herderdude
Well-known member
Here you go:
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KLEEN - STRONG BODY STRONG MIND!
- Thread starter MrKleen73
- Start date
MrKleen73
Legend
Nice lifts! Talk about an arch man... your back looks like an upside down U.
I am checking out some of the videos he has done with Elite FTS now. He is a beast for sure.
herderdude
Well-known member
Thank you!
MrKleen73
Legend
Squats and my hypertrophy workout went well, especially compared to last week on the squats.
Thursday - Squats & accessories -
Squat - 405x4, 405x3, 405x3, 405x3 - 315x6, 315x6
Leg Press - 9 plates per side x 8, 8, 8 - need to go up again here!!!
Rotary Calve Machine 4-0-1-0 tempo 305x8, 305x8, 305x8 go up here!!!
Favorite Leg Raise - Drawbridges - 4-0-1-0 tempo - 8, 8, 5 - This is my second set and was already struggling a little but the first set was a lot more fluid, with less break in the hips on the way up. Still working on getting them perfected. You can't tell but my legs are straight out until the get up to vertical.
[video=youtube;e9LoOQxDcHE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9LoOQxDcHE[/video]
Machine Crunch - 4-0-1-0 tempo - 120x8, 8, 6 Abs were pretty darn toasty by now.
Hypertrophy Workout Friday-
CGP Bench - 140 x 3 sets of 20-30 RPE7 - 26, 23, 21
Sumo Deads 235x25, 23, 21
Wide Squats 195x23, 21, 17
Talk about gasping for air and having a massive body pump!!!!!
I was going to post up some progress shots in here but think I might just leave a teaser of what is happening behind the scenes instead.
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Thursday - Squats & accessories -
Squat - 405x4, 405x3, 405x3, 405x3 - 315x6, 315x6
Leg Press - 9 plates per side x 8, 8, 8 - need to go up again here!!!
Rotary Calve Machine 4-0-1-0 tempo 305x8, 305x8, 305x8 go up here!!!
Favorite Leg Raise - Drawbridges - 4-0-1-0 tempo - 8, 8, 5 - This is my second set and was already struggling a little but the first set was a lot more fluid, with less break in the hips on the way up. Still working on getting them perfected. You can't tell but my legs are straight out until the get up to vertical.
[video=youtube;e9LoOQxDcHE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9LoOQxDcHE[/video]
Machine Crunch - 4-0-1-0 tempo - 120x8, 8, 6 Abs were pretty darn toasty by now.
Hypertrophy Workout Friday-
CGP Bench - 140 x 3 sets of 20-30 RPE7 - 26, 23, 21
Sumo Deads 235x25, 23, 21
Wide Squats 195x23, 21, 17
Talk about gasping for air and having a massive body pump!!!!!
I was going to post up some progress shots in here but think I might just leave a teaser of what is happening behind the scenes instead.
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MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks Simon, the rest came out pretty well too. I may have to dig a few more out of my check in and put them up.
MrKleen73
Legend
Yesterday was a good Dead lift workout. Hit much better on form and the change gave me the power to get an extra 4 reps with 415.
Dead Lifts - 415x6 x 4 sets, 340x6 for 2 back down sets. - Last time I did 6, 6, 5, 3 on the first 4 sets so major improvement there!!! Also got 1 extra rep on the last back down set.
DB Hammer Curls - tempo 4-0-1-0 - 40x8, 8, 7 one more rep over last week.
Overhand BB Shrugs - 365x6, 6, 3 grip gave out planning to buy some new wrist straps since my versagripps disappeared into the unknown. Was hoping they would turn up.
Drawbridges - 8, 8, 5 up one from last time.
Ab wheel roll outs 8,8,8
Decided to grab one of the flexed shots from the check in this week. I may go into hiding until the first of the month. No more pics until then. We'll see, you know how it is when you start to look much better. Pics just end up taken...
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Dead Lifts - 415x6 x 4 sets, 340x6 for 2 back down sets. - Last time I did 6, 6, 5, 3 on the first 4 sets so major improvement there!!! Also got 1 extra rep on the last back down set.
DB Hammer Curls - tempo 4-0-1-0 - 40x8, 8, 7 one more rep over last week.
Overhand BB Shrugs - 365x6, 6, 3 grip gave out planning to buy some new wrist straps since my versagripps disappeared into the unknown. Was hoping they would turn up.
Drawbridges - 8, 8, 5 up one from last time.
