So I’ll be honest: I’ve got some work to do. I’m pretty firmly in the camp of “hey, max attempts are max attempts, your form isn’t going to look like a technique video” but the bar path here is a mess; after getting deep into the hole, I definitely pitch forward and then do a half-good-morning to save the lift. The good news is that my back and core were/are strong enough to save the lift; the bad news is that I’ve got some real work to do before I own this weight. Unlike my deadlift, where I’ll now stroll in and pull 545 cleanly any time I want, squats over 400 are still a dicey proposition.
You’re being awful hard on yourself. Most of the people I see squatting in the gym allow their hips to move up before their chest/shoulders on nearly every rep and weight. Ideally everything moves together just like on the eccentric (obviously). I read your post before watching the video and expected to see something much worse.
Congrats!
On a different note, I stopped by your log to ask you something today. Your lifting appears to be very minimal based on what you post. I just checked out Post #1 to revisit your goals and background. I know you don’t really do the bodybuilding thing with your lifting, but do you think you’re carrying plenty of muscle mass with your current setup? You’re clearly succeeding in your training based on your goals and PR’s.
The reason I ask is that I’m re-evaluating my program as I’ve started to increase my running workouts for the summer. Something has to give and I’m wondering if I’ll be ok by hitting a main lift once or twice a week for lifting and using the rest of my energy for running.
Every time I’ve been injured and unable to lift, I lose weight and muscle mass fast. This has made me paranoid about losing muscle if I don’t do enough hypertrophy training. Following an approach similar to yours scares me but it’s also appealing because I can’t spend 2 hours a day at the gym.
First, thanks for the compliment. I understand that my squat would be one of the better lifts in most run-of-the-mill commercial gyms; I just feel like I can hold myself to a higher standard. It’s a decent enough lift for an average Joe.
Second, re: my minimalist training approach - I would cautiously say “yes” to carrying a decent amount of muscle mass, with a heavy emphasis on the word “decent” and acknowledging that everyone defines “plenty of muscle mass” differently. I wouldn’t suggest a minimalist approach to someone that was preparing for a physique contest that needs to bring up their rear delts, but I’m sure that you’ll continue to carry at least a decent amount of muscle mass by squatting and deadlifting regularly, even if you drop the medial side lateral raise kickbacks (with respect to all fine lifters who train and maintain an effective physique with split routines).
The way to know, of course, is to give it a try for a month or two and see how your body and mind respond.
Thanks for the response. You don’t look like gumby so I figured you could answer from first hand experience. As much as I wish I looked like a bodybuilder I’m pretty sure I just barely qualify as looking athletic and/or lean. I think that means that I should be alright.
Heck, it’s summer here anyway. Might as well cut loose a bit!
Today was my first workout using IronMind Strong Enough nylon lifting straps. My two-year-old Rogue straps (cotton) are starting to fray a little bit. They’re still usable, but I decided to treat myself and buy the IronMind straps…I only own one other IronMind product (my gym bag) but I like the company. IronMind customer service was incredible - ordered the straps on Thursday night, got them in time to work out with them on Saturday. We have some really great companies making lifting and strongman gear in the States - Rogue Fitness has also been outstanding any time I’ve ordered stuff from them (kettlebells, T-shirts, knee sleeves).
Anyways, some thoughts on the straps…the Rogue straps have generally held up well over about two years of use, including two or three runs through the wash. I’m not sure if the fray started because of general wear and tear or if more recent pulls at 545+ have started to wear them out, which is why I went for the IronMind straps (given that they’re used by strongman competitors). The IronMind straps are a hair shorter than the Rogue straps, which doesn’t matter if you just go for one loop and leave the rest of the strap dangling, but was a little bit noticeable to me because I usually wrap the strap around the bar twice and tuck the end into my grip. The feel is pretty good - some reviews mentioned that the nylon straps need time to “break in” but I didn’t find them uncomfortable, even in their very first use.
In general, both straps are quality products that should satisfy most lifters. The Rogue straps started to fray after two-plus years of regular use; I am not sure if it was just wear & tear over time or if increasing my deadlift to regular pulls at 545+ is nearing their weight limit (if so, that would be a little surprising). I’ll have to see if the IronMind straps hold up better to know that for sure. But now I have two quality pairs of straps.
Do you ever kick it up a notch and push your running times or are you content with leisurely jogs? The past two weeks is the first time I’ve run more than 150 meters at one time and I found it miserable on the first day, but much better the second time around. The major difference was that I set a time goal and ran on the treadmill the first day (so I had to move or fall) and I just took it nice and easy on the track the second day. The times weren’t much different.
I’ve discussed this a little earlier in my log, so apologies for the rehash, but I played college football and then transitioned straight into five years of semi-competitive distance running (wanted to stay active, lose weight, and have something to keep competitive juices flowing), so I have a “history” of 5K / 10K / half-marathon racing. I enjoyed that but eventually came back to the barbell a few years ago, and now I run once or twice a week just for generalized conditioning - to each their own, but I feel like anyone should be in good enough shape to at least jog a few miles on a nice day. So I’m not really pushing the pace on anything - leisurely 2, 3, 4 mile jogs are plenty for me right now. If I were training for something - a sport or fitness test that required higher intensity - then I would probably ditch the distance running and use that time to run some sprints or other conditioning like sled pushes.
Anyways, one thing that caught my eye in your post: even during my days of running 45-60 miles per week, when I could rip off a couple 6-minute miles without blinking, I always found treadmill running much harder (physically and mentally) than running outside. The Occam’s Razor answer is “Well, you just ran slower” outside but even that isn’t true - I had race times to prove that I was capable of running 6-minute miles, and yet anything on a treadmill faster than 7:30 per mile left me breathing heavy and gasping as though I’d just finished a race.
So, I’m not surprised that the treadmill was an unpleasant experience. They’re awful. My advice to anyone running on a treadmill is to forget the speed that the screen is telling you and just run casually, haha. Actually, even leaving the treadmill out of this, that’s still good advice. I think most people that say they “hate running” actually hate running because they run faster than they’re conditioned to run, so basically every run turns into a race. If you run at a comfortable pace on a nice trail or in a park, running (at least for 20-30 minutes) ought to be a pleasurable experience.
I read your intro awhile back and it surprises me that your casual runs are actually casual. I know you used to compete and I’m impressed that you’re able to relax and take it easy. My wife is a runner and she’s always pushing the pace.
That damn treadmill tried to kill me! My goal was 8:30 but I had to gradually speed up to make up for the time it took to ramp up to the right speed. In Friday I just jogged on the track. I checked my splits just out of curiosity and I ran 1600m in 8:40. That’s only 3 seconds slower than the treadmill a week before but it felt causal–not miserable.
Yeah, I’m usually the one encouraging her to slow down, haha. I remind her that on a typical daily run, we should be at “conversational” pace - if we’re sufficiently out of breath that you have to gasp out a sentence, that means we’re running too fast.
We’ve occasionally discussed running a race together, which would be more for the fun of it than for a time. I’m unlikely to approach my old running PR’s without losing some of the mass that I’ve gained & ditching a lot of the barbell gainz…but I wouldn’t mind running a 10K or half-marathon for “completion” with at least a modest time goal - say, running the half-marathon in under 2 hours, something like that.
Not surprising at all. Like I said, there was a time where I could run a 5K in 18-19 minutes (under 6:00 per mile!) but would gasp for air any time the treadmill pace was faster than 7:30, even for short bursts. Treadmill running is just a different thing. If you’re on a TM, ignore the pace and just run whatever time you want to (i.e. 30 minutes).
