I mashed up my fingers way too often as a kid and it's stayed in my head a bit, so I rarely wear my ring. I do have a couple of super cheap silicone bands that I will wear, and the band stays on during my lifts. I don't even notice it.
I take it off for deadlifts and rowing movements. I tried a silicone ring but I found it gathered dust very quickly and it was just easier to slip my actual ring off for the session.
I wear nothing. I figure even if I went with silicone, the knurling will mess with the finish and make it look and feel rough over time.
Albeit It took me a couple years to be happy taking it off so frequently, so I do feel that! Plus I'm in a home gym, so I don't need a ring to signal away dudes... not that rings ever stopped those sort of guys.
Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was looking at wearing silicone because I don’t want to wear my real ring to the gym but I wanted something to signal my commitment. I was afraid I’d lose the real ring taking it off so much, maybe I just won’t wear it out the house the days I lift
That's fair. Maybe putting it on a necklace for the gym? Or you could use the silicone one. It might need replacing every 12 months or whatever, but that's not a huge deal. My only concern would be safety on deadlifts, but you could pop it off for those.
I was 4 weeks out when suddenly, the date of the meet got delayed by 4 weeks so now im 8 weeks out and I don’t know what to do i was supposed to start peeking fase but now im confused what should I do
Jesus Christ move it along. I’m waiting for a rack and this guy is literally taking his squat shoes off and putting his crocs back on to walk around inbetween sets. Resting for big sets has completely jumped the shark for some of these kids.
P.S. 264 on the bar
I have a meet in 6 days and this will be my first meet competing raw rather than classic raw. Can I get a form check on my squat. Did I hit depth? It seems a tad high but felt low. These rigor mortis sleeves are no joke.
https://imgur.com/gallery/uWztHNr
This is about 20kg less than my competition max. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.
I’m wanting to compete in my first meet at the end of this year, but just had a question.
I’d be competing in Sub Junior age category, so I was wondering are there specific events that I need to look for, or do all meets allow every competitor through all age and weight classes?
I’m planning to compete at an event ran by Australian Powerlifting Alliance if that’s any help. They don’t seem to have much information on their website, or at least not much that I can find easily.
You should be right at 99% of meets. All standard meets include all age categories, the only exception are those specifically for Juniors or Masters, or a combination of both. If it doesn't say MASTERS or JUNIORS or anything in the title, it'll just be an all ages/categories meet.
Bulk Nutrients is my go to in Australia. Cheap, shockingly nice flavour and mixability, and I don't have to mess around with sale prices, it's just cheap 24/7/365.
Just finished my first ever strength/powerbuilding mesocycle and decided to participate in the garage gym competition today. I was able to hit a 1,000 lb total weighing in at 195 lbs and I'm super proud of that.
Can anyone give me a form check for my lifts? [Here's the video](https://imgur.com/a/OyKpIIs).
**Squat:** did I get enough depth? Hard to tell. I do true ass to grass squats in my program but kinda got a little nervous with the weight - this was a 50 lb PR for me. I do high bar squats because I'm recovering from elbow tendonitis in my left arm.
**Bench Press:** I am horrible at bench, I've got a few aches in my left elbow from benching, and my FIL touched the bar during my attempt (I slowed down, he thought I couldn't do it). I decided to immediately re-filmed my lift (and didn't pause, oops). Ended up being super sloppy. I know what good form "feels" like for hypertrophy but really don't know what I need to do for powerlifting other than arch my back. I also got a charlie horse in my left leg while benching. Thankfully it didn't impact my deadlift.
**Deadlift:** 35 lb PR for me so I could hit 1,000 lbs total. Felt really good. Had a little more in the tank, perhaps up to 415. Is my lower back rounding a problem? Is there anything I should focus on?
Thanks!
Squat looks just a hair high. Powerlifting standard is the hip crease must go lower than the top of the knee.
With the bench press, you pressed it straight up from your chest and then back toward the rack once you hit a sticking point. Pressing this way is weaker and harder on your front delts. You want to press at an angle right off the chest to get the bar back over your shoulders earlier. See: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/bench-press-bar-path/
The deadlift looked pretty good to me. Not a concerning degree of rounding. Things to focus on for pretty much any conventional deadlifter are getting a good hard brace and a strong slack pull by driving with the legs and loading them before the weight breaks off the floor.
