Throwback

Ok. So I've got a few minutes to get caught up here.  I want to list out the high points of the last couple weeks efforts.  Should be a fairly boring read which I wouldn't recommend, but I wanted to get it posted for my own archival purposes.

Starting on Monday, Nov. 7th.
OH Press: 180 x 5, 190 x 5, 200 x 5


Deadlift: 375 x 5, 400 x 5, 425 x 5
Sumo DL: 225 x 10 x 5

Flat Bench Press: 270 x 5, 290 x 5, 310 x 5
Incline Bench Press: 185 x 10 x 3, 185 x 8, 185 x 6

Squats: 375 x 5, 400 x 5, 425 x 5
Squats (no belt): 225 x 10 x 5

*OH Press: 190 x 3, 200 x 3, 215 x 5

Deadlift: 400 x 3, 425 x 3, 450 x 3

Flat Bench Press: 290 x 3, 310 x 3, 325 x 5
Flat Bench Press: 225 x 10 x 3, 225 x 8, 225 x 6

*I've decided that I'm OK with using some leg drive in the heavier overhead presses (85-100% 1RM).  This changes the excersise to something one might call a push press and makes it more dynamic than static pressing.  Some purists may claim that if I can't press the weight statically then I should lower the weight. Here are three reasons those people are jackasses.

1. This is a functional strength exercise in my program, not a bodybuilding movement.   I can't think of a real world scenario when you wouldn't use your legs to lift something heavy overhead.
2. There is no competition for static overhead pressing and therefore no strict rules.  Olympic lifters and strongmen both press overhead in competition, but they use as much leg drive as humanly possible.  The bench press is probably the most similar competitive lift.  If you're not using leg drive in the bench, you're doing it wrong.
3. You're lumbar spine will thank you when you bend your knees to absorb the eccentric portion of the lift.  A belt helps, but doesn't offer the same protection as in exercises where you're condensing your torso rather than elongating it.

Now, that being said I gotta point out that I still base my 1RM on a single controlled static press.  Because of the nature of this lift, a single rep begins and ends in eccentric contraction.  Generally speaking, a muscle group is about 40% stronger in eccentric contraction than in concentric contraction.  Assuming that you can lock the weigh out for a new shiny PR, you should be able to lower the weight under control with very little risk of injury.  In my opinion, that risk changes dramatically when you up the rep count.  You will begin to sacrifice control for energy conservation to complete high weight, multi-rep sets.

I'm done now.