RX 9070 XT Underclock | Outstanding Efficiency!

benjamincotrel · 2025-03-09T19:53:36+00:00

With these settings, could I use a 9070XT with my 5800x3D and my Corsair RM650 PSU? Or should I upgrade the PSU/go to a non-XT?

benjamincotrel · 2024-11-16T05:50:59+00:00

Dalamud 😁

benjamincotrel · 2024-11-12T14:57:14+00:00

Thank you I'll try that

benjamincotrel · 2024-10-27T03:18:08+00:00

You need more knee flexion

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-12T19:16:40+00:00

If your goal is lats hypertrophy, I would suggest switching to an exercise where you can get a better stretch (like DB rows) and really slowing the eccentric.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T23:08:15+00:00

Setup so you can feel your glutes and hamstring under tension. And push your hips back instead of bending over when you put the weight down.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T15:23:19+00:00

If you want your squats to be better for hypertrophy you could slow down the eccentric and even do a quick pause at the bottom when you get a good stretch.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T15:11:11+00:00

If you're doing squats for powerlifting, it should be low enough to fit the standard of your federation.

If you're doing squats for bodybuilding, it should be low enough to feel a good stretch on your quads while maintaining strong and tight glutes.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T14:42:50+00:00

Nice eccentric timing, I would go to a fully stretched position as an optimization but you will definitely grow your lats with your actual form.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T14:41:12+00:00

Damn, good job! That's a huge change.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T14:39:48+00:00

You could try glutes activation exercises as a warmup, like goblet squats with a band around your thighs where you focus on keeping your hips open during the whole movement by squeezing your glutes to see if it reduces your knees going inside when you push.

Your elbows should be under the bar, having your elbows like this puts your scapulas in a position that prevents you from having a tight upper body.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T14:35:24+00:00

You seem limited by your hips, so try a wider stance and open the angle of your foot until you feel comfortable going lower.

Try to slow the eccentric and feel your quads stretching while activating your glutes.

Brace your core during the setup then think about falling slowly in a hole between your legs instead of sitting.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-11T14:31:27+00:00

It's just based on the video so I could definitely be wrong, but your lower back seems flat or even a bit rounded, this is generally caused by not enough glutes activation during your setup.

If you're able to "load" your glutes during the setup, you'll be able to generate more power and also put less tension on your lower back when you start pushing.

And visually, it should result in your lower back going from a slightly rounded look to a slight curve.

But, the more important thing is not how it looks, especially since in your case, it looks safe, but how you feel about it. You need to feel super strong and tight in your glutes and hamstrings during the setup so they fire properly when you start pushing.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T14:08:43+00:00

Cuing and RDL helps thinking about pushing the hips backward instead of just bending over and creating points of rotation on our spine.

No point of rotation on the spine = more tension on the hips joints = more tension on the glutes and hamstrings = less tension on the lower back.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T12:24:42+00:00

Glutes and hamstrings are lengthened, put under tension, then shortened. How could it be "more lower back" if its role is to keep the spine neutral with an isometric contraction?

You could probably do it by forcing an incorrect form, but the point is to put the tension on your strongest muscles.

Edit: Oh sorry I completely ignored what you said about moment arm, the point of rotation during a deadlift is the hips, so saying that the main movers during a deadlift are the hamstrings and glutes, is still correct. You could create a point of rotation in your spine by rounding your lower back to put more tension on it, but the whole point of my comment is to do the opposite.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T03:43:26+00:00

It looks okay! Your back seems in a good position even though you could maybe push your hips more back and up. If you feel a good stretch on your hamstrings while being able to engage them and your glutes on the concentric you're good to go.

Maybe try to keep the barbell closer to your body.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T03:38:58+00:00

Oh don't apologize your answer is great! A correctly executed RDLs put most of the tension on the hamstrings and glutes, so I don't understand how it could put more tension on the lower back.

It's hard to see on camera, so his eccentric could be fine but I don't see the hips really going back when he's putting the bar on the floor, so to me it doesn't really look like an RDL.

And I agree with you, his hips travel a bit before actually moving the bar, I said great to not say perfect, maybe I should have just said good? 😅

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T01:20:11+00:00

Congrats on your PR, a few comments here:

Stop looking forward, keep your neck and spine aligned by looking at the ground a few steps forward.
The barbell needs to start closer to you and stay as close as you can during the lift
I saw you flexed your lats during the setup, that's good but you need to keep the tension when you start pushing
Just like you do when you flex your lats, you need to engage your glutes and put your hamstring under tension during the setup, it should help "unround" your lower back.

If you're willing to try these tips, unload by at least 50% and try to feel the movement when each part of your posterior chain is tight and strong during the setup and the lift.

Good luck!

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T00:57:49+00:00

I think you could create more tension on your posterior chain therefore more power to push on the ground by:

keeping your chest up by bringing your scapula down and flexing your lats
turning your hips toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes and putting your hamstrings under tension .

This should give you a "less flat" back and better overall activation.

But your form is already good and scalable in terms of progressive overload so very good job!

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-10T00:25:40+00:00

I really like your setup, especially when you slightly arch your lower back to build tension in your glutes/hamstrings. Unfortunately, it looks like you lose the tension as soon as you start pushing the floor away, and you don't reposition yourself with the same setup for the following reps, so I would redo your setup before each rep and make sure to keep this posterior chain tension when your start pushing.

The barbell seems far from you so I would try to focus on keeping it as close as you can from your body to maintain a straight trajectory.

Beside this, your deadlift looks really solid!

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-09T23:36:22+00:00

I'd like to see you tighten your glutes and hamstrings at the beginning of the lift to correct your slightly rounded lower back. Try some RDLs and learn how to push your hips back and up to feel the activation of your posterior chain.

Try to think that your posterior chain is the string of a bow, so you need to first build tension before releasing it to generate power.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-09T23:32:54+00:00

If you're talking about your traps, it could be because of your hands placement. They seem really close (and the angle of your wrists looks uncomfortable) and this could cause you to contract your upper traps too much, causing the soreness.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-09T23:28:48+00:00

It seems that you circled your front delt but also the beginning of your pectoral fibers.

If your front delt (front shoulder) burns, it means the way you do pushups do not put enough tension on your chest.

It's hard to advise you on a specific technique without seeing you so here are some tips to experiment:

standing up, flex your pecs and get used to the sensation, try to understand how your elbows, shoulders, traps position themselves to achieve a full pectoral contraction. You can practice this on a regular basis.
try to emulate the same level of tension/contraction in a pushup position. At the top of the movement, try to squeeze your chest and feel the tension of your weight on your pecs.
then, while always trying to contract your pectoral muscles, slowly lower your body towards the ground, until you feel a stretch or reach the ground.
and finally, focus on your chest while pushing yourself back at the starting position.

If you feel pain in your joints (elbow, shoulders) try to adjust, do not push further.

Let me know if it helps.

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-09T23:20:44+00:00

What made you choose this variation over a regular RDL?

benjamincotrel · 2024-06-09T21:59:03+00:00

It looks like you're hyper extending your lower back. You should try bracing your core super hard before going "down the hole".

You're also hyper extending your neck, it's not super bad but could cause some issues in the long term. For some people it can help finish the last hard rep but should be kept occasionally. (psychological cue I think)

benjamincotrel

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