Vit - Update

Hey everyone, I'm 3.5 weeks out from USPA Nationals and will be doing my last few heavy workouts over the next couple of weeks.  I have a squat video from last Saturday (a little high) and a deadlift video from yesterday.  Didn't take any bench videos on Monday but progress is slow as usual (hit 335, which is 5lbs over my meet PR).  My training weight is around 210lbs so we will see how my lifts are affected with the cut to 198s.

USPA CA State Meet 2012

Hi everyone. I did a meet today :) Overall very happy with my results. I will post videos soon.

198lb Junior Single Ply Division

Squat

501 -no lift, 2 to 1 reds for depth

501 -good lift, 2 to 1 (44 lb PR)

534 -no lift

Bench

314 -good lift, 3 whites

330 -good lift, 3 whites (27 lb PR)

341-no lift, it was coming up but the bar rolled in my hands and went towards the racks

Deadlift

490 -good lift, 3 whites

518 -good lift, 3 whites

540 -good lift, 3 whites (78 lb PR)

Total: 1372 (150 lb PR)

Updates

Hey guys. Hope school and training is going well for everyone.

Squat

I switched to a smaller size super centurion (size 38) which is a wide stance instead of a regular like my old one. The wide stance is a better fit for me now since I have gradually moved my feet out wider. Haven't hit depth with the suit yet, but I have 7 more training weeks until the USPA state meet on March 24th so hopefully it happens before then lol.

Bench

Still working technique in the shirt on bench. Not much exciting news to report here.

Deadlift

I switched to sumo style deads recently as I am able to keep my back more upright and in a better position throughout the pull compared to conventional style. Also, using the wide stance super centurion (same as squats), I can get some poundage out of the suit. Here is a video from tonight:

Good luck to everyone competing in the USAPL state meet!

Updates

My bodyweight has stabilized at about 203 lbs in the morning.

Squats
I've been able to get a little deeper with the suit. Here is a video from today:

Bench
On Monday I learned how to pull the bar straight down instead of letting the shirt pull the weight out of the groove. Worked up to 3 reps at 315 but none of them touched. Next week I'll probably add a little more weight and see if I can touch while still pulling the bar down into the right groove.

Deadlift
I've been working on my deadlift setup the past couple of weeks, mainly locking the shoulders back and keeping the back tight. I worked up to 405x3 on Tuesday. I haven't taken the weight up much on deadlifts lately because I've been trying to work on fixing technique.

Here is a pretty cool video I took today of one of the oc strength club guys, Dennis Reneau, who has some incredible pressing strength. He takes 765 in a single-ply super katana.

Updates

Squat
Last week I took a week off of suit work and did some light raw box squats with 225 for sets of 5. Surprisingly I was very sore from this. Today I got back in the suit and went straps up. Finished with a single at 560 with knees wrapped. It was about 4 or 5 inches high. My back wasn't tight enough and the bar rolled on my back causing me to almost drop it. Luckily my spotters saved me. I'll probably be going back to raw work for a few weeks to work on some technique deficiencies (mainly keeping the chest up and not folding over, as well as pushing the knees out more). Here's a video (sorry it's sideways). I obviously look pretty uncomfortable under the weight since it's the most I've ever had on my back haha.



Bench
Just did some raw work last week and worked up to 225 x 2.

Deadlift
Tried going heavy last week. Did 455 for a single and failed 500 a couple inches above the knees (like usual). Can't really complain because looking back I didn't do enough heavy pulling leading up to this. I'll start doing good mornings again over the next few weeks.

Updates

Hi everyone, it's good to see a lot of new lifters posting on the blog. Here are some updates from this past week of training:

Squat

Worked up to 540 for a single with straps down in the Super Centurion suit and got down to about 3.5 inches above parallel, which is lower than last week. My back is tending to fold over the closer I get into the hole. It is a form issue but hopefully it gets a little better once the suit is broken in more so I can descend quicker (descent is slow now because I'm just not used to this much weight on my back and not fully confident in the suit yet).

Bench

Worked up to 345 for a single in the Katana shirt and got it down to about a 3.5 board. Keeping my arch in the shirt is getting better but it's still far from perfect.

Deadlift

Did speed pulls with 225 against quadded mini bands for five singles. I used my old Centurion suit for these. The plan was to take the straps in inch but I think I've put on some weight and it was pretty hard to grab the bar. I'll hold off on any tailoring until after I try it out again next week.

This Past Week

Here are some updates from this past week:

Squat

I was able to work down slightly deeper in the super centurion with straps down but I'm still about 5 inches high. Worked up to two singles at 510. I'm still tending to let my back fold over about midway down, which really does nothing to help hit depth. Not sure how much it's going to take to get depth with straps up.

Bench

I took the weight up a little in the Katana. Worked up to 345 and was able to get it to about 3 inches from the chest. The shirt was pulled down so it was a little tighter and it was also seated nicely in the shoulders.

Deadlift

Did block pulls with 335 for sets of 5. Still working on keeping the back flexed and arched for every rep. Next two weeks will be speed pulls followed by heavy deadlifts the next week.

Bench Assistance

Worked up to 135 for 2 x 5 on standing press. Nothing else too exciting. Hammer curls?

Weekly Update

Hi everyone. Here are some highlights from this past week training. It was kind of boring except for today's suit work.

Tuesday Deadlifts

One of the guys at OCSC suggested I do block pulls from below the knee but focus on using only the back and keeping it flexed hard throughout the pull. This is meant to strengthen the lower back through the portion where the bar slows down which is right around knee level for me. Worked up to 295 x 5 for 3 sets on these. Will be working up in weight in the coming weeks.

