Proof that the Nutmisc Lifts! (kinda)

[psychodiver9]

Volume. It's a quick fix and a slippery slope, but my biceps never saw any improvement until I just started doing 5-7 sets 3x a week

Only if you actually fix the form issues first

[InItForFitness]

1. Get your back/upper body tight. Pinch your shoulders together, tighten your core.
2. Keep your head/chest up. Look at the phucking sky if you have to, just don't lean the hell over.
3. Keep your elbows underneath you to naturally keep your shoulders rolled back and upper body up/tight.
4. Breath in. Squat.

Additionally, (as mentioned), wouldn't bother phucking with form too much this close to your meet as you don't know what's going to happen to strength when doing so. Likely you're going to be weaker (even if form is better) simply because you're not used to this new form.

Maintain the best form possible that is still natural, and then after your meet get into an off-season cycle & get your form in check then.

[themonkay]

Only if you actually fix the form issues first

I was talking about zmans biceps lol

[DAaaMan64]

Volume. It's a quick fix and a slippery slope, but my biceps never saw any improvement until I just started doing 5-7 sets 3x a week

Only if you actually fix the form issues first

I lol'd.

[lee__d]

Max test. Should have went for a 440 or so squat on my 3rd. Oh well.

[InItForFitness]

Strong work Lee ^^^

Looking solid as hell brother.
Have been away for a while so not sure exactly where you're at/goals. I'm assuming you've got a meet shortly?

Currently...

4 Weeks out from APF Raw Nationals.

Feeling pretty solid/strong.
Had a 325 x 2 (2 board) bench last week, as well as 415 squat, and fairly easy 525 rack pull (low/mid shin level) this week all of which have me stronger than at the time of the state meet.

Failure session today though squatting, managed to work up to an easy 405 x 1, but then utter failure at 425 on my last set. Going to attribute it to the fact that I feel like chit though and am coming off of a week of working closing shifts and running on 3-4 hours/sleep every night.

[psychodiver9]

Nice lee. When is the meet? Planned attempts?

[lee__d]

Strong work Lee ^^^

Looking solid as hell brother.
Have been away for a while so not sure exactly where you're at/goals. I'm assuming you've got a meet shortly?

Currently...

4 Weeks out from APF Raw Nationals.

Feeling pretty solid/strong.
Had a 325 x 2 (2 board) bench last week, as well as 415 squat, and fairly easy 525 rack pull (low/mid shin level) this week all of which have me stronger than at the time of the state meet.

Failure session today though squatting, managed to work up to an easy 405 x 1, but then utter failure at 425 on my last set. Going to attribute it to the fact that I feel like chit though and am coming off of a week of working closing shifts and running on 3-4 hours/sleep every night.

Thanks bro. I had a few chitty sessions leading into my peak for that max test. Shrug it off and keep going, fatigue happens.

Nice lee. When is the meet? Planned attempts?

Thanks, bro. Meet isn't July 12th (I wanted to see if the 2 weeks of peaking/1 week of taper I wrote out was enough to hit decent maxes), so I don't have numbers in mind yet besides actually hitting that 455 squat lol.

[Domicron]

I'd appreciate your guys input on my deadlift:


i know i need to work on overall tightness, and not fidgeting once setting my grip (i'm strapped up in this vid) so i'd appreciate your guys' tips on being efficient.

one big question i have with my lift is that i don't feel anything in my glutes. do you think i'm not sitting far back enough? also people have said my shoulders are maybe too far forward.

i'd appreciate any advice you guys have. thanks

[lee__d]

Your scapula should be over the bar, not your delts, so in that regard it looks okay. I don't really 'feel' all that much in my ass, it's a short quick lockout. Just make sure you're squeezing to bring the hips through. As far as getting your ass back, you want your ass (hips really) as close the bar as you can get it (while still maintaining proper form/setup), this is why most try for a super wide stance so they can get open and bring their hips to the bar. But your stance is going to be determined by mobility, if you get wide and have your hips close to the bar, but your knees buckle in on every rep, then it isn't good. My sumo stance is kind of narrow and toe forward and odd looking lol.

[Domicron]

appreciate it thanks. i'll lay around with the width of my stance and bringing in my hips to the bar...but not sitting back into it right?

