TRAINING Q&A WITH DANE FLETCHER

Dane Fletcher is THE Training Authority – sure, he’s got all the industry recognized “certs”… but here is one chap you won’t see hanging that s**t on his den wall. Dane is more comfortable in the dirtiest hole in the wall gym, than your local polished “Fitness Corral”. Originally from London, he has trained in gyms all over the world and has picked up knowledge all along the way from some of the industry’s most recognized personas. If you have a training question, he has an answer – send questions to Dane@GetAnabolics.com.

MORNING CARDIO
ON AN EMPTY
STOMACH

Q:Is it a bad thing to work out in the A.M. on an empty stomach? I know it’s great for cardio, but wasn’t sure about weight training following the cardio. I will admit that it’s easiest to just roll out of bed and throw on gym clothes and hit weights and cardio, and I did get great gains from this after a long lay-off, so I wanted to know if there is evidence to support it not being a good idea?

A:Well, you yourself just said that it gave you great gains, but it’s true that it may be because of being in a year lay-off and then coming back. Nearly anything will do the trick at that time. You didn’t say if there was a point of diminishing returns at any time after. But to your question... Mostly, a person’s ability to lose fat is what ultimately benefits from an empty stomach and low insulin after sleep, whereas weight training requires having some calories in the body. I suggest you do cardio in the A.M. and find another time to do weights. While insulin is low in the A.M. and that benefits fat loss, cortisol is elevated until you eat something. Cortisol is not your friend when wanting to add muscle. Plus, low blood glucose levels are bad for weight training too. But you can compromise. Do your cardio on an empty stomach, and then have an 8oz. glass of milk or a small new potato and a little protein powder. Your stomach won’t be full, but you’ll get an immediate boost for training. You don’t have to have a big breakfast. Have just a tiny bit of carb and some protein. Studies show that protein in the system before you work out will have a large impact on protein synthesis. So get your MRP or your protein bar, or a couple of pieces of toast with peanut butter on them, and you’re good to go, guy!

GET THIS DUDE A
CHIROPRACTOR!

Q:I have some stiffness and pain in my right side spinal erector. It started being stiff about a week ago when I awoke in the morning and I have a lot of pain when I tilt my neck forward or do crunches. Massage helped a little and I got some ART done, but it feels the same. What can I do to get rid of this? I would have thought the Active Release Therapy would have worked.

A:You are on the right track, probably, but the thing is you have to go more often to the chiropractor or ART therapy and massage. You also have to be diligent with ice and rest too. Stretching is a good reliever and something you should do before light workouts, but remember, if you’re in that much pain, let the various therapies take hold over a good couple of weeks before further irritating it in the gym. A lot of people I know have had that feeling in some part of our body and it’s uncomfortable at best. One stretch I can tell you to do that one of my chiros gave me was to stick your fists in your lower back just above your glutes and arch your back as far as you can until you feel the muscles loosen. But check with your chiro to make sure this is the same for you. You can also maybe take a pillow and put it under your low back and high glutes when you sleep for relief. Just be diligent with consistent therapy. Good luck!

BLUE JEAN
SQUATTER

Q:Okay, you’re probably going to laugh, but I like to squat in jeans. In fact, I can squat more weight when I’m wearing a certain pair. When I put on exercise-specific clothes, I lose this ability. I just don’t feel as strong, either. Why do I do better in jeans?

A:Well, jeans don’t have a lot of give, and if they are snug or fit you well, then it’s acting as a support to your joints as you move through a squat set. They really function as a powerlifting suit does, in terms of cradling your knees, hips and butt and preventing you from going down to far, jutting too far forward, or being unstable on the way down. In fact though, they do make denim powerlifting gear. It’s a solid fabric and it provides a stability most of us need in the squat. One word of caution though, their construction wasn’t designed to bear that kind of weight forever. It is a dangerous thing to be in the middle of a heavy lift and then have a seam blow out! The injuries you could sustain are immeasurable. So, I suggest if you like the concept of denim, you should invest in some made-for-powerlifting gear. It’s designed NOT to blow out during a heavy lift. You’ll be much safer and still get the benefits of denim. And I think you’re going to like it better and that it will improve your lifts even further.

