Powerlifting Etc: 10/26/07 - Max Effort Squat

SSB High Box Squat 235x5, 285x3, 335x2, 380x1, 430x1, 455x2x2
SSB Suspended Good Mornings 245x4x6
GHR's (Home Made) 4x6
Monster Min Wood Choppers 4x12

Had an alright day. My ab strain seems to have resurfaced, had a real hard time keeping arched. I did it, but not without discomfort. I had originally planned on hitting 475-500 today but recognized the fact I just didnt "Have It" on this day. Enter the Volume...455x2x2 coupled with the single at 430 accounted for 5 lifts at/or above 90%....good stuff for a bad day of powerlifting...

Next up was the Safety Squat Bar Good Morning" suspended from chains. Now good mornings are bad enough with a straight bar, but done with the SSB, ugh. First off, getting under the friggin thing is misery, then you have to get started while having the bar try to choke you out, reminded me of training old school MMA with my buddies, I absolutely hate the feeling of being choked!!!

Glute Ham Raise was the poor boy rigged up version. I basically took average bands, choked them on top of the cage, set a barbell low to anchor my feet, and did them off my bench. One of these days I will put together an eBook of all the crazy contraptions I have come up with to mimic these high ticket items (or even a cheesy video might suffice)....Anyway, these suckers killed my posterior chain, eveything was cramping, good times, good times....

Gather round, its Powerlifting Etc Q&A Time Kiddies...

Dave from MA asks:

What advice do you have for a lifter when their Deadlift is higher than their Squat by alot?

Powerlifting Etc answers:

Knock Knock....Who is it?

Its me Dave.

Who? (Looking at the talking picture of Jesus)

Sorry, crappy reference to an old Cheech & Chong Movie, man I used to love that shit. Back to reality. Dave, I think you are in the same boat as 90% of the lifters out there. However this question depends heavily on a couple of things.

Is the lifter using gear and still lagging in the Squat? If so, Practice the gear, Strengthen the core, and dont skimp on the accessory work.

Or, is the lifter a RAW lifter. In which case, I think it is totally normal for the Squat to lag the Deadlift, I havent seen too many people where this isnt the case. But that doesnt mean you have to settle for it either. Keep hammering away at it, put in the effort, and eventually your squat should come up. Not saying it will pass the deadlift, but to at least within 50-60 lbs.

Lastly, what is the disparity between the lifts? If your talking 100-200 pounds then my advice would be to just plain Squat!!! All too many times I have people ask similar questions, and when asked what their squatting schedule looks like, I kinda get to doe in headlights look..."Like once a month if I can squeeze it in...", or sometimes after deadlifting if Im not too tired...." etc.....Bottom Line, if this is the case, then get under the bar, sit down, then stand up....lather, rinse, & Repeat with heavy weights....I hate putting in the effort just as much as the next guy, but its a necessary evil in the sport of Powerlifting, unless you plan on being a bench or deadlift specialist that is. But thats a whole other rant I will save for a rainy day, wait a minute, it is raining out....uh oh. Just Kidding.

Now, this is a tough question to answer, and Im sure this is not the end all, be all answer some people look for. There could be a myriad of issues with the lifter ranging from bad back, one leg shorter than the other, or maybe they are like Cotton, Hank Hills father on King of the Hill, where they chopped out his shins and re-attached his feet to his knees....you follow? That being said, I hope this helped to answer your question, if not, shoot me another email and I will give you a more personalized answer.