I was having a discussion that I have had many times the other day with one of my new athletes.

 

Dan is a veteran lifter with some pretty good raw numbers but has not tapped his full potential yet.

 

We were discussing his new program and some issues that need to be corrected. Aside from a few minor things we need to clean up techniques wise, I told him that he needs to work on his flexibility in a few areas. Dan’s response was that he agreed, but thought that his lack of flexibility and mobility was one of his strengths for the sport.

He felt that this would “keep his joints from blowing apart under heavy loads”.

This was a pretty intelligent observation and I agree to a point.

Powerlifter do need to have a certain amount of “tightness” to protect themselves and their joints.

 

But, when does this “tightness” become problematic?

 

Well, in my opinion, if you are so tight that you cannot initiate and execute the lifts properly, or cannot get into the best starting position, you need to address it before it causes a compensation pattern to emerge, and then an injury as a result.

 

Using Dan as an example, I noticed two issues in his technique that are directly related to too much “tightness” and one that is related to technique.

 

The technique one is easy to correct. Dan complained of an inability to feel his glutes working as they should in the Deadlift. This was directly related to his foot position, and he felt a big difference in about 20 seconds after we corrected it!

 

This could be the topic of another Coaching Log!

Moving on to Flexibility and the Powerlifter, how much mobility and flexibility do you need, and Dan’s issues:

 

 

When I reviewed his squat, I noticed and he reported that he is pretty quad dominant and this can be problematic.

 

I could see that his knees stayed completely still as initiated his lifts. He was almost incapable of, as Ed Coan says, “Opening his Taint” and starting right.

 

As we all know, you want to push your knees out to begin the squat and pull, but TOO much tightness in some areas will prevent this.

 

Watch the video below for an explanation of how to Open Your Taint:

 

 

So what do we do to fix this? Dan’s glutes (medius and maximus) were SUPER tight as well as his hips and Psoas.

 

 

 

 

If we get them to a more reasonable level of flexibility with RPR, some simple movements and stretches he will improve his mobility and flexibility, while keeping the optimal level of “tightness” to protect himself things will improve.

This issue is also the cause of a Power Leak in his bench press.

 

 

A Power Leak is a mobility issue that prevents you from getting into the best position. As you may be able to see, Dan has a McDonald’s arch as Russ says setting up on the bench.

 

 

 

 

A McDonald’s arch is where the knee/hip/belly are in an “M” shape as opposed to being one continuous arch.

 

Dan's isn't severe, but it's there. 

 

 

When the hips are lower than the knee or not as high as they can be,   you are losing power, and allowing a fault (butt coming up) to occur easier.

 

This Power Leak leads to less total weight lifted.

And yes I am aware that there are some lifters that can get away with this and still be crazy strong.

It’s just that MOST of us are not them. I would suggest that the ones that do get away with lifting from a poor position would lift MORE if they could get into a better one, and be less at risk of injury to boot.

 

But I digress…. I gave Dan a few stretches to do and assigned him breathing drills and RPR work to do daily. I am sure this will help him to improve these areas and we will reassess in a few weeks to see how he has improved.

 

Summing up, Powerlifters need a certain amount of flexibility and mobility to perform their best and avoid injury.

 

As an example, super tight hamstrings are known to cause issues with the lower back over time, and we see this a lot with lifters.

I would suggest that adding 700 pounds to your spine and squatting with a severe mobility issue will cause something bad to happen at some point. Fixing it will at the least, help you to stay healthy, and at best will improve your total.

 

 

How much flexibility do Powerlifters need?

 

They certainly do not need to be like Bruce Lee or Alwyn Cosgrove in his prime.

They don’t need to have the flexibility of a Martial Artist.

 

However, Powerlifters and ALL athletes need the right amount of flexibility and mobility to properly perform their sport of choice.

 

So, a Powerlifter needs to be able to get into the most optimal position they are capable of for each lift, and this is dictated to a high degree by anatomical structure.

We all are different and the best position for you is not the same as it is for me. We need to be in the best positions for the individual.

 

Knowing this will help you to figure out how much YOU need.

 

Did you miss last week’s log?

 

Read it here 

 

 

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Vincere vel mori

C.J. Murphy

March 12, 2020