I finally was able to train heavy on the Olympic lifts today outside of Atlanta with AC. I brought my bar and bumpers all the way from Panama City, and was itching to train. We had to move to a second facility nearby (thanks Brad, of CF North Fulton), and things went pretty well. This was the first heavy day I’ve had since nationals, and I was pleased; I snatched 120kg (missed 125 a couple times, technical issue) and clean and jerked 155kg. This was solid because my meet PR’s are 130/158, so I wasn’t that far off in my first heavy day in quite a while. I also cleaned 160, but passed out before the jerk (bar went forward, I landed on my back) after telling AC that the only way I wasn’t going to get it was if I passed out.
I bring this up because I was in a pretty good training environment. There was loud music, my body was fresh, I was excited to go heavy on the lifts, and AC was there (it’s always better to train hard with your friends). Since I haven’t been able to do the Olympic lifts, I’ve been training heavier on the strength lifts at a military base. I’m able to get pumped by myself and train hard, so it isn’t a big deal. But when I trained the Olympic lifts before I moved, it was typically quiet and my friends weren’t around because of the coaching schedule I had.
I like to have a more intense atmosphere for the Olympic lifts. They require that maximum exertion be applied on every rep, and, for me, getting some adrenaline going before the lift is helpful. Even more so because I haven’t done the lifts that much lately. I was too lax at nationals when I was trying to get over excited, and I think it degraded my performance a little bit.
Anyway, I respond well to like-minded people and music. What do you like when you are lifting? What kind of music? What is your approach? Are you at the stage of thinking, “Okay, let’s not fuck this up,” or are you all about attacking the bar? Hopefully if you’re really intense, it’s warranted with some heavy lifting. Nobody should really be screaming about a 250 squat, unless you’re a girl.
Oh, and the 190kg overhead squat by Ben that I promised:
42 thoughts on “What suits your fancy?”
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that OH squat is CRAZY..
On my PR days, and sometimes volume days i find a bit of smelling salts combined with your favourite adrenaline inducing music helps.
I find also find honing your own trademark battle cry helps.
Here is Dolega breaking a world record in training:
notice how finely honed his battle cry is.
Do you ever watch the ‘strength feats’ videos on youtube? they help with motivation i find.
Rip uses this video at his seminars. I never heard it with the audio on.
–Justin
Justin, you seem to have stopped recording your training. That clean would’ve made for a youtube classic.
A Lascek Classic, if you will.
I never really consistently recorded my training, but I guess that particularly video would have been amusing for you.
–Justin
I’ve been in China for nearly ten months now. 95% of the time, I’m the lone foreigner for miles, and the gym I use is a pretty awful example of a commercial gym. full of mirrors, weak “men” looking into them, and PT’s that look like sticks holding body bars.
And I, quite frankly, could could care less. I come to the gym for one purpose: To train to get stronger. People stare at this foreigner, with long hair and a mustache, as he grunts through heavy squats and deadlifts, then drinks 1-2 L of milk in mid workout. And he doesn’t care. You could probably put me on Mars. I still wouldn’t care.
If you’re focused, intense, and seriously training, nothing matters but the weight you move. That’s it. Clear and simple. You come, you execute your plan, you leave.
As for PR attempts, I normally listen to “The Ecstasy of Gold” before the attempt, followed by something heavy. Lately, it’s been “Battery” by Metallica.
The fact that you are in China is interesting. Work I presume?
–Justin
I don’t listen to music when I lift. I prefer the quiet interrupted only by the sound of iron clanging on other iron.
Any time I have ever taken a “lets not fuck this up” approach or otherwise taken a relaxed or safe approach, I’ve had an average lift with average results at best, and quiet often I have fucked it up. I try to approach the bar aggressively and get as fired up as possible before the lift. So far this has yielded good results.
I agree that working out with friends and other like minded people can really improve the atmosphere and drive you to perform better. I workout alone at home 99% of the time and I like it, but on the rare occasion that I get to workout with good friends, those are usually the best workouts and end with the best results.
