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Thursday, 4 May 2006: ME Bench

Last week was lethargic, this was a bit worse. It could be the increasingly hectic pace at work as we are nearing the end of the school year or just creeping death (also known as overtraining), but the fact remains… I thought I was capable of a bit more, but bumped up my PR on the seated pin press to 75 kg/166 lbs (VIDEO, 618K) and then went bodybuilding for a good pump.

Saturday, 6 May 2006: ME Squat

Sluggishness aside, I figured I’d improve on my 13″ box squat PR a bit. Didn’t get good drive off the box and paid the price in forward lean. 135 kg/298 lbs went straight into the pins. That’s it, deload week next.

A raw bench press of 180 kg/398 lbs and a near miss at the same weight in the back jerk. If it weren’t for the gymnastics (try the push up to dip combination on for size…), incredible depth jumping, weird specialty exercises and a lot of javelins flowing all over the place, you’d think that would be the work of a decently strong powerlifter. Think again. Thorkildsen is one of the top names in javelin with a personal best of 90.13m and a gold metal from the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. His blog is well worth a read for anyone who is interested in seeing how a top athlete works the weights for sport specificity (the bounce on the bench reminds me of the clip I once linked to, since gone, where shotputter Manuel Martinez bounced 300 kg/663 lbs off pads on his chest). I actually find myself quite interested in the javelin stuff too, perhaps it’s because I’ve entertained thoughts of picking up shotputting for fun to accompany the powerlifting stuff for some time now.

Unlike the Powerlifting Relative Strength Calculator, the Siff’s Bodymass Adjustment Formula operates on any combination of squat, bench, deadlift and total results. As usual, this one can also rank up to thirty lifters at a go. If anyone needs more, it can easily be arranged.

Feedback welcome.

It took a few nights of work, but it is time to proudly unveil the Powerlifting Relative Strength Calculator and hope that no major bugs are lurking in the shadows. Here’s where you, dear reader, come in… test it and let me know if it is squirming. In a nutshell, this calculator computes relative strength by all common formulas (Wilks, Reshel, Glossbrenner, NASA, Siff and Schwartz/Malone) for one or more lifters. If this is unfamiliar territory for you, the calculator also comes with a fairly thorough introduction.

Thursday, 27 April 2006: Bench weakpoint day

Nothing like pumping the hell out of thight biceps. I did the standard barbell curls and dumbell benches with bands, even got a nice increase on them, then left the guns alone. Worked light on the accessories; realized that sitting down on the plate raises makes the exercise MUCH harder. Not that I have been swaying around doing them standing, but there’s a world of difference between a little well intended momentum and none at all.

Saturday, 29 April 2006: DE Squat

This session almost buried me. I had a feeling I was not quite recovered, but only realized how sluggish my legs were when the speed box squat felt like near max work. The idea was to work on unracking the bar cleanly with the legs insted of partially picking the weight off the rack with the back (for reference, see how I set up my squat with NO leg movement whatsoever on the recent high-box video). I don’t think I have a serious problem there, but the NASA video made me aware of this tendency that usually results in the lifter being slightly bent over when the attempt begins. In a meet, this could result in red lights, especially if the knees are not properly straightened. Stubbornly finished the [low]speed work, then did some light pumping accessories. Still, they killed me some more.

Contrary to what one might expect given the aforementioned dire circumstances, this workout expanded my powerlifting mind. A guy, whose path I have never crossed at this very late hour at Metal Gym, was in there working up towards a new PR on the squat. It was his final session after a brutal high-volume squat program done together with one of the gym’s elite squatters and he was looking to smash his 160 kg/354 lbs personal best. Once he was up at 170 kg/376 lbs he asked if I could spot him. Truth be told, I haven’t done a lot of spotting on the squat, but I do know how it is done. He made the lift unassisted and then loaded up for 180 kg/398 lbs. The lift was a bit high, but, save for some help in getting the bar back into the rack, he got it by himself. Next, he dropped the weight back to 160 kg/354 lbs for a double. During the lift I was keeping a close eye on the bar since it is a good indicator of how the lift is going. Some straining, but he got the first rep. On the second rep, the bar rolled down a good bit which in turn pushed him forward into a nosedive. Right then and there, even before my arms left his chest and the bar was back where it started, I realized that I had just seen an aspect of the squat that I had never thought about. And I had seen it from the best perspective possible, merely inches away. Limited as my experience may be, I am now convinced that one of the best ways of observing the mechanics of a squat and what can go wrong is to spot plenty of squats. Breathe up the neck of a squatter if you will. It would be a folly to think that the best gains and insights are made when training in solitude. Think about it, what would you learn more from: a) observing just clips of your own lifts or b) also being part of a lifting collective that includes spotting, observing the lifts of a small horde of lifters every week and casual gym discussions about technique? As much as I enjoy the moonlight sessions together with Måns, I have decided to reschedule at least some of my weekly sessions in the autumn to coincide with the time when the gym is full of life. I will be home with Rufus full-time beginning September 1st; this means Sanna can relieve me after she comes home from work.

I learned two important things today, namely that the education of a powerlifter is a social endevour and that having the bar roll down your back can kill you in a really bad way.

The reverse hyper loading pin showing off some astonishing wear, incidentally of the same width as a 20 kg/44 lbs plate… the dent is most pronounced at the top, with very little on the underside. Pretty much the same thing that happens to joints subjected to years of mechanical stress under maximal loads. This is where you, like me, hope I’m at least half kidding.

