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After several skipped beats, I again broke sweat on a Sunday. I’m working from the assumption that the one of the main reason I zilched my back again was doing light deadlifts and box squats w-a-y too fast - the minimal load itself was probably not the culprit. Unreleased clips from that session feature a long-haired enthusiast playing rocket launch with a poor 40 kg/88 lbs. Falling back on Plan E (or is it F already?), I’m going to relax the powerlifting mantra of exploding up every bar in sight and sssslllloooow down. Once the weights turn moderately heavy I can probably do a little controlled blasting. After all, the lighter they are, the faster they go.

Came up with the idea of doing Zercher squats off the box - a good way to practice coming out of the hole more vertically while making good use of the puny weights by hitting the midsection harder. Slow reps with 40 kg/88 lbs did indeed work well. Following some moderate stiff-legged pull-throughs, I decided it is time to add some meat on what used to be my quads. In a way, the quads and biceps all share the fate of having been relegated to the fringes of training by virtue of being “muscles that play little importance in moving big iron in the three powerlifts”. Once my back is up to it, I will definitively do a little more standing barbell curls and narrow stance squatting lest these muscles get swallowed by ever-growing triceps and hamstrings. For now it is… ehem… leg extensions.

Oh yes, almost forgot. An esoteric muscle group, probably of no importance, known as “the calf” is also rumored to exist.

I vividly remember the night I first discovered metal band SOiL. It was November 2001 and I had barricaded myself in the University computing centre to edit contributions for an academic journal. I was listening to an American radio station over the internet and suddenly found myself editing at blazing speed to the relentless tune of Halo off the band’s then fresh album Scars. I managed to locate an mp3 somewhere and worked until noon with Halo on constant auto-repeat while I sipped on the occasional cappuccino from the coffee machine. Bought the record and listened to it, especially track 2, until it sank.

Now, three years later, SOiL re-entered my life in the guise of their latest album Redefine. This time around it wasn’t a moment of bliss - perhaps my music taste has changed too much for that - but the album was definitively good enough for a floor pressing session. And what a session that turned out to be! After noting an increased tendency to flare the elbows out on the close-grip floor press lately, I disciplined the pointy fellows by keeping them tightly tucked in. Three sets of six was child’s play and I had to recheck the bar a few times to make sure it really was the same amount of iron I was struggling with a week ago. On the fourth and last set, I got an urge to really bury the four reps I got last week and kept going. Eleven reps. Holy whatever! Can pulling the elbows in really make such a big difference? I sure was pulling them in last time I taped them, so somewhere a strength gain has been lurking in the shadow of vulgarly flaring elbows. Oh, the grim fate that will befall 85 kg/188 lbs next week…

After a modest single rep gain on the triceps extensions, it was off to tape the modified rows I talked about last week. Gave 100 kg/221 lbs a go, but again failed to get a solid enough base to pull cleanly off. Mission aborted after my left calf started cramping from the effort. The last set with 85 kg/188 lbs looked much better. This exercise is hard to do with loads above bodyweight unless somebody presses down on the shoulders.

VIDEO (3M)

Nice to again be able to kneel on a stability ball without calf pain. Regular rehab begins again, hopefully without another relapse. Even did some light one-handed deadlifts.

Helsinki is not your most cosmopolitan capital, but nonetheless the gym is a multicultural affair. Besides the obvious language differences, that sometime take on an air of transparency through ONE MORE REP! screams, cultural differences also manifest themselves in training. Bodybuilding, the prime pastime at my gym, brings to the fore cultural differences in the relationship to one’s own body and how the whole activity is thought of.

I haven’t done any formal inquiry into the matter in my capacity as an anthropologist, but you don’t need to be a specialist to notice that many lifters with an African or Arab descent tend to spin lifting into a web of sociality that extends into the sets themselves. Training in groups of 3 to 5 lifters, they often get involved in their buddies’s lifts from the first rep onwards by lightly touching the bar or touching the elbows. I’ve seen lifters load a lot more on the bar than they could handle even for a single with one of their fellows helping them crank out several reps. More often, assistance is given after the first few reps when bar speed starts to slow down and then continued for several more, usually very fast, reps.

