PR Friday

Justin’s still on his trip, and I’ve watched the sunrise from my office desk twice this week, so sorry for the lack of posts. That needn’t stop you from posting your record exploits this week. Lifting, eating, or pillaging. Let’s have it.

Hopefully a lot of you are going to participate in the Super Total Challenge. I’m doing mine this weekend. Choose your attempts wisely…maybe two per lift. I suspect that my deadlift will take at least a 60 pound hit by the time I get there.

Since we’ve already phoned it in the rest of the week, I’ll leave you with someone else’s work. These are a random selection of articles from sites you may not read that contain some good info AKA five bookmarks I can post about in five minutes before getting back to work.

Vegetarianism and Veganism Are As Logical As a Poopie-Flavored Lollipop

This is an article about vegetarians from ChAoS & PAIN. He’s a smart guy that writes a good training blog. He reminds me of myself when I was younger (goes hard, doesn’t care for rest, pushes it to the max every damn time), but he’s a hell of a lot more outspoken.

Just Because You Have a Vagina…

This one is for the ladies or the post-op trannies among us. C&P drops some good knowledge about how women should train.

Rebuild Yourself with Complexes

This is from Dan John, the man who corrected my KB swing before I even got my first one to chest height. It’s hard to pick out one article from the DJ universe, but I chose this one because it made a significant impact on my training. This spring, I ditched a lot of my old training stuff to get in shape for spring judo. I replaced all of my conditioning (other than mat work) with barbell complexes and prowler work. I got more muscular (from the time under tension), leaner (duh), and in better condition than I have been in a long time. I won the three big spring tourneys in the masters expert division, my best result in years. This article helped me towards that goal.

7 minute rotator cuff solution

A concise prehab and rehab routine for the cuff.

DeFranco’s Agile 8

The solution to hip mobility problems.

Of course it wouldn’t be a 70sBig post if we didn’t embed a video. Here’s a typical bowl of meat for me at Genghis Grill. It’s not a PR, but it’s a good portion. If your bowl doesn’t look like this, you need to rethink your strategy.


47 thoughts on “PR Friday

  1. Squat PR:
    5×5 @ 275# – and they all went up easy. It was also the first day lifting with my new Inzer 13MM PL belt. I’d ordered on about 7 weeks ago, but the first one that came (about 3 weeks after ordering) was too small, so I had to return it and it took another 3 weeks to get the right size.

  2. Only PR so far this week was 3x5x265 front squat on Wednesday. Probably a deadlift PR tomorrow.

    Also why the fuck is there an ad for “Primal Strips – Meatless Vegan Jerky” to the left of the box where I’m typing this?

    —–
    Probably because the adware saw “vegetarianism and veganism” in the post.

    Or because your IP address is in California.

    -Gant

    I’ll eventually try and sell advertising space to companies that I would actually want on the site. For now, you can deal with it while I get a few dollars a day for the ads.

    –Justin

  3. Back squatted 320# x 3 for a big rep PR. All other training is progressing well.

    Fired an employee without getting my panties all twisted in a bunch for a PR. WTF is with me and employees whenever Friday the 13th rolls around?

    The stress this week of not only having an incompetent employee messing up my gig and then having to fire them, along with running out of my liver tabs, has really fucked with my eating schedule (I haven’t been hungry). BOO.

  4. hey gant. when you changed up your training is that when you were doing 5/3/1? how did it work out for you?

    —–
    Changed it up when? I did 5/3/1 a lot of last year. I modified it during judo season to add conditioning. I used it in late spring/early summer with assistance work to prep for Highland Games.

    The last month or so I’ve just been screwing around. I had written a new program for myself (that I liked a lot), but I’ve been too busy with work and travel to stick with it. So I walk in the gym, move some weight around, and spend the rest of my time eating garbage (I’ve gained 10 pounds in three weeks).

    I’m doing the Super Total this weekend. Then I’ll get back to 5/3/1 and eating better on Monday.

    -Gant

  5. thanks for the link to chaosandpain, never seen this blog before but the guy cuts like a razor in his writing.

    —–
    He doesn’t hold back, does he?

    -Gant

  6. Any chance of an article coming up about shoes? I’m lifting in some high top chuck taylors but i’m interested in some powerlifting shoes. But don’t know where to start with them. So far the chucks are doing great. Is there that much of a difference from chucks to powerlifting shoes?