Saturday, 22 April 2006: ME Bench

Followed up with a standard array of accessories. The seated pin presses went well. Not having a board handy, I rigged them up the usual way with a short curl bar as the back rest; only nose-haters do these off an incline bench. Got 3x5 @ 60 kg/133 lbs. Any guesses on what my max will be next ME workout when I will do this one first in the workout for a single? For reference, the best I’ve ever done is 2 @ 70 kg/155 lbs.

Sunday, 23 April 2006: ME Squat

I love to squat. After being sidetracked for so long, it feels great to surf on a good gain wave again. If anything, this high box squat session boosted my confidence even more. Got a good shot at 150 kg/332 lbs, alas… As the video (7.3M) will no doubt reveal, the attempts were very uneven; just look at the contrast between the 140 kg/309 lbs that I nearly dumped forward and the subsequent easy 145 kg/320 lbs follow-up. I have since reflected a bit on my form, especially in regard to how I set-up, after having watched the excellent NASA DVD Trouble Shooting Your Own Lifts. I will experiment a bit during DE day and return with my observations in the next weekly installment. The next two ME sessions, I will set a new parallel box PR (shooting for 135-140 kg/298-309 lbs) before annihilating the contemptibly small 120 kg/265 lbs squat record from February. That’s the plan anyway.

Feeling quite beat after the last three high box attempts, I was happy with a sloppy set of Westside cambered bar squats and an even sloppier set of walking dumbell lunges across the gym. I must have taken a somewhat longer stride (go glutes, go!) this time, because I only got 15 steps in as opposed to the usual 16. Trying to look good on camera, eh? Eh? Got a long way to go, Mister. Mango soup anyone? Reverse hypers and out seconds before midnight.

Subject: Question about the original Buffalo Bar
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:59:53 +0000

Hi,

I just purchased a used Buffalo Bar. As a proud owner with an interest in
lifting trivia, I would like to briefly inquire about the history of the
bar. I found a forum post on the internet where it was stated that the
specs used to be 1 1/8″ diameter and 86″ length as opposed to the
current 1-3/8″ diameter and 92″ length. Is this true, and if so,
when did you start to manufacture it with the larger specs? I would also
be interested in when the first bar hit the shelves.

Sincerely,
-Kristoffer Lindqvist, Helsinki, Finland

Dear Kristoffer,

Congratulations on your new (to you!) Buffalo Bar.

IronMind began selling cambered squat bars in 1990, after they had
been ignored for decades, and although it’s more history than trivia,
we did this as they are tied to the training program featured in the
book SUPER SQUATS. We had two models then, and the predecessor to
our current model, in fact, was 1-1/8″ in diameter. I do not have
the product introduction dates at my finger tips, but that bar moved
first to 1-1/4″ in diameter, before settling in at its current
diameter of 1-3/8″.

I hope this information helps you and that you enjoy your Buffalo Bar
for many years of productive training.

Best wishes,

Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D.
President
IronMind Enterprises, Inc.

A BIG thanks to Randall J. Strossen for his generous answer to a question that many lesser companies would regard as a waste of their time and for giving me the permission to cite the correspondence on this blog. The links that appear in the posts have been added to point the reader to the relevant information.

Monday, 10 April 2006: “ME” Squat

Thumbs down for this workout. Apparently I was not fully recovered from the light introductory workout I did last week following the illness. It took two attempts to get 80 kg/177 lbs on the front squats… a tad embarrassing. The hammies were too tired for GHRs and 40 kg/88 lbs on the reverse hyper was one lethargic experience. Praise the God of Iron that these kind of days are not the norm and move on. Måns’s take on this day is bound to be much different. He posted a 150 kg/332 lbs legal depth raw squat on his first ever max attempt on the squat. That’s no belt. I confess to suggesting he max out… the force is strong with this bodybuilder!

Friday, 14 April 2006: Bench weakpoint day

A good workout. Got the “Light your biceps on fire” campaign to a good start and also resurrected the dumbell benching with bands. After three sets of five with the violet bands, I tried a set with 33.5 kg/74 lbs without bands. I was tired by then, but a set of six wasn’t too hard. It being Easter and all, the fuel for today’s workout was naturally lutefisk and mämmi.

Sunday, 16 April 2006: DE Squat

There’s a lot of resurrecting in the air; Jesus, the aformentioned band work, and now, speed squats. I want to get back to the chains soon, but for the next few weeks I am easing back into it au naturelle. Went light at 80 kg/177 lbs owing to a stiff sacroiliac joint, perhaps due to having slept some decent hours and then carrying Rufus around at the Helsinki Zoo looking at bisons, tigers and owls (his favorite). Måns and I arrived fairly late at the gym, which probably saved me from overdoing it tonight. Still, moved up to a record 60 kg/133 lbs on the reverse hyper. Sure, I’ve repped with 60 kg/133 lbs in the past, but that wasn’t with a full stop between reps to put it mildly. At that time, I couldn’t have gotten 60 kg/133 lbs to the top without momentum. Something’s getting stronger. Since it is Easter and both of us had Monday off, we wrapped up the workout with a nocturnal visit to the centrally located kebab place Eerikin pippuri (loosely translates as Eric’s pepper), widely heralded as THE place to eat kebab in Helsinki. This time around, I will not torment your appetite with any more compromising pictures of kebab. Just eat it. Why am I suddenly thinking of bison kebab?