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Country Gets HUGE with 5-3-1, Erase and DAA.

You could do RPS with herderdude...if you feel like a jersey drive you can do sergeant McCray with me in December. Just throwing out some ideas.
 
I just thing it makes the deadlift more of a true lift without straps.

Id say the same about knee wraps and squats as well, except it's allowed so I don't care lol
 
Only reason I use straps is because of my stupid fcking brachialis. I just started doing the first of my work sets w/o straps a couple weeks ago...
 
The nats meet is too soon IMO, I need to order a real belt and have money and that meet is hella expensive.

You're right sean, and I always think that too (about wraps) and I wish they would let straps in modern raw or at least single ply. But yeah. Like I said I use them primarily as a training tool to do more work and therefore more progress, the downside is I don't lift my heaviest sets without them. I don't honestly know if I can do a heavy rep without them, I've done maybe 450 without them no problems but a true max I don't know. I plan on hitting a 500+ set in a few weeks after my main work and dropping them to see what happens once I am 100% comfortable with the new grip. Judging by how I felt today I don't think it will be an issue.

Either way, I feel like if you can pull it, you can pull it straps or not. I have little baby hands but strong forearms to make up for it, but I know at some point I will probably outgrow my grip. But dropping the straps and getting my grip even better now will help delay that, surely.

heck if I hit 600 next week I'll drop to 550 and lose the straps just for you, as long as everything feels ok.




I started using straps more 2 years ago when I dislocated my left thumb, it still acts up from time to time so it's nice... I only use them for the heavy set (1rep) now of 5-3-1 most of the time now.
 
lol dont gotta lose the straps just for me. You're partially correct with saying "you can pull it with or without straps" but for some (like myself), grip can be a factor. I can pull a lot more if I can fight the grind if my grip weren't an issue. If grip ain't an issue for ya, then there's no worries with straps or no straps.
 
I'd say train that grip and pull without straps. You should be pulling singles and resetting your grip every time anyway IMO. Also, the dynamic is different b/w optional grip and double overhand.

The two rules of Strongman:

1.) If you can't hold it, you can't pull it.

2.) If you can't clean it, you can't press it!

Just bustin ya, but work that grip! It's a big difference at the big weights, but it comes quickly.
 
Yeah man I get what you're saying. I've never had a grinding out 1 rep, or had to hitch it. I've always pretty much slammed the weight. Now stuff like my 475x6, the last two reps were tough and I would have only gotten 5 probably without them.

Don't let me off the hook, you're the one motivating me to drop them. I want to try it anyways.

Like I said grip isn't really an issue, I just like to train with them with the bad thumb and for the high rep heavy sets at the end of the main lift. So it's not that I can't do the weight, but that I like to do as much as the rest of my body can take, not have my limiting point so far out.

I actually have a pretty strong grip. We were cloving garlic the other day for pickles and I grabbed it and squeezed and broke the metal handle in half... lol. I just like pulling double overhand and obviously with a lot of weight your wrists roll. With the alt grip it's no issue it's just getting comfortable, which I feel good with it now at least for medium weights.
 
Just so you know, I was strapping up for Kroc Rows as I typed that. ;-)
 
herderdude said:
Just so you know, I was strapping up for Kroc Rows as I typed that. ;-)
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Heavy pulls are the only things I actually strap for, I do all my rows etc without. I see guys who strap and wrap for everything and don't know why. I started out as a 145 pound skinny sprinter, and got where I am. If I can do my junk as heavy as a do without, these guys can learn to do it too.
 
Found out about some local animal sponsored meets at a small gym near by I will be going to. I don't know that they are official as in under a fed or what, I will get more details.
 
Input on me doing the 2x week bench instead of OHP. I have been going heavy thursday regaurdless and sticking to 5-3-1 on monday. Should I maybe go for speed work or something on thursday instead or do you think the heavy work is good? I don't really feel run down but then again my bench hasn't been great the past couple weeks and I wonder if hitting it more often could cause that.
 
Listening to some KSE today before the workout... haven't listened to them in a while. Invalid Link Removed
 
CountryLiftin said:
Input on me doing the 2x week bench instead of OHP. I have been going heavy thursday regaurdless and sticking to 5-3-1 on monday. Should I maybe go for speed work or something on thursday instead or do you think the heavy work is good? I don't really feel run down but then again my bench hasn't been great the past couple weeks and I wonder if hitting it more often could cause that.
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2x a week would work...just do OHP as the accessory lift on one of those days.
 
AZMIDLYF said:
2x a week would work...just do OHP as the accessory lift on one of those days.
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I have been. Anything heavy with it really bothers my rhomboid/upper back. Now that I finally isolated the exercise that irritates it hopefully a short break clears it up then I can come back to it.

