NickR33

Not just any mono either... an AMFX Warlord!

Push pull is on the 7th of December and there's a novice on the 21st. I was going to do the push pull but have a wedding on that weekend. I'll be at the novice though. Thanks mate, progress has been pretty consistent apart from time out due to injury. Still a long way to go before I'm truly competitive.

Had a decent day at the recent GPC comp in Melbourne. Went 6 for 6 on squats and deads but botched my bench press... again... only getting my opener, which was 10kg down on my gym pb (150kg) I set a week before the comp I ended up with 255/140/265 for 660kg @ 96.5kg and first place in the 100's. Actually totalled the same as the guy in 2nd but weighed 2kg less so I get the win. Only a small comp, most of the strong guys did ProRaw and sat this one out, but still nice to place for once! Squat and dead weren't max efforts so looking for a 700kg total next year

I find a belt a must for heavy squats. That said I squatted 180kg @ 88kg before I started using one. I never used a belt for deads as I could never get comfortable. Until I realised I needed to loosen it and wear it much higher than when squatting. I now wear it around my upper abs/mid back, rather than down around my lower back. If you can set your lats tight and fight the rounding of your mid back you can transfer more of that initial leg drive to the bar. That's where a belt can help. Once you lose tightness in your mid back all the load get's transferred to your lower back and you will have trouble at the top locking the weight out. I don't see a belt as a protective device. Plenty of people have hurt themselves wearing one. They're just an aid to keep tight and not let an power leak out during a lift.

Progress has been slow with a new baby at home, running my own business, mortgage blah blah That said I hit some gym PR's recently and currently looking for a PR total at GPC Melbourne Cup in November I squatted 220kg no wraps and pulled 260kg. Looking for 250+ squat and hopefully a 600lbs (272.5kg) deadlift... and I finally might bench 150kg... I don't know why people wait to do comps until they can total 'xxx'. Your first time is just to experience a comp, see how it all works. Just like popping your cherry it's never going to be your best performance, better to get it out of the way so you at least know what your practising for;)

I haven't been round these parts in ages, how's everyone going? Was awesome to see Birds and Leesh at the novice comp a while back. You both did great. I should get Markos to update this thread with some ProRaw 6 vids. Was an epic comp with nearly every winner being decided on the last lift of the day. Unfortunately I have a new baby at home so missed the deadlifts:(

just like back squatting it stops hurting after a while A good vid on the different grips... I like the straps option

haha yep it would be nice! Motivation for lifting is waning at the moment. Injuries have taken the fun out of it so I'm trying to heal up as much as possible so I can make a run at GPC Nats. Work is has also really ramped up and that's the priority at the moment. I'm going to run a modified broken man program into Nats. Heavy deads will be kept to a minimum (every 2-3 weeks) and I'm going to do a lot of lighter stiff legged deads. Squatting will become the priority and I'll bench as much as my shoulders let me. Shoulders were great for ages but the left one is now very inflamed. I've been playing a lot of basketball recently and really enjoying it. It doesn't take the full mental/physical commitment of powerlifting and I've been doing it for so long it comes so naturally... definitely done my 10,000 hours with a basketball in my hands lol I get very competitive so sitting on the sidelines watching others hit PBs is hard for me. I don't mind if I'm not the best but I love to compete.

Good work Boz. Only real powerlifters squat more than they deadlift! Don't need to worry about knee wraps but a belt for squats is really handy, especially once it gets heavy. Just helps you keep tight and makes the whole thing a nicer movement. It doesn't really protect your back and only maybe gets you a handful of kilos but it's definitely worth having.

That's very kind but I have to agree... If I can add 10kg to that 145 by then end of the year I'll be delirious with joy... If I can bench 150kg at Nats I'll be very happy Bench moves very slowly for me... like glacier slow

It depends on what part of your back is rounding. Nearly everyone will round through the middle/upper back, which is fine (just makes it hard to lock out). Rounding in the lower back can cause problems but I've seen people pull heavy weights that way and never hurt themselves. I wouldn't teach it that way though.

Reggie was spotting lol Yep, introduced for 2014. To stop the old soft hand out.

Thanks peeps, well and truly earned these extra few kgs Leesh: I'm not sure to be honest, my head never used to move. Since I revised my technique, letting the bar sink right into my abdomen, my head just kind of wants to come up. I'm also not arching as hard and I've put my feet further out in front rather than trying to tuck them underneath me as much. I seem to be able to drive better with my legs this way. I think this style is better for raw benching. The extreme arch/bringing your belly up to meet the bar style is better suited to equipped lifting I think. It shortens the ROM but makes it hard to generate speed off your chest. I basically tried to copy Dan Green lol

Finally got over the 140kg hump

lol yep seated dumbbell overhead, flat bench dumbbell, incline barbell, overhead barbell, close grip barbell bench press, lateral raises and I use the Nautilus seated shoulder press/lateral combo thingy Mitch: My best comp bench is 140kg but I only got 135 at the last comp which is why I totally revised my technique got 132.5 x 2 paused today, fairly easy, looking good for 140+