In contrast, most Finns at the gym have a more individualist mentality where a spotter’s main function is to ensure that the lifter doesn’t get stuck under the bar. If help is wanted it is generally only when the lift seriously stalls, and then usually only as much as is needed to keep the bar moving for a rep or two. From a neurological standpoint both methods are probably effective, but my hypothesis is that most lifters drift to one of the models based on cultural common sense rather than conscious decision. The fact that this kind of speed assistance is very common among men of African and Arab origin whereas traditional forced reps (or no help at all) dominates among Western lifters support this. This is a general trend I’ve been aware of for a few years and not something I just concocted at a whim after I today found myself with a foreign spotter on my benching sets.

I was alternating sets on the bench with this Kurdish or Turkish guy and he was happy to spot me. He gave the bar a light touch on the first easy set of six, but wasn’t quite sure if he actually helped or not. To be on the safe side, I asked him to rescue me only if I fail. Not being a native Finnish speaker he apparently interpreted this as a request for more help and I found myself with hands on the bar for the next three sets. Grateful for his help, I decided to live with it. He truly was adept at speed spotting because at the end I had no idea whether I would have made the 4x6 without help or not. Since I’ve been one rep short of 4x6 I’m going to be happy with it and increase the weight to 82.5 kg/182 lbs next week… and avoid going out on shaky anthropological limbs.

Further reading on the sociology/anthropology of lifting

Pumping Irony: Crisis and Contradiction in Bodybuilding. An insightful analysis by Alan M. Klein, author of the well-known anthropological study of bodybuilding subculture in California Little Big Men, that touches on issues such as the contradictory role of steroid abuse and social structure of the bodybuilding community. “Both powerlifting and bodybuilding stemmed from the 19th-century strongman acts of Europe, with the former monopolizing the strength feature while bodybuilding focused on the physique. Between them exists an uneasy truce marked by the condescension of powerlifters toward their counterparts. The 11 powerlifters at Olympic (most prefer more utilitarian, austere gyms) were given a wide berth and respect granted only to the top people in the gym. Yet it is bodybuilding, not powerlifting, that has risen to cultural prominence, a rise that bears testimony to the media’s ability to redefine cultural institutions and their definitions.”

The Bodybuilding Subculture: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly by John Berardi. “[Bodybuilding subculture] has its own unique set of values and mores that are often very different -even opposite- than those of mainstream America and Canada. [..] As an example, let’s look at the word, “freak”? very negative, disturbing connotations to most people and yet it’s the highest praise for a true bodybuilder.”

Progress has been hampered by three weeks of oozing stress. Things are slowly clearing up as I finish the lecture series on Chinese history on Tuesday. Not having to lecture twice a week in the evening, in addition to preparing the lectures themselves, should be felt in the sleep department. The nagging pain that has plagued the left leg since the lumbago relapse six weeks ago is also mostly gone; rehab and stretching will be resurrected next week.

It was also three weeks since I last did a full Blakley accessory bench day. Predictably, nothing amazing came to pass. Was happy enough to see a tight one rep increase on the floor press and to get some kind of start on the 42.5 kg/94 lbs triceps extensions.

Scratched my head for a suitable rowing exercise that I could do that didn’t involve a barbell (back can’t take it), dumbells (the heaviest bell at the school gym is 21 kg/46 lbs) or a low pulley (there isn’t one). Suddenly realized that the David lat pulley machine might just work for modified rows, an old time favorite I first saw in Health for Life’s Secrets of Advanced Bodybuilders manual back in the early 1990s. The exercise involves bracing the feet against the vertical post and then lying back with upper body parallel to the floor - essentially a seated row done in the upper pulley. Zero stress on the back and very nice - if you can get enough support to keep yourself down without the weights pulling you back up (I used to do these with my training partner pushing down on the shoulders). Had trouble staying put with the stack of 100 kg/221 lbs, so did some one-handed sets before pumping out with 80 kg/177 lbs. Might take a clip of these next week.