Ab wheel roll outs 8,8,8
Decided to grab one of the flexed shots from the check in this week. I may go into hiding until the first of the month. No more pics until then. We'll see, you know how it is when you start to look much better. Pics just end up taken...
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MrKleen73
Legend
Last night went well, I improved via added reps or weight on everything.
Bench - 285x6, 6, 5, 5, 235x6, 5
[video=youtube;PXDxFPD22QA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXDxFPD22QA[/video]
Dips - BW +90lbs x 8,8,7,7,6,5
[video=youtube;QzI1pXBtdfs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzI1pXBtdfs[/video]
Standing Shoulder Press - 145x8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5
[video=youtube;RX13KjqFOYw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX13KjqFOYw[/video]
Not exactly looking forward to squats tonight, we are set for a 95+ degree day with a heat index over 100 due to humidity, it is going to be miserably hot in the garage. We shall see how well I adapt to that change...
Bench - 285x6, 6, 5, 5, 235x6, 5
[video=youtube;PXDxFPD22QA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXDxFPD22QA[/video]
Dips - BW +90lbs x 8,8,7,7,6,5
[video=youtube;QzI1pXBtdfs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzI1pXBtdfs[/video]
Standing Shoulder Press - 145x8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5
[video=youtube;RX13KjqFOYw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX13KjqFOYw[/video]
Not exactly looking forward to squats tonight, we are set for a 95+ degree day with a heat index over 100 due to humidity, it is going to be miserably hot in the garage. We shall see how well I adapt to that change...
Hyde
Legend
If it makes you feel better, I squat in the heat today. And it was miserable lol. Wear a thick tshirt that won't let the bar slip when it's soaked thru. Chalk will be useless and gonna sweat either way so pick the shirt for performance. You can always make it a cutoff to let the pits breathe
MrKleen73
Legend
I was actually just considering what I was going to wear during this especially since my bar has no center knurling. I could use my other bar but it is slightly bent and more of a junk bar to be used when the good bar is already loaded and in use. I have a decently thick Under Armour shirt that wicks pretty well or one of my sleeveless shirts. I will also have a 1/2 gallon of water out there with me as well as my intra drink so hydrating won't be an issue. Definitely going to have to put the fan to use today though with as hot as it is outside.
MrKleen73
Legend
Whew it was a hot one. By the time I was done I had to wring my shirt out before putting in the laundry room. Squats were hard again yesterday, I recorded them and sent a link to coach but here it is for any of you to offer suggestions. One thought I might be going too deep and losing some poundage? If the tops of my thighs are parallel then my hips are way below. On one of the sets I definitely had the bar set up too high and it folded me over a little bit.
herderdude Hyde jimbuick and anyone else who does power lifting or knows how to squat well.
[video=youtube;x3XZCBtflvM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3XZCBtflvM[/video]
herderdude Hyde jimbuick and anyone else who does power lifting or knows how to squat well.
[video=youtube;x3XZCBtflvM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3XZCBtflvM[/video]
herderdude
Well-known member
Squats look good! You do a good job of keeping your hips under you. I'd try to pull your elbows into your sides hard and try to tilt your pelvis back in the hole so you're not rounding in the bottom of the squat. The pelvic tilt will also allow you to use more hamstrings, as they'll be stretched and loaded up. To be able to pull your elbows into your sides, you might have to widen your grip. That will engage the lats and connect your upper back tightness and lower back tightness, effectively turning your back from two rigid segments into one rigid segment. Just two little things that I can see at the moment, everything else is fantastic.
jimbuick
Legend
This video might help you, considering you squat fairly similar to this already:
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Biggest things I noticed are that you need to sit into your hips more (open the taint, as Ed Coan would say) and you need to drive your back into the bar as you explode out of the hole.
Edit: I also thought your second set was better than your first, and the biggest thing would just be driving the upper back into the bar out of the hole.
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Biggest things I noticed are that you need to sit into your hips more (open the taint, as Ed Coan would say) and you need to drive your back into the bar as you explode out of the hole.
Edit: I also thought your second set was better than your first, and the biggest thing would just be driving the upper back into the bar out of the hole.
MrKleen73
Legend
Haha, yeah I liked it. That was one of the options for the main pic. Funny out of 8 minutes of video it caught the 1 second I flexed to post as the main picture.
Thanks, this is basically what the coach and myself had come up with. It appears that even though I am setting up tight that my bar position is high bar, and my squat execution is more low bar. Causing the bar to travel forward of the centerline of my feet. So for right now we are going to look at lowering the bar about an inch or so and see if I end up bent over so much.
