Since October, I've managed to add 20kg+ to my squat and dead. My bench? It's actually decreased. I wouldn't be so mad except that my bench is actually 10kg under my bodyweight already; I'm not even close to 1x bodyweight bench (compared to my 2x dead and 1.5x squat). As much as I chat shit and pretend I know everything (seriously why has no one called me out on it yet?), I'm definitely doing something wrong.
At the moment my stats are as follows:
Height: 6'
Weight: 110kg
Bench: 100kg
Squat: 182.5kg
Deadlifht: 220kg
Overhead: 100kg
Seriously, if you've got any ideas, please leave a comment (down there somewhere) or on the facebook status which this blog will inevitably be plugged yet again.
In other news, I've had a few comments and queries as to why I'm cutting, contrary to my previous posts where I rode the 'more mass = more strength' train for so long. It's basically two things really.
One is to get my CV conditioning up a bit. It's basically a by-product of cutting with a lot of cardio like rowing and elliptical training involved just to ensure I can climb stairs or tie a shoe lace without going into cardiac arrest. Losing the belly will definitely help my mobility with event training too (when the time comes) and I reckon raw speed is a niche in professional strongman, vacant since Mariusz's departure, that I reckon would be beneficial to fill. I've also shared a few messages with strongman legend Mark Felix over Twitter, and he strongly stands by CV (and in fact clean dieting too) as an utmost importance in the sport.
Obligatory image for post... Hey it's Mark Felix!
The other reason is to try clean bulking. I'm not gonna lie, dirty bulking is quick and effective, but it's contradictive to my CV work and after cutting I plan to try the clean route. It's possible, and I still have 50kg of oats left over from MyProtein's cock-up so it's not like it'll cost too much on a student budget either. The idea is to cut to some relatively decent non-blob shape and then bulk purely on clean food after that, all while trying and keep the CV and (eventually) event training at a decent frequency. It's a lot on my plate (BA DUM) but we'll see how it goes.
You could perhaps do a little research / read up on correct form for the bench press. That sounds ridiculous but I have a friend who's super anal about form and he insists that the absolute correct placement of arms / arch of back and angle can seriously strengthen your lift. It's not just a matter of plonking your ass down and lifting the bar in his eyes. Worth considering :).
ReplyDeleteCheers mate I'll have a look into it, next chest day is Friday so plenty of time for research.
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