Powershrugs & the 5x5

[asdfzxcv]

Hello there

I was looking again at the massive 5x5 post and I couldnt help but notice madcow2's post on the powershrug.To me it appears as if it would be good for people who are not proficient at other olympic pulls as it has a limited range of motion and still allows for a good amount of weight to be used without having to be instructed on form.

My main question is,how does one actually intergrate this movement into the 5x5?The post by madcow was very informative in regards to form but there wasnt much written on to add it to the program.Would a person sub powershrugs for the rows/cleans or can you simply add it in addition the work already being done?Sorry if this is a stupid question but I have looked around and few,if any,people actually use this movement.

If anyone has any feedback/suggestions in regards to powershrugs please feel free to share your experiences.

 

[JL_204]

Read this journal: http://elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440623

Hes using power shrugs in his 5x5. Keep in mind he has done a couple 5x5's and a Korte so he has the conditioning to incorporate powershrugs into his routine.

I wouldnt do it if I was a total newb.

If you're doing your first 5x5 leave it as it is, you can add things in future cycles.

 

[Protobuilder]

I'm struggling w/ the same question. LoL I'm really trying to bring up my posterior chain and spinal muscles so until lately I've been doing powershrugs on my Mon. and Fri. 5x5 workouts. As the workload has increased on the 5x5 though, I've felt like it's better to back off the heavy power shrugs. So now I'm doing only one set and only doing it once maybe twice a week, again on Mon. or Fri. i was considering them an assistance exercise.

BUT, madcow has sort of addressed this issue only in a more general sense -- assistance exercises. He's told people that doing GM's as an assistance exercise is Ok so long as you're not doing 'em real heavy and basically making them a "focused" exercise where you're trying to up the weight and go heavy on a regular basis. Because then they're not an "assistance" exercise and start to really cut into your recovery ability b/c they up your workload. So, applying this to powershrugs, they'll increase the workload considerably if you really start pounding 'em. We can probably use them as an assitance exercise if you don't overdo it and don't turn them into a primary exercise. Your body has a limited recovery ability, so extra workload takes away from your ability to push the squat, bench, and rows on a regular basis. Doing hardcore assistance work might screw your progression on squats, bench, and rows.

That's my take on it. So now that my SF 5x5 has gotten harder, I've dropped back on the power shrugs.

 

[lavi]

Here's a routine I set up that Madcow didnt seem to have issue with:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444084

I only tried it for a week due to a recurring squat injury, but it was fun and I'll fully try it out once I'm healthy

 

[Protobuilder]

Thanks, Lavi. I wonder why madcow didn't mention anything about adding all that volume in by doing 5x5 powershrugs. That's the only reason i'm not blasting the powershrugs . . . I'm only throwing in one maybe two sets of 'em. I'd like to do more but I'm not sure how much it'd impact my progress on the other lifts.

 

[Madcow2]

If you use them as a core lift, you should basically turn them into clean pulls from the hang and extend the range of motion from just above the knees. Maybe you'd substitute them for rows at that point. As an assistance lift a few higher rep sets 1-2x per week is okay but not to someone new to these programs - they need to better understand their tolerances before layering on more heavy work.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Just to echo the above, powershrugs are pretty hard after rowing in weeks 3 and 4.

I'm not deadlifting this time around but I am doing RDL's on Wed and doing PS from the hang as per MC2's suggestion puts some added stress on my posterior chain.

But it's doable

 

[asdfzxcv]

Thanks for the input guys,it is much appreciated.