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 By: Jim Britain
In the third installment of LiftRite, we will cover how to incorporate variations of the deadlift to your workout regimen if you are training for a bodybuilding contest, and see where you measure up for possibly competing in a deadlift competition. We will also answer some of your most frequently asked fitness questions and give you helpful tips to make sure you are getting proper nutrition for maximizing your results. Tune in and learn all you need to know to get started toward achieving your fitness goals!
It is never too late to start making a positive change in nutrition and reprogram your metabolism. Eat balanced meals throughout the day and start by consuming a healthy breakfast to jump start your energy levels. Nutrition plays a huge roll in bodybuilding and fitness programs. Without proper nutrition you cannot maximize your results and may run the risk of greatly reducing the chances of reaching your fitness goals. Here is a good analogy that might help you understand the concept a little better. Think of your body as a bank account! Prior to your work out, you need to make plenty of deposits. It's very important to eat plenty leading up to your workout so your body is not catabolic. A catabolic state is when your body is out of carbohydrates and starts breaking down valuable muscle tissue for energy. Consume a surplus of calories with the correct ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to build up energy and glycogen stores to remain anabolic. It is also very important to eat a good recovery meal within the 1 hour window following your workout so you can replace valuable nutrients for muscle repair and reap the benefits of your ideal physique.
There are often many unanswered questions about common fitness terminology and general nutrition knowledge. Most questions derive from a new term used for an exercise variation. There is also the occasional conflicting information given on many fitness issues such as nutrition suggestions or safety precautions. Realize that the majority of the information you hear is merely an opinion or personal belief. Learn to use basic common sense to filter through most information and do what is best for you.
That is a difference in opinion actually. Most trainers shy away from lifting belts due to the belief that the belt will minimize stress on your core and lower back (erectors) which will eventually create weaknesses in your physique.
I recommend that you only use the belt when you are going very heavy and need to maintain perfect form to avoid injury. Make sure you release the tension on the belt in between sets. Your going to be taking some time off if you get a hernia or pulled muscle in your lower back.
Lifting straps are recommended once again while lifting heavy to eliminate the chances of your grip giving out before you hit muscle failure on the larger muscles being targeted. Lifting straps are commonly used while doing pull-ups, shrugs, lat pull downs, and more.
Keep in mind that you should only use the straps when absolutely needed to ensure that your forearms will grow and don't become the "week link!" Try to only use them when lifting 85% or more of your one rep max. Instructions: Enter the amount of weight you lifted and the number of reps you lifted it for (the number of reps must be between 1 and 10 in order for the calculation to work). Your One Rep Max will appear at the top and all your percentages will appear below it.
Find out what the current expectations are for your division which is categorized by age and bodyweight. For example: the current U.S.A. average deadlift for a 200 pound 20 year old male competitor is about 450 pounds. The 20 year old 150 pound female average is about 200 pounds. A lot of national records are reported in kilograms so multiply the kilos by 2.2 to convert it to pounds. For example 200 kilos is 440 pounds. For Complete Deadlift Contest Results And Information Click Here!
Gym locations must have special equipment for you to be able to train properly. You will need a well padded gym floor and preferably rubber coated Olympic plates in case you drop them. This form of training is usually loud and causes a great deal of distraction for everyone else so it's hard to find a local health club to accommodate your needs. My suggestion is to utilize a school weight room after hours or set up in your garage. You want your training to be as close to the actual competition setting as possible. Olympic swimmers don't train in a kiddy pool!
  Click Image To Enlarge. Kiddy Pool. Powerlifters tend to be frowned upon by many gym owners. They make too much noise, drop the weights and wreck their floors, mess the place up with chalk, and intimidate the "general fitness" crowd. Most of that is true, but that's what it takes to get in the zone and train realistically.
Incorporate the deadlift on back training day along with bent over rows, lat pull downs, shrugs, and isolation machines. The back is a complex muscle group and requires many different exercises and angles to fully fatigue every muscle. Do straight legged deadlifts on leg day to bomb your hamstrings. Listen to your body and wait until the muscles are fully recovered before training them again.
The mind to muscle connection is very important. Try to visualize the targeted muscles contracting while training with maximum intensity and focus. I always try to picture an anatomy chart that shows all of the muscles on the body. You can find an anatomy picture for the targeted muscles on most health club equipment.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Anatomy Shown On Most Gym Equipment. The targeted muscle group is typically shown in red and the possible secondary muscle group is shown in yellow.
Rep tempo is a term for the timing of a repetition from the positive to peak and then the negative. Rep tempo will help you focus on maximizing "time under tension"? with no relaxing points where the weight is no longer putting stress on the muscle tissue and is simply resting on your joints. From the starting point, take 2 seconds on the positive, pause for one second at the peak, and 4 seconds for the negative. Repeat the movement as soon as you reach the starting point agein. * The negative or eccentric part of a lift is very beneficial, so avoid dropping the weight from the peak.
Our goal is to provide you with the information that will become beneficial in many ways and will give you the confidence to incorporate this exercise into your weekly workout routine. In the next episode, watch Jim and Josh in the gym performing another very important exercise, the bench press! We will share with you the proper spotting techniques while using a training partner. We will also be covering some of the most common variations that will help you pack on muscle and get the best results from your time in the gym. Learn how to apply the benefits from this exercise to specific sports and maintain the perfect mindset. You will also learn how to target sections of your anatomy that you notice need improvement. In the mean time, check out Jim Britain's BodySpace Profile.
References:
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