My pics from the meet [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

IronFist

03-16-2005, 10:39 PM

I sent fa_jing his videos so he can make some stills, too.

Here are some pics and stills from my vids.

(all weights in pounds)
Bodyweight: 160
Deadlift: 300, 325, skipped 3rd attempt
Pullups: 18 wide grip behind the neck

Me and my skinny arms and my anabolicextreme.com t-shirt (http://martial.best.vwh.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2587&stc=1)

My skinny arms connect to big lats (with my post-doing-pullups pump) (http://martial.best.vwh.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2588&stc=1)

Deadlift sequence photo (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ironfistx/IronFist325lbsDeadliftSequence.jpg). It was too big to attach here so I used photobucket.

Pullup sequence photo (http://martial.best.vwh.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2589&stc=1). It was like that 18 times.

So there you go.

Pork Chop

03-16-2005, 10:50 PM

Dude, even yer "skinny arms" make my 235 pound azz look like a girly man.
Doubt I could put up much better numbers on a SLDL.
Congrats.

IronFist

03-16-2005, 11:31 PM

That was a regular DL, not a SLDL.

Pork Chop

03-16-2005, 11:38 PM

I do more weight from an sldl, but yah i see what yah mean.

Don't mind me, i'm celebratin st paddy's day early.

Rough nite sparrin as I mention on my blog.

Mo Lung

03-17-2005, 12:42 AM

Good effort Ironfist - well done! 18 pullups is quite impressive, but why behind the neck?

abobo

03-17-2005, 12:51 AM

In the picture your shoulders look like they are in front of the bar. If you started with your butt lower it would get you behind the bar.

Samurai Jack

03-17-2005, 01:45 AM

That was cool. Nice lift.

Your endurance and strength are pretty impressive. I've never heard of a competition that tested both. So how did the judges determine the winner?

Ford Prefect

03-17-2005, 07:07 AM

Looks good. You look pretty jacked.

IronFist

03-17-2005, 07:10 AM

The pic where I'm beginning my pull was when I had already lifted the bar about 1" off the ground so that's why my butt is kind of high or whatever. I'm trying to get the vid hosted so you guys can critique my form. Granted, it was a PR attempt so my form probably wasn't perfect, but still.

FooFighter

03-17-2005, 08:31 AM

Iron,

First for someone for your age you have an above average physique. You are not skinny in my eyes and personally you look quite fine. Besides, you are a good looking guy (dude, I am not gay) and I am sure ladies around my gym would not push you out of their beds. Thanks for sharing your pics and performance of your match. Second, I was impressed to see someone your size with great functional strength. You are the real deal. Much respect from me. You have given me some inspiration.

Your friend,
Bao Tran

Chief Fox

03-17-2005, 08:50 AM

Nice job IronFist! Impressive lats.

FatherDog

03-17-2005, 09:24 AM

Wait, where's all the fuzzy stuff around IF's face? I thought that was a birth defect.

Starchaser107

03-17-2005, 10:17 AM

I'm with the board, hope you really don't consider yourself skinny and were just being sarcastic with us.

abobo

03-17-2005, 12:32 PM

You know, I would have agreed with you guys until I saw this pic...

fa_jing

03-17-2005, 04:03 PM

hey Iron, how do you make stills from an AVI file?

FngSaiYuk

03-17-2005, 04:14 PM

You know, I would have agreed with you guys until I saw this pic...
haha ... good one.

Yah, congrats, fa_jing & IF. And IF, if you really think u're skinny, u're just comparin' yerself to those HEEYOOOGE body builders that must eat like 8K cals a day. You actually appear a healthy fighting size for your height.

IronFist

03-17-2005, 05:10 PM

You know, I would have agreed with you guys until I saw this pic...

Hahahahahaha... 0wned!!! Hahahahahaha :D

IronFist

03-17-2005, 05:12 PM

hey Iron, how do you make stills from an AVI file?

Pause it where you want it and hit alt+print screen to take a picture of the open window. The go into MSPaint or some other art program and hit ctrl+v to paste the image. Crop it where you want it, resize, etc. If you're having problems getting the screen shots from WMPlayer to save, like they move around and stuff on you (you'll know what I mean if it's happening to you), there's a setting you have to change somewhere. I was having this problem before. I couldn't save pictures from WMPlayer. They were saving as blank. I don't know if it's a security thing or not, but someone showed me how to fix it. It's an option in one of the menus somewhere in WMPlayer. Anyway, let me know if you've having this problem and I'll find out how to fix it again.

Mo Lung

03-17-2005, 09:01 PM

Good effort Ironfist - well done! 18 pullups is quite impressive, but why behind the neck?
^^^
Hey, answer my question!

IronFist

03-17-2005, 09:25 PM

I did them behind the neck cuz that's how I started doing them when I started doing pullups 4 years ago. I know it' snot the healthiest thing for your shoulders, but even behind the neck (it's not really that far behind the neck cuz I bench my head forward so it's more like to the back of the neck) I'm not near the limit of my flexibility. Besides, my lats are stronger than my arms so I do them that way to maximize my lat involvement.

