View All Posts: Aquarian
12345678910 ... ... 2122232425262728293031
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 27-08-2014 @ 00:18 | ||
| So here it starts! Deads Warmups(beltless) - 60x10, 100x6, 140x3, 180x2, 220x1 - all easy 230x3 - bit tough - belt was on too tight so loosened it. 240x3 - better but still a bit off (had a toilet break so may have been the reason) 250x3 - much better felt easy. 260x3 - again easy 270x2 - a lot slower, obviously fatigue catching up here hbbs(beltless) 20x10 60x6 100x4 140x3 180x2 200x1 220x1 It was obvious the deads exhausted me - didn't sleep great as usual for the early Sunday workout and it probably caught up with me here. Was hoping to push for 230 but I think it would've been very tough so left it here. Not a bad start. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 27-08-2014 @ 00:13 | ||
Post Edited: 27.08.2014 @ 00:48 AM by Aquarian After doing 531 for almost 4 years now, time for a change. The reasons for changing are lack of progress and not enjoying the workouts any more.At the ripe old age of 43 and starting to go grey all over I need to make the training more efficient and productive and avoid picking up stupid injuries. This whole year - apart from a bench pb in April - has been poor. Possibly the effects of ageing and definitely the hot summer was a factor too. But also got injured a few times due to poor technique creeping in when I was trying too hard to get the reps in. Was having a lot of problems on both the fives and threes - especially in the last set - so rather than reduce the weight decided to trim the sets. Basic philosophy: (1) Instead of 3x5 do 5x3 with an optional extra set of 1 or 2 reps depending on how I feel. The weights will be roughly comparable to what I was doing before but the jumps between sets will be smaller. (2) Instead of 3x3 do 4x2 and again add a bonus set of 1-2 reps (3) On the singles week do 1x3, 1x2 and then 1x1. (4) Avoid all grinding sets and reps - if the weight is moving too slowly stop the set. Might take a few minutes rest and then go for a few more reps if I can do them smoothly. (5) Instead of upping the weight when I get all the sets comfortably I'll add an extra set with a single or double. Obviously at some point I will reach my limits but adding the set will only be done when I get the reps comfortably without the tech going. On days when I am not feeling great I will probably cut down a set when the weight starts to move slower. In addition I've reduced the warm up reps by around a third. So this is pretty much a mish mash of RTS and my own 321 system. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now and it's been really positive and I'm stronger and feeling fresher. So I will keep this log updated for a few months at least to see how things go. I don't have any hard targets for the rest of the year but roughly: 270kg lbbs with belt - did an easy 250 last week. 250kg hbbs beltless - did a very easy 225 last week. 200kg bench - did an easy 185 last week 300kg dead - did a comfortable 290 last week 135 strict ohp - narrowly missed 125 last week and got 122.5 quite easily 155 push press - did 140 easily last week. If I can avoid injury I think these are all reasonable targets. But the other aim is to make the workouts more enjoyable with shorter rest periods. Should be interesting to see how this works out (pun not intended!) Pleas feel free to comment and critique as required. | |||
| » Koklayev 410 Raw Deadlift (Go to post) | 26-06-2014 @ 16:25 | ||
| Surprised he didn't use the hook grip as he normally does. Looks like a Texas deadlift bar - maybe with the sharper knurling he didn't want to hook? | |||
| » Great Charles Staley article about the mental skills required for lifting (Go to post) | 26-06-2014 @ 15:56 | ||
| http://www.t-nation.com/training/7-mind-hacks-for-gym-dominanc... | |||
| » Beltless squat 320x10 easy! (Go to post) | 20-06-2014 @ 00:56 | ||
| I don't know if his spotter gave him much help but it's 320kg and not one rep looked hard! | |||
| » Pec tears - bench press (Go to post) | 11-04-2014 @ 18:39 | ||
| I've had a few pec minor strains in the past, including one a few months ago which started to hurt even benching just the bar. I successfully rehabbed it without having to stop benching or cutting down the weight or frequency by: (1) Icing it directly after training, even after non-bench workouts. (2) Massaging it with a intrasound massager (got this from Boots years ago and you can still find them on Amazon or Ebay though quite pricey) after training. (3) Stretching the pecs out daily using this technique: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_traini... I actually start with the elbow at the same height as the shoulder and then raise it higher till it is about chin level and stretch it as hard and long as possible. (4) Wearing a sweatshirt and t-shirt on top of my sleeveless top to keep the area warmer, even when the temp is warm outside. (5) Loads of warmup sets - for example this is a typical bench warmup for me: 20x20, 40x10, 60x10, 80x6, 100x6, 120x3 (or 120x2 then 140x1) then working sets. I bench twice a week, 531 programming, wide grip is pinkie on the ring and narrow is index on the beginning of the knurl in the middle. Got a 195 wide and 186 narrow (both p.b's!) 4 days apart about 2 weeks ago with no pain. I think the stretching, warmups and keeping the area warm would help the most - I'm 43 and probably do a bit too much volume in the warmups but it seems to keep me relatively injury free. | |||
