You don’t feel your glutes after all those deadlifts? That’s interesting.
On top of what simo74 suggested, can you try glute bridges? Hold them for a tiny bit each rep and do as many as you can before you feel your glutes firing.
Or, if you want to get even more extreme, do these instead-
Same idea, hold for a tiny bit at the top each rep.
6/11
1 mile walk holding baby.
10 minutes EMOM with the 100lb bag:
Throw over right shoulder
Throw over left shoulder
5 burpees
I was gasping for air, every round took 40-50 seconds so barely kept up!
Was way too beat up (hurting) from deadlifts and “pool wrestling” to use the 200lb bag.
100 fire hydrants each side (10x10).
Some ab stuff.
Today 6/12
3 mile walk with baby in sling
Who knows what else, its still early. Not sore from the fire hydrants, was hoping to feel my glutes from it…
Edit to add, another mile with the family.
I have never been more turned on than right now.
6/13/22 Monday, and only about 10 days to the beach.
EMOM squats: 20 minutes.
Mostly doubles at 225, but some singles at 245 and two singles at 265.
I was barely hanging on. Had to lay on the floor when it was over, and felt like a couple more rounds would have made me puke.
After that, some fun:
4 rounds,
-DB bench press
-DB Hammer curl
-DB curl
Got up to the 85s on DB bench for 5 reps, next time maybe try the 90s.
Did a set of pec flyes too. And some triceps extensions on the cables.
When I was doing the curls I felt sheepish. This is “dessert” for me, honestly I think my arms look freakin great but I do very very little arm work. Yet in the DB section of the gym I’m surrounded by dudes who just want to do curls for the whole session… and they don’t have arms… Yet here I stand as an “example”, they’re probably like, “Oh yeah if I just do a few more of these I’ll have arms like that guy!”
The weight’s been peeling off. Haven’t struggled too hard, still close to zero carb, calories overall lower than usual, and lots of activity daily. I won’t be a magazine-cover beach bod but I should have some ab definition and def look strong AF for a 33yo dad-of-4.
6/14 Tuesday
Triceps got a tiny mention at the end of yesterday’s workout, but by last night they were in PAIN. and this morning they are still IN PAIN. weird, I did maybe 2 or 3 sets of 5-8… I guess I just never do triceps, so this is the price I pay?
This morning, 1 mile walk carrying baby in sling.
Then a quick session in the garage:
Some light triceps extensions to work out the soreness
100 hip thrusts @ 135lbs (sets of 10 and 20)
30 ab rollouts in sets of 3 and 6
6/16
Yesterday was a great day, professionally.
Today:
EMOM deadlifts, 20 minutes
3x225
2x275
1x295
7x1x315
10x1x325
Short rest, then:
1x355
Which went up fine. Asked for a form check from my gym friend and he said no issues.
However, that wiped me out more than I realized. I had some C&P EMOM planned, and on the first or second round I pinched my belly skin between the falling barbell and my belt. Tried to keep going but I was just destroyed.
So I did a little strict pressing but my soul wasn’t in it, I couldn’t even get 135 up. Which is now like a baseline for me.
So I pulled the plug.
And in fairness, I’m in a calorie deficit, trying to look good for the beach; just deadlifted a PR relative to the past several months, and did a shitton of volume at a high percentage DL. So I’m not worrying about it.
6/17 Friday
95lb c&p, EMOM 10 minutes:
3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,5,5
The 10-rep round took all 60 seconds lol. This was cardio, not strength training.
Something is wrong with me, maybe ive torn something in my left shoulder. I couldn’t press at all. Tried some BTN @ 95lb and simply could not. Quit and went to work.
6/18
10 minutes EMOM
Sandbag pick-and-carry
3 rounds with 200lb
Failed the 4th pick and nearly collapsed
1 more round, but barely
5 more rounds with 100lb going twice as far.
Edit to add: early AM, before that session:
3 miles walk carrying baby in sling
1 mile walk, carrying baby for part.
Later, some abs.
6/20 Monday
Took it easy yesterday. Had a fun Fathers’ Day.
Today, promised I would just leg press instead of squat because of my shoulder, but the leg presses were taken so:
Squat
5x5x225
Solid reps, every single time. Not as easy as I’d like, but never in doubt. Still less work than EMOM doubles in the same amount of time, which has me thinking.
Leg Press
Sets of 10.
Calf raises
1 horrible set. Could barely walk.
Leg extensions.
1 set. And my left knee told me to stop. Getting old.
Glute raises.
Still barely feeling these. Will keep up the clenches and bridges etc as suggested by @simo74 and @magick . Tried to engage glutes on squats and leg press and there’s just no connection… or nothing there lol…
Buncha left-shoulder rehab stuff. Rotations internal and external, reverse flyes, other silly stuff with 5lb.
You don’t feel your glutes with the single leg glute bridges either? Huh. Well, what do you feel working when you do these?
No, i meant not feeling my glutes generally. Not that i didn’t feel them during glute bridges.
How many reps of the single leg glute bridge does it take for your glutes to start feeling it?
Will perform tonight and get back to you! Thanks for your interest in this, I hope it’s a key weakness that unlocks GAINZ!
I think it is something worth looking into.
I rarely feel my glutes on squats unless I’m doing high reps, but they’re pretty much the first thing I feel when I do RDL or high rep deadlifts. So I find it really odd that 40 reps of SLDL after deadlifting didn’t make your glutes sore.
For reference, I recall my glutes being on fire after I do 10 reps of the movement I suggested. So are my entire hip structure too, but that’s because I got lots of niggling imbalances that I never bother to work through.
Ok, i did 20 reps per side. Kinda feel the glutes, but mostly its my hams. Then i Spent a lot of time moving around in different positions doing banded donkey kicks etc and finally starting to feel the glutes more.
Visually i have NO ass lol and i guess thats true neuromuscularly as well!
In that case you’ll probably see all your lifts skyrocket once you get your glutes to wake up =D
6/23/22 Thursday
Deadlifts
Lifetime PR 1x375
Just 30lb shy of my 4-plate goal.
Did some other stuff too, like working up to the PR, Kelso shrugs, BSS, incline bench, weighted pullups, shoulder rehab stuff…
Leaving for vacation tomorrow.
When I come back… refocus on squats.
I’m confident that glutes and abs are a weakness that need to be shored up before I’ll reach my squat goal. My wife can hold a longer plank than I can… what does that mean? 60 seconds, and I was shaking and grunting.
just do a heap of bodyweight rear elevated split squats every day while you are on vacation. Dont need any equipment and wont take much time.
Yes sir, i plan to! Ive said many times that i hate those, and therefore know i should do more. But always drift away from them.
Gotta keep on them this time!
If you trust your balance do them holding the baby. LOL