Good luck with the back. If you can pull 405 without something going “snap”, you’re doing fine.
Mrs Strick is up to 105 lb squat? I protest! That’s more than I’m doing! Time to get serious…
Hey Strick, don’t know if you have tried sumo before, don’t remember seeing anything about it in your logs, but could have missed it, but this article from elite fts talks about doing one style or the other based on your body type. IE - long torso, short arms = sumo, long arms, short torso = conventional.
I have a fairly long torso compared to the legs as well, though not as bad as you, it seems, (6-1, with 32 inch inseam here). And when i tried sumo the other day, it felt really comfortable, and without even trying, my back was in a better position, I wasn’t out in front of the bar, etc. Maybe its something you should look at too, if your hips aren’t a problem, as I have heard sumo cause hip issues in some folks.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Good luck with the back. If you can pull 405 without something going “snap”, you’re doing fine.
Mrs Strick is up to 105 lb squat? I protest! That’s more than I’m doing! Time to get serious…[/quote]
Cav, to be fair, Mrs. Strick has lost nearly 60% of her bodyweight. She was used to carrying a heck of a lot of weight. I think that has helped immensely.
And once you get your form to second nature, you’ll be doing well over that.
[quote]Ogre21793 wrote:
Hey Strick, don’t know if you have tried sumo before, don’t remember seeing anything about it in your logs, but could have missed it, but this article from elite fts talks about doing one style or the other based on your body type. IE - long torso, short arms = sumo, long arms, short torso = conventional.
I have a fairly long torso compared to the legs as well, though not as bad as you, it seems, (6-1, with 32 inch inseam here). And when i tried sumo the other day, it felt really comfortable, and without even trying, my back was in a better position, I wasn’t out in front of the bar, etc. Maybe its something you should look at too, if your hips aren’t a problem, as I have heard sumo cause hip issues in some folks.[/quote]
Thanks, Ogre. Interesting read. Turns out, I have a long Torso (51% = >47%) AND long arms (42% = >38%). It says to do either. I have tried sumo, once. It made my hips hurt like hell. No, they are not overly flexible in that position. Also, oddly enough, it seemed to stress my Spondy more. I may revisit it, assuming my back continues to let me work it. It is worth a try.
wow dude, the 405s looked real good to me
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Good luck with the back. If you can pull 405 without something going “snap”, you’re doing fine.
Mrs Strick is up to 105 lb squat? I protest! That’s more than I’m doing! Time to get serious…[/quote]
Cav, to be fair, Mrs. Strick has lost nearly 60% of her bodyweight. She was used to carrying a heck of a lot of weight. I think that has helped immensely.
And once you get your form to second nature, you’ll be doing well over that.[/quote]
Ah, that’s right, you did mention she lost a lot. It must feel great to be regaining strength without accompanying weight. No wonder she loves squats & deads.
And yes, my squats are starting to snap into place. Did box squats today, and think I suddenly hit the sweet spot. Got up to 85 lbs, but no matter how low my butt got, just shot right up. Snapper’s advice has really helped.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Good luck with the back. If you can pull 405 without something going “snap”, you’re doing fine.
Mrs Strick is up to 105 lb squat? I protest! That’s more than I’m doing! Time to get serious…[/quote]
Cav, to be fair, Mrs. Strick has lost nearly 60% of her bodyweight. She was used to carrying a heck of a lot of weight. I think that has helped immensely.
And once you get your form to second nature, you’ll be doing well over that.[/quote]
Ah, that’s right, you did mention she lost a lot. It must feel great to be regaining strength without accompanying weight. No wonder she loves squats & deads.
And yes, my squats are starting to snap into place. Did box squats today, and think I suddenly hit the sweet spot. Got up to 85 lbs, but no matter how low my butt got, just shot right up. Snapper’s advice has really helped.[/quote]
Snap knows her stuff. It is hard to go wrong taking her advice.