WIDE STANCE =
BETTER
SQUAT?

Q:I was recently turned on to powerlifting as a means to add more size - meaning that I am doing traditional movements in a routine that is just the major heavy lifts and getting a lot of gains. I was reading about the Westside Barbell clan to get a good understanding of their methods and they were talking about wide stance. They said that wide squat stance was superior for adding mass and development to the legs. Why is that?

A:Well, Westside advocates wide squat because it uses more hip, glute and hamstring muscles, so from that standpoint, it not only allows you to get a better base of support and strength, it also builds those areas up along with the quads. Wide stance, I’ve found, does provide better results. Ball State University studied this formally, actually. They tested squat stance via electrical output of muscles while both stances were executed, and found that both versions of stance provided the same intensity of contraction. However, a wide stance allows you to handle more weight because it’s more stable, so results are often better. It’s a smaller range of motion too, so that’s why you can do more weight. Ultimately, the smaller the range and the more stable the range, the more weight and the better results. Again, it also involves more muscle groups so it’s better from a total development standpoint.

WEAKNESS FROM
PUSH PRESS

Q:I’m relatively new to push pressing and I admit that I actually do really suck at it at this point. For instance, I’ll powerclean the bar but my grip gets messed up and when I try to reset it, I can’t. After that, I’ll try to pop up and throw the bar through the roof, but that doesn’t exactly happen. What happens is I’m wobbly at lockout and kind of grind out the press. I figure my legs are weak and that’s part of the issue. And then the bar ends up in different places either high or low on my chest. Is it a tempo issue or just practicing more and getting stronger and more stable over time?

A:First off, you should work with someone who is experienced and have them watch your form and give you tips to help you become more fluid and proficient. But in the interim, you should lighten up on the weights to get the movements down and your thrust and power up. You need to walk before you run and that’s a great way. A few other tips can help you too: Make sure you’re locking out over your center of gravity, which is probably a bit further behind you than you think because of stance. This will help you balance better to become more stable. Do some front squats also because they help you develop your push-pressing drive a great deal. If you haven’t done much explosive lifting, and it sounds as though you haven’t, it takes time to develop. It isn’t like learning or perfecting static lifting movements. Those are isolative and much easier. Incorporating the whole body in unison is difficult. Mentally, you need to start looking at PP’ing as explosion, not military press with cheats added in. Try PP’ing from the rack first, and then progress from there. Best of luck!

PROTECTING
THE KNEES

Q:What are some of the ways I can protect my knees in general and during heavy lifting?

A:First off, you need the right equipment if you’re going to lift heavy. Buy knee sleeves, wraps or whatever. I recommend knee sleeves as they are made for the knee and don’t have the ability to cut into various tendons like wraps do. Wraps come around your knee multiple times, and can impinge upon your joint incorrectly. They are also tighter in the center of the wrap strip than the edges so that creates an uneven tension. Next, try to focus on ankle and hip mobility exercises. They are the foundations of your stability and ability to move up in weights without compromising joints. Keep balance in your training, too, by doing as much hamstring and glute work as you do quad work. Imbalances are the quickest way to put the knees at risk. Most of all, don’t push pain. Making your body work and stretch to the limit is fine, but if it hurts, quit. Another thing that a couple of guys I know are doing is a series of vertical jumps each week to learn how to absorb force and sustain balance. Use an experienced spotter and get some powerlifting gear too. If you did all that, used good form - probably most important - and ate and rested properly, you’ll likely avoid injury. Take chondro-protective supplements along with this, like Chondroitin and Glucosamine and you’ll ensure a good training path.