Thanks!

Is your back ok on the DL? Looks like it moves a bit during the lift.

I know it's 615/2 but still...wondering.

yeah, it is ok, but that's a good question.

That is what I'm struggling with on my form with the suit on. I've done exactly one set where I kept my back in good position with the suit like I do raw, and that was the 615x2 set before the 615x2 set in the video you saw. Its really hard to set up and grab the bar the same way I do raw with the suit on. The nice thing about the suit is, it seems to make it so my lower back feels little or no stress on any of the lifts. The upper back feels a little stress sometimes, but it can handle that for now. As I get closer to my potential 1RM with the suit on, I will need to duplicate that form I used on the first set of 615x2, otherwise I wont even complete the lift.

3/22

heavy bench
45x15
95x10
135x10x2
185x5
225x4
275x3
315x2

put on shirt (single ply Katana)
405x2 off two boards
445x2x2 off one board - not ez but not too hard

floor press
275x3
285x3x3
295x3

cable rows & face pulls

I haven't read back on everything, but is it single ply only?

I'm going to do multi. I only have a single ply shirt right now. I ordered an Inzer Rage X two ply that might be here by the end of next week, along with my Inzer Predator briefs.

I've been squatting the past few weeks in a multiply Metal Ace Pro squat suit and no briefs so far.

I've been DLing in a Metal King Pro DL suit, which is a single ply suit with Velcro straps, which makes it considered multiply by most federations. Priest Burdette told me this suit will work better for me than any multiply DL suit. I can wear briefs under this suit if I want to.

I can lift multiply in USPA and UPA, which will be the federations of my next two meets. USPA will have the MN state championship June 13 at my gym in Maplewood.

UPA is having a team competition in Dubuque, IA in early August. My team (Nemisis) won vs team Lillebridge and some others last year. Priest cares more about this meet than he did the Arnold XPC or the meet he's doing next weekend. By going to multiply, I'll be dodging directly competing with Ernie Lillebridge Sr. for raw, mens, masters. My only chance to beat him was if he bombed out. idk who I'll be competing against equipped, but this is going to be a lot of fun.

fwiw, UPA only has raw & equipped. There's no single ply, so if you are single ply, you compete vs multiply.

Sounds good. Wasn't sure which as I knew the Katanas are single ply, but I don't know anything about the suits. Good luck with your meets.

They have single ply, two ply and three ply Katanas. Priest say the three ply is even too much shirt for him, and he can bench about 800.

3/24

DL
245x5x3
335x5
425x2

put on suit, bottom only
515x1
575x1

put suit straps on
605x1
635x2x2 PR doubles
Form was good on all of the 635 reps. I'm very happy with this. I've figured out how to keep my core solid and grab the bar with my suit on. I have to turn my feet out a little and roll my ankles a little to get into position to grab the bar. I'm very happy this works. 683 - here I come!





DL vs bands
315x3
1st set - black bands only, ez
2nd set black + red, ez
3rd set black + blue, ez
4th & 5th sets black + blue + red, these were very hard to lock out, but I got them all.

spent/

Those DLs look sick! Bare calves hhnnngg

Nice job! Is that Christian mirrin' on the sideline?

Thanks, lol

Thanks!

yeah, that's Christian. He & Eddie & Priest are lifting in the Relentless meet in Lakeville this Saturday.

3/25

speed bench
45x15
95x10
145x10x2
185x6
225x4
275x3x8
When I got everything tight, they went fast. They went especially fast when I focused on turning my elbows out about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way up.

pushups
15
vs small band x 15
vs medium band x 15
vs large band x 15 x 2

cable rows
210x12
225x8

tricep pushdowns
70x30x2
A gym regular (not a member of Nemisis) who benches more than me with good form suggested high rep, light tricep pushdowns to me when I mentioned my elbows have been feeling a little beat up from all the heavy pressing with the shirt on lately. I feel good now. I'll see how i feel tomorrow.

face pulls
140x12, 15

I watched a KStar vid today on opening up the shoulder/lats/pecs with a band stretch/hand behind the back thing. I tried it & think I like it so far. The owner of the gym watched the vid today too, and he was doing this tonight too. I might post a link here tomorrow if I can find the vid again.

