Don’t forget that it’s PR Friday. Give us your weekly updates and PR’s.
Ladies! Gentlemen! Friends!
In February I dropped a note that explaining how I accepted a position that would limit my involvement with the site for a while. Jacob Cloud has done a wonderful job putting interesting material up in my stead. This site won’t ever die, but hypothetically there could be lulls in my direct involvement.
All that being said, I have a bit of time to spare and will be contributing again! To the long-time regulars: hello again you curmudgeonly Todds. To the new users that have logged on in the past few months: salutations and welcome to this wonderful community.
Wolverine makes a 70’s Big face.
In addition to your normal PR Friday updates, I’m interested in hearing from the 70’s Big community on three topics:
1) How has your training been through the first half of 2013? What are you excelling at? What are your deficiencies? Have you hit any of your 2013 goals yet?
2) What is the most significant thing you’ve learned about training so far this year?
3) What is the most momentous piece of news from the strength and conditioning world in 2013 (to include powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman, and related competitions or sports)?
I hope that 70’s Big not only entertains you, but also inspires you to train your dick off and not let your weakness consume you. So let’s dance.
Hey Justin. Dunno if you remember me, but I’m the guy with a back injury from Iraq who “does computer stuff” nowadays. We exchanged some emails/consultations a while back.
In the intervening months I’ve met with several PTs, orthopedic surgeons, pain specialists, etc. I had an MRI done on my lower back. The diagnosis from the MRI was no slipped or bulging discs, but I do have arthritis. The ortho offered to inject nerve-killing drugs into my back to dull the pain of arthritis and I very politely said fuck no. I finally found a good PT (where “good” means “knows his shit and also does powerlifting competitions”) who diagnosed my squat / deadlift problems.
TL;DR: Back is now in good condition and I’m putting weight back on the bar. Fuck yeah.
Oh, also, I ETSed from the Army two days ago. Scotch and cigars all around!
Bravo and thank you for your service. Best of luck with your continued recovery and getting skronger.
I want “Harder, Better, Faster, Skronker” on a T-shirt with a picture of Kronk drawn Daft Punk style.
Yo dude! Glad to hear you’re on the mend. Shoot an e-mail to stay in touch.
1) I didn’t train Jan-Mar due to shoulder stuff, but started up in April and have felt great since then. I am about back to the strongest I’ve ever been and am full of energy and see no signs of it slowing down.
2) The biggest thing I’ve learned is the importance of volume and working in the submax range (for me at least).
3) It didn’t seem to get much love, but Eric Spoto breaking the raw bench record has to be the biggest news to me. A 722 lb. raw bench is insane.
I posted about Spoto too! It was EPIC!
1) Yes, yes I have. In January I hit a 275 clean and jerk for the first time, at which point I said I wanted to add 50lbs to it by the end of 2013. I hit a 300lb clean and jerk for the first time last week, so with the year almost half over, I’m halfway there. Also snatched 245 a couple weeks ago. First weightlifting meet is set for July 7.
2) In other news, Iris’ first powerlifting meet this summer didn’t work out due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead she participated in a CrossFit Total meet hosted at Cambridge Strength and Conditioning, where she squatted 255, pressed 90, and deadlifted 275.
Wait, wait… Cambridge Strength & Conditioning? That’s the little place that’s got like seven squat racks jammed into the back of a warehouse, right?
If you guys are on Reddit AND 70s Big I’m going to have to seriously reconsider my decision to stick with TPS for now…
Yes, you are thinking of the right place. Glad I could help influence your decision. I am also an ex-TPSer.
Nice, Jake. Comin’ along nice with the Oly lifts.
Glad to have you back!!
This week I hit a 77kg snatch after a pretty long set, and almost got 80kg… It was SO close!
I also did a back squat 3×3 set at 137kg.
