PR Friday — Post your training updates, PR’s, and questions to the comments for the 70′s Big crew.
Weekly Q&A gives you a chance to ask anyone from the 70′s Big Crew a question in the comments below, on Facebook, or Twitter. Follow 70’s Big on Instagram.
Here’s a sweet video of Bill Kazmaier, an admirable strength athlete. Who is your sport or lifting idol? What about them makes you look up to them? I think it’s important to have someone to look up to because it not only sets a good example, but a standard to strive to.
Hello everyone! Long time since I posted and once again in need of your help. I have a big problem with my bench. The eccentric phase in the first rep, is very slow, like 3-4 sec. The other reps are ok. This happens with weights around 90% and above. For example yesterday I did 105x1x5. Every single was fast in the 2nd half but I struggled to lower it. Half the energy is spent in lowering the bar and that leads to do singles with weigths I can do doubles or triples.
Everyone I ve talk to, says it’s mental issue. But it isn’t. Has anyone dealt with something similar? Could it be a mobility issue? Something like tight pecs and rounded shoulders?
Thanks in advance!
…have you tried lowering it faster?
Of course.. I could try letting the bar drop like dead but this isn’t a solution, especially when attempting a PR.
Have you tried the fabled “over-warmup” technique?http://70sbig.com/blog/2013/04/the-over-warm-up/
When this happened to me, I had a upcoming shoulder problem. I didn’t realize it until it hurt so much I couldn’t bring 95lbs to my chest. Weightlifters shoulder, I took 6 months off from bench and modified my shoulder warm up, no more dislocates and push ups, many more band pull aparts and face pulls. Seems to have worked.
I hope it isn’t an injury waiting in the corner.
The over warm-up could be the solution if I was doing reps. My problem is in the first rep. The rest are ok. Also in intensity day you can’t do over warm-up. Or when attempting a 1RM.
Maybe try visualizing pulling or rowing the bar to your chest, like an inverted row.
I don’t know if you put the hex on me or what, but I did volume bench yesterday, and I realized I was having the same issue, slow, painful negative on the 1st rep, following 4 were ok. At the end of the session, I had pain starting at the 2o’clock elbow position, at the end of squats my whole arm was on fire from wrist to shoulder. So, I would say the same advice applies, some sort of pain or injury. All I could think of of was “Damn random anonymous 70’s Big internet commenter!”
Are you better now?
Squat – 355×2 (rep PR i guess)
Neck is still snapped up and I managed to not shit myself, so I’ll take it.
I don’t have a lifting PR but I think I have a new 40 best. We had to run one last week and my best of three was 5.09. I can’t remember what it was back in the high school days so I’m calling it a PR. Sadly I didn’t warm up good enough and kinda strained a hamstring. What a noob huh?!?! Oh well!
One of my lifting/strength idols would have to be Vince Urbank. Former fellow Machinegunnin Marine, insanely strong, and I think he’s on the track to become a Physical Therapist.
I’m continuing to plow through Smolov with great success. Today is the seven sets of five day in the second week of the base cycle. I found this to be the hardest day last week. I just ate four eggs, 1/4 gallon milk, an orange and a delicious raisin english muffin in preparation for lifting in two hours. I’ve gained four pounds in three weeks and I think I’ve lost a little fat–can’t beat that with a bat!
Even though I’m not a bodybuilder, my lifting idol is the one, the only, the GREATEST, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER!
I also very much admire Bill Kazmier, Magnus Samuellson, Doug Hepburn, Jack Lalane, as well as some non-pros like 73-year-old guy at my gym who can deadlift 600 lbs, my good friend and “lifting mentor” who is about to set the Canadian deadlift record, and Justin Lascek!
Who’s your Canadian friend who might set a deadlift record?
Posted a form check a while ago and was told I am doing it wrong, did a very rounded sumo where I finished the pull all back. Lots of tweaking later (it’s amazing how many retarded things came out of me just trying to flatten my back, I spent like 2 months semi squatting the weight!) I think I’m getting closer to where I want to be. Pulled 175kg 8×3 for shits and giggles, actually a bit of a jump in what I should have done but shit I really wanted to pull it and did so. Felt pretty good after wondering where the fuck my strength had gone for so long (it had gone into the squatlift).
