The Official Powerlifting and Strongman Family Appreciation Thread: Part XVII

[CooCooCaChoo]

i tweak my lower trap.... all the goddamn time.
still too lazy to do trap-three raises on a regular basis tho.

on a side note, my best deadlift set with 6 plates was 8 reps with a belt, pulled a Ben Rice 8.9 reps beltless tonight. What do yall think about the last rep, was it locked out? Not looking to be legitimized (if that is even a word), just arguing my partner that the last rep wasnt good.

I'd agree that it wasn't locked out, but damn close. Good lifting man.

Also is the thing for people breaking in the gym apparel game to base the name of their brand a food reference + lifting reference? There's caffeine and kilos, doughnuts and deadlifts, steaks and squats....

[Mitch666]

So Kevin oak is still competing rum?

Yea. At the very least bench only but he posted on IG he might yolo and do the full meet yet

[TheIronAsylum]

fuark thats 2 in a row for oak

[TehHoneyBadger]

any of you guys had trouble with your upperbody falling forward on squats how did you guys fix that

You and I probably have different squatting styles but I feel like this might be applicable anyways. I try to increase forward knee travel in order to clear more space to drop my hips into. This translates into a much more upright torso in the hole and turns my squat into a more quad-dominant movement.

Basically I do my best to make my squats look like this



Now obviously you and Tian Tao have very different goals as far as squats are concerned, but I see no reason why some of these principles can't be applied. Bear in mind that this technique works about a million times better if you squat in heeled shoes, assuming that you don't have godly ankle mobility.

Maybe throw in some more hip mobilization exercises too so you can better push your knees out.

Also, maybe post a video of your squats?

[IngeKJ]

You and I probably have different squatting styles but I feel like this might be applicable anyways. I try to increase forward knee travel in order to clear more space to drop my hips into. This translates into a much more upright torso in the hole and turns my squat into a more quad-dominant movement.

Basically I do my best to make my squats look like this

[youtube]NmCFwgR1JVw[youtube]

Now obviously you and Tian Tao have very different goals as far as squats are concerned, but I see no reason why some of these principles can't be applied. Bear in mind that this technique works about a million times better if you squat in heeled shoes, assuming that you don't have godly ankle mobility.

Maybe throw in some more hip mobilization exercises too so you can better push your knees out.

Also, maybe post a video of your squats?

You should know that the chinese use some seriously high heels. Staying upright is all ankle mobility. Do the weightlifter stretch with the bar on your knees, and pause squat in the bottom position with weight for a minute every day and your torso angle will improve

[Smashiin]

Hello ladies

[michael_xyz]

I'd agree that it wasn't locked out, but damn close. Good lifting man.

Also is the thing for people breaking in the gym apparel game to base the name of their brand a food reference + lifting reference? There's caffeine and kilos, doughnuts and deadlifts, steaks and squats....

I'm just coming out with my new "beef and benches" t-shirts tomorrow.

[PanzeR-]

I'd agree that it wasn't locked out, but damn close. Good lifting man.

Also is the thing for people breaking in the gym apparel game to base the name of their brand a food reference + lifting reference? There's caffeine and kilos, doughnuts and deadlifts, steaks and squats....

my french training blog was called steak, squat and ice cream.

[arn710]

i tweak my lower trap.... all the goddamn time.
still too lazy to do trap-three raises on a regular basis tho.

on a side note, my best deadlift set with 6 plates was 8 reps with a belt, pulled a Ben Rice 8.9 reps beltless tonight. What do yall think about the last rep, was it locked out? Not looking to be legitimized (if that is even a word), just arguing my partner that the last rep wasnt good.

Nah, you didn't lock that out. Solid pulling though. Amazed that you were able to pull 9 reps hook grip like that

Why is beltless pulling becoming so popular lately? I tried it the past 2 weeks and hate it with a passion

[isaku900]

Why is beltless pulling becoming so popular lately? I tried it the past 2 weeks and hate it with a passion

cuz core or something.

dumb

[nugget5]

Don't see why it would be dumb, I usually only use a belt on my top sets. You really shouldn't need to use it otherwise IMO.

[kmc06005]

Don't see why it would be dumb, I usually only use a belt on my top sets. You really shouldn't need to use it otherwise IMO.

Why?

[baize82]

Belt on at 225 on squats, 365 on pulls...I also bench in a belt, no phucks given

Beltless work is just dick-measuring for most people it seems

[Dom87]

Don't see why it would be dumb, I usually only use a belt on my top sets. You really shouldn't need to use it otherwise IMO.

If you compete using a belt than why would you "practice" without it?

BRB squatting in the smith machine to prep for a meet

[michael_xyz]

There's probably some benefits to beltless lifting as a variation. But, I'd just rather do front squats and ab work to tax my abs/core.

[nugget5]

Why?

Why not?

Belt on at 225 on squats, 365 on pulls...I also bench in a belt, no phucks given

Beltless work is just dick-measuring for most people it seems

How so? I personally don't use it because I don't feel I need it unless I'm working top sets, I personally think it allows for bad habits to be made.

If you compete using a belt than why would you "practice" without it?

BRB squatting in the smith machine to prep for a meet

As if that is even close to a comparison? Do you wear knee wraps on every single set of squats or just your top sets?

Personally I think it is best to train completely raw (no wraps) to the best of your ability until you need assistance by something like a belt or wraps.

