over 500 pounds!

If you are already great at standard pull-ups and chin-ups, then maybe it is time to step up to the 1-Handed variety!

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Too Old To Gain Strength

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 2:30pm

No one can imagine the calls I get on the phone.  Yesterday, I got one that just made me lose it completely.  I was so blown away by this guy that I...  Let's say this.  My Grandpa, the accountant, would have been mortified.  My Dad, a retired electrician who worked jobs in the worst parts of Detroit, would have been proud. 

“What the Hell?  You've gotta be shitting me!”

After this long lead in about “dropping his kid off at college”, and, “now he has time to lift again”, and blah, blah, blah....  He then asks me if he “is too old to gain strength.”  Then he leaves me hanging.

So, I naturally follow up with, “Well, how old are you.”

He replied, “I will be forty-one in a month.”

That is where I lost it. 

Norbert Schemansky had received his 4th Olympic Medal at 40.  Most All-Round Weightlifters are just getting into doing their serious heavy lifts (harness lift, hip lift and hand & thigh lifts) as Masters age athletes.  Personally, I am snatching better now, at 40, than I have in five years.  In fact, forty almost seems like the age of many of my younger customers.

Maybe it's because I'm now 40 and I feel like I am just now really figuring out some of this stuff, after 30 years of practice.  I don't know.  Anyway, he was at a loss for words, so I asked him what equipment he had and what his goals are.  He only had a fixed amount of money to spend, so he bought my book, Traditional Training Legendary Strength, a pair of our Long Dumbbell Handles with Collars, some standard size plates, and my DVDs “Train Like A Strongman” Vol. 1 &  Vol. 2.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't get stronger, regardless of your age.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe