[quote]63Galaxie wrote:
Looking at your vid. I would say no. What I see is you moved to fast and lost your set up. No rebound. Any time you get close to a max effort, everything has to be tight. Not being tight is how I got hurt.[/quote]
I can see that. I tried to explode with it and, in retrospect, did do more of a “lunge”, losing tightness, as opposed to pulling the trigger from a cocked position.
Thanks 63G…
[quote]mathineer wrote:
LS, did you see this ar-tickle?
The video is pretty cool. [/quote]
Just watched it. Very cool. Thanks for the reference. Sounds like Meat 
He hit on a lot of things I am working on…
hey congrats on the PRs!
[quote]soldog wrote:
hey congrats on the PRs![/quote]
Thanks, soldog. It just feels good to see progress. And is comforting to know that I can make it go up by not only getting stronger, but because I have plenty of room to refine my form!
Nail that form down and PR’s will be the norm. 305 frankly FLEW up.
Nice pressing!
Tates article is excellent- just watching the vid made me think of plenty of shit Im not doing.
and skid is right 305 sailed up.
kmc
Oh yeah, in my depression I forgot to say A BIG FANTASTIC ON THE PR!
Strick, you’ve got a lot of potential on bench. You’re nowhere near where you’ll end up at this rate.
skid, kmc, 63G and sfp- Thanks! I have to admit, the 300# felt way lighter than I had anticipated. That was very pleasing. Unfortunately, it prompted me to jump to 315#, rather than playing it safe and doing 310#. Not that it matters, since no ones life was on the line. The 305# was a desperation set, that I shouldn’t have done, as fried as I felt, but I am stubborn that way.
I am considering altering my workout to alternating workouts (bench only) of 5x5 and 3x3. Of course, my idea of 3x3 is 3 sets of 3 reps, not the thingy I find on the internet when I google it. This will allow me to work with heavier weights on the 3x3 workouts and slightly lighter on the 5x5. I think incorporating some pauses in the 5x5 would be good, coupled with a few sets of medium pin press. I can throw in a few sets of high pin press on the 3x3 days. As I still seem to be flaring my elbows early, I will hit the tris hard with accessory work. Just something I thought I would try.
Thanks again, gentlemen. Since I have no workout partner, any outside “pushing” and/or attaboys come from you fine folks.
bro… where do i start. this thing we do- getting stronger is a marathon, not a sprint. you have to look at the big picture. when you choose to test out a max,you have to be realistic and stick to the game plan. your game plan was 300-305. you should have stuck with it. let’s say that you did get 315. it would have been ugly and at the cost of solid form.
be happy with the 5 or 10 lb increase becuase really soon they will be gone and you will have to scrape and scrounge for 5lbs. you need to be more methodical and control your urge to go crazy. form is everything and that’s what keeps you safe.
also, once you fail a lift, you are DONE. there’s no trying again or even going lower. done for the day… period. move on to the accessory stuff or drop the weight for reps at that point. all you are doing at that point is risking injury and reinforcing poor work habits.
a word on your setup. you need to modify that platform so that it’s farther back under you. you need to get a lot tighter with your feet more under you. your legs move around during the set up and during the set. they should be firmly planted and flexed the entire set. you also do this thing where you straighten your arms right before you start the lift… stop doing that. all that does is flatten your back out and loosen you up.
you should unrack, wait a second to let your shoulders compress and then break at the elbows and then row that shit down.
you also, mentioned not wanting to take smaller jumps to your working sets. all that does is tire you out leading up to your max. i know what you mean about the weight feeling heavy but as soon as you realize that it’s all going to feel heavy, initially, then you will be okay. for me on deadlifts, everything above 405 feels heavy but it pretty much all feels the same level of heavy. yeah… it’s heavy but as long as you convince yourlself that you can lift it, you will be okay.
lastly, you got some good advice on the 315 miss. it wasn’t a case of a sticking point. it was a case of being fatigued and trying a weight that you weren’t physically and mentally ready for.
Meat- Thanks for the critique and the reality check. Believe it or not, I am trying to temper myself. Honestly, I would have been completely shocked with less than a 20# gain and really thought 315# was doable. I know that the gains will slow, but I have been in that “back in the gym and jumping back to where I was” phase. That does not excuse bad technique and practices, though.
I had been getting my feet further back (up on my toes) but was told that heels have to be down, in competition. So I was trying to get closer to that. Not that I have any plans of competing. Should I abandon the heels and just go with the toes?
My legs were definitely loose, though. I noticed that during the lifts. It was annoying.
