T Nation

Technique Help for 6'9 Lanky Freak

Powerlifting
#1

Videos filmed November 2010. Im reentering the iron game (I’ve been ill) and want to get it right this time. Im going to be following a Westside style program so the main focus is drilling technique and bringing up weak points.
Bw 123kg in these videos. Sorry if the angles are unhelpful but it is meet conditions.

Main help I’d like is with Squat.

With the Squat how do I stop myself folding up like that?
With the Bench what am I doing wrong with my setup and why am I so fucking weak at such a high bodyweight- the arch is huge but ineffectual because isnt actually popping my chest up right?
With the deadlift what am I doing wrong?

SQUAT 160kg


SQUAT 140kg

SQUAT 120kg

BENCH 90kg (this one was actually failed bcos I moved my right foot slightly or some rubbish - fussy buggers)


BENCH 100kg fail

DEADLIFT 240kg


DEADLIFT 230kg

#2

Typical tall guy. You struggle at squat & bench and have a decent pull. I’m 6’5" so I feel your pain.

For your squat, you’re just not staying tight enough in your upper back. In the 160kg video, you are chicken winging badly – meaning your elbows aren’t under the bar. Imagine wrenching your elbows underneath the bar as to create a “shelf” with your lats. The upper & midback tightness will help you stay more upright during the squat.

For your bench, it’s hard to say. I still haven’t figured this lift out. But it does look like you just drop the weight on your chest. Instead, focus on lowering the bar to your lats in a controlled fashion, then pressing straight up.

You have a great build for the deadlift. The problem is, you’re using no leg drive. I was guilty of this too for a long long time. In the 240kg video, about 12s in – you’ll see that your legs are almost completely locked out and your back is rounded over “like a cat taking a shit” as STB said.

One thing that has helped me is by really focusing on dropping my hips, almost exaggerating how far I drop, then pushing through my heels. Do this during all of your warm up sets and just imagine driving your heels through the floor.

#3

Props to you for competing with those ridiculous ROMs. That’s a long way to move the bar.

On the squat, part of the problem is that you’re going too low. Some of those reps look at least 4" below parallel. While admirable, you can’t expect your form to stay crisp that low, there’s going to be some low back rounding simply to get there. Maybe you’re trying to use some stretch reflex and just sink it and bounce up out of the hole, or maybe you just don’t have the negative strength to control the weight on the descent. Drive the head and shoulders back on the ascent, rather than leading with the hips.

Same thing on the bench, you’re letting the weight crash down the last few inches, rather than controlling it to the chest. The judge is going to wait for the bar to be motionless, so it’s just wasting energy bouncing and settling on your chest. Stay tight on the descent so you can quickly power it off the chest. The rule about maximum bench grip does not benefit a guy of your height, so it’s going to be a close-grip style bench regardless.

Like frankjl said, drop those hips on the pull and keep your low back arched and tight. You need to finish by standing up with a straight back, so why not just start that way.

#4

Overall lack of tightness for all lifts, lots of technique work needed (i.e. dont go too heavy so maybe Westside not the best system?)

#5

“For your squat, you’re just not staying tight enough in your upper back. In the 160kg video, you are chicken winging badly – meaning your elbows aren’t under the bar. Imagine wrenching your elbows underneath the bar as to create a “shelf” with your lats. The upper & midback tightness will help you stay more upright during the squat.”

Can the elbows be pushed too far forward? As in they actually come forward in front of the bar? (I dont have a bar on my back as I write this!).

“Maybe you’re trying to use some stretch reflex and just sink it and bounce up out of the hole, or maybe you just don’t have the negative strength to control the weight on the descent.” I’m definitely using all the stretch reflex I can (I suck at Anderson Squats). Should I be doing an awful lot of Anderson Squats, Box Squats and longer eccentrics in training??

“Drive the head and shoulders back on the ascent, rather than leading with the hips.” I heard the first thing that should happen out of the hole is that the hips move backwards. But this just makes me cave seemingly. So yes will try this

“lots of technique work needed (i.e. dont go too heavy so maybe Westside not the best system?)”
Isn’t Westside all about technique? Better than 10rep squats amd deads on 531 - other suggestions for a technique focused program.

