T Nation

Texas Method 11 Weeks IN

Powerlifting
#21

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Knee pain really just depends on how you were squatting previously. If you go from squatting high to squatting super deep and going really heavy your tendons will hurt for a bit, if you get past that your joints will get stronger and it wont hurt anymore. If you start squatting really deep from the get go with lighter weights then your tendons will have built up the strength over time and you would have avoided the mess entirely (unless your form sucks).

It’s not like OP was quarter squatting, just looked like he was about an inch, maybe two, high.[/quote]

Actually, knee pain depends on how you’re built. Aside from random tendonitis in my left knee I never had problems when squatting to parallel or just a bit higher. When I switched to atg I started getting really bad knee pain within a few weeks and shortly after tore two chunks off my meniscus in my right knee. Not blaming deep squats entirely, but they were definitely a major contributing factor.

Op, you’re a strong kid and those squats were plenty deep. Props.[/quote]

haha the original post says depends on how you sqautted PREVIOUSLY then you said he was wrong after stating that AFTER SWITCHING from parallell to ATG as having not been doing ATG THIS WHOLE TIME and you use that to claim hes wrong? Im not saying either is right im saying your logical reasoning and use of examples is highly flawed.

#22

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Strong lifts man. Some advice would be to squat a little deeper (you were a bit high on a couple of those) and force your knees out harder, stay tighter in the bench, and get more speed off the floor with the deadlift and work on not hitching (unless you are doing strong man or something where hitching is allowed and helpful).

Other than that, just keep going. Good luck.[/quote]
what exactly is hitching?lol i do have a problem putting my ass down. i try but when i start the lift i just end up doing anrdl[/quote]

Hitching is that thing you are doing at lock out where you are kind of shimmying the bar up your thighs rather than it being one clean movement. Just focus on keeping your lower back arched and tight and squeezing your ass cheeks really tight and it should fix your problem.

Edit: Just watched it again and its not as bad as I remembered from before. You are pushing your hips through before you are fully extending your knees. Ideally you want them to both be fully extended at the same time or the knees slightly before the hips. Watch this video of Benedikt Magnusson deadlifting and you can compare and see what I mean.

#23

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Strong lifts man. Some advice would be to squat a little deeper (you were a bit high on a couple of those) and force your knees out harder, stay tighter in the bench, and get more speed off the floor with the deadlift and work on not hitching (unless you are doing strong man or something where hitching is allowed and helpful).

Other than that, just keep going. Good luck.[/quote]
what exactly is hitching?lol i do have a problem putting my ass down. i try but when i start the lift i just end up doing anrdl[/quote]

Hitching is that thing you are doing at lock out where you are kind of shimmying the bar up your thighs rather than it being one clean movement. Just focus on keeping your lower back arched and tight and squeezing your ass cheeks really tight and it should fix your problem.

Edit: Just watched it again and its not as bad as I remembered from before. You are pushing your hips through before you are fully extending your knees. Ideally you want them to both be fully extended at the same time or the knees slightly before the hips. Watch this video of Benedikt Magnusson deadlifting and you can compare and see what I mean.


k. i know what u mean. i thought it was the way i dont really get my ass down.
#24

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Strong lifts man. Some advice would be to squat a little deeper (you were a bit high on a couple of those) and force your knees out harder, stay tighter in the bench, and get more speed off the floor with the deadlift and work on not hitching (unless you are doing strong man or something where hitching is allowed and helpful).

Other than that, just keep going. Good luck.[/quote]
what exactly is hitching?lol i do have a problem putting my ass down. i try but when i start the lift i just end up doing anrdl[/quote]

Hitching is that thing you are doing at lock out where you are kind of shimmying the bar up your thighs rather than it being one clean movement. Just focus on keeping your lower back arched and tight and squeezing your ass cheeks really tight and it should fix your problem.

Edit: Just watched it again and its not as bad as I remembered from before. You are pushing your hips through before you are fully extending your knees. Ideally you want them to both be fully extended at the same time or the knees slightly before the hips. Watch this video of Benedikt Magnusson deadlifting and you can compare and see what I mean.


k. i know what u mean. i thought it was the way i dont really get my ass down.[/quote]

Not getting your ass down could be limiting your power off the floor. Getting lower also makes it easier to arch your lower back. Just make sure you don’t lower it so low that you are squatting the weight. The easy way to tell if you are too low if if your butt comes up a little bit before the bar begins to move. Getting a little low works for some people though, I know Eric Lilliebridge and I believe Ed Coan deadlift that way.

#25

[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:
Knees out, sit back, squat lower. Obviously camera angle is a bit off for judging depth but based on what I can see you’re high on some and would see some reds in competition. Work on your walk out you waste way too much energy 6 stepping it/shifting. Learn to 2 step.

Lose the straps. Learn not to hyperextend your back. Drive through your glutes and really squeeze hard once you’ve cleared your knees.[/quote]

Actually if you watch almost all the best lifters they do 3 steps. It’s best to step back one, then out and out with the steps. (capt kirk, Hooper etc) If you do a 2 step, most people will wack the rack with the weight, unless they have the rack set in.

