I would have to agree with Meat on the milk crate. You need a box made of ashwood and put together with dove tails. Then you will have a box worthy of your numbers. Awesome workout and great form, dude you’re looking great. Stay strong and lift heavy brother.
Lookin good Steely! There IS a lot to think about for for the squat(for all three lifts actually.) Practice makes perfect!!
[quote]streamline wrote:
I would have to agree with Meat on the milk crate. You need a box made of ashwood and put together with dove tails. Then you will have a box worthy of your numbers. Awesome workout and great form, dude you’re looking great. Stay strong and lift heavy brother.[/quote]
A curly maple veneer to match the PRS you’ll be getting. Instead of ash, you may want Oak, to make sure it can hold the massive weights you’re moving.
This one is good for raw squatting. I think I’ve posted it before…
MM – Thanks! I’ll try to find or construct a real squat box— Maybe just use Skid’s ‘raw’ box.
o_s – My wrists were really stiff all day after those squats. Plus, the insides of my elbows really felt it from the Z-squats. Since when do the arms get so much work on squat day???
stream/M-in-M – Thanks!! Still got a long way to go!
sfp – Yes. I’m going to have a carved top on that puppy-- and a tremolo bar. Probably carved like the ‘Skid box’
Skid – I’m not sure what to fear most about that box-- the possibility of a ‘bare ass wedgy’ (I imagine that ridge gets ‘the stinkies’…) or the ‘ball pocket’-- I think mine are offset the opposite way… (uhh, have to check that…)
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
MM – Thanks! I’ll try to find or construct a real squat box— Maybe just use Skid’s ‘raw’ box.
o_s – My wrists were really stiff all day after those squats. Plus, the insides of my elbows really felt it from the Z-squats. Since when do the arms get so much work on squat day???
stream/M-in-M – Thanks!! Still got a long way to go!
sfp – Yes. I’m going to have a carved top on that puppy-- and a tremolo bar. Probably carved like the ‘Skid box’
Skid – I’m not sure what to fear most about that box-- the possibility of a ‘bare ass wedgy’ (I imagine that ridge gets ‘the stinkies’…) or the ‘ball pocket’-- I think mine are offset the opposite way… (uhh, have to check that…)[/quote]
Figuring that out is like one of those Mensa exercises of ‘guess the next pattern in the sequence’.
Bench/Chest/Tri
Bench:
(w/u: Bar x 10, 135x5)
5/3/1 Week
205x5 (Supposed to be 195#, but I’m a doofus)
220x3
245x5
Vid: - YouTube
Shoulder felt good this week, so long as I keep everything tight (scaps, elbows tucked, moderate width grip). Hoping to progress steadily. 315 by the end of the year?
Incline DB Press
55x10
75x5
100x9
110x3
(DC chest stretch 30-40sec x2)
DB Lateral Raise (light shoulder set)
20x15
25x12 +5 +2
Lying DB tricep ext
30x10
35x10
40x8
Dips
BW x 3 – these HURT the shoulders, so homeslice backed off…
Rec. Bike: 30min L10
Not too much volume, but I. AM. WHACKED!! Maybe the intensity was up. Maybe because of the max attempt. Maybe that is just right, dunno.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Bench/Chest/Tri
Bench:
(w/u: Bar x 10, 135x5)
5/3/1 Week
205x5 (Supposed to be 195#, but I’m a doofus)
220x3
245x5
Vid: - YouTube
Shoulder felt good this week, so long as I keep everything tight (scaps, elbows tucked, moderate width grip). Hoping to progress steadily. 315 by the end of the year?
Incline DB Press
55x10
75x5
100x9
110x3
(DC chest stretch 30-40sec x2)
DB Lateral Raise (light shoulder set)
20x15
25x12 +5 +2
Lying DB tricep ext
30x10
35x10
40x8
Dips
BW x 3 – these HURT the shoulders, so homeslice backed off…
Rec. Bike: 30min L10
Not too much volume, but I. AM. WHACKED!! Maybe the intensity was up. Maybe because of the max attempt. Maybe that is just right, dunno.[/quote]
Shoot man - you made that 245x5 look easy! nice job!
[quote]soldog wrote:
Shoot man - you made that 245x5 look easy! nice job![/quote]
Yup! Lookin’ good, Homeslice! 
Young man! Put your thumbs around that bar! Good benching, good form.
just watched your vid. looks pretty good. i know you have some shoulder issues but that grip needs to come out a bit more. as you press, your forearms angle in a bit. you want them to be at least perpendicular to the bar. you also need to get your feet farther under you. this will put you into a more declined position and a tighter arch. there are two ways to do this. you can get your feet back and stay up on your toes like me or you can get them back as far as you can but still have them flat footed.
if you want your feet flat, they should be back so far that you have to push really hard to get the heals down. i put my feet back so far that i’m forcing down with my heels but they ain’t going to the floor. either way, you need to force your heels down. this is how you get your legs into the motion and keeps the body in an arch.
SD- Nice set…smooth and strong. Looking good!
I couldn’t help but notice the gent on the right side of the screen. He was doing, I guess, some sort of seated row. Given the lack of tension in his movements, I’m not sure he remembered to put the pin in the machine…
Edit: And sfp, I know that wasn’t you! Just thought I would head you off at the pass
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Bench/Chest/Tri
Bench:
(w/u: Bar x 10, 135x5)
5/3/1 Week
205x5 (Supposed to be 195#, but I’m a doofus)
220x3
245x5
Vid: - YouTube
Shoulder felt good this week, so long as I keep everything tight (scaps, elbows tucked, moderate width grip). Hoping to progress steadily. 315 by the end of the year?
