Meso Powerlifting Corner

They certainly are. I have used many variations with paused deads. Pause below knee, pause above knee, pause below, and above knee, etc. Those who dont believe in static position holds causing core improvement, will be very humbled. They force you to hold a proper position, and fight against rounding of the back. Paused are another one of those exercises that I love. Yes they are brutal, but I think there is a little masochist in every dedicated strength athlete.

Very true. tuchscherer has a good article that touches on paused deadlifts. The pause creates more time under tension among other benefits. I've done paused deads, paused bench, and paused squats. Going to start paused front squats for better core stabilization.
 
I think I will try to incorporate the rack pulls. At worst i find they dont work, but im hell bent on getting these DLs up by any means necessary (Im even thinking of using roids).
Keep pushing forward brother, and try to squeeze out every bit of your natural potential before going chemically enhanced. Proper training, dedication, and drive will allow you to do things you never imagined possible. I know that every one is different, and their genetic ceiling is limited, but try to push those numbers as high as possible before going enhanced. I have pulled 722 at a bwt of 199 naturally, and I have horrible genetics. I have fought my entire life trying to make the smallest of gains, but the important factor is that I "FIGHT". You clearly have the drive, and dedication so I have no doubt you can take your numbers a long way.
 
Very true. tuchscherer has a good article that touches on paused deadlifts. The pause creates more time under tension among other benefits. I've done paused deads, paused bench, and paused squats. Going to start paused front squats for better core stabilization.
Ohhhh....paused squats.....the killer of men. lol. After reading through much of Mike T.'s work, I began doing a paused squat variation to increase the time under tension. I would do a 2 second pause at the half squat position, and then rest the bar for 2 seconds on the safety pins, breaking up the eccentric, and concentric aspect of the movement, and then perform a dead stop squat from the bottom. (Performed beltless) The time under tension is brutal, and the amount of core activation is incredible.
 
I've noticed something odd lately. I've come to favor my left hand under and right hand over on deadlifts. I used to do the opposite until very recently. I'm wondering if it's related to switching to sumo and if it'll go back once I go back to conventional.
 
Keep pushing forward brother, and try to squeeze out every bit of your natural potential before going chemically enhanced. Proper training, dedication, and drive will allow you to do things you never imagined possible. I know that every one is different, and their genetic ceiling is limited, but try to push those numbers as high as possible before going enhanced. I have pulled 722 at a bwt of 199 naturally, and I have horrible genetics. I have fought my entire life trying to make the smallest of gains, but the important factor is that I "FIGHT". You clearly have the drive, and dedication so I have no doubt you can take your numbers a long way.

Think you may have missed the sarcasm in his post lol, jay has done a cycle or two. But wow 722 natty!
 
Pause squat and bench are to eliminate the stretch reflex, not to increase 'time under tension'. It takes a couple of seconds to inhibit the reflex' effect, after which it's harder to start moving. 'Starting strength' is why pauses are performed.

Deadlift doesn’t have an initial excentric motion, so no stretch reflex helps perform them. Pauses at any point are supposed to do what for you? You could get a much more intense training effect via isometrics at your pause point(s). Best a pause DL can possibly do is increase local, position-specific endurance. Doesn't matter that they suck and will therefore 'make a man out of you' if they can't add to your total.

Time under tension is either bodybuilding bullshit or a misapplied concept for lifters. It's nothing but a fancy name for volume. Joe Biceps doing 10 reps of deadlift at 135 pounds has the same TUT as a lifter pulling 10 singles at 600. Intensity is what makes us athletes. Volume is what makes him a primping weirdo who's very likely to be shaving off all his body hair and saving up for a new magenta nuthugger posing suit.

If TUT was valuable to lifters, we'd all be pulling that 135 as slowly as possible. We pull x00 slowly because it won't go up any other way.
 
Pause squat and bench are to eliminate the stretch reflex, not to increase 'time under tension'. It takes a couple of seconds to inhibit the reflex' effect, after which it's harder to start moving. 'Starting strength' is why pauses are performed.

Deadlift doesn’t have an initial excentric motion, so no stretch reflex helps perform them. Pauses at any point are supposed to do what for you? You could get a much more intense training effect via isometrics at your pause point(s). Best a pause DL can possibly do is increase local, position-specific endurance. Doesn't matter that they suck and will therefore 'make a man out of you' if they can't add to your total.

Time under tension is either bodybuilding bullshit or a misapplied concept for lifters. It's nothing but a fancy name for volume. Joe Biceps doing 10 reps of deadlift at 135 pounds has the same TUT as a lifter pulling 10 singles at 600. Intensity is what makes us athletes. Volume is what makes him a primping weirdo who's very likely to be shaving off all his body hair and saving up for a new magenta nuthugger posing suit.

