Training Notes

“It’s not a barbell lift, I’m not going to care.”
We hear this every now and then from some folks. This notion that if you are not moving a heavy barbell, you are not improving or moving towards your goals. It’s a hilarious notion and a sure sign of someone who perhaps watches a bit too much Instagram, and doesn’t read enough books.

Here’s why the lighter, free weight and body weight movements are just as important as the loaded barbell movements, especially if you are not yet established.

1. It creates proper movement patterns and habits. This is absolutely critical in order to be successful at weightlifting.  You cannot get strong at back squatting until you learn how to repeat a deep body weight squat a thousand times.
2. It builds volume.  You can’t exactly perform 100 push press in a day without feeling beat up afterwards.  You can, however perform 100 pushups and be no worse for the wear the next day.
3. It helps builds strength in ways that barbells and weighted movements cannot.  See: volume.
4. It improves your balance and kinetic awareness in ways barbells cannot.  Simply put, you learn to feel and react to your body’s movement which helps you from an athletic perspective.
5. It helps prevent injury through proper grooving.
   
6. It helps build muscle through hypertrophy.

Often times, you can get better muscle work because you can apply more focus on the movement. Today, that opportunity is in the lunge so here is your homework.

Every lunge, take a massive stride and press off the floor with your heel, not your toe. Notice how you will immediately feel this in your hamstrings, exactly where we want to feel it.

Go forth and be awesome.