I prefer music, but I don’t need it, I’m fine to train without my iPod, but they usually play something stupid in my gym, so it’s better if I don’t have to hear that.
Was that a Wu-Tang W Ben put up and the end of the video??
I’ll listen to music, but I prefer the silence if possible for my main lifts. When I’m under the bar the world goes away anyhow, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.
When I approach the bar, I make it fear so I don’t even have to push hard, the bar get goosebumps and jump up.
My intensity involves a mix of loud hard music, combined with pacing, heavy breathing and some smelling salts if its a big pr. I can tell im in the zone when chills go through my body from head to toe and everything around me is invisible. A safe approach results in over thinking and psyching ones self out i find. I’ve never hit a pr by going up to the bar saying don’t fuck this up, to me it implies fear of the weight. You can’t be afraid of the weight if you expect to hit a pr.
I’ve never used smelling salts or ammonia.
-Justin
oh and that was a damn impressive lift, Ben.
I love working out to music. But only if it’s some real heavy shit. It helps me stay focused and committed.
I workout alone 99.5% of the time. I have one friend who also does strength training but our work schedules prevent us from pumping iron at the same time. The music and the iron are my workout buddies. I actually don’t vary my music much. For the heavy compound lifts I like:
Tool 1/2 the time
Alice in Chains 1/6
Metallica 1/6
Queens of the Stone Age and others 1/6
I’ve found that Tool has the ultimate lifting tempo. For instance, songs like Parabola and Jambi are just perfect for drowning out the bullshit at my gym (think bis, tris and levis dudes shamelessly hitting on frumpy chicks, Jennifer Lopez blaring on the speakers, lardass trainers teaching fat women to do 1/4 squats, etc.)
Once I’m on to the bodyweight stuff like chins and pushups, I find something a little more up tempo helps keep me positive and working hard. Stuff like…
ZZ Top
AC/DC
Led Zeppelin (certain songs)
For the cool down/stretch time, I like…
Jethro Tull
Bach
Beethoven
No doubt I’ll think of many more once I click submit here.
In other news, my 70s Big shirt came last week! It’s my new gym shirt. The image of the late great Doug Young staring back at me in the mirror is great motivation.
I hit a PR today: 255 lbs deadlift for 5 reps. Easy. I’m hoping to hit 300 before Thanksgiving. Bodyweight is up to 175 lbs (I’m 5’9″, started around 155). Not anywhere near 70s Big yet…but I’m working on it!
Like DaveN said, I prefer quiet when I lift as when gearing up for a heavy attempt. Too bad my gym doesn’t let it happen that way. There’s nothing like walking up to the bar for a heavy deadlift and hearing some f-ing Owl City.
i’ve tried it both ways, and my response seems to vary with the day. i would love to train in a real gym environment, i gotta settle for being the guy in the corner grunting through my squats and slamming the bar down in disgust after i deadlift and my back curves over like a snake. lamb of god, hatebreed, or eighteen visions breakdowns get me goin for a final rep or set.
@Maslow
Completely agree about Tool, I frickin love listening to them – Forty Six & 2 is one of my faves for PR attempts, but they’re all good.
At the moment I work out alone at my local army gym. That may change soon, however, as my bumper plates are finally on their way courtesy of my lovely wife, so hopefully she’ll be able to start training with me.
Speaking of training at home, does anyone know someone who’s built Rip’s power rack?
Also, other stuff on my iPod at the moment includes Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down and The Butterfly Effect and Karnivool (2 v. good Aussie bands). Want to add in some older stuff like Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc soon.
I guess I prefer it to be a quiet intensity. I have never been a very loud person… I have tried the i-pod but I really don’t like the ear buds while I’m working out
-Rygor
Dude that is probably the worst scenario I could imagine, perhaps you should buy some noise canceling ear muffs like you would wear to an indoor shooting range… you might look like a goof but imagine the focus you could have if you could block out all the noise. I might actually have to try this now
I don’t make any noise during training. I usually pace around like a lion in anticipation for the next lift.
