But most importantly… What did you lift?
I’m pretty weak, lol. Never had impressive strength numbers, so not kidding myself into thinking these are any good. I’m also light (176 this morning) and am careful because I lift alone in my garage. Excuses out of the way, here are the numbers…
OHP – 162
DL – 420
Bench – 232
Squat – 290
Those aren’t bad numbers at all, particularly at your current weight and given the fact you aren’t training for strength!
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Those are pretty good numbers. You are not going to win nationals with them, but you are stronger than almost everyone. A little practice (peaking) and you would easily break the 1000 lb barrier on the big three.
The OHP seems pretty strong in comparison to your bench at 70%. Mine is at 57% which is pretty terrible.
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Thanks, man! Yeah, I think bench/squat are probably my two biggest weakpoints. I’ve never done strength training with someone else – I think having a spotter/training partner would do a lot. I can’t imagine how much having a coach would help. But strength really isn’t a big goal to me. Maybe I should care about it more, but I’m more focused on physique and longevity.
What are your OHP/bench numbers?
How so?
I think long term progress it helps a lot. I think over a short period I could almost progress faster, but then stall out. Over years the progress is greater IMO if the coach knows what they are doing that is.
OHP is 210 lbs, Bench is 365 lbs. I will say I haven’t done a lot of OHP. I do z press quite a bit (can do 5 with 160). I think a bit of work on the OHP and 225 lbs would be there (maybe).
That’s still one hell of an OHP. You’re basically pressing your BW, which is the same as me. I’ve never tried the Z press but looks like it’d be much harder. Probably would help me out, given that I haven’t done it. Why do you like that variation?
Tried to push it too much and felt a tweak in my back. Instantly dropped the weight. Fortunately, I didn’t end up injured, but if I’d been determined to finish the lift, I surely would be out of commission right now. I think you just have a better gauge for how much you can lift when you’re testing it out regularly. Otherwise it’s largely a guessing game based on numbers from months ago that may no longer be accurate.
My coach mostly likes that variation. I actually hated it with a passion for a long time. It is miserable for a couple reasons. With you legs out in front of you and with the overhead movement breathing is difficult (I get dizzy if I push these hard). Additionally, you feel as if you are about to fall backwards at many points during the execution of set. You can use you legs a bit to stabilize, but they are in a weird position to exert force, and can and have cramped a few times in the hip flexors.
I was just done with the Z-press and started with OHP, then corona came, and I bought a home gym. It is in my basement with 7.5’ ceilings, so I can’t do standing overhead unless I want to buy a bunch of 5 lb weights (the 25s and bigger hit the ceiling). So now I am Z-pressing again. Luckily I have gotten used to them.
Scaplua area or low back?
It was low back. I actually don’t think I’ve ever tweaked my scapula on DLs, for some reason.
If you never have then you are doing well at keeping your chest and shoulders back. THAT is where I usually tweak. Usually towards the last couple of reps going heavy. That is where my form starts to fall apart. These days its just enough to be a reminder.
Low back is probably hip placement/height. Are you getting tired and dropping your hips to recruit the quads a bit more? Ive fucked myself up pretty good doing that. I remember hearing, it was either Dan John or Dave Tate, that the perfect spot is where you’d be if you were wearing a pair of chinos and trying to deadlift. Not the stretchy ones.
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Lol, that’s a phenomenal way to put it. I’ll remember that. Yep, I am probably dropping the hips too much. The powerlifts are such technical movements that, even though I’ve been doing them for 5+ years, they still feel largely foreign – like I’m learning something new every time I do them.
I see why so many people gravitate toward machines/light weights…they’re just so much easier to learn, seem less risky, etc. But obviously less bang for your buck.
Agreed. I am teaching my 13 year old and each session I am adding things on. I tell him I don’t expect him to memorize it all but I mention things as they come up or I see them. There is a lot to it.
You look weird all chalked up using a machine 
And, in most gyms, you never have to wait for a deadlift platform or power rack.
Man, I’ve seen the opposite around here – probably because I’m surrounded by college students. There’s way too much demand for the platforms and racks! That’s why I bought my own equipment.
Goals.
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Lately I’ve been struggling to get enough protein – around 150g per day. I’m cutting and 176 lbs ATM. Y’all think I need to get that up higher, or is 150 (0.85 g/lb) sufficient?
I don’t know shit about dieting.
I would try to up it to at least 1:1 but I’m really not well versed in nutrition. I know for me personally when I started eating way more protein than I originally thought I needed that’s when I really started to grow. I eat around 215g of protein a day (which may be overkill). Was hard to do at first but slowly worked up to it and now it’s easy. I only eat twice a day too. I’ve noticed even with being sick and not working out for 3 weeks I haven’t lost any noticeable muscle (yet) from what I can tell.
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Yep, basically be muscular and low bodyfat while not looking like a mutant. The only problem with the pic on the right is he would just look skinny if he had a shirt on. The one on the left will still look muscular with whatever clothes.