Yes my second was better than my first that was when I lowered the bar just a tiny bit on my back and it moved better. I am still folded up enough that even though I am trying to drive the bar up and back with my back I don't have the leverage to make the bar travel that way from being a little to bent over. I am actually pushing back about as hard as I can but you don't see it until the 2nd half of the ascent when my hips get closer back up under the bar so I can generate the power to push up and back.
I really like the way this other guy you linked explains things too. I may have to break at the knees a little first like he suggests in order to keep more upright. Right now that is the focus, getting the bar position right and creating more erect position. I think my squat will make a big jump once the bar is moving straight up and down over the center line of my body.
Were those Nike's I tried at your house the Romeleo's? Those had me in a very upright position remember... Still felt a little high in the heel for me but you said those had a 3/4 inch lift and I might do better with a 1/2 inch lift right?
jimbuick
Legend
If you move the bar down for a low bar position that torso lean would be 100% OK.
I just try to stay upright with high bar position because it's harder to fight it when the bar is forward an extra inch.
And yessir, Romaleos. I might would look at the Adidas Powerlift as I believe that is a 1/2" heel, not the adipower as that is a 3/4" too.
MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks! I knew you had mentioned one that had a 1/2 inch lift. Those seem like they would also be more in my price range, which makes more sense since I don't know if they will be the key that is missing and if not that is a bunch of money to spend on something I wouldn't use that often if they didn't really help that much.
jimbuick
Legend
Yeah, oly shoes are expensive but the Powerlift are much friendlier.
There are a few other brands too, but I don't know the heel height offhand.
MrKleen73
Legend
I was just reading that the Adidas were considered pretty narrow though, was that your experience? Those Romeleos fit me pretty well. That is the hard part since there really isn't anywhere locally that I know of to go and try them on. I have a wide foot with a steep rise to the bridge of my foot so it takes up a lot of space.
Hyde
Legend
Agree with everything Jim said. Bar needs to come down some or you need to maintain more vertical torso - right now you're lifting w a decided leverage disadvantage. Sitting into the hips is a good way to stay a bit more upright. Think about doing a leg curl as you spread your taint, not so much sitting back.
Also looks like you could work on bracing harder prior to the unrack (both drawing elbows down/contracting lats/squeezing the bar as well as drawing your air down into the diaphragm as you contract your abs) and making your walkout more efficient (and consistent).
The monkey toes/grab floor w the center of your foot that Aita discusses is also a great cue after you walk out. That always gets my glutes squeezed tight and hips locked before I descend.
Don't squat higher; you're only at parallel now and it seems to be very consistent so keep the depth! Looking strong, hoss!
Also looks like you could work on bracing harder prior to the unrack (both drawing elbows down/contracting lats/squeezing the bar as well as drawing your air down into the diaphragm as you contract your abs) and making your walkout more efficient (and consistent).
The monkey toes/grab floor w the center of your foot that Aita discusses is also a great cue after you walk out. That always gets my glutes squeezed tight and hips locked before I descend.
Don't squat higher; you're only at parallel now and it seems to be very consistent so keep the depth! Looking strong, hoss!
deepseajs
Active member
Do you like having your heel elevated? Honestly I've never tried the shoes with the lifts for squatting but i got these reebok tr lites (I think that's what they are) a while back and they changed my squat completely. I've always been curious about the lifted shoes tho, but the ones I've seen are way pricier than $50 lol
jimbuick
Legend
I like them for high bar or front squats.
If you have good ankle mobility they probably aren't worth it, but most people don't and benefit from the elevated heel.
Helps stay more upright and puts a little more emphasis on the quads as well.
herderdude
Well-known member
Seems like most record squats occur in heeled shoes as well. Definitely in wraps. There's something to that.
deepseajs
Active member
Thanks for the info. I mostly squat low bar but I can see how they might be a benefit to front squats. Maybe one day I'll give them a shot
MrKleen73
Legend
Yeah it seems most are 3/4 or higher. Like you said though they really just let me drop down in the bucket nicely.
Thanks Simon! I am giving it hell. Leaning up and maintaining / increasing strength on most things. Once this squat is sorted out a little bit I expect some good gains to come on my lifts there.
Sounds good, yeah my walk out needs work. The reason it isn't consistent is because I have been trying to adjust the wrong end by moving the feet around instead of lowering the bar thinking that was my foot position that was causing the issue. It wasn't until I watched the videos I saw it looked to be bar position.