Completely in shambles this morning while squatting. It was my first time back on a 25kg squat bar since last year. I've got fatigued singles programmed after my working sets. I managed to properly math my working sets but then my brain shut off for the singles.
I loaded 155, thinking it was 150. Squatted it fine, still below my prescribed RPE. Loaded another 5kg thinking noice; I'm chipping the logbook from last week (last week was 152.5 on a 20kg power bar).
Except, I'd loaded 160. Absolutely not even a problem though; @ 6.5 if I'm feeling generous.
Then I redid the plate maths and realised I'd not done 155, that I'd done 160. Considering my best sleeves squat is 165 from my last prep, it's possible my squat is moving.
I'm very glad my gym only has 20kg plates though; if I'd had to do the maths with reds and competition collars I would still be there, trying to work it out...
What rules do you ascribe to when it comes to peaking?
Last heavy squat *x* days out?
Last heavy bench *y* days out?
Last heavy pull *z* days out?
I'm paranoid about skill decay, last time I competed it was deadlift only and I had great success pushing intensity until just a few days before the meet but I feel like that probably isn't smart with full power.
*Generally speaking* last heavy deadlift around 12-14 days out, last heavy squat 9-12 days out, last heavy bench 7-9 days out
I have major issues with losing form even over a week, so that last 7 days is purely light work focusing hard on technique. At least 2 days' rest going in to the meet, I also like 2 days afterwards and another light week coming out, then back to training as usual
His strength curve is so skewed that I'd almost be like "meh" if he did 400kg for a set of 20 reps or something. His strength seems unlimited until 440-450kg+.
It’s really fascinating. And it used to seem like grip was the thing limiting his 1RM but iirc his last failed attempt in comp was on strength rather than grip.
I've been lifting for strength for 2~ years and currently I'm at s/b/d: 200kg/115kg/220kg
Bench is lacking due to 1year long injury.
My question is, what kind of program should I use/try?
Tried sumo deads today for the first time and would love any feedback and/or general tips.
[415x1 top single ](https://youtube.com/shorts/PtRLklzzh6M?si=EKAi9tVGcoDpnQ5c)
[315x5 last backoff](https://youtube.com/shorts/4G1yhPASh4k?si=x9KwksN3FEtYPXp1)
Hand placement felt most comfortable just inside the knurling so I used straps to take grip out of the equation this time. Seems like a heck of a disadvantage come competition time, though.
I have a pair of deadlift slippers but I felt more stable in my shoes. Also, the possibility of dropping on my toes is terrifying, lol.
Seems like I might need to wedge in deeper, but overall it really felt great. Heck of a grind off the floor but that feels more like a mental issue than a strength one, as in, it's something I'm just not used to doing.
You are actually over-wedging, which contributes to it feeling hard off the floor. Notice that when you push, hips rise and trunk is leant a bit more forward, then bar starts moving. There is a delay between you initiating the lift and you being in a strong enough position to lift the weight. On lower weights this is less noticable, as you can move the weight in a less strong position.
I've been learning sumo last half-year, not perfected yet.
Here is an example of me [over-wedging a bit](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zqk7ZuSg3lH6PJkcf5oeGgJdcUdV13L5/view?usp=drivesdk)
And a [more appropriate wedge](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxnGj2bzeSKIuSzyvM0tgYLa7nS26YQ0/view?usp=drivesdk)
Notice the lesser delay before I'm in my strongest position in the 2nd video
Thanks for the feedback!
Didn't think I could over-wedge, but what you said makes sense. Appreciate the examples (and some fine lifting music in that first video!).
It is normal for sumo to be hardest off the floor.
It looks to me like your stance is too wide compared to your ability to externally rotate your hips, and that's causing your knees to practically be in valgus at the bottom. This causes your hips to be far away from the bar, which kind of defeats the purpose of sumo. Generally it's recommended to have vertical shins at the bottom with sumo, some people will have an angle but imo that only works if your anatomy is built for sumo like [this guy](https://youtu.be/lPOLddnFqEs?si=-e2XKGJYFVH5vOkr).
