It's nearly the end of a week in the sun (for me, at least). In my absence, a few of my favourite articles from the Straight to the Bar archives :
This series looks at some of my favourite articles from this site; updated to include new developments and other changes. I hope you enjoy it.
There's something inherently satisfying about building things yourself. Perhaps this is best seen in the home gym; where every piece of equipment can be hand built, from scratch, exactly the way you want it.
Using your own gear definitely has its advantages.
If you know which equipment you want in the gym, but are not quite sure how to go about building it, this article from October 2006 should help.
When it comes to the typical home gym, it's usually a matter of getting down to the basics. Have you ever considered expanding that setup a little with your own lifting platform? Climbing wall? Stones for Strongman training? To find out how to construct these and much, much more, read on:
Big Steel - Building a thick dumbbell handle
Tom Black
Making wooden handles for your dumbbells. You'll find more great stuff on Tom's article page including notes on the construction of a plate-loading sledgehammer and a modified adjustable gripper.
Brian's Strength Training site
Equipment for Janda Sit-ups and other fun things.
Everything from bars to a belt squatting setup.
Building a Lifting Platform (Ironmind)
Randall J. Strossen
Now all you need is a set of bumper plates.
Building Your Own Set of Atlas Stones
Jason F. Keen
Making stones using an old - but effective - recipe of plaster, cement and water. And a couple of inflatable balls. A similar article appears at Body Results.
Some good discussion on the ins and outs of equipment, both store-bought and home-made.
Edgewalls - How to Build a Home Climbing Wall
Construction of a bouldering/traverse wall.
Plastic shopping bags, pipe, a tennis ball and of course lots and lots of duct tape.
A forum for DIY gymrats everywhere.
Building a spring loaded mat. Superb.
If you've ever considered the idea of having your own Glute-Ham Raise, take a look at this. While you're there, check out the home-made slammable medicine ball (based on instructions [.pdf, 1.21mb] from Pierre Augé).
Free instructions for building squat stands and plyometric boxes.
Some great articles here, including Make Your Own 200m Track [.pdf, 204kb]
Plans for a home-made squat rack
Bill McBride
What more could you want?
Want to know the exact dimensions of that bar you're about to transform? They're all here.
Photos of various home-made equipment.
How-to articles on construction of Hammers and Weight for Height/Distance equipment.
Assorted DIY goodness including photographs of a home-made pulldown attachment and a Reverse Hyper bench for the rack.
Ross Enamait forum - Training Equipment
Some great ideas here (start in this thread). If you're hungry for more, take a look at his articles on constructing (and using) a waterball and a sandbag [.pdf, 344kb].
Notes on the construction of various Highland Games equipment.
Excellent advice on joining materials to other materials.
Construction history of many items in the outdoor Toffe's Gym (which is in a superb forest setting, incidentally) including calf-training equipment, a heavy-duty bench and of course the power rack. Excellent stuff.
After reading those, it's time for a trip to the nearest hardware store. Plenty of fun things to experiment with.
If you enjoyed this, the following may also be of interest :
This series looks at some of my favourite articles from this site; updated to include new developments and other changes. I hope you enjoy it.
There's something inherently satisfying about building things yourself. Perhaps this is best seen in the home gym; where every piece of equipment can be hand built, from scratch, exactly the way you want it.
Using your own gear definitely has its advantages.
If you know which equipment you want in the gym, but are not quite sure how to go about building it, this article from October 2006 should help.
When it comes to the typical home gym, it's usually a matter of getting down to the basics. Have you ever considered expanding that setup a little with your own lifting platform? Climbing wall? Stones for Strongman training? To find out how to construct these and much, much more, read on:
Big Steel - Building a thick dumbbell handle
Tom Black
Making wooden handles for your dumbbells. You'll find more great stuff on Tom's article page including notes on the construction of a plate-loading sledgehammer and a modified adjustable gripper.
Brian's Strength Training site
Equipment for Janda Sit-ups and other fun things.
Everything from bars to a belt squatting setup.
Building a Lifting Platform (Ironmind)
Randall J. Strossen
Now all you need is a set of bumper plates.
Building Your Own Set of Atlas Stones
Jason F. Keen
Making stones using an old - but effective - recipe of plaster, cement and water. And a couple of inflatable balls. A similar article appears at Body Results.
Some good discussion on the ins and outs of equipment, both store-bought and home-made.