To answer your questions:
1) Training has been going very well. I would say that I’m excelling at my snatch. I can just feel my form improving and can feel myself getting stronger on the second pull. I’m having some struggles with my jerk right now. Mostly when I’m jerking over 100kg. But, my coach and I are working on it. My biggest goal of 2013 was to make it to a national competition, and I’ll be going to the National Championships at the end of July!! WOOT!
2) I’ve learned that recovery and mobility are definitely necessary for me. I’m working on getting more mobility in during the week and getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
3) I think the world record raw bench press by Eric Spoto was pretty damn amazing… It also happened at my gym, so that’s pretty epic.
You train at SuperTraining? That is awesome.
A 70’s Big interview of Mark Bell would be pretty cool, you should make that happen since I am sure you and he are BFFLs since you train there.
HA! Well, we train in the same building, but I technically lift for Midtown Barbell Club. I’m positive that Mark Bell would do an interview, as he’s a pretty down-to-earth, generally awesome guy. I think Justin is friends with my coach (Ben Claridad), so I don’t know why it hasn’t happened already…
Nice lifting, Angela. Keep it up. Damn solid squat, too.
1) Pretty crap. I had finally worked my way up to a 250lb squat, but upon review of a recording I wasn’t hitting depth and I was way bent over. I deloaded and started focusing on trying to squat with my feet as straight as I can. I think I’m seeing some improvement in my upright position and ability to keep them straight, but I haven’t recorded since. I’m also playing with high-bar. That’s basically been the theme for all my lifts.
2) Probably that you can always get better no matter what.
3) That 91 year old record setter you posted was pretty damn cool.
Hey there sexy
1) Early in the year (up through early march) I was destroying my PR’s, and hit my longtime squat goal of 405 for reps. I hit 4 reps on 3 different occasions, but after spring break I just couldn’t get back in my rythym with finals etc. Currently in the 350-370 range for 5, and trying to get myself back up there while I have jack shit to do for summer. In that same time my deadlift got up to 365×5, which was also a PR.
2) I’ve learned that not being consistent is the death of me. After a week of spring break drinking/debauchery, I came back and couldn’t get myself back into my routine for longer than 2-3 weeks before something would set me back. As a result, I’m just now getting back to where I was in february. My bench PR’d last week finally though (230×5) and my Press is damn close to PR’ing (I hit 185×3, BW 180).
3) Are you saying that you coming back isn’t the biggest news story of 2013?
4) How many nudes do I need to send you to get my damn thanksgiving competition T-shirt?
Welcome back Justin! Glad to have you around again!
PR’d in bench this week with 310
1) Training through first half of 2013 has been great. In terms of where I am excelling, turning my diet around has had a huge impact on my training. I eat much, much cleaner and get much more protein, it’s made a huge difference. One thing I’ve struggled off and on a little but is the mental aspect of lifting. I never realized how critical the mental approach is to completing lifts, especially when things creep toward higher percentages. Confidence can make the difference between having a lift be a grind and having it be a smokeshow.
2) Two things have been eye opening for me, the importance of coaching and the importance of competing. Late last year I made the decision that I needed to get some quality coaching to make real progress, and it has made a world of difference. Since this time last year I’ve added 80 lbs to my squat, 35 lbs to my bench, and 80 lbs to my deadlift, and most of that has been having a good coach to both program for me and help me lock in my technique. Second, I competed for the first time this year and it made the process of training so much more enjoyable than in the past. I have my second meet at the end of this month, and I can’t wait to smash my old total.
3) Tough question, but I would say that Ray Williams’ 905 raw is one of the more exciting things I’ve seen. Makes me look forward to seeing a raw 1000 squat some day.
JUSTIN! <3
1 and 2.) My training has been sporadic in terms of what I've been able to accomplish, but I've learned that my love of strict powerlifting training isn't really there. Enjoying more of a powerbuilding type programming.
3.) Spoto's bench, most likely. Absurd.