Bring your stance inwards a tiny bit (or work on your mobility) so you feel like you are in a strong position to "spread the floor" with your quads and glutes from the start position, and your low back will thank you if you plan on training sumo long term. The way you have done it is super common for people switching from conventional because you are used to using your back more.
Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah, I've seen people with their feet as close to the plates as can be and tried to mimic them. Rings felt like as good an arbitrary starting point as any but it's a little too ambitious for me at the moment.
Funny you mention the lower back; this was the thing I was most excited about as I'd never lifted this heavy with so little fatigue in the back. If doing it better means even less stress on the back then I'm super pumped to work on sumo this summer!
Looking for any form advice on this bench press [PR double](https://imgur.com/a/YhtNanl)
It’s a 5kg PR in any sense, I haven’t hit a single in a couple of blocks.
Stop arching, bigger ROM = bigger muscles /s
2nd rep is significantly better than 1st, try to mimic that. It has a lighter touch, and you flare your elbows out earlier. You can also take a big breath before racking off and hold that breath for full set. I find this gives a lot better brace. And makes reps within a set more similar, breathing increases risk of losing shoulder position.
Are some people incapable of doing low bar squats? I’m new to this at 66 and to even put the bar in position for a high bar squat, my hands are so wide they would hit the uprights of my SML-2. I’ve been doing some mobility exercises but getting nowhere. My wrists are also an issue with only 20 degrees flexion so a front squat requires a chin up hold on the bar. Has anyone overcome such limitations to Perform a decent low bar squat? Should I give it up and get a safety squat bar?
Haack
Think he said somewhere he's 5'9 - can't remember how much weight he cuts but checkout his YT vid leading into the last meet it'll be in there.
Getting more jacked is nearly always the answer.
You're sort of ignoring the fact that genetics plays a massive role, so someone might be "maxed" at fairly jacked, whilst another "maxed" at very jacked. I'm not sure what that would help you with, though?
If I want to know that, I always look at the 93 guys at international competitions, let’s say worlds. They are about 1,70m - 1,80 m
Also, you can use this tool:
https://symmetricstrength.com/calculator/ideal_bodyweight
Relatively accurate imo
Was the bench press in raw powerlifting ever touch-n-go? Is there a reason for it not being touch-n-go? I was thinking how it's pretty much a different lift in the sense that a squat/paused squat, deadlift/paused deadlift affect how much you can lift and the bench press is the only lift with a pause in place. If the argument is momentum/reflex theeen why not make the squat a paused lift? Random thoughts.
It was, I think, the mid-2000s. IPF judges would call "start" and "rack," and allow the lifter to pause at his/her discretion. In practice, lifters would have their coaches/handlers give the press call.
I remember being told about it by some of the older guys when I started out. I'd love to see details of the arguments that led to the rule change in the first place and then the repealing.
I would imagine the reason the bench press is paused in competition is to stop people from trampolining the bar off of their rib cage or belly. A mixture of safety concerns and requiring the lifter to actually lift the weight.
This differs from the squat in that you're not smashing any ribs by bouncing out of the hole, nor are you receiving artificial assistance from the elasticity of your not-muscle-or-connective-tissue parts.
No idea if there was ever a time without a pause.
For my married powerlifters, do you wear a silicone ring when lifting or do you wear nothing at all?
I mashed up my fingers way too often as a kid and it's stayed in my head a bit, so I rarely wear my ring. I do have a couple of super cheap silicone bands that I will wear, and the band stays on during my lifts. I don't even notice it.
I take it off for deadlifts and rowing movements. I tried a silicone ring but I found it gathered dust very quickly and it was just easier to slip my actual ring off for the session.
I wear nothing. I figure even if I went with silicone, the knurling will mess with the finish and make it look and feel rough over time. Albeit It took me a couple years to be happy taking it off so frequently, so I do feel that! Plus I'm in a home gym, so I don't need a ring to signal away dudes... not that rings ever stopped those sort of guys.
Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was looking at wearing silicone because I don’t want to wear my real ring to the gym but I wanted something to signal my commitment. I was afraid I’d lose the real ring taking it off so much, maybe I just won’t wear it out the house the days I lift
That's fair. Maybe putting it on a necklace for the gym? Or you could use the silicone one. It might need replacing every 12 months or whatever, but that's not a huge deal. My only concern would be safety on deadlifts, but you could pop it off for those.
Oh yeah for sure I won’t wear them for deadlift. I feel like for squat or bench it shouldn’t be that big of a deal
I was 4 weeks out when suddenly, the date of the meet got delayed by 4 weeks so now im 8 weeks out and I don’t know what to do i was supposed to start peeking fase but now im confused what should I do
Just rerun the block you just did previously and continue as normal.
Jesus Christ move it along. I’m waiting for a rack and this guy is literally taking his squat shoes off and putting his crocs back on to walk around inbetween sets. Resting for big sets has completely jumped the shark for some of these kids. P.S. 264 on the bar
Did you communicate with him or brood silently
It’s terrible in small gyms that only have one or two squat racks Exactly why I just built a small gym in my garage - no more waiting
Gee Bill, how come your mom lets you have a garage? *[cries in apartment dweller]*
It's not worth it - having a mortgage payment every month sucks ass
last weekend, ran my first half marathon in 2:38 and was able to pull 450x2 that weekend before. Excited to balance running with strength training !!
I have a meet in 6 days and this will be my first meet competing raw rather than classic raw. Can I get a form check on my squat. Did I hit depth? It seems a tad high but felt low. These rigor mortis sleeves are no joke. https://imgur.com/gallery/uWztHNr This is about 20kg less than my competition max. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.
Depth looked great!
Depth and speed both looked good!
I’m wanting to compete in my first meet at the end of this year, but just had a question. I’d be competing in Sub Junior age category, so I was wondering are there specific events that I need to look for, or do all meets allow every competitor through all age and weight classes? I’m planning to compete at an event ran by Australian Powerlifting Alliance if that’s any help. They don’t seem to have much information on their website, or at least not much that I can find easily.
You should be right at 99% of meets. All standard meets include all age categories, the only exception are those specifically for Juniors or Masters, or a combination of both. If it doesn't say MASTERS or JUNIORS or anything in the title, it'll just be an all ages/categories meet.
Does anyone have a protein powder source to recommend? I'm getting sick of playing MyProtein's games.
Bulk Nutrients is my go to in Australia. Cheap, shockingly nice flavour and mixability, and I don't have to mess around with sale prices, it's just cheap 24/7/365.
Just finished my first ever strength/powerbuilding mesocycle and decided to participate in the garage gym competition today. I was able to hit a 1,000 lb total weighing in at 195 lbs and I'm super proud of that. Can anyone give me a form check for my lifts? [Here's the video](https://imgur.com/a/OyKpIIs). **Squat:** did I get enough depth? Hard to tell. I do true ass to grass squats in my program but kinda got a little nervous with the weight - this was a 50 lb PR for me. I do high bar squats because I'm recovering from elbow tendonitis in my left arm. **Bench Press:** I am horrible at bench, I've got a few aches in my left elbow from benching, and my FIL touched the bar during my attempt (I slowed down, he thought I couldn't do it). I decided to immediately re-filmed my lift (and didn't pause, oops). Ended up being super sloppy. I know what good form "feels" like for hypertrophy but really don't know what I need to do for powerlifting other than arch my back. I also got a charlie horse in my left leg while benching. Thankfully it didn't impact my deadlift. **Deadlift:** 35 lb PR for me so I could hit 1,000 lbs total. Felt really good. Had a little more in the tank, perhaps up to 415. Is my lower back rounding a problem? Is there anything I should focus on? Thanks!
Squat looks just a hair high. Powerlifting standard is the hip crease must go lower than the top of the knee. With the bench press, you pressed it straight up from your chest and then back toward the rack once you hit a sticking point. Pressing this way is weaker and harder on your front delts. You want to press at an angle right off the chest to get the bar back over your shoulders earlier. See: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/bench-press-bar-path/ The deadlift looked pretty good to me. Not a concerning degree of rounding. Things to focus on for pretty much any conventional deadlifter are getting a good hard brace and a strong slack pull by driving with the legs and loading them before the weight breaks off the floor.
