20” Pythons

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 6:39pm

Roger asked me to write an article about arms. Specifically regarding the biceps. Coming from a bodybuilding background I have always liked having relatively large arms. They get attention and feed the ego nicely. However in the real world of strength and truly heavy lifting the biceps tend to fall short as a key muscle to focus on for development, or do they?

Since moving into explosive strength training and dabbling in Olympic lifting I have found that having strong biceps has been a double edge sword. The fact of the matter is that the biceps is actually a relatively small muscle pair making up only two fifths of the upper arm (with the triceps being the true powerhouse).

In many forms of strength training it is quite possible to overcompensate and lift improperly if you rely too much on the biceps. This can lead to catastrophic injuries. Everyone has heard the stories of, or seen in real life, the results of a torn biceps. The truth of the matter is that the biceps while strong, cannot bear the load that other larger muscle groups can. In a heavy lift gone wrong overloading the biceps is a quick road to injury.

That being said the biceps absolutely do play a critical role in heavy lifting. For example in a press of any type with the arms the biceps are there for much needed support. Strong biceps muscles, along with tendons and ligaments add structure to the arm as well as the joints. This structure serves in bracing the arm and joints and solidifying the arm securely while the triceps and shoulders do their thing. There is no reason for this support structure to be weak. Do your curls.

Here are some fun biceps exercises taken from the Larry Scott Collection

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BKLS07

Two Arm Barbell Curl

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Reverse Curl

Scott Preacher Bench Dumbell Curl

Flat Bench Dumbbell Curl

Bent Over Concentration Curl

Spider Bench Barbell Curl

Live Strong,

Andrew LaMarche       

Neck Work for Pressing

by Atomic Athletic on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 5:14pm

“How much do you press?”

That used to be the big question, indicating the measure of your strength to the common man.  Today, that question has been muddied up with the bench press taking center stage.  But this fact remains, improving your standing press, will also improve your bench press.  That's a pretty cool fact.

I spoke at the most recent Ohio State University NSCA Clinic.  It was some great exposure, but there was an added benefit.  I was able to see the other speakers for free!  Many people forget that while I do this strength stuff professionally, I would be going to many of the same events anyway, just for fun.

One of the most enlightening speakers has actually been a customer of mine since the very first year we opened, that is Mike Gittleson, the former Strength Coach at the University of Michigan.  Mike spoke about neck training.  His primary focus, as you might guess, was on neck training for football players.  However, he really spurred some added interest for me because of some lifting event benefits he has found from neck training.

Gittleson has found some amazing benefits to a lifter's standing press, when one starts taking neck training seriously.  Obviously, neck work is going to help in cleaning a barbell to the shoulders.  Yet, one might think that the neck has little or nothing to do with a strict standing press out of a rack.  In fact, the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid and splenius all play a roll in pressing, particularly in the lock out phase.  Today, most people don't complete a press like the old Olympic weightlifters did, but if you look from behind at how a modern Olympic weightlifter locks out a jerk, it will become clear.  The shoulders and scapula are actually brought together to complete the lockout.

In addition to the direct use of neck muscles in pressing, there are many indirect benefits.  Today, it is common to talk about small supporting muscles that benefit from free weight exercises.  I would like to reverse that and talk about training the small supporting muscles in order to shore up the big big ones.  There are a huge number of actual muscles, ligaments and tendons in the neck.  With so many smaller muscles, you can actually do some neck specific training every workout without overtraining any specific muscle.

I have found, with the exception of wrestlers, most athletes pass on specific neck training.  Gittleson reported that the vast majority of high school and college football programs don't do any of it. There are several legitimate reasons that specific neck training may be frowned upon institutionally. The first and most prominent being the risk of injury. Another may be simply the lack of proper neck training techniques and knowledge out there. No matter the reason, the neck is something that I feel should be trained, and can be trained safely. This cluster of muscles, ligaments and tendons when strengthened will help not only with specific lifts such as the press, but also with overall power, stability and strength. Besides which, having a strong neck is having a neck that is less likely to be injured. 

Live Strong, 

Roger Lapointe

Atomic Athletic Indian Club Sale!

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 3:16pm

 1 1/2 lb. Pair Wooden Indian Clubs!

We have been digging through the warehouse, and wow, Have we found some interesting stuff!

This week we stumbled upon a case of these wonderful 1 1/2 lb. wooden Indian clubs.

We didn't even know we had them! So what do you do with products that you didn't even know you had? Well at Atomic Athletic we offer them to customers at a huge discount!

Now is your chance to own these great Indian Clubs at a fraction of the retail cost!

These are standard 1 1/2 lb. wooden Indian clubs with a brown finish. Great for both novice or advanced club swingers.