| » 210kg raw at 67.5! Not me, obvz (Go to post) | 17-12-2013 @ 17:59 | ||
Post Edited: 17.12.2013 @ 18:01 PM by Aquarian Awesome and a bit sickening at the same time!I think he's a bench only specialist and built to bench big obviously but still! Must be one of the highest bench to body weight ratio lifts ever done raw. I wonder what is the highest body weight anyone has done a 3xbw raw bench press? | |||
| » 265kg beltless squat 10 reps easy (Go to post) | 05-12-2013 @ 21:56 | ||
| Not by me sadly (would've been 10 good/bad mornings!) His next target is 300x10 - lol! You kill yourself trying to get 1 rep with that weight and for some kid 20 years younger it's just cardio!  | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 02-12-2013 @ 22:22 | ||
walker said: Ah right, so GBPF squat depth accepted standard is high then? Same with BDFPA? It's funny as your depth as you've just agreed to with Tom is far from ATG.. My depth is pretty much a good few inches below parallel as my side shots will show when I post them and I doubt I could go much lower unless I improved my mobility or changed my stance - that may happen but it will take some time. Yes I do think most squats done these days are higher than in the past - not that they were that deep themselves but there wasn't as much conjecture about them as there seems to be now. You 'called me out on my squat depth', just lol. And I didn't criticise your lift, I said it was a nice partial bench press, praise for what it is, a partial lift. And you say 'less than perfect technique' but say my squats are high? Depth and technique are not the same.. Well I think I've just proved my point that no one has the last word on technique or form. In my opinion your squats are borderline - but then we all tend to think we sink them deep and when you look at them closely they often look higher. I'm sure you are squatting to the laws of your federation so there is no need to go deeper if your squats are consistently being passed. But I have seen squats of that depth or slightly deeper being failed - although that may just be the general inconsistency of judging or even political decisions being made. It also highlights how sensitive we all are to criticism  | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 02-12-2013 @ 13:10 | ||
Tom_Martin said: Just my opinion here for what it might be worth, but I think it will be shared by quite a few others also. Thanks Tom. I appreciate your input - you're a bit of a legend in the strength community not just for your strength but your technical ability and intelligence. The extra depth shouldn't come at the expense of compromised positioning, and it shouldn't be accepted that squatting to the depth you squat to, which is "in" but not exceptionally deep, is only possible with the loss of positioning you demonstrate. It's as deep as I can squat at the moment - I'm fairly short and chunky so there are limits to how much deeper I can go. I stretch every day, including some mobility drills - but I also spend a lot of time sitting down which pretty much negates a lot of the good stuff I do. I'm not going to try to tell you what to do because you seem happy as you are, but you're wrong if you think you have to squat the way you do, in order to squat to that depth. Even with a low bar position. The problem isn't the depth, it's a lack of mobility. I've been there myself, and have done many squats that look like yours. It is fixable, if you want to fix it, but it's not easy. I'm quite happy to improve my technique - I've never felt totally comfortable squatting and I've had numerous problems with my knees in the past. Maybe I should post some videos of lighter squats taken from the side? I'm squatting again at the end of the week so I can do it then. If you can post any suggestions here or PM me that would be great. Thanks. | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 02-12-2013 @ 12:47 | ||
MattD90 said:Tell us what you want us to say Nothing - you can say what you want. That's the beauty of being online. I don't mind being criticised - but I will respond in detail - and if that means I get accused of being touchy or sensitive so be it. Life - and training - goes on! | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 02-12-2013 @ 12:29 | ||
JonA81 said: Tuscherer squats with a lower bar position than you and maintains a neutral head position by looking at a spot several feet in front rather than straight down. I agree that looking up doesnt help everyone from getting folded over, but high bar + looking almost straight down doesnt either. Yes there is a difference - but he doesn't squat that deep either so he can maintain a better position. My squats are kind of hybrid between low and high bar - more of the former than the latter. Fair play on the squat, lifts on the limit are never going to be pretty. Do you compete? Mid 700s total would be fairly competitive in GBPF. No I don't - maybe one day! | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 01-12-2013 @ 17:55 | ||