Would be a first for me to really wear them with big weight if I did. I just tried Jim's for a couple sets to get the feel. However, I also like to do Oly Lifts and they would come in very handy there. Just not doing any of that right now.
What he said.
Yeah, I know I definitely want to try them out to see and if not they are always good for high bar and oly lifts.
Last nights workout was very simple. One set of 20-30 reps for metabolic / hypertrophy focus.
CGB Press - 145x30 - going up again next time. Last time was 135x28
Sumo Deads - 225x25 - no straps - last time 225x20
Low Bar Squat - to work technique - 215x5+15 - My first set up had the inside of my elbows wound up so tight they felt like they were about to pop. So I racked it adjusted grip and did another 15. It is going to take some getting used to to set up right in a low bar again. Probably need to widen my grip a little bit or not place the bar as low on my back. I may have gone to low or may just need to work into that to increase mobility. The squats themselves felt pretty good but my arms were killing me. Last time only 15 reps.
Today is a much deserved day off from training! I am so happy to be able to rest and relax today. These 8 days on 1 day of rotation is a lot of work, but I seem to be thriving right now so I will just keep on working hard at it!
RegisterJr
Legend
Dude, awesome home rack.
+1 for switching to low(ER) bar squats. Your shoulders want to roll forward on higher weight. I used to have that same problem. We squat very similar IMO.
+1 for switching to low(ER) bar squats. Your shoulders want to roll forward on higher weight. I used to have that same problem. We squat very similar IMO.
MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks, believe it or not that bad boy is about 16-17 years old.
Nice, I definitely feel like it will help. I don't think I will need it extremely low though. Probably right where the traps and rear delts meet. We shall see.
Yesterday being an off day was also a digestive recovery day. Protein was 130g, Carbs <35g, fats at 147. I woke up looking very lean this morning. I almost took a pic but had hit the snooze button one too many times and didn't have time for any extra silliness.
It is official my shoulder to waist ratio is getting MUCH better. Even though you can see improvements in my abs, the biggest difference is in the circumference of my waist. The 34 waist pants I have on today were snug a few weeks ago and are very loose in the waist now. My butt and thighs are all that is holding them up. Add to that my arms and shoulders have not lost much size at all, and things are getting more and more impressive.
Most exciting thing is the fat under my chest is starting to burn off and become less noticeable. I am very excited about that.
MrKleen73
Legend
Just wanted to update from my "Dead of the night" dead lift session. Form has drastically improved in my opinion and the increased efficency can be felt easily. Up 10 lbs here and happy with the performance.
Dead Lifts 425x6, 6, 6, 4 335x6, 6 - 10 lb increase
[video=youtube;l8XoaEcxfTc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XoaEcxfTc[/video]
DB Hammer Curls - Tempo 4-0-1-0 - 40x8, 8, 6 - still haven't conquered the 40's for 3 sets of 8.
Overhand BB Shrugs 365x6, 6, 6
Knees to elbows 4-0-1-0 Tempo - 8, 8, 8
Ab Roll Outs 4-0-1-0 Tempo - 8, 8, 8
Had to be up at work at 3:00AM to start post maintenance testing on the phones. The server is messing up so still sitting up here waiting to start... So much for taking a nap before having to do the rest of the maintenance testing at 7:00 AM.
Dead Lifts 425x6, 6, 6, 4 335x6, 6 - 10 lb increase
[video=youtube;l8XoaEcxfTc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XoaEcxfTc[/video]
DB Hammer Curls - Tempo 4-0-1-0 - 40x8, 8, 6 - still haven't conquered the 40's for 3 sets of 8.
Overhand BB Shrugs 365x6, 6, 6
Knees to elbows 4-0-1-0 Tempo - 8, 8, 8
Ab Roll Outs 4-0-1-0 Tempo - 8, 8, 8
Had to be up at work at 3:00AM to start post maintenance testing on the phones. The server is messing up so still sitting up here waiting to start... So much for taking a nap before having to do the rest of the maintenance testing at 7:00 AM.
NewAgeMayan
Well-known member
Whats the LP song at the start of this vid? Ive youtubed ones that match the lyrics that I can hear but none sound like the one in your vid :/
EDIT: bah fuk nevermind, worked out I had to listen to more than 3 minutes of the song before that bit in your vid comes in, I assumed it was an intro...got it lol
Rocket3015
Legend
Impressive Weight my friend!!
