Post by Ryan on May 1, 2015 9:32:11 GMT -5
Recently, I've begun training my 15yr old son on the basics of how to squat and how to deadlift. Since I am far from an expert myself, I decided to include leverages assessment with form assessment in his training. In other words, it seemed most sensible to me to not only make sure that he's doing the movements properly, but also that he's focusing on the correct stance/movement variations for his body type to maximize his training. I figure this way, I know that I'm not just leaving his training up to my best judgment, but also giving him the most advantageous groundwork from which to build his strength base, therefore minimizing any mistraining I might impart on him, while also maximizing his own natural leverages.
So, in taking this approach, I stumbled upon some pretty useful markers to help determine your (as a lifter yourself) biomechanical advantages, and they are as follows:
Squat: if you have short femurs and a long torso, you were born to squat; period. This doesn't mean it's "world records or bust", but that if you have this combination of biomechanical leverage advantages, you are lucky enough to have found the right sport, and the squat will almost certainly be your best lift, if not right away, certainly before you're done competing.
*To find torso length, measure your leg length from middle of bottom of foot up to greater trochanter which is the hip bone that you can feel right around the side pocket of your pants. Take this measurement and subtract it from your known height. Then that gives you your torso length. So, then you just divide that torso length by your known height and that gives you the % that your torso accounts for of your total height. The avg proportioned person will see that their torso accounts for ~47% of their total body height. Mine and my son's are about 50%, meaning we have exceedingly long torso's for our height.
*Femur measurement also uses the greater trochanter for measurement. You measure from that point down to the mid-knee cap, standing up, and take that measurement and again divide it by total body height. The avg femur is 26% of body height. Mine and my son's are 22% and 23% respectively. So, we are both built to squat.
Bench: nothing worth noting here other than that body height AND femur length have virtually no baring on leverage; this is simply the same old "long arms = bad news". lol. To determine arm length, you just measure from the proximal head of the humerus (bony point in the top of the shoulder) to the very tip of your middle finger. You then divide that number once again by total body height. The avg arm length is just about 38% of overall body height. Mine and also my son's arms are 40%, meaning we have long chimpanzee arms which at least partially explains my struggles with the bench. Doesnt mean we're screwed, but just that we have a lower ceiling than someone with short arms, and gains will require tighter form and much more concentration than someone with little alligator arms. ha.
Deads: This is the lift, where interestingly, it's easiest to accomodate most biomechanical variations without really having to live with the fact that you're gonna see limited results. Ok, well if you have short arms, you're screwed as a puller (lol) and if you have short arms and a big gut, you might wanna consider giving up the deadlift altogther (lol), but because of the different stance variations allowed in the deadlift, you can work around virtually any mechanical leverage deficiency OTHER THAN short arms. Basically, here's the grid for how best to approach pulling based on your leverages:
_____________________TORSO____
_______________Short __ Avg __ Long
A ____Short ____either __ sumo __ sumo
R ____Avg _____conv. __ either__sumo
M ____Long ____conv. __ conv. __either
S ____
Key takeaways: If you want a built-in mechanical advantage over 70%+ of the rest of the powerlifting world, hope to have short femurs. lol. They will aid greatly in both squat and deadlift. If you are lucky enough to also have a long torso to go with those short femurs, you have a leverage advantage against roughly 90% of the rest of the powerlifting world in the squat and deadlift, because this is an exceedingly unusual combo (from what I've read). I and my son are both lucky enough to fit into this group, and still I'm not an elite level lifter yet, which shows that despite all the mathematical slicing and dicing, hard work and consistency still win the day, but I digress.....lol.
By NO MEANS am I even implying that biomechanics determines whether you'll be a good or bad lifter, or whether you should powerlift at all. It really is more of a way to understand where you are the luckiest from a genetic standpoint and where you're "up against it" the most genetically. Certainly leverages are only one piece of the lifting puzzle, but its just as important to realize that leverages are a critical factor in goal attainment whether we want to face it or not, so while I dont suggest mentally limiting yourself by way of having "too short" this, or "too long" that, you do still need to take that ever-present spoonful of medicine and realize that we all do have biomechanical limits; well most of us, the Lamar Gants and Ed Coan's of the world not withstanding.
