User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 2/27/2008 7:54:25 PM EDT
[#1]
Actually I'm only 214 - weight gains we're coming super slow until the last week or so, and I started picking up weight. FWIW - my waist is smaller and I'm leaner. 
|
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 9:15:37 AM EDT
[#2]
Another good workout, but it looks like my groin pull isn't going to get better any time soon. I will probably omit the squats for a week to week and a half, probably need to do the same with DL's as well. On my "A" days I am going to substitute DL's with good mornings.
Last night was "B" night, added another 5lbs to my bent row, barely was able to get it all up, I added 10lbs to my over head press. The real winner of this routine seems to be my legs (from squats) and shoulders. Makes the think that the reason my bench press stalled was because of my lack of attention to my shoulders, or lack of a good shoulder routine. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 1:43:05 PM EDT
[#3]
Just set my new deadlift PR at 385 (2.3333333333x BW), barefoot too. You guys will have to celebrate on my behalf, though. I'm am currently catatonic.
It took me about 15 minutes to go from an empty bar to full weight. Every pull felt great; perfect form (judging by the peculiar absence of pain in my low back, and the bodylength mirror I happened to be next to), perfect drive, and a pretty good grip. My over hand grip falls apart around 185, and my mixed grip started giving at the usual mark (350+). I made it though! |
|
|
|
WI, USA
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 1:56:44 PM EDT
[#4]
A lot of people can't DL more than once a week. Some people only do ME (maximum effort) DLs once a month.
If you want TONS of great information on lifting heavy, check out the Strength and Power forum on Sherdog.com. |
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 2:50:32 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Drakich]
[#5]
Friday 2/29 Results.
Squat 4x205, 5x195, 5x195. 3x5x175 on Monday, 3x5x185 on Wednesday, tried to jump 20 on Friday, had to ratchet it back down. Not very good form on 2 out of 4, and I nearly stalled on the last one at 205. I'll try to move up to 200 or 205 on Monday. Bench 5x3x165 this week was first week doing bench twice. Moved up from 145 previous week. Didn't struggle on any set. Chinups - 3x6xBW only been able to get 4-5 pullups per set last week, but I was also usually doing power cleans after bench or overhead press. So, looks like everything is going up nicely EXCEPT overhead press where I don't think I've made any freaking progress at all in three weeks. I think I'm just going to reset to 75 next week and work up from there. I think the problem is with some of the stabilizers muscles in my back. Edited to add...weight 174, so my weight gain has stalled. I put on 7 pounds the previous two weeks, starting at 168. |
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 2:53:29 PM EDT
[#6]
I seriously don't know what's up with my overhead press. Stalled out of the gate while everything else is going up. My overhead press is now less than 1/2 of my bench. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 2:58:56 PM EDT
[#7]
|
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:17:39 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AGW]
[#8]
Sometimes, you can change the mechanics of a movement by rethinking how you lift it. Most folks press from the tops of their shoulders. I don't know if that's necessarily what you're doing too, but the push should come from your scapulas, from your backside. Also try to imagine pushing through your elbows (which are hopefully straight up and down). Besides a bench press, there's very little weight that you lift using the front of your body. It's not as romanticized as a cut abs and a big chest, but just about everylift comes from the back side of our bodies. Hell, even a bench press is executed by stabilizing the torso and shoulder girdle the same way you would set up for a squat or DL (shoulders back/pinched, arch in low back, etc). Like Hokie said, getting stable is key. Strong stance, no gushy shoes, strong grip that transfers directly to the bar (example). |
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:35:27 PM EDT
[#9]
I wish you would quit posting pictures of women who are stronger than I am. It is emasculating. 
|
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:51:30 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AGW]
[#10]
Affirmative Action can be a bitch. ETA: Pun intended? Found this. Awesome photo: 
|
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 3:56:53 PM EDT
[#11]
Considering where I started at in April I am quit happy with where I am. I am sure this time next year pictures like that one won't bother me. No one said this was going to be easy. 
|
||||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 4:10:12 PM EDT
[#12]
Speaking of which, I wonder how much the average arfcommer can lift?
