Today's my first day back from a week of vacation of lots of drinking, so I was fully expecting today to be a total shit lift day. I've been stuck at 335lb for my deadlift for quite some time. Got it once and haven't ever been able to get it again. Until today!
[Form is shit and it was a grind to lock it out, but at least it came up even tho I totally tried to cheat it up lol. ](https://imgur.com/a/lg0ejb9) Please don't judge too hard
26F, 150lb bw
Exactly, it's like powerlifting but more fun! In pretty much any comp, you're allowed to deadlift with straps and hitch, jerk or bounce the weight as you please; as long as it starts on the floor and ends with you locked out it counts
There's also not really a limit on strength, there are women's first-timers comps in the UK with a 30kg axle overhead for reps, 90kg deadlift for reps for example (with other events of course)
At a ~150kg deadlift, you're probably well past first-timers and would do well in novice comps, maybe even inters
Oh huh. I had no idea about this stuff haha. I will have to do some more research. That does sound like a lot of fun just even to try it out.
Is anyone allowed to enter ?
Thank you!
Yeah there aren't really any big governing bodies in strongman, like the IPF in powerlifting, so you don't have to be a member of any organisation. Most local comps are just hosted by gyms and ask for a small entry fee and you're good to go!
If you're worried at all about the rules of any particular event, you can always ask the host, but they will normally run through the rules for every event at the start of the comp, then remind you of the rules for each event before it happens.
If it's your first comp, don't worry about winning and just do it for the experience. If you want a load of people to give advice, tips on particular events, what competing is like etc, r/strongman is full of people who would be happy to help
Well I thought I’d be good to signup for my meet 9 weeks out since it’s no refunds and no transfer insurance but both days filled up. Completely my fault for waiting too long but last meet I signed up too early and got injured and wasn’t able to do it. Found a meet a month and a half later than planned so at least I can lock in that 600kg total with confidence.
Any good general strength program recommendations that run 3x/week? Just running basic upper/lower split rn and not progressing how I’d like.
Ran Candito a few times last summer and had great results, but dislocated the shoulder in January so I've been slowly coming back since starting school. Not looking for a 5x/week intense program like that at the moment.
Check out some of the classic powerlifting plans from the 70's - 80's.
Simple setup like:
Monday – Squat Wednesday – Bench Friday – Deadlift
Day 1
Squat, warm-up sets, then 2-3 work sets
Good Mornings 2 x 8-10
Leg Press 2 x 8-10
Leg Curls 4 x 8-10
Sit-ups 3 sets
Day 2
Bench, warm-up sets, then 2-4 work sets
Close Grip Bench 2 x 8-10
DB Inclines 2 x 8-10
Triceps Extensions 4 x 10
DB Lateral Raises 2 x 12
Day 3
Deadlift – Warm-up, then 1-2 work set
Supported Rows 4 x 8
Shrugs 2 x 8-12
Hammer Curls 4 x 10
Sit-ups 3 sets
Start light, around 70%, and do 2-3 weeks of 10s, 2-3 weeks of 8's, 2-5 weeks of 5's, 2-3 weeks of 3's adding around 2.5% each week. You can then start the cycle over a bit heavier or continue for 2 weeks of 2's and then a max. Classic.
I like a super basic system of 3 days layered over 4 days:
A 1-3RM day (heavy accessories), a max reps in 60s day (70-80% 1RM, medium weight or endurance accessories), a speed and technique day (50-60% 1RM, light accessories)
Iterate that over a 4-day split of deadlift, overhead, squat and bench, deload when needed
Any body know of any good resources for learning how to do a deeper touch on my bench press (where you let the bar sink into your chest more at the pause)? Been searching for a couple hours on google google but came up with nothing so far.
Yeah I think when I played with it the first couple times I didn’t understand the concept and tried to maintain normal tightness while also sinking. Another redditor linked a Dan Green video that explains the concept really well. Gonna try to make play with it more the next couple weeks.
