el_flaco

Man you look pretty damn strong already. What kind of weights are you lifting at the moment?

Great vid. When asked how it felt to squat 900lbs, Coan said "same as 500lbs, but better concentration". xPhilx - that's definitely one of the lightest squats I've seen posted on the internet. Nice find.

I think that exercise is more likely to cause injury.

Whether or not it is morally correct doesn't change the fact that it isn't vegan.

Nothing wrong with having a spotter, it only invalidates the lift if he touches the bar. I started going to the gym at 15. My gym had two benches, one had a bar weighing 145lb and a sign saying "if you can't bench this use the other bench, don't take the plates off". Me and my training partner didn't want to appear weak so getting 3 sets of 10 with that was the first target, got that within a couple of weeks.

I don't think it's a shoulder move, it's more a shifting of the weight onto the heels and dropping the ass backwards. Here's the initial setup, which doesn't look so bad to me: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d159/spug_myers/soo_dead1.jpg Then you rock backwards, leaving you in this position: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d159/spug_myers/soo_dead2.jpg The above is the position I don't like. To me you are no longer in a position to make the bar move upwards. The bar is so far in front of you, when you drive with the legs the distance from the bar to your hips makes moving the bar at (at least) the same rate as your hips almost impossible. It's more likely your legs will extend but the bar will remain on the ground. Which is what is happening here: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d159/spug_myers/soo_dead3.jpg The cue to "drive the knees forward" is just to drop the hips a little from the first position. If you just pushed the knees forward a little from that position I think it'd be a pretty good starting point. I think it's a more effective mental cue than thinking about dropping the hips, as thinking about that leads you into a position like second frame. I'd also bring the bar a little closer to you during setup, maybe that's a reason it's hitting your shins.

Setup looks strange to me. You look ok, then you rock backwards. Are you intentionally trying to bring your shoulders backwards? I did this for a while and it messed me up off the floor. Once I lengthened my spine, kept the shoulders over the bar and drove the knees forward to initiate the lift I started getting a good drive off the floor.

£1 is a bargain! It's not just the coaching, as not all gyms will look to coach you. A couple of other things: You'll have access to better equipment. Gyms can be a really nice place to hang out, especially once you meet a few people. That helps keep you motivated. You see people lifting heavier weights, which helps get rid of some of the mystique (the internet has helped with that though, you can see massive weights shifted on youtube). If you're doing anything really stupid, someone will probably question it

Ah I get what you mean, I've seen clips where he goes through that setup. It's not bad advice, I think Rippetoe is pretty astute, but it's just his way of arriving at a decent starting position for the deadlift. If the bar is lower feel free to bend your knees or arch your back a bit to reach it. Is the DVD good? You might be surprised by the gyms. I've trained in uni gyms, commercial chains (Bannatyes, Fitness First), council-run gyms, converted industrial units and I'm currently training in what I reckon has to be the poshest gym in London. I've managed to get a decent deadlift workout in all of them, as long as they have a free weights section. I'd have a look. Once you nail the technique on deadlift you'll be needing some pretty heavy weights, it's a big exercise. Catering for that in your house is going to get expensive pretty quickly.

What do you mean by "dropping my shins to the bar prematurely"? Lowering the hips doesn't sound like such a bad idea either. Are you sure this is a flexibility issue? Is there no gym you can go to? I'm always sceptical of people trying to make progress in their house. I'm not saying it's impossible, but in my experience it is rare.

Yeah I've heard Avi say he considers himself a powerlifter and isn't comfortable with bodybuilding. He's got a great physique, but does only weigh in at 90kg. Must be hollow

Ask and it shall be given thee: He had a decent conventional pull on him too, this is from his 2400lb total:

I suppose it begs the question, if a man builds muscles in the woods where there's no one to see them, is he really bodybuilding...

Ask and it shall be given thee

Hey man, good to see another Scottish vegan (although I'm exiled down South these days though). I'd be tempted to stick mainly to chinups rather than pullups at the moment as you're getting a much better working set of them. In time the pullup strength will come.