In any case, here’s the first set
http://youtu.be/2r8rIyiW2ss
I feel like my back steel needs some more tension, but chest up and lat flexing doesn’t seem to do it. I don’t know, it feels stable when I pull but vid says otherwise. Thoughts? I’ve started programming rows in for some more back strength but not convinced it’s a strength issue rather than just setup/cue.
And excuse the angle, wasn’t going to upload it until I saw how it looked.
I don’t pull Sumo, but I did used to rock or “pump” my hamstrings three or four times to get some traction, and now I feel like it’s hard to get set if I hump the bar before I lift. I know a ton of people do it, for me I set hard, and you can pull the slack out first and kind of use that in the same way that you pump your legs into the bar. Like an isometric pump, then lift, but still with a hard set back.
It’s easier to make sure your lats are engaged this way too.
Not 100% sure these are PRs, last time I was in this territory was 2 years ago so I’m putting the down!
Bench 225×4
Squat HB 330×1 – had a little more, but was the 3rd single so I called it.
Been held back by back injuries and mental problems, glad to feel right(ish) right now.
Finally hit a 4 plate squat.
No PRs but I’m getting back into that territory. Picking one idol is tough… I’d have to say pudzianowski for strongman, Ilya Ilin for weightlifting, Konstantinovs for powerlifting, and Burnt Cream for moping.
Also guys I mentioned in a few posts back that I’m starting a grooming company geared towards bearded fellas and I want to appeal to the everyday bearded guys. A lot of my competition appeals to the hipster bearders, so part of my marketing plan is to showcase everyday guys with beards doing manly shit that they actually do. So if any of you would be interested in being model for my campaign in exchange for some free product email me at silverbackgroomingco@gmail.com. Thanks fellas
Pr’d my “can incline bench with a barbell now without shoulder crunching” PR yesterday. Only two or three clicks!
Pretty good week for me, PR’s included 275×3 push press
425 front squat, 235×2 press and video below 255 press
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=ZzFuGDIEZVs
Have a hard time getting head through on anything overhead, pp, press, jerk. Working on it.
On a different note anybody know how I can run a marathon and maintain my strength. Committed to run the boston marathon just this once.
What grip variations does everyone do when deadlifting? I have been noticing my grip has been breaking and coming uneven off the ground when I hit heavy deads (85% or more). This has been really slowing me down and making my pull off the floor come up very slow. I have been doing over-under for everything basically which has obviously resulted in a grip imbalance. My over hand is the weaker of the two.
So far I have been trying to increase grip strength by holding plates together and doing some work and holds with the axel bar. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have also thought of just using a double overhand grip until I start to get to heavier weights.
Worked for me: find the heaviest deadlift you can pull off the floor with a double overhand grip. After your working sets, pick it up 3-5 times and hang on to it as long as you possibly can.
I used to do all my warm up sets with double overhand until I couldn’t hold it anymore then I’d switch to a mixed grip. The two main exercises I did that had a big carryover to my grip were farmer’s walks and power hangs. For the power hangs, I’d set up a barbell at the highest height of the rack, load up a weight belt, and then hang from the bar for as long as I could. Once I could hold 30+ seconds, I’d just throw on more weight the next time. 2-3 sets was pretty good.
Cleans were the PR this week. They were around 70kg/155# before, nailed 75kg/165# for an easy double then a solid single with 80kg/175#. No complaints on that end.
As far as my 70s Big hero, Doug Young followed by Doyle Kenady.
Press: 155x 7 for a rep PR. No big squats or deadlifts this week due to some knee pain. The weird thing is that it doesn’t hurt during the actual lifts but rather aches when I sit down with it bent for a while like when I’m driving. I’ve been icing and stretching 3x a day but it’s persisting :( Trying to get rid of it before flight school where I will have to be sitting down in a helicopter a lot.