Watched this earlier today. I pull hook very rarely, but literally watch anything Ben puts out because he’s such a freak
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I’m still looking for that lightbulb moment where hook just clicks. It’s way better than it used to be but not quite dialled in.
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Wear tape around your thumb and hook grip is a bit more tolerable. It just takes time to get use to. I use hook grip for snatches and cleans. Took me a while before it “clicked” for me.
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For those sort of loads, hook isn’t an issue for me. Above 500 pounds, different story
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Oh yeah 500lbs is no joke lol.
God bless your thumbs man!
I’ll take whatever helps, thanks!
It’s generally fine on a DL bar, but I want it to feel that way on a standard bar. Amazing how much of a difference a millimeter makes.
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Last night shift last night, thank fuck.
Today’s training
Lazy lifter plus shoulders
CGBP
TM is 231 lbs
Work up from bar in 22 lbs x3-5 to 60%, all supersetted with one to five pull-up ladder - one to three wide overhand, four and five wide neutral
Working sets to TM and first joker set supersetted with five to one pull-up ladder - five and four wide neutral, three to one wide overhand
3x159 lbs, under 6 RPE
3x187 lbs, under 6 RPE
1x209 lbs, under 6 RPE
3x231 lbs, 9-10 RPE
On a whim moved my grip to comp grip
3x253 lbs, 9 RPE - need to work on keeping my butt down though
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZCtCHRFUcn/
Pissed off my butt lifted so
1x258 lbs, 8-9 RPE - GD butt! Need to dial in the butt kissing the bench but not lifting
Apart from the lifting very pleased. Gives me an idea of where to start for the prep phase
DB bench supersetted with DB rows
Bench 10x80 lbs, under 6 RPE, 2x10x90 lbs, 8 and 10 RPE - I’m thinking my TM for DB bench post meet will need to be higher than 100 lbs, maybe in the 110-120 lbs region
Rows 3x10x120 lbs - used Ben Pollack’s hook grip as I understand it and despite the light weight, goddamn! Very awesome.
Alternating hammer curls
3 sets at 25 lbs to 9 RPE with short rests
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Honestly can’t tell from the video haha. Just remember to wear a singlet with more fabric in the ass region when you compete, problem solved!
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Could go either way. I’ll just be super, super attentive to that part of my bench for the next five weeks.
When I look back, this week could hardly have gone any better. I feel better, I feel stronger and my confidence is up. Now I just need to keep this ball rolling until 22 October.
Briefly and with the clarity of no sleep
Week 1
DL work up to 506 lbs for one to three-ish (that’ll be around my opener)
Bench work up to 258 lbs for one to three (around my second)
Squat work up to 462 in sleeves for one to three (also my opener, except it’ll be in wraps)
CGBP just hit reps at TM
Week 2
DL work up to 539 lbs for one to three (around my second)
Bench work up to 264 lbs for one to three (between second and third)
Squat work up to 462 again or 473 lbs in sleeves depending on week one
CGBP hit TM for some reps
Week three
DL work up to 572 lbs for one to two - pigs might fly, but hey - and that’s DL done until meet day (around my third)
Bench work up to 269 lbs for one to three (nearing third)
Squat wraps go on work up to 495 to 506 lbs depending how things feel (around third)
CGBP TM for reps
Week four/week one of cycle eight
No DL, speed/groove squats instead tbc
Bench work up to 275 lbs for one (ideally more), last heavy bench
Squat wraps on work up to 506 to 510 lbs depending, last heavy squat
CGBP TM for reps
Week five/week two of cycle eight/meet week
Monday work up to squat penultimate warmup
Wednesday work to bench last warmup
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Here are the week’s highlights
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You’re not alone pal, pat has been pulling hook and it’s wreaking havoc on his thumbs so if it happens to the best I guess we can all expect the same haha
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Rant incoming.
