The Official Powerlifting and Strongman Family Appreciation Thread: Part XVIII

[Smolovicus]

bout to go hit my DL training session at 11PM... dat insomnia life. Fuarkkkkk.

Also there's been hazard warnings all over the city today because of forest fire smoke blowing in... we have a giant squirrel cage fan in the gym on a timer to exhaust the cold night air in to keep the gym cooler during the day since it's summer, pray for me that I don't get Co2 poisoning or some chit...

I'm over on the east side of WA right now (Pullman) and we've been living in a mire of the thickest fire smog you've ever seen for the last few days. Sun comes out blood red and dim every day. Breathing quality went down within hours of being here, now I have a pretty consistent (but mild) cough.

It's bad for sure, man. Haven't heard any announcements from the campus about it but evidently a good number of the local city workers and other businesses have been put on hiatus due to the health risks of being outdoors right now. I'm sure Kennewick is a post apocalyptic wasteland right now.

[Larfleeze]

my squat ****ing sucks, routine recommendations? Too bloody many out there to choose from

[grandmoloch]

Nice meet baby.

[NorthStrong]

my squat ****ing sucks, routine recommendations? Too bloody many out there to choose from

Whatever one you choose, get bigger and work harder.

I like 2x a week squatting usually. One more volume day one more heavier.

[308smk]

Anybody ever strain an Intercostal or abdominal wall muscle right below the ribcage? Theres no bruising or any distensions/bumps so I don't think it's a hernia.

I did a chitload of squat volume last tuesday and its been hurting ever since, kinda like a 2/10 constant dull ache till I bend over and then its a moderate stabby pain. I wrapped it in a tensor and it held up under decently heavy squat triples with only mild stabbiness so I don't think it's too bad, I've just never experienced this one before.

Inb4 herniated abdominal wall

my squat ****ing sucks, routine recommendations? Too bloody many out there to choose from

Practice makes perfect. I'd probably do Sheiko or RTS. 3-4 times per week will make massive progress on the squat, especially at the intermediate stages.

[arian11]

Wow. Great meet. Strong PR. Great attempt selection.

[brotein1992]

Anybody ever strain an Intercostal or abdominal wall muscle right below the ribcage? Theres no bruising or any distensions/bumps so I don't think it's a hernia.

I did a chitload of squat volume last tuesday and its been hurting ever since, kinda like a 2/10 constant dull ache till I bend over and then its a moderate stabby pain. I wrapped it in a tensor and it held up under decently heavy squat triples with only mild stabbiness so I don't think it's too bad, I've just never experienced this one before.

Inb4 herniated abdominal wall

if you didn't feel a pop it's most likely a strain. Don't jump straight to hernia brah million things it could be

[308smk]

if you didn't feel a pop it's most likely a strain. Don't jump straight to hernia brah million things it could be

Im mostly joking about the hernia, I'm pretty sure its just a mild tear. I never felt a pop or pain till I woke up the next morning. If I put pressure on it it reduces the pain. Kinda sucks right now as I have a cold and I'm coughing all the time haha.

[Jmadden44]

Wow. Great meet. Strong PR. Great attempt selection.

I know a guy...

[Rags85]

Had quite the roller coaster of a weekend. My girlfriend threw me a surprise 30th birthday party. It was hot outside, but it was good to see a bunch of people. Lots of good food, beer, cigars and whiskey. Good times.
Then later that night we found out a friend was killed in a car accident by someone going the wrong way on the highway. Guy had two kids, 4 years old and 10 months. Still trying to make sense of it. ****ing sucks.

[xRequiem]

Think i'm addicted to competing now..lifted the day after my meet. Now i'm trying to plan one for October when I told myself I couldn't compete again until April.

[NeverEnough89]

Question for the fam.
Power rack at the gym has the chitty 3" spacing between holes. Talked it over with the owner, and he said "go ahead and make more holes" lol... would make unracking on pin press/floor press/ and just unracking the bar for squats way better. Any one do this, and any suggestions.

[NorthStrong]

Had quite the roller coaster of a weekend. My girlfriend threw me a surprise 30th birthday party. It was hot outside, but it was good to see a bunch of people. Lots of good food, beer, cigars and whiskey. Good times.
Then later that night we found out a friend was killed in a car accident by someone going the wrong way on the highway. Guy had two kids, 4 years old and 10 months. Still trying to make sense of it. ****ing sucks.