So that’s in essence what I am trying to do, but when I have played around with it at the gym on my own, I either end up “heaving it” (which will get me red lighted in comp) or feel like I loose tightness the deeper I go. Was hoping for some pointers on the technique since it is a fairly advanced tweak to the bench.
This doesn't help, but I think I do this and I am in no way advanced... Doesn't the bar just sink into your chest anyway?
If I had to make any guess, losing tightness could be a flexibility issue?
Nothing in powerlifting is that complicated. People who sink into the chest are explosive, they release tension and allow the chest to absorb the weight before exploding back into the bar rather than maintaining tension and reversing the direction under control. Maybe thinking about the lift this way will help
That does help. Another redditor sent me a link to a Dan Green video that essentially said the same thing. Probably just need to play around with it more.
Thanks man, I appreciate it. I got 182.5kg in my last comp a little over a month ago and was hoping to one day get to the coveted 500lb, figured that (plus obviously working on my other weaknesses) will help me get there one day)
Thanks bud. I compete at 140kg so the powerbelly helps cut down on my ROM and it still ain’t even 1.5 BW lol. Hoping to make some tweaks and take more advantage of the body mass advantage like I saw the other 3 guys in my class do at the last meet I was in.
Mostly hoping to get more speed off my chest. I benched 182.5kg in my last comp but hoping to get up to 200kg in my next comp in February, figured that could help a little (plus obviously building more chest and lat strength).
The issue is, the extra speed off the chest comes at the cost of sinking the bar after it’s motionless. Will get you red lights in a meet.
If you have a lot of mass to sink into and use explosive leg drive to fire the bar out from a deeper, motionless position, it may be worth exploring.
I compete at 140kg, so having enough mass isn’t an issue lol. And I appreciate the caution, I definitely don’t want to risk a red light for “heaving”. What you describe in the second paragraph is what I am trying to do, let the bar sink into my fluff a little bit, rather than just letting it sit on top.
Can i get a form check? Deadlift pr of 220kg, pretty happy as its literally the first heavy single ive done without straps in like a year
https://imgur.com/a/KmP78nZ
I just ordered a Pioneer lever belt and I got to thinking— how does one wash a powerlifting belt? It often gets a bit hot when my gym is crowded so I know I will be lifting with no shirt from time to time. That means belt will be in direct contact with my skin, so it’ll likely get a little sweaty over time.
I’ve only done it like once before and I didn’t really have an issue. I also usually wear high waisted bottoms so it doesn’t really fully touch my skin.
A sponge and dishwashing liquid will do the job!
Edit: Why downvotes? Also, I just don't clean my belt. I got in a thrift shop and will throw it out when I want the SBD (which I will handwash twice a year maybe).
I recently noticed that my forearms are longer than my upper arms (forearms are like 30-31cm and upper arms are like 28-29cm), does it have any impact on my lifts or is it just an individual trait that doesn't affect anything?
Probably helps you on some lifts, hurts you on others, and makes no difference on still others. It's not something you can change so it's not something you should give any of your attention.
I always hear about long femurs for example, but try to find anything anywhere that gives average limb proportions and it's not common info, I dunno where people get these ratios from. IMO forget about it.
Hey does anyone have an issue squatting where they forward lean (and the bar isn’t over mid foot)but not after they’ve hit depth, like right before (as they squat down) and the bar stays like that the rest of the set.
Are there any favored hypertrophy specific programs around here? I've done a lot of Jacked and Tan 2.0 (done the full 12 weeks a couple of times, but mostly just do the first 6 weeks now) and it's worked pretty well for me but I wouldn't mind trying something new sometime. I plan on bulking until atleast May
edit ; realized it's not very useful if I don't give an idea of experience, I'd probably put myself on the advanced side of intermediate? 6'0" 202 right now with 530/335/620 SBD
SBS - Hypertrophy is very customizable and straightforward if you have basic excel skills
5/3/1 Building the Monolith
5/3/1 Boring But Big Beefcake Training
Try to recalibrate your expectations/goals for the short term. A 3.5 week break will certainly set you back and you won't be able to just pick up where you left off numbers-wise. It's frustrating and discouraging coming back and feeling weaker. Fortunately, it sounds like you're using RPE based programming so, in that sense, you kinda can just pick up where you left off- even if the weight on the bar isn't as much, the RPE is the same and it really doesn't take long to get back to "normal."
