Questions and Answers on Strength Training

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Question:
Can you tell me how to get strong enough to be able to support someone while I sit in a suspended split between chairs?

Answer:
I do not advise you to try lifting or holding anybody while in a split (as shown in my advertisements). I did it to prove the superiority of my method of strength and flexibility training and had to rest for a week afterward (maybe because we made so many attempts—it took 15 attempts, each 10-20 seconds). The type and amount of strength needed for holding a model on the thigh in a split has no application in sports. The exercises leading to this result are the same as shown on the video Secrets of Stretching.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
What is your opinion of lifting lighter weights but at a higher rate of speed to increase one's overall power?

Answer:
For developing sport-specific power, the velocity of movement has to be very close to that of the actual sports technique. The resistance (weight) must be such as to permit moving at that velocity.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I want to increase my vertical jump and maximize my flexibility. My coaches tell me I have to stretch my hamstrings, calf muscles and Achilles tendon to reach peak jumping ability. Is it true?

Answer:
I do not think that improved flexibility of the legs will be of any help in jumping up.

If you want to know how to combine exercises developing strength, jumping ability, flexibility, and other abilities in your workouts for optimum results, read Science of Sports Training.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I'm a basketball player and I've tried to work on my jump before, but the exercises I've done have given little result. Is there a way to increase my vertical jump dramatically? And what results are typical for a good program that trains for jumping?

Answer:
Here are typical exercises for developing jumping ability (Starzynski and Sozanski 1999): fast squats and half-squats, jumps in a spot, jumps with a prerun, multijumps over obstacles with double leg takeoff and single leg takeoff with and without a prerun, and depth jumps. Selection of exercises and the explanation of training methods for improving jumping ability is covered in detail in Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports: Atlas of Exercises by Starzynski and Sozanski.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am a college football player (running back) and I have some questions to ask pertaining to football training. The first question is how I can find out the benefits of power exercises such as cleans, snatches, and plyometrics. I also would like to know some new exercises I could do for power and speed. I am fine in strength although I need to improve my burst. I also would like to know how I should periodize my training for football.

Answer:
If cleans and snatches resemble movements you do during a game, then you should do these lifts in your sport-specific strength training. If not, then you still can do them as a part of your general strength training.

Regarding power and speed exercises I suggest those for rugby and for track and field sprints that are shown in Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports: Atlas of Exercises. Another book that contains information on this subject is The Gambetta Method by Vern Gambetta (go to http://www.gambetta.com and click the “catalog” link).

Periodization is covered in Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I have the books Stretching Scientifically and Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports. I am trying to design a training schedule that combines training tips from the above resources. On page 52 of Stretching Scientifically, you write that “work on speed or technique before working on strength, work on strength before working on endurance.” But on pages 24–27 of Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports, the authors say that endurance should be the foundation, and one needs strength before speed. The information in the two books seem contradicting to me.

Answer:
There is no contradiction between these two statements. If you read the whole paragraph which starts on page 52 and ends on page 53 of Stretching Scientifically you will see that it refers to a weekly schedule of workouts while the one on pages 24–27 of Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports refers to periods of a macrocycle (a several months-lasting cycle of training).

Thomas Kurz

Question:
Would the book Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports provide some information on plyometrics for kickboxing and some exercises (applicable for kickboxing or martial arts) that one could follow?

Answer:
Yes. See pages 100–109 of Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports: Atlas of Exercises.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
At the age of 24, can I still significantly improve my jumping ability?

Answer:
It depends on the quality of your previous training, If your previous training was done rationally but you have not reached your full potential, then it is likely that with more sophisticated training you can improve your jumping. If the training was rational and made you reach your full potential, then there is no room for improvement. The only way to find out is to train. The selection of exercises and an explanation of training methods for improving jumping ability is covered in detail in Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports: Atlas of Exercises.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I was wondering if it was safe to wear light leg weights and throw kicks. My friend does that and I tried it once. We threw our kicks full power and full speed through the taekwondo class. I didn't feel any ill effects afterwards, just that “I've just had a workout” feeling. Is this a bad thing to do? or is it a good strength exercise?