If TUT was valuable to lifters, we'd all be pulling that 135 as slowly as possible. We pull x00 slowly because it won't go up any other way.

What do you think about people performing the eccentric portion of the deadlift too slowly? I find dropping it as quickly as possible (with my hands on the bar, obviously) is a lot less taxing and allows for more reps and sets.
 
What do you think about people performing the eccentric portion of the deadlift too slowly? I find dropping it as quickly as possible (with my hands on the bar, obviously) is a lot less taxing and allows for more reps and sets.

Well, there are two fundamental ways to get stronger - building more muscle, and improving neuromuscular effectiveness. The latter is very specific, so we have to lift heavy and do exercises that are very close to the competition lifts.

The former is definitely bodybuilding, but if you don't care if you move.up a weight class or two it's very effective when done properly. SHWs have it a lot easier than lighter lifters, and we shouldn't train like them, IMO.

So, eccentrics in general: Overloading (down from racks or spotters, no concentric) is absolute strength training, but not very specific. Use it to help condition the nervous system or psychology to handle heavy weights. Just like top squats or bench lockouts - the extra plates aren't as scary after you've lifted them successfully.

Slow eccentrics: Dubious strength effect, potentially powerful bodybuilding effect, minimal specificity. Only useful, therefore, if you want to gain weight, and not the best way to do that. More sets of full range low rep Big 3 and targeted assistance work is best for lifters moving up in class.

They also eat up energy that is best applied to the part of your lift that counts. Lower your dead under control, but quickly. Just like a competition.
 
^I will second that paused reps eliminate the stretch reflex. Doing a 5-rep set of paused squats pausing 3 seconds for the first 3 reps, 4 seconds the 4th and 5 the 5th will certainly attest to there being no spring out of the hole after a long pause.

I tried it on bench and almost blew out a pec trying the same strategy, so be careful with paused reps.

On deadlift, I always pull as explosively as possible, even with max effort work. If I want to pause, I'll do it at the top with an isometric hold. I don't want to mess up my spine pulling slowly. Just my $.02.
 
I bought Eddie Coan's training videos back in the 80s, and have been doing pause squats ever since. He prescribed doubles and 2-3 second pauses. There's different science on how long it takes for the stretch reflex to stop, but I don't think I've seen anything over 3 seconds. Longer won't be better, because it takes energy to sit in the hole.

I also don't like pause benches, but it's because I've always been able to start more than I can lock out raw. With a shirt, the bottom is the easiest part too.
 
Pause squat and bench are to eliminate the stretch reflex, not to increase 'time under tension'. It takes a couple of seconds to inhibit the reflex' effect, after which it's harder to start moving. 'Starting strength' is why pauses are performed.

I didn't say they don't eliminate the stretch reflex, I even added the "among other benefits part" bc there's more than just the TUT. Eliminating the stretch reflex isn't the

Starting Strength does not do paused lifts for any lift. Maybe you confused it with something else.

Deadlift doesn’t have an initial excentric motion, so no stretch reflex helps perform them. Pauses at any point are supposed to do what for you? You could get a much more intense training effect via isometrics at your pause point(s). Best a pause DL can possibly do is increase local, position-specific endurance. Doesn't matter that they suck and will therefore 'make a man out of you' if they can't add to your total.

Time under tension is either bodybuilding bullshit or a misapplied concept for lifters. It's nothing but a fancy name for volume. Joe Biceps doing 10 reps of deadlift at 135 pounds has the same TUT as a lifter pulling 10 singles at 600. Intensity is what makes us athletes. Volume is what makes him a primping weirdo who's very likely to be shaving off all his body hair and saving up for a new magenta nuthugger posing suit.

If TUT was valuable to lifters, we'd all be pulling that 135 as slowly as possible. We pull x00 slowly because it won't go up any other way.

Intensity is what determines the training affect and volume is what determines the magnitude of that effect.

If yo don't see any benefits from paused deadlift don't do them. I do see benefits so I do them occasionally.
 
I have a question for anyone that's competed untested. Does it show right on the board at the meet that you're untested? I know it could vary meet-to-meet and last year at the meet it didn't say that next to anyone's name and there were guys clearly on gear. I'm hoping it will just show it on the meet results they post online later. The reason I'm asking is some of my family decided last minute they're coming up to watch and this could cause some problems for me as I work for them.
 
Does it show right on the board at the meet that you're untested?

Untested federations are generally known to be untested. Tested feds don't test everyone. The board will have your name, the weight, and lights only, but a trophy or record certificate might say something like "Lifetime drug free". If you lift in IPF or AAU, every lifter will assume you're tested. Other feds they'll assume you aren't. Everyone else will assume you're on, tested or not.
 
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