The MONSTER GARAGE GYM/MAROSCHER COACHING LOG is a weekly Coaching Log by MGG owner, 2-Time WPC World Powerlifting Champion, Eric Maroscher, and is geared to the new to intermediate powerlifter. LIVE, LEARN and PASS ON.
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THIS WEEK’S Monster Garage Gym/Maroscher Coaching Log: THE WEIGHT IS NOT GOING TO LIFT ITSELF
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Coaching Log:
There is nothing much better than a big squat or deadlift day. Gunning for a p.r. with your teammates around you as you prepare for a meet, that is just an amazing feeling. Suspended good mornings however….eh, not so much fun.
In powerlifting the bread and butter lifts are always a blast. Thinking about gearing up and squatting into the hole with big weight on your shoulders makes you wish it was already the weekend so you can do what you love to do. Thinking about suspended good mornings, most would prefer just to think past those and on to the post-workout steak and eggs you are going to have. Mmmmm, steak and eggs.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzuIYBDCnAI&feature=youtu.be]
Regardless of your affinity or disdain for good mornings (in this case, suspended good mornings), in order to get the most out of that big squat and pull you need to obviously train more than just the squat and deadlift. For the purposes of this coaching log, we are highlighting one of those movements, and specifically, another use of the rackable cambered bar for your training (beyond its use for squats, bench press, etc).
In this video, John and Denny (Denny is the one in the beanie) are using the rackable cambered bar suspended good mornings in a power rack. They start the movement with a lighter weight and with a very moderate back angle. As they crescendo up in weight, their back angle heads to near a 90 degree angle. On this training day they do the following: 155x8, 245x8, 295x8. Then, 315x8 standing on one pad. Then, 315x8 standing on 2 pads (the EliteFTS rackable cambered bar is a 65LB bar incidentally). They follow up this work with the belt squat with an easy three sets of 12 as a finisher as their squat day two days later would be a high volume day.
The suspended good morning is a love, hate kind of movement. You love the results, you sometimes hate the movement itself. Walking by the two as they trained, I watched Denny staring at the bar loaded with the 315LBS for the last set of 8, and John just looked at him and said what we have all heard at one time or another, “The weight is not going to lift itself.” So true.
One of the keys to this movement is bringing the weight down deliberately. In the video there is not a releasing of the tight back from the top, but a controlled doward movement as these veteran lifter do their reps with purpose because this movement is a means to an end, and cutting corners is not an option for the successful powerlifter. Often you see lifters lift the weight, but then bring it down without controlling the weight. In other words, they are only doing half of the movement. You see this frequently with the deadlift as well. I am never sure if bringing down the weight in an uncontrolled manner in these movements is because the lifter is lacking an understanding of how the full movement works, if they are somewhat lazy, or are more interested in hearing the weights then training with the weights. Bottom line is, that regardless of the reason, others failing to do these the correct way is good news for you come meet time, as they can’t hide on the platform from shoddy training they did at their gym. Point being, continue to train aggressively, but methodically. If Ed Coan doesn’t half-*ss a lift, neither should you.
Wishing you the best in your training and competitions. Ever Onward, Eric Maroscher, Owner: MONSTER GARAGE GYM
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MONSTER GARAGE GYM uses Universal Nutrition/Animal supplements and EliteFTS powerlifting equipment. 
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