[quote]Chris87 wrote:
[quote]Struan wrote:
[quote]louiek wrote:
[quote]Struan wrote:
I decided to go a bit heavier on Barbell Rows than I normally do. I’ve hadn’t gone above 135 before this. The criticism I always hear about Barbell Rows is that nobody can do them right because they go too heavy, so I was reluctant to put more weight on the bar. But I gave it a shot and kept the reps low. I ended with 185x3, video below.
Is this form acceptable? I know I kind jerk my body at the end to finish the rep.[/quote]
Not enough body language IMO. Heavy weight is good for rows. Nothing wrong with using some body language. The biggest, strongest men in the world don’t do strict barbell rows. They use some momentum to get the weight up. Kroc rows, for instance. They get you huge.[/quote]
Thanks. I will keep this in mind. I’ll give 185 for 5x3 a try next time and work my way to 5x5.
An observation and question for the thread:
I’ve just recently started video taping my compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, press, barbell and one-arm rows) and I’ve noticed that my form stays pretty good, even on sets when I think that it’s gone to shit while I’m doing the actual lift.
I feel like my obsession with keeping my form close to perfect has led to me not pushing my limits in terms of weight. Or reps, especially for the squat and deadlift. Has anybody else noticed this? Should I just stop pussy-footing and go up in weight even if I’m concerned my form won’t be as good?[/quote]
My opinion is that form should be perfect on all warm up and lighter sets.
For hard sets (really heavy, or a rep max), just “good” form is sufficient. Good meaning that your form is solid and not dangerous, but it’s not gonna be perfect.
When you’re pushing your limits, it aint always gonna be pretty. But it shouldn’t be ugly either.[/quote]
I hear you on the warm ups and light sets. I used to breeze through them, but now I really focus on those sets so they’re explosive with great form. I’m never not trying to have perfect form. But do I put on a weight that I know I can’t lift without knees caving/hips rising faster/back bending/elbows flaring/etc?
I think I could use my last squat workout as an example of what I mean, although it could also just be a collossal waste of space (this is 3x3 workout for 5/3/1 powerlifting):
I start with the bar and work up to 205 x 3 in 20-30 lb increments like a good little T-Nation reader. Form has been text book and explosive up to this point.
Then my 5/3/1 top set: 225 x3
On the last rep, I feel my knees come in a bit and my hips come up a bit before my shoulders. When I look at the video of it, though, it just looks like I strain for a half second then come up. Form is still really close to perfect. Then I work up and do some singles.
245 x1 - text book
265 x1 - just like that last rep of 225x3
285x1 - This rep, I feel my knees come in more than the last set and my hips rise faster than my shoulders. When I look at the video, you can tell that this happened, but it’s not ridiculous, I stay tight and finish the lift with form that pretty much everybody would consider safe, but not perfect.
Then I stopped squatting for the workout. My question is, should I be going for the 295 or 305, knowing that my form won’t be text book and might be toing the unsafe line?
Put another way, should my mentality be: I’m going for a “perfect form PR” or should it be “I’m going for a PR even if it gets sloppy, so long as I get my ass to below parallel, then stand back up.”
I would put Mr. Dave Tate’s mentality in this article, under ME Memories, as an extreme example of the second kind of mentality:
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/iron_evolution_phase_6&cr=
Hope that clarifies my question and maybe what others are wondering. I get the feeling this is a “it depends on your goal” kind of question, like most. But let’s say my goal is impressive strength and size without debilitating and acute pain, not “health, wellness and flexibility.”