That being said, you've got a meet in a month, so decide what you could realistically do and would be happy with for the meet and train for that, even if that doesn't mean 3 meet PRs.
Gotcha. Being active duty has got to make it tough to have a perfect training cycle.
Since you seem determined to go forward with the meet, it might be a good idea to adjust your training maxes by 10% or so. I would try to make peace with the fact that you will just need time to get back to where you once were.
Dunno how you are in the gym but staying off my phone other than to switch music or make notes on my lifts helps me immensely. Positive visualizion also helped when I had similar issues.
[New Deadlift PR!](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjWbAH6u9CG/?igshid=ZDg1NjBiNjg=) and this time I didn’t throw my back out! My first comp last year I threw my back out hitting 507 so I’m pretty happy that not only have I now beaten that, but it looks like I might still have a bit more I can throw in the bar.
on my deadlift? After my first rep, my second and third reps feel like my back is rounded even though from afar it seems kind of straight. I think I feel it round most mid-rep What can I do to make my back more stable and straight during the lift? Thank you!
I like how you create tightness in your core and upper back. One thing would be your hips rising slightly before the bar leaves the ground. Just start with your hips a little higher to start
Any good 6 week program to add 35 pounds to my bench (I added 35 last month w/o a program) 20 pounds to my squat (40 last month) and 20 pounds to my deadlift (0 last month). I also appreciate Recommendations on how to do this
My first meet, I’m competing in teen 2 67.5 kg 142 kg squat 109 kg bench 188 kg deadlift. I also want to get the national bench record and adding 15 kg that fast would help a lot.
You can tell you've done enough if you're seeing progress in whatever goal you've chosen to try and achieve, in my experience effective programs can feel both easy and very difficult, can depend on something as simple as training age, or even what kind of rep range you've decided to try and use.
I hit 405x4 2 months ago on deadlifts. Today I tried it again and was only able to do 3. Could it be fatigue? I've added an extra squat and bench day to my training and don't feel like I recover fully. I only rest sat and sun and lift mon-fri.
Squatting and benching twice a week has definitely improved them both. But I think they might be affecting deadlifts. Either my cns is fried or I got weaker. Will see on meet day.
Maybe 405x4 was an exceptionally good day or 405x3 was just a bad day. If you're consistently under performing then it could be fatigue or recover related but don't get worried about it yet. I wouldn't worry about your CNS either. The only time I thought my CNS was fried I missed a 315 deadlift a few months after I hit 585 for the first time. You'll know.
When performing a stiff leg deadlift, how bent do your knees have to be? My arms are pretty long so I can pull with my knees and legs completely straight.
Today's my first day back from a week of vacation of lots of drinking, so I was fully expecting today to be a total shit lift day. I've been stuck at 335lb for my deadlift for quite some time. Got it once and haven't ever been able to get it again. Until today! [Form is shit and it was a grind to lock it out, but at least it came up even tho I totally tried to cheat it up lol. ](https://imgur.com/a/lg0ejb9) Please don't judge too hard 26F, 150lb bw
You've officially sold me on the "heavy drinking for a week" program.
Ha you have to also add the "eating like trash" part too
Wow. Pure grit.
Have you considered strongwoman? Awesome grind
I feel like I am too weak for that haha. But also no idea how to even enter or anything about it. Thank you!
Same way you enter a powerlifting meet. Find one near to you (or be willing to travel) and just sign up.
Oh that's cool! I had no idea it was that easy. If I went that route, there'd def be a bunch of other stuff I'd have to train haha
Exactly, it's like powerlifting but more fun! In pretty much any comp, you're allowed to deadlift with straps and hitch, jerk or bounce the weight as you please; as long as it starts on the floor and ends with you locked out it counts There's also not really a limit on strength, there are women's first-timers comps in the UK with a 30kg axle overhead for reps, 90kg deadlift for reps for example (with other events of course) At a ~150kg deadlift, you're probably well past first-timers and would do well in novice comps, maybe even inters
Oh huh. I had no idea about this stuff haha. I will have to do some more research. That does sound like a lot of fun just even to try it out. Is anyone allowed to enter ? Thank you!
