I C+Jed 300lbs tonight.

Last night I went into training a little too fasted and tired and benched 255lbs x 5 for a PR, followed by 4, 1, and 3. Spotter’s head was distracting me on that third set, as in if I fixed my eyes in the usual spot on the ceiling, we’d be making eye contact. I probably could have done better were it not for that, but I’m not mad at him for it, it is my own fault for needing a fucking spotter for 255lbs. I did the last set without a spotter.

I did some shitty high-bar back squats, hitting 405lbs for 1, 4, 2, and 2.

Tacked-and-stretched my distal hams and rolled on high hams/glutes, felt pretty good afterwards. I need to hit the distal hams more often because they need some work, they feel tight doing RDLs, good mornings, and when I wind up into position for the snatch and clean, and I suspect that tightness limits my ability to extend the legs while maintaining my back angle. I also suspect that my ankles/gastrocs need some work as well in that respect since the gastrocs are flexors of the knee.

Tonight I power snatched 210lbs for +5lbs PR, went to 225lbs and then immediately to 245lbs – missed it twice, seems like the height was there but I was being kind of a pussy. It felt doable though. In retrospect, it would have been wiser to go to 235lbs before attempting a PR, but I was feeling hot.

C+Jed up to 300lbs. My split has legit improved. I got driven deeper into the split at 300lbs, typically that means my back foot twists out of internal rotation and the structural support for that side collapses and I can’t hold the bar overhead at all. Tonight I was driven deeper into the split, but the shifting of my hips was small enough that I maintained control of the bar and just turned 30-45 degrees to my left and managed to stabilize and recover. My clean was pretty easy so I suspect I could hit 310lbs-ish if I were to attempt to go max-effort there. I feel like I should be good to open at 130k/286lbs at the meet, which would be a PR on my first attempt c+j.

Good mornings at 175lbs for 3×5, rowed 245lbs x 5, weighted chins 100lbs x 2, did some db lat delt raises and curls.

Someone asked if I was still doing RDLs – I am, but I’m not doing anything exciting with them so. The good mornings are not all that exciting either but I like the lumbar pump and the distal ham soreness I get with them.

Two awkward moments at the gym today:

So I’ve mentioned before that roughly half the people at this gym are geared, drugged powerlifters. We see each other a lot obviously since we spend a lot of time training so we recognize each other’s faces but we’re not at the point where we greet each other or anything. Probably because they are geared, drugged powerlifters and I am some fucking piece of shit newbie who just hit his first 300lbs c+j tonight, BRB 62k lifters c+j 300lbs for their last warm-ups it’s fine. We probably don’t talk because I am like good high box squats in Centaurions and squat briefs and they are like good 225lbs snatch I curl that but I guess it’s “good for your bodyweight” you fucking twink but these thoughts aren’t necessarily voiced between us.

Anyways I was resting in-between lifts and I see one of the regular PL guys walking in, all red-faced with oily skin and retaining a lot of water. We make eye contact for about two seconds, which is one second too long because we both know we’ve seen each other and I’m like well I guess I’ll wave hi. He doesn’t return the wave and does the dbol shuffle to the monolift oohKAY.

Second story is I like the inversion table for spinal compression. Throw in a few twists and some contract/relax of abs and then come back up, feels pretty refreshing. It’s stationed in front of the cardio area of the gym so anyone there gets to watch your show. So I invert, come back up, and dismount, except I don’t quite get my right ankle free from the supports and I end up almost face-planting while muttering “it’s fiiine.” Two old people laughed at me.

squat brah writes:

lol…don’t know what all the hate towards frank is really about here..the fact is that the guy has a huge vertical and great 40 yard dash, and is probably far more athletic than all the guys here….

“Far more athletic” I’m sorry the guy jumps on boxes and is incapable of keeping his hips planted on the bench or holding thoracic and lumbar extension, please raise your standards. Watch him squat in that vid you linked. His knees could be more valgus. BRB collapsed arches BRB I guess he doesn’t give a fucking shit about external rotation of the hip BRB he could spend the time he invests in making these videos into being a better athlete with some mobility BUT HE WON’T, BECAUSE HE’S TOO BUSY BEING AN EGO LIFTER ON YOUTUBE ALSO IT LOOKS LIKE HIS DIET IN TAIWAN RESTRICTS HIS PROTEIN INTAKE TO ABOUT 60G A DAY.

Best writes:

Brent,
Yesterday I Pressed 95kg for 3 reps,
[http://youtu.be/JSH7fR65e_I]
Should I drop the weight down because of my layback and shit form?
Happy New Year, hope you finally take the plunge this year and bang some whoores.

Those were good presses, I pressed 15lbs less than that for a max-effort single with significantly more lay back. I’m not the best person to ask about training advice but I wouldn’t drop the weight down because of that lay back. The only thing I’m banging out this next year is a bunch of curls dude.

Ben writes:

i’d like to know what brobility wod has to say about the benefits of licking one’s fingers before giving a trap slap. care to comment?

Excitation level is a subtle thing to manipulate. In mobility, Kelly talks about just small adjustments in posture (belly button/sternum relationship), or the difference between biasing external or internal rotation a little more and suddenly the drill/soft-tissue work becomes much more painful and effective. When we’re dealing with an athlete’s excitation level, the same little details can produce similarly large effects. But this is a discussion for another episode of brobility wod.

Adam P. writes:

What do you think of Brian Chia? 605 Deadlift with double overhand (no straps, maybe hook grip?) but he is a terrible singer.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFuL-GriKk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL]

Oh look an athletic Asian who doesn’t have to make psuedo-artistic videos to draw attention to mediocre lifts. 605lbs double overhand makes me want to kill myself. This is in direct contrast with Frank Yang, who’s scrubby c+js and valgus knees/collapsed arches/shitty external rotation in his extra low-bar squats make me happy I’m not him.

