Essential simulators for big guys

In the gym, as in other places of life, a tall and wide guy has its advantages. But he also has … let's not call them “flaws”, but rather, the times “norm” for the little guys just won't work for you. When this happens, you can try to force your body to bend according to other people's rules — not recommended — or change the movements so that they work better for you.

As a big and tall lifter myself – 6 feet 4 and about 250 – I am tired from fatigue, that this is some form of hoof or an excuse for using levers during a workout. Guess what: This is not my opinion. This is the eighth class of physics! When it comes to applying forces or moving loads, more work will be required to move the same load using a longer lever (i.e., a long leg, arm or spine) than a shorter one.

Translation: The more you are, the further the weight should move, and the more difficult it will be. To give a concrete example, the “normal” traction from the floor for one guy can basically be a three-inch deficit for you. Since this image can help clarify a situation, traveling a longer distance with a load will mean more stress and stronger shear forces at the joints or areas that act as a support – think of a lower back in a front squat.

Due to the additional joint stress on longer limbs, you would be smart to use several modifications to make movements more favorable. Here are some of my favorites.

Press: use fat grabs

Simply adding an extra inch of dash width can have a remarkable amount of positive effects. First, an increase in the thickness of the rod means a more uniform distribution of pressure throughout the palm, which may mean less stress on the joint through the elbow and shoulder. This seems like very minor detail, but it translates into better-quality presses for people with longer hands and a longer distance to travel. Especially in compromised positions, such as the lower part of a bench, dipping, or shoulder press, this modification may contribute to happier joints.

Here is a video with some dips using fat handles for added comfort.

The problem, of course, is that finding thick bars and dumbbells is rather difficult if you don’t belong to a strong or sports gym aimed at high-level work. The answer in this case is to invest in your own pair of fat handles that are relatively inexpensive but infinitely useful.

Most people focus on using these tools to increase grip when moving movements (which is also great), but in the case of large and high lifters, they should be considered mandatory for pressing, especially if you have large loading hands.

Stand for bar bench

In my article “3 rules for learning riding for tall guys,” I touched on the importance of this movement, but it is worth mentioning again. Straight. You have a long weapon, and it usually leads to a chaos of movements with deep movements. In the case of working with a chest, stress can disrupt your ability to do the whole range of climbing for a barbell movement, having additional items for dumbbells more often than you would like.

In fairness it follows that dumbbells are a smart change and a very effective variation. But for 90 percent of lifters, this will not allow you to match your true totals and push your actual strength as effectively as using a barbell.

With that said, a fixed hand position on a straight bar means that things tend to become fragmentary in the last inch of the ROM at the bottom. Deprivation of these funds can mean saving your shoulders and allow you to hurt more with absolute weight. That's why:

• You can kill a negative reputation. This means an increase in the volume of the actual “lift” part of the elevator and a reduction in the tax on the nervous system as a result.
• There is no real need for spotters. The pins block the rod from crushing you, and if you cannot lift the weight, then it just stays on the pins.
• Pushing out protective equipment means that you cannot rely on a stretching reflex to pull you out of the hole, which means that you will work harder and get a better profit from lighter weights.
• You can get close to your true and absolute 1RM bench, which very few people can say that they have ever done this using dumbbells.

Personally, I recommend using pin presses with a low-resolution cluster protocol, as described in my article “A simple power trick to get the most out of heavy lifts.” Since you are still relaxing in a bar for security between repetitions, this allows you to fold and position yourself for ideal, painless representatives.

Another tip: if you hate all the attention that you bring in your way thanks to the noisy bar chopped on the pins of each representative, put a couple of thin yoga mats on the contacts to turn off the sound. Problem solved.

Use two ropes for facelift

If you have long arms or are very muscular, the chances of one rope on the pulley binding do not give you the freedom to rotate, you really need to benefit from touching your face. Muscular guys often also tightly pressed to the shoulders, so when the hands are too close to each other, when the stretching does not help their cause.

To use the rear deltoids for the rotating component of this elevator, you need to have a slightly wider arm position than, say, a row. The closer you can imitate the double biceps posture, the better the “punch” you get for your back deltoids while stretching your face. That is why the simple breaking of fastening two ropes to one pulley works like magic for long guys – and big, tight guys.

You have only doubled your radius and improved every reputation of this great movement.

Start doing it right away. Your upper back and shoulders can thank me later.

Suspenders: try the average sumo rack and trap

Seriously, these two movements can be your lower back's best friend. For high lifters, traction usually represents the biggest challenge and threat to their safety. And it is clear! This is a long way, and a pair of long legs can seriously block the ability to pull a heavy bar on a straight path to the top, without dangerous compensation.

Instead of getting the usual style of thrust with a straight bar, admit that your leverage is not in your favor, and this injury is a much more serious possibility for you. If you have long legs, a shorter torso and less fantastic mobility, you inevitably put your upper body behind the bar, which is not the optimal position to achieve strength.

Unlike the straight rod, the trap allows the shins to move forward, which in turn allows the upper body to remain more vertical. The lower part of the hip joint improves work in the quadrangular area and the overall pressure for the legs while maintaining a flat spine, and the weight is perfectly aligned with the center of gravity without the need for spinal cones.

For all these reasons, trap traction is the bee's knee for many NBA coaches who want their athletes to pull hard. Take a page from your books and make a switch, preferably with my program in “The best training training for pancake traps”, and you'll be glad you did. And do not be afraid to use high pens. You still have a lot of rom, big guy.

Having said all this, if you are a stubborn lummox who cannot breathe without a rod of traction, and you think that the trap is “pretending”, do yourself a favor and at least change your position. Going to the middle position of the sumo will lower your hip position and allow some space to tighten your back and hold the shoulder blades over the barbell.

Don't apologize for your size!

If you are big, train like that. Make rooms for your size and length, and you will train without pain, and you will still see growth. We make adjustments for these things in ordinary life, and the same should be true in the gym. This is what makes you look impressive, but more importantly, you can train for a long time, like little guys.