I'm not sure what you mean by "having reasons" for those labels, other than to make it a more exclusive group I think the terms "competitive bodybuilder" and "recreational bodybuilder" are indeed what you are looking for. There are many people out there who want to build their body for aesthetic reasons but (understandably imo) have no interest in competitive bodybuilding. To refuse to call them bodybuilders seems churlish to me. Regarding big vegan athletes in general, Jonathan who posts on here and more regularly on VF was 6'8, 280lbs+ at one point.

I am also interested as to why that is awful technique. To my naive eyes it appears beautiful.

Great pic Jardine is headlining next UFC against Rampage Jackson I think.

Just a wee point as I fear I'm beginning to sound like a form fascist. In powerlifting terms at least, squatting until your hamstrings are parallel with the ground isn't "squatting to parallel". In powerlifting, the crease of the hip must drop beneath the top of the knee. That will be substantially lower for most people, especially if you have big legs. That's not to say there's anything wrong with squatting to "hamstring parallel", depends what your aims are.

My experience with bodybuilders is that they are obsessed with all aspects of diet. In fact one of the few things they agree upon is that you need sufficient protein. That could be why it is one of the first pieces of advice given to wannabe bodybuilders. Because it isn't in dispute.

The non-whites are probably just waiting for you to get sloppy. Cheat on your diet. Gain a few pounds. Then they will pounce.

I think you're making an argument where none exists. Read my posts, all I've said is that personally, I wouldn't do them. I've never said no benefit, I've said not enough to merit them. If I'm going to do partial ROM, I'll go for a larger ROM than L&G. Maybe go with his workout until the half squats. Once you've half-squatted with 100lbs more than you can handle, what's to be accomplished by the partials? Really I doubt there is anyone on this or any other vegan board hoping that vegans competing in bodybuilding (or in sport) fail. Any "heat" on this thread came from comments like these, which I guess were viewed as being economical with the truth:

Bastard Well, speaking as the only man to total over 1400lbs here... Strong guys do all kinds of stupid things. If you take any worthless exercise, dodgy supplement or wacky diet from the last 30 years, I guarantee you you will find strong guys who did that. I used to neck vanadyl sulphate and do heavy wide-grip shrugs to widen the shoulders, holding onto the plates rather than the bar. Nobody is saying partial squats will prevent you squatting heavy, or even that they don't help. I just think done with the ROM shown they aren't worth the effort (and certainly not worth the video, or the initial braggadocio in the workout reports). This is no knock at all against L&G, I knew a strongman competitor back in the 90s (back before it got trendy ) who did partial squats very similarly. There's also an associated injury risk. Am I right in thinking the only guys who have managed a 500+ lb full squat in the past can't currently achieve this feat? Perhaps they engaged in some sub-optimal training practices which affected their longevity? Robert - I think there's a huge difference between dumbell press with some assistance through the sticking point and these short-range squats. These squats go nowhere near any kind of sticking point. No-one is arguing against all partial ROM or assisted reps here.

That is true. I think it's always good to question training practice, keeping in mind that it isn't a personal attack. Sometimes we get a bit too precious about our form or our lifts. They're just things we do to get bigger and stronger. Personally I wouldn't do them, too much hassle loading up the bar, too much effort without much reward. Plus L&G has a high bar squat position (like myself). I don't find that supporting weight in that position is tough. Guys who go low-bar which forces the torso forward and requires a bit more active work to maintain that position benefit more from walkouts and partials.

Have you read anything by Stuart McGill on lower back problems? I have his "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance" book on my desk just now. I think he also has a book called "Lower Back Disorders". He's got some interesting thoughts on rehab from injury and on lifting safe, they make sense to me. To be honest I wouldn't really recommend the book, it takes too long to get to practical advice for me (maybe I'm just impatient), but have a search about on the internet for some articles by him. Actually did this myself, this is his website: http://www.backfitpro.com/ And an interview on t-nation: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/back_to_mcgill