Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Add Some Bounce

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 2:47pm

Good pain and bad pain are something that most lifters understand. One type you want and another you don't. If you are a Masters age lifter, then you really know understand this concept. If you are into doing explosive lifting and fit want to decrease bad pain and increase your recovery rate, and who doesn't, then this is an Atomic Tip for you.

Atomic TIP
Add Some Bounce.

If you are doing explosive lifting, ie. Power snatches, hang cleans, explosive pulls, etc.; make sure you don't lock your knees. You will see this technique in play with any serious training hall video footage.

Here is an example of what NOT to do. New lifters, especially those who are very detail oriented individuals, will do hang cleans with knees locked and moving just the upper body, frequently just moving the hips and shoulders. They typically do this because they are working on bar receiving technique, where they are trying to increase bar speed and get higher elbows. The goals are good ones. However, the knees need to be unlocked and have a little bit of bounce. The resulting springiness is comparable to shock absorbers in your car. You don't need to have them in order to move around, but ride will be a lot smoother. In other words, it will save some trauma in your low back.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe
“Today is a good day to lift.”

links:
http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK12

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

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BPC45LB

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Core Training Safety Squat Style

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 4:24pm

As a great rapper once said: “You can do side bends or situps...” and you probably know the rest.

The truth of the matter is that side bends with weight are an excellent exercise to strengthen the core.

Enter the Safety Squat bar.

With handles placed at the chest level the Safety Squat bar makes it comfortable to add weight to your side bends. Instead of doing conventional bends with dumbbells or kettlebells hanging from your hands, the Safety Squat Bar instead places the weight comfortably on your back.

When doing side bends with the weight higher on the torso you may find that your range of motion and balance is different than with hanging dumbbells. We suggest starting off light, or with just the Safety Squat bar itself, until you get the hang of the movements.

Why can't I just use a regular bar to do side bends? Well, you can, however, using a regular Olympic bar to do this movement could result in shoulder impingement, discomfort and possibly shoulder injury. With a safety squat bar these problems are resolved for most people.

Try the Safety Squat bar for side bends and give your core a workout.

Live Strong, 
Roger LaPointe

Safety Squat Bar
 http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SSB


Thursday, January 19, 2012

A More Explosive Snatch

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 5:06pm

It's easy to say that you will snatch more if you just get stronger. Sure, part of getting stronger is lifting heavier weights. Yet, becoming more explosive in a lift often means that you have to go backward with the weight.

Yes, if you want to become more explosive, you probably need to lift lighter weights, as in the ones you can be explosive with, while maintaining perfect technique.

Tommy Kono once told me that he never ended a lifting session without doing three perfect lifts, regardless of the weight on the bar. It cements the technique into your neuromusclar synapses. Here is what I have learned. That is harder to do than it sounds.

When you are training the Olympic lifts and steadily going up in weight, once you have missed a lift, it's because you are now too weak to do it correctly. It's maddening. You will probably try to dig deep try that weight again. You may or may not make it. Let's say you do. There is almost no way you are going to make that weight two more times. You are simply too tired. Therefore, you must lower the weight. How much? Good question. I have found that after I've started missing lifts, knocking off 5 kg means nothing. I can't feel the difference. I recommend dropping down to what you do as a power snatch or power clean, but do the full lift.

After doing your three good lifts, move onto partials with heavy weight. I like pulls from the blocks, starting from your sticking point...

That's some real world advice. Take it or leave it.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe
“Today is a good day to lift.”

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

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK12

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=YPLYO11

Monday, January 16, 2012

Kilos to Pound Confusion

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 5:36pm

Need to know what the other guy is lifting?

Confusion the name of the game in your gym?

The whole kilos to pounds thing got your athletes scratching their heads?

Worry no more!

All you need is a handy dandy Conversion Chart from Atomic Athletic!

Get yours here:

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=POS122

Atomic Athletic Kilo to Pounds Coversion Chart. 12"x18" full color print. Perfect for every gym! http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=POS122

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Dr. Ken Pressing Article

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 5:08pm

Yes, we do have some training advice from Dr. Ken Leistner. Thanks to the Unsolicited Letter he sent me Sunday evening, which I in turn sent out to the readers of the Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin, there have been a lot of requests for training info from Doc.

Here is the link:

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

We have been sending “Dr. Ken's Pressing Advice” out with copies of Vic Boff's Bodybuilder's Bible for years. Doc wrote that for us five or six years ago and everybody loves it. It is exactly what you would expect: short, direct and to the point, without a lot of jibber jabber about cannon ball delts and other useless alliteration (unless, of course, it is super clever).