Anyone know what MEs I should be focussing on - or are my problems all technique based and not fixable with training weak points???

Cheers

#6

How do you think your form is on less weight with all those lifts? I would do a program that focuses more on reps so you can practice more. Look at the juggernaut method, its similar to 5/3/1 but more sets and reps especially the first couple months.

#7

you’re tipping forward on the squat badly most likely because your back is weak. you need to do good mornings, and make them a staple of your program. go heavy, and go just lower than you would if you were squatting/deadlifting.

next, how much do you weigh? for you its going to be all about adding mass so you get the proper leverages, or as close as possible. you look very thin up top. pullups, military press, bent over rows, shrugs, all for volume.
i’ve added 10 lbs a year for the last decade and just hit 320. i started to feel a difference in leverages around the 300 mark. i figure i need to be 340-450 to hit the numbers i want, and i’m 2 inches shorter then you. take your time and get big.

look at the form of other taller strong guys. dave damminga, vince urbank, matt rhoads. good luck.

#8

@matsm21

What does your diet look like (in terms of total cals, protein, macros, major food)?

I’m 123kg in the videos. Now I’m 117kg(up 5kg in a week - just started training and eating properly again)

I’m eating lots of bread, cheese, eggs, tuna, pasta, peanut butter, and am having a protein shake with every meal.

With the weak lower back thing - I was under the impression it’s the strongest part of me? Certainly my deadlift is all lower back. But I’m not very strong on good mornings at all so maybe they should be ME lifts???

#9

[quote]ros1816 wrote:
@matsm21

What does your diet look like (in terms of total cals, protein, macros, major food)?

I’m 123kg in the videos. Now I’m 117kg(up 5kg in a week - just started training and eating properly again)

I’m eating lots of bread, cheese, eggs, tuna, pasta, peanut butter, and am having a protein shake with every meal.

With the weak lower back thing - I was under the impression it’s the strongest part of me? Certainly my deadlift is all lower back. But I’m not very strong on good mornings at all so maybe they should be ME lifts???[/quote]
I think he meant your back as whole (upper, mid, lower, etc.). You might want to focus on doing them for reps. You should totally give this thread a read for perspective if you haven’t already.

#10

An extra thing to think about. The lower back is not the only stabilizer for your spine in a squat/dl.

Do a bodyweight squat with your stomach flexed and then one without.
Feel the difference?
A long spine means alot more distance to stabilize than in a avg. height person.

Start adding alot of anti-flexion exercises like rollouts with the trx, ab wheel, swiss ball etc.
Also things like plank progressions.

#11

i have never worried about my macro nutrient breakdown. I eat 3 full meals a day. I was skinny growing up, so it was always a challange to gain weight. in years past, I have turned to the gallon of milk a day thing, shots of olive oil, etc.

Every meal has meat in it. protein shakes after training. I always eat till I am full and then some every meal. If I’m hungry I eat. I try not to eat just pure junk, and it has served me well, I ever got too fat.

silver dan made a good point. when you squat/bench/pull, fill your belly up with air. it creates an airbag, so to speak, that stabalizes your midsection. your core (i hate that term) is longer then the average person, so its even more of a weakpoint for you. you have to make it ridiculously strong. that includes your whole back, like he said. look at any really strong powerlifter, the have big, strong, backs.

I think Wendler said it, or something to the effect… “is your back strong?”
- “yea its pretty strong”
- " no its not, its weak. why? because your not lifting as much as you want to."

your weak, I’m weak, and we always will be. get everything stronger.

#12

if I am not doing good mornings as assistance work on a regular basis, my squat and pull go down.

#13

You poor bastard.

#14

gain weight

#15

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
gain weight[/quote]

I prefer the more popular nomenclature “Get Your Weight Up”

#16

125kg/278lbs is not un-heavy but that’s for shorter people.

From Matsm’s post it sounds like I need to be hitting 150kg/330lbs. Which is just ridiculous.But maybe I need to change my perspective on these things.

#17

nah, its not ridiculous, cause of your height. I thought when I hit 300, I’d be enourmous. I wasn’t. take a couple years to do it, don’t rush it. Ive done about 10-12 lbs a year. eat big.