Squat
- 340lbs: 5,5,5,5,5
Over Head Press
- 175lbs: 5,5,5,4,3
- Power cleaned the bar in position
- Shoulders gassed out on the last 2 sets
Archives For military press
Power Clean
- 197.5lbs: 3,3,3,3,3
Front Squats
- 200lbs: 5,5,5
- Power cleaned the bar in position for the front squat
Over Head Press
- 172.5lbs: 5,5,5
- Power cleaned the bar
For what it's worth, I'm on AllTop.com! (http://strength-training.alltop.com)
In other news...
- John D. Fair from StartingStrength.com explains the history of the military press (one of my favorite exercises) in Olympic & World competitions:
- Discovery News explains how belly-button placement can give some athletes a competitive advantage over others (via http://nicktumminello.com)
- Ever wonder why you don't have a 6-pack from all those sit-ups you do? Here's why
- EliteFTS shows you "The 10 Commandments of Athletic Development"
- People who resort to the excuse that they "have no time" or "too busy" to exercise are probably bullshitting themselves. Check out this video below: (via http://rosstraining.com)
I experimented with power cleaning the bar for over head press and front squats this week.
I felt way more explosive doing the press & front squat AFTER I cleaned the bar as opposed to lifting it off the rack. It actually felt a lot easier. And for a couple of days, my traps were sore as hell.
I got this idea from Zach Even-Esh's blog. He wrote:
I remember when I trained at Diamond Gym & began power cleaning the bar from the ground before every set of military presses and my back, traps, shoulders and arms got seriously THICK in a very short time period.
That sound's like a pretty damn good idea! It also seems like a manlier way to lift weights.
Cleaning the Bar for the Front Squat
Elbows Pointed Forward
For the front squat, getting the bar in position is the same as a regular power clean. ie. the bar will be racked on your front deltoids with your elbows raised & pointed forward.
Cleaning the Bar for the Over Head Press
Elbows Pointed Down
Cleaning the bar for the over head press is different compared to cleaning the bar for the front squat (at least for me). My press my grip is wider than I normally use for power cleans, so I needed to clean the bar with a wider grip.
Also, because I'm pressing it up, I don't rack with my elbows up. I rack it with my elbows down, and I'm in a position where I'm ready to press the bar over my head.
It looks something like this (note this is not me; it's some strong dude from Singapore):
I won't be cleaning the bar for overhead presses during intensity days (where I try to hit a 1,2 or 3 rep max). But for volume (5x5) & recover days (3x5) I will.
Anyways, enough about cleaning and check out these links:
- Christine aka "thecookiemonster" gives her thoughts on powerlifting
- Charles Poliquin explains how to increase your squat, and gives me some more reasons to consider (finally) taking whey protein
- Brent Contreras shares 50 commandments that should be obeyed in the gym: http://bretcontreras.com/2011/08/50-commandments-commercial-gym-etiquette/
Keep lifting, keep progressing & have a great weekend!
-JP
Power Clean
- 165.5lbs: 3,3,3,3,3
Squat
- 320.5lbs: 5,5,5,5
Military Press
- 165lbs: 5,5,5,3
Notes:
- Tried out a new gym today. It's about a 10 minute walk away, nice and quiet, 3 power racks, no kids, and even a heavy bag.
- Stamina still feels low, but I'm easing back into it. Last week did 3 sets of squats, this week 4 sets so next week I'll bump it up to 5 sets (Texas Method calls for 5 sets of 5 reps on volume days)