So on bench I've been working to get more pec involvement in my rep, because my tris always for prematurely. Elbows down seems to make it worse. Any tips anyone?
 
Do you use DBs for chest accessorys?
 
Yes sean, I saw some good progress on bench when I start OHP, but if it hurts me to the point it hinders my squat+bench for a week+ afterwards it's not really worth it. I'll just keep it real light for the next few months.

Yes, I work pretty much all variants of DB press and actually enjoy it a lot. I was hitting them almost every chest workout and recent subbed some floor bench work and addition BP work instead for a few weeks just because I was doing the same thing for too long (4-5 months). I will be hitting DBs more this next cycle of 5-3-1 I think.

That all said I have bench video from today and then after that of course I focused on form and I think I found the sweet spot and felt much more comfortable and powerful through the rep.

New plan for next week is:

Monday
Max out on bench, then do normal week 1 5-3-1 work.

Wednesday Max on Dead, then normal work.

Friday Max on Squat (depending how I feel after wed.) then normal work.

Thoughts?
 
Whenever I use DBs for my chest, I make the movement a psuedo partial fly style of press. I mentally come down to a good stretch and then try to arch the weights slightly towards the center. i really feel the contraction that way and the triceps stay less involved.

Are you testing your 1 RMs in this week?
 
That's basically how I do mine as well. I drop them down until tension of my pecs stop the weight and then execute the rep with a push towards center.

Sean, what stress do you mean?

Next week I'm going for 1RMs along with normal work.
 
If you're going to bench twice a week, I would probably alternate heavy/speed/rep/speed or something like that. When I focused on speed and technique, my bench took off. I have the training cycle that led to my 360 bench @ 242, on the day of the meet I was probably good for 375-380. It's called "My Attempt at Westside". I'm going back to westside after this meet, my results were too good.
 
I should check it out sometime. I am thinking heavy/normal 5-3-1 monday and do speed work or light paused work on thursdays which is sorta what I have been doing.
 
CountryLiftin said:
I should check it out sometime. I am thinking heavy/normal 5-3-1 monday and do speed work or light paused work on thursdays which is sorta what I have been doing.
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If OHP hadn't bothered you so much, I would have said to run your normal OHP day and put speed bench second.
 
Ya that's what I wanted to do. IDK wtf started the issue but OHP definitely exasperates it. It's been near on 7 or so months now and I need to get whatever it is healed and get back to training it ASAP. no need to piss around anymore.

Anyways check out my bench vid here in a minute, I focused more on neutral head and pulling my traps up and resting on them for a little better arch after this, and breaking the bar to get the pecs and lats engaged at the bottom more after I did the vid.... I should probably focus on form before lol.

Okay video. Still not processing right and I uploaded it twice now. Invalid Link Removed
 
CountryLiftin said:
That's basically how I do mine as well. I drop them down until tension of my pecs stop the weight and then execute the rep with a push towards center.

Sean, what stress do you mean?

Next week I'm going for 1RMs along with normal work.
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I meant it doesn't hurt my shoulders to do neutral grip movements
 
Sean1332 said:
I meant it doesn't hurt my shoulders to do neutral grip movements
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Got ya. My shoulders feel awesome. It's right of my spine about 4 inches right at/around the point of the shoulder blade. and under. And in return my traps get super tight, and as a result.... chain reaction.

I open my hands on DBs at the bottom of the rep to about a 45 degree to get deep.

Looks like my bench video finally uploaded.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Bench looked solid to me. Good pause, straight line. What grip do you prefer?
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For BP I like it decent wide. I have my ring fingers on the rings. Narrower it hurts shoulders and doesn't hit the chest. Wider and I flare my elbows too much. I have the best forearm angle at that width too. Closes grip.
 
CountryLiftin said:
For BP I like it decent wide. I have my ring fingers on the rings. Narrower it hurts shoulders and doesn't hit the chest. Wider and I flare my elbows too much. I have the best forearm angle at that width too. Closes grip.
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That's the same grip I use.

Although, I've considered bringing it in closer.
 
jimbuick said:
That's the same grip I use.

Although, I've considered bringing it in closer.
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I started narrower a long time ago and as my bench got bigger it felt better wider. That ended up being my sweet spot. Fast forward through my back injury and here we are again.

I play with it sometimes but I always come back. ;)
 
Narrow grip is often better off of the chest, but harder to lock out. Wide grip often wears out the shoulders (meaning the joint) but there certainly are guys that can bench wide raw. Remember, it's not about getting pumped up pecs, we're trying to move big weight. You can do flyes after you bench.