JAY LEARNED THAT YESTERDAY!
haha
The biggest thing I’ve learned this year has been to not take time 100% off. Instead, when you need to take a break/deload/whatever just cut volume, frequency, and intensity but don’t drop them to zero. I ended up taking 10 days off surrounding my sister’s wedding. This resulted in a few things: I was out of the gym and not moving my body through various ranges of motion that naturally helps keep me limber. On top of that, I was not concerned with stretching/mobility since I didn’t have to squat the next day. As a result, when I got back in the gym I had tons of energy and was all rested up, ready to train my dick off! I got right back into the swing of things and was hammering out sets, doing well..Then, since I hadn’t maintained my flexibility/mobility, I developed a hip issue from squatting. It has since healed, but between the week and a half off, and the 2-3 weeks spent rehabbing my injury, I missed about a month of training.
TL;DR If you need to back off a bit from training, just do what you usually do in terms of MOBing and stretching, and complete your lifts with decreased volume/frequency/intensity. As best you can, don’t take time 100% off for a solid chunk of days – weeks.
I know these feels. If I have >10 days of inactivity and try to resume lifts where I left off, I end up with minor tweaks and debilitating DOMS.
This is very true. After my last week I took a full week off doing jack shit. The best thing my coach did for me was to program a 2-week block at low percentages that had no straight bar movements to ease me back in. I never would have done that on my own, but it helped me get my conditioning back and it gave my joints a rest.
1) Maintained strength levels during my last undergraduate semester, which, all things considered, was a decent accomplishment.
2) Truss’ recipe for pulled pork does wonders for my numbers.
3) That old man’s teeth take the cake.
Also, anybody know of any decent gyms in Columbus? I know about the RPAC, but I was wondering if anybody knew of any other gyms that a decent S&C set up (platforms, sleds, etc).
PR Friday:
Last Saturday I competed in my first PL competition. It was a push pull. Didn’t hit anything significant in bench, but on my 3rd bench attempt I got lift off from none other than Donnie Thompson. So yeah that’s a life PR. He’s a very nice person.
And deadlift, I hit a new PR of 314 lbs which is 24 lbs greater than my last PR.
Unfortunately I was one of only two women lifting and the other female was equipped and in the 148 class (I was 165 raw), but I won a big ass medal even though I didn’t technically beat anyone.
1) Training this year had been pretty great. So far I’ve added roughly 45 to my deadlift, 30 to squat, and 20 to bench in 2013. Aiming for 365 dl, 275 squat, and 185 bench by December. My Oly lifts still suck and I’m tired of being chunky so I wanna improve those areas.
2) I’ve really learned this year that progress is not linear.
3) not sure news wise. Probably a sign that I’m too self involved. Lol.
1) Lost my job in February. True Lebowski style, I am abiding it and am turning the frown upsidedown. I have used the time to train more. Finally got serious about diet – ya’ll were always right, 90% of fat loss is diet. Jesus H Christ.
I’m on a keto cut, my bf is currently somewhere between 25-30%. I’m down 12 lbs in a month, lifts going UP.
2) During this shitty unemployed time, my friend gave me a great book on kindle. It’s called The War of Art. It’s written for creative types that put roadblocks in front of their dreams. It relates directly to lifting more weight and losing more fat (or whatever your goals are).
I really really recommend it, I’m not really into self help books but this one is a keeper.The War of Art
3) More personally, I need to do more 3×10’s for awhile before going heavy again. Doing so my form has improved immensely.
The War of Art is an incredible book; Pressfield hits it out of the park. I think I’ve bought and given away about 12 copies, easily. Keep fighting Resistance, man.
What’s the impact of this book? I’ve seen it before and have read several Pressfield books in the past. And hello culfinglin!
Hey yourself! :)
The impact of The War of Art? It’s life-altering, and I’m not exaggerating. This book has irrevocably changed how I approach my life. It’s a thin volume, but there’s wisdom on every single page. It’s the kind of book where you read a paragraph, pause, and spend half an hour reflecting on how that applies to your life. Email me your address and I’ll send you a copy. It’s that awesome.