Answer:
Wrist and ankle weights can hyperextend your joints. Other weights, such as those attached above the knee are safer but any weights if too heavy will distort your technique.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I would like to know how you feel about free weights for someone who plays tennis and is studying aikido. Do you recommend using free weights as a supplementary form of exercise for these athletic endeavors, or do you feel that doing all three forms of stretching is sufficient? If you do believe in using free weights, what routine would you recommend for the above sports?

Answer:
Free weights are necessary in athletic training, even if the particular sport seems to require little strength, as a means of injury prevention and of preparing the body for intensive technical workouts. No stretches can replace free weights as a means of graduated resistance training. I cannot give you any “routine” for use of free weights because the choice of exercises depends on too many constantly changing factors for any routine to be useful and the lack of space and time prevents me from writing here about methodology of sports training. Instead, I recommend the video Secrets of Stretching, which covers the principles of general conditioning, strength, and flexibility training, or the book Science of Sports Training.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am 31 years old. I have been taking kenpo for about a month. My hamstrings are very tight. One of my problems is that I do not have free weights, but I do have a bowflex. Would I get adequate leg strength if I did leg presses and low back rows instead of squats and dead lifts?

Answer:
Maybe. Unlike leg presses and back rows, however, squats and deadlifts are natural movements that occur often in everyday life and in fighting. Many grappling throws include a squatlike movement, and during ground fighting, when standing and lifting an opponent off the ground, one is doing a deadlift.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
You provide much useful technical data from a purely scientific viewpoint and I have put it to use and have passed it on to my students. Your endorsement of using squats and deadlifts for overall body conditioning was very beneficial. I don't have access to a good support for heavy barbell squats but between you and Matt Furey you have me sold on the value of hindu squats and I now do them and have my students do them. Thanks for sharing all the good information you do.

Answer:
You do not have to do heavy squats. Poundages around your body weight are usually enough for martial arts. Lifting such and lighter weights can provide most of the means for developing types of strength (explosive, dynamic, static, muscular endurance) needed for martial arts as you can learn from the book Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports and from the Science of Sports Training.

Doing plenty of Hindu squats or other “empty” or “no extra weight” squats will give you the muscle endurance for—guess what?—doing plenty squats with no weights. To see what I mean, have someone who does only empty squats (even though in the hundreds) put, say, a barbell equal to a mere half of his/her body weight and try how many squats he/she can do. Prepare for look of surprise and disappointment—because training effects are exercise-specific. This is explained in Science of Sports Training while the full description of physiologic mechanisms is in standard manuals for p.e. teachers and sports instructors, such as Exercise Physiology by McArdle, Katch, and Katch available at the Athlete's Bookshelf.

There are benefits to doing empty squats (see articles 22, 25, and 26 of my column on training) but increasing strength or power are not among them.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am a reader of your columns and bought your book on stretching a few years ago. I am almost 28 years old and reasonably fit though my flexibility is relatively quite poor. I have 2 questions that I would as such to ask:

The first one is that I have tried several times to start a stretching programme aiming at the side split and though I followed your methods, I have never really made substantial progress. A few weeks back, while reading one of your columns I realized that may be my leg muscles are not strong and thus I have started to do Hindu squats. I have made much improvement in the number of squats that I can made and my leg muscles are no longer sore after doing them. Afterwards, I have started the side splits exercises again, focusing on dynamic stretches in the morning and isometric exercises in the afternoon.

I perform dynamic stretches almost every morning and I try to do the isometric stretches about 3 to 4 times a week. My muscles are less sore now (on certain days I don't even feel soreness), but still it seems that I can't make any progress in the side split. My flexibility is very poor and though I know that my legs are stronger now (with the Hindu squats), I still don't understand why I don't make any progress though I use the proper body alignment. Have you any idea what can be wrong? Related to this issue, you mentioned in a column to perform squats after the isometric stretches. Squats are required to be performed quite fast and don't you think that this is not appropriate for the muscles after isometric exercises?

