Last Thursday, August 14, 2014, I took part in the Pro Care Fitness Challenge, a multi-contest competition at Pro Care Physical Therapy in Athens PA.

Jerry Jones – 535 Deadlift (Legit)

I competed in the Strength meet, which included the Bench Press, Weighted Pull-up, and Deadlift.

Here’s a run-down of the rules:

(1) The scoring was all bodyweight based, since there were no divisions. I am not sure of the actual formula used in all the cases.

(2) The Bench Press was the most loosely judged of the 3 events. They didn’t require a pause and your butt could come off the Bench. The Pull-up allowed for standing on a box and then stepping off to get an eccentric load, or you could go from a dead hang. The Deadlift did not require a set-down. You could drop it once you locked it out. You could also use straps if you wanted to.

(3) There were 3 attempts on each lift for each competitor, if they wanted them.

Here’s the thing about the rules. This was not some kind of a professional powerlifting meet. This was a charity competition done for fun. So I really couldn’t care less about the looseness of the rules, and I really hope I don’t have to hear a bunch of complaining about them in the comments section, either here or on YouTube…

More Important…

More important than the rules was the fact that this competition enabled people do get up there and see what they had. If this was their first competition, they could set their baseline numbers, and they would get to feel what it was like to have to lift the weight up under pressure.

Plus, it enabled everyone to see where they stood against others. New lifters got a chance to see where their numbers were at in comparison to more seasoned veterans, and they got to see what else was possible.

Speaking of what’s possible – I was super impressed with one of the staff members of Pro Care. blew away the rest of the competition with a successful Pull-up with 140-lbs attached to his body and he was benching and deadlifting right up near me, and I out-weighed him by 60lbs. It just goes to show what intensity, hard work and consistency can produce over time.

My personal highlight was the Weighted Pull-ups. It was my first time competing at those. In fact, I haven’t even heard of one in the United States for about the last 10 years, so I was PUMPED to give it a try.

Here are the videos from the Strength Competition.

Bench Press

I was still feeling a bit of pain from my Bench workout during the week, but I went after this anyway. I started with an easy 315 on my first attempt. I then jumped up to 365, which I have hit once or twice in the past year, although I rarely train Bench hard. I left my belt on and it was way too tight and when I went to press, it felt like it strained my abs on both sides of my stomach, so I was super distracted by the pain. I thought I hurt myself bad, but I did not. I finished up with 335, and it was also pretty easy for me. I probably could have gotten 345 or 350 on that day.

I am contemplated doing an actual Push/Pull meet sometime in the Fall, so I tried to stay pretty strict on my attempts to see where I am at, with the exception of the pause at the bottom of the movement. To be honest, I forgot all about that entirely.

Pull-up Plus Weight

This was an event I figured I would do very well in, as I do Pull-ups all the time, and roughly 50% of the time they are weighted in some fashion, usually with chains. I started out with a safe 48kg/105/lbs kettlebell, which I smashed. I then jumped to a 120lbs Dumbbell. That was also easy, but I was so focused on the repetition, my ears shut off and I didn’t hear the call, so I ended up hitting a “double.” For my third attempt, I went for 130, and that started to get tough. I probably could have hit 140 fresh.

Deadlift

The alternated grip was allowed on the Deadlift, but I have not pulled with the alternated grip with weight over 315 in months and months if not longer, so I did not even bother trying it with the weights I was pulling. Instead, for my first two attempts, I went Double Overhand (no hook grip), then for my last attempt I went Double Overhand with straps.

I hit 455 on my first attempt. That was easy, and I wished I did more. I then went for 500lbs, which topped Eli Thomas’s current leading lift of 495. Both of those attempts were Double Overhand, no hook grip. I was very happy with how easy 500lbs came up DO. For my third atempt, I decided to try and all-time PR weight for the Deadlift or 550lbs. I used straps due to my fear of alternating and tearing a bicep. This was a pretty pathetic miss. With the straps, it just didn’t feel right. I don’t know if I had the back strength to complete the lift anyway, but I was glad I reached for the PR. I do kind of wish I would have gone for 520 DO No Hook, though, because that would have been an all-time PR for me, using that grip.

The only event in which I placed in the Top 3 was the Pull-up. I got second there. It doesn’t surprise me that I finished further down in the other events, since I have not been specializing in the Bench or Deadlift, however, the lower finishes does make me want to push my numbers up in those events, plus, bringing up my numbers there will contribute to my overall goals of more full-body strength.

I am really glad that I went to this competition. It was a good wake-up call. It was also nice competing with Eli Thomas at something other than Grip. I think the last time we did a comp together was 2005, and I kicked his ass handily. The tables have turned now though, brother.

By the way, if you work with athletes, there is a new DVD Set coming out this week called the Elite Athletic Development Seminar, by Mike Robertson and Joe Kenn. It is being sold at a special price right now. I am not familiar with Joe Kenn, but I have seen a lot of Mike Robertson’s products in the past and that guy is a very good instructor.