[themonkay]

Bump?

https://instagram.com/p/3-qTCpMh0K/

[Domicron]

Bump?

https://instagram.com/p/3-qTCpMh0K/

that's a pr? doesn't even look like you're struggling...

mirin your elbows (i gotta cross my hands on front squats)

[themonkay]

that's a pr? doesn't even look like you're struggling...

mirin your elbows (i gotta cross my hands on front squats)

Lol thx but TBH it was more difficult than the video makes it seem. I probably had 1 more good one in me (2 if I wanted to die for it).

[jdrush]

Bump?

https://instagram.com/p/3-qTCpMh0K/

I love front squats but I had to put them aside because I was better at them than back squats.

[themonkay]

I love front squats but I had to put them aside because I was better at them than back squats.

Not sure why that would be an issue unless you're competing in PL?

[jdrush]

Not sure why that would be an issue unless you're competing in PL?

Kinda want to.

[InItForFitness]

Last Weekend's Meet
Stats
Weight Class : 82.5kg/181lbs
Weight : 79kg/176lbs

Results
Lifts : 8/9 (Failed 3rd Bench)
Squat : 408 (new meet PR)
Bench : 314 (tied PR)
Deadlift : 501 (tied PR)

Place : 2nd Place finish & qualified for WPC Worlds

Additionally, this gave me a new meet PR total of 1223lbs, and broke the state record for raw total in my weight class.




Thoughts
I highly consider the day much more of a success than a failure. My ONLY real goal heading into the event was to tie/beat my previous meet total since I was competing at a lighter weight class I was interested to see how strength would compare.

This was accomplished, leading to my considering this a big success. Although only a 6lb increase in total weight, it's still an increase and slow progress is always better than no progress.

The fact that I was able to take 2nd in my class and qualify to represent the US at WPC Worlds this year is just a VERY LARGE bonus, and I take great pride in this accomplishment and look forward to the challenge of competing against some of the best in the world.

That being said, I feel there is always room for improvement and a bit of self-criticism can do wonders for continuous progression.

I am a bit let down in myself for what I consider rather poor nutritional planning & execution on my part the lead up to the meet (the week prior & pre-meet evening), my weight loss was too soon, and a bit too drastic, leaving a much more difficult time trying to make up that leverage post-weigh in, and just really hindering my recovery time.

This easily attributed to the fact that I left what should have been another 10-20+lbs of total weight lifted on the platform.

Also, my poor decision to pull sumo, regardless of the fact that my warm-ups felt tight and just wasn't happening. This leading to a serious hip strain on my 2nd attempt and forcing me to switch to conventional (which I should have pulled the whole meet), where I smoked an easy 501 and likely could have had another 5-10lbs had that been my 2nd attempt not 3rd.

[themonkay]

-from my log
-overall thoughts in my log
-yes i know my ass came up on 245 bench lol

Monkay Method 2.0 Results

Ok so here's a recap of what the improvised yet still planned out programming looked like:

Block 1 (Weeks 1-4)
Squat reps: 10,7,4,3
10 rep work beltless
4 rep work with front squats

Bench reps: 10,7,4,3
7 rep work with dumbbells

Deadlift reps: 8 & 3
8 rep work beltless w/ straps

Block 2 (Weeks 5-7)
Squat reps: 8,5,3-2,2
8 rep work beltless
3-2 rep work with front squats

Bench reps: 8,5,3,2
5 rep work with dumbbells

Deadlift reps: 5 & 2
5 rep work beltless w/ straps

Block 3 (Weeks 8-9)
Squat reps: 6,3,2-1,1
6 rep work beltless
2-1 rep work with front squats

Bench reps: 6,3,2,1
3 rep work with dumbbells

Deadlift reps: 3 & 1
3 rep work beltless w/ straps





The Results
So prior to starting this my maxes were:
350x1 squat
235x1 bench
485x1 deadlift


6/20/15

Everything was for 1 rep (somewhat of a mock meet i guess).

Squat
330
350
365



Bench
225
240
245


deadlift
460
495
505

[klaximilian]

I don't lift heavy for dips often so I'm not sure if this is that impressive or not, but I was quite happy to hit 5 X BW + 90lbs.

[Domicron]

reviving this thread for a form check.

here's my most recent day of squatting: a staggering 145 x 12


questions i have

1) i've noticed that i tend to favor the weight on the balls of my feet. i don't feel like my heels come up, and they look flat on the video, but i could take a closer video tonight when i squat again.

do you think this is a problem and should i wear shoes instead of my vibrams? i like squatting barefoot though, so if it's not bad for me i'll continue to do that.

