Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog

One of my former athletes just took over a high school program so I added this article to our Free Articles section at StrengthCoach.com

What I Learned From Coaching Kids Again

It’s not as simple as you think and there’s lots we take for granted.

Jon Feinman delivers an amazing Ted Talk on the ideas behind InnerCity Weightlifting

to learn more about InnerCity Weightlifting click here

Here’s a pretty interesting recent podcast interview.

Movement Controversy, Icing and Static Stretching: Episode 77

Take a second and listen.

We are having more and more interest in coaches switching from front or back squats to rear foot elevated split squats ( Bulgarian Lunges, a name you’ll recognize and I hate).

The big question we get is the “how much weight to use question”. I just got an email from one of our former coaches asking just this question so. I thought Id share my answer.

” we found that the front squat ( 1 RM) and rear foot elevated split squat 1 RM with a bar in the back squat position were pretty close. ( +- 10 lbs). For front squats we did a 1 RM, for split squats we did a rep max and then calculated the 1 RM but, in any case they were close.

However I don’t like the back squat position for the rear foot elevated split squats. If you get in trouble and lose a bar it’s a disaster so we went to dumbbells.

We figure you can do 80% of what you can do with the bar with dumbbells. So, lets do the math.

Front Squat 1 RM = 190 therefore Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat =190
With dumbbells that would be 152 lbs ( .8 x 190) or, roughly 75 lb dumbbells for one rep.

We then calculate training loads from there. 80% x5 would be .8x 75 or 60’s x5

In other words, someone that could front squat 190 should use 60 lb db’s for sets of 5.

However there is a learning curve if they haven’t done the lift. I started with 50% x10 so in this case 35’s or 40’s x 10. “

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