I only put on music for worksets, it’s usually something that has a lot of energy (blues-rock, rock, traditional heavy metal etc…).
Before each squat workset, once I get under the bar and I take a few quick short breaths, followed by a big deep breath as I unrack the bar. (same for benching).
Lately the only aggression I show is that I shake the bar a bit like the ultimate warrior before pressing.
If it’s heavy singles, I don’t make much noise at all. But yesterday, after back squats and snatches, I had to yell to stand up when doing cleans for sets of 4.
We don’t lift at music my gym. But I have had to get a little more intense on volume days. I’ve accepted that it feels heavy off the floor. So I tell myself the lift doesn’t start until the bar reaches my knees. Then it’s time to fucking go.
I use music as an adrenaline amplifier. Metallica and Ramstein have been “training partners” longer than anyone else. I sometimes grunt on heavy squats. I was speaking with a neighbor the other day, and she said she used to wonder what was going on in my garage so early in the morning- she heard lots of noises and grunting… I guess I’m “that” guy. Whatever.
I listen to music when lifting maybe 5% of the time. My gym doesn’t play any, and earbuds annoy me too much. I much prefer to get in some purposeful road rage on the way to lift…not hard to do when everyone else on the road is a damn moron.
Floyd probably intimidates.
–Justin
No music during the lift for me, but I have to get pumped up before. I generally take the “rape and pillage” mentality with my lifting, and nothing supplements that like Mastodon. Epic name, epic beards, fast beats, crazy riffs. Here is one of the best pre-lift songs I can think of:
Garage gym these days, so I don’t have to see/listen to anybody. Tunes:
Pantera
R.A.T.M.
System
Tool
Sepultura
I’ve never used stimulants before. But ever since two weeks ago I bought some Jack3d with an Amazon.com gift card, we’ve been hitting a lot of PR’s in almost every lift.
i generally lift in three diff. locations; my garage, my old high school, or ABC Sports and Fitness gym.
I generally listen to my mp3 player which has on it Slayer, Iron Maiden,Metallica, The Misfits, Trivium, Municipal Waste, D.R.I.,Comeback Kid, AFI, CKY, S.O.A.D., GNR, Dropkick Murpheys, and thats about it….i guess
I like lifting alone, especially the O-lifts, I need to concentrate. I put my iPod on shuffle and get to work. I don’t make any noise unless something is ungodly heavy.
That OH Squat isn’t even human.
Oh, and as for music for PR attempts… it sounds stupid but I like Starlight by Muse off the HARP album. For some reason the damn song makes me smile, and I lift better happy versus angry.
Used to like listening to old In Flames, Maiden, Metallica and other heavy stuff until I put my iPod through the wash. Now I listen to Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga at my globo. Yay!
Yes, the OHS..that was no joke.
Muse? Time is running out ;)
It’s all about Pantera for me. Heavy as fuck, but still rhythmic enough for me to get somewhat enthralled by it.
One time I decided to listen to Floyds “Us and Them” when lifting. No shit, I fell asleep on my bench.
I’m a classic rock, southern rock, and country guy 99% of the time. But when I get under a heavy barbell, I usually have some Deftones, Pantera, Hatebreed, or Bury Your Dead. Shit just makes me want to fuck stuff up. I yell, throw shit, punch kittens, etc…Ricky Bruch (sp?) is my hero.
Hairy Asian likes country? This is getting weird.
–Justin
Im a pretty mellow person, takes a lot to get me riled up. Even gettin shot at I stay very calm. I dont like metal music really. I’m a big classic country fan, and I like some of the Texas country, and some rockabilly. And some classic rock. Led Zeppellin, ZZ Top, Marshall Tucker Band, etc. That stuff all puts me in a good mood. I like to work out alone after all the clients have left. I turn the XM radio to Outlaw Country or Willie’s Place and crank it up. If I need to get psyched up, I seem to do well stomping my feet once, pacing around and breathing deeply thinking about what I gotta do. I can usually get my heart rate up pretty high just thinking about it. And then I crush it of course. Well sometimes anyways. Haha.