3/27

squat
150x5
240x3
290x3
330x3
380x2

put on suit bottoms
420x2

put on suit top
490x2
530x1 - I lost my balance forward when I finished this rep, so that ended the set.
530x2 - second rep was very hard.
I'm having issues losing my balance front to back lately.

Box squats with suit bottoms
290x3
330x3
380x3x2

reverse hypers
180x12x2

Can't really watch the videos here on island as the internet connection sucks. Looking at the stills from the beginning of the videos it looks like you are still wearing squat shoes. Could those be a contributing factor to the losing it forward issue? I'm wondering as most suited lifters I know up here use chucks due to the wide stance and the way they angle you forward. If you are wearing squat shoes, changing them out might be something to try out in the future and see how it works.

I'll think about it. I cant disagree with any of what you said, but I have only squatted once without squat shoes in the past 5+ years, and it felt like I was going to fall on my ass.

Nice DLs and Squats!

Thanks again for bench advice - smoked 225 x 6 without pain yesterday.

What are some good pieces for low back. I've always had my hips fly away on heavy snatches/cleans/DLs. I'm working on lighter volume with the sn/cl but anything for low back and hammies would be great.

I do GMs with 95lbs 3x8 - and I'm toying with the idea of box squats. Hammies are weak.

Pieces? Like to read? Read any and all of S McGill's work. Or exercises? Anything that strengthens the core and glutes. You probably do not need direct low back work imo. GMs are fine, just dont flex your low back when you do those. Box squats are a great exercise - do them with a very wide stance and have the box be slightly below parallel to hit the hammies & glutes (& adductors) hard.

3/29

heavy bench
45x15
95x10
135x10x2
185x6
225x4
275x3
315x2

put on shirt (single ply Katana)
405x1
455x2 off 1 board - PR for 1 board
Priest suggested I try a heavy overload off 2-3 boards. Paul insisted I try 530 lbs :P Paul is crazy.
530 off 3 boards - failed about 80% of the way up. I fought this hard and it was by far the hardest thing I did all day. I didnt turn my elbows out about 2/3 of the way up like I should have, or I might have got this up. Benching in a shirt is ****ing hard. This beat the **** out of me.

reverse grip bench
135x3
185x3
225x3
265x3x2
I had never done these before. Apparently, they get your lats activated. They felt awkward. idk if I like this or not.

cable rows
face pulls
high rep tricep pushdowns

Sorry for the confusion I was looking for exercises. I think I'lll start with box squats, GM, and GHRs. I saw a variation where there was a band attached for assistance (near the feet) for people who aren't quite strong enough yet.

Thanks!

yeah, GHRs are great. You might need that band at first, but within a week or two you'll probably be fine with no band.

Light reverse hypers done with strict form are great too. Read this before you do reverse hypers: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...reverse-hyper/
and this: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...reverse-hyper/

I like heavy RDLs a lot too.

Thanks - I tried them out tonight along with box squatting and my hamstrings are cooked from my comically low volume/intensity. Weak - weak hamstrings.

I think I'll stay away from reverse hypers and RDLs... for me end they up being lower back only.

I have a vid of my box squats in my log if you have some time to critique I'd love it.

3/31

DL
245x5x3
335x5
425x2
put on suit bottom
515x1
put on suit top
605x1
650x1x2
I talked to Priest a while before this. He said if I hit any doubles with 95% of my goal weight, then my goal weight is too low. There was zero chance I was doing any more reps with either of these, but neither was perfect form. The first one my head was down at the start of the pull, and the second one I was a little too far forward with the weight. If everything had gone perfect, I had a chance at a double. Fred (very strong, experienced lifter & chiropractor) said after seeing those that my goal weight should be 722.






I got talked into doing deficit DLs. Never done these before due to back concerns, but I'm a little slow off the floor sometimes, and after hearing "I was good at squatting when I got to 700 before ever doing box squats and now I'm squatting 1000, yadayadayada....." I started very light and got fairly comfortable doing them. They're not as bad on my low back as I thought, although I didnt go very heavy.

335x3
385x3
425x3
475x3

Hard to see technique from that angle but both look very solid to me. Not sure about 722 since those singles looked tough (not max, but higher than 90% of your max) but I mean, these guys obv know what they're doing so can't hurt to pick a high number rather than a lower one and not go after it as hard as you might otherwise.

This is really good stuff imo .