Thanks BPA!

I know you're right about the hands & arms on the squat. That's something I've struggled with for a long time. I had it sort of fixed at one point, but then I started having neck problems. Then I tried a super-wide grip on a Texas squat bar, and that worked ok, but it feels unstable, and I cant do that with my bar or rack. Because of the neck issue, working on all this stuff is hard. I'll think about what I can do about all that.

Regarding my torso angle - isn't that related to my foot width? I kind of like the wide stance I've been using the past few months. That really allows me to get my hips involved.

Thanks for the input!

Width definitely has impact on torso angle and wider is going to help you keep chest up, glute ham activation, hips etc. I widened my stance a lot and it has helped me quite a bit (still not great).

I looked at your width first and just looked again and I think you are wide enough. Although, a lot of PL guys are super wide....

RE: elbows forward. Even if you are sitting in a chair right now, just put your hands up like you are holding a bar and push your elbows back like you usually have them, then, whille holding that basic bar position, bring your elbows forward. It's a huge difference and has helped me a lot

I was doing something like that with my elbows at one point. I know that's better than what I'm doing now. I'll see if I can figure that out again without making the neck issue flare up.

9/1

DE bench
55x15
105x10x2
added purple bands (~60 lbs @ top)
57x10
107x5
149x3
199x3
209x3x8
3 close grip, 2 wide grip, 3 medium grip

hammer curls
35x10x3

cable rows
200x20x3

face pulls
125x15x2

Nice work Cha.

Where the F were you last year when I was having Good Morning issues with my squat? Could have saved me a bunch of time trying things out. I think I will try this next time I squat to see if it helps any, although the weight I am using right now isn't an issue.

9/3

DL
239x5x3
330x3
380x2
426x4x4
481x2
536x2 (PR double)




trap bar DL
597x1
637x1
702xf
505x9

lol, I actually did try to help you but I hadn't yet figured out my elbow issue.

Another thing that is helping my back squat form is dumbell front squats with palms facing out, dumbells just over shoulders. Really wide stance. I think it is really helping me with flexibility and core strength and carries over to keeping a more upright, wider stance, chest up back squat.

Back to Cha: Nice casual monster double

Thanks!

I've been doing safety bar box squats with a wide stance, and I'm sure those have helped my back squat. I think that helps with all the things you just mentioned about the DB front squats.

Nice double. Looks like you may have been able to do a higher lb double.

No excuses, you should have had that figured out before I had issues. I think everyone tried to help me out, just nothing seemed to be working.

Thanks. I know I can do more than that for a double. The plan is to do ~550x2 next week and attempt 560x2 the following week.

The heavy trap bar DLs I added to this program seem to be increasing my strength, and the straight bar volume seems to be helping my form. Right now, I'm pretty optimistic about beating the national USPA record (568) at the meet in November.

cha, I've been wondering something about your dls for a while...

It seems like you have very similar form for both your trapbar and conventional deadlifts.

It's my understanding (possibly incorrect?) that TBDL is more quad dominant and really a bit more like a squat. And looking at your deads, they do look quite "squattish" to me.

So by extension, it sesms that your conventional deadlift is more quad dominant than back and is that intentional on your part? Perhaps for mitigating risk of back injury or just because your quads are stronger so you can lift more?

I'm kind of wondering because I've been watching your vids while I've been trying to improve my deadlift form and compared to you, I think my deadlift is more back dominant. I think I get far more horizontal (more acute hip angle).

And I think the real reason I am asking this, is from an overall "strength/muscle balance" point of view, if I'm squatting and deadlifting with the same regularity and relative strength (not saying I am personally), is there a problem with having a back dominant deadlift?

Cha's DLs look the opposite of squattish though....at leaest to me.

I do agree he sets up for TBDL very similarly but I think that is likely fine.

The problem with having a back dominant lift isn't that it's more of a back dominant lift, it's that if you aren't keeping your back really tight and keeping it from rounding or extension - then it will be harmful long-term.

That's the real issue that you have. Compare my DL with Cha's - my butt sits much higher and is more back dominant. That's the way I'm built....but I keep my back tight and I've also been working more and more on keeping my shins as vertical as I can and rounding my shoulders so I can get a bit more length on my arms (I have a long torso and not long arms, which isn't very ideal for conventional DL).