As far as knee pain… Studies have shown that the most strain runs through the patellar tendon if you stop at precisely parallel… So squat deep IMO. I’d say depth is high on your vid btw.

#26

PL forum so people are going to give you PLer advice…

Squats: like everyone says will get some reds, still good squatting for your age none the less and for your bw.
-might want to bring your grip out a little, I was having problems with keeping stable in the 500’s until I brought my grip out.
and X2 with mercury’s advice on learning how to step. Once you are hitting bigger weights useless extra steps just add to fatigue and higher injury potential.

Bench: pinch your shoulder blades together, try to utilize leg drive. Also bring your elbows in, flaring out position is more a bb style bench. For power big benchers commonly refer to the down portion as ‘rowing the bar’ and then explosion aided by leg drive after the pause.

DL: honestly there is no need for straps minus for heavy bb shrugs at end of workout, last sets of rack pulls. Lots of people complain about grip in DL, bent over row, ect : huge reason=invention of straps -.- You didnt look like you hitched IMO but if you sink you hip in during the lift, butt lower at initial pull, and add more explosion you DL should go a lot nicer.

GL

#27

[quote]razvii wrote:
Great replies so far … i know a few people that squat 450+ for reps and have been lifting for 20+ years in both ol and pl … and they told me their way is best (either at 90 or below) and showing me their impressively built legs which speak volumes … as far as leg development both techniques get the job done …
In case of competing at a certain lvl then you guys that may have done it or know those type of people >> are right regarding depth … so far my n RomanianRock are concerned w form such as knees in check, balance, chest in proper position n driving w the posterior chain …

For what its worth we’ve been at it for about 1 year … so were here to learn! Thanks[/quote]

Where are you goin with this?

#28

[quote]gorangers0525 wrote:
^ that…plus what’s the point of straps? Unless you’re doing extremely high rep dead-lifts or you have some sort of bicep injury they’re just an ego booster. When my squats were considered high and had somewhat questionable form I switched to low box squats for a couple weeks. These really helped my form and depth, I’d suggest you do the same.

Still that’s great progress. Keep it up.[/quote]

The point of straps is that they allow you to deadlift without worrying about grip being a limiting factor in your training. By using straps, I can greatly overtax the primary muscles in my deadlift without having to worry about any sort of grip issues, meaning I can do absurdly heavy mat pulls. If I want to train my grip, I use some captains of crush grippers.

I always use straps when I deadlift, except for in competition. At my last meet I pulled 585 at a weight of 181 for a national record in my division, and at home have pulled an 8 second 585lb deadlift without straps, with grip not even being close to being an issue.

People overthink straps. If your grip is weak, make it strong, but don’t overlook what could be a great tool to develop a big deadlift.

#29

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]gorangers0525 wrote:
^ that…plus what’s the point of straps? Unless you’re doing extremely high rep dead-lifts or you have some sort of bicep injury they’re just an ego booster. When my squats were considered high and had somewhat questionable form I switched to low box squats for a couple weeks. These really helped my form and depth, I’d suggest you do the same.

Still that’s great progress. Keep it up.[/quote]

The point of straps is that they allow you to deadlift without worrying about grip being a limiting factor in your training. By using straps, I can greatly overtax the primary muscles in my deadlift without having to worry about any sort of grip issues, meaning I can do absurdly heavy mat pulls. If I want to train my grip, I use some captains of crush grippers.

I always use straps when I deadlift, except for in competition. At my last meet I pulled 585 at a weight of 181 for a national record in my division, and at home have pulled an 8 second 585lb deadlift without straps, with grip not even being close to being an issue.

People overthink straps. If your grip is weak, make it strong, but don’t overlook what could be a great tool to develop a big deadlift.[/quote]

You using straps, and a 17 year old using straps are for two very different reasons.

#30

[quote]Achilles of war wrote:
PL forum so people are going to give you PLer advice…

Squats: like everyone says will get some reds, still good squatting for your age none the less and for your bw.
-might want to bring your grip out a little, I was having problems with keeping stable in the 500’s until I brought my grip out.
and X2 with mercury’s advice on learning how to step. Once you are hitting bigger weights useless extra steps just add to fatigue and higher injury potential.

Bench: pinch your shoulder blades together, try to utilize leg drive. Also bring your elbows in, flaring out position is more a bb style bench. For power big benchers commonly refer to the down portion as ‘rowing the bar’ and then explosion aided by leg drive after the pause.

DL: honestly there is no need for straps minus for heavy bb shrugs at end of workout, last sets of rack pulls. Lots of people complain about grip in DL, bent over row, ect : huge reason=invention of straps -.- You didnt look like you hitched IMO but if you sink you hip in during the lift, butt lower at initial pull, and add more explosion you DL should go a lot nicer.

GL[/quote]

thanks. I was prettytired for the dl. And y is no one noticing my horrible spotter on the squat??

