Drizzt Lifts Things

[Beef]

when you OHP do you find yourself leaning back quite a bit? I'm noticing that I'm not using my core as much as I should be

[drizzt]

when you OHP do you find yourself leaning back quite a bit? I'm noticing that I'm not using my core as much as I should be

Hmmm, not particularly, but I do occasionally catch myself slipping into a lean sometimes because my lower back gives me a bit of a twinge if I do.

I do lean the neck back a tad when I'm pushing the bar up from the chest obviously so the bar can get past, and if I'm tired then the torso can follow. You're right though, I try to keep the core as tight as possible when OHPing, whether I'm push pressing or not :nod:

[SoaringSwine]

What's your goal when benching? Bigger bench? Bigger chest? Generally stronger?

From a PL perspective your setup looked pretty good. But are you touching your chest? Hard to tell from that angle. The bench you're using is also too low, doesn't let you get any leg drive.

[drizzt]

What's your goal when benching? Bigger bench? Bigger chest? Generally stronger?

From a PL perspective your setup looked pretty good. But are you touching your chest? Hard to tell from that angle. The bench you're using is also too low, doesn't let you get any leg drive.

Cheers SS Goal is rugby-focused at the moment, so I guess I'm looking at generally stronger. I've always wondered how to involve the legs more, but could never figure it... never thought it could be the bench height but you could be on to something :think:

And yep, definitely touching the chest. I also think it looks dubious when I watch the vid, but it is the angle (honest! :pfft:). Touching around nipple line, if not just below it. First rep was a very slight pause on the chest, the others were touch and goes.

(now the next set of 3 @120 that wasn't recorded... there were a couple of no touches on that :shifty:)

[SoaringSwine]

Ah yep, all good then. The bench height is definitely limiting your ability recruit leg drive. But leg drive is only really needed if you want a bigger bench, you can still get plenty strong without it.

[drizzt]

Ah sweet, cheers mate. Maybe after Rugby season (unsure what kind of program I'll be doing in the offseason) I'll look at how to involve these legs/somehow raise the height of the bench :nod:

[tinytraps]

Nice arch D and real good setup only thing I would say is to keep your hips high and put each foot down and bring them back as far as you can before dropping your hips to the bench. This just helps a lot with bringing up your arch and keeping supertight. The bigger the arch the better IMO, keep up the good mahi bro 8)

[drizzt]

Nice arch D and real good setup only thing I would say is to keep your hips high and put each foot down and bring them back as far as you can before dropping your hips to the bench. This just helps a lot with bringing up your arch and keeping supertight. The bigger the arch the better IMO, keep up the good mahi bro 8)

Thanks TT, much appreciated

As to the advice, I'll give that a go next bench session - feet flat on the ground, or doesn't matter?

[tinytraps]

Feet flat mate, more stable than trying to be up on your toes. Also driving your heels hard into the ground helps keep you tight and aids in leg drive.

[Big john]

^^^ what the whooper said....stil tryin to master this myself, itll come with pratice bro

[drizzt]

Churs fullas, bench Tues, will give 'em a go :nod:

13/06/10

Late 92s today, surprising after a heavy dinner last night, and shortly after a heavy Nandos lunch :pfft: The body felt pretty good considering the game yesterday, no real soreness to speak of which was handy.

• Face Pulls
  4 sets 10 x 35kg
  
• Hammer Strength Rows
  10 x 20kg (per side)
  3 sets 10 x 25kg
  
• SLDL
  10 x 60kg
  10 x 80kg
  2 sets 10 x 100kg
  
• Core work/Stretches
  Dislocations
  Supermans
  Foam roller raises
  Swiss ball leg curls
  Swiss ball balance
  

Comments

• First time doing face pulls, kept it light to get the movement down.
  
• Hammer rows were standard... no commentrs here.
  
• First time doing SLDL for a while, felt good, no pressure on the low back to speak of. 100 was pretty comfortable.
  
• Usual core work/stretches etc.

