All my lifts are beltless, sleeveless, strapless etc. I have never held a belt in my hand, lol. Most times i dont even have shoes. And my bench is paused, as i dont know how to do touch and go. I dont know if that changes much in the fact that my numbers are not so good(altho the streght chart puts me in advanced for all lifts).
I donāt like belts either. I use straps because my hands are very, very small.
Iām not sure how much it affects my 1rm, but it certainly helps when my grip gives out during higher rep sets. I donāt (usually) pause my bench, though I never go for 1rm on bench either as it seems like a great way to end up with a pec tear/RC injury.
me too, depending on the lift Iām usually advanced to elite (for a very few specific lifts like barbell rows). Though my squat/OHP are shit so Iām intermediate there.
What do you think of hex bar deadlifts as a replacement for conventional DL alongside RDLās and power cleans?
RDls are good but what about sumo? Have u tried it?
Yes, but I prefer hex bar DLās. Sumo feels like cheating for me, it shortens the ROM to likeā¦ nothing. The movement also feels uncomfortable despite allowing me to lift more weight as Iām not used to the stance allocated for sumo DLās
Is there anything wrong with the hex bar in terms of developing raw power/strength?
Iād like to note the way I perform a hex bar deadlift is slightly unconventional. I typically flip the bar over as to avoid using the higher handles, when performing the lift I purposefully lean forward and alter my foot positioning to set it up akin to the position Iād use for a conventional DL, the difference is on the way up the hex bar allows for a little more leeway regarding the way that I move. I find this way Iām still able to primarily target the hamstrings/lower back (as with traditional hex bar movement I find it hits the quads pretty hard) similar to a conventional deadlift BUT with less stress on my lower back.
Hex bars also allow for loaded carries after Iāve completed my reps (so I can totally gas myself out), standard barbells donāt
I dont have enough experience so i cant answer. But i dont think the exercise matters if you get stronger - im sure doing only box squats would increase your squat also so i think every dl variation also would build strenght in deadlift muscles.
I am not entirely sure I understand your question here, but it seem as though you are asking if your OHP and bench carryover to one another?
I donāt believe that is there much carryover between flat bench and OHP. Some middleweight pro strongmen bench 500 and OHP 350-400. One middleweight pro strongman that I know overhead presses more than he benches. Most powerlifters I have met canāt overhead press 1/2 of their 1RM bench.
OHP is such a vastly different movement from flat bench that there is very little carryover. And most of the time the reason that OHP and bench are so far apart for a lifter is because he trains one and not the other.
Since I started strongman, my bench has fallen off a bit, but my OHP has gone up A LOT. 2 years ago I hit 205 on bench and could barely OHP (push press, not strict press) 225. Today I am a 300+ pound overhead presser and my bench is probably in the mid 300ās on a good day.
These are pretty good lifts. For a powerlifter, they would not be so hot though for your size. The good news is you have plenty of size to get strong for awhile IMO.
I think generally strength takes time to build. I think AAS are better at building muscle than strength. You havenāt been at it all that long, so I bet you get some good gains going into the next year.
This makes them more impressive. Also as you said, they are not true maxes.
I would get sleeves and a belt. Get a good belt if you are going to buy one (I bought twice, because I got a cheap one). The belt makes lifts like squat and deadlift safer, and when you learn how to use it, it will increase your lifts a bit.
The sleeves IMO, are something everyone should use. I had constant knee pain after squat sessions (nothing terrible, just a bit of ache). After buying a pair, I never get knee pain after squatting. They wonāt add much weight to your squat. They might extend your squatting career though. I think of them as a longevity tool. My sleeves are just cheap ones, and they work fine. If you want to squeeze out 5-10 lbs out of your squat, some super tight SBD brand ones might do that.
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Yes, i know that powerlifters half my size lift more than i do - thats why i turned to this game myself. Its all new for me and its all fun.
Also i dont really know how to max good - most times i do, i just injure myself or fry my CNS. Im still learning even to train.
This is exactly what im thinking - as my strenght is shit for my actual size, i was thinking i could gain strenght without gaining more size? What do you think? No one has been able to answer this for me.
As soon as i started eating over maintenance, my size blew up 40lbs and of course some is fat, but most is not, as i still have some abs even and my arms are always lean(genetics) and they grew like 3,5cm(1,3 inches or smth)ā¦
So i was hoping by lowering all the doses and stopping this weight gain, i might be able to still gain strenght?
As i come from Krav Maga and military background, i kinda tell myself and everyone that āi train for real world strenghtā - whatever that means, but the idea is that i believe that it only matters how much i can lift if i can lift it in my underpants also. So im hoping to stick to no extra stuff for as long as i can, if that is not considered very bad. As i am not pushing my true maxes at all(i plan on testing my approx 95% maxes and calling them my maxes on july - since im doing 531, id just take my 95% week and add two extra singles with +5% each) i hope i wont fuck myself up too much. I would really love to be able to do 300kg dead beltless.
I have a huge respect for Dan Green who actually does beltless deads only like 40kg lighter than his competition best. And i also dislike all the stuff because of the kids who wear sleeves and straps and belts while deadlifting 2 plates, or they wrist wrap for 220lb bench 
You can absolutely get stronger without gaining weight. I have actually been getting stronger while losing weight for about the past 18 months. To be fair I believe I was a lot fatter than you. But even now, I am more or less maintaining my weight and getting stronger at around 16% BF. From what little bit I have seen you are still quite a bit leaner than that, but I believe you should still be able to increase strength a lot through the form of 2 main mechanisms. One you have direct control over (perfecting form/technique) and one you have indirect control over (CNS adaptations).
You obviously are not weak, but I believe that, in training for pure strength, you should still have much untapped potential.
