Never Walk Alone

Thats good work right there.

i read and watched everything. I’m interested to see what using Olympic style brings to you. Seems to me like your going nice and deep into every lift.

keep posting and educating. variety is the spice of PW.

I don’t know about form, but you look awesome doing what your doing. Glad your hamstrings feeling better. Injuries are a real test.

Getting through 10 sets of pullups in a commmerical gym is a real bitch I bet. Any chancce you can get a bar at home? Makes it easier to spread them out over time and give yourself the rest you need to get your volume up where you want it to be.

From what I can tell, everything looks pretty damn good. The front squat, right at the bottom, is that what you’re calling the “butt wink” where your butt dips down an low back rounds a bit? Nothing major, just something to be concious about.

Great lifting, and I can see you doing kick ass things lifting O-style!

Thanks for all the encouragement guys! I realize that all this information, etc. can be quite boring - so i’m gonna try to keep things brief until I get some good stuff to show y’alls.

Nikki, i love these sneaks! They really are close to barefoot.

Joe - gracias my friend!

Mainy, I <3 you. You have the patience of a saint to read all that. I’m hoping Oly style lifting brings more strength! But we shall see…

Hey Nadia! Its funny, I always read your screen name as “Nadia Commandant” - not sure why quite frankly. Actually, I do have a pullup bar at home! But its never in the door frame b/c if it is I can’t open the door. That’s a good idea though! I should do that.

Ink - Thanks! The thing is, with the butt-wink, i’m not sure how to make it go away. Does it go away by not going so low?

Thanks for stopping by guys!

[quote]Mascherano wrote:
Ink - Thanks! The thing is, with the butt-wink, i’m not sure how to make it go away. Does it go away by not going so low?
[/quote]
Here’s a couple threads I’ve come across, and there’s some good tips/pointers in them. Seems like flexibility either in the ankle (which it doesn’t look like, from your first vid) and hamstring…which you’re trying to get to 100% right?

Good comment from the second one “Too low means too low for one’s flexibility. If your lower back rolls and your hips tuck under, you are too low and need to work on stretching before going lower.”

Keep workin on it, because you’re kicking ass so far and can only go up!

Now that’s a pretty face.

Enough e-creepin’, let’s get down to business.

First, nice fuggin’ job! The biggest things I see is you really have to hammer in your hip and ankle mobility. Using Olympic shoes (I’ll send PM of recs) will make it easier on the ankles, but that doesn’t mean you can skimp on the ankle mobility. It will make it much easier to get in that good squat position.

Another thing - drop more in the hole in the squats. What I mean by this is almost try to get your butt to touch the back of your calves. A way to reinforce this is to always try to keep the chest up at the bottom of the squat - this will force your butt to come forward more in the hole (a good thing).

As for the front squats - same thing that I said for the back squats. Also, you said it yourself, keep your elbows up. The bar should be resting on the meaty part of your anterior delts.

A good back squat

A good front squat

I’ll get some vids of my back squat/front squat tomorrow for ya, just b’cuz.

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Also, you said it yourself, keep your elbows up. The bar should be resting on the meaty part of your anterior delts.

[/quote]

Agreed…keeping your elbows up seems to shift the weight in such a way that it sets your form …when they are down you have to muscle the bar more with your arms (which will get really hard as the weight goes up) and makes you wanna tip forward…

You are doing awesome!!! You are gonna love the new lifts!!

I couldn’t quite tell from your plate squat vid, but I wondered whether you were sitting back rather than down between your legs with open hips. Found this on ‘prying’ the hips open to get a good plate / goblet squat bottom position:

Hope it is useful.

Drooling all over them videos…wopa!

Ink, thanks for the links! I read them all and I agree I definitely have flexibility issues and i think all the info you gave me corroborates my suspicions re: the back rounding. So yes, I’ll absolutely work on the ankle and hamstring felxibility! Awesome!

ANDY!! I <3 you…swoon. And really, better a pretty face than a pertty mouth, if you know what I mean…

First of all, thank you soooo much for the encouragement. Your opinion means the world to me, so getting a green light from you is awesome.

So yeah, I will def get a pair of Oly shoes and absolutely work on ankle and hamstring flexibility. I already pulled out my Assess and Correct and found some new stretches, plus the links that Ink posted has some other good stretches too, so i’ll dedicate time to working on mobility. And those vids are great! I’ll be studying them for sure.

Also, I’m really glad to hear you and Coyote (thanks CG!) say that I need to keep my elbows up. And actually my natural inclination is to keep the elbows up, like I used to do with my normal squat. But for some reason I interpreted the cue “relaxed elbows” to mean that I shouldn’t keep them up! I also thought that meant I should widen my grip, but from the vids Andy posted I see that’s not necessary either! So this is promising.

And Andy, SHOW US YOUR VIDS!! Def want to see you in action :slight_smile:

Alexus, thanks for the vid! I actually do a similar stretch, but maybe with a weight I’ll be able to get in deeper, so thanks.

Ronaldo - hola hermoso!


Ok, so yesterday I did upper body and let me tell you, doing all the mobility and stretching and hamstring rehab in the beginning ate up almost a half hour! Oy. But I have to do this, and I’ve been known to skimp out on the prehab work - Mascherano must be held accountable!

N grip pullups (BW) - 6x4, 3, 1 < again, s’posed to do 10 sets, got bored. Evs.
Bent over lat raises - 12x12.5, 3x12x15

Atlas pushups - 3x12 < someone took away my riser so I couldn’t do the last set!