[Big john]

and shortly after a heavy Nandos lunch :pfft:

Large chicken fiesta w/large bowl of potatoe salad? and maybe some of them ribs to finish off? :grin:

[drizzt]

Large chicken fiesta w/large bowl of potatoe salad? and maybe some of them ribs to finish off? :grin:

Heh, I love the fiesta, but lately have been getting 1/2 chicken (if not full) with the double breast burger/avocado/cheese/pineapple + large (or jumbo) peri peri chips =P~

Scared to count the receipts of what I've spent there in the last week :pfft: (4 visits I think)

[Big john]

yea bro scarey indeed :pfft: ...still scarey with my mall discount too :shock:

[drizzt]

Been back there twice since my last post :shifty: Heh heh, maybe I should work that into my budget as a "workout" expense.

15/06/10

Late 92s again today, I might invent a "Nandos" diet :pfft:

• Bench
  5 x 80kg
  5 x 100kg
  5 x 110kg
  4 x 110kg
  3 x 110kg
  4 x 100kg
  
• Squats
  Bar/Warmups/Stretches
  5 x 60kg
  5 x 100kg
  5 x 120kg
  5 x 120kg
  5 x 120kg
  5 x 100kg
  
• Power Cleans
  Bar/Warmup/Technique (hang cleans)
  5 x 60kg
  3 x 70kg
  5 x 75kg
  
• GHR
  3 sets 10 x 62.5(kg? alternating legs obviously)
  

Comments

• Bench started ok - the feet on the floor before I drop my butt on the bench seemed to work really well when I got used to it (thanks TT)... but then after the 2nd set, my right tricep started having really odd muscle spasms! :shock: Grabbing the bar caused the tri to seize up, kind of like a cramp. Never had anything like it in that area, but the closest thing I've felt to it before is calf cramp, this was every time I tensed the arm the tri would lock up. I managed to fight through it in the next set where I got 5 x 110 up fairly easily, but the following sets it really started to get painful, and I wasn't confident enough to push more reps. Happy with what I did get considering the tri, but could've been better.
  
• After being on a bit of a downer from the tri, the Squats felt REAL good. First set of 120 was a grind, but was smooth sailing from there. Really happy with where it's at, and I'm getting the back/glutes/hams up to speed nicely which is letting me get a little deeper without the rounding.
  
• Power cleans were average due to the tri as well, so cut volume way back after working it pretty hard on the bench sets. Last set was a grind and wasn't catching the weight very cleanly, but did get them up.
  
• Bodyworks (well... Cityfitness) has a Glute Ham Raise machine! Wooohooo \:D/ After trying to fix (or improve) this pelvic tilt of mine, activating the glutes is on my to do list. GHR was something I wanted to do for the glutes, but without the machine I was a bit lost... so imagine my surprise when I looked up from the bench and saw it! So stoked. This was just a "give it a go" session, as I've never done 'em before. Both legs didn't feel the same - the left glute seemed to be working harder than the right one... so will need to get the technique down on it. Will be looking to add this in regularly :nod:

Had a really tough training tonight too, got whipped about with intense work for about 1.5 hours after a pretty poor performance on the weekend. Dripping like I'd just stepped out of a pool after it, very good conditioning session. Tri has come away much worse than when I went into the training though.... and the thumb on the same side is damned sore too. Icing them now.

Boxing tomorrow night if these little niggles are up to it :nod:

[tinytraps]

Good work on the bench bro :clap: the setup takes a while to get use to, but is very important as having a strong base will help you have a strong press.

not good re:tricep hopefully its just a small niggle thatll come right in no time :nod:

[Beef]

hows the niggle bro? hopefully it's gone by now

solid training. don't know if you've noticed but i kind of stole your journal layout :oops:

yours is so easy to read :nod:

hopefully it's not copyrighted :pfft:

[drizzt]

hows the niggle bro? hopefully it's gone by now

solid training. don't know if you've noticed but i kind of stole your journal layout :oops:

yours is so easy to read :nod:

hopefully it's not copyrighted :pfft:

Cheers mate. And all good, I've refined the template a little since I first posted here. Aim was to make it easy to skim read (for visitors and myself if I'm looking back on it) and hopefully keep the clutter to a minimum. Most people (myself included) switch off if something is too difficult to read.