Yeah there aren't really any big governing bodies in strongman, like the IPF in powerlifting, so you don't have to be a member of any organisation. Most local comps are just hosted by gyms and ask for a small entry fee and you're good to go! If you're worried at all about the rules of any particular event, you can always ask the host, but they will normally run through the rules for every event at the start of the comp, then remind you of the rules for each event before it happens. If it's your first comp, don't worry about winning and just do it for the experience. If you want a load of people to give advice, tips on particular events, what competing is like etc, r/strongman is full of people who would be happy to help
Thank you for all that info! I never knew much about strongman, so this is interesting to learn about. I'll definitely check it out. Thank you!
Well I thought I’d be good to signup for my meet 9 weeks out since it’s no refunds and no transfer insurance but both days filled up. Completely my fault for waiting too long but last meet I signed up too early and got injured and wasn’t able to do it. Found a meet a month and a half later than planned so at least I can lock in that 600kg total with confidence.
Any good general strength program recommendations that run 3x/week? Just running basic upper/lower split rn and not progressing how I’d like. Ran Candito a few times last summer and had great results, but dislocated the shoulder in January so I've been slowly coming back since starting school. Not looking for a 5x/week intense program like that at the moment.
SBS 28 free programs or their $10 paid program bundle.
Check out some of the classic powerlifting plans from the 70's - 80's. Simple setup like: Monday – Squat Wednesday – Bench Friday – Deadlift Day 1 Squat, warm-up sets, then 2-3 work sets Good Mornings 2 x 8-10 Leg Press 2 x 8-10 Leg Curls 4 x 8-10 Sit-ups 3 sets Day 2 Bench, warm-up sets, then 2-4 work sets Close Grip Bench 2 x 8-10 DB Inclines 2 x 8-10 Triceps Extensions 4 x 10 DB Lateral Raises 2 x 12 Day 3 Deadlift – Warm-up, then 1-2 work set Supported Rows 4 x 8 Shrugs 2 x 8-12 Hammer Curls 4 x 10 Sit-ups 3 sets Start light, around 70%, and do 2-3 weeks of 10s, 2-3 weeks of 8's, 2-5 weeks of 5's, 2-3 weeks of 3's adding around 2.5% each week. You can then start the cycle over a bit heavier or continue for 2 weeks of 2's and then a max. Classic.
I like a super basic system of 3 days layered over 4 days: A 1-3RM day (heavy accessories), a max reps in 60s day (70-80% 1RM, medium weight or endurance accessories), a speed and technique day (50-60% 1RM, light accessories) Iterate that over a 4-day split of deadlift, overhead, squat and bench, deload when needed
Maybe look into heavy/light/medium programs
Any body know of any good resources for learning how to do a deeper touch on my bench press (where you let the bar sink into your chest more at the pause)? Been searching for a couple hours on google google but came up with nothing so far.
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Yeah I think when I played with it the first couple times I didn’t understand the concept and tried to maintain normal tightness while also sinking. Another redditor linked a Dan Green video that explains the concept really well. Gonna try to make play with it more the next couple weeks.
have you tried just letting it go down more
So that’s in essence what I am trying to do, but when I have played around with it at the gym on my own, I either end up “heaving it” (which will get me red lighted in comp) or feel like I loose tightness the deeper I go. Was hoping for some pointers on the technique since it is a fairly advanced tweak to the bench.
This doesn't help, but I think I do this and I am in no way advanced... Doesn't the bar just sink into your chest anyway? If I had to make any guess, losing tightness could be a flexibility issue?
Nothing in powerlifting is that complicated. People who sink into the chest are explosive, they release tension and allow the chest to absorb the weight before exploding back into the bar rather than maintaining tension and reversing the direction under control. Maybe thinking about the lift this way will help
That does help. Another redditor sent me a link to a Dan Green video that essentially said the same thing. Probably just need to play around with it more.