You’re not the first person I’ve heard that’s given the book to tons of people. The guy I got it from said he’d given it to 15 or 20 as well. About a week after I got it, I gave it to a compadre who needed some focus. It’s just a good slap in the face.
Nice to see you back posting Justin!
1. I broke 200 on my bench, pulled a 446 deadlift (my old body weight) for a single, and squatted just under 350. Had 20 pounds of skin and fat cut out of my midsection, got stitched back together, and was FUBAR for several weeks. Have since learned how to squat and pull in my new body, just need to get stronger, leaner, and more mobile (who doesn’t?)
2. Most significant discovery: tie between pulling Sumo instead of conventional and trying to eat at least 300 g protein per day. I am fast discovering that nothing holds you back as much as a lack of dead animals in the diet.
3. Spoto’s bench. Possible tie for the continuing comical death of CrossFit.
Nice progress. What’s your body weight at now?
235 @ 20% or so according to the bathroom scale. I went from 230 @ 23% up to 260-265 @ 25% or so between October 2012 and April of this year just so I’d have some extra lean body mass to recover a little easier. Trying to get down to 220 as a long-term weight, but it’s just going to take time with where I am on the weight/fat loss curve.
If I can ask, did you have to get down to a certain body weight/fat % before the doc would remove your extra skin? Do you notice the different in your appearance? I’m a formally obese guy who lost 140lbs so you can imagine there’s a fair bit of skin leftover.
Also, what things did you have to learn about lifting without the extra skin? Just how to avoid aggravating the stitching?
Good work on the weight loss man. I’ve dropped about 210 over the last three and a half years. I wrote a fair amount about this on my blog and I have some before/after pictures posted if you want to check it out (click my name above for a link). Feel free to ping me over there if you want to chat further about this.
There’s no real body fat or weight number explicitly indicated for the procedure itself to take place. They typically want you to be weight stable for 6 months or so. If insurance is getting in on paying for things there may need to be clinical evidence of infections or other issues, the abdominal pannus may need to hang a certain amount as shown in naked pix, and you may need to meet their specific weight stability (but not body composition stability) criteria to be eligible.
They tighten your abdominal wall a LOT during the procedure, and since I have a fair amount of kyphosis going on it just adds to the problems I have with maintaining lumbar extension when pulling. Kind of an atypical problem but it’s been a tough issue for awhile.
Got a PR off the jerk blocks for for 80kg this week coming off a 2 week break. Kick ass.
1. My training this year so far has been amazing. I just started Weightlifting at the end of 2012 and I’ve been getting better all the time. My snatches have kind of stagnated but by cleans and jerks are getting better. Now that I have several months before the next competition I’m working on getting down to the 94kg weight class by the end of the year.
2. The most significant thing(s) I’ve learned: What I eat plays a major role in how I lift. Keeping up with my mobility work can either make or break a day of training. There’s no substitute for just going at it day after day.
I’ve also learned that a liter of coffee while at work makes me poop. A lot.
lol’d
to answer #2…
ive learned how important mental strength and confidence are in your training. been going through a divorce and my own version of hell (divorce-ongoing…hell-made it out of that bitch).
anyway i quit lifting as much because the Scave constantly gave me shit about it, but when i did i completely sucked. once i realized i deserved a better than the shit she was putting me through things immediately got better, lifting was enjoyable and progressive…
i lost some strength off the top on all lifts for sure, but its great to have mental strength and confidence back…im actually getting stronger again instead of just blowing off a couple hours hanging out in the gym
Sorry to hear about the rough time, but I’m glad you’re turning it into a positive experience. Mental strength can definitely be developed or expressed under the bar, but sometimes it requires a lot just to stay consistent.
PRs:
Hook Grip Mat Pull: 600 lb x 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkC6vF5wpds
Bench Press: 390 lb x 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jdege183k
Answers:
1) How has your training been through the first half of 2013? What are you excelling at? What are your deficiencies? Have you hit any of your 2013 goals yet?
