Interesting...Mark Rippetoe on the GoodMorning

[noahfor]

His 225 cap, as well as the 35% rule, is for flat back and round back goodmornings, and since he talks about using lighter loads for round back, the cap is really meant for flat back. In the book he doesn't differentiate between the two until after he's talked about the weight cap, and he never says anything like: "the previously mentioned cap applies only to round back." When I said he was talking about arched back, in an earlier post, I meant flat back - spine in extension.

The thing is, he mentions that in a goodmorning the weight is on the traps. He says that the fact that the weight is on the "neck"(traps) is what makes it dangerous. But, I would imagine most people who do heavy goodmornings use a low bar position, so maybe his comments aren't meant to apply to a low bar position goodmorning. Maybe he considers them to be a different exercise.

 

[Monger]

I was referring to



followed by



which gave the impression that the numbers Rippetoe was given were different for flat versus rounded GMs. However, when 225 is the max for rounded and 35% of 700 is 235, I don't see a difference.

I see your point now.

Ya, it doesn't make much sense the way he has it because absolutes turn out to be pretty much the same for either GM variation.

 

[Monger]

His 225 cap, as well as the 35% rule, is for flat back and round back goodmornings, and since he talks about using lighter loads for round back, the cap is really meant for flat back. When I said he was talking about arched back, in an earlier post, I meant flat back - spine in extension.

The thing is, he mentions that in a goodmorning the weight is on the traps. He says that the fact that the weight is on the "neck"(traps) is what makes it dangerous. But, I would imagine most people who do heavy goodmornings use a low bar position, so maybe his comments aren't meant to apply to a low bar position goodmorning. Maybe he considers them to be a different exercise.

I need to just go home and reread that section

Why the fuck would the weight be on the neck? Shit... it seems kind of silly to not use a low bar position when doing GM's. And I'd venture to say that nearly everyone here that does GM's seriously is probably far exceeding that 35% number.

 

[flak]

Okay, who wants to ask Rip hisself and clear this up?

http://www.strengthmill.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=36

If nobody volunteers, I will.

 

[ChaseT.]

I need to just go home and reread that section

Why the fuck would the weight be on the neck? Shit... it seems kind of silly to not use a low bar position when doing GM's. And I'd venture to say that nearly everyone here that does GM's seriously is probably far exceeding that 35% number.

I guess my GMs aren't serious.

 

[Donut62]

I typically do sets of 5-8 with 40% ish of my max. Calling out a hard numeric value cap to loading is kind of silly, but I don't think they should be done heavy. What heavy is, will be different for everyone. Guys at Westside are said to do them for max effort, but at least what I have read seems to indicate that was some time ago and they have since moved away from them. Seems a very high risk/low reward way to train with maximal weight.

 

[Monger]

I guess my GMs aren't serious.

I shouldn't have made such a sweeping generalization. I meant no offense.

 

[statisticool]

Last night while skimming through the section on assistance movements in SS:Ed II, something in the paragraph on goodmornings caught my eye:

"Be careful about using lots of weight and generating high velocities; the goodmorning is an assistance exercise, not a primary lift, and it must be respected for both its usefulness and its potential for injury. The smartest of the strongest men in the world never use more than 225 lbs. for the goodmorning..."

The thing that doesn't make since is why, following this path of thinking, would you even do goodmornings? If there is a "limit" to how strong you can get on a barbell movement it seems pointless to do in the first place. This is why I'm inclined to disagree with Mr. Rippetoe on this.

What do you guys think?

It seems like there is a limit on all lifts really.

The part about being careful using lots of weight is silly. The part that does make sense is to lift slowly.