Answer:
Your flexibility is still poor because squats without or with weights do not strengthen the muscles of inner thigh in the way that would enable one to do splits. If squats alone were enough then there would be no need for all the other strengthening and stretching exercises shown on the video Secrets of Stretching.

The other cause for your poor progress is that your muscles are too weak for isometrics, so they are sore often. You write “on certain days I don't even feel soreness”—you got it backwards! Soreness should be an exception rather than a norm. Study information on the video Secrets of Stretching or in the book Science of Sports Training.

Your worry about doing empty squats, such as Hindu squats, after isometric stretches is groundless. The empty squats, even though done fast, involve very low muscle tensions. Do not theorize so much, just do it and you will see.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
Just wanted to say thanks. Got my left split for the first time last week. I got my right split 6 years ago but couldn't get the last inch down on the left till using your book. I'll let you know when I get the center split [side split]. I've got 3 and a half inches to go. I'm 46, so much for people believing forty is to old to get splits. It provides real incentive when I teach a new 14-year-old cheerleader how to do passive stretches and I'm doing a split and she can't.

I have a question. High school cheerleaders need to gain usable flexibility as fast as possible. They're performing the first month and competing about six to eight months later if they begin on a varsity squad instead of junior varsity. What method do you recommend? Dynamic and passive stretching is what I'm teaching at the moment as I'm afraid the isometric stretching will cause permanent injuries. I know you don't recommend the isometric stretching until the bones have closed. Do you have any other suggestions?

Answer:
I suggest normal (i.e, dynamic) resistance exercises through full range of motion. Use light-to-moderate resistance that permits at least 15 repetitions with full control at full range. With low reps (under 30 in this case) do no more than three sets (one or two may suffice). If more reps, then do not do more than two sets. Observe exercisers and let them do only as much as needed and safe.

The above advice is for 14-year-old girls. For recommendations on resistance and exercises (strength, flexibility, endurance, etc.) for boys and girls in this and in other age groups read the book Children and Sports Training.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
Yesterday I did a workout with a lot of kicking and today my hamstrings are sore. Is this due to my muscles not being strong enough? Or not flexible enough? What should I do to stop my hamstrings from getting sore? They do not get sore after lifting weights—only after kicking.

Answer:
Kick less and lift more. Make sure that you move through the full range of motion and gradually add more weight in such exercises as squats, good mornings, and stiff-legged deadlifts. Increase the number of kicks in your workouts gradually.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am in my thirties and have been extremely inflexible all my life. A few months ago, I began training to do the Olympic lifts (snatch and clean and jerk). I am so stiff that I can't receive the bar correctly in the clean. The main problem seems to be my inability to flex my hips fully while keeping my lower back extended. This prevents me from keeping my torso upright, and the bar falls forward off my shoulders. Two lesser but still significant problems are getting my elbows high enough; and flexing my ankles far enough in the low squat so as to remain balanced front to back without leaning forward. The net effect of these problems is that I simply can't do a correct clean. Can you suggest any exercises or warm-ups to help with these problems?

Oddly enough, my overall shoulder mobility is not bad. I have no problem holding an empty bar overhead in the snatch position while squatting. With light weights, I can simply arch my back enough and move my arms far enough behind me so that I can balance in a near-full squat while holding the bar overhead in a snatch grip. But my upper body leans forward so that I cannot support a bar on the front of my shoulders. I can't keep my torso upright at the low point in either lift.

Answer:
Your problems can be remedied by doing lots of deep and wide squats without a barbell and with a barbell in both front squat and back squat positions. For dynamic flexibility do these squats fast and for static flexibility do them slow but with heavier weights.

You might benefit from reading up on an analysis of the lifts. Some of the better books on this subject are available from IronMind (P.O. Box 1228, Nevada City, CA 95959, phone 530-265-6725).