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 5:03:49 PM EDT
[#13]
Anytime I need a reality check at Westside, all I hve to do is turn around and look at the "Big Board" on the wall and look at the women's totals. 
|
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/1/2008 5:53:43 PM EDT
[#14]
With a coach, the "average", inexperienced person can generally perform a bodyweight DL. |
||
|
|
AZ, USA
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 12:56:45 PM EDT
[#15]
Damn, you guys have me thinking about doing another Rippetoe routine for a few months. I used it about a year ago for 3 months and liked it a lot, but I tend to get bored easily in the gym so I'm constantly changing my routine. But Rippetoe's simplicity is just beautiful. And my workouts never took all that long.
Only problem is now I have an undiagnosed knee injury from work and I haven't tried "real" squats in a while. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 4:20:03 PM EDT
[#16]
Headed to the gym here in a few. Eating a few oranges to get me some needed sugar.
My pulled groin seems better. I hate to skip on the squats and DL. Probably better in the long run not to push it too hard. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 5:49:10 PM EDT
[#17]
Nice job! 2.3x bw is a great pull. I've noticed that TUT has a lot to do with my grip strength when trying to pull a heavy single. It's a fine line to try to walk between pulling a sufficient number of warmup reps and getting to the 1RM weight quickly enough to preserve gripping power. I'm not sure that the (hammer strength) gripper machine is really giving me any carryover in this area - maybe gripping for time would be better than gripping for weight? Are you doing any kind of grip work? |
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 6:52:05 PM EDT
[#18]
Ok, looks like groin pull is going to put a halt to squats for a few weeks
Got into the squat cage took the bar and soon as I made it to parallel, I felt the pull and the pain. Anyway I was able to my dead lifts. I pushed my DL pretty hard tonight and was able to do my 5 rep set at 190#. Honestly, I think had 5 or 10 pounds to spare. Bench press also went well, increased weight, but on my 3rd set I had to dump it on my 4th rep. Pretty sure it was because I lost concentration. I am now doing 8 reps on the dips with 20# of added weight. Torched the hell out of my abs tonight as well.  <-------------protein shake
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 9:54:36 PM EDT
[#19]
Groin pulls were my standard M.O. before I went to WSB and re-learned the squat. When I squat now, all the stress is in my hip flexors. I know you're an experienced lifter, and I hate to second guess your form, but the way we squat now - I never feel it in my groin area. I wish you lived closer - just so you could come on 1 squat day. 
|
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/2/2008 10:22:41 PM EDT
[#20]
A couple weeks ago while I was doing sprints up hill felt it twinge a bit, then, the next day at the gym going up on a squat I felt it go. I actually had brought the camera with me to the gym to today to record my squats but after the first rep I decided to can it. As soon as my leg gets better I will be taking vids of my squats for you all to critique. It sucks 'cause everyone at my gym are dumbass knuckle heads. I know somewhere, somehow I am dong something wrong, it is probably small, but I can't tell until someone who actually knows what they are talking about sees my squat. |
|||
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 1:52:18 AM EDT
[#21]
How wide is your base and what angle are your feet? How does the WSB method differ from say, the Rippetoe method? |
|
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 1:57:36 AM EDT
[#22]
I filmed myself last week from a side angle. It's great for detecting rounding of the back, gming, and squat depth, but you need a front shot for stuff like wobbly knees (which is my main technique problem which is apparently a weak hip abductor issue). |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 8:36:57 AM EDT
[#23]
Would doing deadlifts sumo style help the hip issue?
