[h7jb7sg1e]

I agree the walkouts are tough, but it helps strengthen you up for a pr attempt and get you used to handling the weight. Psychologically it helps a ton. By the way I notice you don't wrap your thumbs around the bar. Do you feel that generates more power?

Another thing is your doing a lot of conditioning and other types of training, your schedule is pretty busy, and not optimal for strength gains. so maybe you need a couple extra hours of sleep before you go for the pr.

I'm thinking about getting a belt when I can squat and or deadlift 500, or by the end of the year, whichever is sooner. Whats your opinion about training with a belt and what about knee/elbow wraps.

[DEVILsSON]

I took the advice out of Ripptoe's book about not wrapping thumb...the hands merely support the weight...but then I lose some gripping power...and the whole bending bar into an upside down U....guess i'll try it with normal grip next time and see how it compares...

deadlifts dont really benefit from belt all that much....however a belt can increase your squat considerably...ditto knee wraps...elbow/wrist sleeves are for mere comfort/support...

[Donut62]

I used to get nothing out of a belt when pulling, but the more I have learned to use it the more I get out of the belt. Today I tried some heavyish triples without a belt and I almost died.

[DEVILsSON]

Thanks Newt. I'll definitely will do everything I can to pass.

[h7jb7sg1e]

cool, thanks for the info.

yeah, for me, I pull the bar into my traps, I need to read up more on bar position, I think I high bar squat, but I'm not sure

have you considered trying some triple clap push-ups, heck maybe even quintuple clap push-ups with your strength. ross has a video clip as do a few others, you could even do those weighted. Right now I'm up to a double clap, (one back, then one front).

[DEVILsSON]

Today we had Pursuit Driving Course. We practiced 8 laps in each direction ...4+4 with instructor and 4+4 without.....then had 3 runs to pass the course....we were chasing a car that matched the broadcast so we had to light up then follow it....communicate with dispatch and so forth. Focus was on proper distance, breaking/accelerating, hitting turns at proper apexes, shuffle steering, etc.....Had to get the course in 165 seconds...anything over would be points off for each second over.....also cones would be 10 points if struck/touched and various things like light activation, steering, proper lane use, turns, breaking, control of vehicle, etc...would be from 2-25 points....I managed to barely pass on 3rd try....was a load of my chest....and a nice turnaround from the beginning of the day...I was trying to do shuffle steering but that just wasnt happening so I went back to hand over hand which for me was much faster....first two runs I didnt get dinged at all for it but on last run I lost 2x4 for that alone...oh well...

.....was a bit bummed i didnt do one optional practice segment...it was parallel parking a prisoner wagon/van right then left then going down a narrow passage and then going in reverse back....oh well they said it's usually not a problem for people in the FTO...

have to get my head in the game for tomorrow's segment....ie high speed chases through intersections with other cars coming at the same time at fast speeds.....

Been wanting to do some conditioning last couple days but I am so mentally and physically exhausted that I can barely sit in the chair...

[fennway4414]

If you're feeling that beat up take a break dude, I think you've earned it lol.

[DEVILsSON]

that's the plan...

[Newt]

Are they teaching you "threshold braking?" Just curious.

[DEVILsSON]

yep. apex turning, skid recovery, various high speed steering/turn/stopping techniques, etc.....I just cannot grasp the skills quickly enough...we literally get a day at best to become comfortable with these concepts and at worst half a day....for people who are great drivers and we have quite a few this is no problem but for me this becomes a jumbled mess of various techniques as well as old muscle memory techniques....hand over hand+shuffle steering=complete crap steering....on multiple S run i could only stay with the suspect car with hand over hand steering....i just need a week for this techniques sink in my head....

i found out my friend who competes in shooting is also a certified racing coach and has had almost double the driving instruction that we get this week....and said he'll try to get me to drive his SUV on Sat......i dont know if he knows everything that they teach us but the course i need to pass is all about speed and avoiding the cones(precision)....so who better than a racing coach..lol..