    —–
    http://www.70sbig.com/?p=1066

    Justin hates Chucks. I think they’re they’re acceptable (hi tops not as much). Some PLers still train in Chucks or wrestling shoes. Yes, the sole is slightly compressible but not much more than a stall mat that people lift on.

    The biggest difference is heel height. Some PLers squat with a small heel. Chris and Brent did the USAPL with their weightlifting shoes (which have quite a bit of heel). Find something you like and go with it.

    -Gant

    all four of us lift in weightlifting shoes, Mike and AC wear in the VS Athletics shoe

    – brent

    I don’t remember saying I hate Chucks. I know that they make funny noises when I wear them. For squatting and Oly lifts, the reasoning for weightlifting shoes would apply. Some people like some heel in the deadlift (like Chris and Brent) since it brings in the quads to extend the knee off the floor while the hamstrings isometrically hold the back angle in place until the bar passes the knee for hip extension to occur. People like Mike (short torso, long femurs) will require a flat shoe for deadlifting for it to be more efficient. Experienced lifters will prefer slippers since it minimizes the distance that they have to pull the bar in competition. Brent and Chris’ shoes actually don’t have a lot of heel compared to other Oly shoes.

    Powerlifting shoes will vary. I’ve seen them with flat soles and a bit of a heel. The heel is beneficial in the squat (depending on how you’re squatting) because it will change some angles to bring the quads in the movement out of the bottom.

    A new lifter would worry about stability (which lifting shoes provide as opposed to chucks, soccer shoes, or pumas). Experienced lifters will take into account what style of lifting they are doing and what their body dimensions are.

    –Justin

  7. New PR for bench: 275lbsx1, 245lbxx2, 235lbsx6 and 225lbs x 10….

    Clean and Jerk PR: 215lbs. Not 2 bad i dont think for someone who has never CNJ.

    Snatch: I will probably only get like 95lbs cause they terrify me when doing them so im just gonna do something to get a number. No training what so ever in the Snatch.

    Construction PR: Built my own Deadlift/OLY lift plat form.. its pretty sweet. Lemme know if u wanna see some rad pics of it in my dusty garage gym…..

    WILDCARD BITCHES!!!

  8. OH and 205 lbs of 5 reps for 3 sets… i think that would look like 205x5x3.. i know you’ll correct me if in wrong…

    WILDCARD AGAIN BITCHES!!!

  9. Did a bodyweight clean at 254#. I also hit a 184# snatch, which is less impressive, but also a PR. Weird numbers because of a mix of # and kg plates.

  10. Dan John and his site are great. Anyone interested in Complexes check out the PDF on his site – “My Complexes pdf”, menu on the right.

    Also interesting is his take on bulking up – http://goo.gl/rQRk .

    PR: Bodyweight of 86kg, or 189lbs. Nice gain of 2kg or so from when I last checked. Possibly due to a combination of more sleep (university holidays), better food (mammie’s cooking), more protein and more volume in 5/3/1.

    Nice weekend all.

  11. Squat 340# 3×5 (Going for a 4 plate single very soon)
    Press 140# 3×5
    BW 180#

    I would like to propose that as followers of the 70’s big philosophy we all must view “Vampires Suck” the Anti-Twilight coming out next week, the movie shall be preceded with a feast of Steak and beers, and followed with a feast of Pork and beers.

  12. I finally have something to contribute to PR Friday. I stopped my linear progression back in May because I was unemployed and couldn’t afford to buy ever-larger clothes. (Not joking.) This week I surpassed my deadlift PR from a few months ago.

    5’10”, 200 lbs
    Deadlift: 315, 1×5

  13. hey, everyone. thanks for the input, justin. i know you’re super busy, so super-duper thanks. i’ll email you soon.

    PRs this week—

    well, antigen left me in the dust for a couple weeks, so i’ve already lost three or four pounds. negative PR?

    SQUAT 172x5x3 (it was quite difficult and surprisingly sloppy. only a two pound jump. i tried 175 and failed miserably. seriously—2,0,1)
    BENCH 80x5x3
    PRESS 77x5x3

  14. Gill – Good luck at your meet! Make sure to lock out your elbows completely and don’t put the weight down until they signal. Let us know how you do.

  15. Press 205×2, PR
    DL, 400×2, PR (kind of sad, given my press, but at least it is going up)

    Grip strength is the big limiter on my deadlift. I can pull in the high 400s with straps, but who wants to do that? So lots of grip/forearm accessory work in the routine now.