As for not using wraps and belts. I think it is excellent to learn how to lift without these things, but there is a lot to be said about being āsaferā while lifting, and belts and wraps and sleeves allow you to be safer. Thereās a reason even the best powerlifters use these things. It allows you to SAFELY lift even more than you could without them.
Some people (myself included) benefit greatly from lifting without these things because they have come to rely too heavily on the lifting aides. But you can bet your ass I always wear these on heavy lifts and at competitions.
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I have gained strength while losing weight slowly. You probably wonāt get massive increase in strength like on a bulk (which can be like being on steroids lol).
I think using a belt can increase your beltless numbers too. I just hit most of my warmups beltless. Iāll hit 315 lbs on squat before adding the belt. Iāll usually go up to about 500 lbs on deads before adding it.
The belt can actually teach you to brace better than beltless. A bit of work on bracing with your belt, and you might just find you are more stable without it too.
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@mnben87 @wsmwannabe - so, lets say im sticking to 260lbs for a while and i want to maximize my strenght potential of this sizeā¦
what about training volume? my CNS cant handle much heavy weights so im doing 531 up to a top set and im done with thatā¦ what about assistance work? i usually do 3x10 assistance, so after 531 squats i do 3x10 box squats or lunges, after deads i do good mornings, after bench i do incline, after press i do seated DB press with legs in front of me(sitting on the floor)ā¦
i always wonder if that is enough for that, as im not trying to build more muscle, as i can barelly fit into any clothes as it is(living in a country where people are poor and skinny, and whats XXL for us, fits exactly on my ONE leg ) ?
i tried doing more heavy sets as i tought i just need more practice, but doing anything over 90% kills me in 2-3 daysā¦
Youāre already a pretty well trained individual, and Iāll let @mnben87 handle the volume type questions as he has a better powerlifting brain than I do. As a pretty well trained individual, I donāt think it is smart to live in the 90%+ range for more than 1-2 training sessions in a row. You can still build plenty of strength through progressive overload and sticking to lifts at or below 85% of your 1RM.
1 thing that my coach taught me is that you can either train for strength or test your strength. You canāt do both. It sounds to me like your trying to train strength by testing strength. I did that for YEARS and I didnāt amount to a whole lot after a certain point.
Sure you can get stronger by going as heavy as you can for a while, but really that only works for people that are still relatively new to training.
You have to pull back a little (itās hard, I know) and actually build strength. In your case, even though youāre already pretty strong, I think a pre-made template should still be able to do wonders for you strength wise. Itāll help you understand progressive overload and how you should feel after youāre done training.
Training box squats as assistance work to squats just sounds fucking rough to me. I would look at more unilateral or muscle group focused lifts (i.e BSS or hamstring curls/extension just to name a couple). Something light-ish and easy on the body/joints (you could use tempo work and use light weight which will REALLY taxes the muscles but not the connective tissue or joints). Not to say box squats have no value, but I feel like you would want to back the weight off ALOT after doing heavy back squats.
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i did that for a long time also, so i cant really say im strenght training for 1 and a half year, cuz i wasted half of it on this crap
i know assistance is supposed to be LIGHT and it is lightā¦ today i did 190kg for reps on 531 and i use only 90kg on box squatsā¦
sometimes i do lunges, but those fuck my knees up a bit much, and also my shoulder mobility is crap, so most times i end lunges cuz im losing a hold of the bar, just as good mornings just squeeze my neck too much as i cant do low bar on them(dont have that speciality bar as all my country is closed and i train in a storage unit where i just put old USSR rack, bench and bought a barbell)
I am a mediocre powerlifter, but have some insights on programming. I for the most part keep a couple reps in the tank. If I do a set of 5, typically I could do 7 or 8. I train bench a bit harder, and respond to it well that way.
I like keeping assistance to a few movements, but actually try to progress on them. Adding weight, reps or sets. I try to keep these fairly consistent and lifts I like. I have been progressing the chin up lately. Iāll either add a 5 to the dip belt, or add a rep, or a set. Just doing a tad more over time.
so do you think 3x10 is enought for assistance after 531 top set?
after that ofc some pull work, abs etcā¦
Thatās hard to answer
If you are trying to build a specific muscle (hypertrophy) you made need more like a 4x15 rep/set scheme.
If you are using tempo work to increase time under tension, 3x10 would be good.
If you are trying to increase explosiveness on a plyo swing or through broad jumps, you could have a 3x4 or 4x3 pattern.
GENERALLY, 3x10 is a good middle ground for all of those things, but it greatly depends on the intent of the movement. I guess to more directly answer your question, 3x10 is ok and can be used as a starting point
Depends on the person, how hard it is, etcā¦ Some of this is experimentation. What can you recover from, what canāt you. What gets you stronger in the long term (hint, it might be different than short term).
Is 4x12-15 generally harder to recover from than 3x10 or easier? Whats your suggestion for me?
You will be fine with either of those with respect to recovery, so try them both and see which you like more. What is going to affect your recovery most with respect to lifting is your main lifts and the volume/intensity you use there. Also, Sleepā¦ sleep is the best PED Iāve ever been on. Sleep is your number one recovery source, and nutrition is a close second. If I remember correctly you said you only sleep like 4-5 hours a night. Try to get 8. If that feels impossible, shoot for 6 hours of sleep. Then once you get that down, shoot for 7 hours sleep, or even 6.5. Sleep more and sleep harder.
Appropriate sleep helps with recovery AND fat loss. Lack of sleep is actually a huge contributor to fat gain and/or maintaining fat.
Iām glad you posted this. I now have access to a trap bar and I was wondering how much more I could deadlifts the the neutral grip and higher starting height. I was thinking it would be good for 50+ lbs.