The Come Up

Nate pulls better in Olympic shoes; it's not a terribly common thing, but it does happen. At worst, they'll force you to crowd the bar a bit more.

Repped for lifting shirtless. More of this, everybody!

Keo wrote:

Nate pulls better in Olympic shoes; it's not a terribly common thing, but it does happen. At worst, they'll force you to crowd the bar a bit more.

I don't know if I would say better, but it's definitely different. A little better speed off the floor, but I'm not sure if the compromised position in the top half of the lift gets evened out by that. I guess we'll see when I pull this week in flat shoes.

Will wrote:

I know people feel strongly about using straps one way or the other. I'm not that close to competing so I don't see the need to ditch them. I didn't have chalk at first (although I can't keep using that as an excuse) and I'm not seeing a big difference between the two except that the straps can be a pain in the ass and the chalk can get a little messy but you use more grip strength.

Will wrote:

385 actually slipped out of my hands during one of the sessions I failed to log.

Well people usually feel strongly about it because stuff like this ends up happening.

Also get chalk, there have also been two chalk bowls with chalk at the CRWC for a few weeks. Steal those (pretty sure one is my old chalk).

A not so "strong feeling" about straps is to just put off using them as long as you can during your rep work, like Grant says.

The best way to train your grip for deadlifting is to train your grip by deadlifting. I'd put off using straps until you start to feel it mess with your pulls. In my opinion "ditching" straps as you get close to a meet sorta entails a backwards view on straps for powerlifting. I think the majority of your pulling in the off-season should be done without straps, and as you get close to a meet strap when you feel like you may be putting your hands in harms way (as intensity goes up but volume might stay moderate).
A couple reasons for this:
1) You will notice grip strength issues well before a meet, and can address them if need be. Waiting to get close to a meet to ditch the straps is just going to set you up to have grip problems with no time to fix your grip.
2) When you expose yourself to more risk matters. Straps obviously provide a level of safety for your hands when pulling. It is better to expose yourself to the risk of pulling strapless further away from a meet. The idea here is by training your grip via deadlifting without straps in the offseason you can afford to put straps on if need be when you get close to a meet (and thus want to keep your hands healthy).

As long as you can hold onto the bar, and aren't putting your hands in the way of injury there isn't a benefit to using straps in my mind, but the cost of using them might be a weight slipping out of your hands on the platform.

Also, just saw 405x2--it went sort of like how I expected a near-max pull of yours to go. Keep trying to crowd the bar; let your knees come forward a bit more while sitting back on your heels. Right now, your knees are locking early and you're stiff-legging it a couple inches off the floor; focus on your knees for a few months and accumulate a lot of quality repetitions and your max will shoot up.

Nathan Poage wrote:

Repped for lifting shirtless.  More of this, everybody!

groce

12/29
DL 405x2
Pause Squat with 225 for a couple sets of 5-6 reps
Bulgarian Split Squats 2x10 each side w/ 50s



12/30
DL to 355 or something but I strained my hamstring and I was stiff legging it even worse. Got frustrated after this because I couldn't figure out how to fix my DL.


1/1
DL 415x1
Squat 185 for a set



I think this is just a little improved. Thinking about keeping my knees bent longer doesn't really work. Thinking about keeping my chest up seems to help with the hip vs knee extension. Tried to warm up thinking about this. Wasn't thinking about anything with 415. I didn't eat breakfast and didn't have much energy after this so I just did some light squatting.

Forgot to log some stuff. Maybe I'll go back and write it down because I think I can remember it all if I look at the week on a calendar. . .

I started doing power cleans again. I never wanted to stop but I hurt my wrist a few weeks into doing them back in August and I've never really gotten much training time in with this exercise. On my first session (maybe a day after the log post right above this one?) I kept adding weight to the bar until I realized that I had 245 which kind of mind fucked me and I did like 10 clean pulls. Everything happens so quickly with these lifts it's hard to think about changing something in the middle of the exercise. So I didn't have the muscle memory/guts to get my elbows up and go under the bar but I know I pulled them high enough.

Today I matched 225 which was my previous PR with barely any squat under at all. I didn't actually realize what was on the bar though. Then I added 10lbs and counted everything up. Again 235 kind of mind fucked me but I went for it. First pull was really solid and I got a little tentative around the explosion. Caught myself looking in the mirror. It was slower than 100% at the explosion but I extended my hips all the way and it went up pretty well. I caught it and rode it down a little but it was still a power clean by a good margin. Overall feeling pretty damn good about it. I just need to practice more and this should shoot up. All thanks to DLing for the last 3 months or so.

Quote :

I kept adding weight to the bar until I realized that I had 245 which kind of mind fucked me

Worst. Feel. Ever. Good to hear you're getting better hip extension.

Yeah I think I'm coming along a little faster than I was before I DLed. Feeling better contraction and fuller muscle where it was damaged.