Edgewalls - How to Build a Home Climbing Wall
Construction of a bouldering/traverse wall.
Plastic shopping bags, pipe, a tennis ball and of course lots and lots of duct tape.
A forum for DIY gymrats everywhere.
Building a spring loaded mat. Superb.
If you've ever considered the idea of having your own Glute-Ham Raise, take a look at this. While you're there, check out the home-made slammable medicine ball (based on instructions [.pdf, 1.21mb] from Pierre Augé).
Free instructions for building squat stands and plyometric boxes.
Some great articles here, including Make Your Own 200m Track [.pdf, 204kb]
Plans for a home-made squat rack
Bill McBride
What more could you want?
Want to know the exact dimensions of that bar you're about to transform? They're all here.
Photos of various home-made equipment.
How-to articles on construction of Hammers and Weight for Height/Distance equipment.
Assorted DIY goodness including photographs of a home-made pulldown attachment and a Reverse Hyper bench for the rack.
Ross Enamait forum - Training Equipment
Some great ideas here (start in this thread). If you're hungry for more, take a look at his articles on constructing (and using) a waterball and a sandbag [.pdf, 344kb].
Notes on the construction of various Highland Games equipment.
Excellent advice on joining materials to other materials.
Construction history of many items in the outdoor Toffe's Gym (which is in a superb forest setting, incidentally) including calf-training equipment, a heavy-duty bench and of course the power rack. Excellent stuff.
After reading those, it's time for a trip to the nearest hardware store. Plenty of fun things to experiment with.
If you enjoyed this, the following may also be of interest :
This series looks at some of my favourite articles from this site; updated to include new developments and other changes. I hope you enjoy it.
The idea itself is simple, and is common to many children, the elderly and many people inbetween. Essentially it's a matter of taking an afternoon nap and sleeping less at night.
Although there is a time saving (I usually nap for around 80 minutes and chop 3.5 hours off my nightly slumber), there are many, many other benefits to this routine. To give you an idea, here's the summary I wrote following my initial 30-day trial of the arrangement.
The 90 minute sleep cycle
I've gone from a skeptic to a true believer on this one. The idea that in quality sleep the cycles are around 1.5 hours in length not only seems plausible, but highly likely. Think back to the last really good night's sleep you had (woke up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day) chances are it was a multiple of 1.5 hours (4.5, 6, 7.5 and 9 hours are all quite common). By forcing myself to adapt to multiples of this, I had more feelings of 'that was a good night's sleep' than usual.
Adaptation period
It took around a week to adapt to the new structure, which was/is:
In total that's 6 hours per day, or 42 hours per week (giving me a 14 hour bonus on a typical 7 x 8 hour week).
There are a few things to be aware of with the length of this adaptation period. The first is to watch your caffeine intake. Now, I'm certainly not going to be hypocritical enough to suggest that you give it away altogether (I'm enjoying a cup of coffee whilst writing this); however I would suggest that having three double espressos 30 minutes before a nap is a bit much. Use your judgement.
The second is sugar intake. As with coffee, use your common sense. A bit of maltodextrin in a shake certainly isn't going to kill you, but try to stay away from the jam doughnuts.
The third consideration - perhaps related to the previous two - is the stress factor. If you come home from work every day fired up about something-or-other, don't take your nap immediately afterward. The best routine (for me) seems to be work -> workout -> eat -> sleep. There's nothing like throwing a bit of iron around to help alleviate stress.
Impact on strength training
It has to be said that I seem to favour the frequent, short workout approach - a few sets of rack pulls there, a few sets of floor presses there. Rare is the day which doesn't include some form of strength training.
My routine was like this prior to the start of biphasic sleeping, and doesn't seem to have been affected at all by it. I was fortunate enough to avoid serious injury throughout the period of the test, and there doesn't appear to have been any impact on recovery. DOMS still rears its ugly head occasionally. The thought of an ice bath still feels me with dread.
Productivity
There are two major considerations here. The first is that the periods just prior to and just following sleep are always less productive. Think for a minute of all of the projects you've completed 2 minutes after waking up, or when you're about to attain 'qwertyface' (passing out through tiredness at the computer). These periods vary from person to person and day to day, but around 15-20 minutes seems pretty typical.
Biphasic sleeping doubles the number of these periods. This means that instead of 30-40 unproductive minutes per day you now have 60-80. However, you've gained - for an 8-hour-per-day sleeper - 2 hours per day. An extra hour of productive time per day? I'll take that more than happily.
