Yeah, really nice squats.
So where do you train when your “gym” gets too cold?
Outstanding squats, I’d be shivering like a greyhound in your “gym”.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
So where do you train when your “gym” gets too cold?[/quote]
In my gym still. I just wear more layers and a wooly hat.
Thanks Joe.
Damn good squats, great depth. Hey, can you put in a good word for me with Caterine Zeta-Jones? (That’s a joke. Unless you really can, of course.)
Can you get a space heater? I don’t have heat in my gym either (in theory) but I insulated the garage door and lay towels along the bottom in winter. It can get mighty brisk in Ontario in January but I’m able to run a space heater. When it really cools down, I turn it on in the rack right under the bar otherwise I’d have to wear gloves because it’d be too cold to handle. Last winter wasn’t too bad but it can get down to minus 20C at times.
We do the same thing and start with a lot of layers and just peel down as it warms up.
Very nice squats. That’s some kick ass depth there too.
Hel320 That is really spooky, because she was only asking me the other day if I knew of any big, strong, hairy men who have a penchant for wearing skirts!
Seriously though, she grew up in the Mumbles about 10 miles from where I live, but I think she lives closer to you now than me. Thanks for the kind words.
ouroboro It probably doesn’t get cold here by Ontario standards, but we did have a period last December where it went down to minus 12 for a fortnight. It doesn’t come across in my vids so much, but my “gym” is only 15 foot square. I’d worry if I put a space heater in there I’d set fire to the opposite wall! My chin up bar is a callous remover at the best of times (very rough knurling) in the cold its agony. So gloves are a must. No matter how cold it is I find after about 20 minutes all the layers come off anyway. I’ve only just started to squat this deep and boy am I feeling it in my hamstrings.
25/10/2010
Deadlifts @ 369 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Incline DB Bench Press 91 lb’ers 10/7 (supersetted with) Chin Ups @ BW 8/5
First time I’ve done any benching at all since Dec 2008. Shoulders and elbows felt really good. My old PR was 10 reps with 102 lb’ers, so very happy with 10 @ 91 lbs. I guess this shows weighted dips aren’t a bad bench assistance exercise.
Still had severe DOMS in left adductor from Friday’s squats, but worked through it, although I was a bit worried it felt like it might develop into something more serious. But it didn’t.
Was going to do some hill sprints afterwards, but considering my adductor soreness I thought it was wiser to give it a miss. Any old excuse eh?. My partner’s away at the moment but I know she would call me on that. “How come it’s bad enough that you can’t run but you can deadlift?”
^ Great work on Squats. I found in the cold no problem with upper body, but took me forever to warm up my knees. I could see the knee sleeves for just the warmth. Going to have to get some for this winter.
I am in Texas and no way we get even close to what you have to deal with.
27/10/2010
Front Squats @ 264 lbs 5/5/5/3* (supersetted with) GHR @ BW 5/5/5/5
Seated Row @ 198 lbs 6/6 (supersetted with) Military Press @ 154 lbs 6/5
Took the Seated Row easy as I havent done them for ages.
- Really pissed off with myself, but I just cant keep the bar on my shoulders after 3 sets or so at this weight. I chalked up my shoulders and even had straps on the bar and was pulling on them, but the bar still starts slipping and I end up performing some sort of front squat/ Zercher squat hybrid.
What I need is some way of fixing the bar in a vertical plane so I can just concentrate on squatting up and down without worrying about my grip. So Ive decided to invent a machine to do this. I,m not sure of the exact design yet but Ive decided on the name. My surname is Smith, so Im going to call it The Smith Machine!?
Really demoralised at the moment. I will see how I feel after Fridays Back Squats. Might decide to change things around for next week. Right now, dropping to 3 sets of 3 seems really tempting and will feel like a ****ing holiday after this 5x5.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
27/10/2010
Front Squats @ 264 lbs 5/5/5/3* (supersetted with) GHR @ BW 5/5/5/5
Seated Row @ 198 lbs 6/6 (supersetted with) Military Press @ 154 lbs 6/5
Took the Seated Row easy as I havent done them for ages.
- Really pissed off with myself, but I just cant keep the bar on my shoulders after 3 sets or so at this weight. I chalked up my shoulders and even had straps on the bar and was pulling on them, but the bar still starts slipping and I end up performing some sort of front squat/ Zercher squat hybrid.
