Awesome work Snap!!
Great job on the Squat Snap !!! 
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Today I tested out my max in my new wide-stance Centurion squat suit. Something my husband has always said is that if a sport is gear-dependent, get the best. And he’s right. It is really, really hard work for me in this suit, but I see the payoff in terms of numbers. The forward pull is outrageous. I have to fight so hard to not GM the bar and fall forward.
Squat
5/45
5/95
3/120 belt
2/140
1/150
1/175 knee wraps, suit straps down, just seating the suit
1/190 knee wraps, suit straps down, more seating of the suit
1/205 full gear but not deep enough
1/220 Good and a geared PR!
1/225 Two attempts on one walkout with lots of crazy weirdness and nowhere near deep enough
1/225 PR @ roughly double BW!
Stopped there. I was exhausted. My CNS is not prepared for these weights. My legs can handle it, but I felt sick and dizzy after my final three attempts. Walking out the 220 and 225 twice was really, really hard for me. And I squatted those weights with the speed of a tortoise. Very, very sluggish down and up.
So I’ll set my current geared 1 RM at 225 even though it’s probably a wee bit higher.
I need to do a couple of things to get prepared to handle heavier weights. Heavy walkouts (stumble-outs, in my case) and reverse bands to train my CNS. Also some explosive work like sprints or plyo jumps like Rick has suggested. And I gotta work my abs. I just gotta.
I bailed on accessory work but will either do it tonight or tomorrow early.
[/quote]
DAMN!
Absolutely Marvelous!
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Here’s my 225-lb. squat video.
I look like I’m going to hurl at the end. Which is how I felt.[/quote]
Nice job. Believe it or not, I can still remember the days when I first hit 225 and 315. It’s an awesome feeling to break a (self imposed) barrier like that. Clearly there’s a lot more there for you.
Today was bench day. I did threes with progressively heavier weight. Bottom line is that my bench strength goes from solid to zilch very quickly. Did reverse bands to start getting used to handling heavier weights and working the lockout. My stability in holding heavy weight is still suspect.
GEAR TALK
I got a new bench shirt. It’s an F6 custom made with a smaller chest plate, longer sleeves, and longer torso. I tried it on today and found that it fits in a real snug and painful way. I will say that it is going to take some serious weight to get the bar to touch. And since I’m not a strong bencher, it will be very interesting finding that sweet spot where I have enough weight to touch but enough strength to press it out. I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I’ll probably spend the next eight weeks leading up to my meet learning how to work with the shirt rather than building my raw strength. In some ways, I feel a bit guilty about this. But I recognize that if you don’t maximize the gear’s potential, you might as well compete raw. And this shirt is going to require some serious work. I think the groove will be very tight.
After bench and reverse band bench, I did pecs on the pec deck, rear delts, DB rows, tricep pushdowns, and some external rotation work for the cuff. And I did planks! I’m committed to my abs now.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Today was bench day. I did threes with progressively heavier weight. Bottom line is that my bench strength goes from solid to zilch very quickly. Did reverse bands to start getting used to handling heavier weights and working the lockout. My stability in holding heavy weight is still suspect.
GEAR TALK
I got a new bench shirt. It’s an F6 custom made with a smaller chest plate, longer sleeves, and longer torso. I tried it on today and found that it fits in a real snug and painful way. I will say that it is going to take some serious weight to get the bar to touch. And since I’m not a strong bencher, it will be very interesting finding that sweet spot where I have enough weight to touch but enough strength to press it out. I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I’ll probably spend the next eight weeks leading up to my meet learning how to work with the shirt rather than building my raw strength. In some ways, I feel a bit guilty about this. But I recognize that if you don’t maximize the gear’s potential, you might as well compete raw. And this shirt is going to require some serious work. I think the groove will be very tight.
After bench and reverse band bench, I did pecs on the pec deck, rear delts, DB rows, tricep pushdowns, and some external rotation work for the cuff. And I did planks! I’m committed to my abs now.[/quote]
Good job on gettin those abs in…
I don’t think you should feel guilty, if you progress with the bench shirt, I’m sure it’ll translate to raw bench.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Today was bench day. I did threes with progressively heavier weight. Bottom line is that my bench strength goes from solid to zilch very quickly. Did reverse bands to start getting used to handling heavier weights and working the lockout. My stability in holding heavy weight is still suspect.
