Eliminating Weaknesses

​Title:  Eliminating Weaknesses
Happy Friday!  Welcome to the Iron Made Gym Newsletter.  Our goal with this production is to share information with our unique community that will help you reach your goals.
I have been studying the Westside Barbell Conjugate Training System and the most recent study has been the ‘Squat and Deadlift Manual’ written by Louie Simmons.  On page 131 he addresses the issue of eliminating weaknesses.
“Many times when technique fails, your muscles fail first.  These two weaknesses are often separated, but many times they go together.  Everyone can do a picture perfect squats and deadlifts with an empty bar.  Here are some common muscular and technical weaknesses in the squat.

  1.  If your knees go forward, your glutes and hamstrings are weak and you’re relying on your quads too much.
  2. If your knees come in, your hips are weak.
  3. If you bend over in the squat, your stomach and lower back are weak.
  4. If the weight feels heavy on your back, your traps and upper back are weak.
  5. If you don’t push your knees out while taking the bar of the rack, your hips need more work.
  6. If you tilt forward while overcoming the weight, you are pushing with the feet first when you must push against the bar first.
  7. If you round over at the bottom of the squat, your upper back and abs are possibly weak or you are pushing with the feet first before pushing against the bar.
  8. While squatting, if you can’t break parallel, you’re not pushing your feet apart or your hips are weak.

Here are some common muscular and technical weaknesses in the deadlift:

  1. If your knees come in while sumo deadlifting, either you aren’t pushing your feet apart while starting the bar off the floor or your hips are weak and you can’t push your feet apart because of weak hip muscles.
  2. If you can’t lock out a deadlift most think of an upper back issue and sometimes they’re right.  But it can also be weak hips that aren’t allowing you to push to the proper hip extension, or you possibly lack hip flexibility.
  3. If you deadlift conventionally and you stiff leg deadlift unintentionally, you lack strong knee extension.  This can lead to a back injury because you’re overloading one area.  Do box deadlifts on a two to four inch box.  They can teach you to use your legs first, which is proper form.  This will also build drive because you’ll have to extend your legs the extra two to four inches.”

Analyze where you are weak, and address the issue.  I hope this helps you!

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Until next time Iron Made Community.
“Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.” – Carl von Clausewitz
Many Blessings,
Kevin Byers

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