Where's your bench vid? I haven't seen it.
 
The video looks to me like you need to tuck the elbows more at the bottom of the lift. It's like Herder said above...it's all about moving the most weight with the best technique.
 
herderdude said:
Narrow grip is often better off of the chest, but harder to lock out. Wide grip often wears out the shoulders (meaning the joint) but there certainly are guys that can bench wide raw. Remember, it's not about getting pumped up pecs, we're trying to move big weight. You can do flyes after you bench.

Where's your bench vid? I haven't seen it.
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You should probably look for it then. It's a few posts of mine up.

I didn't mean pumped up, I mean as in engages at all. Aka using the muscle.

AZMIDLYF said:
The video looks to me like you need to tuck the elbows more at the bottom of the lift. It's like Herder said above...it's all about moving the most weight with the best technique.
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Elbows can't go down anymore they are tight on my lats. I know you can't see from this angle. Of course it's about moving the most weight... Lol. And the best technique is why I'm consulting you guys. Elbows are tight at the bottom of te rep and flare slightly through the lift. I consider myself to use a medium to wide grip. I have trouble getting any soreness or anything in my pecs anymore. My tris always die out in training. So I have been hitting them more which helps but I guess I still need more or to involve my pecs more which makes sense.


Anyways opinions on these shoes for squats. They are nikes. They felt good but were zip tied together so I couldn't squat or anything in them really. 21 bucks.
 

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CountryLiftin said:
I didn't mean pumped up, I mean as in engages at all. Aka using the muscle.

I have trouble getting any soreness or anything in my pecs anymore. My tris always die out in training. So I have been hitting them more which helps but I guess I still need more or to involve my pecs more which makes sense.
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This is because the bench press, as Louie puts it, is 80% triceps. Most guys will be limited by their triceps. Building them up is the key to big benching.

I saw a youtube comment that said Ryan Kennelly has dwarf arms. He has very long arms, they're just so huge that they look short. Look at your top 5,10,20 benchers. I got to see one in person once. Triceps looked like quads and forearms the size of my biceps.

When I switched over from physique training (Dunno what to call it, I was a 6-8 rep range compound move loving "bodybuilder" who never had plans of stepping onstage) to powerlifting, my pecs have lost mass and softened up. But my triceps have blown the **** up. And having less pecs hasn't hurt my benching as yet, though I always get back to doing DB presses and flyes the first few weeks after my meet.

Keep building those triceps, they are the key my man. Especially since you're doing OHP as part of 5/3/1. The Press is great for helping you get the bar off your chest and up to where the tri's need to take over.
 
Your third paragraph literally describes me exactly too. My pecs have gotten smaller and tris/arms bigger. Bench is close my best but I'm a lot lighter. Definitely gona keep hitting the tris but my big weakness is long skinny limbs especially arms. Only time and iron will fix that.
 
CountryLiftin said:
Your third paragraph literally describes me exactly too. My pecs have gotten smaller and tris/arms bigger. Bench is close my best but I'm a lot lighter. Definitely gona keep hitting the tris but my big weakness is long skinny limbs especially arms. Only time and iron will fix that.
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I saw your vid finally. You definitely have some deadlifting arms! My arms are long, but mostly in the humeral region. Your elbows are below the bench when the bar is at your chest! My elbows barely come down to my lats!

Things I saw: You lost all of the arch you created during setup when you changed your feet. Create the arch when you set up, and set your feet with the arch, then KEEP IT. You might have to dig your feet into the ground more to keep that arch. This will help you stay tighter. EDIT: Definitely dig those feet in. You're not using your lower body at all from what I saw.

AZ is right, it seems to me like your upper arms are at a 90 degree angle to your body. Ideally, you want a 30-45 degree angle to your body. We might have to see a different angle to see what you're talking about, but that's what I see. It's not so much tucking the elbows (they should be all the way rotated down from your external rotation!) as it is pulling your upper arms into your body with your lats.

Last, it seems like your forearms are leaning away from you. I'd like to see it a little more compact. You're trying to bench to your sternum (this is right) but you're doing it with your forearms instead of your upper arms.

I know that's a lot to digest. The good news is that 205x7 is just the beginning for you. Keep filming and work on one thing at a time. I'd say start with that arch and full-body tightness.
 
herderdude said:
I saw your vid finally. You definitely have some deadlifting arms! My arms are long, but mostly in the humeral region. Your elbows are below the bench when the bar is at your chest! My elbows barely come down to my lats!

Things I saw: You lost all of the arch you created during setup when you changed your feet. Create the arch when you set up, and set your feet with the arch, then KEEP IT. You might have to dig your feet into the ground more to keep that arch. This will help you stay tighter. EDIT: Definitely dig those feet in. You're not using your lower body at all from what I saw.

