rbibbs
06-06-2004, 01:55 PM
You might not call me a 'dedicated strength trainer' in the classic sense. I do what's fun, when I feel like it, not on any regimen or necessarily trying to affix metrics to the results. My bodytype so resolutely resists changes in mass, that I have been 5'11 140# for 40 years, through wild swings of exercise (maniacally active to sedentary) and diet (sometimes 3 boxes of donuts a week, but mostly meat-and-potatoes). In short, I'm flexible but by no means a 'powerhouse', and always sidelined by localized overuse injuries whenever I tried linear methodolgies like 'curls'. Wouldn't categorize myself as 'athletic' in the classic sense, but the most endearing quality of CST is that it leads one outside of 'classic' categorizations.
Back to 'fun'... my foundational goal in training... I have what you might call "exercise attention-deficit disorder". Not temperamentally well-suited to grinding out reps of neurologically-simple exertion (especially since the results don't readily 'show'). I gravitate toward novel musculoskeletal challenges like boxing, BJJ, and CST-- all the more novel when begun in one's mid 50s.
I have been doing WW for 4 years, circular lifting with conventional weights for 3, and 10# Clubbells since February. The first thing I did when I took the Clubbells out of the box was parry casts (which you'll find well toward the back of Coach Szolek's ABC manual). I do this exercise sparingly, 10-15 reps each direction per session, not more than once a week, and there are times when I begin them and have to tell myself "no, today is not the day for these".
With that background in mind, I think this exercise is doable, safe and effective. Slight-of-frame as I am, I haven't hurt myself doing them. Done with inadequate preparation or poor form however, it could result in structural injury to the shoulder. It's not an 'official' Clubbell exercise, and anyone attempting it assumes all risks. CST Head Coaches, please strike me down if this is a 'really bad idea'. I wouldn't suggest trying this with anything heavier than 20#; above that, the margin between challenge and injury is too thin. I've done them with 15s but for my size that's probably pushing it.
If you're considering trying this, you already own and use Clubbells and at least some of the accompanying instructional materials. You're familiar with the semi-static 'pec-lat lock' that stabilizes the shoulder when the tools are behind your back. The lasso calls for a 100% dynamic pec-lat lock. It's an extreme loaded-range-of-motion exercise that is physically and neurologically demanding (see 'fun', above). But I'd caution that it's not for everyone. You should have no issues of restricted ROM or fear reactivity in loaded shoulder motions, and be intimately familiar with your own ability to curtail an exercise attempt that's threatening your structural integrity before strain or injury occurs. It should never be attempted from either a 'cold' or a fatigued condition... in other words, don't just pick up a Clubbell and do these, and don't do them toward the end of an exhaustive session.
Recall the overhead plane of arm motion from WW. The lasso is simply the loaded version of this motion. You should already be confidently proficient with the parry cast and have a rate-of-form of 9 or 10, with no tendency to 'whiplash'... that is, have the proprioceptive acuity to precisely follow the ballistics of the tool. This acuity forms the basis of the dynamic pec-lat lock. If you try to 'bully' this exercise (use strength to make up for poor form), shoulder injury is almost a given. Scary? See 'fun' above. But disclaimers aside, I don't want anyone getting hurt following my exploratory trail. In fact, I'm not going to give step-by-step instructions. Readers considering this will already be very well-versed in CST protocol and able to develop it on their own. The developmental path is, very slowly do one-handed grinding parry casts while you map out the required articulations. Once that feels familiar to muscle memory, ramp up the velocity to ballistic. The wrist-turnover as the tool passes in front of you is actually somewhat simpler than in the two-handed ballistic parry cast. But every muscle in your shoulder must be able to tense/relax in precise synchrony proportional to the location and ballistics of the Clubbell, and your core must flexibly counterbalance this wildly eccentric load. (See 'fun', above. See also, a cinderblock in a washing machine on 'spin'.) Have fun with it if you try it, but don't go for Guinness records of rep counts. It's a neurological feat; for overall strength training, stick with the established Clubbell exercises and programs.
Back to 'fun'... my foundational goal in training... I have what you might call "exercise attention-deficit disorder". Not temperamentally well-suited to grinding out reps of neurologically-simple exertion (especially since the results don't readily 'show'). I gravitate toward novel musculoskeletal challenges like boxing, BJJ, and CST-- all the more novel when begun in one's mid 50s.
I have been doing WW for 4 years, circular lifting with conventional weights for 3, and 10# Clubbells since February. The first thing I did when I took the Clubbells out of the box was parry casts (which you'll find well toward the back of Coach Szolek's ABC manual). I do this exercise sparingly, 10-15 reps each direction per session, not more than once a week, and there are times when I begin them and have to tell myself "no, today is not the day for these".
With that background in mind, I think this exercise is doable, safe and effective. Slight-of-frame as I am, I haven't hurt myself doing them. Done with inadequate preparation or poor form however, it could result in structural injury to the shoulder. It's not an 'official' Clubbell exercise, and anyone attempting it assumes all risks. CST Head Coaches, please strike me down if this is a 'really bad idea'. I wouldn't suggest trying this with anything heavier than 20#; above that, the margin between challenge and injury is too thin. I've done them with 15s but for my size that's probably pushing it.
If you're considering trying this, you already own and use Clubbells and at least some of the accompanying instructional materials. You're familiar with the semi-static 'pec-lat lock' that stabilizes the shoulder when the tools are behind your back. The lasso calls for a 100% dynamic pec-lat lock. It's an extreme loaded-range-of-motion exercise that is physically and neurologically demanding (see 'fun', above). But I'd caution that it's not for everyone. You should have no issues of restricted ROM or fear reactivity in loaded shoulder motions, and be intimately familiar with your own ability to curtail an exercise attempt that's threatening your structural integrity before strain or injury occurs. It should never be attempted from either a 'cold' or a fatigued condition... in other words, don't just pick up a Clubbell and do these, and don't do them toward the end of an exhaustive session.
Recall the overhead plane of arm motion from WW. The lasso is simply the loaded version of this motion. You should already be confidently proficient with the parry cast and have a rate-of-form of 9 or 10, with no tendency to 'whiplash'... that is, have the proprioceptive acuity to precisely follow the ballistics of the tool. This acuity forms the basis of the dynamic pec-lat lock. If you try to 'bully' this exercise (use strength to make up for poor form), shoulder injury is almost a given. Scary? See 'fun' above. But disclaimers aside, I don't want anyone getting hurt following my exploratory trail. In fact, I'm not going to give step-by-step instructions. Readers considering this will already be very well-versed in CST protocol and able to develop it on their own. The developmental path is, very slowly do one-handed grinding parry casts while you map out the required articulations. Once that feels familiar to muscle memory, ramp up the velocity to ballistic. The wrist-turnover as the tool passes in front of you is actually somewhat simpler than in the two-handed ballistic parry cast. But every muscle in your shoulder must be able to tense/relax in precise synchrony proportional to the location and ballistics of the Clubbell, and your core must flexibly counterbalance this wildly eccentric load. (See 'fun', above. See also, a cinderblock in a washing machine on 'spin'.) Have fun with it if you try it, but don't go for Guinness records of rep counts. It's a neurological feat; for overall strength training, stick with the established Clubbell exercises and programs.