Weirdo iso lat machine - 8x50, 10x60, 2x4x135 < I never work on machines, so when I do I always just freak out and want to go crazy on them. Lol! I guess i think I can’t get hurt or something…

Lat pulldowns (W grip) - 30x60, 20x60

Rolling tricep extensions - 4x8x15
Hammer curls - 4x8x20

BB row, underhand - 12x60, 12x70, 8x80, 12x70

I had the hugest upper body pump from this workout. Like, boys staring at my arms in envy huge! HAHA!

And I’m just dying to blitz my legs! Of course I don’t want to push it, but I think by Saturday I’ll be ready to put in some serious leg work. The hammie is feeling much, MUCH better. I’ll play it by ear, but I’m fairly certain that it’ll be go time! And who knows, maybe i’ll even be able to play the last game :slight_smile:

Off to mom’s to faceplant into a plate of potatoes au gratin! Wish me luck!

I don’t know shit about O-lifting. But your enthusiasm puts a smile on my face.
:slight_smile: <— see, that’s me right now.

[quote]Mascherano wrote:

I had the hugest upper body pump from this workout. Like, boys staring at my arms in envy huge! HAHA!

[/quote]

<3 that YOU GO GIRL :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

I hear you on the mobility and stretching seeming to take way too much time. It’s so easy to skip but so bad too :frowning:

Anyway lots of cool info in here!

back squats today, 10 sets, 3 reps @ 300 lbs. Was a bitch! And I forgot the front squats, sorry, I was in a rush. Next time though.

I am in love with Maja Ivarsson.

drools pomme de terre au gratin!!!

lucky bitch :wink: can I drool at your biceps too?
I’ve never stretched a day in my life. Coach says I’m tight… what eva! flips hair lolz

seriously keep on trucking and most envious of the pullups. This fatty is a total fail at pullups.

[quote]giterdone wrote:
I don’t know shit about O-lifting. But your enthusiasm puts a smile on my face.
:slight_smile: <— see, that’s me right now. [/quote]

Lol this is me too.
I just smile and nod.
You’re looking stellar to me Masch, your form can be hellterskelter for all I know.

You better not skip that rehab work!
Enjoy your Turkey Day.

Maschy videos! Yeah! So cute, are you.

I think the butt wink will go away if you don’t go quite as deep.

Git - If I can make you smile, then my job here is done :slight_smile:

Hi Bre! HA! Thanks.

Pch - Well hello there! Missed you around these parts. It is my solemn promise to not skip the mobility etc. That I can asure.

Andy, you cutie, thanks for the vid! That’s some ridiculous weight you’re moving and your form is impeccable - looks awesome! I’ll be studying this for sure. And yes, let’s see those front squats! kthx!

Mainy - Love the hair flip! HAHAH! Ugh. Stretching seems so incredibly lame, but as I’m learning is imperative to good form. Sigh…And whatever girl, you may not be training pullups, but your bench is insane!

Mistress Nikki, I will not skip the rehab! And you’re right, my form is total helterskelter! HAHA! love that word.

Kimba, thank you!! I like being cute :slight_smile: And i think you’re right, butt wink will absolutely go away if I don’t go too low. Unfortunately though I think I don’t have much choice! I think its ass to grass or get the fuck out from under the bar. Lol! I’m working on it via the flexibility route, and hopefully I can get some one on one coaching once I get to the Oly gym and see if we can get rid of the rounding all together.


Finally back in the gym after making sweet, sweet love to all sorts of carb-loaded goodies. I was hoping to use all this glycogen to fuel an intense leg workout. I believe I succeeded - not because the leg workout was particularly intense, but because after 2 weeks of being off the legs I feel incredibly deconditioned. Ah well…

Anyways, everything is still geared towards Oly-style so i was trying to be very wary of form. I realize the weights aren’t anything to write home about, but this was seriously challenging for me. face palm

Foam roalling, mobility, hammie rehab

Front loaded squats - 10x10, 2x10x15, 10x10
Front squat - 5x65, 8x65, 5x75, 2x5x85 < kept the clean grip throughout, so that’s good
Bulgarian split squats (BB) - 3x10x65 < was supposed to do 4 sets but the hammie was acting up
BB jump squats - 15x45, 15x55, 15x65 < lost steam for the 4th set

2 mins jump rope followed by 2 rounds of prisoner squats (2x) < my legs were hating me at this point
Butt workout

Streeeeeetch < as Bre says :wink:

And that was it! I’m still surprised that this was so challenging for me, but as they say, c’est la vie. I’m icing the hammie now before hitting the showers, so hopefully that will further aid in recovery.

I also realize that I may have spoken too soon re: playing in next weeks game. Ahh Mascherano, ever the optimist.

Tomorrow I’m going to try for some light cardio and other resistance work before hitting pilates. Today its cold and gray in Broketown, the perfect day to stay home and watch EPL :slight_smile:

Oh and Andy, somehow I missed the link you posted a while back - the Pendelay beginners workout. Um…that’s pretty awesome looking!! THANKS!!

Ack! and I also realize you and Coyote meant “keep elbows up” as in the clean grip for the front sqwatz, and i replied re: my back squats…I suck at Internets!!! But anyways, i did just that today, so we’re good. I’ll try that next time I do the front squat push press and see what happens.

Sorry for all the text peeps!