Montreal Powerhouse

Last week, we shared a post on generalities about low back. This post takes a deeper look at what we call chronic low back pain, enjoy! @_mathieudore @montrealpowerhouse

It can be tempting for some to try to find a general approach that’ll work for everyone. As most of you already know, such approach doesn’t exist. For most, individualization of training usually means adjusting parameters and exercise selection in accordance to an athlete’s characteristics : age, sex, body weight, experience, level of strength etc.. While this is relevant, the individualization of one’s training goes beyond that. In order for to really fit an athlete’s needs,... a coach needs to be in constant communication with his athlete and modify training parameters in accordance to his response to training. He needs to take into consideration the athlete’s job demands and schedule, menstruation cycles, sleeping patterns, mental and physical health status etc.. Constant communication and adequate coach-athlete relationship are essential in order to optimize one’s training! @montrealpowerhouse See more

Have you ever experienced low back pain? Check out this informative post made by our rehab coach @_mathieudore

Everyone is back on their regular training program and our coaches as well! Coach Louis-Alexis working on some deficit deadlifts @montrealpowerhouse @louisalexisgratton

The reasoning behind implementing heavy singles to one’s routine can vary: sport specificity (in a prep context), to make sure strength/hypertrophy gains transfer to the right task (in a non prep context), testing strength to track progression etc.. While all of these are valid reasons for the implementation of heavy singles, the application some make of them can be flawed. For example, it is customary for some to use heavy singles with RPE rating on a weekly basis (or even ...multiple times a week) to test strength and track progression. The flaw behind that method of testing is that sustainable/significant adaptation to training takes more time (4-6 weeks according to the American College of Sports Medicine by Nicholas A. Ratamess et al., although Tome Ilezoe et al. demonstrated increases in 1rm after 2 weeks for their untrained subjects). Therefore, weekly heavy singles (or even heavy singles performed multiple times a week on a given lift) should be seen as a fatigue tracking tool, or simply as a very specific training method, rather than a progression tracking tool. @montrealpowerhouse See more

if you want to succeed in your endeavours, be ready to work for it. While great athletes might train and eat very differently from one another, they all share common traits that ensures their success: discipline, work ethic and an unwavering dedication to the attainment of their goals. A sub-optimal training program done with great effort, commitment and motivation will usually yield much better results than an excellent training program executed half-heartedly. Don’t look for shortcuts, be willing to work hard and you’ll see how far that mindset can take you. @montrealpowerhouse

A couple of weeks ago, our client Francis tested his squat and moved 615lbs which is 50lbs over his meet PR @beeefjerkyy @montrealpowerhouse

Everyone can design a program that will leave you on the ground trying to catch your breath and holding in your last meal when you’re done. The truth is, coming out of the gym nearly dead every session is far from being necessary, and is, most of the time, a counterproductive approach. Fatigue will most likely accumulate too quickly and be of an unnecessary high magnitude, and the adaptation process will rapidly be affected. If you’re training to be big and strong, focus on a couple basic exercises, use enough rest time between sets to be able to hit your targeted reps at your planned weights and make sure that most of your training isn’t comprised of isolation exercises and never-ending supersets. @montrealpowerhouse

A big 800 single for a 18 lb PR. Our sponsored athlete Mickael demonstrating some solid progress lately @mickcloutier @louisalexisgratton @montrealpowerhouse

Our coach Mathieu pulling 565lbs against bands for 6 paused reps on deadlifts. We walk the talk! @montrealpowerhouse @_mathieudore

In a world where everybody wants to sell you the tool or the exercise that will prevent you from getting injured, it is easy to get lured into thinking that you need a 10 minutes thera gun session and 30 minutes of bird dog before squatting to not hurt your back. While these modalities can have their place in one’s routine in the right context, they shouldn’t be seen as magic prevention tools for everybody all year round. An individualized training program with updates based on training responses and symptoms by a knowledgeable coach is the best bang for your buck in terms of injury prevention and increase in performance. @_mathieudore @montrealpowerhouse

Our client Rebecca with another great squat : 400lbsx5 squat @r.garand @montrealpowerhouse

Our client Alexa with a heavy triple on squats : 405x3 @tatts_nweights @montrealpowerhouse

The human body being physiologically asymmetrical (heart more on the left side, liver more on the right side, side dominance since birth etc.), it wouldn’t be fair to assume it should move in a perfectly symmetrical manner in the frontal plane. Small, asymptomatic asymmetries seen in movements like the squat/bench press/deadlift shouldn’t be recognized as something you need to correct to optimize mechanical efficiency and safety in the process of getting stronger.