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 3:01:00 PM EDT
[Last Edit: GR8TWYT]
[#24]
I squat sumo style now, with toes pointed outward (like around 10 o'clock & 2 o'clock) and the biggest difference with how they taught me to squat @ WSB is wider sumo stance, knees OUT like you're trying to pull the floor apart. Let me give you an example of the coaching we get as we get under the bar on the mono-lift. Imagine you're under the bar setting up, feet wide, toes out, you hear "C'MON NOW - BIG AIR" and fill your lungs and lift the bar out of the rack and begin the movement. Now you'll hear "ARCH, ARCH, ARCH!" and then commands for you to sit "BACK, BACK, BACK!" then as you hit parallel Matt will scream "RIIIPPPP!!!!" and you fire all your muscles at once, still holding your air, forcing your knees apart, back arched, head up. This prolly won't be any great help to most of you, but for me, I couldn't even squat the way they wanted me to WITHOUT weight 6 months ago! I kept falling back into the chair when I practiced. I watched Matt's GF belt squat on YouTube about a 100 times too. The belt squat is an outstanding squat technique trainer FWIW. I'll go find the vid for ya - BRB. ETA: She makes it look very simple, and there may be no grail here for some of you, but notice one thing that is very evident from this angle - her knees do not move forward when she goes down and her shins stay straight because she's "sitting back" and not down (which is why I felt I was placing so much stress on my groin). Have someone hold there hand in front of your knee before you squat, and see if your knees are coming forward or not. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX6o5-6XnLg |
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 3:08:18 PM EDT
[#25]
Helps me - I pull Sumo style. 
|
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 6:37:21 PM EDT
[#26]
Hard to tell if the groin injury was the direct result of an improper squat or the sprints I had been doing. Probably a combo. |
||||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 7:49:34 PM EDT
[#27]
FWIW - I did hundreds of practice squats to a chair. I was instructed to place a chair behind me - a little further than I would usually put it before sitting, and practice sitting back into it, then forcing my knees apart like I was going to spread the floor apart, stand back up. My squat has more than doubled in the last few months (which isn't necessarily that impressive since I never have been much of a squatter) but the gains continue to come quickly, The key to it seems to be in the knees - if your shins stay vertical and your knees don't come forward, then you're prolly doing it right.
|
|||||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/3/2008 10:31:58 PM EDT
[#28]
On that point, you're right when the depth is around where you guys squat; ~legal depth. Once your hips are below your knees, it's OK for them to move forward. In fact, I don't know that it's anatomically possible for your knees not to come forward once the crease of your hips moves far enough below your knees. |
||
|
|
MN, USA
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 12:15:35 AM EDT
[#29]
Part of each person's movements can also be due to anthropometrics (physical measurements of the skeletal system as related to each other)
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 1:31:25 AM EDT
[#30]
It has a lot more to do with physics and the law of gravity than anything else. The bar has to stay over the center of your feet or you topple over. If you go a2g in an oly style squat, your knees have to move forward or you'll fall over backwards - it really doesn't matter what your build is like. In a powerlifting squat where your back isn't as vertical, your ass can act more like a counterweight. The bar is still centered over your feet, but since you only go to parallel, your knees don't have to move forward.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 1:32:55 AM EDT
[#31]
That's a great tip. Dry firing squats! |
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 7:17:04 AM EDT
[#32]
The squat form, that I have been doing now for the past 4 months have been closer to olympic squats, ass to grass. As soon as I get healed up I will video myself for y'all to critique.
Now I just have to figure out what sort of upper body routine to do in the mean time. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 9:26:19 AM EDT
[Last Edit: AGW]
[#33]
Week 6, Day 1, I've decided to rest. After a deadlift PR and work yesterday (
 ), I'm sitting this one out.We resume next monday! |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 12:48:23 PM EDT
[#34]
I'm not familiar with Rippetoe's technique, but apparently you guys are squatting A2G? Which, of course makes my "knees forward" observation utter bullshit for your methods. Sorry guys, I shoulda read up before I chirped up!