Leave a comment ?

56 Comments.

  1. come man you’re just in denial….some of the best nfl athletes have shitty squat forms compared to some lifters. are they not “athletic”? sure frank is a fucking weirdo and you will probably not like him if he was in your gym, but you have to admit his athleticism.

    • How many NFL players have you seen squat?

      • it’s irrelevant because NFL athletes have skills that they exhibit beyond the weight room

        frank yang does not compete in anything and blows at his primary activity

        assuming that we can say lifting weights is his primary activity as opposed to not having artistic vision

        • really lonely guy

          I just find it amusing that you guys hate so much on frank while he merely doesn’t even acknowledge your existence..

          • Frank Yang’s “art” is essentially advertisements for Frank Yang (rather, the persona he wants people to accept.)
            He isn’t very original and his work is trite, for the most part. He usually doesn’t makes any significant statement about society, culture, media or… anything really.
            Of course, he does produce a few interesting pieces every once in a while but he’s extremely egotistical for no reason at all– he’s not that strong, not very smart and he’s really not that artistic. It’s as though he walked into the library of an art college, picked a book off the shelf and starting picking out things he thought were funny then doing those things and filming them. He really needs to grow the fuck up.
            I hope his family or someone he loves gets hurt really severely. 😎

          • really lonely guy

            wow Broseph I’m lost at words. I knew there were a lot of trolls on brent’s blog, but you just have gone to a whole other level by wishing bad on his family and friends. There are truly despicable people in our world….

          • really lonely guy

            but yea, I wouldn’t imagine I can argue with people on this blog, especially a guy named “broseph”, I think you may be the one that needs to grow up….

          • Have you counted the number of times Brent says he’s going to kill himself?
            And I’m out of line?!
            C’mon man, let’s not get mad on the internet.

          • yea it’s pointless to argue on the web with trolls, etc. However, brent’s notion of killing himself is somewhat different than someone wishing bad on others…there is a difference…

  2. looks like brian chia is a better deadlifter than you with a bw advantage, but about the same in squats…is he going to be the new asian sensation amateur lifter?

  3. Lose 20kg and add that weight to your C&J and maybe you’ll get noticed.

    Also, I hate Frank Yang more than I hate you.

  4. dear brent,

    what reason is there to even continue living

  5. brent, when you write “I did some shitty high-bar back squats, hitting 405lbs for 1, 4, 2, and 2” do you mean that you choose reps and sets like that beforehand, or you just pick a weight and decide the reps and sets based on how you feel in the moment?

    • He picks the weight and after he does one rep, decides to do more of them when possible rather than lift a heavier weight to get stronger.

  6. nutsack attack fly boy holler

    Hey broseph you seem like a real faggot of an individual.

  7. What’s with all the new year negativity?

  8. I feel the same way, maybe I should post up stupid ass videos lifting and I will be as popular. Since lifts don’t matter apparently.

  9. I learned to C+J from this vid:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDyxXyf6UU

    I don’t foresee any problems.

    • Crossfit: not even once.

      • Is there some sort of benefit to racking the bar at shoulders via 2 steps instead of 1 (traditional clean)? They did not look like “veteran crossfit athletes.”

        • No.
          It’s an uncoordinated, unathletic movement that is done only to get the bar from the ground to the shoulders.
          It’s a movement seen almost exclusively in strongman competitions. The bars used in “ground to overhead” events are usually thicker than a normal Olympic barbell, so a standard clean/power clean would fatigue the grip too soon.
          Way back when it was a legitimate lift(that was followed by a jerk.) I believe it was dubbed “continental clean” because it was started in Europe (or somewhere that isn’t America.)

        • Continental cleans, Adam, used by professional strongman who are really really big and strong. Should not be used by skinny Crossfitters who are having trouble push pressing 135.

          • who gives a shit? lifting heavy shit is still fun. maybe she’s a skinny little girl that struggles with 135 but 3/4 of the dudes on this website blow their load thinking about dating a chick that would spend time learning a new lift just for fun.

  10. Brent whats your new years resolution?

  11. Dear Brent,

    My aunt said my traps are too big. Also, the new Black Keys album has a lot of songs about loneliness that still tend to rock.

  12. Geezus these posts are fucking negative. Brent is already full of sad faces :'(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((.

    Brent bo (can I call you Bren bo?) I’ll give you an internet handy if you feel bad. Hollah at ya boi.

  13. Brent did you celebrate new years eve?

  14. Brent,

    Still wondering where/when your Houston Oly Meet is.

    Please respond.

    Regards,

    Joe

  15. I’m going to keep my responses in less than 15 words to each subject so I can address them all.

    1) Frank Yang loves attention, just ignore him if you don’t like.
    2) Someone will always outlift you.
    3) Brent if you wanna make this blog more positive please post more k-pop vids.
    4) I liked it better when people talked about SC2 more in the comments.

    Ok thanks bye.

  16. I used to think Frank Yang was okay but insane. Now I realize that he’s just a sweaty dick.

  17. I don’t think his technique, mobility or protein consumption changes the fact he is stronger than you.

  18. Hey brent any basic template to bring up the power clean? I squat 365 and deadlift 450. I tried power cleaning for the 3rd time last week and had a dismal 185lbs.

    • Pull harder and faster. Do single reps. Add small bits of weight 2.5lbs or so when you can. It’s really important to fully open the hips during the explosion for the power clean.

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