Tri is still tender, but not locking up like it was, so was hopefully just cramp-like pain as opposed to any real damage.

Good work on the bench bro :clap: the setup takes a while to get use to, but is very important as having a strong base will help you have a strong press.

not good re:tricep hopefully its just a small niggle thatll come right in no time :nod:

Cheers TT, yeah, with the tightness everywhere else, getting the feet down and back seems to flow in with the rest almost naturally. It is definitely tightening up the legs more, whereas before they were just sitting there limp and useless. Will still be working on it of course, but I can already see how it can - and will - help my bench :nod: Cheers again

[nate225]

Cripes, is there meant to be that much arch in the back? I think I've always had the majority of my spine in contact with the bench.

(Honest question - I'm still a noob with weights!)

I know what ya mean dude, I was originally told by a PT to keep my back flat, and even used a box under my feet to prevent any arch. It's only recently that I've started working on an arch, and that was only after a physio started me working on setting my scapulae and driving them back into the bench.

A good competitive bencher will often have traps & glutes touching and bugger all else! Check any Japanese IPF Bencher or the Metal Militia guys.

Drizzt - although I could make all sorts of suggestions re: you bench form, I thinks its important to remember you're an athlete (rugby as opposed to PLer) and as such a technical PLing type set up probably has less specificity to your sport.

If you wanted to add to your bench there are a number of obvious considerations (such as setting a real arch, retracting your scapular, 'tucking' your elbows hard, raising your chest to meet the bar, initiating a leg drive, and spreading the bar to lockout. And you thought benching was simple! :grin: ).

HOWEVER you actually use your chest and tri's in the real world (and in Rugby) in a similar plane to the way BBers bench (elbows flared as you do). I'd stick with your current technique & then tweak it in the off season and see what you can do?

Nate

[drizzt]

17/06/10

Late 92s again today, seem to be holding steady here.

• Front Squats
  Bar/stretches/warmup
  5 x 60kg
  5 x 80kg
  5 x 90kg
  5 x 90kg
  5 x 90kg
  
• Deads
  6 x 60kg (warmup)
  5 x 100kg
  3 x 140kg
  5 x 160kg
  
• OHP
  5 x 60kg
  3 x 70kg
  2 x 80kg
  5 x 85kg
  5 x 87.5kg
  
• Core/Stretches etc
  Dislocations
  Supermans
  Foam roller raises
  Swiss ball leg curls
  Swiss ball raises
  Swiss ball kneeling
  etc...
  

Comments

• Front squats felt pretty good, haven't done 'em for a while. Almost body weight, was tempted to add an extra couple of kilo to make it so but stuck to my goals instead. Got nice and low, but was probably leaning forward a bit much a couple of times.
  
• Deads were a bit scrappy due to a really sore body, probably a bit much rounding than I should've had, but grinded through and got the top set fairly comfortably. Will look at doing 1 top set of 5 in the weeks from now, with 2-3 leadup sets of lower weights/lower reps. Probably how I should've been doing it from the beginning. Still, going well though.
  
• OHP was good, first set was strict, everything after that was push pressing. Only intended sets of 3 at the top, but got through with a whole heap of push pressing. Last couple of reps were very tough though, but nutted them out. Almost bodyweight though. Need to record a session on this....
  
• Usual core stuff etc

Think I may have been working out in the power rack next to CC today, wasn't sure enough (and too shy :oops:) to say hi though.

Body was hellishly sore as a result of a rather large workload this week. The gym session and long/intense rugby training on Tuesday, followed by boxing last night, and gym and rugby again today, I was ready to throw in the towel this morning and let the body heal up! Glad I toughed it out though, as the DOMS (which were EVERYWHERE) loosened up rather nicely after the gym session, and was itching to get going by the time training rolled around.

First game of the next round of rugby this weekend, here's hoping we get off to a good start :pray:

[drizzt]

A good competitive bencher will often have traps & glutes touching and bugger all else! Check any Japanese IPF Bencher or the Metal Militia guys.

Drizzt - although I could make all sorts of suggestions re: you bench form, I thinks its important to remember you're an athlete (rugby as opposed to PLer) and as such a technical PLing type set up probably has less specificity to your sport.