The second consideration is the quality of that productive time. This is where it becomes difficult to state just how much more productive I feel than a month ago (although the quantity of articles written for this and other sites is probably a good indicator); particularly as I've been intentionally monitoring my productivity for a few weeks now. That monitoring in itself provides a productivity boost (nobody wants to write down '30 minutes just surfing the internet, reading emails and generally slacking off').
More refreshing
Together with the productivity change in the difficult-to-measure department is the improvement in the refreshing quality of sleep. Aside from a few days (with a known cause of poor sleep) and the adaptation period - which was always expected - I've had more 'leap out of bed, ready to face the day' mornings than usual. As irritatingly happy as that may sound (particularly if you're reading this over your morning cup of coffee), it makes a tremendous difference in the way the day's problems are faced and resolved.
Dreams
I was pleasantly surprised that a 90 minute cycle included the deep sleep and dream recall that occasionally accompanies a 7.5 hour night. This dream recall didn't really begin until I was past the adaptation phase, and was able to wake up naturally just before the alarm went off.
If you're not used to remembering your dreams, this may not seem like much of a benefit; however the dream recall is usually associated with feeling refreshed, which is an obvious benefit for everyone.
On vs In
The cause of the poor sleep mentioned above - at least a major contributor - was a change to the routine of 'on vs in'. Usually I simply kick my shoes off and lie down on a bed, couch, poolside lounge (OK, wishful thinking for that last one) when it comes time for the 90 minute nap. For the main sleep period of 4.5 hours I go to the trouble of switching out the lights and climbing into bed - often waking up naturally just prior to the alarm sounding.
The poor sleep (and associated zombie status) was largely a result of climbing into bed on both occasions (hey, it was cold). Once I realised the cause and reinstated the on vs in distinction, quality sleeping resumed.
The bad side
As with any change to a schedule, there are negatives. These seem comparitively minor to me; although their impact will obviously vary from person to person. They are :
You may have less time to spend with your partner/spouse.
Biphasic sleeping simply refers to getting your daily requirement in two chunks, rather than at specific times. However, If you choose to try biphasic sleep while your partner/spouse is on monophasic sleep (a solid block of sleep, as most people try to get) you will find that at some point each day you will be asleep while they are awake, and vice versa. If you happen to be able to schedule things so that you sleep whilst they work, great. If not, this may be a downside.
You'll be tired during the adaptation period.
There's no way around it. For the first week or so, you'll be more tired than usual (it's a lot like being jetlagged) while your body gets used to the new routine. If you don't wish to - or can't realistically with your current schedule - go through this, it may be a downside. For me, this was a known change with a potentially great benefit at the end of it.
Who would benefit from biphasic sleep
Just about everyone. The positives far outweigh the negatives (at least for me), and there are a couple of cases where the positives may seem a little more, well, positive. They are :
As Kris - who's been trying out biphasic sleeping himself lately - pointed out, parents of young children can benefit. If your young son/daughter routinely takes an afternoon nap, taking one yourself (while you have a chance) isn't a bad idea at all.
The other situation that Kris mentioned is that for those with back pain, a single period of uninterrupted sleep may result in stiffness and pain. A rather undesirable coupling at the best of times; alleviated in part by breaking up your sleep into two (biphasic) or more (polyphasic) periods. After all, the less time spent lying in one position, the better.
Changes I would make
When I started doing this, my idea was to have a 1.5 hour nap and a 3 hour main sleep period. This proved to be a little under what my body required, and I switched to a 3/4.5 hour split (3 hours by default, 4.5 on workout days). Once again this didn't feel like quite enough, and I changed to a regular 1.5 hour nap followed by a 4.5 hour sleep (every day). This feels right.
I say this to demonstrate that making small changes can be of benefit, and I'll continue to make them as required. As the volume of weight training increases (as it almost certainly will), as I age and as my life situation in general changes; the length of the main sleep period will change.
I'll also be keeping a more accurate record of my dreams (particularly now that I'm well past the adaptation point, and dream recall is becoming far more frequent); more for personal interest than anything else. I've no doubt that there is some meaning in there, but I don't believe we're anywhere near finding out what that is.
The third and final change I may make in the future is to adjust the timing of the nap. A 7pm-ish start suits my current schedule, but this may change. Whatever the starting time becomes, the length of 80-90 minutes is not likely to change.