Glad to hear that you are finding your groove. This is when things really start to take off.
[quote]MattyXL wrote:
wow dude, the 405s looked real good to me[/quote]
Thanks. I am feeling better about them. And have a couple of ideas to fix my complaints. I’ll get there, God willing.
405 for reps after your long layoff is pretty stout
George, I have to admit, I was surprised that it went up and that many times. It wasn’t until after the 1st rep that I decided to keep going. Hopefully this is a good sign and I didn’t just shoot my load…lol.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
Nice bench, Skip. I can’t remember if you’ve tried close grip only benching for a few months. Helped with my shoulder. Now I bench with a thumbs length away from the smooth part of the bar. My shoulder is still pain free.[/quote]
Change my bench grip??
I have not gone CGB only in a while. Of course, CGB makes my shoulders hurt anyway. Likely because I have done them after regular bench. I did go CGB only for a couple of months…I think it was last year. It really didn’t help.
I am going to try the rehab exercises/stretches and see what they do. If all else fails, I will look into narrowing my grip. I just hate to go there before I break 400#. Necessity will dictate, though.[/quote]
That blows. Wonder what it is. Do you think you’ve torn something? Maybe try the Cressey 3 pulls to 1 push for upper body. (I think that was Cressey)[/quote]
Steve, it appears to be the bicep tendon. (same issue as I was initially diagnosed with) I am starting to wonder, though, if there aren’t a multitude of things contributing to it. Muscle imbalances in the shoulder, poor posture, working at a desk all day, etc… So I am going to try the rehab (shoulder savers) stuff and see what I can do. I am also dropping anything but the 5x5 bench, for chest, on that day. So that I get a higher ratio of back sets to chest sets.
Also, dislocates, windmills, internal and external rotations, that stretchy thing in the video that PG posted. I am going to try it all.
[/quote]
Sorry about injury…
Please consider fish oil.It is a great anti-inflammatory. Seeming;ly massive doses (20grams /day day)help my chronic tendinitis…
Helps lipid profile as well…
Congrats on the 405s!
I’m laying off squats and dead’s to allow legs to heal up and acclimate to bicycling…
[quote]Null wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
Nice bench, Skip. I can’t remember if you’ve tried close grip only benching for a few months. Helped with my shoulder. Now I bench with a thumbs length away from the smooth part of the bar. My shoulder is still pain free.[/quote]
Change my bench grip??
I have not gone CGB only in a while. Of course, CGB makes my shoulders hurt anyway. Likely because I have done them after regular bench. I did go CGB only for a couple of months…I think it was last year. It really didn’t help.
I am going to try the rehab exercises/stretches and see what they do. If all else fails, I will look into narrowing my grip. I just hate to go there before I break 400#. Necessity will dictate, though.[/quote]
That blows. Wonder what it is. Do you think you’ve torn something? Maybe try the Cressey 3 pulls to 1 push for upper body. (I think that was Cressey)[/quote]
Steve, it appears to be the bicep tendon. (same issue as I was initially diagnosed with) I am starting to wonder, though, if there aren’t a multitude of things contributing to it. Muscle imbalances in the shoulder, poor posture, working at a desk all day, etc… So I am going to try the rehab (shoulder savers) stuff and see what I can do. I am also dropping anything but the 5x5 bench, for chest, on that day. So that I get a higher ratio of back sets to chest sets.
Also, dislocates, windmills, internal and external rotations, that stretchy thing in the video that PG posted. I am going to try it all.
[/quote]
Sorry about injury…
Please consider fish oil.It is a great anti-inflammatory. Seeming;ly massive doses (20grams /day day)help my chronic tendinitis…
Helps lipid profile as well…
Congrats on the 405s!
I’m laying off squats and dead’s to allow legs to heal up and acclimate to bicycling…[/quote]
Thanks, Null.
I am taking fishoil…just not 20 grams a day. I take about 8 grams (4 twice per day). Also, I take glucosamine and MSM. I could try to push up the fish oil, though.
