If she’s asked to talk about it face to face, try and find a way to make that happen. It doesn’t have to be labelled as a “date” or whatever, but it’s a pretty clear sign.
A highly questionable claim, in my experience. But admirable traits if you can find them.
Is that something you find with front squats in general, or just with the 5 sec eccentric?
@dagill2 Okay so I asked her out and she said yes. Some funny nonsense about a shaker of white wine after working out.
In general yes, but I’ve been neglecting abs work for so much time. This is my challenge now, to do it consistently. I should note that it was way harder on the eccentric version. On the paused one, my abs were okay, just the legs coming out of the hole
Happy days man.
Might try the heavy front squats at some point. I need something to convince me to train and regularly.
this is good. It’s amazing what a difference this makes. I started doing it when I began preparing for my first powerlifting meet. Weird at first, but doesn’t take long before it feels better than when you had the mirror in front of you.
It’s sloppy, and not explosive enough. Now granted, I’m not an expert on the oly lifts, but I train with some good ones. You should be fully resetting between reps, in order to maximize explosiveness on every single rep.
The key to being a great oly lifter is technical perfection on maximal lifts, which is accomplished by perfect practice on every single training rep. You can’t blaze through a set like this the way you would a squat set, ya know? There’s no way you can focus appropriately the way you’re performing these reps.
Just tighten everything up, and focus on technical perfection on every rep. Don’t worry about how long it takes to get through your set.
Thank you this is solid advice. Yeah the mirror stuff is great, really feeling more of the muscle, and some stuff I didn’t at all otherwise.
Yes it was sloppy, I guess I was greedy with the weight. It wasn’t explosive enough because it felt heavy as fuck ahahah! I’ll lower the weight
I honestly don’t think that’s the issue. In olympic lifting, you actually HAVE to be explosive when the weights get ‘heavy as fuck’.
Just try concentrating more. You’re still talking to the cameraman when you’ve picked the weight off the ground. From the time you approach the bar, you need to be fully committed to the lift. This may have felt heavy to you, but honestly, it didn’t LOOK that taxing. So there’s a disconnect there that I think is stemming from a) a lack of concentration, and b) just the fact that you’re still relatively new to this.
The technique overall is not bad. You’re doing a lot of things right, so I don’t want to come across like this is BAD per se. I just think you can do better by taking some steps that should be relatively easy.
Not taking the weights seriously enough is something I have issues with all the time, so I get it. Last weekend, I was warming up on log press, I was at my last ‘warm up set’, at 240. It was supposed to be a double, and I actually missed the first rep. Then, I got the second rep. That tells me I didn’t give it ‘everything I had’, because I was clearly more fatigued when I attempted it the second time. Even at my level, I make this mistake regularly. I went on to throw 260 up faster than 240 went up, and finished with a successful 280 on my last set, no misses.
I’ve watched top strongmen like Hafthor and Shaw in training, and I used to think it was silly that they approached weights in the 200’s like they were hitting a top set. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were about to attempt a PR. But the reality is, they know that they can’t afford to take the foot off the gas on a single training rep, and that’s why they are the best in the world.
Yeah I’ve seen them, it’s impressive. Also seen some pro o-lifter actually fail some of their heaviest warm-ups, so that says something.
I have to use a different mentality here. I did a few months of bodybuilding, and some small talk or whatever between sets was actually relieving, because it took a lot of me (and stress as well) to go to real failure that much. To go beyond what you think you can do. But it’s a different animal here. And indeed I think I wasn’t resting enough between sets, BB training made me a bit fidgeting.
Alright then, I’ll keep that in mind. By the way it is nice to see someone as strong and all as you (one of the T-nation top dogs) comment here! 
appreciate the compliment!
Yea there’s nothing wrong with talking between the sets when you’re resting and stuff. You’ve just gotta be able to flip that switch when it’s go-time. Tune everything else out and focus on the task at hand.
Yep, we exist. 
Life is simpler and easier this way,
But this type of thinking like yours caused me much struggles - some men just don’t take “No” for answer. A half of my male colleagues (older men) don’t stop bothering me for years, persisting in their intentions even so I’m ultimate sure I’m not interested. The owner of the gym continuously tells me that he want to “make love” with me and etc. Yesterday I sit on the stationary bike and he said “I imagine how you sit on me” and other kind of bullshits :).
I think either you’re misinterpreting me or the other way round. I’m absolutely not suggesting people shouldn’t take no for an answer.
17/09
Yeah so I’m a bit late uploading this, but I was very busy and tired ahah. On this day I had slept only 4 hours and worked out after a long shift, and was still tired after the excess of this weekend. But, I don’t know why, when i step foot in the gym, after some warming-up I find back my energy and vigor!