Summary
Overall, I love it. As with any change, there are teething problems and the odd case of fine tuning. However, the benefits of biphasic sleeping far outweigh the negatives (in my case) and I'll stick with it. If, like me, you have a somewhat skeptical nature, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.
NB: If you've missed the brief notes for a particular day of the experiment, you'll find links to them listed below. Sleep well.
Biphasic Sleep: Day 1
Biphasic Sleep: Day 2
Biphasic Sleep: Day 3
Biphasic Sleep: Day 4
Biphasic Sleep: Day 5
Biphasic Sleep: Day 6
Biphasic Sleep: Day 7
Biphasic Sleep: Day 8
Biphasic Sleep: Day 9
Biphasic Sleep: Day 10
Biphasic Sleep: Day 11
Biphasic Sleep: Day 12
Biphasic Sleep: Day 13
Biphasic Sleep: Day 14
Biphasic Sleep: Day 15
Biphasic Sleep: Day 16
Biphasic Sleep: Day 17
Biphasic Sleep: Day 18
Biphasic Sleep: Day 19
Biphasic Sleep: Day 20
Biphasic Sleep: Day 21
Biphasic Sleep: Day 22
Biphasic Sleep: Day 23
Biphasic Sleep: Day 24
Biphasic Sleep: Day 25
Biphasic Sleep: Day 26
Biphasic Sleep: Day 27
Biphasic Sleep: Day 28
Biphasic Sleep: Day 29
Biphasic Sleep: Day 30
Depending upon my coffee intake for the day (caffeine and sleep aren't the best of friends), I switch between biphasic and monophasic (the traditional night's sleep) approaches. I still sleep biphasically 4-5 days per week.
Very few, and very minor ones at that. The length of a sleep cycle shortens slightly after a while (a couple of months in my case); so I set the alarm slightly earlier (and have more free time each day as a result). Other changes involve the regular switching between monophasic and biphasic sleep (it's now either one or the other, nothing else seems to work as well) and a slight tweak to eating times. Although I now eat many times a day in any case.
None, really. The only thing I would say is 'give it a chance'. A lot of people seem to try the routine for a week, and wonder why it doesn't instantly work. Think of it as a change in your workout routine. It needs time.
Overall, it's great. I've managed to decrease the quantity of my sleep whilst increasing the quality (recovery times haven't changed at all), and learned how to get to sleep quickly. Anywhere, any time.
I love it.
This series looks at some of my favourite articles from this site; updated to include new developments and other changes. I hope you enjoy it.
The idea itself is simple, and is common to many children, the elderly and many people inbetween. Essentially it's a matter of taking an afternoon nap and sleeping less at night.
Although there is a time saving (I usually nap for around 80 minutes and chop 3.5 hours off my nightly slumber), there are many, many other benefits to this routine. To give you an idea, here's the summary I wrote following my initial 30-day trial of the arrangement.
The 90 minute sleep cycle
I've gone from a skeptic to a true believer on this one. The idea that in quality sleep the cycles are around 1.5 hours in length not only seems plausible, but highly likely. Think back to the last really good night's sleep you had (woke up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day) chances are it was a multiple of 1.5 hours (4.5, 6, 7.5 and 9 hours are all quite common). By forcing myself to adapt to multiples of this, I had more feelings of 'that was a good night's sleep' than usual.
Adaptation period
It took around a week to adapt to the new structure, which was/is:
In total that's 6 hours per day, or 42 hours per week (giving me a 14 hour bonus on a typical 7 × 8 hour week).
There are a few things to be aware of with the length of this adaptation period. The first is to watch your caffeine intake. Now, I'm certainly not going to be hypocritical enough to suggest that you give it away altogether (I'm enjoying a cup of coffee whilst writing this); however I would suggest that having three double espressos 30 minutes before a nap is a bit much. Use your judgement.
The second is sugar intake. As with coffee, use your common sense. A bit of maltodextrin in a shake certainly isn't going to kill you, but try to stay away from the jam doughnuts.
The third consideration - perhaps related to the previous two - is the stress factor. If you come home from work every day fired up about something-or-other, don't take your nap immediately afterward. The best routine (for me) seems to be work -> workout -> eat -> sleep. There's nothing like throwing a bit of iron around to help alleviate stress.
Impact on strength training
It has to be said that I seem to favour the frequent, short workout approach - a few sets of rack pulls there, a few sets of floor presses there. Rare is the day which doesn't include some form of strength training.
