Minimal Equipment for Maximal Results

@squat-man a 350 sets mean you have three sets to complete a total of 50 reps. You generally rest around three minutes between sets.

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8/24/17

Cardio
7.3 mile hike round trip. Always feels good to get out in nature.

I don’t think you understand the basic premises behind goal-setting. Honestly, you’re just being obstinate in this discussion. Best of luck in your journey.

@flipcollar Hey man sorry to rub you the wrong way. I’m just getting started on my real lifting journey and there is a lot I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking questions and trying to learn. So please pardon my ignorance. I have no friends that lift, so all I have is myself and this site to guide me right now.

What I do know is I want a big back squat, big push Press and big power clean. Numbers are irrevalant right now but definitely want to be able to do MUCH more than I can do now.

I’m just trying to figure out the best way to approach this. I know how to work hard, how to eat right well, and I know how to keep chipping away. Now I’m just trying to apply those things to lifting/chasing this Pendlay total.

You could always just get the book & do morning star with push presses instead of strict press. Just follow up with some dips & strict dumbbell work for your assistance.

Also, check out this:

I think you’re being a just a little hard on him.

Speaking for myself, I’ve had plenty of times where I set and then re-set my goals. If he starts out with the goals of 405 back squat, 315 power clean, and 225 push press (fwiw, I totally agree that there’s a huge difference between one of those goals and the other two) he will eventually make some progress and then re-adjust as he needs to.

What I would do differently, OP, is test where you currently are in the respective lifts. Then set a short-term goal (say, by the end of this year?) to have made good progress in each. From where you currently stand, I might say that you shoot for squatting 275 for reps by the end of the year. If that’s where you are in four months, then you can set another goal (say, squatting 315 for reps by the start of next summer).

I think it’s good to have a rough idea of your bigger-picture / longer-term goals, but I find that shorter-term goals are better for focus and motivation, IMO.

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Goal setting is a great tool to accomplish what you’re suggesting, but you have to apply reasonable numbers for them to be useful. Like, I’d love to deadlift 1000 lbs. I can do maybe 650 now. Setting 1000 as a goal is not a useful tool, because I’ll almost certainly never reach that. There’s no tangible way to use that number. What I CAN do is set a 700-750 goal. By doing this, I can establish programming with progressive overload that, over a given period of time, should get me to that number. Then, I create a new goal. In my opinion, you should not pick goals, on any lift, that are greater than 100 lbs more than you can currently do, because it will take too long to incorporate said goals into programming.

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Great minds think alike and all that…

FWIW, that’s how I ratcheted my deadlift up over the past 2 years as well.

I started out and wanted to hit 405.

Then I hit 405, and decided what the heck, maybe I could do 500 one day.

Then I hit 500, and decided that maybe 600 was in the cards.

Then I hit 600…and moved to a new house, got a home gym setup, and now I’m not really sure what’s next haha.

But yes. Smaller, shorter-term goals are more “useful” in planning one’s training.

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700 is next. Race ya :wink: I’ve got 700+ on a trap bar already, but a regular bar is a different ball game for me. I would LOVE to eventually hit 700. I don’t see it happening this year, and even an expectation of getting there next year would be lofty. 600-700 is a tough journey. I also don’t focus much on deadlift at the moment, as my weak points are much greater on other lifts.

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Yeah, as a competitive strongman, it behooves you more to bring up those weak points (moving events for you, right?) than to keep hammering what you’re good at.

I’ve got half a mind to shoot for 700 as well, but I’m going to do so “carefully” - as in, I already weigh about as much as I’m willing to weigh (high 220’s) and would like to skim a layer of paunch off the ol’ midsection while maintaining/building strength. We’ll see how that goes; and as you allude, the road from 600 to 700 is longer than the road from 400 to 500 or from 500 to 600. But I do love training for strength and ultimately I’m sure that I will push beyond 600.

yea exactly. i’m already winning deadlift events in every show i compete in. You don’t get extra points by winning by a larger margin.

I’m actually dropping weight for a short period. I’m already down to 192ish in the morning, and I’m going to compete in a month in the 181 class in Texas Strongest man. There’s a dude in the 198 class who’s going to be attempting a national record in the axle press (350+) and he’s extraordinarily strong across the board. I’d rather take a title in the 181’s than be looking at a best case scenario of 2nd place in the higher class. I’ll be hovering right around this bodyweight until then. Maybe up to 195 if I can manage it.

I’ve pushed pressed 250 and power cleaned 295 from a hang :rofl:

We’re all a bit different I suppose. I would suggest that a 225 push press is a much more (relatively) timely goal than a 225 strict press. Good technique can make a world of difference.

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Race me to a 800 trap bar deadlift??? :grin:

how close are you to 800…
And that might not fit on my trap bar. I’ll have to see, otherwise I gotta use a frame to do that much. I used 4 hundred lbs plates, and that took me to like 715 or something. And the bar was totally full, no room to even clamp. I’m probably good for 750+ now, based on the speed and ease of that lift.

700 for a few singles today while being a bit fatigued. Luckily my bar sleeves are extended, so with thin metal plates I could probably fit more than I could ever pull.

8/25/17

Decided to figure out where I’m with all my lifts. I went to the gym at 5am after 3 hrs of sleep and no food before.

Power Clean - 5 sets of 3 at 155lbs
Back Squat - 5 sets of 5 at 210lbs
Push Press - 5 sets of 5 at 135lbs

I would suggest using those as your training maxes. Whatever method you follow, a training max is almost always a good idea.

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8/28/17

Power Clean
135x5
145x5
145x5
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5

Back Squat
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
195x5
185x5
185x5
185x5

Push Press
135x5
145x3
155x3
135x5
135x5
135x5
135x5
135x5

Chin Ups / Dips / Roman Leg Raises
50 each (Chin ups 8 sets, Dips 3 sets, Leg Raises 4 sets)

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