Mo Lung

03-17-2005, 09:28 PM

OK.

Weird.

;)

FngSaiYuk

03-17-2005, 09:41 PM

OK.

Weird.

;)
Not really weird, I can do more pullups behind my neck like that than I can to my chest also. My back is stronger pulling downwards, using the side muscles more than pulling towards the back using the muscles right behind my shoulders. Depends on what you work more, grows in strength more and genetics I guess.

Mo Lung

03-17-2005, 10:35 PM

Sure, but it's funny that a meet would allow/promote a contraindicated exercise. You'd think they would promote proper form and safe practice, that's all.

IronFist

03-17-2005, 11:19 PM

Oh, the chiropractor judge told me it's bad for me. But I told him I'm pretty flexible and I had been training that way cuz the original email said "palms away, thumbless grip, to the front or back of the neck." He told me I could probably get away with it now cuz I'm 24 but I shouldn't do it too much more. I'll probably listen to his advice :)

Samurai Jack

03-18-2005, 12:31 AM

Thumbless grip? I would've refused to do that unless they gave me a logical reason why. How is that going to effect the number of pull-ups you can do?

Mo Lung

03-18-2005, 02:17 AM

Toby

03-18-2005, 06:26 AM

Nice work guys. I can't believe a photo of Iron, usually it's line drawings and _never_ a face shot. Wow. You're an ugly mutha :D.

(Gotta bring you down a notch after Foo drooling all over you)

Vash

03-18-2005, 08:13 AM

I_F kinda looks like that guy from the first few seasons of Mad TV. The one who did the Poolboy skit.

:eek:

IronFist

03-18-2005, 09:32 AM

Thumbless grip? I would've refused to do that unless they gave me a logical reason why. How is that going to effect the number of pull-ups you can do?

It's called a "tactical pullup." It's like what a SWAT team would do if they had to climb over a wall; there's nothing to wrap your thumbs around on a wall.

Toby

03-18-2005, 10:33 AM

Plus your grip is more likely to slip. Like doing deadlift with a thumbless grip is much harder. Or lifts with a thick bar.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 10:58 AM

deadlift sequence:

red5angel

03-18-2005, 02:28 PM

are you supposed to lean back so far when deadlifting?

Ford Prefect

03-18-2005, 02:41 PM

That's just an old school lockout, Red. I'd be more worried about the extremely rounded back. I figured it was just because of it being a PR attempt though.

Again, congrats on competing guys.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 03:04 PM

yeah, regarding the lockout, I just wanted to make sure I locked it out. Plus I was just powering through the sticking point and that was the only direction to go. I was stoked.

Ford's right because my back rounded less during the previous attempt which was 405. However, I can see that in both cases, my back was rounded when I assumed the start position, before I began pulling. I had kinda discovered this recently and the solution is to lock the upper back before starting, but I basically forgot and went back to my old form since I didn't deadlift alot in preperation for the meet. Putting the back in its proper place also would help me get my hips down, according to a recent tip I read here:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=818DDA71D527EC1951C1629046 4FD0BB.titan?id=586815

I don't think my back is in danger but it does lead to excessive soreness and recovery time. I've had problems with my posture ( for years ) and my back will curve a bit like that if I don't pay attention to it. Especially with long hours at work in front of my computer. What helps it the most is bridging. Need to go back to doing that daily. I'm in the "switching" phase of the Smolov for squats so when I go back on Smolov I won't be able to do any other work. After that I should be back into kettlebells and stuff.

I'm also realizing that I want to go on a deadlift peaking cycle because I think that's the only way to get your form down well in an exercise. Smolov has done loads to increase my squat form proficiency. I'd like to do a bench cycle too but it's so hard fitting everything in! Thing is, when you are on a cycle, it's hard to get any other work in involving the targeted muscle groups.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 03:10 PM

One more thing: I think the rounded back makes my sticking point stickier. The angle isn't as good as it might be.

Good news is, I think I have the potential to pull more. I have no doubt I will eventually pull 600, barring grip issues in my nerve-damaged hand. At some point I may have to start pulling with straps if my grip can't keep up.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 03:20 PM

oh, and the last thing is, case anyone cares, I did not take creatine and I did not stop drinking beer in preparation for the meet :D :cool: I had been sick during alot of the last 2 weeks before the meet and also drove for 7 hours the day before. These last two items didn't affect me a whole lot, but there is reason to think I'll be able to do better.

I have bought the CoC grippers and I can close the T in both hands, but not the 1 yet. The right is a good deal stronger than the left due to the aforementioned nerve damage. I severed the ulnar nerve in my left wrist in a skateboarding incident when I was 12. They performed nerve replacement surgery using a piece of nerve from the calf. I got some of the motion back but not all. For instance, I can't move the fingers from side to side by themselves. The hand is limited but I don't let it hold me back from much. I even have used it to play piano (not well :p ). I am continuing to increase the strength but I think my pulling strength will surpass my grip strength fairly soon, like in the next 6 months.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 03:22 PM

hey, that guy with the black T-shirt sitting behind me in the photos pulled 425 too, and he's only 180 lbs and young. Not as impressive as Ford P of course! But PDG. He was my inspiration because I kept lifting the same weights he did, right after he pulled.