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is there is no problem as long as you learn to DL safely consistently.

Yeah, I think that is mostly what I was asking. Although I think the 2nd part of my question is: "should" (subjective, I know) the deadlift be more back or legs?

I'm pretty sure it depends on how the individual is built. There are super strong DLers from both styles. But none of them routinely let their low back go to **** on reps.

I think part of my issue learning to DL is that there are several setups, several ways to get your back angle, etc. and they all may be "correct" but for ppl with different body ratios. Bench, OHP, and LBBS are all kind of the same for everyone (well, I guess squats can be affected quite a bit but not nearly as much as DLs)....but it seems to me DL has the most "wiggle-room" depending on your torso/arm/leg ratio.

What I'm doing with the TBDLs is getting my hips back as far as possible so the hams & glutes are tight at the start of the pull. This does appear to be carrying over to my conventional DLs very well.

naw, I'm most definitely posterior chain dominant when I DL. My hips start lower than yours because my hamstrings are shorter & tighter, and stronger.

Dont look at it as back dominant. You're thinking about it wrong.

Your problems are not because you're "back dominant". You're using your back too much because your back rounds because your abs and glutes and hamstrings are weak. That's what you need to get strong.

Yes, if you're pulling DLs with your low back muscles, you're doing them wrong. That's why I want to see you doing more light speed pulls to groove your form and get used to using the right muscles.

There are some good lifters who pull wih higher hips than me, but you're right. I dont squat my DLs. They start with my posterior chain (hams & glutes).

yup

Not only that, but if you aren't using the right muscles to get tight, your back is being subjected to lots of shear force, which is very bad. Also, dont even think about making your low back tight. Make your abs tight and fill your belly with air. When you do that right, your back should not move at all. Keep the pelvis locked to the rib cage.

You're partially right, but your hips will start lower and not rise faster than your back when your glutes & hamstrings get stronger. The difference between you & Snitch is your core is stronger, which helps you keep your back from rounding as much.

It should be glutes & hams primarily for most people, including you. Then lats & upper back. When you eventually get the glutes & hams & abs very strong and start doing them right, you will hardly feel your low back doing anything, even during very heavy DLs.

This is somewhat true. But its not only build. Ed Coan "squatted" something like an 875 lb conventional DL, and later sumo'ed a 900 lb DL using his glutes & hams. He had the skill to do it either way.

I am starting to think a lot of people are too concerned about their body type with regards to form instead of thinking about strengthening their weaknesses.

Yugo - you need to keep hammering your form and working on glute & ham strength. That will keep your hips lower at the start of the pull.

Snitch - you need to hammer your form at light weights, focusing on getting your glutes & hams involved every time you pull. You also need to strengthen your weak core.

When you get your glutes & hams strong and get your setup down right, you should feel the tension in your glutes & hams before the weight leaves the ground. They should be wound up tight like big springs. That makes big weights fly off the ground and it protects your low back.

So up the dose of reverse hypers and ghrs at your place?

9/4

bench press
55x15
105x10x2
146x5
196x3
238x3
268x3
283x5x6
yeah, budday, light weight! I took fairly long rests between sets and every set did actually feel fairly easy.

I was working on a friend's hurting knees. He just returned from vacation - several days of spending several hours sitting in a canoe, so his hips & quads were an ugly mess. We got the voodoo bands a lot tighter than he was previously doing around some key spots and did some mobility stuff. That fixed him. He was amazed.

face pulls
125x20x2

hammer curls
35x10x2

cable rows
200x25

yeah, those are definitely good. If you feel like more volume on any of what you're doing would be good, by all means, increase it. You are doing a lot of the right stuff already.

BPA: I gotta say that I am pretty sure KC gave me that same advice last year, it just didn't click with me. Hopefully I can incorporate that into my lifting now though.

Weasel & KRS ONE:

I've been playing around with some numbers. One possible outcome would have me lifting 635 KGs, which = 1399.9 lbs. What will the ruling be if that happens? Aside from someone getting a weird number from a national record (possible), we probably either need to say 635 KGs = 1400 or you need over 635 KGs to win.

What do you guys think?

Rounding up seems fine to me.

Far to nitty to call that anything but 1400 imo.

We just call that 635kg.

Two questions for ya cha:

1) What did / do you do professionally?

2) How'd you go about setting up your home gym? Looks legit as f***