Check this program out today: Elite Athletic Development Seminar

Thanks for watching my videos, and all the best with your training.

Jedd

Training for a One Arm Pull-up

This is a guest post by Al Kavadlo, author of Stretching Your Boundaries, Flexibility Training for Extreme Calisthenic Strength

Since my formative years, I have found the pull-up to be a fun and fascinating phenomenon. It’s one of the best and most basic tests of strength, plus it puts the little guys on a level playing field with the big boys.

The single arm variation takes the pull-up to a whole new stratosphere. Performing a one arm pull-up requires an elite level of strength and control; learning to do one takes patience and humility. If you are going to embark on this journey, be ready to work hard.

You’ve Gotta Believe

Several years ago, a client of mine asked me if I’d ever seen anyone do a pull-up with one arm. I held up my hand, grabbed my opposite wrist and asked him, “ya mean like this?”

“No,” he said, “without the other hand assisting at all.” I told him I hadn’t, then I said something I haven’t said again since, “I don’t think it’s even possible.”

A lot has changed since that conversation, both in my training, and more importantly, in my philosophy. I’m a believer now, having seen many seemingly impossible feats of strength performed right before my eyes. I’ll never forget the first time I saw someone do a one arm pull-up. It was a game-changer.

Getting Started

Before you even think about training to do a one arm pull-up, you should be able to do at least 15-20 standard pull-ups with strict form. Once you’ve got that foundation, there are several effective methods to use to work towards a one arm pull-up.

One Arm Flex Hang

The first step is doing a one arm flex hang. Pull yourself up with both arms, let one go and try to stay up. Start with an underhand grip before you worry about going overhand. Don’t feel bad if you drop right away in the beginning; hardly anyone can do this on their first try.

After you can hold a one arm flex hang for a couple of seconds, the next step is doing a one arm negative by slowly lowering yourself from having your chin over the bar to a dead hang at the bottom. Be prepared to drop quickly the first time you try to do a one arm negative. When starting out, don’t even think of it as a negative, just try to lower yourself an inch or two. Gravity will take care of the rest.

One-Arm Negative

The Self Assist

Archer Pull-up

Once you can do controlled negatives, start practicing self assisted one arm pull-ups. There are a few ways you can do this. My favorite is the archer pull-up, which involves assisting your primary arm by resting your secondary arm on the top of the bar. This will give you added stability but will still place most of the burden on your primary arm.

Gripping Nearby Object to Spot Yourself

You can also give yourself an assist by grabbing the poles (or door frame) that support your pull-up bar. If your setup doesn’t allow for this, you can spot yourself by draping a towel over the bar and holding it tightly while pulling yourself up with your other arm.

Other Considerations

L-Sit on Parallets

While you obviously need your arm to be strong, you also need tremendous core strength to do a one arm pull-up. When you are practicing your one arm flex hangs, negatives, and self-assists, remember to keep your abs engaged. Exercises like planks, side planks and L-sits are great to help build the core stability to perform a one arm pull-up.

Take Note of the Out-Stretched Left Arm

Due to the shape of your body, your legs will naturally sway to one side during a one arm pull-up and you’ll likely wind up rotating a bit on the way up. You might find it helpful to extend your free arm away from your body for balance.

Training Frequency

One great thing about lifting your body weight is that you tend to recover faster than with free weights. I’d heard about “greasing the groove” with bodyweight exercises, and since I worked in a gym, I started training one arm negatives and hangs throughout the day. Unfortunately, just when I started to get close, I began developing pain in my elbows. I took a break from training one arm pull-ups for several weeks – there are always bumps in the road. Finally after almost a year of practice, I got my first one arm pull-up in July of 2008. The one arm pull-up is a fickle mistress, however; It was almost three months before I repeated the feat.

I’ve been training for one arm pull-ups and chin-ups for over three years now and I’m still kept humble by it. On a good day, I can get a couple of reps, but some days I still struggle to even hold a flex hang for more than a few seconds. Thankfully, I haven’t had joint pain lately, due to a consistent stretching routine and knowing when to rest.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t practice one arm pull-ups throughout the day if you have a bar in your doorway (or work at a gym). I still advocate the idea of “greasing the groove” to build the proper neurological patterns, but I advise you to ease in slowly. Rest is also an important part of the process.

No matter where you are now in your fitness journey, if you proceed with diligence and dedication, the one arm pull-up is within your grasp. Stay hungry and focused, you might even exceed your expectations.

Al Kavadlo, CSCS, is a personal trainer, freelance writer and author of the book, We’re Working Out! A Zen Approach to Everyday Fitness. For more information visit www.AlKavadlo.com

Want more Killer Info on Pull-ups from Al? Check out this post = > All Kinds of Pull-ups.

www.AlKavadlo.com