[NorthStrong]

I don't know if belted vs beltless work really makes a huge difference. I know Sheiko has his athletes put on a belt very early when warming up, and guys like Coan would go their entire off seasons without a belt and they both came out really strong.

I like to do a bit of beltless work so I do my main lifts with a belt, then like high bar / front squats I will go without, and same with block pulls / stiff leg deadlifts.

[brotein1992]

I've relied heavily on my belt for almost 2 years. I've been going beltless on squats for about 5 weeks and it feels phenomenal. Deads not so much but for squats I feel great. My stomach/obliques feel so much more thick and full since I started doing it. I believe it's also helped me fix my form. I'm sure I'll wear a belt for it again at some point but for now I'm going with what's working

[CooCooCaChoo]

Why not?



How so? I personally don't use it because I don't feel I need it unless I'm working top sets, I personally think it allows for bad habits to be made.

You're the one making the initial claim so really the burden should be on you to explain.

And how does doing more sets with a belt form bad habits for a competition squat or deadlift that you use a belt for?

[kmc06005]

Why not?

I reread it, you said that you shouldn't NEED it, not that you shouldn't wear it... I can see that opinion. I always think of Stan Efferding saying, "Add a plate, add a gimick".

I do the same thing with benching. I start with nothing, add sleeves, add wraps, and finally a belt on my top sets. I even start with little to no arch, and gradually work into a full arch the heavier I go.

For example I did 405 for 5x5 yesterday and put a belt on for the last 3 sets, and even switched to the SBD wrist wraps from the gangsta's for the last 2 sets.

[brotein1992]

Kmc we got it the first time brah. Oh my quad!

[nugget5]

You're the one making the initial claim so really the burden should be on you to explain.

And how does doing more sets with a belt form bad habits for a competition squat or deadlift that you use a belt for?

As mentioned I think it is best to train completely raw (no wraps) to the best of your ability until you need assistance by something like a belt or wraps.

I think that if you start to train with a belt and rely on the belt, you might form a habit or a flaw in your lift making it harder to correct the habit. Now obviously that's not always the case. That's like saying when you are training with 75% of your max squat you should be using knee wraps, I just don't see why that would be the case.

I reread it, you said that you shouldn't NEED it, not that you shouldn't wear it... I can see that opinion. I always think of Stan Efferding saying, "Add a plate, add a gimick".

I do the same thing with benching. I start with nothing, add sleeves, add wraps, and finally a belt on my top sets. I even start with little to no arch, and gradually work into a full arch the heavier I go.

For example I did 405 for 5x5 yesterday and put a belt on for the last 3 sets, and even switched to the SBD wrist wraps from the gangsta's for the last 2 sets.

Correct, like I said before; I use it on tops sets but when you are working up to it I don't see there being a need

[ErickStevens]

Beltless training allows you to claim that once you put the belt on you'll be good for 20-100 more lbs.

Or at least that's what I've gathered from ********, Instagram, and YouTube.

[arn710]

I think that if you start to train with a belt and rely on the belt, you might form a habit or a flaw in your lift making it harder to correct the habit. Now obviously that's not always the case. That's like saying when you are training with 75% of your max squat you should be using knee wraps, I just don't see why that would be the case.

I could and would make the exact same argument from the opposite perspective

If you don't spend as much time as possible practicing in a belt, how can you possibly expect to get the most out of it? Especially in a deadlift, it changes the entire dynamic of the lift from the set up to the lock out

[arian11]

When I am training the competition lifts, I wear everything I'll wear in a competition when it comes to the working sets. That way I am practicing the lift as best as I can to competition. I usually put on my belt for the very last warm up just to feel out the tightness and adjust it if I need to. When I am doing assistance lifts, I'll ditch the belt for squat and deadlift and wrist wraps for bench. Mike Tuchscherer told me a similar thing when he was coaching me. Wear the belt for competition lifts but ditch it on the assistance lifts.

[WCbouche]

I reread it, you said that you shouldn't NEED it, not that you shouldn't wear it... I can see that opinion. I always think of Stan Efferding saying, "Add a plate, add a gimick".

I do the same thing with benching. I start with nothing, add sleeves, add wraps, and finally a belt on my top sets. I even start with little to no arch, and gradually work into a full arch the heavier I go.

For example I did 405 for 5x5 yesterday and put a belt on for the last 3 sets, and even switched to the SBD wrist wraps from the gangsta's for the last 2 sets.

I follow a similar approach. I believe it plays more to my confidence than anything. When my lower back feels tight I throw on the belt regardless of weight. I'm sure I look ridiculous with all of this crap on when hitting weights that are light for others. I usually bench after squats so I typically bench in Romaleos, knee sleeves, belt, cuffs, and wraps..... #PovertyBenchCrew

[isaku900]

Beltless training allows you to claim that once you put the belt on you'll be good for 20-100 more lbs.

Or at least that's what I've gathered from ********, Instagram, and YouTube.

pretty much this.

there's also a good reason for beltless training that can't be discussed here.

[arn710]

there's also a good reason for beltless training that can't be discussed here.

Ok, even I'm struggling on this one

Lemme text BLT right quick

[WCbouche]

Lemme text BLT right quick

[michael_xyz]

Arian spitting knowledge.

I do the same-ish. Competition lift is competition lift - practice how you play. But I'll do high bar variations and so on without a belt.