These clubs are a steal at only $35.00 plus 9.95 shipping! 

Supplies are VERY limited, so ACT NOW!

Visit our store and order by visiting this link:

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

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe

Great Day to Lift

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 5:13pm

Boy, we sure had a great day to lift. Last Saturday, August 20, 2011, turned out to be a beautiful day. Really, any day with a weightlifting meet that goes without a hitch is a good day, but this was a GREAT day.

The competition platform was outside at the Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend USAWA Meet. Outdoor meets are always a risk in Northwestern Ohio, we can have all four seasons in one day. Yet, just as it started to heat up, we had a few clouds roll in, making it slightly overcast. Perfect.

Meet Highlights

Here are some highlights from a flawless three lift All Round Weightlifting event.

The lifts were: the One Hand Barbell Deadlift, Clean & Push Press, and Trap Bar Deadlift; which were competed at in that order.

The Top 5 Male Lifters, by formula were:

1st Place: David Polzin

2nd Place: John McKean

3rd Place: Dennis Habecker

4th Place: Roger LaPointe

5th Place: Scott Schmidt

Lifter Close-Up

While all the lifting was very well done, I really have to congratulate Dave Polzin. Dave was a National Level Olympic style weightlifter in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Dave's highest placing was 2nd in the US Nationals, in the 110 kg weight class. He was known for his powerful clean & jerk, with which he hit 200 kg (440 lbs.). It was obviously a good background for the all rounds, which is not always an easy transition.

Dave had never done a one hand barbell deadlift until last April, yet, on Saturday, he pulled 132.5 kg (292.1 lbs.). His clean & push press was another world record for his 61 year old age group (60-64 years), at 100 kg. I believe he has more than that in him and he has to power clean the weight. Like many of us, his knees are not what they used to be. Dave had never seen a trap bar until he started training at Atomic Athletic and he pulled 205 kilos (451.9 lbs.). Today, Dave lifts in the 100 kg weight class. We hope to see a good deal more of his lifting in the All-Rounds.

Meet Facts

The officiating was outstanding, having five international level officials taking turns as judges. This was also a drug tested event. We have had two USAWA events here at Atomic Athletic, with both of them being tested. There are an increasing number of officials and regular USAWA lifters checking out what we have going on here. While I think they were all pleased with our professionalism, I really think they are most pleased by the number of new lifters we have been bringing into the organization. There were three brand new lifters competing on Saturday, with many of the new lifters from the last meet competing for a second time. While maintaining professionalism, we like to keep it fun.

Make sure to check out our next meet. It will be announced in the very near future. Call me at Atomic Athletic if you have any suggestions for lifts (419)352-5100.

Trap Bar

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BSOTB50

Bumper Plates

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

Bars

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=297

Photo Album From the Meet can be found on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150202635477687.310908.71080577686&l=f57b9f2dd0&type=1

Schemanski Lifts

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 5:01pm

Legends don't happen over night.  In the world of weightlifting, the legends are built one lift at a time.  With Norbert Schemanski, you can actually read about those legendary lifts in the book about him, but have you ever tried doing some of those lifts?  He did a lot more than just the competitive 3 old Olympic Lifts.

  

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BK081

  

As we get ready for the Atomic Athletic Tractor Pull Weekend USAWA Meet, the question of the next event starts getting fired at us.  “Rog, this is going to be really cool, but what do you have up your sleeve next?”

  

I am thinking about putting on a Schemanski meet.

  

Everyone knows that he was an Olympic weightlifter, but there are a number of lifts he also did in training.  Here are some of the lifts I am considering:

  

Thick Bar Clean & Jerk

Clean & Press

Snatch From The Hang

Crucifix

Touch & Go Bench

Continental Clean

  

The real limiting factor is that I won't put on a meet that has more than four lifts.  It just takes too long.  I would actually prefer to do no more than three lifts.  So which ones do we do and are there more options that I am really missing?  I would love to hear from you on our Facebook page.  It would be a nice interactive discussion.

  

Here is one of my favorite serious Olympic weightlifting bars, manufactured by Iron Grip, with input from me.  In fact, I own the last pre-production proto-type.  It is a nice needle bearing piece.

  

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

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe 

Stone Ball Curls

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 4:31pm

“Crushing strength” is a very specific term we use here at Atomic Athletic.  Imagine you are a wrestler that has decided that you WILL crush your opponents skull with the palms of your hands.

  

Crushing strength combines the following muscle and tendon groups: grip, forearms, biceps, front delts and pectorals.

  

The very best tool to work your crushing strength is a honed granite ball.  We just got several 50 pounders in stock and they are a blast.

