Killn' The Cube: My powerlifting venture begins

Sean1332 said:
or mini bands
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Yeah my dumba$$ ordered mini bands under the erroneous assumption that they come in pairs. So now I have 1 light mini, 1 average mini, and 1 heavy mini (my god that thing is no joke). So, I'll order the rest when I get paid next week.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Yeah CWS def knows a lil more than I, ha. There's a problem tho, some lil chode broke the chains we have (I want to break his face). So, I was suppose to do 55% w/ chains and now I don't have that option. Should I just do straight weight?
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Ah...just try to do something closest to your program. I do think bands are harder than chains so keep that in mind.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Yeah CWS def knows a lil more than I, ha. There's a problem tho, some lil chode broke the chains we have (I want to break his face). So, I was suppose to do 55% w/ chains and now I don't have that option.

Should I just do straight weight?
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Hell yeah do it with straight weight! Bill Kazmeier never said "Aw shyt I forgot my mini bands, misewell go home."

The thing to watch with bands is that they SEVERELY affect bar path. Bench press is not a linear movement, and even though squats and deadlifts are, it takes muscles to keep the weight in line. When you use bands, you can detrain the musculature that it takes to stabilize the weight, kind of like a Smith machine. They're a great tool, but they can be misused/overused. The one time I did reverse band squats, I had the bands rigged too far forward and all I had to do was sit back a little harder and the bands helped me forward.

Why do you think Westside box squats the way that they do? Because they have briefs holding them up and bands holding them forward. Did I just blow your mind?
 
For the record, I'm not against the guys' suggestions of going with mini bands. I desperately need some mini bands in my arsenal.
 
herderdude said:
Hell yeah do it with straight weight! Bill Kazmeier never said "Aw shyt I forgot my mini bands, misewell go home."

The thing to watch with bands is that they SEVERELY affect bar path. Bench press is not a linear movement, and even though squats and deadlifts are, it takes muscles to keep the weight in line. When you use bands, you can detrain the musculature that it takes to stabilize the weight, kind of like a Smith machine. They're a great tool, but they can be misused/overused. The one time I did reverse band squats, I had the bands rigged too far forward and all I had to do was sit back a little harder and the bands helped me forward.

Why do you think Westside box squats the way that they do? Because they have briefs holding them up and bands holding them forward. Did I just blow your mind?
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Heard dat!

I've heard a lot if different views on them. Some say its not DE without bands and chains and some say it creates a linear path like you said. I'm def not going to go band crazy. It's a pain in the a$$ setting them up for deads at my gym. I was just going to use them sparingly and for DE only. I'll just use straight weight for DE deads and mix in some band work on DE bench and squat.

I'll also stick to the percentages more closely. You guys are right, Chad smith's knowledge > my knowledge. Times infinity.
 
I hate deadlifting against my mini bands. :banghead:

One time I forgot my reds and had to use the blacks (wasn't too bad)....but I can't imagine the oranges I have. :eek:
 
bolt10 said:
I hate deadlifting against my mini bands. :banghead:

One time I forgot my reds and had to use the blacks (wasn't too bad)....but I can't imagine the oranges I have. :eek:
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I've only used the minis, once I did both red and black minis over the bar under each foot.. **** was brutal.
 
bolt10 said:
I hate deadlifting against my mini bands. :banghead:

One time I forgot my reds and had to use the blacks (wasn't too bad)....but I can't imagine the oranges I have. :eek:
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Dude, those black ones are ridiculous. I can't imagine how much tension the orange ones have. I was ME spreading the black one w/ my arms and could barely stretch it, lol.
 
aceroni said:
I've only used the minis, once I did both red and black minis over the bar under each foot.. **** was brutal.
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Oh, so thats how you set it up, under your feet? I was trying to figure it out and was drawing blanks.

Does it throw off your balance?
 
My new gym has band pegs. Boom.



Also, was talking to Travis Ortmayer on Saturday and he was talking about how he likes banded box squats for DE because of how much your core has to work to keep you sitting upright with the bands trying to pull you down.
 
jimbuick said:
My new gym has band pegs. Boom.

Also, was talking to Travis Ortmayer on Saturday and he was talking about how he likes banded box squats for DE because of how much your core has to work to keep you sitting upright with the bands trying to pull you down.
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My gym has one narrow power rack, one bench, and two good bars. Pegs are out of the question, lol.

I love bands for DE squats. Interesting about the additional core work involved. I definitely agree.
 
Also, saw a video on YouTube where a guy (strengthcamp channel) said for building up strength from the floor on DLs, he does DL stance upright torso box squats. He does it to work the leg drive from the bottom (conventional puller) and to stop himself from using a higher hip starting point which lets him drive through sticking points.

Edit: here it is;
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jimbuick said:
Also, saw a video on YouTube where a guy (strengthcamp channel) said for building up strength from the floor on DLs, he does DL stance upright torso box squats. He does it to work the leg drive from the bottom (conventional puller) and to stop himself from using a higher hip starting point which lets him drive through sticking points.

