[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Skidmark, one question.
Should I get a lifting belt for deadlifts? Is that something I will eventually need?
Thanks.[/quote]
I don’t use a belt on deads or squats, but I may have to change that , since I seem to be thwacking my back lately. Sets using weight above 90% of 1 REP MAX it might be a good idea.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
skidmark wrote:
Note that in the video as soon as he began pulling, his shoulder blades went over the bar. This means he was setting up to low. If you set up with sb’s over the bar to begin with, you will be in the strongest pulling position from the very start.
From the start of the movement, as soon as the bar starts moving, you should be be trying to get your hips to the bar. Do not attempt to lift the bar: Instead - attempt to push to the floor away.
Keep a neutral back as much as possible. not arched, not humped, just neutral. All power comes from the glutes and hams and some quad as you take it off the floor. Keep the bar as close to the legs as possible throughout the lift.
Thank you for the advice. I’ve been thinking of substituting in deadlifts for the back machine, both to work the back differently, to practice the lifts (I want to be able to lift 200 lb judoka off the mat in a deadlift reliably) and to work the legs a little more than I currently am working them.
I just don’t know how to do them and don’t have anyone doing them where I work out. The good thing is that there are lots of bars available and lots of unused plates 
[/quote]
When doing warm ups with dead lifts concentrate on strict form-so when your in the heat of the battle it will be 2d nature. A good warm up all ways serves me well with dead lifts. For a grip you may want to use chalk, I use leather work gloves. The regular weight lifting gloves seem to slide off bar.
Yes you can get strange looks when doing dead lifts at some gyms.
Just remember if it doesn’t feel right drop it.
Thanks, I’m going to start deadlifts next week, for the first time in my life.
11/15
Neutral Grip Pull-up
-15.0 lb x 8 reps, +2.5lb, -1 rep
Wood Chop
130 lb x 9 rep, +2.5 lb
Shoulder Press
102.5 lb x 9 reps, +2.5 lb
Bench Press (Machine)
120 lb x 9 reps, +2.5 lb
Rotary (2 rotator cuff rotation exercises)
47.5 x 10 reps each side (40 total reps)
My midsection feels these the most as it stabilizes me.
Tightened the exercises up, my triceps still feel pumped.
Also practiced deadlifts, a set of 8 with just the bar, another set of 8 with 85 lbs (the bar is 15 lbs and two 35 lb disks).
I’ll probably jump it up a bit when I start next week, but I don’t want to jump too far. Still trying to make sure I get the form right.
Gym had some personal trainers cluttering the place up with clients One got a little rude while I was waiting for him to clear the cable machine.
When he realized I wasn’t staring at he and his client, but trying to wait patiently and not crowd them (I gave them about 8-9 feet of space and wasn’t looking directly at them), he really calmed down, I think he was embarrassed. When I started up the wood chops, he was even more embarrassed, as he realized that if I had just set up at the other station, I’d have really crowded him, even if his client was only taking up the amount of space they were supposed to take for the exercise.
What the heck, he has to make a living, he thought she was cute. Gave me a silent chuckle.
Saw a fun video, I’m not going to use it right now, but may get my eight year old on it:
Got my work-out in, all but the flaming skidmark wheel o’ doom.
Hip Abduction
350 x 15 … +1 rep PR
Hip Adduction
340 x 11 … +3 reps (back to peak) PR
Shoulder Cable Fly
45 x 12 … +2.5 lb PR
Dip Machine
232.5lb x 8 reps … + 2.5 lb PR
Seated Row
220 lb x 8 rep … finally, improving, means I’ve got it in the right zone … +5 lb
Body Weight Dips
13 … +1 rep
Cable Curl
132.5 x 10 … +2.5 lb PR
Face Pull Seated Cable Row
177.5 x 10 … +2.5 lb PR
Abdominal Board
+20 lb x 10 reps … +5 lb
Deadlifts
135 lb x 8 reps … first time I’ve done these. The Romanian lifter in the gym approved of my form. He did deadlifts, romanian deadlifts and good mornings while I was in that end of the gym
The Wheel o’ Doom … I’ll get that in later.
But I feel good. A little tight in the right lower back where I got tightened up when I got rear-ended (hmm, that was a flaming car of doom when my car caught fire, wonder if there is a relation?).
I may see a chiro or a massage therapist some day. The tightness isn’t bad and does fade by morning.
Get my rotator cuff stretched done and I’m good for the day.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Saw a fun video, I’m not going to use it right now, but may get my eight year old on it:
Got my work-out in, all but the flaming skidmark wheel o’ doom.
Hip Abduction
350 x 15 … +1 rep PR
Hip Adduction
340 x 11 … +3 reps (back to peak) PR
Shoulder Cable Fly
45 x 12 … +2.5 lb PR
Dip Machine
232.5lb x 8 reps … + 2.5 lb PR
Seated Row
220 lb x 8 rep … finally, improving, means I’ve got it in the right zone … +5 lb
Body Weight Dips
13 … +1 rep
Cable Curl
132.5 x 10 … +2.5 lb PR
Face Pull Seated Cable Row
177.5 x 10 … +2.5 lb PR
Abdominal Board
+20 lb x 10 reps … +5 lb
Deadlifts
135 lb x 8 reps … first time I’ve done these. The Romanian lifter in the gym approved of my form. He did deadlifts, romanian deadlifts and good mornings while I was in that end of the gym
The Wheel o’ Doom … I’ll get that in later.