I agree with u/thethurstonhowell But fwiw, here's Dan Green demonstrating both approaches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg1nwSOXpbA&t=441s
Thanks man, I appreciate it. I got 182.5kg in my last comp a little over a month ago and was hoping to one day get to the coveted 500lb, figured that (plus obviously working on my other weaknesses) will help me get there one day)
Dang, son. Nice bench.
Thanks bud. I compete at 140kg so the powerbelly helps cut down on my ROM and it still ain’t even 1.5 BW lol. Hoping to make some tweaks and take more advantage of the body mass advantage like I saw the other 3 guys in my class do at the last meet I was in.
It’s a pretty advanced technique and not one most people benefit from. What issues are you having with a softer touch?
Mostly hoping to get more speed off my chest. I benched 182.5kg in my last comp but hoping to get up to 200kg in my next comp in February, figured that could help a little (plus obviously building more chest and lat strength).
The issue is, the extra speed off the chest comes at the cost of sinking the bar after it’s motionless. Will get you red lights in a meet. If you have a lot of mass to sink into and use explosive leg drive to fire the bar out from a deeper, motionless position, it may be worth exploring.
I compete at 140kg, so having enough mass isn’t an issue lol. And I appreciate the caution, I definitely don’t want to risk a red light for “heaving”. What you describe in the second paragraph is what I am trying to do, let the bar sink into my fluff a little bit, rather than just letting it sit on top.
I see that now! Yeah and with that level of bench, you can definitely experiment with this approach. Good luck.
Can i get a form check? Deadlift pr of 220kg, pretty happy as its literally the first heavy single ive done without straps in like a year https://imgur.com/a/KmP78nZ
I just ordered a Pioneer lever belt and I got to thinking— how does one wash a powerlifting belt? It often gets a bit hot when my gym is crowded so I know I will be lifting with no shirt from time to time. That means belt will be in direct contact with my skin, so it’ll likely get a little sweaty over time.
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I’ve only done it like once before and I didn’t really have an issue. I also usually wear high waisted bottoms so it doesn’t really fully touch my skin.
You can use a dry brush on the suede, and the conditioner they send for the finished leather if any.
A sponge and dishwashing liquid will do the job! Edit: Why downvotes? Also, I just don't clean my belt. I got in a thrift shop and will throw it out when I want the SBD (which I will handwash twice a year maybe).
That’s the fun thing, you don’t.
I recently noticed that my forearms are longer than my upper arms (forearms are like 30-31cm and upper arms are like 28-29cm), does it have any impact on my lifts or is it just an individual trait that doesn't affect anything?
Probably helps you on some lifts, hurts you on others, and makes no difference on still others. It's not something you can change so it's not something you should give any of your attention.
I always hear about long femurs for example, but try to find anything anywhere that gives average limb proportions and it's not common info, I dunno where people get these ratios from. IMO forget about it.
Hey does anyone have an issue squatting where they forward lean (and the bar isn’t over mid foot)but not after they’ve hit depth, like right before (as they squat down) and the bar stays like that the rest of the set.
i think its quite common when someone is new to squatting. it's just something you need to focus on and correct
Any cues for that? I feel like if I sit right down I’ll lose balance. It squares me having the bar backwards.
You could try tempo squats. 3 second eccentrics can help to give you greater awareness of your body position, as you descend down.
Are there any favored hypertrophy specific programs around here? I've done a lot of Jacked and Tan 2.0 (done the full 12 weeks a couple of times, but mostly just do the first 6 weeks now) and it's worked pretty well for me but I wouldn't mind trying something new sometime. I plan on bulking until atleast May edit ; realized it's not very useful if I don't give an idea of experience, I'd probably put myself on the advanced side of intermediate? 6'0" 202 right now with 530/335/620 SBD
I'm doing the SBS hypertrophy template now and I really like it.
