Monday, October 27, 2008

Can you tell I want 405?

Warm-up:
overhead squat (bar)
back/front squat (to singles at 205#, pausing at bottom)
shoulder press

3x3 back squat (235)
push press + split jerk (to singles at 115#)
2-2-5 deadlift (2x315 [hook], 360 [straps])

Messed around with pullups, ankles-to-bars, L-sits and tuck front levers.

Squats felt freakishly heavy. Jerks took a while to dial in, landings were very sloppy and inconsistent. Should lay some tape down next time. Was going to clean, but my left knee is feeling a little sore from last time, so I skipped it. Deadlifts felt awesome, and it just so turns out that Brzycki's calculator puts my 1RM at 405#. I'm gonna make an attempt next week; I'm real comfortable with the hook grip now, so unless that weight manages to actually rip my thumbs from my hands, I feel a big PR coming my way.

My god, Koklyaev pulling 3x390kg (860#) with a hook grip! I guess I will never have an excuse to pull with a mixed grip ever again ...

4 comments:

kenny g said...

Excellent work, Brian.

How does the pause at the bottom in the warm-up feel?

brian said...

Pause feels good. I never stretch before lifting, but sometimes my hips are tight, so I just let the weight stretch everything at the bottom. Also good for practicing hip drive.

Scott said...

I find the hook grip to be really painful. There was one time I did it and it felt great, but subsequent attempts felt off. Any suggestions?

brian said...

For me, it was simply practice. It hurt for the first few sessions, but after that I never notice anymore.

Perhaps you are doing something wrong? It works best when you are able to get your fingers wrapped all the way around your thumb (like here. I find that some cheap barbells are thick enough to prevent me from doing this. If this is your problem, find the standard diameter barbells. If not, next time we boulder at Coles, we'll do some lifting at the end, and I can try and help.