Wednesday Bench

185 x 4 sets of 3

Just some technique weight. I worked on keeping my arch, keeping my shoulders back, and leg drive. I did some rows and biceps after this but purposely kept it light because I'm starting up with geared training again Saturday.

Saturday Squat

I bought some suit slippers from Inzer and they definitely help make it easier to get the suit on. I kept them on throughout the workout to let the suit ride up in the crotch as much as possible. I went straps down, and all my squats were still at least 5-6 inches high which is expected since it's only the second time using the new suit. Worked up to 470 x 2. The super centurion size 40 seems to be a pretty good fit for me and it gives some serious power out of the hole. I came down with the weights slow but they all moved fairly quickly on the way up.

I'm excited to see the UCLA team grow even more this year. It seems like you guys are staying pretty organized and should have a pretty good turnout at all the zero week events.

Squat

Lower back slightly fried from pulling 2 days ago.

Squat

275 x 3 @8+

295 x 3 @9+

315 x 3 @10 -elbows touched thighs on last rep

225 x 8, 8

Finished with 3 sets of BW GHRs, 2 sets of transversus and some stretching. I was in a hurry today.

Bench

I missed bench on Monday and am leaving for D.C. tomorrow night so I had to settle for this as my only upper body training for this week. I'll squeeze in some squats before leaving tomorrow as well.

Bench

205 x 3 @9-

215 x 3 @10-

220 x 3 @10 (PR) -last rep was very ugly

185 x 2

Barbell shrugs

455 x 10

495 x 10

545 x 10

605 x 10

Pullups

BW x 20, 12 -not bad for a 203lb fatass

Dumbbell shoulder press

50s x 10

55s x 8

60s x 8

Deadlift

Block pulls (from below the knee)

335 x 5, 5, 5

385 x 1

415 x 1

415+2 chains x 2 @10

415+2 chains x 2 @10

I think each chain weighed around 15-20 lbs

GHRs

BW+mini band x 4 x 10

Kneeling abs

4 x 10 at 102.5lbs

Finished with some stretching

Squat

Squat

200 x 3

240 x 3, 3

Wanted to try on my new size 40 super centurion to see how it fit. I think its the right fit around the crotch. I was able to get it almost all the way up using suit slippers.

330 x 3 (straps down) - probably 5 inches high

400 x 3 (straps up) -probably like 8 inches high, barely got down

This suit is a pretty tight fit, definitely much tighter than my old suit. I can still get the straps on by myself which means it's loose up top, but it's definitely snug in the crotch/legs. I considered going down to a 38 but it would be super tight and considering I'll probably gain a little weight over the next year I think the 40 should be a solid suit once it's broken in. It'll most likely take at least 500 for me to get to parallel in it, which is a good thing.

Box squats (about parallel or slightly below)

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5, 5

Standing abs

100 x 12

110 x 10, 10

Banded GHRs (mini band)

3 sets of 10

Bench Assistance

Standing press

125 x 3 @7

135 x 3 @8

145 x 3 @9

155 x 3 @10- (PR)

Dumbbell rows (straps)

160 x 10, 10

CG Bench

135 x 8

145 x 8

155 x 8

165 x 8

Barbell shrugs

405 x 10

455 x 8, 8

No chalk, but still my grip and traps both felt weak as hell today. Could be from trying to keep the upper back tight on bench day and deadlift day. Could be fatigue from the dumbbell rows. Or most likely, could be my gaping vag filled with personal problems.

Supersetted shrugs with 3 sets of curls.

Deadlift

Just did some technique work today.

Deadlift

365 x 1, 1, 1

315 x 1, 1, 1

Did some stiff legged deads and GHRs afterwards.

Bench

Bench

215 x 1 @8

225 x 1 @8+

225 x 1 @8+

225 x 1 @9

185 x 3, 3, 3

Worked on trying to keep my back arched, shoulders pinned back, belly up, and leg drive.

Incline dumbbell bench

65s x 4 x 8

Lat pulldowns (w/ neutral grip bar)

150 x 15

170 x 10

180 x 10, 8

7AM Squat Singles

I don't have time to squat this weekend hence the early workout. This workout was powered by 2 cups of apple juice.

Squat

275 x 1

295 x 1 @8+

315 x 1 @9+

325 x 1 @10-

340 x 1 @10

185 x 8, 8

GHRs

BW x 15, 10, 10

Post training BW: 203.8lbs

Bench Assistance

Standing press

125 x 5 @8

135 x 5 @9

140 x 5 @9+

Dumbbell rows (w/ straps)

150 x 10

160 x 10

Incline bench

145 x 8, 8, 8

3 sets of bicep curls

Deadlift Assistance

Rack pulls (hole 4 - from lower part of the knee cap)

415 x 3 @9

435 x 3 @10-

445 x 3 @10

GHRs

BW x 20, 10, 10

Finished with 3 sets of standing abs and stretching. Played full court basketball for an hour afterwards.

Bench

Back to training at OCSC.

Bench

185 x 3 @7

195 x 3 @8

205 x 3 @9-

I was told that my back was flattening out pretty badly so I dropped the weight to focus on keeping a tighter arch

185 x 3, 3

Close grip bench

165 x 5

175 x 5, 5

135 x 5 (regular grip)

I'm also trying to play around with my foot placement to find out where I can get the best leg drive.

Lat pulldowns

180 x 4 x 8

Squat

Squat

265 x 3

275 x 3 @8

285 x 3 @8

295 x 3 @9

305 x 3 @9+

Finished with 3 x 10 bodyweight GHRs, 3 sets of ball transversus, and some stretching. Planned to do box squats but the gym was closing.