2) my elbows flare back and always have. i've never really felt comfortable bringing them down. shoulders or something i dunno it didn't feel right. some people say it's a problem and other people say to shut up and continue squatting.

3) anything else you guys notice?

[Domicron]

Nice bro. Chick walking by was admiring it.



hat I'm seeing is some underpronation when you're coming back up. Which is the opposite of how it works. It could be the Vibrams. Do you have any Chucks or dare I say Freeruns? I'm not an expert on form, but it looks like your legs are caving inward despite your knees being forced out when coming back up. Just my 2c, which means little tbh.

I happen to have the same problem with flat soled shoes like Chucks or skate shoes. Though I'm curious what Romaleos or AdiPures would be like.

i feel like the weight of the squat is resting more towards the inside of my foot on the way up, but maybe they're wanting to roll out a little i'm not sure. hmm i have a friend who's an orthopedist i should have him take a look at my feet and give me some recommendations.

thanks

[Domicron]

Well when you're pushing up, you're supposed to "tear" the floor apart with your feet. But you might be overcompensating. I'm an overpronator myself so flat shoes don't work, but something like Nike Free Runs always helped during heavy squats or pulls. I brought it up with Jason, the banned one, back when he was chill and not a weirdo. He was skeptical until I sent him a private video of my feet when I was pulling and squatting. He found it odd but figured it was an anomalies in people.

So as you can see, I'm clearly a special snowflake. But yeah, see your friend for a recommendation. I saw one after I a read a Runner's World article on foot impact several years ago. I now know which shoes are best for me and which are the worst. Usually you'll be able to tell because if it's severe enough, your feet will ache for hours even after you took your shoes off.

thanks, my feet are generally pretty good in my work shoes all day, and i've never noticed discomfort in my feet from squatting or deadlifting.

i'm going to be doing some late night squats, so i'll see how everything feels tonight.

[Domicron]

Work shoes like leather on leather sole and then rubbered? Those are supposed to be feel comfortable. It's why I pay so much for my work shoes. They're leather and wood, with hot coated rubber on the bottoms every other year.

Best non dress shoes for all day comfort are Crocs, believe it or not. They have a closed off line made especially for medical professionals who are on their feet most of the day. Of the docs I know who are surgeons, they wear Crocs. Actually, I made a joke about my surgeon wearing Crocs when he was doing the pre surgery discussion/meeting with me. He laughed but said they were the comfiest shoes he'd worn in the years he'd been performing.

i buy my shoes from shoesforcrews.com non-slip for personal safety and insurance purposes. i get ones that look pretty decent, leather, and replace them every 18 months or so

[ZMan45]

I think this video can be helpful. Looks like you're coming forward a bit out of the hole, and when the weight gets heavy this can be a pretty ugly good morning. Only really noticeable as you hit fatigue though.

As far as elbows, IMO having more vertical elbows will promote a more vertical squat.

[MikeWines]

^If you feel like you can't get your elbows down, it's likely due to poor shoulder mobility and a lack of external rotation. Address the issue, don't just work around the symptoms.

[Domicron]

I think this video can be helpful. Looks like you're coming forward a bit out of the hole, and when the weight gets heavy this can be a pretty ugly good morning. Only really noticeable as you hit fatigue though.

As far as elbows, IMO having more vertical elbows will promote a more vertical squat.

thanks man, i'll take a look at that. maybe it's an issue with getting my arms down like below

^If you feel like you can't get your elbows down, it's likely due to poor shoulder mobility and a lack of external rotation. Address the issue, don't just work around the symptoms.

thanks man, i'll look into shoulder mobility and see what i can do.

Oh yeah! The geriatric shoes.

yup, but they're pretty comfy and they're easy to clean.

[ZMan45]

Anyone else have an extreme forearm imbalance? My flexors are like 1000x stronger than my extensors. I have pretty much the chittiest grip strength of all time.

[Domicron]

Anyone else have an extreme forearm imbalance? My flexors are like 1000x stronger than my extensors. I have pretty much the chittiest grip strength of all time.

do you use gloves or straps for your pulling movements? i have ****ty grip strength but it's balanced out by my **** overall strength so no one notices...

[ZMan45]

do you use gloves or straps for your pulling movements? i have ****ty grip strength but it's balanced out by my **** overall strength so no one notices...

Only when it gets heavy. My wrists aren't flexible either. As a matter of fact my fingers curl inward at rest it's so intense.