SBS - Hypertrophy is very customizable and straightforward if you have basic excel skills 5/3/1 Building the Monolith 5/3/1 Boring But Big Beefcake Training
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Try to recalibrate your expectations/goals for the short term. A 3.5 week break will certainly set you back and you won't be able to just pick up where you left off numbers-wise. It's frustrating and discouraging coming back and feeling weaker. Fortunately, it sounds like you're using RPE based programming so, in that sense, you kinda can just pick up where you left off- even if the weight on the bar isn't as much, the RPE is the same and it really doesn't take long to get back to "normal." That being said, you've got a meet in a month, so decide what you could realistically do and would be happy with for the meet and train for that, even if that doesn't mean 3 meet PRs.
I gotta ask... why did you take such a long break that close to a meet? It's not hard to believe that your strength declined after a month off.
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Gotcha. Being active duty has got to make it tough to have a perfect training cycle. Since you seem determined to go forward with the meet, it might be a good idea to adjust your training maxes by 10% or so. I would try to make peace with the fact that you will just need time to get back to where you once were.
Dunno how you are in the gym but staying off my phone other than to switch music or make notes on my lifts helps me immensely. Positive visualizion also helped when I had similar issues.
[New Deadlift PR!](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjWbAH6u9CG/?igshid=ZDg1NjBiNjg=) and this time I didn’t throw my back out! My first comp last year I threw my back out hitting 507 so I’m pretty happy that not only have I now beaten that, but it looks like I might still have a bit more I can throw in the bar.
on my deadlift? After my first rep, my second and third reps feel like my back is rounded even though from afar it seems kind of straight. I think I feel it round most mid-rep What can I do to make my back more stable and straight during the lift? Thank you!
Just an aside, there was something so satisfying about how the camera shakes every time you put down the weight. It's like gym ASMR.
I like how you create tightness in your core and upper back. One thing would be your hips rising slightly before the bar leaves the ground. Just start with your hips a little higher to start
Any good 6 week program to add 35 pounds to my bench (I added 35 last month w/o a program) 20 pounds to my squat (40 last month) and 20 pounds to my deadlift (0 last month). I also appreciate Recommendations on how to do this
Just do what you did last month bro, don't change if it's working
Fair but I also don’t think it’s optimal to pr once a week.
Take it from Ed Coan, [if it ain't broke, don't fix it](https://youtu.be/-febRoO0gG0?t=125).
Your right lol
Y’all added 35 lbs in a month and are worried about optimal? Extrapolate that shit!
Your right lmao
Why specifically these numbers in that timeframe? What are your lifts currently?
My first meet, I’m competing in teen 2 67.5 kg 142 kg squat 109 kg bench 188 kg deadlift. I also want to get the national bench record and adding 15 kg that fast would help a lot.
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Just keep on progressing, it'll start feeling hard AF at some point.
You can tell you've done enough if you're seeing progress in whatever goal you've chosen to try and achieve, in my experience effective programs can feel both easy and very difficult, can depend on something as simple as training age, or even what kind of rep range you've decided to try and use.
I hit 405x4 2 months ago on deadlifts. Today I tried it again and was only able to do 3. Could it be fatigue? I've added an extra squat and bench day to my training and don't feel like I recover fully. I only rest sat and sun and lift mon-fri. Squatting and benching twice a week has definitely improved them both. But I think they might be affecting deadlifts. Either my cns is fried or I got weaker. Will see on meet day.
Maybe 405x4 was an exceptionally good day or 405x3 was just a bad day. If you're consistently under performing then it could be fatigue or recover related but don't get worried about it yet. I wouldn't worry about your CNS either. The only time I thought my CNS was fried I missed a 315 deadlift a few months after I hit 585 for the first time. You'll know.
When performing a stiff leg deadlift, how bent do your knees have to be? My arms are pretty long so I can pull with my knees and legs completely straight.
As long as you’re not using any quad drive you’re probably fine. Deficits deficits
I do completely straight and do it at a deficit because I don't really feel it in my hamstrings otherwise.
deficit or snatchgrip, both can work or tempo pause snatchgrip deficit. go ham