Bench press has been going well. I think I put on about 45 lb to my 1RM since the beginning of the year. My 2013 goal for the bench press (380 lb) was already achieved a few months ago. Aiming to bench 400+ lb by the end of 2013.
Now my bench is at 390 lb, but I am struggling with slipping on the bench. It seems like I miss many reps because of slipping.
All other lifts are slowly coming up. Pretty sure I’ll hit my 2013 goals for squat and deadlift (2013 goals: squat 550, bench 380-done, deadlift 600, OHP 280). Don’t think I’ll get a 280 OHP though. That’s a tough one to improve.
2) What is the most significant thing you’ve learned about training so far this year?
Deadlift bars are great.
3) What is the most momentous piece of news from the strength and conditioning world in 2013 (to include powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman, and related competitions or sports)?
The Dan Green Cometh. I like his approach to training.
Reverse bench 390 was boggling.
New guys here, so I’ll answer then ask some questions.
1) pretty poorly, tore my rotator cuff last august and just finished rehab. I’m weak.
2) If your shoulder is not feeling right, don’t push the weights, bad stuff happens.
On to the questions:
I got the clear from my physical therapist and ortho guy to start lifting weights again, and was told I should put on some lean mass (get to at least 195). I was also told to go pseudo paleo to keep inflammation down . Amazingly, Paleo for Lifters came out so I picked it up a couple of days ago. I have my diet pretty dialed in (theoretically – until I start adjusting it per my demands) and I should have my program planned out for next Monday thanks to Fit and some other books. I’m focusing on strength right now, as I’m wet paper bag weak.
I have two main things working against me. 1) Weak, 2) as a former amateur kickboxer, I’ve never trained for mass before. I’m 29, M, 6’2″, 180lbs, about 14% bf (old coach and calipers) so I’m skinny fat. I normally walk around at 175 and about 10% (watching solid turn jiggly was pretty sucky). Right now, lifts are solidly novice according to the Fit tables.
1) Is there any way to keep cholesterol down on the diet, or is that something not to worry about? My bad cholesterol is super low, but my good cholesterol is in the high range, and I’d prefer for it to not go any higher. Based on the 2+lbs of meat I should eat a day, it looks pretty impossible to keep it under 1000mgs.
2) Based on Fit, I’m leaning towards the 8×2/5×5 set scheme. Should I just suck it up and go 5×5 and adjust from there?
3) Heavy squatting (back, front, back) 3 times a week seems too much for a late 20s guy (although front will be light as I continue to build up my shoulder). In general, should I replace that with something else or is it likely that my recovery will be sufficient at this age (at least till I hit intermediate)? Most of my prior workouts were sport specific bw stuff, so it was endurance, form, and some power.
Thanks in advance.
Are you talking about having high HDL? Typically a Paleo-oriented diet kind of balances out these blood lipid levels for health, but it doesn’t sound like you have anything pressing. But I’m not your doctor (to cover my ass). Like I say in the book, you can check out “The Great Cholesterol Con” for more about cholesterol (eating it doesn’t make it go up).
Your rep scheme will depend on your goals. If you’re just doing a general strength training phase, you should stick more in the 3×5 realm. And don’t be afraid to just squat twice a week. If you did a third day, it could always be a lighter squat day, or a lighter front squat day just to get some work in. Even if it isn’t super hard, you’re still working that musculature and getting a hormonal response.
Sorry for the delay… went camping over the weekend. And thanks for the response. Don’t worry, I realize that you are not my doctor. I have higher range HDL (still in the healthy range), but my dr told me to not “pig out” on high cholesterol stuff. She’s interested in the diet so I’m doing two sets of bloodwork over the next month to measure my levels. I’m not going to worry about it and keep eating clean until I have to adjust something.
I’ll do a lighter front squat day and switch to the 3×5 instead of the 8×2 and 3×5. Thanks for the input. I should be less weak by my birthday… then to slowly pack on the mass
I’ve been reader a for almost 2 years now. But I’m a first timer poster.
PRs this week squat 255×5.
