Rethinking Priority of Movement

After the 6th day of R-Phase, I've been rethinking my emphasis/focus/obsession with being able to squat heavy again (Heavy of course, is a relative term: I mean Olympic squats in the mid 400s for mutliple sets and reps and then beyond...). Most of our natural movements are asymmetrical and the legs aren't perfectly square (no, this is not a functional training post...). My right knee has always bothered me on everything--running included (by running I mean sprinting). So, I've decided to spend some time doing R-Phase lunges. These are stationary lunges where the support femur is in line with the rest of the body: so if you dropped a plumb line from the crown of the skull down the body, the femur would be in line with the torso.

Admittedly, I've overlooked this style of lunge in the past. Come to think of it, I've probably discounted it. But performed properly, it make the regular lunge and the split squat feel tame in comparison. Performed properly means focusing on bone rhythms--that is, making sure the tib/fib and the femur at the knee and hip joints all move synchronously. When performing a lunge in this manner, there is no need to try to activate any particular muscles like the glute or VMO--they all activate they way the Good Lord intended: automatically. I'm using the KBs for this one: On Monday, I used 2x16kg in the rack position and today I used 1x32kg in the contralateral hand, following the Z opposite joints principle. My left shoulder is an issue so when holding in the left rack with a spear grip (or lack thereof), the right leg is the working leg. This is to ensure that my right vastus lateralis fires. On the platform under Dr. Cobb's watchfull eye, the barbell rack is actually shutting of the VL. So, KBs are the order of the day until I clean up the shoulder.

I'm also contemplating joining the PTTP Deadlift Team. They compete in October at the AAU Nationals. I need a 500 to join the team. No problem there. Finding and getting to the meet is going to be the problem. I'm not sure my hectic schedule will allow it.

In the meantime, I'm going to be putting on some muscle so if I ever get back to the platform, I'll have the leverage I need.

I'm not going to be doing anything fancy--no mental energy. So I'm combining Pavel's Bear Protocol for the Deadlift and his "Hot Wheels for Summer" from BB. Here's what it looks like. (Of course, I'll be on my usual 2 week cycles...)

M-W-F: Deadlift, PTTP Bear; Lunge, HWFS
T-TH-S: Deadlift, PTTP, KB Press ,PTTP, Pull-ups.

Nothing fancy. I'm keeping the weight light on the lunges so I can up the volume and work the technique. But here's the cool thing: the lats and obliques are getting killed in the contralateral rack position if I stay in long spine. This should also help the shoulder.

Lots of fun. So the goal is to get the left and the right legs feeling the same while peforming unilateral movement, simultaneously correct the left shoulder, and then hopefully move on to the squat. We'll see how this works...