Strength / Weight Training

Would sled stuff count as explosive here? I feel it might.

Ta

Absolutely yes, so long as they are explosive movements. High effort , short duration .

I did short all out sprints and prowler explosions. The Juggernaut method has a section on conditioning and explosiveness that I followed.

Joe DiFranco has some good stuff too

Sled can be explosive for the first second but then it's more about maintaining an effort unless you really segment the movement. It's valuable as a training tool for other reasons but for pure fast-twitch explosiveness I'd go a different route.

Simplest way is incorporate plyometrics. Jumps of all varieties, explosive pushups, that sort of thing.

Olympic lifts are a classic way to develop explosiveness in athletes. But they're super technical and take ages to learn properly even with a coach, time you could spend actually getting explosive. High pulls from a hang position give you the vast majority of that triple extension movement without technique being a significant barrier. Also less likely to fall over.

You could also attach some resistance bands to a barbell lift so that you can explode into it without losing position at the top. I like this for transference to my squat and bench but I honestly don't know if it's worth the setup time.

High pulls from a hang position

Based on this I tried some clean pulls
and some clean high pulls
today. I stopped doing power cleans because I couldn't get consistent form and couldn't be bothered to get a coach/try harder. These seem to have the same satisfying little oomph with out the annoying getting the bar up without falling over, destroying your wrists, caving your wind pipe, looking like you don't know what your doing.

"Shrugs, if done with sufficient elbow flex, can negate the need for tricep pull downs."

Please discuss.

I'm really glad they hit the spot!

First response: if this were true, nobody would give a flying sausage about range of motion, they'd do isometrics for every exercise. Also, flexing the elbow is bicep work.

Sarcastic response: This is why bodybuilders do tons of elbow flexed shrugs and no tricep pushdowns.

Final thought: I'd also strongly argue that if you can flex your elbows during a shrug, you aren't shrugging nearly heavy enough for any real effect.

Edit: I now think it must be some kind of joke, right?

Edit: I now think it must be some kind of joke, right?

Not entirely, I was hoping for an informed response. Someone said it to me at the gym and it sounded off, but I wasn't 100% of the degree to which they were wrong.

My cleans are relatively clean, but 'lift your elbows not the bar' is such a neat way of describing the middle phase. Nice.

I second the motion. I try and shrug heavy and I think there is the slightest of slight bends in my elbows.

I just can't see how flexing at the elbow during a shrug would work your triceps in any way. Triceps extend/straighten the elbow so in a shrug position they'd be working alongside gravity to make the weight go downwards. Are they fighting the momentary inertia at the top of the movement and that's supposed to work them??

quick question. For those on fairly strict diet plans. Do you continue to have the same amount of protein on rest days or just gym days.

I wasn’t sure how much benefit there would be. But also my brains telling me; rest equals recovery, recovery will mean protein.

If I wanted to learn the Olympic lifts, where could I go?

Not done it but my guess is the least intimidating way would be to find a coach for 1:1 at a decent commercial gym or a their own place. After that a club. I'd have to take a big deep breath and pull up my pants to go into a club but I imagin it'd be fun after I got over myself.

Bethnal Green Weighlifting Club hold beginner courses quite often, alternatively I think Giles and Co are taking on beginners at East London WL but they're quite pricy.

(I did one of Giles' courses back in 2019 and it was brilliant, especially if you're a long noodle as he's used to working with lanky people)

There's also (what I think is a friendly) weightlifting club in putney too (physical culture)

Which one is that? The other one I know of is LOWA in Vauxhall, I'm not sure how often they do beginner sessions though. Just that they run beginner comps every now and then.

Near me, south London,
There is
Crystal Palace weightlifting
Mems weightlifting

Both look good and intimidating and welcoming if that makes sense.

Same amount , adequate calories and protein are essential for recovery and building strength

Both look good and intimidating and welcoming if that makes sense.

Totally.

Physical Culture. Link in my post

Kettle bell sets. We’d like to get some, and a rack to store and keep them tidy. Are they all much of a muchness? Do the rubbery coatings make a difference? They might end up living outdoors under cover but on the patio so don’t want something that is going to rust. Any suggestions?

Don't get vinyl ones, these were the only ones we could find in lockdown, apart from the fact that you needed to have massive hands for anything over the 14KB as the handles were so big, they all cracked and are next to useless.

Got some from here https://www.networldsports.co.uk/metis-pro-cast-iron-kettlebells.html

Pretty good and do the job

No complaints from me with the Decathlon ones.