Finished with a desperate attempt at getting an awesome biceps pump. I used to love training biceps, but now I just don’t.

Another gem from the trenches: Weightlifting - The Forgotten Lifts. This site is all about the correct performance of the weightlifting movements performed by old-time strongmen (aka odd-ball strongmen). I’m not about to incorporate teeth lifting into my routine just yet, but could in all seriousness consider stuff like the 2 Barbell deadlift and the Steinborn lift. In fact, I would also love to learn the Olympic lifts eventually, preferably under the supervision of somebody who knows his snatch. A project for the future no doubt; in the meantime, Tom Gorman’s Olympic lifting section is also well worth a visit. Hopefully diamonds are indeed forever.

There is even an organization that hosts competitions in the odld-balltime spirit, namely USAWA (United States All-Round Weightlifting Association).

Nothing is certain in life besides death and taxes. I thought this workout would be just a formality, but when I got as far as the bench nothing felt right. The warm-up didn’t make much of a difference and the first work set felt like awkward in a jarring sort of way. Even the first rep was stiff. After barely getting a fiver, I concluded that it might be best to dispense with the formalities and let the beast rest some more. Yawned my way through some back work and half-assed grip work, then took my “whatever” attitude to the showers.

Rock bottom rebound scheduled for next week.

Yellow leaves against a clear blue sky. It was a good weekend to prepare our summer cottage for yet another winter. Besides the usual boat and furniture business, it was also time to hibernate Toffe’s Gym. Sprayed some anti-corrosive agent on some of the plates and wrapped everything tight. The gym is not quite in the state I had hoped it would be in at this point since the welder has so far been unable to fit an excursion out to the island into his schedule. My best guess is that the power rack and the bench will be welded sometime in October, when the guy should show up to renovate the windows in our main cottage. If it is then too cold to paint it and concrete it into place remains to be seen. Who knows, maybe I will still give the old barbell a spin in the woods this side of Christmas.

Busy bees bouncing in a box full of cucumbers. This week’s rehab was sacrificed on the altar to the God of Sleep. Along came Friday and the opportunity to slow down for a solid accessory benching session. Then, as I was carbing up on porridge from my food stash at work, something unexpected came up. Suddenly I only had 25 minutes on my hands before I had to head for a train. Decided to make a run for it and dashed to the school gym.

The quick groove up sets didn’t quite serve their purpose of making me physically and mentally ready for the actual stuff, but when you gotta go you’ve gotta go. The dust had barely time to settle before I had made a three rep gain over last week’s equally abbreviated session. Quick shower in the nearest sink and off to the train station. Around midnight I found myself at the wrong destination after having changed to the wrong connection. Kamikaze koalas missing their target by 80 km one starlit October night.

Blakley bench day again. After a lengthy self-administered massage yesterday, my left leg was feeling better than last week. Added a set to the heavy singles and also managed to add a rep to my working sets, leaving me just one rep short of a weight increase. Since the singles are definitively beyond the 90% range, I’ve decided to cycle them to avoid overtraining by going from one set to three sets over three workouts with the fourth workout off.

At the end of the workout one of the few pure powerlifters in the gym came over to try the Rolling Thunder after I had loaded it to 50 kg/111 lbs for a max attempt. He barely got it off the ground with the right and nowhere with the left. Blaming his short fingers, he remarked that he had done a double with 250 kg/553 lbs on the barbell row last week. Yup, he is strong indeed, but this just goes to strengthen my theory. Pat on the back and home to Sanna who is happily back from the hospital.