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am a bodybuilder and I am using your stretching method. Please tell me how I should combine your stretches (shown in the book Stretching Scientifically) with my bodybuilding exercises. I do my arms and chest on Monday and Friday, aerobics and then my legs on Tuesday and Saturday, my back on Wednesday, aerobics on Thursday, and I rest on Sunday.

Answer:
Usually the legs (thighs) and the lower back are done in the same workout because of the necessary involvement of the lower back in all leg exercises. Because of its stabilizing function the lower back has to be done after all leg exercises.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I have never been a bodybuilder, but I am heavily muscled due to my genetic background. Lifters sometimes talk about touching their butts to their heels in the squat. I don't think I'll ever be able to do that, because my hamstrings press firmly against my calf muscles in my deepest squat.

Answer:
This occurs in lifts done at full speed and with considerable weights. At slow speed it can happen only when squatting with your heels raised.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
The most effective stretching technique I have been able to devise in my weightlifting techniques is to do full squats with a moderate weight and simply sit and relax in the bottom of the squat for several seconds. This has helped me to do my back squats deeper, but it has had little or no effect on my ability to rapidly, voluntarily assume a near-full squat before receiving the bar.

I have thought about rapidly moving into the squat position without a bar, as a sport-specific dynamic stretch. I have not tried this, because I am concerned that it would necessarily be a ballistic stretch and that I would be likely to hurt myself. There is no way to do that movement without using my fully-stretched muscles to decelerate my body at the end. That would necessarily be a ballistic stretch, wouldn't it? Of course I understand that my goal is to be able to decelerate much more than my body weight in that position—but only after I've achieved enough flexibility so I'm not at my limit, right? Does this imply that I really should be working on my static passive flexibility, in order to raise the limit?

Answer:
This would not necessarily be “ballistic,” and you would not necessarily “hurt” yourself. You can increase your velocity and range of motion progressively until your neuromuscular system learns to deal with velocities and ranges of motion needed for your technique.

Depending on how much range of motion you are lacking, you might have to work on your passive flexibility by doing deep, wide squats with progressively heavier weights.

Practice makes perfect . . . what is practiced. You practice sitting relaxed in a deep squat with a moderate weight, and so you can sit in a deep squat with that weight. To squat deep before receiving the weight, you have to practice with a very light weight or even an empty bar. Sitting and relaxing with even a heavy weight is not what a weightlifter needs. You need to squat deep and then tense at the bottom of the squat to raise up with the weight.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
You don't like hanging back stretches because of possible ligament stretching, but you recommend stiff-leg deadlifts. So, do you recommend only bending over to a certain extent when deadlifting, i.e., the weight lowered only to knee or midcalf?  I usually stand on a block and go as low as I can. I thought it was helping my back stretch but after reading your book I am concerned!

Answer:
When done correctly, the deadlift does not stretch lower back ligaments nor even the lower back muscles. Information on how to do a deadlift is in Summer 1996 issue of Stadion News downloadable from our site and from the book Super Squats by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. Information on shoulder exercises is in Report #9, How to Improve Your Flexibility and Prevent Injuries with Strength Training.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am a martial artist (wu chuan kung fu) whose goals involve personal development and health. For those of us who do not have a competitive season but who are trying to maximize our physical condition, how should we organize our training? In an earlier e-mail response, you told me that during the preparatory phase, judoka [or] karateka should do hundreds of reps of sit-ups, push-ups and squats. Should I designate a time of year as a preparatory phase and return for a few months each year to the high-rep sets? Or is there some other way I should work these high rep sets into my training routine?

Answer:
You can designate a time of year as a preparatory phase that can last from three months for beginners to one month for advanced athletes (Bompa 1996, Power Training for Sport). After the initial use as an introduction for new strength exercises, you can do the really long sets (100 and more) with low resistance if you feel excessive muscle soreness after a period of doing heavy weights. Long sets are also good for relieving muscle spasms of muscles overworked with heavy loads. (I know it sounds like a paradox, but that's the way it is).

