[quote]mutantcolors wrote:
Not sure why the hands blew up today, I guess because the weight continues to rise. Lost a callus off the right pinkie, called it before real damage set in.[/quote]
I’m sure 99% of the internet disagrees with me, but I actually switched to using a pair of gloves on these. I tried some fingerless weightlifting gloves, but they didn’t do it to me, so I just switched to a pair of Mechanix work gloves. I still get some pinching because of the gloves, but it’s so much better this way.
May want to consider something similar, despite the “that’s not hardcore enough” rhetoric. The condition of my hands and fingers is more valuable to me (I write software and play piano) than being “hardcore” in the eyes of minority.
Guitar and drums have strategically callused my hands since I was 14. I only get annoyed when they come off. I do have a wicked array of new ones though, but i’m growing accustomed. They serve a purpose.
Clusters at 75 kg
5
3
3
Aaaand, that was that on the hands. New holes where there were none, renewed holes where they were born on Tuesday.
Going for seated row, occupied of course, opted for T bars again.
10 x 45 kg
6 x 55 kg - hands getting worse
6 x 55
4 x 45
Okay, I’ll do some curling in the interest of saving my hands.
Incline - a bunch x 10 kg, drop to 6 kg
Reverse EZ Preacher - sounds like something I’d do to a woman.
bar x until it burned
bar + 5 kg - 10 slow reps
8 slow reps
6 slow reps
bar x 10
Wicked forearm pump
Went for a slight change up today - regular ass flat bench. Time to see what progress I have made.
Ramped to an all time PR of 105 kg, 231 lbs. I have officially broken the magical 225 barrier. Not bad for some kid that used to weigh 142 lbs and once upon a time graduated up to one 35lb plate per side.
Clusters at 90 kg
3
2
2
Had some dudes politely breathing down my neck for the bench so I called it and hit dips.
50 dips later I hit those cable fly - presses that I like.
A few sets of OH plate extensions and GTFO with a gnarly chest pump and a new accomplishment that I never thought would happen.
Ramped to a solid, paused 2RM of 115 kg. Everything today had a good 1 second rock-bottom pause in the hole.
Clusters at 100 kg
5
4
3
HDL at 70 - at this point a guy asked to work in so I obliged. He pointed out how low I squat compared to everyone so we chatted squatting for a couple minutes. Someone bent the shit out of the barbell in the powerlifting room so I was in the weight room today.
5
5
5
6
Leg press - same random stack of plates as always
8,8,8
8,8,6
10,8,6
Oh yeah, I also picked up some LOL short shorts/swimming trunks for my upcoming adventures through Malaysia and Borneo once my friend arrives for my break in December. Daniel Craig aint got shit.
I had an achievement that needed achieving this morning, so I ended up going late. So, as always, there were 314 dudes in about 35 sq m of weight room. Fuck it, arm day.
Got in a hundo on the dip bars at least. The rest, I could barley find enough room to perform an OH tricep extension.
I’m thinking the doubles I pulled yesterday could be a good change. They left me noticeably sore even by the time I got out of bed today. It is about time (a little overdue even, but the gains continue) to swap out a variant in the layers, so I think I may run that on high pulls for the rest of the semester. Not sure what to trade out for the other lifts, perhaps the same even though it’s not prescribed anywhere as a suitable method.
Yeah, that’s dumb. I’ll find a variant from the man in charge. The doubles was in the interest of saving my mitts.
Ramped to 3rm - 40 kg to 72.5 kg, 5 kg at a time x 5 reps until 60 to make up some volume. Still trying to get the skin on my hands back in working order.
Hit the double clusters again - 65 kg
6
5
4
Hands are coming back to life. This “break” seems to be helping but holy hell I had sore traps from Tuesday doing doubles, so obviously it works for now. Not sure how it’ll pan out when I ramp heavier though…
Incline curl - 7 kg (only DBs available) x 50
Reverse EZ Preacher - a bunch - been hitting these because they rape my brachialis/brachioradialis so good and I could use that.
Ramped to 3RM - 90 kg. Had room in the tank but may have needed a spot, meaning I was done there. Still, very nice number for me.
Clusters - 80 kg.
5
3
3
HDL - 65 kg
5,4,3,2,1
5,3,1
5,4,2,1
There’s that boob-pump again.
Cable fly-presses - 40 lbs a side
4 sets of 6 with a held contraction. I can’t recommend this movement enough for a serious fiber-shredding pec contraction.