A depth check is appreciated :D
This is my second post, I’m really happy to be joining the 70sbig community.
PRs today (female, 140 pounds)
Squat 160×5
Deadlift 265×1
Bench 115×5
1) I just got into powerlifting through the first half of 2013. I was lifting semi-seriously last fall, and really got into it this January. At this point I’m still seeing a lot of quick newbie gains, but my deadlift is particularly excelling. My squat, on the other hand, is pretty mediocre. My goals for the end of the year are to pull a 300 deadlift, catch my deadlift up to my squat (no specific squat goal weight), bench 150, and enter my first powerlifting meet in December.
2) That having people to train with makes you better than training by yourself.
Welcome to the community. Your lifts are solid for someone who is new to the sport.
Thank you! Looking forward to progressing and maybe meeting you all at some meets in person one day.
PRs this week:
Squat: 192,5 kg (~ 424 lbs) x5
Press: 81 kg (~ 179 lbs) x2x2
Bench: 146 kg (~ 322 lbs) x2
Deadlift: 212,5 kg (~ 468 lbs) x3
BW: 101 kg (~ 223 lbs)
1) I decided to gain some weight and hit all my original goals for this year within the first 3 months. Pretty happy about that. My strengths are squat and bench. I´m not a good deadlifter and my press sucks ass, but both are slowly going up.
2) That going heavy on two slow pulls (in my case RDLs and regular deadlifts) in one week is too much to recover from.
3) Klokov at Russian nationals, although his performance was a bit disappointing.
My training through the first half of 2013’s been slow and steady. Nothing earthshattering, nothing impressive: just a long slow grind of 5 and 10# PRs accumulating. All my presses are improving, but my deadlifts are lagging bigtime.
I’ve learned that I can’t blow off mobility work, and that I can’t drink at 40 like I did when I was 22. Alas.
The aging truth!
This getting old shit isn’t for wimps.
However! I’m currently hitting a life PR: I’ve lost enough weight (135#) to wear a bikini to the beach and look relatively normal. Still not about to win any beauty contests, but I’m still stoked. And sandy.
1) Training is going much better as of late. Clean and Jerked 100kg last week. Very excited this was my first week with Dan Bell at Rubber City Weightlifting. Feels great to have a coach I can trust and train with dedicated weightlifters everyday. Happy I only have to worry about training and not programming. Will be competing soon.
2) Consistency is King
3) Klokov is back
Been a little while since I posted.
Hit 300# x1 back squat for the first time on Saturday. Then hit 305# x 1 on Thursday.
Work sets were 3 x 5 @ 275#.
Also pressed 140# x 1 for an easy PR.
That said, work has made it a frustrating week for training. I like to go to my local CrossFit box and do some weightlifting, but that hasn’t worked out. So it’s just been doing powerlifting in my garage. So I’ve been getting quality work in, but not exactly the work I wanted to do.
1) My goal has just been to squat, bench, and press consistently. And I’ve been able to do that at the expense of CrossFit behind. That 300 pound squat was a lift I’ve been hoping to hit for a while. 315 for end of summer was another goal, but I should probably be more aggressive. I bet I could hit 315 now if I did a 1 RM squat session after a 2 or 3 consecutive rest days
2) The reason why people don’t their goals is because they quit. There are 3 guys who I looked up to, and I assumed I would always be chasing their numbers. In the last 6 months, one quit training altogether, one hasn’t made progress because he hasn’t recovered from an injury properly, and one has shifted training goals since moving out of town to a new gym. 3 guys I looked up to, and I might hit a 405 squat before all of them if I just stick with my training. It seems these guys let external foces dictate their goals. Instead, I want to treat those forces as obstacles that I have to maneuver around.
3) MopeilityWOD, even though I guess it’s been around for more than 6 months. Whatever. Honestly I just pay attention to lifting sites to remind me to train hard, recover well, and not be an idiot.