After looking over your videos I have one thing to say. DAMN your a Big SOB.
LOL…thanks, bulldog. Now, if I can just get my numbers to match my size, I can take off my burka and be free of my shame.
Shoulders
Time became an issue in this one. Most of it because the wife was doing bench and I had to wait until she was done to start my millies. Then I spent a lot of time working with her on form, spotting and trying to get her psyched. She had an awesome night! So, I will break form and put her workout 1st!
Mrs. Strick’s Workout
Bench
barx8
65x5
85x5
90x4 - PR +2 Reps
90x3
85x4
Deadlift - yeah, baby!
135x5x2
160x5
185x5 - PR +1 Rep
200x0 - the weight, even though only 15# more, caught her by surprise
200x2 - PR +15# - Woo Hoo! Form sucked! But she kept her lower back neutral and got the reps. 2nd rep was better than the 1st. Fuckin’ A…2 bills! SHE was excited!
185x3
135x5
Lat Pulls
70x8
100x8x2 - PR +1 Rep
100x5
Awesome day for Mrs. Strick. She is doing wonderfully. More there for squats and deads. I just don’t want to put her in a position for her form to fall apart.
Me…
My blood sugar was a bit wonky going into this. Fatigue really started to set in during sets 3 - 5. Got the reps. Video still made it look easier than it felt.
Military Press
barx25
95x10
135x8
175x3
210x5x5 - PR
Set 1
Set 5
BB Shrugs
225x20
315x10
405x10
455x8
505x5 - power shrugs - using these to get my body used to handling higher weights, for deads
Reverse Flyes - slight bend in elbows - going for reps
25x10
25x12x4
out of time…
You have a fearsome beard these days. Rivals Harry’s. Seems the longer it grows the higher your repped press weight.
To my eyes (biased I know), those millies looked smoother and more fluid than the ones you did at 205. That’s awesome work for a PR.
How did your shoulders feel during that pressing session?
Thats a hel of a PR for milies Strick and congrats to the misses on the pull.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Mrs. Strick’s Workout
Bench
barx8
65x5
85x5
90x4 - PR +2 Reps
90x3
85x4
Deadlift - yeah, baby!
135x5x2
160x5
185x5 - PR +1 Rep
200x0 - the weight, even though only 15# more, caught her by surprise
200x2 - PR +15# - Woo Hoo! Form sucked! But she kept her lower back neutral and got the reps. 2nd rep was better than the 1st. Fuckin’ A…2 bills! SHE was excited!
185x3
135x5
Lat Pulls
70x8
100x8x2 - PR +1 Rep
100x5
Awesome day for Mrs. Strick. She is doing wonderfully. More there for squats and deads. I just don’t want to put her in a position for her form to fall apart.
[/quote]
Amazing!
Send our Congrats and Best wishes!
Tony, I have let the beard get a bit longer. I used to trim it to a “4”, on my trimmer. Now I trim to an “8”. Right now, it needs to be trimmed, but I am enjoying the near mountain man look.
Speaking of hair and lifts. It seems to me that I lift better when my head hair is shorter. I know that sounds crazy, but it seems to hold true. Time for another haircut! Maybe I’ll shave it off!?
But the beard stays! I haven’t been beardless since 1996.
My wife and kids have never seen me without a beard.
PG, they didn’t feel smoother. In fact, on the last set, the reps felt slower. But, that my just be my not appreciating the effort used the time before. Only 15# to 225#. I would be thrilled to push a 5x5 with that…and incredibly pissed if I don’t.
The shoulder did fine until I hit 95#, then I started to feel it. It was pretty sharp the 1st and 2nd set at 210#, but eased off afterwards. I wanted to do laterals, but it hurt too much.
I have no illusions that the rehab will work overnight. It will take time.
Thanks, Joe and Null. Congrats have been passed along.