Edit: here it is;
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Damn, good looking. Never heard about those before. Sounds like it would have carry over. I'm weakest off the floor now that I've been hammering rack pulls and reverse bands. So, I'll give these a shot. I wonder why he recommends low bar.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Damn, good looking. Never heard about those before. Sounds like it would have carry over. I'm weakest off the floor now that I've been hammering rack pulls and reverse bands. So, I'll give these a shot. I wonder why he recommends low bar.
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Dunno, not sure it matters really.


Saw him pull 855 and make it look easy, wonder how high he could go if he could get more weight on the bar. So he's obviously doing something right.
 
jimbuick said:
Dunno, not sure it matters really.

Saw him pull 855 and make it look easy, wonder how high he could go if he could get more weight on the bar. So he's obviously doing something right.
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Haha, I'd say so. That's ridiculous.
 
Conjugate week 2: 10/12/13

DE bench: 3x6- double wrapped onx mini +20 lbs

This is the is the only way I could do bands with bench because they're too long. I bet it was damn close to 55%.

Seated BB military:
135x10
155x10
155x9.5
(I gave it hell, but couldn't lock out)

WG pull ups:
5x5 w/ BW+ 25
1xAMAP w/ BW- 9

Tate press: 8x3-55's

Banded fly: 15x3- average band

Banded curls: 15x3

SGHP: 8x3- 135

Got a good one in today. I just got some stimul8 and today was the first time using it. Took it on an empty stomach and threw up at least 8 times. Sucked it up and good some great work in. By the end my body was involuntarily shaking.
 
Damn, that's a serious sesh. Maybe you'll need some doubled micro minis for your de bench. Remember you want at least 40% bar weight, any less and you can't apply max force. That's a random Louie rule I remember.
 
herderdude said:
Damn, that's a serious sesh. Maybe you'll need some doubled micro minis for your de bench. Remember you want at least 40% bar weight, any less and you can't apply max force. That's a random Louie rule I remember.
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Thanks brother.

Also, did not know that. I only had 10's on each side, lol. I'll have to get some new bands then. I'll check out the doubled micro minis.

Edit: the bands made me stay extremely tight. Akin to the bamboo bar.
 
aceroni said:
Not at all. It's easy off the floor but gets difficult, fast
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Ya I don't notice any issues other than how you better pull fast or the bands will murder you. :eek:
 
Been doing a fair amount of reflection on my squat today. I've been waiting for the day for everything to just "click" and sequentially have a 50lb PR. I've come to the realization that I need to actively seek out the problem.

IMO the two major flaws in my squat technique are; sitting back too far, and not opening my hips up sufficiently.

It's borderline embarrassing that I can almost bench what I can squat and that my deadlift has exceeded my squat by this large of a margin. Time to make a change and get to the 500lb squat club, sooner rather than later.
 
Sean1332 said:
Do you feel it's a mobility issue? Or just a lack of conscious effort to open up?
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Honestly, a lack of effort. I haven't been queing myself to open up and that and sitting too far back has led me to be at a mechanical disadvantage.

I'm confident I have strong legs and errectors, but my squat has not been reflective of it.
 
Conjugate-Week 3

ME Squat: 365x3 (PR)

I decided to be a b1tch and belt up for the last set. Video to come, depth was close. I need your expert opinions.

Pause deadlift:
315x5x2
365x5

SGDL:
315x3x3
335x3x2

Deadlift stance box squat (the exercise Jim suggested)
225x8
245x8x2

Calves SS banded hamstring curls: DC/25x3

Pretty solid sess. Every time I take my PWO on a empty stomach I yack. I have some videos for critique. Legs are blasted.
 
Now that is a solid session. Looks brutal.
 
bolt10 said:
Now that is a solid session. Looks brutal.
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Thanks bro, I'm def feeling it. Didn't even get everything in I wanted to. Actually I had to call in to work to tell them I was going to be late due to a doctors appointment, ;). Priorities...
 
Every time I squat an angel loses its wings

365x3

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Weird angle. I'm not convinced on depth. I was close.

Deadlift pausers: 365x5

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I love these. Bout stained my Hanes.
 
2 inches high on the squats brother. I think you need to develop some more hamstring/lower back strength to enable you to hold your back angle better. Kind of drifting all over the place there bud.

Are you doing GM's w your DE work?

And sit back more, kind of dropping straight down on those.
 
napalm said:
2 inches high on the squats brother. I think you need to develop some more hamstring/lower back strength to enable you to hold your back angle better. Kind of drifting all over the place there bud.

Are you doing GM's w your DE work?

And sit back more, kind of dropping straight down on those.
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Yeah I do GM's w/ DE. Might be a mobility issue as well, since I widened my stance today and this is the first time I missed depth in 3 months.

