Squatter's Journal-The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

315 was very good depth. That was a no-doubter. 350s looked good as well. I don't see any issues with either of those reps. 385 was close. Some judges and feds will pass, some won't, so it's a coin flip.

Definitely improving.

Don't worry about the depth or judges though Jim. Just do your best, learn, see what happens and keep improving. The fed I competed at last would pass your 385.

Originally Posted by MikeM

Jim you did awesome!! Incredible. That transition of form took me weeks to figure out and deal with. You just did it. Those 225 up to 315 are perfect. I agree with BtB that you lose a bit at 315, but you still probably get three white lights, no question in my mind. But the higher weights, not so sure. From the front they don't look like they'r low enough, but that's a tough angle to tell. You're monster strong and it seems like your hips go low enough, but not sure.

No matter what though, further on, you have some motor pathways that need to be re-wired. When you get to such and such depth, your hips are used to stopping and your low back is used to leaning in to take over. You have to stop that. That is a tough habit to break. You have to break it.

Ummmmm. That means stop going heavy. Reinforce the groove that is good. You will sacrifice weight for better form. You have to be willing to accept that. If you're not, your squats probably get white lights but maybe not. Just saying, how important is this meet? Not going to speculate on that. You will need to stop going heavy for a bit and build back up. Your decision.

Very proud of you. That shit was hard for me to figure out and get good with and you just flat out did it from the get go.

As an aside, this method of squatting really has helped my confidence. I know I can drop into any squat and it will get white lights because I train that way. All my squats are as close to rock bottom as possible.

You're so used to massive squats because you're so silly strong, now you can be just as confident if not more because you're technique is as good as your strength.

You've always been stronger than your technique. Try the other side of the fence. That's pretty cool too.

I'll stop ramblin'!! No way I'm an expert, but I do feel like there is a natural way to approach squats and it's not by hoping a judge will favor you. You are so strong. Show it.

Sorry, a bit preachy from a guy who has no credentials. There you go.

Thanks Steve & Mike!! I now know exactly where I stand. I agree wholeheartedly that I still need lots of work, but I am headed in the right direction. I will reset my weight for sure and work my way back up. Whatever point I am at for the meet I am at.

The only reason I am going to the meet is to build my confidence. I would rather get white lights for my first 2 lifts and do it with respectable technique than to just bang out an ugly PR. Missing alot of lifts and/or having ugly lifts won't do much to build my confidence.

I appreciate it so much that you guys look at my vids, give me honest opinions, and then offer great advice on how I should correct it. it means more to me than you will ever know.

I'll keep the vids coming, mostly side view, in order to keep a tab on my technique. I have set a goal of 405 for the meet, with respectable and decent form, which includes depth. I have all the tools - I just need to get it done, and I will.

I wish I could give you guys a big hug.

[BendtheBar]

Keep charging hard Jim.

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Keep charging hard Jim.

I will Steve - charging right into the JimGym at 4:30AM Tuesday to hit deads. A raw PR of over 425 will be mine damn it!!

[T-Bone]

I can see you're in good hands here Jim (it's why I stick around, you always learn something)! Always impressed by your effort and attitude, and mostly the willingness to learn and improve even though you are a very experienced lifter! Best of luck in the comp, and most importantly - have fun!!!

[CLEEPER]

great work Jim, You will do great at the meet .

[mab54]

Can't wait to see you get that 405 in the meet Jim!

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by T-Bone

I can see you're in good hands here Jim (it's why I stick around, you always learn something)! Always impressed by your effort and attitude, and mostly the willingness to learn and improve even though you are a very experienced lifter! Best of luck in the comp, and most importantly - have fun!!!

Originally Posted by CLEEPER

great work Jim, You will do great at the meet .

Originally Posted by mab54

Can't wait to see you get that 405 in the meet Jim!

Thanks Jim, Chad, and Mike!! Your support and encouragement goes along way to motivate me to do my best.

The meet is only 8 weeks away, and I feel the preparation is going really well. Thanks to everyone here at MAB, my bench form is now good, and my recent terrible squat technique is well on its way to be fixed. My self confidence is growing by the day. My lower back is 100%. All the ingredients for a form freak meet are there!!

My vision has worsened slightly of late, along with the floaters, but this will not bother me as no matter what happens, I'll still be able to lift.

[Squatter]

DEADLIFT MAX TESTING

Deads did not go exactly as I had planned, but it was successful for many reasons anyway.

Cons:

I missed the lift

Pro's:

1. I got the 435 off the floor. My "weak" spot used to be getting it off the floor.
2. My back feels 100% before, and 100% after the attempt.
3. I know 405 is in the bag for my 1st attempt and that 425 is very likely for a 2nd attempt.
4. I still have 8 weeks to bump up my numbers and build my confidence even higher.
5. My grip is holding up really well, despite the tremors. I am getting some severe hand cramps making my fingers curl in the wrong direction, but overall I am very happy with my grip.

Pro's outnumber the cons so I'm good.

My sticking point seems to be the middle position. To combat this, I am going to deadlift only once per week, do chins/pull ups, Pendlay Rows, and power cleans. The routine would look something like:

Tuesday:
Squats 4X5
Bench 4X5
Deads 3X5 and 2 singles
Hyper-extensions

Thursday:
Front Squats 4X5
Incline Bench 4X5
Power Cleans (Singles)

Saturday:
Squat 4X5
Bench 4X5
Pendlay Rows 4X5
Chins/Pull Ups 6X AMAP (alternate the 3 grips)
Dips or CGBP 4X5

I am confident these changes will help my sticking point.

I am also going to make sure all my squats are below parallel. I'll get them as low as I can with the given weight. I will not be happy if any of my squats are of debatable depth. I simply refuse to leave it up to a judge to decide. I prefer to write my own book.

These max attempts were very successful in the sense that I now know my minimums to go for aat the meet and my "likely's for the second attempt. Mission accomplished.

Deadlift
Squat w/u:
115 X5
135 X5
160 X5
Deads:
185 X2
225 X2
275 X1
315 X1
365 X1
405 X1
435 Missed.
435 Missed

Squatter405DeadliftSingle - YouTube

Squatter405DeadliftSingle - YouTube

Squatter435XAlmostDeadlift - YouTube

Squatter435XAlmostDeadlift - YouTube

[mab54]

Since it's already coming up that far you should have it by meet time with ease.

[Squatter]

Originally Posted by mab54

Since it's already coming up that far you should have it by meet time with ease.

It would be nice to get 455 raw, as that would equal my strapped PR from last year. It's going to be interesting for sure.