Training has been good, all things considered. I’m primarily a field sport athlete (ultimate frisbee, but at a high level) so my goal is not to just get stronger, but to have that facilitate sprinting and jumping, etc. I am still strong, but 2 months of only doing single leg squats has hurt my hip mobility a bit and I’ve lost efficiency in the movement patterns for all bipedal squats.
Anyway, I tried out for the elite team here in Austin and just barely didn’t make it. I was pretty crushed, feeling like I had a really good chance, and finding out I was just on the edge. Now I’m torn between training my dick off in a super long off season, or trying to find another team.
2) I have a long way to go to be the athlete I want to be, and I need to do the stuff that I like less more often. Jumping, sprinting, and conditioning suck, but I have to keep doing them to get better. Also, more vegetables.
3) Spoto
(Klokov’s new prolific YouTube page is pretty sweet too)
What made you not make the team?
Well, to make this team as a rookie I would almost definitely have to play defense. As a very tall guy (6’8″) I have trouble keeping up with really fast guys, so my defense suffers. In terms of the actual athletic qualities that I lack the most, change of direction and first step quickness.
I plan to keep lifting and still plan to get strong, but I’m trying to do jumps/medball throws/sprinting/agility every time I’m in the gym, even if it’s low volume.
PR Friday-
Squat – 303# 5RM
DL – 320# 5RM
1) Training has been really good. Started doing strength training stuff Jan 2013 after 12 months of hypertrophy stuff. Started with a bastardised TM (as named by LHS.com users) and then moved into a textbook TM 2 month ago. Recovery on the Justin’s TM is really good. Hitting my PRs except on bench but life goes on.
2) I’ve learnt that a crap workout doesn’t matter because getting strong is a long term process. I stumbled across your summary of Chris’ lifting history yesterday and that cemented it for me. 3 years to hit a goal, I bet not all 156 workouts were amazing and memorable.
3) Ryan Carrillo getting his world bench press title. Mirin’ hard.
I’ve been snatching for reps this week.
Snatch rep PRs:
7 x 60 kg
3 x 66 kg
Trap bar deadlift PR: 318 lbs
Squats PRs:
2 x 117 kg
1 x 126 kg
I’m really happy where I am mentally with training. Not planning to change things up for a bit. I want a 140 kg squat. I’ve added 20 kg to my squat in the last 6 weeks.
Snatching for reps does NOT sound fun, ha.
prs
pulled 370 3×5
front squatted 220 3×5
last time I tested 1rm in front squat I got 210. 90s small right. someday I would like to get 210 kilos.
1. training has been going great except for a couple minor injuries. My 3×5 linear progression has given me incredible progress and I have blown my previous numbers away. One year ago i could deadlift 375, I think I am around 430- 440 now.
Bad things. Not doing enough conditioning. I am going to start attending crossfit classes again to be forced to do things i hate. Like conditioning crap. Im 17, 5’11, 165 lbs (yes 90s skinny) and i have a great cardio engine but i love strength. whatever.
2. I have learned more than one significant thing. I come from Crossfit and train for Crossfit. BUT I have learned several things. Just because you are sore does not mean you had a good workout and you do not need to get sore to have a good workout. Random is ok in conditioning, not for strength gainz. You need consistency with the big lifts and you need a program and you have to stick with it for a decent amount of time. And strength trickles down, not up. I score better on metcons when i train pure strength than i do when i train pure crossfit metcom and a little strength.
3. Hate on me but Rich Froning was awesome at regionals. That 905 raw squat was freaking cool too.
Love the site. Cloud has done an excellent job but I miss Justin’s posts. I have read the short shorts article like ten times. Hilarious. Yes I wear them and take crap for them and i fell so free its crazy i love them. Yes people talk about my quads. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
question for anyone- if i high bar squatted 260 for 3×5 can i expect a 300 lb single?
Are you getting all the reps to parallel without issue? If so, I’d say 300 is very doable. For me, going for 1RM on any lift has a lot to do with the mental side of things. If you can focus and bring intensity you should have no problem. See any of AC’s lift videos for examples of intensity.
Welcome Back!
