300 close grip, nice work GV. Isn’t that about what you hit last meet with regular grip.
495 sumo when you pull conventional is strong.
Thanks Dave, your correct at my last contest I did a 300 pause bench so I have made some progress. Hopefully I can push up my numbers on the sumo deads and get a much bigger conventional in the near future.
Tonight the lifting went okay.
Safety Bar Squats:(raw)
155 x 10
245 x 5
335 x 1
425 x 1(Decided to take it easy on the heavy and get oriented to these Safety Bar Squats again)
False Grip Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
275 x 1(pause)
306 x 1(touch and go, pause just wasn’t there tonight)
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
First time using a false grip on bench in forever and it felt good. Decided to try Dave’s technique for a bigger push. The safety squat bar was a beast but these felt pretty good for doing them for the first time in many months.
[quote]gorillavanilla wrote:
Decided to try Dave’s technique for a bigger push.
[/quote]
Me too. After three weeks, I am starting to like the false grip and am finally comfortable with it.
Nice work GV. False grip has been very beneficial to me. My bar path is much straighter and elbows don’t flare nearly as much. That combination has helped keep my shoulders healthy and move more weight.
Thanks Dave I hope it works as well for me as it does for you. Snap, maybe we’ll both see big increases. Lifting was okay tonight. I didn’t feel overly powerful but still moved the weight for a going through the motions evening.
Squats:(raw)
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 1
405 x 1
495 x 1
535 x 1
Fat Gripz Extremes CG Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
265 x 1(pause)
Trap Bar Deadlifts:
140 x 5
230 x 3
320 x 1
410 x 1
500 x 1
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
I feel good, nothing hurts, and had a decent night. Kind of blah and my bench was off but all is well. I have 7 weeks until the contest I will compete in so tonight was a clean beginning to training towards a big day on December 12th.
" I feel good, nothing hurts"…FTW ! Strong work as always GV…hope your book is doing well.
Did a ton of work the last two days and it kicked my butt plus the cold bug is still hanging on like a stubborn bastard but I’m almost through with it. Tonight the lifting was less than what I wanted for the bench and squats were just okay but all things considered a decent night.
Safety Bar Squats:(raw)
155 x 10
245 x 5
335 x 1
425 x 1
455 x 1
Fat Gripz Extremes Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
265 x 1(pause)
298 x 1/2 way up(pause)
296 x 3/4 way up(pause)
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
I should have tried the 296 first because I feel I would have got it. My shoulders are a bit fried from excessive tree trimming and doing farmer carries at shoulder height with 70-90 lbs bags of cuttings for 150 foot walks. I guess I’ll just recover and get stronger. After a couple days of rest from trimming I hope to smash some larger benching numbers.
You will.
Good work GV. I’m not sure I could bench with the fat gripz.
GV, you’ve been at this awhile and I was wondering if you’ve ever used a swiss bar or football bar and what you thought of them. Thanks, Steve
Steve-I have a football bar and I use it on and off for diversity in bench training. Stabilizing the football bar is different than using a regular bar and it really works the triceps well.
Training went okay tonight. My wife got me a pair of Chuck Taylor’s for our anniversary and I can feel the difference in my squatting already. I can’t wait to deadlift in my new Converse high tops. I’ve been using a raised heel olympic lifting type shoe for about 8 months and they put a forward stress on my squats that I think was holding me back a little or conversely making my quads stronger and maybe helping me squat more in my flat Chuck Taylor’s. Time will tell the tale.
Squats:(raw)
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 1
405 x 1
475 x 1
545 x 1
Fat Gripz CG BP:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
265 x 1(pause)
285 x 1(pause)
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
Squats were flying and the weight felt light on my back. CG benching went well but I decided to back off a little because my upper body is still a bit worn out from work the other day.
[quote]gorillavanilla wrote:
Steve-I have a football bar and I use it on and off for diversity in bench training. Stabilizing the football bar is different than using a regular bar and it really works the triceps well. [/quote]
So in your opinion is it worth getting for an older guy with sore shoulders?
[quote]gorillavanilla wrote:
My wife got me a pair of Chuck Taylor’s for our anniversary
[/quote]
What a woman! Sounds like a keeper. Happy anniversary.
Snap she is a wonderful woman.
Steve, as far as getting the football bar I know that the reason many people use one is because they have shoulder trouble. Have you used a football bar before? If you plan on incorporating the football bar in to your lifting on a regular basis then maybe you should get one.
Lifting went well tonight especially considering my family just got back from a road trip and heavy Halloween activities last night. I think I got about 4 hours of sleep last night after taking my kids to the biggest neighbor halloween party I have ever seen.There were thousands of kids and the houses looked almost theme park worthy(rich neighborhood). People come from all around to go to the festivities where we were.
Squats:(raw)
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 3(pauses)
405 x 3(pauses)
Fat Gripz Bench Press:(plates under my feet-1st time)
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 3(pauses)
255 x 1(paused)
291 x 1(paused)
245 x 3(pauses)
222 x 3(paused)
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
Once at a contest a fellow lifter/trainer with good experience suggested I put a 45 lbs plate under each foot when benching to improve my form/compression/power. I’m allowed to do this at the contest so I am going to train this way and see how it works. I felt my position was improved a bit using this new technique. I think it will help me because I’m fairly short (5’ 8") and the plates under my feet gives helps me achieve a better arch and drive with my legs and back and butt into the bench.
Thanks for your input about the football bar. I’m eventually going to get one. I’ve begun to develop old man shoulders.
I’ve used 3.5’’ blocks under my feet when I bench for years. I have SLS. Also known as short leg syndrome.
So, Monday I did a ton of tree trimming and bagging that nearly wiped me out physically the last 2 days. My shoulders and chest were still sore before lifting today but it was a decent night. Oh, and I don’t know if Fall is making things cooler up north but it was in the mid-90s here today and we tied an old heat record for November.
Squats:(raw)
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 1
495 x 1
565 x 1
CG Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
265 x 1(pause)
287 x 1(pause)
Sumo Deadlifts:
225 x 3
315 x 1
405 x 2
Wanted more on the bench but my power faded quickly after the 265 pause and 287 was tough. This was a minor set back and I’m sure I am just still in recovery from the lifting Sunday and the hard labor Monday. I will come back and set a PR bench soon. Squats felt great and the 565 lbs was relatively easy. My back and hips were through but I still managed a few deads just for a kicker. Have a little over 4 weeks of training left before the meet so training is about to go into a higher gear.
Training went okay tonight but my lower back and right hip were aching a bit from lifting two days ago and my upper body has just not been 100% due to work this week but the good lifting happened.
Squats:(raw)
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 1
405 x 1
Walk Outs and 1/2 Squats:
495 x 3
585 x 3
675 x 3
Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 1(pause)
265 x 1(pause)
291 x 1(pause)
245 x 3(paused)
225 x 2 sets x 4(paused)
Deadlifts:
225 x 3
315 x 1
405 x 1
475 x 1(wanted more but this felt like a ton tonight)
Standing Crunches:
80 lbs x 20
I’m 5 weeks out from my meet so maybe I have a little over 4 weeks of training to get in. Intensity and focus will improve.