dr_hazbun said:It's a big raw press but it's very poorly executed. Yes the execution was poor but so was my general strength on that day. After benching I do an overhead press. On that day instead of going for something between 130 and 135kg I quit at 112.5x3 because I was exhausted. I have mentioned this many times but it doesn't seem to register for some. This was the last of 4 workouts over 8 days where I maxed out 8 lifts. Imagine the effort that takes for a 42 year old natural raw lifter who doesn't sleep brilliantly at the best of times. It's hard enough peaking on one day - try doing it on 4 days. And the bench comes at the end of this - in fact I did a 187.5 cgbp partial (got it over the uprights but didn't lock out) 4 days earlier and I wasn't even sure I could do that yesterday at one point. I posted it because I was happy to get close to my pb on a day when I was decidedly sub-par. I should have mentioned this in detail but as I said earlier it would have come across as making excuses - maybe it is. I'm happy with my effort and it's a good indicator of my current strength levels You're an experienced lifter so your lifts will undoubtedly get analysed in more detail by other experienced lifters and if they see fault in them, then expect some criticism. You've also got to understand that the typed word comes across very differently compared to the spoken one. A newbie (or Smalls for that matter) who's just posted his first shaky 100 bench will just get bland encouragement and pats on the back but you don't need that. No I don't need praise or encouragement but naturally one gets defensive when you get terse 1 line comments which don't really add much. I reacted badly. You've just had some very experienced lifters offer you advice on your squatting in your other thread but your responses seem very dismissive (even taking interpretation of the written work into account). I don't think you read my responses properly. I explained that I had tried squatting more classically for many years. I have had a lot of knee pain in the past and hence find it much easier and comfortable to squat in the way I do. I wasn't being dismissive of people commenting on my technique - if anything they were being somewhat dismissive of my explanations. Has anyone tried squatting the way I do? I even posted a reply showing how Mike Tuchsherer - a top competitive IPF powerlifter squats in a very similar manner. Did anyone bother investigating this? People do not always use the same technique to good effect and safety. I'm starting to wonder why you even post your vid threads in the first place? Well clearly I'm desperate for attention and need lots of pats on my back...not! On a superficial level yes it's nice to get compliments - but because my lifting is somewhat different in technique and programming to many others I thought it may give others something different to try or think about if they are not progressing as desired. I have tried the conventional path and never managed to make it work - perhaps there are others here who feel the same. People who think I'm full of s**t fine - please feel free to ignore my posts in the future. I'm not trying to sell my philosophy to anyone else - it's there for you to consider or not. I do enjoy a good debate but sometimes it's best to just live and let live. | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 01-12-2013 @ 17:22 | ||
milsy said: As for sugden I think you have to take the numbers under the tag lines with a pinch of salt after all its just a forum could put any old numbers up there Personally I use it to remind myself of when I did what - more than as a comparison tool - although sometimes I forget to update it for a few days which messes this up - I wish there was a way to alter the date on it too. Yeah you can't really do an accurate comparison using the pb chart since equipment, form, and not even knowing what they lifted unless using totally calibrated weights and bars vary so much. Then there is the whole issue of PED usage which no one talks openly about. Comparisons are fun if you don't take it too seriously and feel threatened when someone similar to you, or much younger than you, outlifts you. There's always someone better than you at something out there - it does not mean you are s**t or can't catch up to them eventually - it just may take a lot longer than someone naturally or un-naturally stronger than you - which is part of the fun of lifting for me at least. | |||
| » 192.5kg bench press (Go to post) | 01-12-2013 @ 17:05 | ||
polkovnikostin said: I know, but you've posted it as a PB at 118kg body weight. As an international standard IPF lifter I'm just surprised you're comfortable claiming it as a PB. It's a gym lift - not a comp lift - and I have seen plenty of comp lifts passed that shouldn't have been. I have no issue with him claiming it was a pb - especially as he got it easily enough to suggest he would've gotten it without the elbow sleeves. Pausing doesn't take much out of my lifts either - I could pause 175 or more for 3 seconds when I could do 180. I personally have no idea what I weigh before I lift or can even be sure the weights weigh what they claim to - even though I use mainly the Eleiko and Ivanko plates. I use a Texas Power Bar for most of my lifts and it weighs 20.4kg - so I could claim an extra 0.4kg plus the weights of the collars if I wanted to be really anal. People should just take these lifts as what they are and not turn them into religious debates - even if lifting is a religion to some of us | |||