If you wanted to add to your bench there are a number of obvious considerations (such as setting a real arch, retracting your scapular, 'tucking' your elbows hard, raising your chest to meet the bar, initiating a leg drive, and spreading the bar to lockout. And you thought benching was simple! :grin: ).

HOWEVER you actually use your chest and tri's in the real world (and in Rugby) in a similar plane to the way BBers bench (elbows flared as you do).

Thanks Nate! That is exactly the type of feedback I was hoping somebody would pop up with :nod:

I'd stick with your current technique & then tweak it in the off season and see what you can do?

Nate

I may look at this indeed. I'm really hoping to get some proper coaching in the lifts in the offseason (squat/bench/dead), just unsure what the goal is going to be at this point (bigger lifts, more mass for next season, or bodybuilding-type stuff for summer are what I'm tossing up with).

re: benching with a rugby focus, are there any improvements you can suggest in my technique? I know it's a crap angle to tell a heck of a lot (and it is halfway through the season!) but I'm keen to learn for future reference :nod:

[Chillicat]

Think I may have been working out in the power rack next to CC today, wasn't sure enough (and too shy :oops:) to say hi though.

Aha! Yes, it was me. I was 99.9% sure it was you since I'd seen you before at J'ville - but I'm also the shy type :oops: and that 0.1% of uncertainty was enough for me to just get on with my workout and not risk saying hi to someone who wasn't you. Will definitely say hi next time if I should find myself late at the gym again (stupid meetings throwing my timings out!).

[drizzt]

Ha, sweet, next time then

23/06/10

93.5 today, had a couple of days off due to moving house (which was exercise in itself!). This may be the only session I do this week because of the move, but might look to get a light assistance/stretching session in. With this in mind, I decided to do the "big 3" lifts in the one session, as opposed to spreading them over a couple of days as I usually do, and just dropping OHP/Power cleans out for the week.

• Squats
  Warmups(@60kg)/stretching etc
  5 x 100kg
  5 x 120kg
  5 x 125kg
  5 x 125kg
  5 x 125kg
  
• Bench
  Warmups(@60kg)/stretching etc
  5 x 80kg
  5 x 90kg
  5 x 100kg
  5 x 100kg
  5 x 100kg
  
• Deads
  Bar warmups/technique
  5 x 100kg
  3 x 140kg
  5 x 170kg
  
• Core/Stretches
  Usual stuffs
  

Comments

• Squats felt great, have been up to 125 since the injury (a couple of weeks ago) but not at this volume, which I knocked out with some ease. I recorded the final set which I'll post up tonight at some point - did the final set because I thought my bad habits would show more when I'm a bit tired :nod:
  
• Bench felt crappy again, I seem to be going backwards on it Tech feels good, and the sets @ 100 weren't exactly a grind, but definitely not as easy as I've found them in the recent past. May head down in the weights and work my way back up, or even take a couple of weeks off the lift to see if that sparks it....
  
• Deads felt fantastic, I reckon the lowering of volume in the leadup sets is helping here, although I'm a bit wary that I'm decreasing the workload too much... will see how this goes. 170 flew up, these look to be almost where they were before the injury, will up it by 10kg per week until I start struggling to get 5 (which I anticipate to be at or just before 200 - at which point I'll deload)

Was a tad worried just after squats, as I felt the old lower back/glute injury pulling. The ache has gone now, but it's a timely reminder to keep the form in check methinks...

Vid to follow later on.

[drizzt]

Thurrr she blows. Depth may be a bit suspect I think, but beyond that depth is where my back starts to round which is what I'm trying to avoid at the moment.

After watching this, I've also noticed that I may be leaning forward a bit much? Just the way the knees knock forward when I'm coming out of the hole (particularly on the final 3 reps) looks to me like it could be poor balance... :think:

Lemme have it! :pfft: (but honestly, any help offered is appreciated)

[jono]

nice squatting mate.

Saw your bench a few pages back too - nice work - i remember the days i was @ BW :pfft:

hmm not sure if it is bw or not but sorta looks like the old window near the benchs they had before