That was the WPC National Bench Press Championship, held this Sunday, April the 20th. The date had a bag full of meanings to me: it would be the first “real” competition I would take part in Brazil. Before that I lifted with the older federation, where, in this part of the world, many weird things […]
226lbs bench press @129lbs Sunday = I’m alive and lifting, unlike previously predicted Read More »
I believe it is a consensus that training the pronated grip for the deadlift will improve both grip strength and the deadlift itself. As Altug Dural described his protocol (the 1-2-3 ladder), I became curious and started to ask around about people’s pronated grip deadlift PR. Most people don’t know and never tried to measure
Pronated and alternate grip for the deadlift Read More »
WHY DO WE HAVE RULEBOOKS – because a sport, by definition, is a game. A game is defined as an autotelic (self-justified) activity ruled by a set of guidelines that must be respected by all practitioners WHY DO WE NEED CALIBRATED DISKS – because we need to be sure as to the exact weight on
Rulebooks, calibrated disks and other things in powerlifting Read More »
(of the series “random thoughts after training”) The deadlift is a different animal when compared to the other two powerlifts, in several aspects. One of them is that the number of RM (repetition maximum) does not correspond to max effort percentage the same way as for the squat or the bench press. It is really
Grip and the deadlift Read More »
(of the series “random thoughts after training”) Supra-maximal loads are important in the three lifts. Whether it is lockout or just isometrically holding the bar with the said load, it transfers back to performance of the full movement. Why? There is not a single scientific explanation for that – not one experiment or statistical analysis
On the role of supra-maximal loads in powerlifting Read More »
‘- Young man, would you care to explain to me why you are lifting those weights – Sure ma’am, no problem: this is an autotelic activity, which means those who engage in it do so motivated by a self-referenced end. In other words, the purpose of lifting is itself. Did that help? – A little
What a true reply to a layman to the question about why we lift would look like Read More »
Today I received a video from a student in his 4th week of this training cycle. He is (very) young physical educator and instructor at a gym chain in São Paulo. Nice deadlift. Pads under the bar to “protect” the floor from the 400 something pound impact. So I remembered the conversation I had with
About boys, testosterone and pads Read More »
It has been 69 days since I was released from the hospital with the prediction that I would never lift again and prescriptions to wear a rigid corset for six months, in total immobilization, no bending of the torso and obviously no lifting or exercising at all. As is well known, I benched 5 days
The little things and the big things: the hand break and the three digit kilo squat Read More »
The deal I made with myself was to record, every day, the things and events that I could see as having benefitted me. It was a conscious attempt to confront unproductive and/or destructive mental habits. After so many recent ordeals, I thought I had found an elegant system to avoid self-victimization. I blew it: many
He was a lifter and needed some advice on technique. I am not sure if he was aware I am a neurological/mental condition surviving person or not: the information is on the internet. It is not a secret. At some point he disclosed his condition to me. As is so often the case with PTSD,
My experience trying to “be there” for a PTSD victim veteran Read More »