Workout
A. Deficit snatch-grip deadlift 5 reps @80, 90, 100, 110, 110kgs
B. Muscle snatch + power snatch + overhead squat 4 x 5 + 3 + 3 @40kgs
C. Behind the neck jerk + jerk 4 x 3 + 3 @60kgs
D. Push press 5 reps @ 60, 70, 80, 80, 70kgs
E1. Pec dec with 3 secs contraction 3 x 10 @65kgs
E2. Abs wheel roll-out 5 x 5
Here’s the last set of Deficit deads. That was pretty hard on my legs, abs and lower back. My stance was actually a bit too close. Afterwards I could feel some tingling and all in my lower back so I think I’ll use a lower weight and focus on breathing/bracing. It’s hard to know if it’s “normal” pain because on the 14th of july I got in my first “fight”. We were all merry drunks, I was hanging with my friends and then a group of 15 thugs (you know where they come from) started insulting them and asking for alcohol, trying to steal from them. We were like only 50 m from the police. Too drunk, I saw red and started pushing back some of them, telling them to go away. One of them snuck behind me (they were little manlets obviously) and hit me square in the jaw. That was enough for me and when I fell I hit my ass pretty hard on the pavement. Since them I’ve been having a bit of hip issue/light pain on the right side. Doc said it was normal. I’ll go to the chiro when I have the money.
Anyways, I used lighter weights for the rest of the session. 5 + 3 +3 was hard and long ahah. I was very happy with my muscle snatches this time, but not my snatches.
Jerks are coming in way better. I tried to attack the ground faster, and not trying to have to big of a stance. I should note that behind the neck jerks were easier.
By the time I did push press my shoulders and traps were fried, so I’m a bit disappointed with the weight but that’s okay considering things!
But wow I could reaaaally feel my chest burning with the isolation! So I guess that all this overhead work works the chests more than I thought and that I heave really improved my mind muscle connexion.
18/09
Was horribly sore all day. Especially my shoulders and traps were thrashed, so that was a hard one!
Workout
A. High bar squat with 5 secs eccentric 5 reps @80, 90, 100, 100kgs
B. Muscle snatch + Power snatch + Snatch 4 x 3 + 3 + 3 @40kgs
C. Push press + Jerk 4 x 3 + 3 @70kgs
D. Clean + Pause front squat + Slow eccentric front squat + Front squat 4 x 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 @80kgs
E. Fat gripz curls 3 x 10 with slow tempo @25kgs
Looking at the session, I thought it was gonna be easier but no ahahah. At a puny 100 kgs squats were really hard, but I didn’t try to kill myself. I’m really getting the hold of muscle snatches now, and on snatches I was focusing on fully extending the legs before pulling with the arms and it felt way better. I’m going to continue this way.
The overhead movements are the ones I feel the best. they were solid today, but it wasn’t really heavy either.
Front squats and clean felt good also but I was pretty tired by then. I attacked the fourth set with murderous intent and focus and boy it made such a difference! Perfect catch with high elbows, super bar speed! I’m happy. Also these I can do without facing the mirror, and they feel so much better! I think that instead on focusing in my mind on my knees, I sit back more and use more hips/glutes naturally and it feels way better.
Fat curls are doing wonders for my elbows, I almost have no pain anymore!
These slow eccentrics look friggin brutal dude. Are you following the template laid out in CTs “Four Seasons of Strength” article from a while back?
I did during two weeks as a preparation, here I’m following his 10 weeks “Developmental Olympic Cycle”
Yes they are! Everything but that pleaaaaase!
Where can “Developmental Olympic Cycle” be found?
Is this different from four seasons of lifting?
19/09
Late on that one as well, it was a really busy week! This time I had slept almost 10 hours and ate more so i wake up with less DOMS, except for my abs ahah. But my hand are fucked up. I have very sensitive skin, and after three days of doing this I already have ripped sking on one of my fingers, and calluses are forming everywhere. The worse are the one at the base of my pinky and one my thumb, caused by all this hook gripping. Regular grip muscles snatches are also destroying my fingers ahah
Workout
A. Clean deadlifts pause below knees 5 reps @110,120, 130, 140, 140kgs
B. Muscle snatch + behind the neck snatch press + overhead squat 4 x 5 + 3 + 5 @40kgs
C. Clean + Front squats + Pause jerk 4 x 1 + 2 + 2 @70kgs
D. Snatch romanian deadlifts with slow tempo 2 x 10 @100kgs
As I started warming-up my deadlifts, phew my core was on fire. But they felt good, except for my hands, maybe I should have used straps here?
These complexes are really hard ahah. Still focusing on full extension of the legs. And why is that overhead squats feel harder than a full snatch?
Very satisfied with the bar speed during jerks. It flies at lightning speed. But I still have balance issues. It’s really tough to do these when you’re already fatigued by the cleans and front squats!
Last exercise might have been the worst thing I ever done lol. I brought in my grip an inch closer and it felt better, because I felt like my hands were going to rip off, even with the straps. I might not have used the slowest tempo either. Newt week I’ll keep the same weight and try being slower.
All in all these four days in a row were brutal (I can’t train right now on the weekend because of work…). I don’t think I’ll use heavier weights next week lol.
I think it’s the same thing.
This program is no longer available on the net, the file was suppressed, but I saved it in case lol. I can share it with you guys, what platform should I use?
Ah right on, keep up the good work man! I’ve done slow eccentrics on squats two times, I think in my lifetime I’ll have done them two times haha.
Nah, I just misremembered the title of the article.
Much appreciated. Anything with a shareable link works for me. Google Drive, Dropbox, etcetera. If you don’t want to host it somewhere my email is in my bio.