MrKleen73
Legend
Was something I found on youtube audio I had on head phones and all the sound recorded was the weights clanging and the wind blowing over the mic which was very annoying. So added that just listened until I found something decent.
Thanks Rocket!
Thanks Simon and Happy Father's day to you as well.
As a matter of fact Happy Father's day to all of the Dads in here!
I get a free day today not to go too crazy but had an omelet and waffle at IHOP with my dad and family this morning. Will Gove me some extra juice for Squats in a little bit. Then have a good meal after my workout.
MrKleen73
Legend
Ha was looking at it from my phone and thought it was the dead lift video. Yeah I love that song from them and it is AWESOME live!
Having my pre workout meal and will going in for squats will be leaving about 6:30.
Sparkss
Well-known member
Awesome DL video. I think I am going to refer to that when I do legs tomorrow, to try to help dial in my form. Thanks!!!
MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks Jim!
Appreciate it!
So I had a friend surprise visit me yesterday and took the night off to spend some time with him. Had been a long time since he had been over so I chose to hang with him for a few hours. I will be doing my squats tonight. I hate falling behind on the schedule but didn't want to miss the chance to visit with him for a while.
Coach told me he is happy with where I am composition-wise. Not saying I won't continue to get leaner but we will probably start adding a little bit more calories in next week. Focus on increasing strength and recomping more instead of dropping weight. This is good because it gives me a great base to work from and will allow me to start increasing strength a bit more. Once I start my run I will obviously lean up and grow pretty quickly so just trying to make sure we keep things optimized and strength focused. Starting at this weight there is a decent chance I may end up over 220 for the meet, but that is okay too.
herderdude
Well-known member
What's the weight at now?
MrKleen73
Legend
I was 206.8 this Saturday when I took that last pic I posted. I would guess about 12-ish% body fat. The upcoming Blast could easily net me 15lbs, maybe more.
wasme
Legend
That is pretty sweet I must admit
MrKleen73
Legend
Yeah I am a bit excited!
Hit up my squat workout last night. Form is definitely improving with the lower bar placement. Still some fine tuning to do especially once fatigue sets in but the difference is night and day.
Squats -
405x5, 405x5, 405x4, 405x3 - 315x6, 315x6 - Lower bar helped a lot. I got an extra 6 reps across the 4 sets of 405 compared to last time. Definitely happy with the improvement. Focus points, keeping chest high when tired, better walkout, keeping knees out when coming out of the bottom.
[video=youtube;2Nvw5Om1mZE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nvw5Om1mZE[/video]
Leg Press Squat Stance - 900x8, 900x8, 900x8 - going up to 990 next time.
Rotary Calf Machine - 390x8, 390x8, 390x8 - maxed the machine out and it me too!
Knee to Elbows for Abs - 3 sets of 4-8 reps - 8, 8, 6
[video=youtube;Pa0S36QNTbc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa0S36QNTbc[/video]
Cable Rope Crunches 190x8, 190x8, 190x8
booneman77
Legend
Was a bit nervous watching that video of the ab work... from that angle, I was sure we were gonna see some nutsack haha
MrKleen73
Legend
Haha, yeah but I figured that was better than from the front. I am on TRT, So I have a whole lot more going on in front than I do in the bag now. LMAO!
MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks, yeah my physique is really coming along. I wish I could sneak into the gym with that lighting to do my progress shots. I flexed my abs in the mirror under those diffused fluorescent lights and they are looking pretty ripped.
MrKleen73
Legend
I just ordered these bad boys for squats and maybe even deads. They have a slightly kower rise to the heel, at my shoe size it will be about .63 inches effective lift and most Oly shoes are .75 inch lift. So it will give me a tiny bit more mobility and quad activation but still allow for a lot of posterior chain involvement.
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
If anyone is looking for some lifting shoes they have about 10 different lifting shoes by a company called SABO, and they are all half price right now to get ready for the newer models being shipped to them. I got these for $65.00 normally $129.00. Free shipping in the US also.
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
If anyone is looking for some lifting shoes they have about 10 different lifting shoes by a company called SABO, and they are all half price right now to get ready for the newer models being shipped to them. I got these for $65.00 normally $129.00. Free shipping in the US also.
herderdude
Well-known member
That's spectacular! Looks like a good shoe. Usually the heel won't benefit the deadlift, but you cam try it. It can be a good thing to challenge positioning as a second Deadlift movement, though. Teach you to stay on your heels.