Here's what I did this morning:
Went in the hot tub with my boy Brock. Showered and got dressed. Went outside and cleaned up the potting soil our new puppy Chewy tore up while we were inside. Cleaned up the three bags of leaves she tore up the other day and today. Ran to Caribou for coffee while test driving my in-laws van. Did the R-phase + nerve glides + eye and musclular activation. I always do plenty of what I call "the Z walk between every couple of exercises to reinforce the drills I'm doing and as an active rest. The Z drills took me about a half hour. I had my wife hold my shoulders on some of the neck drills- lateral glides, full circles, lateral glide + lateral slides. Her arms are tired now! From doing kettlebells I always try to move from my hips doing everything. It doesn't work for the neck drills though. It did help me actually feel the right area opening up for the first time.
Here's what I copied and pasted from Dr. Cobbs blog-
"1. Acquainting with technique: Give its name, a general description, explain its applicability in competition, and demonstrate it.
a. The whole technique at real speed
b. The technique broken down into elements
c. The whole technique in slow motiond.
And again the whole technique at real speed.
Your demonstration must always be flawless. If you cannot do something yourself then show a video, movie, or photographs of a model performance. Accompany your demonstration with explanations... Tell athletes what they should look at, what they should hear, what they should feel, what they should imagine, what to aim for, and what mistakes to avoid in subsequent phases of the technique. Use appropriate metaphor or comparison to make your explanations memorable... Remember: the way you demonstrate and explain a technique influences an athlete's attitude toward it.
Make sure the athletes you train appreciate the importance and are enthusiastic about this technique."
It's a quote from a famous coach. I don't know who, yet.
But the reason I put it on my blog is because it's a great quote and because on the DD forum the other day someone got there nose bent out of shape by my reply to a post.
The post showed two guys doing front squats with two beasts. They each did a rep to the front and then one to the side. Their first reps were not perfect. The second rep was better.
Well all I said was that they should stick to the 'Bulldogs" 88 pound bells so that they don't get hurt. With the intent that ya, they could go back to the beasts, eventually.
The quotes were flying. How if you don't push beyond the normal comfort zone you won't grow or some B.S. like that.
I'm all for pushing the limits but, with perfect form. And I don't advocate doing something for your EGO that will get you hurt.
Here's what I would do if I wanted to do front squats with the beasts.
1. Practice double cleans with the beasts first. Your squats or presses are only as good as your cleans.
2. Do more sets with the 88's. Limit reps to 5 per set.
3. Try some sets, when you are fresh with one 88 and one beast. One rep only. Obviously switch the bells around for each set.
4. Maybe, do double beast cleans, then work into quater reps, then half reps, then 3/4 reps on down to full reps.
That would be following the above quote to a T.
Then they would have perfect technique by that point. Not almost perfect technique. Then we could all have a group hug.
Enough said. End of story,
-Joe
