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Old Forum Champion deadlifter doing swings

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That was awesome, I always love Konstantinovs' videos.

I noticed that he hasn't been doing (or hasn't put up a video of himself doing) touch and go deadlifts for a while, though he used to--they're not on youtube anymore. He's also been doing trap bar deadlifts, those machine deadlifts, and even put up a video of sumos from low blocks--a very interesting change in training for him, it seems. Do you have any thoughts on what he might be doing, Pavel?

He talks a bit about the trap bar here: http://www.seriouspowerlifting.com/3755/mens-interviews/konstantins-konstantinovs-interview

I know that he's a bodyguard and can only train sporadically, but the fact that he seems to cycle things up every 2 years is interesting.
 
Aris, KK trains in a free style manner.  His training is western influenced and has little to do with Russian methods.  I have written about his training in PTP Pro.  Since then he has made a few tweaks (like the trap bar you mention, the use of the "slingshot", etc.) but it has not changed in principle.
 
Nuts!  It seemed by the last rep he was using mostly his lower back, maybe from fatigue?  (Not being critical, just trying to learn - for when I have a crack.... joking !).
 
Pavel--

I noticed, there isn't really much mention of a percentage-based training cycle or preplanned periodization in KK's routines. Maybe because he's instinctive, maybe also because his work doesn't allow him the luxury of a long training season.

And his microcycle does look decidedly western; with deadlift/bench/squat/2nd bench and ramping up to one top set. He does seem to squat just about every training day though, usually, and that's pretty 'Russian'.

I need to get PTTP pro, been meaning to for a while. This year's deadlift team meet looms....
 
Matt, possibly fatigue but I doubt it, KK isn't one to let his form break in training. He's probably just trying to mimic his DL. Pavel has written that Bolton's deadlift is more like a swing while KK's is all leg drive and then pull. So a swing focusing on hinging back might not be the most productive for Konstantinovs. If you watch closely, it seems that his shoulders come up first, pulling with his back, and then his hips snap through at the top of the swing... just like his deadlift.

And for those who haven't seen his other videos, he has pulled 939 raw and beltless, benched 584, squatted 738 (not all in the same meet); and done ridiculous numbers on other lifts as well. Deadlifts with full back flexion off a platform with 600+, machine pushdowns with 400, 55 consecutive pullups, ab wheel and hyperextensions with 60kg, etc.
 
55 Pullups!

The guy's a freak.  I love watching clips like that.  His (bald) head looked like it was radioactive for his first deadly.

You're probably correct Aris - his last swing snaps through pretty quickly, so it's hard to get a good look.

PTTP Pro has so much in it, you especially will love it I reckon.  Just read about KK there and it gives me some comfort - my back is more rounded (than not) I reckon, yet I don't get my hips as low as KK.
 
Is his swing technique Pavel/Strong First approved? Not that I would say he's doing it wrong to his face or ever for that matter lol
 
Matt--55 kipping pullups, but the 'kip' isn't that big and he weighed 275, so it's crazy impressive. There's a vid on youtube.

I've always pulled with a lot of back flexion too, lower as well as upper; but I'm doing some repatterning now so I can be just as strong with a neutral back if I want. And thanks, PTTP pro is now officially on my to-buy list!

 

Hunter, I'm not sure why you'd ask that... Strongfirst, to me, really is the 'school' of strength. You learn the cues to do everything by the book, with a baseline technique everyone should start out with. That doesn't mean you can't someday customize things to your own needs, but "if you have to ask, you can't afford it." KK is a professional and has (I think) the highest beltless deadlift of all time; he can swing however he wants to.

David Hansen, who's pulled mid-7s at 198 and 804 single ply weighing 193, has a pretty unique head-down swing style with a lot of thoracic flexion; he's another example.
 
Konstantinovs' deadlifting mix:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-CvVwvu0uk&feature=share&list=UUv6NyV6UJ0FWNFIHQxwaWrw
 
^ At minute 4:45 he does swings with 105 kg.

KK is an interesting model for me.  My limb segments resemble his and without coaching I discovered a roundback conventional technique like his.  It was an ergonomic dead end for me.  I guess KK is so insanely thick that it works for him.
 
KK's build is pretty unique, actually.

To make 'his' form work, you need a lot of leg power, upper back strength, and ab strength.

David Hansen has a similar form but with higher hips and less leg drive at the start. He also has a more prototypical 'puller's' build than Konstantinovs; who doesn't have insanely long arms and legs.

Both of them keep their lower backs flat; though Konstantin has a few training vids on ironscene where you can see that he's rounding his lower back as well.
 
Yeah I get an error about the video being unavailable. The deadlift mix one posted I'm sure is no less impressive.. wow...
 
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