|
|
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 2:50:07 PM EDT
[#35]
I looked online and couldn't find any decent illustrations / videos of the "Rippetoe" method (I doubt it is "his" per se), but from memory from the book: - squat to full depth - full being front parallel or below front parallel, flexibility permitting. - feet are angled out at around 30 degrees, feet approximately shoulder width apart (Rip's comments...physiology dictates the natural foot width here) - at depth, the knees are "elbows wide"...that is, if you were to put your elbows on the inside of your knee, your fists would meet in the middle. This is where I have problems right now...not flexible enough to get that wide without a stretch. 99% of the videos I've seen people are not using wide knees. Rip advocates a low bar position on the traps. A side picture is on the upper left hand corner of: http://www.startingstrength.com/ Knees are obviously forward of the toes at depth, otherwise you'd have to have a difference back posture to maintain center of gravity. At depth, hip drive and back drive happen at the same time. I didn't lift yesterday, wanted to give another day's rest to my groin, but I think my problems are from three things: 1) trying to move weight up, sacrificing form. 2) knee wobble...I think this is what led to me tweaking my groin. 3) knees not wide enough. knee wobble and wide knees I have to concentrate on, good depth and not gming have been pretty automatic for me so far. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:15:23 PM EDT
[#36]
Be careful about moving to a wide stance before your groin is fully healed (sounds like something Larry Craig would say). Squatting in a powerlifting stance works your adductors much more intensely than the narrow a2g style. |
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:20:06 PM EDT
[#37]
So there are 2 of us with sore groins. Misery loves company
|
|
|
|
MN, USA
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:23:58 PM EDT
[#38]
Yes physics is involved and that the CG has to stay with in your base of support to not topple over but what happens as you move and where your knees end up in relation to your toes as you squat so you don't topple over has more to do with your skeletal measurements |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:37:36 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AGW]
[#39]
Both of my digital cameras are MIA. I'll take some squat pics tonight for you guys.
I prefer a high bar position, so my torso is genearlly more upright than Rippetoe's illustartion in Drakich's post. |
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:51:16 PM EDT
[#40]
Judging from that pic, and if that is the proper form, then I can't fathom how I could be doing anything wrong. The only thing different is I am much lower.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:57:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AGW]
[#41]
From SS, figures on back/knee angle for different bar positions (I look like #2):
Front squat, high bar, low bar  Reverse order, back/hip angle: low bar, high bar, front squat  Knee position: low bar, high bar, front squat 
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:13:14 PM EDT
[#42]
And one more for Hokie:
Bar as it's received from a power clean: 
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:16:30 PM EDT
[#43]
I am about 95% sure that I have been doing squats correctly. It could just be that my groin injury is just from the sprints.
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:26:14 PM EDT
[#44]
maybe we just have weak groins? The whole point of WSB principles are to find/exploit weaknesses so we can strengthen those areas.
|
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:30:41 PM EDT
[#45]
Any ideas on how to get the groin muscle better strengthened? |
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:31:16 PM EDT
[#46]
You know no shame do you?
|
||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 4:47:38 PM EDT
[#47]
Like I suggested earlier, and shark seems to agree - sumo deadlifts, they require more work from the hips and groin than a regular deadlift.
|
|
|
|
MN, USA
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 5:29:08 PM EDT
[#48]
I covered strengthening those areas when you're recovered in my response to your recovery thread didn't I!?
|
|||
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2008 5:31:10 PM EDT
[#49]
|
|||||
|
|
TX, USA
|
Posted: 3/5/2008 2:24:57 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Drakich]
[#50]
Figured out what was bothering my groin.
Wasn't wobbly knees at depth, it me locking out my knees at the top. I was locking out and then doing a tiny hip thrust / back arch (don't ask me why) at the end of each rep. Didn't really feel it tonight until I got to 205. Didn't figure it out until the 2nd set @ 205. 3rd set I concentrated on not locking out at the very top, seemed to help. Much better form than last Friday's attempt at 205 (where I only did a set of 4). Managed to complete all 3 sets of 5 also. Today was overhead press day. Did 3 sets of 95. Last set was rough. Did better than last Wednesday though. Did 3 sets of 8 on pull-ups. 3 days of rest did me good, usually I can only get 4 or 5 a set at the end of a workout. Body weight down to 173. Sorta had to stop drinking so much whole milk until I can up my fiber intake dramatically (think prison rape). Oh yeah, got a Concept 2 rowing machine last week so I've been doing that on my off days (I also do a 500m warmup on my on days). Almost makes up for not doing upright or Pendlay rows. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
