ME Lower – 5.12.10

Charlie,

Just to be clear, the issue with the reverse hyper is when people get sloppy with it and not so much the movement itself? I have had one for some time now, but whenever I use it, I am very strict with the movement, and literally perform it like a reverse back/hip extension, with no hyperextension up top and no rounding at all down low (I essentially stop in an “L” position, or more precisely just make sure the movement is occurring at the hips and not the spine.

On the Indian Club front, I picked up a set of 1-3 pounders about 2 years ago. Since there are many other ways to train for actual strength and where the clubs shine is likely in opportunities not had via others means and when focusing on the techniques and mehanics and allowing speed of movement to be a key means of progression over time, do you see any reason why someone would need to go above 2 or 3 pounders at any point unless specifically looking to compete in some type of old-time Persian Wrestler competition or something obscure that might warrant larger clubs?

I only ask this because I purchased my clubs from Atomic Athletic, and the proprietor of that website is a club aficionado and both uses and offers some rather sizable clubs (not to mention some rather beautiful classic-looking pieces, which is strictly a random observation on my part, and not speaking to whether or not I think many people would derive much out of them or not).

I just got an image of Louie with big black raven’s wings perched on a dark window sill. It was terrifying.

Ray – My first information on the Reverse Hyper was the classic Louie article, and I must say that any notion of “opening the disc space to allow fluid to enter” is completely ridiculous. I’ll start there.
It is well documented that I follow Louie very closely, train myself with his influence and direction, and I have spent time with him personally.
But any joint space creation in the prone position is a potential disc problem, and doing it with load makes it even worse.

That being said, when you see some of the monsters doing it, it does look like they are keeping their spine right. Now these are the Cartwrights and Chucks, guys we should not necessarily be modelling after as they are the elite of the elite.

So I think with light weight, I think I might be okay with it. Tom got the Westside Rogue Reverse Hyper, so I am going to try very light weight and slow and keep the lumbar from moving. I am also going to evaluate if my poor height has something to do with it, which I suspect it might.

Overall right now, I can not recommend the reverse hyper for anyone not an advanced lifter or without personally watching form.

Louie was crystal clear in front of me, Bill C, Sebastian, and a host of the Elite guys in Lake George that if you are letting your back round out in the reverse hypers, you are doing it wrong.

Charlie,

I am a bit late to the party commenting on this post, but as far as the reverse hyper is concerned, is the problem literally with most models of the machine itself. While you sound like you’re still very much in the formulation stage as opposed to any rock solid final conclusion, you seemed to indicate that when the loading is not excessive and a very strict and specific form is used that it might be a legitimate movement.

We have one at my gym, and I have always used it in very strict form (basically always starting from a dead stop well before the legs are remotely close to going under the table top) and without letting the spine round or hyperextend during the movement. I’d hate to think that I was engaging in a foolish or potentially dangerous practice, all the while being blissfully ignorant of my foolishness. I suppose it’s doubly troubling because I fancied myself as having at least half a clue in the gym, but when I read pieces written by sharp minds like yours, I begin to feel like quite dunce who ends up second guessing a lot of things I used to think were entirely acceptable based upon previous knowledge.

Roy – I think the problem can be both. Set-up and technique. With a good setup like the Rogue Reverse Hyper we have @ Fit For Life, you can still initiate the movement with the lower back, which I think is a big mistake.
It is a very legitimate movement when done correctly. Like the GHR, I’m not sure many folks are really doing it correctly.

It sounds like your technique would pass in my book. You might even be able to be a little more aggressive getting it going.