A Lifter's Iron Log...

[Tblock1]

Alot of guys can pull 50lbs from it. 35lbs atm is just a guess.

Your back muscles while squatting are likely to give out or restrict the max weight you can lift versus your hips, glutes and legs.

You create a great deal of pressurization from a properly worn belt. Far more than you can generate just by sucking in air and tightening your abs because you can push your abs into the belt and kind of super charge your mid-section.

I'll get 35-50lbs on a deadlift because of this pressurization because it's so tense that it reinforces my back. It takes more weight to round it out so to speak. Most lifting gear reinforces weak points in the body and boost strength in the weak points. Belts besides protection also accomplish this because when you have weight on your back your weak point is going to be your back after the knee joints.

I train around national level powerlifters. One of them is a bench press record holder and a couple guys bench over 500. They wear belts on max bench lifts for the same reason I believe. They can get super tight in the midsection from a strong arch and pressing the abs into the belt.

I don't know what kind of belts you use. If it's a typical flanged leather belt it's utter crap. A thick, heavy duty powerlifting belt you cinch up snug, but not so tight that you can't take air into your stomach to pressurize yourself. This is hard or impossible to do with most crap ass gym belts.

Depending on your leverages and height a belt might do next to nothing for you as you say.

Oh no I have a nice belt and it really helps stabilize my core but I've taken my squats and deadlift maxes with and without belts and my squat was a little lower but with deads I could pull the same for 5 reps. It definitely feels way tighter though and it helps protect my back so I ususally always wear it for over 400 on deadlifts

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

8-19-2010

Barbell Full Squat 135x4x5 my patellar tendon has been feelin a bit touchy for a couple weeks so I decided to go real easy today before Saturaday's heavy squat day.

Standing Barbell Press 95x5, 125x5, 145x5, 165x4

Deadlift 135x5, 225x5, 275x5, 325x5 form was pretty decent, only goin up 5lbs next workout.

Chinups BWx5 solid reps

Hammer Overheead Pulldown 90x5, 180x2x5

Incline Situps max angle 25lbs plate behind head 1x4, minimal rest then 10 reps bodyweight

12 minutes, 9 resist, 13mph on stationary bike

Not a particularly difficult workout. I had a lot going on in my head, but the workout was still pretty solid.

Bodyweight 228lbs

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

8-21-2010

Barbell Full Squat 135x5, 185x3, 225x3, 275x3, 295x3 np changed the reps scheme up today

Bench Press 135x5, 170x5, 195x5, 220x5, 245x3 easy, 225x9 coulda done 10 for sure

One Arm DB Row 60x5, 75x5, 85x5, 95x5, 115x6-7, 100x11 grip is improving along with the pulling strength

lying flutter kicks 1x75 I count 1 kick with each leg as 1 rep so 1x75 is like 150 individual leg flutters.

Stairwell Calf Raises 90lbs x3x15

Bodyweight 228lbs, good workout.

 

[Tblock1]

damn fine overhead pressing man!

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Thanks man. Someone told me my standing press was pretty solid incomparison to my bench. I'm not sure what peoples ratio typically is.

165 for reps isn't anything worth bragging about, but I rarely see people doing full rom standing or seated presses for that matter with over 150lbs. I see alot of half reps with heavier weight for sure, but not many I would call real reps. Kinda like how I see guys doing half squats with over 300 routinely, but rarely see guys doing over 3 plates to or below parallel.

I spotted a big guy doing 100lbs seated db presses and by my standards they were half reps. I touch the db's to my shoulders before pressing which makes it way harder. With barbell it touches my upper chest and no leg drive.

In several years I would like to be able to standing military press 250 for reps.

 

[Tblock1]

Thanks man. Someone told me my standing press was pretty solid incomparison to my bench. I'm not sure what peoples ratio typically is.

165 for reps isn't anything worth bragging about, but I rarely see people doing full rom standing or seated presses for that matter with over 150lbs. I see alot of half reps with heavier weight for sure, but not many I would call real reps. Kinda like how I see guys doing half squats with over 300 routinely, but rarely see guys doing over 3 plates to or below parallel.