Im a little sheepish to say this but I squatted in briefs today. I've had a pair of size 30 inzer power pants for the better part of a year -- just got them for the hell of it and they weren't expensive -- but I've never actually used them. Holy shit these things are powerful I put all weight that I have (300lbs) on the bar but I was still a few inches high. Felt like I coulda repped that for 20. Felt like my quads got more work. WTF would wraps and a full suit do.

Want to add that the briefs are really tight on my legs and pretty loose where the belt goes and I noticed that it was slipping from underneath the belt after my sets so I don't think it's as supportive when this happens. Despite that I still have a good amount of bruising on the skin. Just feeling a little mind blown after my first experience with gear.

enter a meet and sneak them under your singlet






do it

I actually thought about that...

What's the rule on underwear anyway? I'd imagine a couple pairs of really tight compression shorts would add something.

Will wrote:

I actually thought about that...

What's the rule on underwear anyway? I'd imagine a couple pairs of really tight compression shorts would add something.

I know USAPL and NASA (maybe) you cannot where compression shorts but i know UPA does and i believe SPF allows them also

I wore compression shorts in NASA meets.

Chris Anderson wrote:

I wore compression shorts in NASA meets.

Hence the word in parentheses "maybe"

I might end up doing a NASA meet in March or May if my back doesn't magically get better.

Will wrote:

I actually thought about that...

What's the rule on underwear anyway? I'd imagine a couple pairs of really tight compression shorts would add something.

It is 100% dependent on the federation, and you should check with the federation rule book. In situations where something is not expressly forbidden or endorsed it will be left up to the meet directors interpretation. I imagine wearing multiple layers of underwear being ground for disqualification because dumb. However a single pair of compression shorts is probably a gray area and I would just pack regular old underwear just in case. Even at the UPA meet people were unsure (despite it being addressed in both rules meetings). Most rulebooks I have read say something like "normal athletic supporter" or "commercial brand"... Those are vague to give the meet director some discretion.

If you are debating trying this my response would be not worth it.

Sorry about your back chris. It might be a good idea to start from square one and reassess the technique you use to stabilize yourself when you are lifting. No need for an ego when it comes to this kind of thing.

David, I'm not thinking about trying that. Seems dangerously close to cheating unless you knew everyone else was doing the same thing. Honestly just wondering academically I guess. If you can milk another 10-20lbs into your total that's really not such a small factor if it is a competitive meet. I guess a lot of rules are kind of like this where there is a lot of grey area in the middle. Thinking about how the press was eliminated from WLing and the high squat controversy, et al.

PC 245
Squat w/ briefs 315x5, 365x0

I tried 245 and I literally fell on my ass. Got it the second time. I think widening my stance and grip helps. I've been positioning myself as narrow as possible but I think I want the bar a little higher on my thighs for the explosion. Makes racking a little easier and I think I get a better explosion. Squatting in briefs is fun! Haven't missed a squat in years! Had a good time today.

Biggest draw back in training without eating is that I get gassed after 30-40 minutes. Feel like I have good intensity before that happens though.

Yeah, it's all over powerlifting.

315 to 365 if a pretty big jump. Something close to 15 percent. I limit my jumps to 10% at most. When around 90% I would keep jumps even smaller. Even 10-20 lbs is pretty substantial given what your max looks to be.

You're prolly right but I didn't really give a shit and I don't think missing reps is such a big deal so that's why. . . Donno what my max squat is. . . In September I was pretty sure I was going to hit 350 (RAW raw as I'm morally opposed to knee wraps) but like 3 weeks out I abandoned that training for fear of injury. . . then I stopped squatting all together and began deadlifting which isn't an exercise I've ever really trained. I think deadlifting helped a lot though because after dicking around for a week or two with really light weights (less than 225) I did 315 for a  healthy pause. So my squatting strength seems to have gone up without actually squatting for several months.

PC up to 195 I think for about 12 reps total -- mostly doubles and triples
DL up to 415 -- missed 430 but I broke it from the floor

Felt like I was getting sick yesterday but I felt better this morning except for a slight weed hangover. I think I will keep the DL volume low and the intensity very high. Don't expect to make much progress. I'd like to see some of this new found pulling strength transfer to PCs before I push DLs in a rational way. My calories are down too. I've been 180-185 where I was almost 195 when I pulled 415 the first and maybe second time (it's been 4 times I've pulled 415 now)

Yesterday also (part 2)

PC to 225x2
Barbell VJ 135x5x3 approx.
Pause Squat to 305

I hurt my wrist again with 225 so I didn't do any more power cleans. I know that barbell VJs are going to be one of the more effective exercises in the toolbox and I have been sort of saving them to keep something on the table, and not get overwhelmed with the number of exercises. On the fly I figured I'd just do them instead of the cleans and now I'm doing to keep doing them. I was an idiot and started squatting outside of the rack and 305 was what I felt comfortable working up to like that. Feeling stronger though.

Also went (part 3) and played an hour of pick up basketball. Trying to get in my training in clusters like this on my off days

VJ=vertical jump?