IronFist

03-18-2005, 05:11 PM

Yeah, that guy who pulled 425 @ 180lbs was strong! That's my goal. Or at least 4 plates on each side (405).

480-495 would be 3x bodyweight for me right now. I wonder if I could ever get that naturally. If I was ever able to deadlift that much I'd probably weigh more, so then 3x bodyweight would be even higher.

That tool they used to lift the bar up while they loaded the weights on for DL was cool. But, if you use bumper plates, they're just a little bigger than 45's so then you don't need to pick it up. I wish my gym had bumper plates. Hell, I wish my gym had round plates instead of those triangle things. Deadlifting with those is a pain.

fa_jing

03-18-2005, 05:26 PM

what I do with the triangle thing weights, is stagger them so that the flat parts are NOT lined up. The ones at one of the gyms I go to have both round and flat around the circumference. When you stagger the orientation of the plates, the round part of one of the plates is touching the ground at all times. As long as you have at least two plates on each end of the bar it works.

Toby

03-18-2005, 10:35 PM

I have bought the CoC grippers and I can close the T in both hands, but not the 1 yet.My left's gone badly downhill. I've lost ability with the #2, but strangely the left hand's endurance is better with the #1. Right hand is the same with #2 (2-3 reps in a row I'll close). I think it's because of a nagging little finger injury on the left hand from sparring. How much can you grip double pronated before you start to slip your grip on DL? I go to 320 and I can do 330 but I don't usually because I care more about the lift than whether I can grip the bar. Never tried higher than 330 without alternating grip. On a side note, I wish they'd make CoCs with different spring orientations. It's a minor thing, but I'd love to play with a left handed version of them. Foo, think of the extra money Ironmind'd make ;).

On the back - I probably do the same at the end of a cycle or if I'm trying to lift a PR. I feel it later too. One thing I find helps is last thing before the pull I kind of pull my shoulders back and stick my chest out. Feels like you're lifting your shoulders towards the roof. Like you said, it brings the hips down too.

IronFist

03-19-2005, 12:52 AM

FatherDog

03-19-2005, 01:11 AM

deadlift sequence:

Holy rounded back, batman!

Then again, your PR is about 80 lbs more than mine right now, so maybe I should shut up :D

IronFist

03-19-2005, 04:00 PM

fa_jing, do you ever lift without a belt?

I think they should include bench in the next meet. Yeah? DL for max weight, Bench for max weight, Pullups for max reps (or max weight with a weight belt, w00t!).

fa_jing

03-20-2005, 10:33 AM

Yes, I haven't been using a belt for months, for anything. I only put it on for the 3 "official" attempts at the meet. I prefer to train without it, and I bet my form is a little better without it. Though really, the key is to have the correct start position with the back locked, which I did not. I can just throw it on for meets without having to train with it. The skill doesn't really leave you. I'd say it's good for another 15-20 pounds, and best of all seems to increase my endurance for heavier pulls.

Tobers, a long time (5-6 months) ago I pulled 315 in a double pronated no-hook grip. I wasn't maxing or anything. I see no reason why I couldn't do more, but I have a feeling it would be short of 365. Of course, the fact that 315 is an easy lift for me means that the lift is over quickly, thus the grip wouldn't be heavily taxed. My left hand which is the deficient hand does better in the pronated position generally, though I train both ways. I have experimented a bit with alternating grip using a hook grip in the pronated hand, or in both hands. So far I haven't been able to do better than the standard alternating grip for a 1rm. The hook arrangement has done me some good for long sets of say 5 reps. Hey this is an interesting tip about the alternating grip: The supinated hand (palm up) should be slightly closer to the center of the bar than the other hand.

I use the hook grip for my quick lifts.

IronFist

03-20-2005, 11:59 AM

Hey this is an interesting tip about the alternating grip: The supinated hand (palm up) should be slightly closer to the center of the bar than the other hand.

Yeah, so that the thumb and middle finger are in the same place on the bar on both hands.

Ever done pullups with a hook grip? That hurts like hell. Wait, a hook grip is when your fingers go over your thumb, right?

GunnedDownAtrocity

03-21-2005, 03:50 AM

nice to see your ugly mug after all these years.

if i were a lady i wouldnt do you, but since im not i would.

Akhilleus

03-21-2005, 07:56 AM

Wow guys...WTG...that's great...Iron, ever thought of renting out you lats out as parking space...or as a screen at the drive in theater? And you could make still more money by suing the guy who made this based on you (http://www.cafepress.com/musclehedz.3016542?zoom=yes#zoom)

fa_jing

03-21-2005, 09:04 AM

Iron - No, and yes.

IronFist

03-21-2005, 05:56 PM