Photos

[Toby]

Well, crappy photos, but here's 160kg == 352.74lb. My wife only got 2 because we couldn't work out how to get a nice sequence or time it right on the digital camera. Anyway, here's a before shot.

[Toby]

And here's a 3/4 down shot. Looks like my arse is halfway to China. Arching too much? Comments? Anyway, I made about 5 singles @ 160kg this morning trying to get the god**** camera to work. I wouldn't have made 160kg x 5 though. Foo, for all you know I could've collapsed right after this shot was taken. I didn't, though ;).

[Toby]

Sorry about the lighting. That was our main problem, the flash wouldn't recharge quickly enough to take a sequence. I train in a dingy shed, so those photos are with a flash. I took some sequences without the flash but you couldn't see a thing. I'll work on the camera and see if I can work it out to take some decent shots.

[IronFist]

Whatever, p.ussy. :p

Those 45lb plates (thats 20kg to you) are plastic, so they only weigh 2lbs each.

That pic is photoshopped. That's not what Australia looks like.

You're a braggart!















:p

I'm just kidding. Nice pics dude. There's no such thing as too much arch when you're squatting (as long as you're not arching so hard that it hurts your spine).

I just got back from the gym a few minutes ago, actually. Your pics pumped me up to hurry up and get 315 and hopefully get a pic of it. Last night I unracked 325 and just held it for a few seconds and then re-racked it. It felt good, but I don't know if I could have gotten it or not. When I'm going for a 1RM I have to ramp up by doing sets of 1 or 2. I can't just hit a 1RM right off the bat.

Anyway, it looks good. I believe you that you squat all the way down, so don't worry about the pic. Foo might not believe you, tho. Actually, your spot bars look a bit high... can you get all the way down without the bar touching them? It SUCKS if the bar touches them at the bottom of your squat cuz then it totally throws off your groove.

Do you like that bar pad? I find them uncomfortable. A lot of people use them, tho.

[Toby]

My plates are cheapo rubber-encased ones with holes to make it easier for me to lift them. ;)

I did one set of 132lb to warm up, but I don't ramp up. I reckon I could get more than that. I'm gunna try for 165kg == 363lb next. I took about an hour this morning, working out the camera then calling my wife, then do 1 rep, then stuffing up the photos. Totally messed up my workout, but it was the end of a cycle anyway.

Re the spotter bars - if I hit them, I'm just below parallel and I usually go just to parallel. I double checked this morning at the end with just the 132lb 'cause the photo looked dodgy. I think maybe I'll get my wife to take some shots from thigh height instead of looking down. I'm used to setting the bars that high because I did that from the start when I used to fail a bit on the heavy lifts (due to bad form). I'll probably set it one rack down from now on. You're right - it sucks to touch the bars. But I haven't failed for a long while on squat, so I can probably move it with no effect. For lighter lifts (<330lb usually) I leave the spotter bars on my bench setting, which is 3 holes lower.

I have to use a pad. I always have and I'm used to it, even though I feel like a wuss. I find it also absorbs a bit of roll movement of the bar. Every now and then I try a light lift without it and it hurts and the bar seems to roll around on my back. I guess I need to lock my arms in tighter to stop that. You do squats differently to me so you might not experience this (your shoulders might support the bar better than my upper back), but have you ever had the bar shift down on your back while lifting? I have a few times. Then I try to hold it with my arms instead of dropping it. Killer on the wrists :D.

[FatherDog]

We can tell that's not /really/ Australia, or the plates would be spinning counterclockwise.

[Toby]

^ :eek:

You found my secret! Lol!

I looked at the photos again, and esp. the 2nd one shows what I was talking about with the bar slipping. It didn't slip today, nor has for a while, but check out how low I support it. It's below my shoulders and rests on my shoulder blades. You can see in both shots how I'm impersonating a chicken with my elbows right back and my shoulders pulled back. When the bar slips, I'm not exactly in a good position to support e.g. 350lb with my arms. It's not fun. When it happens I should probably just drop down and let the spotter bars take the weight, but I always lift it back up. Sometimes even finish a set, but my wrists remind me why that's a bad idea for a long while afterwards. I try to keep the wrists straight, but they inevitably fold back like when you try to stretch the underside of your forearm. Loading them up in that position isn't good.