1- This year has been my best to date. Hit previous 1rm for 6reps on squat after 4 cycles of Wendler 531. I also pulled 405lbs for 10 reps. Presses are slow but progressing.
2- Consistent approach to training > Looking for new methods/training plans/eating plans
3 – The most momentous news is that there is a powerlifting comp in Sept and I am in! Bang.
Transitioning to Texas Method PR. Using this trip as my deload week. Going to make the transition next week.
1) Training has been going very well. Really got a lot of my shit in line this year and I’m seeing the best gains I’ve ever had (still not 70’s big yet, though). I’ve been excelling at recovery: sleep, nutrition, supplementation, mobility (granted these things have fallen behind recently due to family stuff and travel). Deficiencies? Probably still not eating enough and my elbows are flaring out too early on the press. At least those are pretty small problems imo.
2) Consistency consistency consistency. And sleep is by far the biggest factor in my recovery and energy levels/mood. Getting to bed at 9:30 every night and getting at least 7 hours of sleep = massive PRs and massive boners.
3) Ray Williams’s squat and Brinner Kimble’s consistent failure to clean and jerk 305#.
Question for you folks who run/jog. I’ve it’s best to do your cardio on lifting days so you can get full ~48 hour recovery (lifting 3x a week). Any issues with doing the run/jog/cardio immediately after lifting?
I’m trying to build up my running/cardio ability for Tough Mudder in October as my running endurance sucked ass last Tough Mudder I did.
Thanks.
At the beginning of the year my goal was to total 500 lb in the Olympic lifts by march. I was getting pretty close but then i injured both knees which kept me from progressing for 8 weeks. After that I started back up again, but then I started training at an mma gym and adjusted my goals. I still want to total 500 by August, but now my lifting is fitted around the mma. Lifting helps most with jiu jitsu and wrestling. I have no experience in either, prior to joining the gym, but I’m able to do well against more experienced guys thanks to having a good base of strength from lifting. I’m starting the belt system in jiu jitsu, ill keep you guys updated on how that and lifting goes
Long time reader. (2 years) first time post.
Moved to Australia from Scotland last march 2012 to play Rugby league and had surgery on my right knee in October and decided to hang up the boots after 2 years pro and a year in oz.
Goals for the year:
Get good at weightlifting
Enter weightlifting comp
120kg Snatch – 150kg Clean and Jerk
In March I entered my first weightlifting comp NSW (Australia) -94kg State championships.
I won u23 (unofficial seniors) -94kg Snatch 120(pr) Clean and Jerk 146 (pr) 266kg Total (pr)
Qualified for Nationals in Brisbane (11th-14th July)
I injured my shoulder and was unable to train for a month.
Last week clean and jerked 150kg and cleaned 155 – meaning I had achieved my training goals for the year.
Shoulder is now better and will be competing on 13th July
Revised Goals for the year –
Medal at Nationals
130 Snatch 160 Clean and Jerk
Drop to -85kg (Remove Gluten and control carb intake)
Qualify for Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team (require 286kg total)
To Justin
Next time you are in Australia let me know I’d love to have you come to one of the gyms I work at to hold a seminar!
http://www.youtube.com/user/ScottCFwilson – my youtube channel
Good to see you back Justin. Cloud has done a great job filling in.
Might as well add my $.02. My training has gone ok. I’m having a hard time gaining much with my legs. I’ve been doing more front squats lately because my hip was bothering me and back squats seemed to irritate it more. Since the last time I checked in (other than my 70s Big face) I’ve dropped about 26lbs and kept my strength roughly the same. I’ve gone from 219 to 193.
Front squats: 3x5x175lbs (been doing back squats with about 215)
Deadlift: 1x5x265
Bench: 3x5x185
Cleans/Press: 3x5x137.5 (I combine cleans and press, I clean it off the floor, press it, and put it back on the floor again. Don’t know how frowned upon that is.)
Seems like my press is disproportionately strong. I need to get squat and deadlift up a lot.