 

Here are the 3 exercises I recommend, in combination, to build your crushing strength with a granite ball.  Realize that the best results will come from the HONED balls.  They are as smooth as an unknurled piece of Olympic bar stock.  They must be used synergistically and with total focus.

 

Stone Ball Lifts

Clean & Press

Cheat Curl

Bent Over Row

Each of these three exercises must be performed with only the hands touching the ball, on the left and right side.  You can't pull the ball in tight to the stomach or use the forearms.  This will necessitate a lighter ball than you might ordinarily use for your stone lifting.  That is because you are training, not working a one rep max.

These athletes will seriously benefit from these basic exercises: Martial artists, wrestlers, football players, MMA fighters, lifters, body builders and anyone competing in strongman contests.

If you want one of these three unusual pieces, they are NOT on the web site.  You must call us at (419)352-5100.  They are $220/each and only come in dark blue gray granite.

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

25 lb. Stone Ball

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ABALL30

Stone Lifting Posters

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=WC12P

Stone Ball Curls

Leather Wrist Wraps

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=L10

One Hand Deadlifting Workouts

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:50pm

I added another 10 kg to my One Hand Barbell Deadlift yesterday.  That's just since last week.  While I am not going to break the national record with that lift, the guys working out with me are scratching their heads and asking why they don't seem to be getting these results.  After all, 130 kg at 75 kg Class (actual 162 lbs. Bodyweight) is starting to be respectable.

  

How Did I Do It?

I hate to say it, but I am just keeping it simple.  Essentially, I am periodizing my workouts.  I hadn't done a one hand deadlift in years, until last May.  I get in four workouts a week, with one of them being screwed up and sort of bad, thanks to the business of Atomic Athletic a priority. 

The other three days are broken up as follows: Snatch Day, Clean & Jerk Day, Pull/Deadlift Day. 

On deadlifting day I push myself to the max with the one hand deadlift and trap bar deadlift.  I will also throw in some other stuff like curls, dips, or other light leg work.  Each day consists of about five exercise, plus heavy bag and Indian club training.

  

Snatch Day

Basically, I just do full snatches and then snatch pulls with no more than 110% of my ORM, plus heavy bag work and the Indian Clubs

  

Clean & Jerk Day

In addition to Cleans, Jerk, and Pulls with no more than 110% of my ORM clean, I may also throw in some Olympic pressing and/or Power Jerks.

  

I have found the most important thing for one hand deadlifting is just like any other lift, technique!  Work those moderate weights, so you can get the technique nailed down.  I missed one with 80 kg yesterday, because I wasn't taking it seriously and didn't set myself up properly.

  

Enjoy your One Hand Deadlifts.

  

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

“Today is a good day to lift.”

Great Grandpa's Barbell

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 5:46pm

I was a 98 Pound Weakling.

It's true.  I weighed 98 pounds when I started high school.  Everyone kept telling me that I would grow.  They were right.  It just happened to be in thickness, density and strength, but not height.  I can thank my Great Grandpa Jackson for helping me to grow into a strength athlete.

You see, my Dad did at least one thing that every Dad should do.  When I asked him how to get bigger and stronger, he told me to use the old barbell set in the basement.  It had a long dumbbell bar, these things that looked like shovel handles, and a 5 foot bar, with globe heads and plates that nested on the inside and they were also shot loadable.

It was a genuine Milo Tri-Plex Bar Bell set, 1919 vintage.  Of course, I only knew of it as the thing that would make me big and strong.

Here is the barbell workout I did twice a week.

Clean & Press

Deadlift

Squat (Which was not a competition squat, but actually a Jefferson Lift)

Floor Press

Curl

I also used those shovel handle things, which I now know were kettlebell handles, just like the ones Vic Boff used in his Coney Island Strongman Show.  That same third day I did several dumbbell exercises.

Thanks Grandpa.  My Dad is currently restoring that barbell set (the wooden kettlebell handles rotted off in a flood, many years ago and the shot loading plugs are missing).  The idea is that my son will have that 90+ year old barbell set to lift on and then he can pass it down to his kids.

Think about Great Grandpa Jacksons barbell set when you make a decision on the weights you will lift with.  That is an investment in the future.

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe 

Tire Dragging

by Atomic Athletic on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 4:37pm

Eric brought in his old car tires.  Not only are they good for serious Basque style stonelifting competition, they are fantastic items to drag.  The Atomic Athletic Club has the old railroad line access road, which is some serious heavy gravel.  It will be perfect.

  

Here are a few of the things we will try with the new car tires. 