More clarity(ish). I had a realisation earlier today (or yesterday, I forget) by apparently slightly irritating a friend of mine I met at the gym (lady in her 50s, came to PL late in life). I also lost a bit of respect for her, at least in the gym. Made me think, and possibly I’ve stated this before but it really came home to me now: being stronger than most people is no significant achievement at all, certainly not worthy of celebration. The vast majority of people are very weak, even though many have the potential to be strong. So being stronger than most means very little. What means something is being strong in the eyes of the strong - not necessarily as strong as them.
Big caveat, this just applies to physical strength. Mental strength is different, although it seems like very few strong people are mentally weak. Funny, that.
Anyway, all this came about in two conversations. One involved her bemoaning PED use in PL - I’m firmly in the ‘no shit, there’s PED use in all sports and it doesn’t lessen achievements’ camp - and one telling me off for disparaging another PLer at our gym for sucking (my words, and he does suck. Dude’s on gear and hasn’t put much if at all on his total in a year or so. He’s been PLing for about three or four years but you wouldn’t think it to look at him. He’s not a particularly bad guy, just a shitty PLer with a shitty attitude).
Anyway, I realised she sees anything better than average as good. It really took me aback that someone who trains where I do - where you have 700 pound plus squatters, 400 pound plus benchers, etc rubbing shoulders with pencilnecks and everyone in between, also a few IPF lifters doing some damn good work and probably not on gear - could think that. Her default whenever this sort of topic came up was that so and so wasn’t clean. Of course, her coach (great guy BTW, strong AF, humble, very helpful) has been and probably still is on gear. She knows this. Yet still looks down on gear users, or most of them. Because apparently dude I was bagging out is somehow not included in the ‘dirty’ group because according to her he’s really physically unsuited to PL.
That’s what gets my goat. You’ve got evidence in front of you that gear isn’t the sole determinant of success (seriously, one dude who’s on has bombed four straight years and counting plus old mate whose use obviously doesn’t do shit for him because his training is a shit show) and yet you still whinge about it and seem to have this weird fucking ideal of how gearless PL would be so much nicer; and you can see multiple cases of people who very quickly get way stronger than most and keep going, but still think that anything better than the bare minimum is a good result. I’d get it if it was someone who didn’t train. There’d be the excuse that you don’t know the sport at all. But this is someone who has actually competed FFS!
So, yeah. Pissed me off. I don’t think I’m better than people because I work sort of hard a few days a week in the gym. I kind of think I’m better than a lot of people because I’m honest about who I am (including knowing this makes me an arrogant SOB) and generally try to make a positive difference. What I do think is that it’s that fucking easy (seriously, it is. Do some work a few days a week. A few years later and bingo, you’re there. Not hard) to get to the stronger than most but not actually strong point that getting there means you’re just getting started. Saying it’s something that’s an achievement is like congratulating an average person for not repeatedly making the same mistake. It means your standards are fucking pathetic.
Funny thing is, this is someone with whom I get on like a house of fire in all other respects.
Maybe I’m just an arsehole. I really couldn’t care less.
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@kleinhound check the Ben Pollack video I posted. Might be a game changer. Slightly different approach to hook compared to @botslayer and Clint Darden, but seems like it might suit me better.
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Will do man! Pollack is a God damned animal
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Always find your rants interesting Mark. Reminds me of a story my friend told me recently. He was benching with a guy and they got talking about powerlifting world records and stuff. My friend was saying how crazy it is to imagine people benching that much and the other guy goes ‘yeah but they’re on steroids so it’s easy, anyone could do it if they used them’.
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Gem.
You’re not an arsehole, but she is entitled to her opinion. She is also an older lady, it basically guarantees that she will put her nose in your business.
What was Sucky Powerlifter’s reaction when you told him his geared lifts suck?
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I haven’t had to. He knows. It’s got to blow spending money on Test and being outlifted all the time.
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Interesting rant, I also tend to agree with you.
You’re in Canberra yeah? Where abouts do you train? (Is it any good? I’m looking for a new gym lol)
Also a fan of the weekly highlights.
Awesome work man
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Woke at 193.2 lbs, looking pretty tight. Pleased with how this is going.