GEAR TALK
I got a new bench shirt. It’s an F6 custom made with a smaller chest plate, longer sleeves, and longer torso. I tried it on today and found that it fits in a real snug and painful way. I will say that it is going to take some serious weight to get the bar to touch. And since I’m not a strong bencher, it will be very interesting finding that sweet spot where I have enough weight to touch but enough strength to press it out. I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I’ll probably spend the next eight weeks leading up to my meet learning how to work with the shirt rather than building my raw strength. In some ways, I feel a bit guilty about this. But I recognize that if you don’t maximize the gear’s potential, you might as well compete raw. And this shirt is going to require some serious work. I think the groove will be very tight.
After bench and reverse band bench, I did pecs on the pec deck, rear delts, DB rows, tricep pushdowns, and some external rotation work for the cuff. And I did planks! I’m committed to my abs now.[/quote]
Can I make a recommendation since both of us struggle with bench relative to our other lifts? When I got my current shirt it was waaaay too much for me. When I realised I could use it if I let it ride up I got better with it. I’d been used to jacking my old shirt and tried the same with the Katana. I still can’t do much with it fully jacked down. I let it ride up my neck so it doesn’t take as much weight to touch. As I get heavier I tweak it down a tiny bit.
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
Can I make a recommendation since both of us struggle with bench relative to our other lifts? When I got my current shirt it was waaaay too much for me. When I realised I could use it if I let it ride up I got better with it. I’d been used to jacking my old shirt and tried the same with the Katana. I still can’t do much with it fully jacked down. I let it ride up my neck so it doesn’t take as much weight to touch. As I get heavier I tweak it down a tiny bit.[/quote]
I have no intention of belting or tweaking the shirt for some time. This will be a process, which will start with straight sleeves, no belt, and only pressing to boards. My shirt is only an F6. But the chest plate is tight. I’m not used to that. I can’t even imagine a Katana! My coach is a marvel with shirting. He knows how to do it all. I’m guessing I got about a 30% gain from my shirt at the last meet because of his talents. I should be able to easily get a BW geared bench at my next meet, which is nothing to write home about but still more than I’ve ever done at a meet before. I’m getting excited to try out the shirt in the coming weeks.
Thanks for chiming in. I always appreciate your feedback.
holy hell that squat Snap!!
congrats on anawesome milestone PR
using the gear is part of the game.
sounds like training smart to me.
I would definitely not be guilty about the shirt. Like you said, you’re in a geared federation so why not take advantage of it?
I heard you say in the other thread that your husband likes fast motorcycles. Is he a track rider by any chance? I’m lucky to have 4 tracks all within driving distance to allow me to quench my need to go too fast.
james
[quote]atypical1 wrote:
I heard you say in the other thread that your husband likes fast motorcycles. Is he a track rider by any chance?
james[/quote]
No. He just likes to ride his Ducati fast.
Today’s training: DL
RDL
8/45
Sumo DL
5/115
5/145 belt
3/170
3/175
3/180
Conventional DL
1/195
1/210
I’ve developed a bit of performance anxiety with DLing. Don’t like being watched when pulling singles. What’s up with that?
I’m in the final stages of writing my program for the next eight weeks, which will lead me up to meet time. I’m really anguishing over the accessory work . . . find the best bang for my buck. I’ll start on the new program next week.
Congrats. I have to admit to never really doing bench, but I’m always impressed with it.
is it maybe about how you have trouble gripping and ripping if you feel someone may be critiquing your form?
(you are the biggest form Nazi I know - and i mean that as a compliment, btw)
dunno.
why do you think it might be?
Little lady, you are a machine. That’s a helluva squat. And your new avatar is incredibly distracting… and hot.
Hey Snap have you ever played around with the Gillingham deadlift program of alternating max rack pull weeks with medium weeks for 5’s? I am thinking about trying it, never have, but i’ve heard some good things about it. Just haven’t pulled the trigger on it.
I did half of the Gillingham program. I think it’s a really good one. But I’m struggling mentally with DL right now and opted to bail on it because there are so many sets. I’d love to see how you do on it.
I just finished writing my program for the next training cycle, which will lead up to my next meet. I will do conventional-stance rack pulls (3 x 5) as accessory work on squat day. On DL day, I will work up to 3 x 3 sumo and finish off with two singles in conventional stance. This is purely experimental. I’m not planning to pull anything crazy at my next meet. 248 lb. is what I want.
Well maybe i’ll give it a go. You said a lot of sets, meaning the accessory work?