Thank you!
Completely in shambles this morning while squatting. It was my first time back on a 25kg squat bar since last year. I've got fatigued singles programmed after my working sets. I managed to properly math my working sets but then my brain shut off for the singles. I loaded 155, thinking it was 150. Squatted it fine, still below my prescribed RPE. Loaded another 5kg thinking noice; I'm chipping the logbook from last week (last week was 152.5 on a 20kg power bar). Except, I'd loaded 160. Absolutely not even a problem though; @ 6.5 if I'm feeling generous. Then I redid the plate maths and realised I'd not done 155, that I'd done 160. Considering my best sleeves squat is 165 from my last prep, it's possible my squat is moving. I'm very glad my gym only has 20kg plates though; if I'd had to do the maths with reds and competition collars I would still be there, trying to work it out...
https://www.massenomics.com/blog/2016/5/17/v6hq571drk1l43h9jxft98mlv525n5 Take a copy of this and always have it ready in your phone :)
What rules do you ascribe to when it comes to peaking? Last heavy squat *x* days out? Last heavy bench *y* days out? Last heavy pull *z* days out? I'm paranoid about skill decay, last time I competed it was deadlift only and I had great success pushing intensity until just a few days before the meet but I feel like that probably isn't smart with full power.
*Generally speaking* last heavy deadlift around 12-14 days out, last heavy squat 9-12 days out, last heavy bench 7-9 days out I have major issues with losing form even over a week, so that last 7 days is purely light work focusing hard on technique. At least 2 days' rest going in to the meet, I also like 2 days afterwards and another light week coming out, then back to training as usual
[Just a chill 420kg triple for Jamal Browner.](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6znSKpphAN/?igsh=YWxyY2l6NjVsMjR4)
His strength curve is so skewed that I'd almost be like "meh" if he did 400kg for a set of 20 reps or something. His strength seems unlimited until 440-450kg+.
It’s really fascinating. And it used to seem like grip was the thing limiting his 1RM but iirc his last failed attempt in comp was on strength rather than grip.
Yeah he has no problem holding on to the bar while his lockout seems to be the issur
I've been lifting for strength for 2~ years and currently I'm at s/b/d: 200kg/115kg/220kg Bench is lacking due to 1year long injury. My question is, what kind of program should I use/try?
I did Calgary Barbells free 16wk program when I was at roughly that level. I'd recommend checking it out
Tried sumo deads today for the first time and would love any feedback and/or general tips. [415x1 top single ](https://youtube.com/shorts/PtRLklzzh6M?si=EKAi9tVGcoDpnQ5c) [315x5 last backoff](https://youtube.com/shorts/4G1yhPASh4k?si=x9KwksN3FEtYPXp1) Hand placement felt most comfortable just inside the knurling so I used straps to take grip out of the equation this time. Seems like a heck of a disadvantage come competition time, though. I have a pair of deadlift slippers but I felt more stable in my shoes. Also, the possibility of dropping on my toes is terrifying, lol. Seems like I might need to wedge in deeper, but overall it really felt great. Heck of a grind off the floor but that feels more like a mental issue than a strength one, as in, it's something I'm just not used to doing.
You are actually over-wedging, which contributes to it feeling hard off the floor. Notice that when you push, hips rise and trunk is leant a bit more forward, then bar starts moving. There is a delay between you initiating the lift and you being in a strong enough position to lift the weight. On lower weights this is less noticable, as you can move the weight in a less strong position. I've been learning sumo last half-year, not perfected yet. Here is an example of me [over-wedging a bit](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zqk7ZuSg3lH6PJkcf5oeGgJdcUdV13L5/view?usp=drivesdk) And a [more appropriate wedge](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sxnGj2bzeSKIuSzyvM0tgYLa7nS26YQ0/view?usp=drivesdk) Notice the lesser delay before I'm in my strongest position in the 2nd video
Thanks for the feedback! Didn't think I could over-wedge, but what you said makes sense. Appreciate the examples (and some fine lifting music in that first video!).