AZ is right, it seems to me like your upper arms are at a 90 degree angle to your body. Ideally, you want a 30-45 degree angle to your body. We might have to see a different angle to see what you're talking about, but that's what I see. It's not so much tucking the elbows (they should be all the way rotated down from your external rotation!) as it is pulling your upper arms into your body with your lats.

Last, it seems like your forearms are leaning away from you. I'd like to see it a little more compact. You're trying to bench to your sternum (this is right) but you're doing it with your forearms instead of your upper arms.

I know that's a lot to digest. The good news is that 205x7 is just the beginning for you. Keep filming and work on one thing at a time. I'd say start with that arch and full-body tightness.
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Yes my arms are stupid long it sucks.

I agree with arch. I don't know If our bench at my gym is low (it's lower than my bench at school) but I can't do flat feet and arch at the same time. I kept a small arch but the sweatshirt covers that up. If I leave my toes down like my starting position my back cramps and my groin/hips cramp as well. I still have issues with that and pain from my SIJ/spine injury. Whatever.

By tucking I mean arms in against my lats. I have stupidly wide lats like I don't know why but they flare like crazy at the top, and as you saw my arms come way way down at the bottom. I just run out if room and my arms are forced out at that point. I think the only solution is to get my spine and hip mobility improved over time and get a better arch so I don't have the bar and I turn my arms coming down to that level. That should let me keep a better angle. Ill try to get a vid or pic to show you that Monday. You are right my forearms were off a little.

I don't do pause much so this was a little weird. You do know this was Deload day right? PR is like 245x9 and 280x3 no pause. Hopefully with some form tweaks and working on my arch and using leg drive I can increase that some. Definitely a bit to digest but not too much. Most of that is stuff I know I have a problem with I just can't or haven't been able to fix/address. Lets see what some careful form work yields over the next few weeks. First step is getting a better arch down I think.
 
Those look like good DL shoes. Havent seen any of your squat vids yet but just remember that many grown men lack ankle mobility for good form in flat shoes. I really suggest getting some cheap PL shoes like Sean has if you dont want to spend a bunch but remember they will last a long time and the raised heel makes a world of a difference in form and confidence
 
herderdude said:
This is because the bench press, as Louie puts it, is 80% triceps. Most guys will be limited by their triceps. Building them up is the key to big benching.
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This

to me it looks like your elbows are def flared out a bit. Bring in your grip and put more emphasis on your triceps during the movement.
 
I like a raised heel slightly for my pull. Maybe I'm weird. The flats were for squat. If I don't need em I won't get em. I left then at the store.

No offense but a narrower grip seems to open up a can of worms for me. I think I more or less need to just keep the arms to my body like herder discussed above. A narrower grip is just gona make things worse unless I bring my arms/elbows to my body as well. If I can get my arms tucked more then I can try a slightly narrower grip.
 
Got paid today, so went to order some stuff from NP... all the prices were up like 3-5 bucks. WTF. went with amazon and got free 2 day shipping and saved 11.43. That almost pays for one of the products I bought. Can't complain. Getting some dpol and slinshot from a good purus guy I know here soon as well I believe.
 
Running D-pol right now and loving it!
 
CountryLiftin said:
I can't do flat feet and arch at the same time. I kept a small arch but the sweatshirt covers that up. If I leave my toes down like my starting position my back cramps and my groin/hips cramp as well. I still have issues with that and pain from my SIJ/spine injury.
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Fair enough. Gotta get on your traps, and gotta get full body tightness.

CountryLiftin said:
By tucking I mean arms in against my lats. I have stupidly wide lats like I don't know why but they flare like crazy at the top, and as you saw my arms come way way down at the bottom. I just run out if room and my arms are forced out at that point. I think the only solution is to get my spine and hip mobility improved over time and get a better arch so I don't have the bar and I turn my arms coming down to that level. That should let me keep a better angle. Ill try to get a vid or pic to show you that Monday.
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Keep in mind, guys like Jeremy Hoornstra and Brandon Lilly have their entire hand inside the rings and I can guarantee you that you're not as wide as 300lb Brandon Lilly. Dude was the widest guy in the Animal Cage this year, I swear.

CountryLiftin4112946 said:
You do know this was Deload day right? .
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Oops, lol. Nope. Didn't know that.
 
Hey ill try it narrower. Can't hurt. I thinking once my form gets better and my arch is right the narrower grip will be better. Know what I mean.


I figured a gda is good cause I love carbs. And daa makes me angry. Hahaha. Dpol FTW.


What do you think about flat feet vs toes.
 
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