I like how I'm looking straight ahead in both shots. I always try to. If I don't, my lower back collapses straight away. Goes for DL as well. I've just never seen myself lift before so I liked that. That's what gives me my arch.

It's a shame I wear baggy black tracky pants because that makes it hard to see against the rubber mats. Next time I'll try to wear a t-shirt and shorts, considering I'm not in Australia and it's not winter and ****ing down with rain this morning :D.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Toby
the bar slips

Ever seen this before?

Manta Ray (http://www.fit-1.com/fitness_equipment/exercise_products/accessories/acc-cap-mr136.htm)

We have one at my gym. I tried it out just to mess with it, and it was a lot more comfortable that I assume it would be. I still just use the regular bar, tho.

[Toby]

Woah! Looks like a 2-at-once shoe-horn. Problem with that is with my powerlifting style it would hold the bar too high. I've never tried powerlifting style with the bar on the neck, but I dunno if it'd work. I'm too used to the low bar now. It'd be a significant amount of retraining to move it. Although I did do some Olympic squats a few weeks back for fun with a higher bar than usual (for me). I like the bar low, it's just that there's not much holding it up. Like you could probably not use your hands at all - the bar is supported by your shoulders, right? Well, I need to use the hands as well - quite a bit. They're not just there to look pretty and stabilize, they're working - locked in holding the bar in place. Unfortunately when I do slip, it's because my focus is on my trunk and legs and I forget to "hyperirradiate" (thanks Pavel ;)) my arms too. I have to focus on my trunk because even unracking that weight I feel the load standing upright. I have to keep the midsection tight or I'd collapse.

[Toby]

Originally posted by IronFist
Anyway, it looks good. I believe you that you squat all the way down, so don't worry about the pic. Foo might not believe you, tho. Actually, your spot bars look a bit high... can you get all the way down without the bar touching them? It SUCKS if the bar touches them at the bottom of your squat cuz then it totally throws off your groove.Looking at the 2nd photo, you can see my left knee/lower leg just out to the side of the power rack upright. I've got one of those ridiculous wide stances. Almost as wide as the rack which is (as you can see) almost as wide as the skinny part of the Oly bar. If my feet were shoulder width, I'd have the longest upper thighs in the world and I'd have a long way to go to get to parallel. As it is, the 6-8" to the spotter bars is enough to get my thighs to just below parallel.

Actually, I like that knee/leg shot because it shows my lower leg is vertical which is also something I aim for.

[Ford Prefect]

Nice squat, Toby. Now all you have to do is lose that bar pad and you'll be a real man. I guess I'll throw some pictures up too. These are just a couple of poses though taken about a month ago. I'll have to get some of my back since I don't have my lats flared in any of these.

6' 170-175 (depending on the minute)

[Ford Prefect]

Numero dos.

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect
Nice squat, Toby. Now all you have to do is lose that bar pad and you'll be a real man.Thanks Ford. But like I said it hurts without the pad.:p

Hey, we've got similar body structure. I'm like you but with 3" extra and about 15% b.f. on top. But I'm the same as in I'll never be huge like 7*. More a lean look. Goes with the height, I guess. Just got to lose that b.f. and I'll be right. Down to 6'3", 195lb this morning. Oh yeah, and you're more handsome than me ;).

More photos in another thread.

[IronFist]

Nice pics, Ford.

I should post some more photos. My only ones are like a year old. Not like I look any different, tho. Maybe my arms are 1/2" bigger now.

[Ford Prefect]

Thanks, guys. Toby, didn't I tell you that I was a model/personal trainer/pro fighter/genius?

