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Other/Mixed Steve Justa's King Of All Exercises mystery solved

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)

3letterslong

Level 6 Valued Member
Consider this a follow-up to this old thread:

Barbell - Steve Justa's King of All Exercises(Not the Deadlift)

The pitchfork lift aka shovel lift was mentioned in his book Rock, Iron, Steel and I thought it was very amazing. It works so much muscles. It's a hinge movement. It seems like a very functional exercise. It also increased every single 1 of his 30 other lifts despite him abandoning them to focus...
www.strongfirst.com

The thread discusses shovelling with a barbell and the thread starter asked a bunch of questions about this weird lift, like "What the heck movement pattern is this?" and "What the heck does this work?"

For the last few months, I've been doing a Pat Flynn program and, as a non-barbell user, was having trouble finding heavy hinge exercises to slot into his workout plan. I was doing double kettlebell swings and trying to make single-leg deadlifts work, even though none of them were my 5RM.

I dropped by a garage sale that advertised workout equipment for sale, but it had been picked through by the time I got there. All that was left was a non-Olympic barbell and 2 twenty-five pound vinyl plates. I was struck by inspiration, thought of the King Of All Exercises, and took it home.

It's a hinge! Or, at least, it can be. I've been using it as a hinge, doing it tripod-style to work them as a one-legged lift, and it's a really fantastic glute exercise! I'm doing them from a deficit, standing on a box, and it's working really well as a heavy hinge. I think with a lighter load, this would be an amazing back/biceps/trap developer, but to get a 5RM on my hinge I have to hold my hands in a place where all my arms can do is statically hold it in place while my glutes and spine move the load.

Even though my arms aren't doing anything, I've been trying to get them isometrically lifting the load, kind of like if you were trying to do a front raise during deadlifts, and I can really see some potential for pressing strength being built here. So far my rear arm has been locked out (and pushing down) while my front arm has been trying to lift up, but I thought, "What if I tried to move my rear arm forward and back, like I was throwing hay?" and, dang, I can see some real upper body pressing strength being built here.

I'm really enjoying this lift and glad I added it to my program.
 
I developed and entire upperbody training block using offset weighted pole. I couldn't generate enough tension to use it for hinge or squat, although some of the lifts came very close.

Initially I tied a kettlebell to the end of a 4 foot pole, eventually moved to a spinlock bar. "Hobo Strong" after the bundle on a stick appearance of the suspended kettlebell. Never needed more than 60lbs. The stress on core and secondary muscles is tremendous.

Used a paddle motion (thumbs pointing at each other), shovel (both thumbs pointing away), lateral (thumbs pointing at each other).

Delts, traps, scap muscles and forearms really developed and didn't even think about supplemental ab work. Lats, pecs, lower body not so much, had to include loaded pushups, squats, Good Mornings.

Is an absolutely ideal way to train DropSets as you simply move your hands closer or further from the load and keep going.

Once I started to top out on weight, the stress on my grip really escalated.
 
North Coast Miller said:
I developed and entire upperbody training block using offset weighted pole. I couldn't generate enough tension to use it for hinge or squat, although some of the lifts came very close.

Initially I tied a kettlebell to the end of a 4 foot pole, eventually moved to a spinlock bar. "Hobo Strong" after the bundle on a stick appearance of the suspended kettlebell. Never needed more than 60lbs. The stress on core and secondary muscles is tremendous.

Used a paddle motion (thumbs pointing at each other), shovel (both thumbs pointing away), lateral (thumbs pointing at each other).

Delts, traps, scap muscles and forearms really developed and didn't even think about supplemental ab work. Lats, pecs, lower body not so much, had to include loaded pushups, squats, Good Mornings.

Is an absolutely ideal way to train DropSets as you simply move your hands closer or further from the load and keep going.

Once I started to top out on weight, the stress on my grip really escalated.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I never even thought of playing with other grips, but I bet holding it like a paddle would let me actually move lift it with my upper body, kind of like a high pull!
 
3letterslong said:
Oh wow, I never even thought of playing with other grips, but I bet holding it like a paddle would let me actually move lift it with my upper body, kind of like a high pull!
Click to expand...
I would brace and draw it back as if I were paddling. For the shovel I'd put that foot dorward and the shovel was a slow flick off to the side. Laterals the outside hand was like a dumbell lateral, other had drove from the other side.

Generally I'd keep elbows at a 90⁰.
 
OK I just checked out a Barbell Pitchfork on whom tubed.
I do the same thing with a Steel Mace. There are several Mace movements that look similar such as Uppercuts & Gravediggers.
BUT....with a barbell with a plate on the end is too rich for my blood. Maybe I could do that 10-years ago.
 
watchnerd said:
Ummmm....

Why not just use an actual pitchfork or shovel?
Click to expand...

I want to work indoors. I want the load attached to the handle so I'm not dropping stuff on the floor. The long handle lets me turn 50lbs into quite a heavy load. A barbell has potential for a ton of future exercises.

A shovel or pitchfork would actually be a pretty awful set-up for what I'm trying to do here.
 
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