FINALLY GOT IT/ COMP help

[BigCbear]

last thursday i finally got 500 pounds on box squat my form wasnt perfect but i got it up i had no suit or belt this was a raw lift...hoping to get 550 by comp.....

comp is in january... i was thinking about entering and i was reading up on it becuase this will be my first lifing comp the rules in the comp state that you must lower the body until the top surface of both legs, at the hip joint, is lower than the top of the knees and a guy at the gym told me for my height the box was about as low as i had to go.. i was just wanting to double check that becuase nothing would make me more upset then getting there and not getting credit for a lift that i know i can do becuase of it.. im between 6, 1 and 2 and if you dont thinkn this will be low enough how low should i go? i dont wanna go any lower then i have to

 

[moya]

what federation is sanctioning the meet?... unfortunately some are not as strict as they should be...
congrats on the squat man... though a box squat is a bit easier than without, you will no doubt be able to get 500 without the support very soon... that is a strong raw squat, what weight class do you plan on entering at?
as far as the depth goes, many benches are different heights, so it is too hard for us to tell without seeing...
also be careful with your form, those ugly max efforts can put a lot of stress on the lower back...
i bent up a bar at the gym real bad the other day... i made an attempt with 455 and as soon as i started to lean forward and stall i dumped it behind me... i didnt have safety pins in, but just the low permanent ones and it fell hard on them and the bar is not round anymore... better the bar bent up than my back...

 

[BigCbear]

this box is pretty low i was going to take a tape and measure it next time i was in... i wish i had a guy at my gym that knew alot about squat comps so i could have him watch my form all the guys at my gym are your typical bench comp guys.. and you didnt have the pins on man wow thats super dangous i always set my pins as high as i can so i have a very little fall if i lose my lift... im glad you came out injury free!! im going to go maybe 20 to 30 pounds lighter on my squat and do it with out the box to get use to that type of weight then ill try tfor 500 again.. when i did it i was the only one at the gym no spotter my buddy called off so with the pins and the box i felt safe! as for the weight class im guessing ill be in the heavest one im a big guy i just got back into lifting 3 months ago i use to lift all the time when i was in highschool so my muscle memory and my size helped me get to 500 so quick... im still in my early 20s and i know alot of comps go by age and weight ill have to talk to the gym hosting this comp to find all the fine details but im doing this comp more for myself then anything i would love to win but i doubt it.. there are guys my weight that are twice my strength but this comp is more of a learning experience for me i wanna soak up the knowledge of the guys im going to meet there plus to just get some comp experience under my belt.... not to say most of the guys there are prob on the juice idk if they are drug testing for this comp but i doubt it... im all natural so thats somthing else to take into consideration

 

[moya]

sounds like you are doing good... 550 is deffinately a possibility by january...
i will be happy if i can get over 455 by nov 13, but i am lifting 148's in single ply...
raw is much more respectable imo... and i plan on doing raw meets after this one, as the new UPSA is now offering raw comps around here...
really the hight of the bench is irrelevent... its all going to depent on how low you are going for YOUR body... just sit back with a lighter squat like 135, turn and look in a mirror and see if your hip joint is low enough...
im short and the low benches at my gym are about an inch or two high... so you are most likely good...
do you plan on doing full power, or just squat?...

 

[BigCbear]

whats single ply??? and yeah i would like to be full power but thats later down the road i wanna get a couple years in me before i say im a real power lifter... they also have a deadlift comp early to mid next year i might check out... my girp is a deciding factor for me on what i can do... my deadlift and bench are my weaker points... shoulders and legs my strong... i have actually only been doing barbell deadlift 2 months before that i always did the hex bar.. and barely ever did deadlift period i always workout my hole back just never did deadlift untill i found out it was the squat of backs lol one of the best back exercises of all time on top of that i found out that barbell deadlift was the only one they do in comp... have you been in any comps before this??

 

[moya]

single ply is a category of lifting suit... single ply is the 'least supportive' of the suits and shirts, i would say it gives me more stability than strength... im getting about 30-40 lbs on my squat and bench from the gear... i deadlift raw because i feel the suit takes away from me on that lift...
they make suits in double and tripple ply (layer) strength, that is where you see those 1000lb squats, mostly using canvas multi-ply suits with 3meters of knee wraps...
i have done a few contests in the last 2 years... 3 deadlift only's and 2 full power...
this will be my first meet using a bench shirt... i never wanted to use one until i could get my raw bench up more.. but bench is my weak point and i finaly gave in and bought a shirt and have used it for about a month now... interestingly enough my raw bench is getting stronger now...
ironicly most 'raw' competitions do allow belts and knee wraps... its up to you if you want to use them to 'keep up' with the other lifters, however your choice to remain truly raw is a very respectable choice...

 

[BigCbear]

i actually ordered a powerlifting belt it just hasnt came yet... i am hoping it will help but if i not i still got a soild no belt foundation...what do you bench if you dont mind me asking?? i have never use a bench suit cuz i have always thought suits or shirts that help you lift are kinda cheating like it wasnt harcore...but just about everyone uses them... and compared to my other lifts my bench is weak! and by they way when you wrote gear? does the link that it go to have anything to do with what your talking about?? if not i know what your talking about

 

[moya]

no, the link automaticaly is in all typing of 'gear'... i mean gear as in powerlifting gear; suit...
my bench sucks donkey balls...
my best raw bench about 4 months ago was 235... now im probably back up to 225 after a little time off from my last meet... this is a bench with a pause at the bottom that would be legit in a strict competition... i absolutely smoked 215 last week and will probably attempt 225 tomorrow depending on how i feel... in the shirt i have only used it 3 times and im good for 250... im doing extra tricep work because the lockout needs work on heavier weights, that is where the shirt gives no help at all...
225 is 150% of my bodyweight so if you look at it that way its not horrible, just not very competitive compared to those that specialize in it...
i more or less compete just to beat my own PR's...

 

[BigCbear]

yeah my bench is sucky to most i have gotten since i got back into lifting was 275 raw... which is really bad... i got 285 twice back in high school... i was actual did chest today and a guy at my gym that i spoted for 415 a couple weeks ago told me my hands was way to far apart.. he told me he knows im a big wide built guy but my hand stance was way to far apart.. and i need to work on planting my feet.. my feet dont lift off the ground but they feel light at a feather lol... my big goal is 300 then when i get 300 it will be 310 lol i will never meet my full goal thats what type of person i am..

 

[moya]

i missed 225 today... ugh