My routine was like this prior to the start of biphasic sleeping, and doesn't seem to have been affected at all by it. I was fortunate enough to avoid serious injury throughout the period of the test, and there doesn't appear to have been any impact on recovery. DOMS still rears its ugly head occasionally. The thought of an ice bath still feels me with dread.
Productivity
There are two major considerations here. The first is that the periods just prior to and just following sleep are always less productive. Think for a minute of all of the projects you've completed 2 minutes after waking up, or when you're about to attain 'qwertyface' (passing out through tiredness at the computer). These periods vary from person to person and day to day, but around 15-20 minutes seems pretty typical.
Biphasic sleeping doubles the number of these periods. This means that instead of 30-40 unproductive minutes per day you now have 60-80. However, you've gained - for an 8-hour-per-day sleeper - 2 hours per day. An extra hour of productive time per day? I'll take that more than happily.
The second consideration is the quality of that productive time. This is where it becomes difficult to state just how much more productive I feel than a month ago (although the quantity of articles written for this and other sites is probably a good indicator); particularly as I've been intentionally monitoring my productivity for a few weeks now. That monitoring in itself provides a productivity boost (nobody wants to write down '30 minutes just surfing the internet, reading emails and generally slacking off').
More refreshing
Together with the productivity change in the difficult-to-measure department is the improvement in the refreshing quality of sleep. Aside from a few days (with a known cause of poor sleep) and the adaptation period - which was always expected - I've had more 'leap out of bed, ready to face the day' mornings than usual. As irritatingly happy as that may sound (particularly if you're reading this over your morning cup of coffee), it makes a tremendous difference in the way the day's problems are faced and resolved.
Dreams
I was pleasantly surprised that a 90 minute cycle included the deep sleep and dream recall that occasionally accompanies a 7.5 hour night. This dream recall didn't really begin until I was past the adaptation phase, and was able to wake up naturally just before the alarm went off.
If you're not used to remembering your dreams, this may not seem like much of a benefit; however the dream recall is usually associated with feeling refreshed, which is an obvious benefit for everyone.
On vs In
The cause of the poor sleep mentioned above - at least a major contributor - was a change to the routine of 'on vs in'. Usually I simply kick my shoes off and lie down on a bed, couch, poolside lounge (OK, wishful thinking for that last one) when it comes time for the 90 minute nap. For the main sleep period of 4.5 hours I go to the trouble of switching out the lights and climbing into bed - often waking up naturally just prior to the alarm sounding.
The poor sleep (and associated zombie status) was largely a result of climbing into bed on both occasions (hey, it was cold). Once I realised the cause and reinstated the on vs in distinction, quality sleeping resumed.
The bad side
As with any change to a schedule, there are negatives. These seem comparitively minor to me; although their impact will obviously vary from person to person. They are :
You may have less time to spend with your partner/spouse.
Biphasic sleeping simply refers to getting your daily requirement in two chunks, rather than at specific times. However, If you choose to try biphasic sleep while your partner/spouse is on monophasic sleep (a solid block of sleep, as most people try to get) you will find that at some point each day you will be asleep while they are awake, and vice versa. If you happen to be able to schedule things so that you sleep whilst they work, great. If not, this may be a downside.
You'll be tired during the adaptation period.
There's no way around it. For the first week or so, you'll be more tired than usual (it's a lot like being jetlagged) while your body gets used to the new routine. If you don't wish to - or can't realistically with your current schedule - go through this, it may be a downside. For me, this was a known change with a potentially great benefit at the end of it.
Who would benefit from biphasic sleep
Just about everyone. The positives far outweigh the negatives (at least for me), and there are a couple of cases where the positives may seem a little more, well, positive. They are :
As Kris - who's been trying out biphasic sleeping himself lately - pointed out, parents of young children can benefit. If your young son/daughter routinely takes an afternoon nap, taking one yourself (while you have a chance) isn't a bad idea at all.
The other situation that Kris mentioned is that for those with back pain, a single period of uninterrupted sleep may result in stiffness and pain. A rather undesirable coupling at the best of times; alleviated in part by breaking up your sleep into two (biphasic) or more (polyphasic) periods. After all, the less time spent lying in one position, the better.
Changes I would make
When I started doing this, my idea was to have a 1.5 hour nap and a 3 hour main sleep period. This proved to be a little under what my body required, and I switched to a 3/4.5 hour split (3 hours by default, 4.5 on workout days). Once again this didn't feel like quite enough, and I changed to a regular 1.5 hour nap followed by a 4.5 hour sleep (every day). This feels right.