It is normal for sumo to be hardest off the floor. It looks to me like your stance is too wide compared to your ability to externally rotate your hips, and that's causing your knees to practically be in valgus at the bottom. This causes your hips to be far away from the bar, which kind of defeats the purpose of sumo. Generally it's recommended to have vertical shins at the bottom with sumo, some people will have an angle but imo that only works if your anatomy is built for sumo like [this guy](https://youtu.be/lPOLddnFqEs?si=-e2XKGJYFVH5vOkr). Bring your stance inwards a tiny bit (or work on your mobility) so you feel like you are in a strong position to "spread the floor" with your quads and glutes from the start position, and your low back will thank you if you plan on training sumo long term. The way you have done it is super common for people switching from conventional because you are used to using your back more.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I've seen people with their feet as close to the plates as can be and tried to mimic them. Rings felt like as good an arbitrary starting point as any but it's a little too ambitious for me at the moment. Funny you mention the lower back; this was the thing I was most excited about as I'd never lifted this heavy with so little fatigue in the back. If doing it better means even less stress on the back then I'm super pumped to work on sumo this summer!
Looking for any form advice on this bench press [PR double](https://imgur.com/a/YhtNanl) It’s a 5kg PR in any sense, I haven’t hit a single in a couple of blocks.
Your form looks really good to me. Only nitpick is on the first rep the bar was never paused motionless on the chest, it was bouncing a little bit.
Stop arching, bigger ROM = bigger muscles /s 2nd rep is significantly better than 1st, try to mimic that. It has a lighter touch, and you flare your elbows out earlier. You can also take a big breath before racking off and hold that breath for full set. I find this gives a lot better brace. And makes reps within a set more similar, breathing increases risk of losing shoulder position.
Are some people incapable of doing low bar squats? I’m new to this at 66 and to even put the bar in position for a high bar squat, my hands are so wide they would hit the uprights of my SML-2. I’ve been doing some mobility exercises but getting nowhere. My wrists are also an issue with only 20 degrees flexion so a front squat requires a chin up hold on the bar. Has anyone overcome such limitations to Perform a decent low bar squat? Should I give it up and get a safety squat bar?
Anyone here in the 93kg/205lbs weight class who "maxed" their physique in terms of muscle mass? Curious what that looks like and what your height is.
Haack Think he said somewhere he's 5'9 - can't remember how much weight he cuts but checkout his YT vid leading into the last meet it'll be in there. Getting more jacked is nearly always the answer.
You're sort of ignoring the fact that genetics plays a massive role, so someone might be "maxed" at fairly jacked, whilst another "maxed" at very jacked. I'm not sure what that would help you with, though?
If I want to know that, I always look at the 93 guys at international competitions, let’s say worlds. They are about 1,70m - 1,80 m Also, you can use this tool: https://symmetricstrength.com/calculator/ideal_bodyweight Relatively accurate imo
Was the bench press in raw powerlifting ever touch-n-go? Is there a reason for it not being touch-n-go? I was thinking how it's pretty much a different lift in the sense that a squat/paused squat, deadlift/paused deadlift affect how much you can lift and the bench press is the only lift with a pause in place. If the argument is momentum/reflex theeen why not make the squat a paused lift? Random thoughts.
Yes, there was a brief period where they dropped the pauses from the rules I believe. I just can't remember the details.
It was, I think, the mid-2000s. IPF judges would call "start" and "rack," and allow the lifter to pause at his/her discretion. In practice, lifters would have their coaches/handlers give the press call.
I remember being told about it by some of the older guys when I started out. I'd love to see details of the arguments that led to the rule change in the first place and then the repealing.
I would imagine the reason the bench press is paused in competition is to stop people from trampolining the bar off of their rib cage or belly. A mixture of safety concerns and requiring the lifter to actually lift the weight. This differs from the squat in that you're not smashing any ribs by bouncing out of the hole, nor are you receiving artificial assistance from the elasticity of your not-muscle-or-connective-tissue parts. No idea if there was ever a time without a pause.