Exercise recommendation specific for the Dirty Dancing Lift

[chibichanman]

I can understand how an overhead press can really help, but the balance points, due to the bar, focus outwards to the sides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtVNQS2kCI4

If anyone has a good recommendation on a variation of an exercise, I would appreciate it very much, but for now, I guess I can still continue working on an overhead press purely for shoulder strength, and core/back for balance.

Thanks!

 

[Lamont Burns]

I think you might be looking at this the wrong way... the plates on the bar are on the outside yes... but your hands are not. Just my opinion.

You can do seated dumbell presses if that makes you feel better, the weights at extension are directly above your head. Altho, your shoulders, upper chest and deltoids will not get as strong as fast as the standing overhead press.

Standing OHP also works your core and your balance, I would think critical to the lift you are looking to do.

Edit: You could incorporate push presses, which is sort of a bending of knee and explosion upward with the bar, which is a close emulation to the motion in the baby in the corner lift. Form is key here to preserve your back tho, make sure to find a good web/vid example.

 

[chibichanman]

Thanks for the push press recommendation! I'll try it out and see how my form tweaks and if I can maintain it with proper form. I'll also keep with the OHP, since it's a full body workout.

Right now I can do the lift just fine in the partner work that I do with my dance company, just wanted to make it perfect, since right now it's hit or miss and after about doing it 15+ times, I start getting fatigued and can no longer do a full lockout.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Lamont is right. Some shoulder press and push presses should help. Since you have to support the woman on her hips, I would suggest doing close-grip shoulder presses or push presses. It seems like that way, you'll use more triceps than shoulders, which the lift requires.

Nice suggestions, Lamont

 

[chibichanman]

Thanks for the close grip suggestion, I was adverse to doing that, because I thought it might weaken the overall shoulder bit of the OHP and lead to less than nominal increases.

So I shouldn't be worried about changing to the close grip for the time being, as it'll eventually work the same bits?

 

[Lamont Burns]

I think now one might ask, what's your whole program look like right now? You could alternate on different days.

If fatigue is the issue, then maybe a more conditioning style workout plan is better? A strong back/core/legs will stabalize you going into the lift, arms/shoulders/upper chest (upper traps too?) is the explosive part.

I strength train, I know bupkus about endurance.

 

[chibichanman]

Oh the fatigue part is when I'm actually doing the lift with the girl. And it's also due to the fact that I do every other day workouts, alternate upper body between bench press and OHP.

But when I'm practicing the lift, I'm on my off day, and my muscles aren't recovered from the previous day's workout. If I go into practice with fresh muscles, endurance isn't an issue, but I wasn't expecting to do the practice lifts last night. So I was pooped from Thursday's OHP routine.

I'm doing stronglifts 5x5, with a bit of variation on the squats. I was a fat kid, so I have huge quads and calfs and have no problem squatting my body weight and then some, so I do more toning than bulking for my legs. However, I concentrate on gains right now for upper body.

 

[Koing]

Oh the fatigue part is when I'm actually doing the lift with the girl. And it's also due to the fact that I do every other day workouts, alternate upper body between bench press and OHP.

But when I'm practicing the lift, I'm on my off day, and my muscles aren't recovered from the previous day's workout. If I go into practice with fresh muscles, endurance isn't an issue, but I wasn't expecting to do the practice lifts last night. So I was pooped from Thursday's OHP routine.

I'm doing stronglifts 5x5, with a bit of variation on the squats. I was a fat kid, so I have huge quads and calfs and have no problem squatting my body weight and then some, so I do more toning than bulking for my legs. However, I concentrate on gains right now for upper body.

The bolded part is where you 'fail' mate. You still need to squat to make your legs stronger. Notice how the kid braces his body in a 1/4 squat and as she jumps he straightnes his legs and his hips open up right? Squating for say 20reps x 3sets will give you the endurance. Your issue is not lack of strength but lack of endurance strength. If you can do something for at least 10-12reps like you, you have the strength, but not the endurance. 5x5 will help you be strong in the rep ranges ofa bout 8-10 or so but not in the higher ranges. It's great for what it's purpose is but your fatigue is down to lack of strength endurance.

More push pressing will help your lifts also.

Your volume of upperbody training is a lot and your dloing lifts. Cut it abck to say 1-2x a week instead of every other session.

Remember for your, your goal is to lift her, not the barbell over and over again. I gurantee that if you took say 10 days off training your upperbody so much. Just cut it back down to 2 sessions in those 10 days you will feel a lot stronger in your dance sessions. You only have XXX amount of time to recover so you need to spread it out accordingly.

Koing

 

[Kush Wood]

Thanks for the close grip suggestion, I was adverse to doing that, because I thought it might weaken the overall shoulder bit of the OHP and lead to less than nominal increases.

Hi I know this post is older but did you have results with the push press, seated dumbell press and squats you were doing?

I am looking to do the lift with my wife and was wondering what your rate of success was given the suggestions on your post. Ideally I want to know what worked the best for you in your opinion.

Thanks