What I need is some way of fixing the bar in a vertical plane so I can just concentrate on squatting up and down without worrying about my grip. So Ive decided to invent a machine to do this. I,m not sure of the exact design yet but Ive decided on the name. My surname is Smith, so Im going to call it The Smith Machine!?
Really demoralised at the moment. I will see how I feel after Fridays Back Squats. Might decide to change things around for next week. Right now, dropping to 3 sets of 3 seems really tempting and will feel like a ****ing holiday after this 5x5.
[/quote]
The Smith Machine…catchy name. You might be on to something there.
How long were your rest intervals?
Or, instead of 3x3 what about going for the same reps, more or less, in sets of 3…so, 8x3? The sets will be short which should help with fatigue.
My rest intervals were a good 5 minutes after the GHRs. Its definitely a stabiliser fatigue thing. My legs had more to give. Its not the weight more the length of time I have to hold it. 8x3 might be a good idea at least that way I can keep the volume up, which seems to be working. I’ll give it a go next week.
Do you own a GHR? Or improvise? Nice squatting btw.
I improvise on a low pulley machine. I posted a vid earlier in my log. I basically try to do a slow negative and a bit of a push up to get myself back up. I think you have to be seriously strong to do it without any help from your hands.
29/10/2010
Back Squat @ 336 lbs 5/5/5/5/5 (supersetted with) GHR @ BW 5/5/5/5/5
Weighted Dips @ BW+99 lbs 4/3.5 (supersetted with) Ez Curls @ 110 lbs 6/5
No idea why but had the weightlifting equivalent of the runners high tonight. Everything felt really light, felt so comfortable and confident in the “hole” and lower back felt super strong! Wish I’d added 11 lbs instead of 6.
Back squat equalled PR set in March of this year, but that was probably 2" above parallel whereas today was well below parallel, so a big improvement, in ROM if not poundage.
Really nice work. The squats and dip look strong.
And I agree with your take on the GHR. I don’t even try them. I can’t afford an emergency room bill right now.
Thanks LS. I’m loving my training at the moment, each time I train I seem to set a new PR on something. So now its a question of keeping it going as long as possible.
And good news we’ve just heard we’ve got our first viewing of our house this weekend. It’s only been on the market for 8 weeks but the housing market in the UK is completely stagnant. So fingers crossed.
Squatting the same weight but going deeper with it is definitely a gain in my book. It’s so much harder to make that dip to parallel and below.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Squatting the same weight but going deeper with it is definitely a gain in my book. It’s so much harder to make that dip to parallel and below.[/quote]
I wonder what the lbs. vs. inches is. I bet its a lot, considering the skinny fuckers I see hitting a power curtsy for 495. I think going from 2 inches above parallel to just breaking below parallel costs me about 40-50 lbs.
I bet those guys 1/4 squatting 495 couldn’t even break parallel with anywhere near 300lbs without getting buried.
I have more respect for someone who breaks parallel with 200 than someone three quarter squatting 500. You’re just avoiding the most difficult part of the lift, it’s like not touching your chest when benching. There’s alot of self denial going on with squatting. I was guilty of it too, but now I’ve seen the error of my ways. It even goes on here a bit too. Someone posts a vid and everyone says “great squat mate, three white lights” etc, even though it was clearly high! I’m all for encouraging people but it will only come back to bite them on the arse especially if they aim to compete.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
I bet those guys 1/4 squatting 495 couldn’t even break parallel with anywhere near 300lbs without getting buried.
I have more respect for someone who breaks parallel with 200 than someone three quarter squatting 500. You’re just avoiding the most difficult part of the lift, it’s like not touching your chest when benching. There’s alot of self denial going on with squatting. I was guilty of it too, but now I’ve seen the error of my ways. It even goes on here a bit too. Someone posts a vid and everyone says “great squat mate, three white lights” etc, even though it was clearly high! I’m all for encouraging people but it will only come back to bite them on the arse especially if they aim to compete.[/quote]
It is a shocker when you figure out where depth is for the first time. Right now I am trying to figure out where “2 whites” is by feel–I want to hit depth, but I don’t want give away pounds in a meet by hitting rock bottom either. My problem is if I don’t hit rock bottom, I tend to cut them high.