And yes, there is some other way. You can combine general conditioning (strength or endurance, for example), with sport-specific conditioning through the whole year. This can be done either within the same workout or within consecutive workouts. (For those athletes who do compete, the further you are from a contest, the greater can be the proportion of general conditioning.) Pay attention to your body to decide what exercises to do and which to drop. For example, if your feet hurt when practicing jumping kicks or kicking a heavy bag, then kick less and do more general strength exercises for your feet (to strengthen their arches).

General conditioning has the task of accumulating morphological and functional changes. On the basis of these accumulated changes—for example, muscle hypertrophy—sport-specific exercises can be done in which efforts are more intensive. The sport-specific exercises can be so intensive that while causing your performance to improve they eventually weaken some of the links in the movement chain. To put it in another way—structures of your body might not adapt to intensive sport-specific exercises at the same rate as your capabilities. This means that from time to time you have to go back to general exercises or you need to do some general exercises either during the same workouts or at least during the same microcycles (weekly schedule of workouts) as your sport-specific exercises (Kurz 2001, Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance).

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I received your video Secrets of Stretching a few days ago. I like it a lot and have also shared it with my head instructor at my karate studio. We have been slowly incorporating your methods into our karate classes. We began using your methods a few months ago after reading your book Stretching Scientifically. Many of the students are beginning to see remarkable results!

Since reading your book and viewing the video, I have decided to redo my workout routines. I am a martial artist and, therefore, my primary goal is to train in order to improve my martial arts skills, flexibility, speed, and endurance. I am 35 years old and am in above average condition for someone my age. I have worked out all my life. I also would like to maintain my muscle mass. (I'm not BIG, but I do have good muscle tone and would like to continue working with weights in order to keep my tone.) I am 5' 10" and 170 lbs. If I don't work my upper body I will lose weight and be pretty scrawny looking, especially with all the other exercising I do.

So, even though I want to develop a workout that will improve my karate skills and flexibility, I also want to maintain and even improve my muscle mass in my upper body. Here is what I have come up with:

Day 1 & 6: TECHNICAL/SPEED
*Dynamic Stretching A.M. & P.M. *Techniques & kicking drills *Sparring

Day 2 & 5: STRENGTH
I have listed the exercises in the order I do them. What do you think?
*Dynamic Stretching A.M.*Warm-up *Bench Press/Dynamic leg stretches *Chest Flys/hamstring curls *Military Press/leg extensions *Bicep Curls/Squats*Dips/Deadlifts *Chin ups/Adductor flys *Crunches *Back extensions (machine) *Isometric stretches (arms, side split, front split) *Relaxed stretches

Day 3: AEROBICS
*Jump rope *Running/Sprints *Bike *Relaxed stretching

Day 4: OFF

Answer:
Both the video Secrets of Stretching and the book Stretching Scientifically (pages 63–64) explain how to schedule workouts, but you managed to miss it. Your Technical or Speed workout must precede your Strength or Endurance workout, a Strength workout must precede any Endurance workout, which is followed by a day of complete rest or active rest (easy, fun activity). Never do a Technical or Speed workout on the day immediately following either an exhausting Strength workout or an exhausting Endurance workout, and never do Strength workout after an exhausting Endurance workout because such sequences of efforts lead to overtraining.

In single workouts never work on endurance before any other ability with the exception of static passive flexibility, which is developed by relaxed stretches. With exception of your warm-up, the intensity of your efforts should diminish as the workout progresses. Study Science of Sports Training for an in-depth explanation of why the same exercises give different results depending on their sequence in a workout and in the weekly sequence of workouts.

Regarding your strength exercises, I suggest that, instead of leg curls and extensions, you do more squats and deadlifts since they are better for your knees. By doing the deadlifts before adductor exercises, and abdomen crunches before back extensions, you break the rule of never fatiguing stabilizers before movers. Doing deadlifts before adductor flies makes it harder to stabilize your body when doing the flies and can cause an injury. Similarly, abdomen crunches, which fatigue the abdomen muscles that stabilize your trunk during back exercises, should not precede back extensions.

