Been a while since I popped into this thread. Let's make sure nobody is falling off the wagon as the months start to pass in the new year.
A couple months ago a gym buddy of mine was saying how he wanted to do some sled pulls together sometime. My routine + hockey allowed for zero variation so it never really worked out. One Saturday he arrived while I was halfway done, so I decided to skip the rest of my routine and go work in w/him to do rack pulls. I'd always done them from below the knee to help my deadlift, but he was doing them about 6-8" above the knee. I hadn't done any sort of rack pull in over a decade thanks to injury, a lack of proper-height racks at the new gym I joined, more injuries, and other focus. So I worked in and we both got up to a 765 single, then as good as 585x10 on the way down from that. This work led to us making a Saturday plan to lift, and I've been leading our efforts to drop the rack height each week. As of last week we're now pulling FROM the knee, which is hitting our hamstrings much more (a focus of both of ours). As well, I hit 765 while he missed 4 attempts. After 2 failed attempts I suggested to cut his losses or take a LONG rest before a 3rd, but he tried to push too much and just missed. He'll probably get it this week though, he's a beast. I suppose I am too, as he's got 50lbs. on me.
So anyway, after those rack pulls last week, we FINALLY moved onto using the sled! I'd never done sled pulls before so I wasn't sure how humbled I'd be. Surprisingly I almost ran with him until we hit 15 plates (plus a 2.5, which I added so he could hit a PR!). That was a 707lb. load on rubber-coated flooring. We used a battle rope to pull hand over hand, and our distance was about 20 feet per pull. Did 7 sets of that starting with 3 plates and adding a pair up to 15.
I tell ya, that was freakin brutal after the rack work. I had him so amped that he added 2 more plates on top of that and made yet another PR. I was sticking more to a pulling movement w/my back using my legs for support, he was getting his entire body into it and using his legs to help push. I need to work on that fluid movement to get as much assistance as I can, although the way I was doing it did indeed burn up my legs a bit and my calves FOR SURE.
What I love is that this has been on Saturday, and my leg day after my weekly hockey game*s* is Friday or bust. So I go in with weakened hammies and need them for this strongman and powerlifting style workout. Ha!
Here's a pic of the sled:
Also started reading up a lot on Vince Gironda for my bodybuilding purposes. Began w/doing Gironda/sternum pullups which I'd known about forever, since my tendinitis keeps bothering me during traditional pullups or chins. With these, it's almost unbothered. So, I began with them, love em, and read more about VG. I found about his style of dips, a wide, palms OUT grip, chin tucked, feet forward and body in a "V" shape. WOW do those hit your pecs in a different way than traditional dips. I was doing dips w/70lbs. strapped on at the end of my workout, and have done them with 100+ strapped on in the past. Still, bodyweight Gironda dips are H-A-R-D! They eliminate your triceps as much as possible (as least when you have the palms-out grip, though you can do palms-in but I find it hits your triceps a bit more) and put all the stress onto your pecs. The idea behind it is to impact the low/outer pec line, and that's what I want out of it. I can't be certain but I swear, when pumped, I see a huge difference already considering I've only been doing them for 3 weeks.
Continuing on with the Gironda methods and theories, in reading up about this stuff I also found his thoughts on ab training. He was an advocate of the stomach vacuum, with which many of you may be familiar in regards to posing. Here, he recommended a set of timed-reps, holding the vacuum and contracting the tranverse abdominis. I started with 10-second holds for 5 reps per set, 5 sets total. It was tough mentally, tough to sort out your breathing, and tough to really hold true. I did that 2-3x per week and quickly got up to 10 reps for 5 sets, and now 20-seconds for 5 sets. I've read his suggestion was 10-second reps, 10 reps, 10 sets per session. I've also read other suggestions from folks who carry on the Gironda training methods/gym, that 20-second reps and beyond (up to 60-second reps - YIKES) are the aim. Whatever the case, I'll just try to improve. I haven't done a single crunch or anything in 3 weeks, and again I can't be certain but I SWEAR I can already see a visible difference in my serratus...even when not pumped. I'm not shredded by any sense, but am pretty lean in my good areas. Abs are not one of em. So to see a difference here, already, is quite inspiring. I just hope it continues; once I shed some fat it should all look better than ever.