But really, I just thought it was cool to learn and employ this sort of stuff. Definitely cant hurt to know, so I thought I'd share for those of you who haven't seen/heard about this stuff before.
-Ryan
So, in taking this approach, I stumbled upon some pretty useful markers to help determine your (as a lifter yourself) biomechanical advantages, and they are as follows:
Squat: if you have short femurs and a long torso, you were born to squat; period. This doesn't mean it's "world records or bust", but that if you have this combination of biomechanical leverage advantages, you are lucky enough to have found the right sport, and the squat will almost certainly be your best lift, if not right away, certainly before you're done competing.
*To find torso length, measure your leg length from middle of bottom of foot up to greater trochanter which is the hip bone that you can feel right around the side pocket of your pants. Take this measurement and subtract it from your known height. Then that gives you your torso length. So, then you just divide that torso length by your known height and that gives you the % that your torso accounts for of your total height. The avg proportioned person will see that their torso accounts for ~47% of their total body height. Mine and my son's are about 50%, meaning we have exceedingly long torso's for our height.
*Femur measurement also uses the greater trochanter for measurement. You measure from that point down to the mid-knee cap, standing up, and take that measurement and again divide it by total body height. The avg femur is 26% of body height. Mine and my son's are 22% and 23% respectively. So, we are both built to squat.
Bench: nothing worth noting here other than that body height AND femur length have virtually no baring on leverage; this is simply the same old "long arms = bad news". lol. To determine arm length, you just measure from the proximal head of the humerus (bony point in the top of the shoulder) to the very tip of your middle finger. You then divide that number once again by total body height. The avg arm length is just about 38% of overall body height. Mine and also my son's arms are 40%, meaning we have long chimpanzee arms which at least partially explains my struggles with the bench. Doesnt mean we're screwed, but just that we have a lower ceiling than someone with short arms, and gains will require tighter form and much more concentration than someone with little alligator arms. ha.
Deads: This is the lift, where interestingly, it's easiest to accomodate most biomechanical variations without really having to live with the fact that you're gonna see limited results. Ok, well if you have short arms, you're screwed as a puller (lol) and if you have short arms and a big gut, you might wanna consider giving up the deadlift altogther (lol), but because of the different stance variations allowed in the deadlift, you can work around virtually any mechanical leverage deficiency OTHER THAN short arms. Basically, here's the grid for how best to approach pulling based on your leverages:
_____________________TORSO____
_______________Short __ Avg __ Long
A ____Short ____either __ sumo __ sumo
R ____Avg _____conv. __ either__sumo
M ____Long ____conv. __ conv. __either
S ____
Key takeaways: If you want a built-in mechanical advantage over 70%+ of the rest of the powerlifting world, hope to have short femurs. lol. They will aid greatly in both squat and deadlift. If you are lucky enough to also have a long torso to go with those short femurs, you have a leverage advantage against roughly 90% of the rest of the powerlifting world in the squat and deadlift, because this is an exceedingly unusual combo (from what I've read). I and my son are both lucky enough to fit into this group, and still I'm not an elite level lifter yet, which shows that despite all the mathematical slicing and dicing, hard work and consistency still win the day, but I digress.....lol.
By NO MEANS am I even implying that biomechanics determines whether you'll be a good or bad lifter, or whether you should powerlift at all. It really is more of a way to understand where you are the luckiest from a genetic standpoint and where you're "up against it" the most genetically. Certainly leverages are only one piece of the lifting puzzle, but its just as important to realize that leverages are a critical factor in goal attainment whether we want to face it or not, so while I dont suggest mentally limiting yourself by way of having "too short" this, or "too long" that, you do still need to take that ever-present spoonful of medicine and realize that we all do have biomechanical limits; well most of us, the Lamar Gants and Ed Coan's of the world not withstanding.
But really, I just thought it was cool to learn and employ this sort of stuff. Definitely cant hurt to know, so I thought I'd share for those of you who haven't seen/heard about this stuff before.
-Ryan