Archives For Chris Beardsley

I had some shoulder pain while squatting last week, so what I did this week to deal with this issue is I tried high bar squatting while holding onto a pair of straps (video). It works pretty well, although a bit tricky to balance.

A couple of personal records this week:

  1. 245lbs overhead press (+5lbs) PR
  2. 530lbs deadlift (+10lbs) PR (followed by 550lbs with straps)

I ALMOST had a 350lbs bench press (which would have been a +5lbs PR), had it not been the sudden slip of my body on the bench while pressing the bar up.

Hopefully I'll hit another bench press, overhead press and deadlift PR before the year is over.

My squat has been suffering. It could be because of the change of programming I did recently, small nagging injuries, or both. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my programming and look at my logs to see what worked for me in the past.

Also hung up a couple of posters for my home gym (finally!)

Anyways, check these out:

  1. My Insecurities by Courtney Gould
  2. Dude, So and So Got SO Fucking Jacked For That Movie: Chris Hemsworth by Jamie Lewis
  3. Best Squat Depth for Glute Activation by Chris Beardsley

Got a 240lbs OHP this week, a weight that I've been wanting to press overhead for a while. Missed on 245lbs though, but I'm going to attempt it in a few days.

Also, this past week marks the 2nd year that I've been taking this whole "lifting weights" thing seriously! Here's some stuff I learned from 2 years of strength training. It might resonate with some of you.

And came across some good articles and a podcast this week:

  1. Comparing The Biomechanics Of Conventional And Sumo Deadlifts by Chris Beardsley
  2. More On Bands, Chains, And Weak Point Training by Paul Carter
  3. The Purpose of a Program by Justin Lascek
  4. Olympic vs. Power Lifting (Podcast) by Bret Contreras

Started incorporating low bar squats for volume day (Monday) for 3 reps, 10 sets. I only used 370lbs, but man, it felt tough compared to high bar squat at a higher weight (last week I high bar squatted 410lbs for 10 sets of 3 reps) and my lower back was aching the day after. It's probably going to be a while before I get used to low bar squatting again. I'll be switching back and forth between low and high bar squats every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Also, hit a 410lbs paused high bar squats (video) on Wednesday.

Anyways, check these out:

  1. Mechanically Advantage Drop Sets by Josh Bryant
  2. Eating Through The Sticking Points by Matt Reynolds
  3. How Do Rowing Exercises Differ? By Chris Beardsley
  4. Planks Are The Magic Bullet For Hip Mobility by Dean Somerset

Set a couple of PR's this week: 450lbs high bar squat  (for 2 reps) and a 232.5lbs 235lbs standing overhead press!

Anyways, take a look at these articles:

  1. 6 Mistakes I Made - So You Don't Have To by Jim Wendler
  2. Why Adding Weight To The Bar Is The Whole Damn Point by Nick Horton
  3. 6 Lessons Learned From The Master Blaster by Bret Contreras and Brad Schoenfeld
  4. The Sins of Organic by John Kiefer
  5. How Are Partial And Full Squats Different? By Chris Beardsley
  6. How To Boost Strength & Mobility by Chris Beardsley