Warning on One-Arm Chin Training

Doing one-arm chins by holding the wrist of the hand doing the chinning can create a problem if you’re not careful.

The wrist and elbow of the arm doing the chinning (the “primary arm”) have to be exactly perpendicular to the floor. If, for example, you are dong one-arm chins with the right arm and your elbow is sticking out to the right, the tendons and/or ligaments in the right elbow may have a tendency to “jump the track” and leave you with a very sore elbow that only a chiropractor can fix.

Norman Cantwell, formerly a nationally ranked powerlifting champion and an expert on removing circulation blockages, is of the opinion that one-arm chins are a bad idea and can lead to other problems (Norman is featured in Diagnostic Bodybuilding and in the Self-Defense with Norman Cantwell video)

Norman worked on me and thought that the problems he detected were from the one-arm chins. As my training partner pointed out, the “jammed elbow” I has was just as likely (if not more than likely) caused by the fact that I had been doing partial military presses rapidly with 225 pounds. Any time you do any partial movement with a heavy weight, do it slowly.

If you decide to do one-arm chins, do it slowly and carefully, using plenty of counterweight to ease the potential strain on the elbow.

A Different Angle For Back Development

Very few of the “mirror athletes” (if you can’t see it, what good is it?) who clutter up today’s commercial gyms spend much (if any) effort on back development. For those who do, their stable of exercises is really limited. Bent over rows, one-dumbbell rows, lat machine pull downs, power cleans, and perhaps dead lifts and hyperextensions.

Take a close look at most of the people doing those exercises. They have a “valley” between their shoulder blades (no muscle) and little or no (i.e., they’re flat) on the outside of their shoulder blades. How you cure the first is in Diagnostic Bodybuilding. How you cure the second is with one-arm chins.

Can’t do a one-arm chin? Not to worry, a lot of the 275-pound steroid-induced monsters can’t do a single chin with both hands. It isn’t whether you can do one-arm chins—it’s how you train for them.

First, find one of those dip/chin combos in the gym with an offsetting weight stack. That is, if you weight 200 pounds, start with a 100-pound counter-weight on the weight stack.

Second, if you start with left-hand one-arm chins, grab your left wrist with your right hand in order to also engage the back muscles on the right. Then do the chins. The back muscles on the left side will do the majority of the work but from a different angle than what you have experienced before. 2-4 sets of 3-5 reps will do. You may find it hard to hold on after 4 or 5.

In a few weeks you will feel the back muscles you develop from this exercise pressing against your triceps.

Question on Thymus Powder

Dear Mike,

I thought I’d write a quick note and tell you how much I love the book “Diagnostic Bodybuilding” and the powdered liver.

I try to hike up the mountain above my town 3 times a week. It takes about 25 minutes at a slow, steady pace and gains about 1,000 feet in elevation in something like one half to three quarters of a mile. I feel as though the liver “kicks in” on the last rocky stretch of the trail—even though I’m breathing deep, I have no need of stopping to rest despite the prolonged exertion. I feel the same way when doing my Hindu push-ups, etc. (the three exercises at the beginning of “Combat Conditioning” by Matt Furey) as though the liver sustains prolonged strain..

Additionally, I DON’T GET SICK. . . We endure a lot of cold weather around here (the elevation is over 7,500 feet) and when everybody else has snotty noses and flu symptoms, I’m thriving.

“Diagnostic Bodybuilding” and “The Strength of Samson” comprise my nutrition and fitness Bible. Nutrition and fitness/strength according to God’s WORD . . I’m quite enthusiastic about this.

Will adding the thymus powder to my diet, help with a hypo-thyroid condition?

Respectfully,
Dan

PS—my pulse rate at the top of that climb is 140-150.
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January 14, 2009

Dear Dan,

Thanks for your letter about your results and your satisfaction with my book, Diagnostic Bodybuilding, and the liver powder.

As far as adding thymus powder to your diet, it certainly can’t hurt it. Both the thyroid and the thymus are part of the endocrine gland system, which consists of: (1) pineal gland, (2) pituitary gland, (3) thyroid gland, (4) thymus, (5) adrenal gland, (6) pancreas, and (7) testes.

I suspect that the entire system is meant to work together, meaning a problem with one gland could create problems with all of them. However, I’m neither a medical doctor nor an anatomy expert, so further research on your part is in order.

Of course, you could order some thymus powder and see if it helps, which in turn would give you what is known as “empirical evidence” (the best kind).

Also, yoga seems to help people with thyroid problems (from doing inversions—positions with the head closer to the ground than the heart). The poses known to help the thyroid are handstand, headstand, shoulder stand, bridge (full back bend, supported back bend, or just hips off the floor), and waterfall (full—hips on cushion, legs up wall, or modified—hips on cushion, legs on seat of chair with backs of knees supported by the seat).

For me, the thymus seems to enhance the benefits of the liver powder.

Best wishes,
Mike