I’m actually working on not having to pull as high and getting under the bar lower. Kind of a timing thing. Definitely not down in a full or even half squat. Next session I may try and take some vids so I can see how far I’m getting under. Found out from other vids what you thinking you’re doing ain’t necessarily happening. Right now I’m trying to find the perfect weight to work with. Too light and I have a tendency to yank the bar too high and not even dip under it at all.
This morning:
Ok, like I told Jimmy T I was going to I gave the Sumo deadlift a shot. Hmmm…yeah there’s some flexibility issues there. Got to study some vids. I was trying to keep my back straight and use all legs. Didn’t succeed. Had to bend at the waist some. Didn’t use enough weight to really get the feel yet. Went and put the safety bar low in the power rack, grabbed it and pulled myself down into position as a stretching move. Make sense?
Sumo deadlift
135 x ? x 5
Conventional Deads
225x6
315x6
375x4
405x2
435x2
Shrugs
225x Max x 4
Assisted pullups
3x8x4
Hammer Lat pulldowns
180 x 8 x 4
Off to cook breakfast at the Vets home now. Everyone enjoy what’s left of the weekend.
Thanks Steely, been neglecting them a little lately in my quest to recover my lost squats. Always liked the deadlift. About the most fundamental lift there is.
Squats
135wu
185x8x2 (to sitting on a bench, awkward, could definitely feel it more in my legs though)
225x8x4 (stop at bottom, trying to get depth)
Bench
135wu
225x8
245x8
275x5x3
Hammer Incline
90wu
200x8x4
Hammer dip machine
90wu
140x12x4
Calve Raises
115x Max x 4
Off for a few days. Was at the gym real early. Took my wife to the movies to see the newest Mummy movie. Anything with Jet Li or Jackie Chan she’s got to see. Looking forward to my time off. Early to the gym every morning, swim at night. Building some new cabinets for the kitchen in between. Life is good.
Yes life is good! Sumo is funny in that as you up the weight you have to stay diciplined and keep pulling in the position till the bar breaks the plateform.That is tuff cause you want to lean forward and dip and once you do its over at a max attempt.Your training is always intense and focused hel.Wish I could train with you once!!!
hel, agree with you on the DL being the most fundamental lift. Of the three PL lifts, it is the one that I have improved the most on. Your height and overall size also helps a lot with this lift. The squats look great also. I hope the shoulder is cooperating?
All I did yesterday was work on my cabinets and my wives “since you’re off” list. Did manage to get a swim in last night. Had the hardest time posting. Was taking forever for the pages to come up here.
This morning
C&J, floor up
135wu,225x1x8 (all form work)
Snatchs, floor up
135x1x8sets (form)
Just not getting down low enough under the bar. Maybe half squat at best. Flexibility. Going to have to start doing some overhead squats.
Cable rope curls
70xMax x4
Face pulls
90x10x4
abs
Sumo deadlift (still trying)
135 x 6 x 5
Stiff legged DL
135wu, 225x8x4
Shrugs
225x Max x 4
Assisted pullups
3x8x4
Hammer Lat pulldowns
180 x 8 x 4
CGB (for tris)
135x12, 185x10, 225x8
Dips 3x8xBW
Tri ext (rope)
110xmax x 4
Tried to keep my back straight on the sumos. Did the power cage safety bar pull myself down into position thingy as a stretching move again.
Sumo deadlift (still trying)
135 x 6 x 5
Stiff legged DL
135wu, 225x8x4
Shrugs
225x Max x 4
Assisted pullups
3x8x4
Hammer Lat pulldowns
180 x 8 x 4
CGB (for tris)
135x12, 185x10, 225x8
Dips 3x8xBW
Tri ext (rope)
110xmax x 4
Tried to keep my back straight on the sumos. Did the power cage safety bar pull myself down into position thingy as a stretching move again.
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Have you considered front squatting using a sumo stance as a stretching regimen? Might be easier to let the weight press you down rather than to pull yourself down.
My front squat sucks too but I saw a picture of a guy using vise grips to hold the bar across his shoulders, if noones looking, i might try that.
Got through with my cabinets today and took a look around this site. Something I’ve noticed. Lot of injuries and semi-injuries. I have never had a lifting related injury. All my injuries were from other “accidents”.
Lots of those kinds. I get DOMS but that goes away pretty quick. Started to get a SLAP tear once but the doctor said it healed itself. Don’t think it was a real tear. Never pulled a muscle, tendon, and I’m inflexible as hell.