I spotted a big guy doing 100lbs seated db presses and by my standards they were half reps. I touch the db's to my shoulders before pressing which makes it way harder. With barbell it touches my upper chest and no leg drive.

In several years I would like to be able to standing military press 250 for reps.

If you could rep 250 that would be pretty fucking strong. You'd likely be benching 405 for reps, at least most people who can strict press 225+ ususally can bench high 300's to 400's

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Ya, I'm pretty much 100% confident I can do it. Tomorrow I will be testing my raw maxes because I'm going to start the 5-3-1 program next week.

I'm guessing I'll do:

Squat 345-365
Bench 275-295
deadlift 385-425

This is after 3 months of consistent training after about a year layoff. My previous best maxes were only a little higher from about 5 months consistent "quality" training.

I've lifted off and on since I was 13, but unfortunately I would count the first 14 years as off and on terrible overtraining old school bodybuilding style or undertraining with too much cns impact from HIT/Mentzer style.

It wasn't until I hooked up with some powerlifters at a gym who I have kept in contact with over the last several years that I learned how to actually train in combination with elitefitness and all the 5x5 posts that originally came up when madcow was here.

Anabolics will most likely be used for a large part of my future training so I won't exactly be all natural. At 5'8.5" I already easily sit at +225lbs. I remember asking the biggest powerlifter I know (BIG, 275lbs, +500 bench, +800 squat) how big I could get and the guy just looked at me and said "Big" lol.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

8-25-2010

Well today's workout was pretty much just testing my max in the squat, bench and deadlift in that order. All lifts raw

Squat 345
Bench 285, tried 295 and couldn't get it up
deadlift 365, this one kinda irritated me, I thought I would have 405 for sure, couldn't break 385. I'm kinda thinking my back was abit fatigued from the squats and benches, but who knows.

So my next major goals will be 315 bench, 405 squat and 425-455 deadlift.

Deadlift is still kinda irking me. I'm currently about the strongest I have been on bench, about 40 pounds off on squat and almsot 100lbs off on dead.

Oh well.

Bodyweight 229lbs

lol, just realized that's exactly 1000lbs raw total. So, only like 1000 more to go.

 

[Tblock1]

8-25-2010

Well today's workout was pretty much just testing my max in the squat, bench and deadlift in that order. All lifts raw

Squat 345
Bench 285, tried 295 and couldn't get it up
deadlift 365, this one kinda irritated me, I thought I would have 405 for sure, couldn't break 385. I'm kinda thinking my back was abit fatigued from the squats and benches, but who knows.

So my next major goals will be 315 bench, 405 squat and 425-455 deadlift.

Deadlift is still kinda irking me. I'm currently about the strongest I have been on bench, about 40 pounds off on squat and almsot 100lbs off on dead.

Oh well.

Bodyweight 229lbs

lol, just realized that's exactly 1000lbs raw total. So, only like 1000 more to go.

yes my skinny ass still got ya on deadlift I've lost a lot of strength though I did 4 singles at 405 today when normally I was at 405x5 3 months ago BTW, I have decided to do the 5x5. I got great results on it before and I need a solid program that will get me lifting 3 days a week. For pt I will probably continue following that navy routine

 

[JDid23]

8-25-2010

Well today's workout was pretty much just testing my max in the squat, bench and deadlift in that order. All lifts raw

Squat 345
Bench 285, tried 295 and couldn't get it up
deadlift 365, this one kinda irritated me, I thought I would have 405 for sure, couldn't break 385. I'm kinda thinking my back was abit fatigued from the squats and benches, but who knows.

So my next major goals will be 315 bench, 405 squat and 425-455 deadlift.

Deadlift is still kinda irking me. I'm currently about the strongest I have been on bench, about 40 pounds off on squat and almsot 100lbs off on dead.

Oh well.

Bodyweight 229lbs

lol, just realized that's exactly 1000lbs raw total. So, only like 1000 more to go.

I think you can hit more than a 365 deadlift- believe it or not, i had the SAME EXACT problem with #s besides the 405 (thought i could get 385).... Although you're stronger than me, i think squatting/benching and working up to a 365 deadlift hindered your performance. Maybe I'm wrong, but regardless those are still good goals to aim for.