Every time I sit back far I get pinned. It's buggin the sh1t out of me man. My erectors have to be strong if I'm DL'ing 525, right? Hell, I need some one on one coaching.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Yeah I do GM's w/ DE. Might be a mobility issue as well, since I widened my stance today and this is the first time I missed depth in 3 months. Every time I sit back far I get pinned. It's buggin the sh1t out of me man. My erectors have to be strong if I'm DL'ing 525, right? Hell, I need some one on one coaching.
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Not necessarily, but I think the first thing a good coach would do w you is drop the weight and focus on your technique. Rodja is prolly the most qualified around here, he was/is a CSCS.

If you're getting pinned you're not holding your back angle.

If it were me, I'd put the conjugate on hold and do 3-4 months of hammering your PC.

I know you want to run conjugate, but it will still be there. In the meantime, focus on your PC...
 
Sean1332 said:
Dude....

Call Elite and ask how much it would cost to have someone watch your squat!
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I called. They said they don't do that and I could post a video on Q&A for help. So, I'll give that a shot
 
Sean1332 said:
Cube FB Group and tag Corey Hayes in it
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Corey KNOWS HIS SHYT.

EDIT: if it sounds like I'm on his dong, that's because I'm not only on it, but all over it.
 
Looks like driving your back up should be a major que. Also, looks like your feet might be a little close, hard to tell. I do about 8-12inches outside shoulder width. I know it varies person to person but any closet with maximal weights is hard for me to hit depth.

I like napalms good morning idea. That and its variations.
 
rob112 said:
Looks like driving your back up should be a major que. Also, looks like your feet might be a little close, hard to tell. I do about 8-12inches outside shoulder width. I know it varies person to person but any closet with maximal weights is hard
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rob112 said:
Looks like driving your back up should be a major que. Also, looks like your feet might be a little close, hard to tell. I do about 8-12inches outside shoulder width. I know it varies person to person but any closet with maximal weights is hard for me to hit depth.

I like napalms good morning idea. That and its variations.
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I do regular GM's, wide stance, close stance, banded/chains, suspended bar. I do all DL and squat variants. Drag the sled, reverse hypers, back extensions, hamstring curls. Absolutely hammer my upper back. I'm thinking that its possible that my glutes and hamstrings aren't firing properly.

I actually achieve depth much easier with a close stance. Hence, I went wid(er) today and missed depth.

I haven't been on Facebook for 2 years, but it's worth a shot. I'll see if Rodja will check it out as well. I'm sure he could tear it apart.
 
napalm said:
Not necessarily, but I think the first thing a good coach would do w you is drop the weight and focus on your technique. Rodja is prolly the most qualified around here, he was/is a CSCS.

If you're getting pinned you're not holding your back angle.

If it were me, I'd put the conjugate on hold and do 3-4 months of hammering your PC.

I know you want to run conjugate, but it will still be there. In the meantime, focus on your PC...
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I cringed when you talked about stopping conjugate, lol. I'm absolutely loving it and this is why we train, right? Maybe a good idea would be to keep doing conjugate and keep ME lower body days to DL and its variants only. Then after that do squats with a lighter weight to hammer down form. Unquestionably that's what needs to be done.

Problem is, I need to pinpoint the problems/weaknesses first.
 
I checked out the video and I see a couple things. First is your unrack. Drive your head into the bar and let it settle into your traps more. You don't look overly stable at any point throughout the set. Next is the "butt wink" at the bottom of the squat. Are your hips/hip flexors tight?
 
Rodja said:
I checked out the video and I see a couple things. First is your unrack. Drive your head into the bar and let it settle into your traps more. You don't look overly stable at any point throughout the set. Next is the "butt wink" at the bottom of the squat. Are your hips/hip flexors tight?
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Thanks. Yeah, my hip flexors are definitely tight. I've been trying to stretch/foam roll them out, but they're still tight. Also, I'm not sure if this equates to anything, but I been getting some gnarly charley horses in them. If I move a certain way they knot up pretty bad.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
Thanks. Yeah, my hip flexors are definitely tight. I've been trying to stretch/foam roll them out, but they're still tight. Also, I'm not sure if this equates to anything, but I been getting some gnarly charley horses in them. If I move a certain way they knot up pretty bad.
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Do you ever do any unilateral work that involves hip rotation (e.g. walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats)?
 
Rodja said:
Do you ever do any unilateral work that involves hip rotation (e.g. walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats)?
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I make it a priority to do unilateral leg work weekly. I rotate Bulgarian split squats, walking lunges, and unilateral leg press. I use to do BB step ups, but haven't in a couple months.

Edit: I've only been doing Bulgarian SS for the past month.
 
CincyKiller45 said:
I make it a priority to do unilateral leg work weekly. I rotate Bulgarian split squats, walking lunges, and unilateral leg press. I use to do BB step ups, but haven't in a couple months.
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Ok. Well, your glutes aren't going to be tight with that kind of work so we can scratch that off the list.
 
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