You know, I have no idea where I got that hitch/rise/whatever thingy I do when starting the rep. I have noticed it in all my videos and don’t even realize I am doing it. I will concentrate on rectifying that.
With my urge to max gone, I will step back and concentrate on my form.
Thanks again…
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Meat- Thanks for the critique and the reality check. Believe it or not, I am trying to temper myself. Honestly, I would have been completely shocked with less than a 20# gain and really thought 315# was doable. I know that the gains will slow, but I have been in that “back in the gym and jumping back to where I was” phase. That does not excuse bad technique and practices, though.
I had been getting my feet further back (up on my toes) but was told that heels have to be down, in competition. So I was trying to get closer to that. Not that I have any plans of competing. Should I abandon the heels and just go with the toes?
My legs were definitely loose, though. I noticed that during the lifts. It was annoying.
You know, I have no idea where I got that hitch/rise/whatever thingy I do when starting the rep. I have noticed it in all my videos and don’t even realize I am doing it. I will concentrate on rectifying that.
With my urge to max gone, I will step back and concentrate on my form.
Thanks again…[/quote]
each federation has it’s own rules on everything. the ones i compete in allow you to be up on your toes so that’s what i do.
i’m right there with you on the “wanting to get back to where i was” thing but it needs to be done slowly as to ensure safety and proper form. you will get there and then move past it.
keep plugging away and always know what you are going to do and then do it. don’t wing it.
no problem bro. i’m here to help.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
keep plugging away and always know what you are going to do and then do it. don’t wing it.
[/quote]
Sage advice! Thanks…
Leg Day…
Had my visit with the Orthopedist today. He took more xrays, confirmed that I have grade 1 spondy and that there was minor slippage (movement). He advised that I could continue with the squats and DLs, but that he would not put either of them in the top 5 things for me to do. I asked about leg presses and he said those would be fine…but I don’t have access to one at this time. He did suggest that I take it slow and pay careful attention to what my body tells me. Really nice guy, seemed more than willing to do what he could to help and was sympathetic to my pursuits.
Did lots of hip stretches/mobility prior to workout.
Workout-
Speed DLs
135x10x2
225x5x3
Squats - Just shy of parallel ('bout an inch out), as that was the end of my current comfort zone.
barx10
135x8x2
185x5
225x5
275x3
Rack Pulls
365x5x3
Bent Over Rows
225x8x2
185x12
Wide Grip Lat Pulls (Front)
160x12x2
160x10
For some reason this workout wore me down faster than usual. I’ll sleep well. Unless, of course, they page me again tonight (I’m on call).
Sounds like a pretty good doc, if he’s open to squatting and DLs.
I lucked up. He is in a Sports Medicine clinic. So he is used to dealing with folks with athletic pursuits…
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Leg Day…
Had my visit with the Orthopedist today. He took more xrays, confirmed that I have grade 1 spondy and that there was minor slippage (movement). He advised that I could continue with the squats and DLs, but that he would not put either of them in the top 5 things for me to do. I asked about leg presses and he said those would be fine…but I don’t have access to one at this time. He did suggest that I take it slow and pay careful attention to what my body tells me. Really nice guy, seemed more than willing to do what he could to help and was sympathetic to my pursuits.
Did lots of hip stretches/mobility prior to workout.
Workout-
Speed DLs
135x10x2
225x5x3
Squats - Just shy of parallel ('bout an inch out), as that was the end of my current comfort zone.
barx10
135x8x2
185x5
225x5
275x3
Rack Pulls
365x5x3
Bent Over Rows
225x8x2
185x12
Wide Grip Lat Pulls (Front)
160x12x2
160x10
For some reason this workout wore me down faster than usual. I’ll sleep well. Unless, of course, they page me again tonight (I’m on call).[/quote]
I can’t work with a pager - I sleep right through it. I have to just stay up all night…
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
I lucked up. He is in a Sports Medicine clinic. So he is used to dealing with folks with athletic pursuits…[/quote]
I make it a point to see medical practitioners who work with people involved in athletics. Saves time and keeps me from getting bad info like “You’ll never be able to have 400 lbs on your back ever again.”
[quote]skidmark wrote:
I can’t work with a pager - I sleep right through it. I have to just stay up all night…[/quote]
I usually don’t have a problem with it, except when, like 2 nights ago, the pager goes off 1/2 an hour after I fall asleep and I think it is the alarm and 6:00 in the morning. Makes it hard to get back to sleep.
Ortho did strongly suggest that I use a belt. I have an old one that I have been using, but could definitely use an upgrade. Any suggestions?
10mm or 13mm?
single prong, double prong, lever?
Name other than Inzer?
Thanks