Build Power at Sticking Points (complete) - ??? (1969)

 

Don Cundy

HOW TO BUILD POWER AT STICKING POINTS 

WHERE YOUR MUSCLES "SHIFT GEARS"

by . . . 

It says "Joe Weider" but I doubt it is. Anyhow . . . a few "theories" and "systems" here being given fancy names, and possibly something here of use to you at some point in time. 

Thank You, John! 

In this article you will learn how to apply the theory of maximum fatigue in building power into weak muscular links which, at times, cause you to lose lifts. Lose lifts, sink ships. 

How often have you seen a powerful bodybuilder or weightlifter attempting a record poundage in one of the power-lifts, only to see him grind to a halt because of a seemingly unconquerable sticking point? 

Many potential records have been lost in this way because the lifter has ignored his sticking-points, or has never bothered to strengthen them. It is only human for powerlifters to work on their good points, yet neglect their bad ones. Only the few who are champions have recognized the importance of overcoming sticking points to bring out their powerful potential. 

WHAT IS A STICKING POINT?  

A sticking point occurs in a lift or exercise when one group of muscles shifts the weight load to another group, or when the muscle group taking most of the strain is at a mechanical disadvantage. In other words, a position in which it is incapable of exerting its full force. 

A simple Curl will show this "shitting of gears" of muscle group into muscle group. [Oops. One stickin' letter wrecked it. And again!]

When you stand holding a heavy barbell in the beginning of the curl position, with bar across thighs, the beginning of the curl is initiated by the forearm muscles. They tense strongly, the elbows are drawn back slightly, and the weight is orbited. But at the point where the forearms become parallel to the floor the "gear shift" begins. 

Here the weight resistance "meshes" into the brachialis muscles just above the inner elbow . . . the forearm muscles relax somewhat, and the weight is then carried to curl-completion by the biceps alone. 

The weak point in this movement, the sticking point, is the inner elbows. If they and the brachialis muscles are not "spot strengthened" you will never perform effective curls with progressive weight. 

That is why the cheat curl evolved . . . not just to put a heavy weight into orbit, but to strengthen the inner elbow and brachialis so that all other curls in which more strict performance is necessary can be developed. 

By using a very heavy weight in the cheat curl, and by thrusting a little with the back and legs to get the weight moving, the inner elbows and brachialis feel this somewhat as the weight ascends, and even more as it is lowered slowly to starting position, at which time the full resistance is forced on the elbow-brachialis area, fortifying it strongly. This is one of the peerless (peerless, no less!) ways of building great curling power. 

Sticking Points are Usually the Half-Baked Points in an Exercise

You know what it actually says . . .  

The point of failure in a lift or heavy exercise is almost invariably at the halfway point in the movement. Thus in the deadlift, the sticking point is felt around the knees, if you do the bent-legged version

Ta-Da! 
Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but 

nobody wanna boatload no heavy-ass drugs

and wind up crippled. 

Yeeeeaaaaah Buddy! 

The multi-Olympia winner in an interview with a fella with surname "Wheels": 

"Providing you can stay heathy for a few more years, 

you're gonna be something else!" 

The stiff-legged should never be a feat-of-strength kind of exercise. 

It was the sticking point just above the knees where Terry Todd lost a 785 pound Deadlift in competition [could it have been a brown, slippery and smelly substance on his hands?]. It is at knee height that the resistance is shifted to other muscle groups, or other sectors of the same group. 

In the Squat, a.k.a., the "squat" the sticking point occurs when the gluteus muscles of the hips shift the load to the quadriceps of the thighs. Right here is where most limit squats as well as Squats are lost. Champion lifters prize a strong "freely-shifting" glutes-to-quads movement. It is the basis of so many of their world records. 

Individual Variants in Sticking Points

Generally speaking, sticking points occur at the same places for all power lifters. However, there are individual variations that are often quite different from the norm. This is due to unusual body proportions, muscle formations, bone structure, and nerve function. In some lucky individual the ability to shift gears in mid-lift is natural, and any additional strength they gain is reflected in the greater lifts they make. 

With less fortunate individuals, the man is only as strong as the weight he can get past the sticking point, or as that old adage goes -- which is quoted by lifting instructors the world over -- "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link." 