Incline DB Press
55x10
75x5
100x9
110x3
(DC chest stretch 30-40sec x2)
DB Lateral Raise (light shoulder set)
20x15
25x12 +5 +2
Lying DB tricep ext
30x10
35x10
40x8
Dips
BW x 3 – these HURT the shoulders, so homeslice backed off…
Rec. Bike: 30min L10
Not too much volume, but I. AM. WHACKED!! Maybe the intensity was up. Maybe because of the max attempt. Maybe that is just right, dunno.[/quote]
You’re a beast. I mean that in the best way. I need to find a song for you. I’m putting Barry White on my Ipod now.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
SD- Nice set…smooth and strong. Looking good!
I couldn’t help but notice the gent on the right side of the screen. He was doing, I guess, some sort of seated row. Given the lack of tension in his movements, I’m not sure he remembered to put the pin in the machine…
Edit: And sfp, I know that wasn’t you! Just thought I would head you off at the pass :)[/quote]
Nice try, but I’m pretty sure that was me warming up right before my Pilates class.
Nice work, Steely. I wish I had your arch.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
just watched your vid. looks pretty good. i know you have some shoulder issues but that grip needs to come out a bit more. as you press, your forearms angle in a bit. you want them to be at least perpendicular to the bar. you also need to get your feet farther under you. this will put you into a more declined position and a tighter arch. there are two ways to do this. you can get your feet back and stay up on your toes like me or you can get them back as far as you can but still have them flat footed.
if you want your feet flat, they should be back so far that you have to push really hard to get the heals down. i put my feet back so far that i’m forcing down with my heels but they ain’t going to the floor. either way, you need to force your heels down. this is how you get your legs into the motion and keeps the body in an arch. [/quote]
Thanks for the info.
re: grip width. Middle fingers on the rings seems to be the most comfortable, but I’ll try to bring them out a little. Next week is deload, so that will be a good time to ease in the wider grip. With the grip I was using my arms are actually a little wider than perpendicular to the bar at my chest-- I think the camera angle makes it look otherwise. I’ll still go a little wider.
re: feet. I was playing around with the arch and having my toes touch. I can do that, but how do you get ‘leg drive’ without having the whole foot down? Just curious.
re: grip. Does it matter thumb vs. no thumb (thanks HEL for thinking of my safety 
)
Looks like my sticking point is about 3-5 inches off my chest-- that last set, I think the 3rd rep I hit a wall then eeeked through it (spotter swears he didn’t touch the bar). Pin/board presses?
Funny, this morning my shoulder is frozen. I think the benching plus sleeping on it just killed it. I can’t sleep on my side anymore (either side)…
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
You’re a beast. I mean that in the best way. I need to find a song for you. I’m putting Barry White on my Ipod now.[/quote]
Barry White + StaticX on iPod = WIN.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
SD- Nice set…smooth and strong. Looking good!
I couldn’t help but notice the gent on the right side of the screen. He was doing, I guess, some sort of seated row. Given the lack of tension in his movements, I’m not sure he remembered to put the pin in the machine…
Edit: And sfp, I know that wasn’t you! Just thought I would head you off at the pass :)[/quote]
Thanks dog, math, hel, LS-- still a long, long, long way to go…
Did you notice the person doing dips during my 3rd set? They have so much counterweight, that at the top of the dip, they’re levitating…
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Thanks for the info.
re: grip width. Middle fingers on the rings seems to be the most comfortable, but I’ll try to bring them out a little. Next week is deload, so that will be a good time to ease in the wider grip. With the grip I was using my arms are actually a little wider than perpendicular to the bar at my chest-- I think the camera angle makes it look otherwise. I’ll still go a little wider.
re: feet. I was playing around with the arch and having my toes touch. I can do that, but how do you get ‘leg drive’ without having the whole foot down? Just curious.
re: grip. Does it matter thumb vs. no thumb (thanks HEL for thinking of my safety )
Looks like my sticking point is about 3-5 inches off my chest-- that last set, I think the 3rd rep I hit a wall then eeeked through it (spotter swears he didn’t touch the bar). Pin/board presses?
Funny, this morning my shoulder is frozen. I think the benching plus sleeping on it just killed it. I can’t sleep on my side anymore (either side)…[/quote]
it could just be camera angle. it could also be that you are flaring too soon.
leg drive is basically keeping the lower half tight, using the legs to force yourself into a tight arch, and getting a pop out of the bottom by flexing the hams and ass. i find that getting up on my toes puts me more into a declined position having less range of motion and more power off the chest. i find that that is more beneficial to me than being able to drive my heels into the floor. i’ve tried both and i can bench a lot more up on my toes.
i use thumbless because i can support the weight with my thumbs and put the bar directly over my forearms. you, obviously, need to be careful but i find it very beneficial.
part of your sticking point is not staying tight throughout the motion. getting your feet back farther and getting tighter will give you more power off the chest. also try to hold your breath the entire set. i’ve conditioned myself to hold my breath for up to 5 reps paused at the chest. it takes some practice but it will definitely keep you tight. whenever you breath you loose tightness.
i would definitley look into doing some heavy partial movements such as floor press, boards and pin presses.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Thanks dog, math, hel, LS-- still a long, long, long way to go…
Did you notice the person doing dips during my 3rd set? They have so much counterweight, that at the top of the dip, they’re levitating…[/quote]
You’re right! His hands would release, it appeared, and he didn’t drop at all.
Also, on the hair trigger spotter…that is so annoying. I know he meant well, but it is still a mindf*ck. My wife did that to me on my last set, Sunday. I had to explain that a momentary “stick” doesn’t mean “Stuck.”
Nice pressing SteelyD
I like the bandana - is the beanie retire for spring?
and sadly I did notice 1/4 counterweight dip guy…
kmc