need help...

[The Shadow]

..arched back gm's today.

Never dob them

Have done seated version strictly for lower lumbar strength.

Did 140 for 8 with chest on thighs...

ANy idea what an approximate 3rm for standing arch backes might be?

 

[TheProject]

Why not start with 135, and work your way up?

I still say you'll do more than you expect.

 

[The Shadow]

yeah - just wanted to sort of "pace" myself since it is suppose to be a 3rm.....I fiugure 135...185...225 if I can

 

[TheProject]

I hear ya. When I started training as a PL, we had NO idea what I could do on some of this stuff, so we just took 22 or 44lb jumps until I maxed out. Didn't even try to guess what it might be.

 

[p03t1c]

as far as warming up goes you should probably be doing

bar x 5
2 x 95 x 5
2 x 135 x 5
185 x
225 x
275 x
315 x
and so on.

if you're below 300-400 lbs then you probably only want to be making 20 lb jumps per each set. you really need the extra volume. i always try to get 3-6 reps in the 90+% range.

arch back is a limited range movement so the weight should definately be higher than a seated GM. i don't really like arch back GMS unless they are the suspended fashion. i feel that the bent overs give me much more grief. and afterall, isn't that what powerlifting is all about. you do the things that cause you the most pain. hah.

 

[spatts]

I'm with P03 on this. It's easier to use your air seated, and the erectors aren't as isolated, and you're not using your abs to balance yourself, etc. What you do seated will be ALOT different, likely, and 135 seems like a dangerous place to start...to me.

 

[TheProject]

Well, I'll definitely defer to their wisdom on the weight. I was just thinking that the first time I did them, I nailed 135 for 3 easy.

On the flipside, when we first added GM's in to my BB split, I did 3 sets of 15 with just the safety squat bar (65lbs).

 

[The Shadow]

ok so......pussy weight for me then .......lol

 

[Deciever1]

you c an d efinately doo alot on arch backeed GM.. i think i did 205 for a tripple or something a while back

 

[spatts]

I'm not saying you can't do 135 or alot more...I wouldn't START there. Even Hannibal isn't too proud to start MOST lifts with the bar. It's just smart.

 

[p03t1c]

dave tate, chuck v, louie simmons, matt smith, and the rest of the westsiders who can put nearly all of us to shame start with the bar. you shouldn't lift the weight until your body is warmed up. in a workout where you have 1 max effort exercise and 3 to 4 other exercises, i think you can afford to spend a good amount of time on the first exercise.

 

[The Shadow]

It's not that I wanted to skimp on warmups...i didn't want to do too many intermediate sets of go too heavy on the top end and cut the rom

 

[p03t1c]

i don't know how you do GMs, but whenever i do these i feel like my spine is going to shoot out. i normally do them suspended or off the pins. i setup the pins so that i know exactly how low i'm going to go. there is no way in hell i'm going to take a heavy weight, walk out of the rack, and attempt to go for 3 reps without some sort of a safely net. call me a pansy or whatever but i have already had my body planted on the ground. i was actually doing seated GMs before i got my power rack. at that time, i thought the first 2 reps were easy. i was going extremely low (like chuck v low) and on the third one, i knew when i got low that i wasn't going to come up. my training partner thought my grunting was just because i was trying to get it up and i was straining, but 'help' doesn't sound the same when you have heavy weight on your back and you're kissing the floor knowing that the slightest movement will roll the bar on your head.

so with that being said, make sure you have some sort of safety system that works for you. suspended is probably the best way. if you dont have the chain then just do them in a powerrack off the pins. it's not the best way but it damn sure beats getting killed.

i think the in between sets are extremely important. i try to go until i cannot lift the weight what so ever. i sometimes strain under GMs off pins for like 10 seconds before i give up. when i talked to dave, he made sure that i knew that all the sets were important. from the bar to the PR.

just my .02

 

[The Shadow]

good advice - I have a rack I'll be in....

 

[Vulgar_Display_Of_Power]

Hey P03--

What dont you like about arch back Gm's? Now that I think I got the motion right, I absolutely love these. Everone that has trained with me and learned to do these feels the same.

Besides, name one other exercise that if you dont stay perfectly tight on you run the risk of shitting your pants!--Thats hardcore man.

Later..

 

[p03t1c]

other exercises that can cause shitting of the pants:

bench without a partner, any type of squat especially low box ssb, seated gms, regular gms

the reason i don't like these that much is that i like the range of motion much better with the regular GM. these don't seem to help build my deadlift. talking to dave, they dont do these much anymore either.

on a side note, i think there are quite a few people that like the arch back variation.

 

[Vulgar_Display_Of_Power]

Hey P03-

Are you planning on going to Kirk Strouds INSA worlds month after next? If you do-let me know. we'll makeit a point to meet.

BTW-did you go to the Westsied Seminar? I had a company/customer fishing trip and didnt get to make it. If you did, how was it?

 

[p03t1c]

yes, my partner and i hit the seminar. it was a great source for information. it's cool to have hands on help rather than someone answering your questions over the pooter. some people look a long ass time under the bar.

we'll prolly show up at the meet, but we won't be lifting. are you competing in the meet? where are you currently lifting?

 

[Night Fly]

Corn, I have the same problem as you. I have actually never done any good mornings (well once or twice) that weren't seated. I always feel like my lower back is too fatigued...and I know that it isn't supposed to work much of your lower back...but I always feel it there.

I guess I am doing them wrong...or my lower back pain is just too severe to allow me to do them correctly. I am really good at the seated ones...but I would really love to start doing the standing ones and adding weight. Everyone talks about what a wonderful exercise they are.

 

[Vulgar_Display_Of_Power]

Hey P03-

Yes I will be lifting in Oct. I hope to get in a bench meet between now and Oct. to kinda test and see where Im at on that. My shoulder has been bothering me since the July bench meet, so I dont want to really push it untill it counts. We'll see how it goes next month.

I am from Oklahoma City. I train at the Weight Room in OKC. Its more of a fluff gym than anything, but I can get the job done there(and its 10 min from my house!). I had met Kirk Stroud at one of the North American Strongman Society contests, and thought he was pretty cool, So when I started competing, I made the drive down to his APF meet. I really like the fact his contests are judged STRICT and FAIRLY! Thats something that cant always be said about OK meets, so Its worth the drive as far as Im concerned.

Are you from the DFW area? My family lives just north of the Sherman, Tx area--(Durant, Ok). I go down that way to visit from time to time-we ought to hook up and try to train some times. I know of some decent gyms in Dallas, Fort Worth, Gainesville, or Southern Ok area. Let me know if any of these might work for you. I've had some kick ass workouts from meeting up with lifters on this board(theOkie Lifting Crew).

Gimme a shout before the meet if you go, Its always cool to meet people form this board.

Later..

 

[p03t1c]

we'll have to show up at the meet now at least if we're not working. i'm out of plano so it'll be a close meet for me to drive to. i showed up near the end of the last meet and it seemed like it was dragging a bit. the judging i saw did seem very fair. stay in touch so we can at least meet up there. i often forget events like that and the day just sorta rolls by. i'll have to mark it off on the calender. should be fun! we're not as experienced as the okie crew but we should still be able to bounce ideals off of one another.