  16. now that the baby is born and the wife isnt on bed rest AND i got a better paying job…. BACK TO REAL TRAINING HOO AHHH!
    deadlift 415x5x1 this surprised me :)
    now to eat dead more dead things that used to have faces and souls….. mmmmmm soooouls…. taaaaaaaastey

  17. Clean = 230 and 235…5lb and 10lb PRs over 225lb PR set last week.

    Still not sure exactly how to progress my Olympic lifts. Right now I just keep doing heavy singles, doubles and triples over and over.

    Depends on the rest of your program. The guy who runs this website might be able to help.

    –Some Guy

  18. Sunday I pulled a 375lb deadlift on a 2″ axle at a strongwoman meet.

    Also putting in a “flirting PR” from Tuesday– hot guy in the rack next to me told me my snatch was quick and positioning was good. Sadly, he was not 70s big, but was front squatting 315 for reps… so I’ll take the compliment.

  19. You do realise that Chaos and Pain slags off Rip in who am I?

    http://www.chaosandpain.com/content/what-chaos-and-pain

    That’s a weird critique considering Rip doesn’t prescribe the rows in his Starting Strength program in the first place. That comes from the online stuff, like the SS Wiki and people who haven’t read the book or talked to him — which is fine, everyone isn’t required to, but criticism should be based on what he actually he programs.

    –Justin

  20. @High Voltage

    Do you speak of The Expendables? That does look pretty awesome – what a lineup!

    @Gill

    Best of luck, give ’em hell and tell them Pisarenko sent you!

    Started ball rolling with steel fabricators, want to get Rip’s power rack made up – hopefully they can come back with a decent quote! Has anyone else had a rack made up? If so, how much did it set you back?

  21. I do like reading Chaos n Pain’s stuff, even if you don’t agree with him on training stuff it’s still pretty funny.

    “You will find eight gazillion fucking trap workouts on the internet, each more palsied, decrepit, ball-less, and generally fucking pathetic than the last.”

  22. @gurner. Dude shaves his chest too. Doesn’t really fit the description of a “physique of a superman, a Neanderthal, and a godlike archetype.” The site is still hilarious though.

  23. Jamie (the CnP guy) has some oddly metro habits for someone otherwise pretty hardcore. I found his blog over the Winter. I mean, I had to keep reading when the first entry I read started with “Merry Christmas, fuckers!”

    A lot of his stuff has definitely affected my training for the better, and I’ve tried to pimp his methodology around a bit. And yeah, he hates on Rippetoe, mostly to piss people off from the looks of it, haha.

  24. First Oly meet went good. Placed 3rd in the 77kg class. Went 5/6 and got 88kg Snatch, pr by 4kg (too easy could have gone 91-92) and a 110kg Clean and Jerk which tied my previous best.

    All in all it was great. We had a pig roast after and ate a ton of meat.

  25. Thanks for putting up that rotator cuff prehab/rehab program- I’m gonna give that system a shot.

    Unfortunately, the two pages where they talk about how to modify your bench press to avoid rotator cuff strain (67&68) didn’t make it into the can.

  26. Hahaha, was just watching highlights of the youth olympics in Singapore. In the women’s 48kg class, the Chinese chick (tian yuan) who won would give a battle cry before each lift. She seriously sounded like a damn cougar or something, was funny shit!
    She was pretty badass, though – she totalled 190kg and looked fucking rock solid on all her lifts. Yeah, that’s right – 85kg snatch and 105kg c&j. Not bad for a girl weighing 48kg!

  27. ^funny, our country’s representative won gold in some world junior PL competition. i was shocked that she would also be the representative for WL.

    another funny thing is , that girl carried our flag while some skinny dork boy carried the cardboard name of our country hahaha

  28. Gant, the D. John piece on complexes interests me. Would you say a little about how you programmed your complexes (i.e., reps, rest, days per week, and such)? I’m curious.

    Also, I recently saw an old post of yours in which you spoke of doing three sets of 20-rep squats, w/ one minute of rest between sets. Do you still use that sequence at all for conditioning? I gave that sequence a shot on Friday. Set 1 was a bit easy, set 2 kinda tough, and set 3 ended in a nervous breakdown around rep 13. I liked it! So, I’m wondering whether/how you fit this workout into your training these days.

    Thanks very much.

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