Your choice of exercises is strange for a martial artist. Instead of using functional strength exercises that improve both your strength and performance you use isolated body-building exercises (curls, leg extensions, dips, chest flies).

Use natural movements for your strength exercises—do not isolate muscle groups with artificial, bodybuilding-like exercises. There is no isolation in any natural movement, be it lifting, jumping, pushing, or pulling and there is no isolation in any of your martial arts techniques. Isolation is a concept suited to bodybuilding (which is looks-oriented) and has no application in strength training for action-oriented sports.

There are three types of strength exercises: general, directed, and sport-specific. How to select exercises of each type and plan training is explained in Science of Sports Training. From that book you will also learn why sprints are not good for developing aerobic endurance.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am currently doing lying leg raises, leg curls, squats, dumbbell bench press, military press or dumbbell lateral raises, dumbbell bench rows or close grip lat pulls, good mornings, reverse crunch/crunch or sit-ups; is this a reasonable set of exercises to improve my martial arts abilities?

Answer:
These are general strength exercises—not specific for your activity so they will help you only if you are a beginner and in poor shape. This exercise program, consisting of general strength exercises, is perhaps strengthening your body and, inasmuch as your performance is limited by your weakness, can help it too. Eventually this program of exercises will stop bringing any improvements to your martial arts performance, even though your overall general strength will keep on increasing. Then, for further improvements in your sport-specific strength for martial arts you will need to add sport-specific strength exercises.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I used to do deadlifts some years back, and I hope to add it soon. Unfortunately, my grip used to give out before my back; any suggestions on improving that? Should I think about getting hooks?

Answer:
Nothing wrong with hooks but I would give consideration first to limiting the weight so your grip holds well until the end of a set (in the case of deadlifts I would not do more than 12 reps).

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I heard of a method of training called “dynamic tension.” It involves performing various movements while simultaneously tensing all muscles. It is supposed to be very effective for developing strength and flexibility. What do you think of it?

Answer:
It is difficult to gain as much strength with “dynamic tension” as with using external resistance—for example, weights. This is why it is not used by weightlifters and track and field throwers. It is impossible to duplicate the character of effort and thus develop the specific strength and coordination required for any dynamic movement against resistance (wrestling, boxing, track and field) using dynamic tension.

To evaluate dynamic tension, compare the amount of time needed to achieve the same final results as with other methods.

To get the most out of your training I do not recommend you use any one method exclusively. Use all rational methods for the best overall result.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I don't understand what the difference in the purpose of the strength training of athletes of different sports could possibly be. The purpose of strength training is to increase the muscles' ability to produce force regardless of the sport. Of course, if you are referring to Olympic lifting, then the skill of lifting that is being practiced independent from strength gains might be considered. Please elaborate further.

Answer:
This question is answered in “Sports Skills and Strength Training,” Parts I and II (Part I in Stadion News Spring 1998 and Part II in Summer 1998 issue). The skill of Olympic weightlifting is not practiced independently from strength training. Sport-specific strength training includes skill practice—sport-specific strength exercises are skill exercises.

As soon as Olympic weightlifters learn a form of movement such as snatch and clean and jerk with broomsticks and light barbells, they practice the technique with substantial weights because the precise coordination and timing of these lifts can't be learned with broomsticks and light barbells.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
Is it recommendable to do relaxed (static passive) stretches during a bodybuilding workout, e.g., stretching the pectoralis muscles between two sets of bench presses?

Answer:
It depends on the amount of resistance in your lifts and on how strenuously you stretch. The greater the resistance the more dangerous it is to do strenuous static stretches between sets. Maximal force production is impaired for several minutes after strenuous static stretching. Your own lifting experience should tell you that. Research confirms it too (Kokkonen, J., A. G. Nelson and A. Cornwell. 1998. Acute muscle stretching inhibits maximal strength performance. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 411–415).