But I feel good. A little tight in the right lower back where I got tightened up when I got rear-ended (hmm, that was a flaming car of doom when my car caught fire, wonder if there is a relation?).
I may see a chiro or a massage therapist some day. The tightness isn’t bad and does fade by morning.
Get my rotator cuff stretched done and I’m good for the day.
[/quote]
All RIGHT! Deadlifts, yeah! Can’t wait to see the progression on these.
My lower back tightens up after every DL session, one side or the other or both. I do some standing knee hugs to stretch it out. Seems to help.
I’m starting to think that the ab wheel is one of those things that ought to be done in little doses through the day and work the reps up slowly. The big long sets aren’t feeling right to me, though they have been making my middle stronger.
wtg on the DLS. i get some tightness too. use of the rack has helped me to keep pressure off the back and work on my form. it also helps with my lack of flexibility. i do an occassional session from the ground, but have to use a lot less weight.
Yeah, the usual pattern for the wheel is to do them daily, morning and evening, like a push-up rotation. I get up to 10+ and I might start dong that.
Thanks for the encouragement on the deadlifts. I think of them as my first “real” lifting exercise.
I’m kinda like skidmark here, finally something I understand. I’ve read your log often, but didn’t have any experience with the things you were doing. Nice start on the deadlifts.
Great job E on the deadlifts!! Good idea to start with low weight and work on technique so that you don’t put yourself out of commission.
Who knows, with a little bit of advice from Carl, Skid, Doc, Hel, and others you may be performing the clean and jerk and snatch before you know it. Of course, you would have to include videos…
I’m not sure about the clean and jerk …
Once I work my way up to real weight I will probably do a video of the deadlifts. I’ve been reading on them mday, and everyone agrees that it is best to start on low weight and work on technique. I appreciate the encouragement.
Just found a great deadlift article (another one):
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Just found a great deadlift article (another one):
[/quote]
When I bought the the new rules of lifting -it was if a I had emerged from the age of darkness.
I would consider any routine with Cosgrove attached.
Follow the money,Alwyn has trained professionals(business and otherwise) ,along with athletes- if he can put abs on a porn star, that’s good enough for me.
You know, I kind of felt the same way about The New Rules of Lifting. I designed my workouts around it.
My Saturday Split:
Pull-up, Neutral Grip
-12.5 x 8, 2.5lb less assist
Wood Chop
132.5 x 9, +2.5 lb (slowly crawling towards my reverse wood chop levels. The muscles used are a lot different in some ways).
Shoulder Press
105 x 9, +2.5 lb
Bench Press Machine
122.5 x9, +2.5 lb
Rotary (all four exercises, two with each rotator cuff)
50 lb x 10 reps, +2.5 lb.
I’ve got the order of the exercises in the right order, have the exercises narrowed down to the right ones to fill in the gaps in my work out, and can get in, get it done and get out.
Also got up at 5:30, my wife decided to join me and we did two and a half miles, a little jog, mostly a brisk walk. Made a meeting at 7:00, dropped by my doctor’s office, took my eight year old to her birthday party (my mom made the cake) at the roller skating rink (a joint party with her best friend) and skated with my wife and made my workout.
Now to listen to a lot of little kids play piano at 4:30. Too bad I can’t sleep during the recital.
At least it is free.
But I’ve got the weights balanced, the exercises balanced and I’m making progress all the way around. Just kissing overworking the triceps in this series, but they are getting a good pump instead.
And my shoulders just continue to feel better.
Tuesday split, on Tuesday.
Abductor
350 lb x 16 reps … +1 rep, was hard tonight
Adductor
340 lb x 11 reps, same as last time.
Shoulder Cable Fly (rotator cuff rehab exercise)
47.5 lb x 12 reps … +2.5 lb
Dip Machine
235 lb x 8 reps … +2.5 lb. It was hard (but then it started out impossible until I fixed the way the cable moved).
Seated Row
222.5 lb x 8 … +2.5 lb
Body Weight Dip
14
Cable Curl
135 lb x 10 rep … +2.5
Face Pull Seated Cable Row
180 lb x 9 … +2.5 lb, -1 rep
I would have thought the face pull was impossible. Good to hear the knots in my shoulder pop as I do this one.
Abdominal Board
+25 lb x 10 … +5 lb
Dead Lift
170 lb x 8 … + 35 lb
Forgot how much the bar weighed, but I went and weighed it after I lifted. Turns out this one weighs 40 lbs (I think it is supposed to weigh 45, but I got confused and loaded up thinking it weighed 15. The end caps are missing on the bar I use, though some of the other bars are newer and cleaner).
My target for the deadlift is 180, so I’m doing well.
Good work-out. I’ll get the flaming wheel of doom done later or maybe tomorrow morning.
Did ten flaming wheels of doom.
Now to try some pistol squats.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Did ten flaming wheels of doom.
Now to try some pistol squats.[/quote]
You and me both. I’m feeling the need for some uni-lateral leg work…
Now to get up the nerve to attempt a “Flaming wheel o’ doom” TM
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Did ten flaming wheels of doom.
Now to try some pistol squats.[/quote]
Finally trying some of your own medicine!
Made my Saturday lifts. Improved everything except for my neutral grip pull-ups, which I held even. Given that I had a good Thanksgiving, I was moving more weight, so that was an improvement too.
Today my wife tried the Skidmark Flaming Wheel of Doom. She was impressed. Noted that it doesn’t bother her back like sit ups do, and now has part of a room dedicated to it.