I say this to demonstrate that making small changes can be of benefit, and I'll continue to make them as required. As the volume of weight training increases (as it almost certainly will), as I age and as my life situation in general changes; the length of the main sleep period will change.
I'll also be keeping a more accurate record of my dreams (particularly now that I'm well past the adaptation point, and dream recall is becoming far more frequent); more for personal interest than anything else. I've no doubt that there is some meaning in there, but I don't believe we're anywhere near finding out what that is.
The third and final change I may make in the future is to adjust the timing of the nap. A 7pm-ish start suits my current schedule, but this may change. Whatever the starting time becomes, the length of 80-90 minutes is not likely to change.
Summary
Overall, I love it. As with any change, there are teething problems and the odd case of fine tuning. However, the benefits of biphasic sleeping far outweigh the negatives (in my case) and I'll stick with it. If, like me, you have a somewhat skeptical nature, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.
NB: If you've missed the brief notes for a particular day of the experiment, you'll find links to them listed below. Sleep well.
Biphasic Sleep: Day 1
Biphasic Sleep: Day 2
Biphasic Sleep: Day 3
Biphasic Sleep: Day 4
Biphasic Sleep: Day 5
Biphasic Sleep: Day 6
Biphasic Sleep: Day 7
Biphasic Sleep: Day 8
Biphasic Sleep: Day 9
Biphasic Sleep: Day 10
Biphasic Sleep: Day 11
Biphasic Sleep: Day 12
Biphasic Sleep: Day 13
Biphasic Sleep: Day 14
Biphasic Sleep: Day 15
Biphasic Sleep: Day 16
Biphasic Sleep: Day 17
Biphasic Sleep: Day 18
Biphasic Sleep: Day 19
Biphasic Sleep: Day 20
Biphasic Sleep: Day 21
Biphasic Sleep: Day 22
Biphasic Sleep: Day 23
Biphasic Sleep: Day 24
Biphasic Sleep: Day 25
Biphasic Sleep: Day 26
Biphasic Sleep: Day 27
Biphasic Sleep: Day 28
Biphasic Sleep: Day 29
Biphasic Sleep: Day 30
Depending upon my coffee intake for the day (caffeine and sleep aren't the best of friends), I switch between biphasic and monophasic (the traditional night's sleep) approaches. I still sleep biphasically 4-5 days per week.
Very few, and very minor ones at that. The length of a sleep cycle shortens slightly after a while (a couple of months in my case); so I set the alarm slightly earlier (and have more free time each day as a result). Other changes involve the regular switching between monophasic and biphasic sleep (it's now either one or the other, nothing else seems to work as well) and a slight tweak to eating times. Although I now eat many times a day in any case.
None, really. The only thing I would say is 'give it a chance'. A lot of people seem to try the routine for a week, and wonder why it doesn't instantly work. Think of it as a change in your workout routine. It needs time.
Overall, it's great. I've managed to decrease the quantity of my sleep whilst increasing the quality (recovery times haven't changed at all), and learned how to get to sleep quickly. Anywhere, any time.
I love it.
The 2007 Diesel Crew Global Grip Challenge took place last Saturday, August 25, 2007. Here is the write-up for the contest: GGC 2007 Write-up [264kb, .pdf].
More pics and videos to come at DieselCrew.com and Napalm's Corner.
The 2007 Diesel Crew Global Grip Challenge took place last Saturday, August 25, 2007. Here is the write-up for the contest: GGC 2007 Write-up [264kb, .pdf].
More pics and videos to come at DieselCrew.com and Napalm's Corner.
Mike Boyle's articles have a habit of encouraging a new viewpoint on things, and this article from September 2006 is no exception. Shortly afterwards I found myself thinking hard about the Front Squat; particularly the method of holding the bar.
There are several ways to hold the bar for the Front Squat. If one method doesn't feel right, or your current flexibility or injury precludes it, try one of the others. It really is a great exercise.
Clean position
This is generally considered the optimum position - if you have the option, do it this way.
Think of it simply as the top of a Hang Clean (a reverse barbell curl if you like). It will get a lot easier with practice.
Arms crossed
Another common method is to cross the arms over the bar, holding the left side with the right hand and vice versa. If the abovementioned Clean method is out of the question for you, try this.
Note that the hands are only helping to stop the bar rolling about, rather than trying to support it.
