I have gotten up to pulling 425 raw. While I do have a belt - I have yet to start using it since I wanted to get my form down without it and get my strength up without assistance. Anyway I find now when I pull over 400 my knees kinda go “in” almost as if my knee caps were trying to touch - though they never come near it. Does this happen to anyone else?
Oh on a side note I forget where I read this but someone wrote “if you can deadlift and squat twice your body weight back to back - you would be strong enough to wrestle a bear”
I know I would never be strong enough to wrestle a bear (though my dream job when I was 8 was in fact “polar bear wrestler”) does anyone else here base their progress on multiples of their bodyweight? I mean if anyone could do a feat like that and be able to O.H. press their bodyweight comfortabley for reps - ripped or not you’d be one imposing figure on this earth!
Firstly, if your knees tend to come in during any lower body movement, then your hamstrings are your weakest link. Conversely, if your knees tend to push way out then your quads are the weakest link. Far more lifters have weak hams than weak quads, so you are not in the minority in this case. You will need to work on stiff leg deadlifts, sumo style deadlifts, westside style box squats (forcing the knees out), glute-ham raises, good mornings (wide or medium stance); and to a far lesser extent, leg curls.
As far as basing strength on multiples of bodyweight: everyone with average or better genetics should be able to squat and deadlift twice their bodyweight. And anyone with decent conditioning should be able to execute both sets with a minute or less break. It’s not that hard, but you need to have the knowledge and dedication both in and out of the gym to make the necessary gains. Personally, I can’t bench twice my bodyweight, but I’ve wanted to ever since I broke the 225 barrier. I’d have to add about 80 lbs to my 1 rm, so it’s still a goal for the future. As far as OH press, some guys can do it, but that guy ain’t me.
If your knees are starting to come in (internal rotation of your hip)your glutes are weak, most likly your glute medius. Also take a look at your adductors, if they are tight they can also cause an internal rotation of your hips. You also could have a weak VMO which usually goes with a weak glute medius. Just for clarification from the last post…if your feet start to turn out its just the opposite, tight external rotators of the hip and weak internal rotators of the hip.