User on /r/bodybuilding dies in car crash, this was found in his post history:

Quote:"Honestly one thing that many of us should keep in mind is that we have so much time left to live. This might sound strange, but when my friends and gym family goes through body dismorphia or when they are not happy with there results - put yourself into perspective. You are 'making' it. You are stronger and more fit then a large majority of the population. You have dedicated to change. Change might not come quick but it is coming and as long as you work hard it is guarenteed. Think how many years you have left. Many of us are in low 20s or even in our teens. Think how far you come, but more importantly, how far you are ready to go. Your body composition 6 months from now. 1 year? 2 years? 4? You will get the results you want. You will become who you want to become. Keep working hard and keep the end game in mind. Don't ever give up"

God bless the guy, whoever he is. 19 is a year younger than me. Like they've said there, he's lifting with zyzz now.

Don't neglect your necks, bros.

Dupe.

Had a great DL form refresher last night with my trainer. Was thinking my bad form was due just plain weakness with the lift, but my trainer was able to dispel that and I got a handful of singles @ 245 with good form that he took video of to show me.

I was having a problem keeping my chest up, and poor starting placement of my hips. For how relatively simple of a concept it is (picking weight up off the floor and standing up) it's a complex lift with a lot of factors to be mindful of (if you're a newb like me)

Also, my trainer squatted 700lbs earlier that day. Not only was it an epic 25lbs. PR for him, but he also crushed the world record for his weight. He's 198 lbs. It was in the gym and not at an international meet so it won't go on the books obviously, but fuck thats a lot of strength.

43 years old.
198 lbs.
3.5x body weight squat.

(04-15-2016 02:39 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  Had a great DL form refresher last night with my trainer. Was thinking my bad form was due just plain weakness with the lift, but my trainer was able to dispel that and I got a handful of singles @ 245 with good form that he took video of to show me.

I was having a problem keeping my chest up, and poor starting placement of my hips. For how relatively simple of a concept it is (picking weight up off the floor and standing up) it's a complex lift with a lot of factors to be mindful of (if you're a newb like me)

Also, my trainer squatted 700lbs earlier that day. Not only was it an epic 25lbs. PR for him, but he also crushed the world record for his weight. He's 198 lbs. It was in the gym and not at an international meet so it won't go on the books obviously, but fuck thats a lot of strength.

43 years old.
198 lbs.
3.5x body weight squat.

Damn. That gives me hope that after I get my back worked out, I can get a decent trainer and soar past previous limits.

(04-13-2016 04:12 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  Personal OHP record this morning.

150 lbs for 3x3.

Part of it is because of different form. Mark Rippetoe recommends some hip movement to create a slight bounce. Most bodybuilders recommend no movement - pushing strictly up but Mark's form feels more natural.

Any of you guys know if Mark Rippetoe is right? Or is his advice invalid like his bullshit Starting Strength program?

Rippetoe has had 3 versions of the Press in his program.

The first was a standard press with resting & breathing at the bottom of the movement. This version is the easiest to learn but allows the least weight.

The second was a standard press with resting & breathing at the top of the movement (except for the first rep). This allowed more weight because there is a rebound at the bottom of the movement.

That video with the hip bounce is the third version. There are Starting Strength certified instructors that don't like this version because it is too complicated to teach but this version allows the most weight.

I researched all these presses because I have an old shoulder injury that creates imbalance and flexibility issues which makes presses difficult for me. They are all legitimate techniques so it just depends on how strict you want to press and how much time you want to spend learning the proper technique. I disagree with some of Rippetoe's opinions but I think he knows the presses well.

This is a good video I found on squat stances.

I've heard people suggest narrow stance, wide stance, toes in, toes out, narrow stance if you have short legs but wide stance if you have long legs, etc. It gets confusing. The video explains that the best squat stance depends on the individual and the type of hip joints that person has - not the length of their legs.

I've also heard people say to jump high in the air and land in what you feel is the most solid base - and that should be your squat stance. I don't know if this works for everyone but it works for me.

Toes in versus toes out is partially a result of the width of your stance. If your stance is close then your toes probably need to be pointed out more so you can get your knees out of the way at the bottom of the squat.

Can anyone give me an unbiased opinion on the easiest power clean technique to learn without a coach?

I'm looking more for the simplest and easiest technique to learn rather than the technique that will allow the most weight.

A lot of people hate Rippetoe's jump and shrug method of teaching the power clean especially olympic lifters. However, Rippetoe's method is used by a lot of strength and conditioning coaches because it is supposed to be an easier way to teach the power clean to people who won't be competing in the Olympic lifts. If this is true then that is the technique I would prefer but I'm not sure it is true. I've watched Rippetoe's arch-nemisis Pendlay teach the movement and his method seems simple although I haven't tried it.

Rippetoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIB_X2N6020

Pendlay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyoH5FV03s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AaSNARQPfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuiw4GvB0g

USC S&C coach teaching hang cleans and power cleans. His method appears to be similar to Rippetoe, i.e. jump and shrug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvePZ67n

I've watched a few Crossfit videos and most of them used jump and shrug also.

^I went to a olympic lifting coach to teach me

(04-16-2016 10:50 AM)birthday cat Wrote:  Can anyone give me an unbiased opinion on the easiest power clean technique to learn without a coach?

I'm looking more for the simplest and easiest technique to learn rather than the technique that will allow the most weight.

A lot of people hate Rippetoe's jump and shrug method of teaching the power clean especially olympic lifters. However, Rippetoe's method is used by a lot of strength and conditioning coaches because it is supposed to be an easier way to teach the power clean to people who won't be competing in the Olympic lifts. If this is true then that is the technique I would prefer but I'm not sure it is true. I've watched Rippetoe's arch-nemisis Pendlay teach the movement and his method seems simple although I haven't tried it.

Rippetoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIB_X2N6020

Pendlay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyoH5FV03s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AaSNARQPfE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuiw4GvB0g

USC S&C coach teaching hang cleans and power cleans. His method appears to be similar to Rippetoe, i.e. jump and shrug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvePZ67n

I've watched a few Crossfit videos and most of them used jump and shrug also.

Well, those are two different lifts.

That first Pendlay video is clean.

The Rippetoe video is a power clean.

The difference is how your positioning when you receive the bar in racked position. Alan Thrall explains it well here:





The power clean is likely an "easier" lift as you will be able to do more weight and be more explosive without having to perform a full front squat required to do a full clean.

General Stalin - Thanks for the excellent video.

To clarify there are "cleans" which go into a full front squat and "power cleans" which go into a 1/4 front squat.

There are also different methodologies for performing these movements. Alan Thrall is using a method similar to Pendlay which is sometimes called the Catapult method. This is the more traditional method and how everyone outside the USA performs these movements.

The other method is Rippetoe's jump & shrug.

Catapult is the way Olympic lifters perform these movements but some people say Rippetoe's jump & shrug method is much easier to learn. So my question is - how much easier is Rippetoe's jump & shrug?

The Alan Thrall video has me leaning toward learning the Catapult method because it doesn't look much more difficult. However, I am a newbie to the olympic lifts so I could be missing something.

Learn the catapult method, the way actual olympic lifters do it. There must be a reason why they do it the way they do.

As much love as Rippetoe gets around here, I'd like to remind you that he was not an olympic lifter, nor was he a spectacular powerlifter.

If you truly want to get good at the olympic lifts, learn it from olympic lifters; it will save you possible injuries and the extra work from unlearning shitty form. Do it right the first time and you'll be much further ahead in the long run.

The other thing you could do if you can't find an oly coach is to use movements that work the body similarly but are lower in technical skill.
Here is a list of such exercises.

• push press
• regular military press
• jump squats
• front squat
• squat thrust (not sure what else to call it, fast front squat with a submaximal weight, at the end of the movement you push press it off your shoulders and lock out)
• power clean
• power snatch
• one handed dumbbell snatch
• barbell high pull
• kettlebell swing
  

You might think the one handed dumbbell snatch is stupid, but there was such a lifter who did lots of them to train for the 1964 Olympics (much to the amusement of his competitors) and he walked out with a gold medal. Hans Zdražila was his name.

If you guys need Olympic weightlifting advice just let me know. Whether it's questions about specific lifts or technique it doesn't matter just don't expect to learn how to snatch fluidly without being coached.

Also be careful about these Olympic coaches around, the states are horrible when it comes to Olympic weightlifting and the technique and regimes they preach are shit. Not to mention the fact half of them are crossfit trainers who never competed in weightlifting.

To corroborate with what Hannibal said, practically all turn of the century lifters used a little body english to get the bar from their shoulders to overhead in the press.

That was during the golden age of the press. Unsurprisingly they put up numbers that make modern lifters look like fags.

Some jacked 220 lb 8% BF Italian looking guy showed up at my gym today with rocking Vibram five-fingers, shirtless & wearing sunglasses. Front desk tried to kick him out but the owner let him be after he agreed to wear his singlet looking tank.

Bitches were getting wet. Never seen a physique have such an effect on girls. 3 or 4 of 'em migrated all the way from the elliptical machine & exercise ball area they frequent to right in front or beside him. Non-verbally begging for his attention.

More motivation for me. Or demotivation depending on how you look at it.

I'd gladly sell my soul for an extra 15-20 pounds of muscle.

Sell your soul? The 'roids are calling.

(04-17-2016 08:00 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  Sell your soul? The 'roids are calling.

Tren is like that 9.5/10 at the club you really want to approach but just keep creating excuses in your head for in order not to. Soon ...

@Anabasis, was he taller than you?

^Slightly.

An inch or so ... I'd say 6'2-ish.

Just finished reading this epic thread, Lots of great information and interesting conflicting opinions. I have been doing strong lifts 5x5 on the app with weighted pull ups and dips added on different days as I gather that the arm development on the program is limited. + standing and seated calf raises on alternate days just for vanity sake. Already seeing my body change and looking forward to get strong and have a more delicious body, I want to be the guy who other dudes get annoyed when I take my shirt off,

(04-16-2016 11:51 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  Well, those are two different lifts.

That first Pendlay video is clean.

The Rippetoe video is a power clean.

The difference is how your positioning when you receive the bar in racked position. Alan Thrall explains it well here:





The power clean is likely an "easier" lift as you will be able to do more weight and be more explosive without having to perform a full front squat required to do a full clean.

The power clean and clean are the exact same lift, with different receiving positions. The clean allows more weight due to its lower receiving position, but requires a front squat as well.

The Pendlay video explains power cleans and cleans. When the weight gets heavy enough, you end up doing a full clean regardless of your intention.

(04-17-2016 08:05 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

(04-17-2016 08:00 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  Sell your soul? The 'roids are calling.

Tren is like that 9.5/10 at the club you really want to approach but just keep creating excuses in your head for in order not to. Soon ...

(04-17-2016 08:22 AM)Oz. Wrote:  If you guys need Olympic weightlifting advice just let me know. Whether it's questions about specific lifts or technique it doesn't matter just don't expect to learn how to snatch fluidly without being coached.

Also be careful about these Olympic coaches around, the states are horrible when it comes to Olympic weightlifting and the technique and regimes they preach are shit. Not to mention the fact half of them are crossfit trainers who never competed in weightlifting.

I'd vouch for Oz knowing what he's talking about.Most of the USAW instruction isn't very good.

Here's Klokov teaching the clean, obviously the power clean is caught higher.