Well, happy birthday. Very sorry to hear that Rags, things like that never make sense, very sudden losses like that are hard to process, wishing you the best.

Think i'm addicted to competing now..lifted the day after my meet. Now i'm trying to plan one for October when I told myself I couldn't compete again until April.

Glad to hear m8, good to see you finally get on a platform too. Competing is definitely addictive.

[Jmadden44]

Think i'm addicted to competing now..lifted the day after my meet. Now i'm trying to plan one for October when I told myself I couldn't compete again until April.

Well since you'll be squatting and pulling 800+ in 2016 you can't afford any days off.

Question for the fam.
Power rack at the gym has the chitty 3" spacing between holes. Talked it over with the owner, and he said "go ahead and make more holes" lol... would make unracking on pin press/floor press/ and just unracking the bar for squats way better. Any one do this, and any suggestions.

Mark between each set of holes and use a drill with a metal bit.

May need some cutting oil depending on how thick the rack is. Or more than 1 bit.

[isaku900]

need to get through one day of work. then i have the rest of the week off to rest, relax, recover and prepare for BoB2.

weight was 316.8 this morning, so a bit low, want to get to 320 minimum before I cut...that means I get to be evil towards people who are cutting a lot. brb eating burgers and drinking milkshakes in front of people who are starving.

[arn710]

need to get through one day of work. then i have the rest of the week off to rest, relax, recover and prepare for BoB2.

weight was 316.8 this morning, so a bit low, want to get to 320 minimum before I cut...that means I get to be evil towards people who are cutting a lot. brb eating burgers and drinking milkshakes in front of people who are starving.

I thought you were going SHW for this meet?

[308smk]

Question for the fam.
Power rack at the gym has the chitty 3" spacing between holes. Talked it over with the owner, and he said "go ahead and make more holes" lol... would make unracking on pin press/floor press/ and just unracking the bar for squats way better. Any one do this, and any suggestions.

Drilling holes in steel tube with a hand drill is a PITA, so I would make the least amount of holes possible.

If you're drilling a 3/4" hole for example

-Make sure you have a half decent drill and metal drillbits. Super cheap drillbits will only last a few holes, especially if they're in a hand drill on metal.

-Mark where you want your holes

-drill a pilot hole with a small bit, usually 1/8-1/4

- use a larger bit to bore it out, usually halfway between the pilot size and final size. 1/2 would do

-finish it with the final drillbit, in this case a 3/4"

Should be good to go. Your bit should be able to reach through both sides of the tube, if not you may need to repeat the process on the other side. Take care to ensure your holes line up properly.

[isaku900]

I thought you were going SHW for this meet?

nah 308s, Malan is going SHW

[Daemonium]

nah 308s, Malan is going SHW

That....is understandable.

[WCbouche]

nah 308s, Malan is going SHW

He is still making the trip? I haven't seen anything else about his pec.

[NorthStrong]

He is still making the trip? I haven't seen anything else about his pec.

Was just gonna post this...

[zmcdole]

He is still making the trip? I haven't seen anything else about his pec.

bro his pec wasn't really torn. It's just what Russians do when they get a really good pump. You never wonder why they're so damn strong?

[breathinglife]

He is still making the trip? I haven't seen anything else about his pec.

Let's just say when you are recovering as hard as Malan is... I've seen guys recover from worse in 2 weeks, and he had 3 I think?

EDIT: Not saying he's going to hit a bench PR, but hopefully he can still hit a huge squat, which is what I really want to see.

[breathinglife]

Had quite the roller coaster of a weekend. My girlfriend threw me a surprise 30th birthday party. It was hot outside, but it was good to see a bunch of people. Lots of good food, beer, cigars and whiskey. Good times.
Then later that night we found out a friend was killed in a car accident by someone going the wrong way on the highway. Guy had two kids, 4 years old and 10 months. Still trying to make sense of it. ****ing sucks.

That's a true bummer man. Thoughts and prayers with his family!

But happy birthday nonetheless! I'm feeling old staring at 30 this next year.