EXTRA – ONLY for Bulletin Members:
All Atomic Athletic Bomb Proof Bulletin readers will get a copy of Dr. Ken's Pressing Advice with ANY book or DVD order made on-line. All you have to do is type in “Dr. Ken is Da-Bomb” in the Customer Instructions section of the on-line order form. Offer ends when we run out of these copies...

All the best,
Roger LaPointe
“Today is a good day to lift!”

PS. Tell your buddies about the extra and the code. I will send it with their orders as well. All they need is that little saying.


Monday, January 9, 2012

AN UNSOLICITED ENDORSEMENT From Dr. Ken Leistner

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 5:02pm

Dear Lisa and Roger,

As yet another new year begins, as I always do, I look around our facility and the garage/driveway area. Kathy and I are fortunate to be able to serve so many athletes and patients who can benefit from the services we have offered them for more than three decades. After my own fifty-three-plus years of training, which obviously marks me as "old," there are a few truths to the endeavor of becoming muscularly stronger and larger.

Like most knowledgeable individuals in the game, I agree that one's barbell is the key element in their home or commercial facility. Of course you wouldn't know it from the numerous cheap, junk bars that one sees in commercial and home gyms. Your bar has to be safe, strong, and meet the needs of one's training. Certainly there are enough known, "good" brand names that everyone can call their favorite and then be justified in defending their choice. Plates that fit are obviously a necessity with the inclusion of a squat rack or power rack. With these few items, one can go as far as their willingness to work hard on a consistent basis and genetic potential will allow. Why then, in looking at the ATOMIC ATHLETIC catalogue, do you offer so much "stuff" and why does one need any of it? A very telling statement, meant partly I suspect in jest, from Kim Wood years ago, sums it up. Kim said to me "I don't know how many reps I have left in me and I want to enjoy every one of them." At the time we were coincidentally examining the extensive collection of ATOMIC ATHLETIC custom made barbells and dumbbells he has in his amazing home facility. I agreed. The variety offered by your stones, locks, odd objects, strongman implements, and "odd ball stuff" makes training fun, adds variety, and promotes enthusiasm. 

I believe I am known for my training intensity, even at my advanced age and I both promote and adhere to the use of the basic, time-honored exercises. Yet deadlifting granite stones or one of your custom "made-of-scrap yard-junk" heavy dumbbells really adds a tremendous amount of energy to my own training and that of our novice and professional athletes. Some of the objects allow for the stimulation one might not otherwise receive due to leverage factors or the necessity to utilize a specific body position in order to properly utilize the piece. In short, having so much from ATOMIC ATHLETIC at our disposal has given our personal quest to become bigger and stronger, obviously a lifetime commitment to the task, and to provide the very best to our trainees, possible while making the journey more enjoyable.

Have a great 2012.
Dr. Ken

Dr. Ken lifting an Atomic Athletic Granite Ball. Dr. Ken was Atomic Athletic's very first customer.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Strengthen the Jerk

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, January 6, 2012 at 3:49pm

It's funny. Most people think of the Jerk, as in the second half of the Clean & Jerk, as an arm and shoulder lift. They couldn't be more wrong.

Power for the jerk, just like the snatch and clean, comes from the hips. However, in addition to learning the technique involved in the jerk, I do see one very common problem that is related to “bodybuilding” concepts. Most athletes would benefit by getting their split lower.

Lowering the Split
Especially for the beginner athlete, there is one exercise that can really help strengthen that low split position and there is one tool that makes it so easy to start adding real weight that it almost feels like cheating. You are going to add in barbell lunges to your routine, but you are going to use your trusty old Safety Squat Bar.

Safety Squat Bars will allow you focus on foot position in the split. This means that you can really work on a long, low split. Sure, you still have to keep a tight core and high chest, etc. For many athletes, especially those new to Olympic lifting, barbell lunges, done for helping the split jerk, makes for too many things to think about controlling all at once.

Try this out. You will also find that if you are over trained for squatting and in the low back, the Safety Squat Bar Lunges can give those areas some much needed rest, while still getting in some much needed work.

Live strong,
Roger LaPointe

Facebook Photo of Roger with Safety Squat Bar
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1920021973850&set=t.1641084304&type=3&theater

Safety Squat Bar
http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SSB

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