It really depends for me. I own a CrossFit affiliate and I love to train with loud music and my friends and get amped up. On the other hand, I just went to a globo gym with my girlfriend (given, the guy who owns it is a powerlifter who trained at Westside and benched 801lbs in competition at 228, but still a globo) and hit an easy PR 5×5 press (160.) Sometimes I feel that training in a place like that creates less stress, and that can be a good thing.
my musics all over the place, ACDC, Santogold, Danzig, Dio, the Crue, Pearl Jam, and since ive been on the site ive gotten into training with some mashups like AC always posts. And i try to get as riled up as possible, makes the patrons of my gym uncomfortable doin their wrist curls
I don’t listen to anything. I work out in our dining room late at night and make as little noise as possible to I don’t wake the little one up. At some point I’ll be able to make noise and I’ll probably just listen to the “Boneyard” on XM. Usually good lifting music on there.
pu239,
You have a squat rack in your dining room?
The music doesn’t make too much a difference for me. It varies day to day. My last PR squat I hit i did it with no music. Tool is awesome. I usually just stay calm and let my mind go blank after goin over some cues. I find that getting pumped up crazy grunting for me got me too anxious and had me doin things like dive bombing and such. The calm before the storm.
If I didn’t know any better it looked like Ben threw up the Wu-Tang Clan “W” after his monster squat.
@Ryan – I do. Maybe I should clarify. It’s the former dining room. The table is leaning against the china cabinet leaving me just enough space for a rack, bench, and rowing machine.
It’s a tight fit, but beats the heck out of the crappy YMCA here that was costing me $50/month with no squat or power rack.
“Rip uses this video at his seminars. I never heard it with the audio on.
–Justin”
What does he use it for? I thought they didn’t teach stuff like full snatches on seminars?
I also forgot – Along with ammonia/smelling salts, adrenaline music, and battle cries, a useful tool is a hard thigh slap (i suspect this only works if you have thick thighs)
He uses it to show attendees how ugly people are compared to him.
–A.C.
My gym is run by two guys who have wildly different tastes in music, so whats on depends on whos in charge at the time. If its the younger of the two, it’ll be Dubstep, if it’s the older, it be some classic 80’s cheese like Spandau Ballet.
On my ipod I have bunch of electronic stuff and rock for training to, and also I’ll have some kind of epic orchestral stuff to lift to, the ones you hear on film trailers. This one has been helping my deadlift recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCYpCI2jr_k&
I try and zone out from all the skinny idiots doing crap body building workouts with their shirts off in front of the mirror.
Oh, we’re doing another ‘music’ post… kinda.
I’ve never really listened to music whilst training. I’ve always trained in a shitty gym that plays Top 40 crap. But wearing headphones just throws me off too much and I can’t lift properly; I need to hear what’s going on.
I’m currently sourcing equipment to build my own garage gym. It’s going to be sweet. Scaffolding Power Cage and mismatched iron plates. For once, I’ll be able to put my own music on to train to, without headphones.
I agree that Mastodon is probably one of the best bands to train to. One of my favourite songs is ‘Blood and Thunder’ and I’ve actually stopped playing it for the last month, and will not play it again until I can train in my own gym. It’s going to be a good day.
“He uses it to show attendees how ugly people are compared to him.
–A.C.”
If you think marcin dolega is ugly, you should see his brother, who also weightlifts (on left):
http://users.telenet.be/tom.goegebuer/images/Santa%20Domingo06/SD%20Dolega&me.jpg
(justin will like this pic for obvious swimwear based reasons).
Besides, i think marcin dolega has pretty eyes.
and this is a pretty good 70’s big pose by dolega: http://users.telenet.be/tom.goegebuer/images/Santa%20Domingo06/SD%20Dolega&girls.jpg
Lol. Dolega is a pretty awesome guy.
About the video: Rip doesn’t teach full cleans and snatches at his seminars, but we did spend a lot of time talking about pulling mechanics, and we watched a lot of video of all kinds of pulls as a part of that.