• Light Sprint Harness Pulls
• Heavy Harness (Attatching all 4 tires in a daisy chain.)
• Pulls Hand Over Hand Rope Pull
• Over the Shoulder Rope Drag
• Double Tire Double Rope Drag
• Finger Lifting Ring Pull
• Lat Machine Attachment Pulls (There are a million options here.)

The options are nearly endless.  Just use your imagination.

  

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Detroit Highland Games Farmers Walk Results

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, August 8, 2011 at 4:09pm

The talent level for the Open Farmers Walk competition was very deep this year.    We had 21 competitors, each of which were legit.  Sure, one guy tripped and only went like three feet, but that was a fluke, as he easily picked up those 200 pound weights.  Please remember that this competition is done on grass, with an oval-ish course that does have three actual corners, and the event is done completely without lifting straps. 

Top 5 Places

(Each of these competitors received a cash prize.)

Place Name &  Distance (Feet)

1.Jared Spybrook:    361.1

2.Steve Barkley:       264.2

3.Joe Sheffield:        262.4

4.Jake Stasa:          182.9

5.William Shuh:       179.0

Congrats to all the competitors.  The Detroit Highland Games sells between 10,000 – 15,000 tickets each year.  I did a quick head count based estimate of the number of fans I saw in the stands during the Farmers Walk event and it was easily over 1,000.  It takes a lot of courage to do anything in front of an audience that large. 

Make sure to check out some of the photos on our Facebook Page.

http://www.facebook.com/AtomicAthletic

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

Detroit Highland Games

by Atomic Athletic on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 5:17pm

Atomic Athletic is once again sponsoring the Farmers Walk at the Detroit Highland Games!

Two Farmers Walk World Records have been broken with our units at the Detroit Highland Games.  The current record is still 438 feet with a pair of 200 pounders.  With the first FIVE places receiving a CASH prize, the odds are pretty good that you might leave the games with some money in your pocket.

Of course, that is if you don't spend it all on the Guinness that is so quickly flowing from the taps...

Here are some great shots of past games:

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

You can see our table at the Heavy Events Tent.  We will have a small selection of the items we stock available for sale.  Make sure to stop by.

You may also want to check out an outstanding alternate way to do your farmers walks, check out this link as well.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IGI100

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

100 Pound Plate Test

by Atomic Athletic on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 5:28pm

Have you ever really thought about 100 Pound Plates?

I did a test, just about a year ago.  I loaded a pair on a shrug bar, with a pair of collars.  Total weight was about 275 pounds.  I let it sit on this open spot of concrete, where it would be easy to lift it.  Then I watched to see what happened over the next few months.

Here are the results of my observations:

1. No one ever took those 100s off the bar. They did, periodically, add weight.
2. Gradually, shrug bar deadlifting became a staple of the gym.
3. Power Cleans, Cleans, Clean Pulls, Power Snatches and Snatch Pulls became a more regular part of everyone's gym training. Previously, most deadlifting started with 135 pounds and moved up slowly from there.
4. Conventional Deadlifts hardly ever started with a weight less than that of the shrug bar.
5. Even on a non-deadlift type day, almost everyone put in a set or two with that shrug bar that had the 100s on it.

Here is a link to my favorite 100 Pound Plates for deadlifting.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=YORK100

Here is a link to the best grip style 100 pound plates, if you want to try the same thing with benching or machines.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=IGI100

Here is the shrug bar we sell and will be using at the our USAWA sanctioned Meet on August 20th.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=BSOTB50

Live Strong,

Roger LaPointe

Vintage Pressing Shot

by Atomic Athletic on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 4:45pm

As you are getting ready for our All Round Weightlifting Meet on August 20th, I would like to provide you with some inspiration.  I call this shot, “How much do you press?”

That was the big question when this photo was taken.  I am not sure of the exact date, but I know that those guys are lifting in the old York Barbell gym on Ridge Avenue.   The guy who is pressing in the center has 205 pounds on the bar and he is not a huge guy.  How many lifters do you know today that can do a strict 205 clean & press?

Until the Olympic Press was eliminated from Olympic competition, that was the measure of a man.  In fact, if you ask any 5 year old to show you what a strongman does, he will probably do a pressing movement.  It's incredible.  That is the natural association. 

Pressing is a real lost art today.  Because strict pressing is such a lost art, I included the Clean & Push Press in our last meet and this upcoming meet.  The rules are a little more lax.  However, I know that a lot of guys, myself included, are working on the classic two hands clean & press, as a training movement. 

Live strong,

Roger LaPointe

PS Don't forget to check out the lifting in the background, as well as the decorations in that gym.  I am fairly sure that is John Grimek doing pullovers, left of center.  I am not sure who the guy is that is doing flys, but those sure are some big old cannonball dumbbells.

http://www.atomicathletic.com/store/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PICNIC2