Narrow v-bar dips
6,6,5,5,4,4,3,3
Triceps toast by this point.
HDL at 80 kg
5,4,3,2,1
My brain convinced me I was in no mood to get back under that bar again at that point. FU brain.
Leg press - sled + 40 kg
One mountain of reps. Did sets of 20 til it sucked, then sets of 12 til I felt my VMO practically tearing in half.
Then I added 20 kg and played the same game.
Calves on leg press - reps til it sucked balls. Sets of 12 over and over until I wanted to punch a nice old lady in the face.
Ripped the hands up AGAIN yesterday on high pull day, on the damn ramp phase. Wasn’t that bad this time but i just called it right there. Moved into the weight room…
T bar
40 kg x 12 (3)
65 kg x 5 (3)
40 kg x 10
It was hot as BALLS in that room and the t bar was pretty much the only piece of equipment not in use, so that was that. Still put on a little soreness today though. Those 65s were not easy.
TODAY = DECLINE
Ramped to a solid 3RM of 95 kg. Considered 100 but the hands were sweaty even with wrist bands, decided not to risk it.
I’m gonna change 'er up a bit at this point. 30 reps for time seems like a great goal.
I left too much on the bar, that much became clear pretty quick.
85 kg - finished 20 reps without bursting an internal organ, but just barely. I’ll take the 80% of ramp more seriously after today.
dips - 50
Hammered sets of 10 today like nothing. Not that they were a huge challenge in the past, but the 20 sets of 5 I’ve been doing are obviously paying off.
My SGHP session got totally fooked by school and then a super-busy gym when I tried to go at night. I did a couple row variations and went home.
BENCH
They were occupied upon arrival so I started with 40 dips, then one opened up.
Ramped to a decent 2RM of 95 kg.
Going for 30 reps for time at 80%.
After being gassed by 10 reps, I realized the 80kg I was pushing was more like 90%, duh. Dropped to 70 kg and got 12 more.
Cable fly presses - a bunch of sets of 6 with a hold at the top, until I couldn’t get any more.
OH plate extension - 15kg x 40. I want to move up on these but then my left elbow makes a funny/uncomfortable pop in the bottom position.
Had more newb gains (LMAO) under the bar today. Newb gains after squatting consistently for three years. Wait what? My strength may not be legendary but I wager I could teach a seminar on squatting. Anyway, rant over.
Warmed up with lying leg curls - 5 plates
50 reps
Ramped to 1RM - 130 kg. 5 kg PR, with a real set of safeties I would have pushed for 140 but 130 put me to the test enough.
Density - 100 kg
10 doubles on the minute for 20 total reps. Huffing like a beast after those were done.
Leg press - sled + 50 kg
20,16,12,8,4 (x2) for 124 total reps. Quads majorly pumped by now.
Standing calf raise - 140 kg
10,6,4,3,2
10,6,4,4
Pain.
Man alive, this semester draws near an end very rapidly. I’ll be hitting the southern Thai peninsula and then Malaysia, including Borneo, for most of December.
Things I have most definitely learned this round:
The world does not stop spinning if you take a break from your favorite lift (deadlifts this semester, in my case.) In fact, it cleared up time for me to:
Hit your weaknesses more than once per week. I benched over 225 for the first time ever by doing it twice a week. I remember the day a few years ago when I moved up to 115. With all the talk of constant benching fucking up your shoulders and your posture, I never got into it. I still wouldn’t say I am “into” benching but at least I can claim 225.
Maxing out frequently will not kill you. In fact, it ensured I was always pushing the weights I needed to be working with. Someone insisted to me that this was just newb gains and I was naive. Six consistent years of training would argue that I think, at least half that time in a fairly well informed manner. It was most certainly this new style of training that NEVER allowed me to do anything but my very best, and it paid off rapidly.
High pulls are one supreme exercise.
There’s a lot more but that’s good enough.
DECLINE
Ramped to a quick and easy 2RM of 95 kg, as I was short on time I needed a fast session today.
20 reps at 85% or so = 80 kg
The last 5 totally sucked.
Dips - tried a new rep pattern. It was awesome.
Sets of 10 - 5 at the narrow end of the V bars immediately to 5 on the wide end. 5 sets for 50 total reps. That deeeeeeeestroyed my triceps.
Tried some heavier OH plate extensions, the elbows just do NOT like anything over 15 kg. So i hit 40 reps with the 15 on top of the 6 or 7 I tried with 20.
I think next semester I will be trying an overhead press day with Layers. I think…