#31

lol

#32

[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]gorangers0525 wrote:
^ that…plus what’s the point of straps? Unless you’re doing extremely high rep dead-lifts or you have some sort of bicep injury they’re just an ego booster. When my squats were considered high and had somewhat questionable form I switched to low box squats for a couple weeks. These really helped my form and depth, I’d suggest you do the same.

Still that’s great progress. Keep it up.[/quote]

The point of straps is that they allow you to deadlift without worrying about grip being a limiting factor in your training. By using straps, I can greatly overtax the primary muscles in my deadlift without having to worry about any sort of grip issues, meaning I can do absurdly heavy mat pulls. If I want to train my grip, I use some captains of crush grippers.

I always use straps when I deadlift, except for in competition. At my last meet I pulled 585 at a weight of 181 for a national record in my division, and at home have pulled an 8 second 585lb deadlift without straps, with grip not even being close to being an issue.

People overthink straps. If your grip is weak, make it strong, but don’t overlook what could be a great tool to develop a big deadlift.[/quote]

You using straps, and a 17 year old using straps are for two very different reasons.
[/quote]

I was more addressing his question of “what’s the point of straps”, and then concluding that they were just an ego booster.

I feel his conclusion is wrong, and was giving a little clarification. It reminds me of people that consider belts “cheating”.

#33

i dont use straps on working sets. i just di it cuz ive never tried 425 and wasnt sure if i could hold it

#34

achilles of war- i also have a problem sinking hips on the dl. i start like that and when i begin to lift my legs straighten out and i do a sort of an rdl? does this mean i have lagging areas in my posterier and where?

#35

[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Strong lifts man. Some advice would be to squat a little deeper (you were a bit high on a couple of those) and force your knees out harder, stay tighter in the bench, and get more speed off the floor with the deadlift and work on not hitching (unless you are doing strong man or something where hitching is allowed and helpful).

Other than that, just keep going. Good luck.[/quote]

i think the 1st and last reps were low

#36

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:
i dont use straps on working sets. i just di it cuz ive never tried 425 and wasnt sure if i could hold it[/quote]

And guess what, you still don’t know if you can hold it. Drop the straps until you have a reason to use them - you don’t right now.

You seem to say “this is the first time I’ve done this weight” and use it as an excuse or response when people critique you. In a meet, am I going to go to a judge after a possible red lighted 3rd attempt that I was taking for a PR and tell him his judgement was wrong because “it was the first time I’ve done that weight”. No.

#37

[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:
i dont use straps on working sets. i just di it cuz ive never tried 425 and wasnt sure if i could hold it[/quote]

And guess what, you still don’t know if you can hold it. Drop the straps until you have a reason to use them - you don’t right now.

You seem to say “this is the first time I’ve done this weight” and use it as an excuse or response when people critique you. In a meet, am I going to go to a judge after a possible red lighted 3rd attempt that I was taking for a PR and tell him his judgement was wrong because “it was the first time I’ve done that weight”. No.[/quote]

true. just outa curiousity what r ur lifts?

#38

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:

[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:

[quote]RomanianRock wrote:
i dont use straps on working sets. i just di it cuz ive never tried 425 and wasnt sure if i could hold it[/quote]

And guess what, you still don’t know if you can hold it. Drop the straps until you have a reason to use them - you don’t right now.

You seem to say “this is the first time I’ve done this weight” and use it as an excuse or response when people critique you. In a meet, am I going to go to a judge after a possible red lighted 3rd attempt that I was taking for a PR and tell him his judgement was wrong because “it was the first time I’ve done that weight”. No.[/quote]

true. just outa curiousity what r ur lifts?
[/quote]

Not sure. Herniated a disc in October and haven’t taken anything too big. Have a meet in April and I’d like to put up something decent (though probably not PR’s) and go 550/350/600 @ 181 lbs for a 1500 total. We’ll see if the back holds up.

#39

nice. i saw ur vids

#40

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]gorangers0525 wrote:
^ that…plus what’s the point of straps? Unless you’re doing extremely high rep dead-lifts or you have some sort of bicep injury they’re just an ego booster. When my squats were considered high and had somewhat questionable form I switched to low box squats for a couple weeks. These really helped my form and depth, I’d suggest you do the same.

Still that’s great progress. Keep it up.[/quote]

The point of straps is that they allow you to deadlift without worrying about grip being a limiting factor in your training. By using straps, I can greatly overtax the primary muscles in my deadlift without having to worry about any sort of grip issues, meaning I can do absurdly heavy mat pulls. If I want to train my grip, I use some captains of crush grippers.

I always use straps when I deadlift, except for in competition. At my last meet I pulled 585 at a weight of 181 for a national record in my division, and at home have pulled an 8 second 585lb deadlift without straps, with grip not even being close to being an issue.

People overthink straps. If your grip is weak, make it strong, but don’t overlook what could be a great tool to develop a big deadlift.[/quote]

I find the crush grippers do nothing to make my static grip strength stronger. The way I got my grip strong was by never using straps, ever. Weighted chins and deadlifts for reps without wearing straps will make your hands very strong in just a few weeks. My back will fail on deadlift every single time before my grip does.