HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

Hello Gentlemen:),

I have not posted for some weeks but i had good reason to do so.

As so many of us i had been searching for the IDEAL ROUTINE too… the best exercise(s), frequency and the others… i′m sure you all know what i′m talking about.

So… what i found was the Overhead Squats. (Olympic style- butt to the floor)

When i first read about it, it tried but didn′t like it. But somehow this exercise stuck in my mind and a little later i tried it again.
Something must have changed because i fell in love with it.

Since 10 August i haven′t done anything else but the OH Squats 3 times a week.
That is 6 weeks – 18 training sessions.
Each was about 30 – 60 minutes long because i wanted to find how many sets/reps are best, which i still have not found.

The results:

10 RM went from 35 kg to 50 kg
1 RM from 50 kg to 75 kg

Vertical Jump from 55 cm to 60 cm.

And what is the most interesting is that the chin-ups 1RM, which exercise i wasn′t doing in these 6 weeks at all, improved from 80+25 kg to 80+35 kg.

(btw: age:30, bw: 80, height: 175 cm )

And as a bonus my whole upper body has visibly changed, got a stronger appearance, and become more flexible, especially the shoulders.

That′s what i wanted to share with you.:)
Somebody might find it interesting. I hope so.

leonardo

Leonardo it′s very interesting ! I personaly believe that the fonction of stabilization is underrated. If you look at the Olympic lifters they have BIG lats and they don′t do chins. What they do is SNATCH, Clean and Jerk and sometimes Deadlift !

I also found that static contractions (deallift) worked better for my lats than chins (pronated and supinated grip). I′m going to test the ′famous′ wide grip chins. I′ll also see if I get more lats growth with Push Press versus Deadlift.

BTW if you want to work your legs especially quadriceps the Overhead Squat might not be the best exercise because you′ll be limited by your shoulders/lats strength.

Thanks for the interesting data Leonardo! That′s great progress.

I too, am experimenting with a super low number of exercises (2). In fact, I think the most perfect exercise in existence is the Clean & Press. I′ve been performing it now (with lighter weights, but still) for a couple months, and my entire body is starting to get larger and shaped. My lats, calves, forearms, and legs are all getting larger. Even my pecs!

Thanks for sharing and keep us up to date!

Darrell

"BTW if you want to work your legs especially quadriceps the Overhead Squat might not be the best exercise because you′ll be limited by your shoulders/lats strength."

Vincent, that was exactly what i thought before i began OH Squats (mostly because my legs used to be much stonger than my upper body) but – at least in my case – it has turned out to be false.
I think it could be because of the positon of the back but my 1 RM at back squat was 120 kg and now – very surprisingly – 70-75 kg at OH squats is very heavy… for my quads.

So i think this exercise really makes you one piece and balances the strength (and the possible differences in strength ) of your different bodyparts.

When are you going to test "the ′famous′ wide grip chins"? And how?

leonardo

Hi Darell,

I tried the C&J;, and the Snatch too and fully agree with you that these two exercises are the top of the top.
The reason i still switched to OH squats – as a kind of compromise – was the risk of injury…
Unfourtunately i felt the speed of the snatch in my muscles and joints and it was not pleasant and what′s more i dropped the bar a few times and… i mean i would have liked to drop it but instead, i had to catch it failling down and it really hurt..)

Of course, i′ll keep you up to date.

leonardo