[michael_xyz]

Bit of a different question but anyone into sports psychology/visualisation and that kind of thing?

I feel like I've still not had a really good meet to this day (after 4 official meets and 2 unofficial meets). I might hit one lift well, or maybe two, but I've still not been able to perform at my top/near my top and create a good total.

It's rather discouraging when you've hit big lifts in the gym and can't seem to convert at meets. Last November I hit my first 445lbs squat and it wasn't even that hard - I suspected 11lbs more was on the cards. Few months later I hit 435x3 in training (maybe even had 1 more rep in me). Had a meet last month and failed 456lbs. Seems almost silly really...

[arn710]

This is worth a watch

[NeverEnough89]

Thanks guys. Talked it over with my boss (engineer at an arena) and says if it's not more than 1/2" thick metal he wouldn't cut and alter it, jeopardize the structural integrity. My 300lb squats won't hurt it but the 500+ guys will fuk it up. Time to talk to the owner and talk him into a real power rack lol.

[breathinglife]

Bit of a different question but anyone into sports psychology/visualisation and that kind of thing?

I feel like I've still not had a really good meet to this day (after 4 official meets and 2 unofficial meets). I might hit one lift well, or maybe two, but I've still not been able to perform at my top/near my top and create a good total.

It's rather discouraging when you've hit big lifts in the gym and can't seem to convert at meets. Last November I hit my first 445lbs squat and it wasn't even that hard - I suspected 11lbs more was on the cards. Few months later I hit 435x3 in training (maybe even had 1 more rep in me). Had a meet last month and failed 456lbs. Seems almost silly really...

This has always been my experience in powerlifting.

I used to think, "Why am I doing so much better in the gym than in meets?"
But if I view my performances objectively, the implicit assumption of this question isn't altogether true. Is it really true that I perform better in the gym?

Yes, I've certainly had better max days in the gym than I have at meets. That said, if I have a bad max session in the gym, I just forget about it and move on. If I take a moment and think of all the most terrible lifting days I've ever had, I begin to recall a lot of failed lifts, crappy sets, etc. So while it's true that I've performed better in the gym than at meets, the opposite is also true: I've performed worse in the gym than at meets.

Ultimately, I just spend a lot more time in the gym, so I have more of a chance to catch a lot of outliers on both ends: bad and good days.

I think because we want good days at a meet so bad, it hits us really hard when we don't get them, and we immediately compare it to our best gym days and are frustrated by the result.

I remember after squatting 612 quite a while back, I trained HARD for many weeks and then gave 617 a go in the gym. It crushed me. I dropped the weight down to 587, just to rebuild my confidence with 6+ plates. I was crushed again. I shrugged it off, and came back and hit 617, and a quite a few more PRs over the coming weeks. That bad, bad day almost immediately disappeared from my memory--in fact, I hadn't really though about it until now. I would be DEVASTATED if I had that bad of a day at a meet (failing ~587 or so, which is often where I'd open), and fortunately, I've never had an experience like that at a competition.

So, all that to say: comparing gym and meet experience isn't so fair because we spend so much more time in the gym than at meets. Unless we are Tee Cummins and compete every weekend.

[308smk]

Thanks guys. Talked it over with my boss (engineer at an arena) and says if it's not more than 1/2" thick metal he wouldn't cut and alter it, jeopardize the structural integrity. My 300lb squats won't hurt it but the 500+ guys will fuk it up. Time to talk to the owner and talk him into a real power rack lol.

1/2" worth of metal? Isnt it just steel tube? We use half inch plate to reinforce frames on heavy equipment, never mind a little power rack. Unless its one of those really ****ty racks, it won't even notice the extra hole provided you give adequate space between the holes above and below it.

If its standard tube steel like the large majority of squat racks you'll be just fine.

[samsont]

Thanks guys. Talked it over with my boss (engineer at an arena) and says if it's not more than 1/2" thick metal he wouldn't cut and alter it, jeopardize the structural integrity. My 300lb squats won't hurt it but the 500+ guys will fuk it up. Time to talk to the owner and talk him into a real power rack lol.

No offense but I literally lol'd when I read that. Talked to an engineer.. Lol. I think it'd be fine like 308 is saying