I’m sure my form on some lifts leaves a lot to be desired. On the bench I hold the bar on my chest to stretch but for everything else maybe a couple of arm swings or deep knee bends if I think about it.
Never really worried about it til I started reading here a lot. Have read some studies on my throwing sites that for short, “explosive” events pre stretching actually decreases performance.
Am I advocating not stretching. Hell no. Just wandering if it’s only a matter of time before we all have an injury? Never should’ve bit that apple.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
My front squat sucks too but I saw a picture of a guy using vise grips to hold the bar across his shoulders, if noones looking, i might try that.
Got through with my cabinets today and took a look around this site. Something I’ve noticed. Lot of injuries and semi-injuries. I have never had a lifting related injury. All my injuries were from other “accidents”.
Lots of those kinds. I get DOMS but that goes away pretty quick. Started to get a SLAP tear once but the doctor said it healed itself. Don’t think it was a real tear. Never pulled a muscle, tendon, and I’m inflexible as hell. I’m sure my form on some lifts leaves a lot to be desired.
On the bench I hold the bar on my chest to stretch but for everything else maybe a couple of arm swings or deep knee bends if I think about it. Never really worried about it til I started reading here a lot.
Have read some studies on my throwing sites that for short, “explosive” events pre stretching actually decreases performance. Am I advocating not stretching. Hell no. Just wandering if it’s only a matter of time before we all have an injury? Never should’ve bit that apple.
[/quote]
Your bench warmup rep is fantastic! Or as my 10 y.o. daughter says ‘da bomb!’ Thanks for explaining that a while back.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
My front squat sucks too but I saw a picture of a guy using vise grips to hold the bar across his shoulders, if noones looking, i might try that.
[/quote]
You can do it with straps too - doesn’t look silly at all.
Comes with the territory if you’re constantly pushing the boundaries in one way or another - going for extremes.
I’m trying a more graded approach to increasing strength than in the past. The limit singles were consistently injuring me, so I’m kind of “sneaking up” on strength now. Doug Hepburn was never injured in his entire career as a weightlifter so far as I know. I’d like to emulate that.
It’s actually a mistake to stretch before any strength training as it does weaken you. The thing to do is go for joint mobility rather than muscle stretching. For instance, you can kick your foot higher than than you can hold in a stretch. The former is active mobility the latter passive stretching.
Not that yo even need to be able to do the former - you merely need to make sure that the joints have the range of motion needed to do the exercise your about to undertake and that the joints are warm.
Stretching should take place after the exercise, to encourage the fascia to expand and provide more room for the muscles to grow, to keep the tendons supple and encourage the muscle to relax into normal tonus and of course, increase range of motion if that’s desired.
Maybe we should all work on our full splits? My son sure wants me to.
It’s actually a mistake to stretch before any strength training as it does weaken you. The thing to do is go for joint mobility rather than muscle stretching. For instance, you can kick your foot higher than than you can hold in a stretch. The former is active mobility the latter passive stretching.
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Cressy did an article on this awhile back. I have to dig it out for you…
I have the same flexibility (lack of) issues. I got used to sumos and prefer them now. I can’t do front squats with a clean grip either, so I’m stuck with cossing my arms across my shoulders.
First of all just got to say it is a beautiful day here. Clear skies, temps suppose to stay in the low 80s. Actually cool this morning. Sun came up as I was out swimming in the river. Just tread water for a while an took it all in. Cleans the body, head, and soul all at once.
Last night
The college gym has one of those fancy hydraulic hook squat thingys where you just stand up and the hooks swing out of the way. I could get my hands all the way out to the collars. My “friends” all graciuosly offered to help loosen up my shoulders using various advanced forms of stretching. “you get that arm, I got this one. Now put your foot in the middle of his back…”.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
First of all just got to say it is a beautiful day here. Clear skies, temps suppose to stay in the low 80s. Actually cool this morning. Sun came up as I was out swimming in the river. Just tread water for a while an took it all in. Cleans the body, head, and soul all at once.
Last night
The college gym has one of those fancy hydraulic hook squat thingys where you just stand up and the hooks swing out of the way. I could get my hands all the way out to the collars. My “friends” all graciuosly offered to help loosen up my shoulders using various advanced forms of stretching. “you get that arm, I got this one. Now put your foot in the middle of his back…”.