A classic example of one who exploited this principle totally, and established a world record for his bodyweight (it's still a world record!) is Bob Peoples, champion deadlifter, who specialized on improving his strength at sticking points and so increased his power that he made 725 deadlifts while weighing only 181.

Note: That's a lotta deadlifts! Don't blame me, it was written that way, Buster. After all that pulling it's no bloody wonder he only weighed 181. 

Bob has an analytical mind and is one of our best instinctive power lifters. His deadlift proved this. He carefully gauged his body leverages, gravity centers, physical type and the transverse rotation of the seldom seen second moon orbiting Jupiter, and -- after EXPERIMENTING -- found that he lifted best while barefoot, with empty lungs, rounded back, and palms-forward grip (although he used the fore-and-aft, reverse over-and-under grip for his 725 pound lift. He analyzed his goals and the physical potential he had to work with, and devised a routine that would build power. 

More on his deadlift performance style: 

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2008/03/bob-peoples-terry-todd.html  

Note: When it's mentioned that he experimented with his style and training methods, I don't believe it was, "Lemme try this round back deal out here with a light set or two, and maybe I'll try singles instead of fives on that one for one workout." No, it would be much more demanding and require patience, the odd tweak and some pains I am sure, and a strong enough will to figure out what worked for him over the years of training and EXPERIMENTING. 

He was the first power-lifter (although the term was unknown in those days), the first to practice deadlifts as a specialty. The results speak volumes . . . such as his 725 deadlift. He was the first deadlifter to practice lifting with the bar at, or below, floor level . . . a training method later adopted by Don Cundy (761 deadlift) and Peanuts West (665 deadlift), to develop tremendous starting power in the movement. 

Peanuts West is a man who has studied the mechanics of lifting to the point where it becomes a fine art, and his application of proper warmup, careful calculation of sets and reps . . . the wearing of wraps and belts to avoid injury, carefully calculated poundages and correct mental attitude . . . have helped him progress tremendously. 

His specialization on half and quarter squats, lockout bench presses, floor level, knee level and lockout deadlifts in very low reps and scientifically gauged sets with enormous poundages, have greatly increased his power. 

https://plagueofstrength.com/downloads/wc/

The key to all this is science. 

Okay. 

Our top power-lifters are all research scientists. 

Okay then. 

They use the Weider "Instinctive . . . 

Alrightee now, enough of that wee section of Weider- ego pump-and-pimp. 

The Theory of Maximum Fatigue for developing the utmost in strength was developed by Terry Todd and Dr. Craig Whitehead while working in search of new methods of power training. It worked very well for them, packing on a lot of solid muscle and greatly increasing their power. 

This is how they do it:

They select the weak zones they want to work . . . the places where sticking points occur. Then they set the pins on the power rack for a 6 to 12 inch movement in this zone between the top and bottom pins. 

Loading the weight with a maximum weight that will permit only 3 reps, they push the weight up against the upper pin in each rep, not pausing at top or bottom of the rep. However, on the last rep of the set they lower the bar so it is an inch above the bottom pin. 

They hold it for 12 seconds in this position. 

At the end of this 12 second hold they try to do a 4th rep up to the top pin . . . then lower the bar to the bottom pin again. 

This may not seem like much, but if you go through a full workout of it you'll feel as if a steamroller had flattened you . . . the Weider Flattened on the Floor Principle once again . . . not to be confused with the patented Weider Overtraining Principle. 

It's important to remember NOT to hold your breath during the 12 seconds. 

The logic behind this system is interesting. Dr. Whitehead says [no idea why he seems to be speaking much quicker and more animatedly now than he used to for some reason] the average bodybuilder or power-lifter is almost never able to activate more than 50% of his muscle fibers in any given effort (promising news for those who think their dick is a muscle; a dimensional shame, really, but it all depends what you wanna reach with that handle, Sport]. 

With this system you can activate 80% and sometimes even 90% of of your muscle fibers. Naturally this strongly stimulates new power and growth. It is one of the ruggedest (?), let's go with most rugged there, muscle power stimulators yet discovered in the broom closet known as the Weider Research Clinic.  

Note: It's all a laugh and a few asides, but, hey, the info is there nonetheless. 