Maximal force production in bench press, one of the events of powerlifting, is positively related to the stiffness of prime movers (Wilson 1994, quoted by Kokkonen et al.) so flexibility training could affect it adversely.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
When one does dynamic strength exercises for the groin and hamstrings in preparation for isometric stretches, is it better (or necessary) to do the exercises using the full range of motion? For example, regular hamstring curls use a very limited range of motion, whereas stiff-legged deadlifts work the muscle in a stretched position.

Answer:
Generally, yes, do the strength exercises in the full range of motion. You may consider doing heavy deadlifts after all your isometric stretches for hips. Isometric stretches leading to the side split and the front split involve strong tensions of psoas muscles that attach to the front of the lumbar spine. Back erectors are fatigued by doing stabilizing work during heavy deadlifts, back extensions, or “good mornings” and so may spasm during isometric stretches for the splits.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I've recently read through your book Stretching Scientifically and also through all the articles on your Web site. I know you recommend deep and heavy squats for leg strength. I train at home and don't have a spotter; nor do I have time to go to a gym. I'm a kickboxer and would like to improve my leg strength for use in my sport, and I was wondering what alternative to very heavy squats I might use, seeing as how it's not feasible to squat heavy without a spotter. Are there other exercises I could do that would produce a similar level of leg strength?

Answer:
Squats and deadlifts are the easiest lifts to self-spot. If you need a spotter for a squat, then you are lifting too much—especially in that you are a kickboxer and not a powerlifter.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
In your stretching video [Secrets of Stretching], you give guidelines on the required foundation of back strength before beginning squats using extensions on a bench for the test. As I don't have access to the appropriate sort of bench, could you give me guidelines using deadlifts? I am currently deadlifting my body weight in 3 sets of 12; is that adequate to safely begin squats?

Answer:
To begin, yes.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
I am 14. What if my legs are sore the day after a strength workout?

Answer:
It will mean that you have not prepared gradually for the resistance and the repetitions. Soreness is caused by using too great resistance or doing too many repetitions for the given resistance and lasts from a couple to a few days. Repeating the same exercises, at the same intensity, after your muscles are back to normal, is not likely to cause soreness again. If it happens repeatedly, with similar loads, then you need to reduce the loads and follow the advice on page 63 of Stretching Scientifically.

Children 13 to 14 years old should refrain from lifting more than 50% of their body weight. (This limitation is the reason I advise young people, whose skeletons have not matured yet, to refrain from isometric stretches, in which one can generate more tension than when lifting 50% of one's body weight.) More detailed information on the appropriate number of repetitions, sets, and frequency of workouts depending on age is in the book Children and Sports Training.

Thomas Kurz

Question:
Sometimes when I lean my body to one leg or to both legs, either on the floor on on my feet, I get a terribly painful abdominal muscles' cramp. The cramp lasts for about ten minutes before I can resume normal activity. Mostly, the cramp happens to the left side when leaning the body toward my left leg. This has been happening for some three years now. I have been taking some magnesium supplement tablets as I have heard that magnesium helps prevent muscle cramps. I am not sure that magnesium has prevented more cramps from occurring. Any advice?

Answer:
Muscle cramps may be caused by insufficient levels of magnesium, or iron, as well as vitamins E or B6. Another possible cause of cramps that occur during exercise is exercising strenuously one of the muscle groups that move a given body part while neglecting others—for example, doing only abdomen crunches and sit-ups but no back extensions or deadlifts with comparable muscle tensions. If this is the cause of your cramps, then the remedy for this is to add back extensions and deadlifts to your training. One-sided training is bound to cause muscle imbalance or overuse injury or both.

For an exact determination of whether your cramps are caused by a neuromuscular problem or by nutritional deficiency and the best means of correcting it, I recommend seeing a physician specializing in Applied Kinesiology. You can find such a specialist near you at http://www.icakusa.com.

Thomas Kurz

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