[Toby]

Lol! You know - I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was you I've been arguing with all along, "Eyebrows". I noticed you'd been quiet lately, while BL's been posting a mile a minute.

[Ford Prefect]

That's one of the reasons I've been quiet. Added to the fact I just got married and was on my honeymoon.

[Toby]

Congrats again. Hey, you should join in the fun with BL. It's a good laugh sometimes. Lots of people avoid her, though. Luckily she's sort of migrated to the main forum and stopped posting her kooky ideas here ('cept the last day).

[FatherDog]

I haven't been able to lift weights in over two months, between tournaments and injuries and everything else :mad: So I don't have any pictures of me lifting.

Here's the most recent pic I have of me without my shirt on, though.

http://www.grapplers.com/gallery/podiumwebgallery/originals/216.jpg

I'm the one with the sunglasses and bad posture :D

[Ford Prefect]

You got a medal. That's what counts. ;)

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect
You got a medal. That's what counts. ;)

I also got vomited on, and a dislocated shoulder.

But it's a shiny medal :D

[Toby]

You've also got the hot short chick holding your hand, right? ;)

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by Toby
You've also got the hot short chick holding your hand, right? ;)

Sadly, no - that's just a trick of the angle the picture was taken.

Interestingly, she used to date someone I used to train with. He got a job far away from the school, though, so he started training with Ricardo Almeida instead, since that was closer to him.

[FooFighter]

Toby

You asked people what do you think of your form. First it is pretty difficult to judge from your pictures. So I may be wrong in my assessment. It looks like you are not doing a traditional parallel squat properly. Meaning it looks like you are not actively using your hips when you descend (maybe using your back to do the work instead of your hip complex) and you are leaning toward too much. I am glad you didnt collapsed right after your shot was taken. Keep Up the Good Work.

[Toby]

Thanks Foo. I do what I thought was a powerlifting squat. I go down by pushing my ass out, as though I'm sitting back and down in a chair. So my hips actually lead the whole motion. If anything, I'm too far back since I'm often fighting my balance on my heels. This is how I do deadlift too, trying to keep my weight on my heels rather than forefeet. I was under the impression that this helps keep the shins upright so that's why I do it.

[IronFist]

There's different kinds of squats :)

[Toby]

Whaddaya mean, Iron? Anything to add to Foo? Expanding on when I said:
Originally posted by Toby
So my hips actually lead the whole motion.My hips are what I think of moving first. I don't think of squatting my legs at all. I think "Here I go - bum, start going back." Not "Here I go - legs, take up the load." It's a subtle difference, but I find that subtle conceptual differences make a world of difference to my capacities sometimes.

Oh yeah: Foo, I doubt my back could take the whole load anyway, even if I tried (e.g. good mornings with 350lb :eek: ). But I'd be happy if it could. Like I said in another thread, it's not doing so badly at the moment.

[IronFist]

I'm just telling anyone reading this thread who doesn't already know that there're different kinds of squats. For example, powerlifting squats and bodybuilding squats.

Nevermind, tho. I guess the point was missed. Carry on.

[Toby]

That's what I thought you meant. You were just kind of succinct ;). I thought my squat was fine. Foo said I'm not doing a traditional parallel squat. You implied my squat's fine in a powerlifting sense.

[IronFist]

Here are the rules for if a squat is fine:

1. You go to parallel or below.

2. Your back stays arched.

3. Your heels stay down.

4. You come back up :)

Your squat was fine.

[Ford Prefect]

5. Your knees don't float past your toes.

[abobo]

Yeah, your pictures came out dark. Maybe this helps?

[Toby]

Cool! You can even see my skinny legs inside my tracky dacks.

[IronFist]

Tracky dacks?

[Toby]

Australian for "tracksuit pants". Dacks are short for underdacks, which are slang for underpants. Tracky dacks is just a rhyming slang term. Dunno if it's Australia-wide, but it's common where I'm from.

[red5angel]

I also got vomited on, and a dislocated shoulder.


you grapplers have some weird techniques..... :)