The Eccentric Contraction or Reverse-Gravity System

As the name of this principle (!) suggests, you exercise in reverse. You start at failure and . . . no . . . wait . . . instead of lifting the weight off the floor (as in the deadlift) and coming erect with it, you put a barbell weighing about 20% more than you can deadlift . . . on two boxes about naval (oops) height (you must be this tall to join the Navy), and gradually lower the weight to the floor. 

Thank You, Mr. Peoples! A hydraulic lift would be nice for returning the heavy bar to the top, sure, but I've found you can lift one side at a time back onto the boxes with not too much hassle or pain in the neck. 

By lowering the heavier weight to the floor you accustom your body to handle heavier weights, forcing the muscles to grow stronger and the ligaments more powerful.

This also conditions you psychologically to not fear heavy weights . . . thus enabling you to break your records faster. 

While it may take you weeks to increase your regular deadlift about 10% and get the body accustomed to handling heavier weights in the usual way . . . with the Reverse-Gravity System (!) you can do it now1 You hurry-along the process! 

However, in the Reverse-Gravity System (!) you must lower the weight 

s-l-o-w-l-y to the floor, fighting it all the way. 

Note: You'll want to be careful here, and the weight increases will come very fast with this at first. 

Naturally, you will need two assistants to help you raise the weight back onto the boxes (see above if you're a solo-goer).

About 3 single reps and 5 sets will be enough. 

You should try to increase the weights you lower, as rapidly as strength grows. However, during the week you should always practice FULL deadlifts. 

This principle (!) can also be applied by lowering the weights slowly to the chest in the bench press, or in going all the way down in the squat. 

Be careful. 

Reps and Sets

There are usually three sticking points in each of the power lifts, so you will have to do three or more sets for each exercise, depending on whether you are doing one set or more for each weak area. 

You can work the entire body with the bench press, squat, and deadlift three times a week, or you can do one exercise per workout if your toughened and ready for such a strenuous workout.

Remember, this is a much more rugged (a ruggedlier) workout schedule than you're used to, so work into it gradually, with one set at each sticking point position, and work the the entire body three times a week. 

Then you can go to two or more sets at each position and work just one exercise per workout. 

It is important to warm up thoroughly before going into this program, for you can sustain all sorts of injuries if you just go into it stone cold. Plug here for Muscle Tone combination body rub oil and Manhattan mix. Notes on frequent kneading and massaging yourself here as well! 

I understand that Pat Casey warms up with 135 pounds before going on to more serious weight when he's trying for a record bench press. Certainly if a man who does a 600-poun-plus bench press . . . you know this already. Warm up till you're warm enough by your standards to start in adding more seriouser weight, eh. 

Note: Remember the "foam rolling" fad from not too long ago? Every dick and hairy dog Tom cashed in on that one. Ha. Haha. Hahaha. Ha; ha ha-ha HA! Write a classical Italian sonnet using only ha and have it on my desk by noon yesterday. This kind of "bounce and flow, stop, go, slower, faster, pause, hover, push and pull" writing practice only using one sound is a great way to get some of the standard forms down, before concerning yourself with the earth-shattering, change-all-mankind-with-words stuff gets started.    

Training with Dr. Whiteheads Maximum Fatigue Theory and Amphetamine-Based Home Bathroom Reno, along with the Reverse-Gravity, You're Spinnin' Your Wheels System (!) is an education in many ways. 

For one, it is not physically possible to cheat in Dr. Whitehead's theory and you will find that you either have the power to lift the weight correctly, or it doesn't go up at all. 

You will also discover where your current sticking points are, so that you can set about correcting them. 

You may want to specialize on your weak areas, but after you've strengthened them, immediately go to full movements with heavier weights than you've ever used before. You'll be amazed, bloody amazed at the overall general strength you have, and how much more fluidly your lifts and exercises go. 

Up next . . . "Power Bodybuilding: A Review of Its Great Benefits" 

by Anthony Ditillo. It ties in with this earlier one of his:  

https://ditillo2.blogspot.com/2009/11/power-bodybuilding-anthony-ditillo.html 

and I'm not sure if it's already on here, maybe under a different 

but similar name? The article starts with: "A few years ago I entitled an article "Power Bodybuilding" and presented it to you readers in hopes that it would encourage . . ." 

 

Enjoy Your Lifting!