Hands Clasped
Whilst frowned upon by many purists, this technique is still used occasionally. Clasp your hands together and use them to push the bar onto your chest/front delts.
Log bar
A much less common version (but intriguing nonetheless) is the Log Bar Front Squat. As you can see, a log bar prompts a vertical grip, which takes a similar amount of flexibility as the Clean grip.
Straps
I noticed this yesterday in Mike Boyle's article Strong Athlete, Zero Injuries. It's an excellent idea, and well worth considering if you lack the flexibility required for the Clean.
JV Askem had a similar idea many years ago with two pairs of pliers.
Stingray
The Stringray device is designed to counter the basic deficiencies of the crossed arms approach. The two pads help keep the bar aligned and stable, allowing the widest possible grip to be used. The Stingray also lifts the bar slightly, keeping the weight over the front delts whilst keeping it away from your throat.
If the Clean position is out due to lack of flexibility, the Stingray is well worth considering.
Front Squat Harness
The Front Squat Harness performs a similar role to the Stingray (making the Front Squat a little more comfortable); although in a very different way. Here the bar is held - again with reasonable stability - slightly further forward, and is held using a narrow hammer grip.
If it looks like a serious, large, strong device; it is. The original version was tested to over 600 lb, the current model exceeds that by a good margin.
Double kettlebells
Got two kettlebells? Try this. Remember to Clean them one at a time.
Goblet
The Goblet Squat is often considered a separate exercise, however I've included it here for completeness. It can be performed either using a dumbbell as shown, or by grabbing a kettlebell 'by the horns'.
Hands free
If none of the different holds shown above appeal, there's always the 'hands free' method (thanks Kris for the video). Unconventional to say the least.
Here's Iranian weightlifter Hossein Rezazadeh front squatting 280kg / 617 lb during training. Not bad at all.
Mike Boyle's articles have a habit of encouraging a new viewpoint on things, and this article from September 2006 is no exception. Shortly afterwards I found myself thinking hard about the Front Squat; particularly the method of holding the bar.
There are several ways to hold the bar for the Front Squat. If one method doesn't feel right, or your current flexibility or injury precludes it, try one of the others. It really is a great exercise.
Clean position
This is generally considered the optimum position - if you have the option, do it this way.
Think of it simply as the top of a Hang Clean (a reverse barbell curl if you like). It will get a lot easier with practice.
Arms crossed
Another common method is to cross the arms over the bar, holding the left side with the right hand and vice versa. If the abovementioned Clean method is out of the question for you, try this.
Note that the hands are only helping to stop the bar rolling about, rather than trying to support it.
Hands Clasped
Whilst frowned upon by many purists, this technique is still used occasionally. Clasp your hands together and use them to push the bar onto your chest/front delts.
Log bar
A much less common version (but intriguing nonetheless) is the Log Bar Front Squat. As you can see, a log bar prompts a vertical grip, which takes a similar amount of flexibility as the Clean grip.
Straps
I noticed this yesterday in Mike Boyle's article Strong Athlete, Zero Injuries. It's an excellent idea, and well worth considering if you lack the flexibility required for the Clean.
JV Askem had a similar idea many years ago with two pairs of pliers.
Stingray
The Stringray device is designed to counter the basic deficiencies of the crossed arms approach. The two pads help keep the bar aligned and stable, allowing the widest possible grip to be used. The Stingray also lifts the bar slightly, keeping the weight over the front delts whilst keeping it away from your throat.
If the Clean position is out due to lack of flexibility, the Stingray is well worth considering.
Front Squat Harness
The Front Squat Harness performs a similar role to the Stingray (making the Front Squat a little more comfortable); although in a very different way. Here the bar is held - again with reasonable stability - slightly further forward, and is held using a narrow hammer grip.
If it looks like a serious, large, strong device; it is. The original version was tested to over 600 lb, the current model exceeds that by a good margin.
Double kettlebells
Got two kettlebells? Try this. Remember to Clean them one at a time.
Goblet
The Goblet Squat is often considered a separate exercise, however I've included it here for completeness. It can be performed either using a dumbbell as shown, or by grabbing a kettlebell 'by the horns'.
Hands free
If none of the different holds shown above appeal, there's always the 'hands free' method (thanks Kris for the video). Unconventional to say the least.
Here's Iranian weightlifter Hossein Rezazadeh front squatting 280kg / 617 lb during training. Not bad at all.
