Great article on using the power rack:
Either a really tall rack or a short lifter. The only way I can use one for overhead lfting is to put the bar holders on the outside of the rack. Really good article. Lot of good ones on that site.
I think Ditillo was 300 lbs - all of it packed into 5’8" of height.
2008-6-28
Bench Day
Floor Press
145x10
185x6
205x3
225x3
245x2
285xwhoa! big misload there
270x0
260x1 (had to talk to it to get it to go up - down 5lb from last floor press session)
235 3x3 (set PR >:()
My bench sucks - but at least my shoulder didn’t hurt. and form is even better, which is prob why I couldn’t get it. And the good news here is that I still got 3 @ 90+% of 1RM so it’s all good.
Speed bench
145 2x17
Lying triceps extensions.
135 3x6
edit: I think what’s happening here is that I’m doing too much on lower days. Even though I’m calling it “warmup” the weights approach one rep poundages - so I’m essentially doing two ME moves each session and accumulating fatigue as a result.
I rarely feel unmotivated on assistance day, but I did the last one. I need to do the one ME move (squats/DL) and then the burn set only. The “warmup” needs to be just that.
"Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow than I was today! " - Streamline
2008-6-30
Lower
Pause Squats (4th Pin - ||)
135x10
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x1 (PR)
345x0 (lost my balance in the hole)
Speed Deads (conventional stance)
345x10,5
That’s it. Felt really slow and weak today. 345 DL is like 70% of what I ought to be able to do but it felt really heavy and was coming off the floor slow. My grip isn’t there today either.
Good news is that I was really feeling the deads in my hamstrings and glutes, so my stability in the hole and my drive out of it on squats should improve by next squat session.
No extras today and assistance day is going to be the bare minimum. I gotta recover more than I have been.
"Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow than I was today! " - Streamline
[quote]skidmark wrote:
2008-6-30
Lower
Pause Squats (4th Pin - ||)
135x10
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x1 (PR)
345x0 (lost my balance in the hole)
Speed Deads (conventional stance)
345x10,5
That’s it. Felt really slow and weak today. 345 DL is like 70% of what I ought to be able to do but it felt really heavy and was coming off the floor slow. My grip isn’t there today either.
Good news is that I was really feeling the deads in my hamstrings and glutes, so my stability in the hole and my drive out of it on squats should improve by next squat session.
No extras today and assistance day is going to be the bare minimum. I gotta recover more than I have been.[/quote]
Go play on the beach for some active recovery time - just avoid piling those rocks again…
Nice going on the pause squat PR! You think maybe the deads suffered from this max effort?
Thanks Soldog, glad to see you online again. DOn’t worry about those 8 lbs, they’ll come off quickly.
No - I’m just overall tired. I was really questioning whether to train today at all.
Last time I did this type of session I pulled 325 sumo-style for a straight-through 15 reps, more easily than today’s DL’s and after doing more work on the squats. And sumo is harder for me than conventional style.
Plus my bench was down last session as well.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
I think what’s happening here is that I’m doing too much on lower days. Even though I’m calling it “warmup” the weights approach one rep poundages - so I’m essentially doing two ME moves each session and accumulating fatigue as a result.
[/quote]
That makes sense to me.
How are you doing these bench speed sets?
[quote]1Geech wrote:
skidmark wrote:
I think what’s happening here is that I’m doing too much on lower days. Even though I’m calling it “warmup” the weights approach one rep poundages - so I’m essentially doing two ME moves each session and accumulating fatigue as a result.
That makes sense to me.
How are you doing these bench speed sets?
[/quote]
Mainly I’ve been using dumbells and going incline when I do flat barbell bench and flat DB when I do incline BB bench. This time I followed floor press with flat bench barbell press, because the incline presses don’t seem to be adding anything to my bench. That could be fatigue masking fitness though.
I try to explode off the chest and not lockout. I don’t bounce off the sternum, but instead try to use the chest and triceps recoil from the bottom and just touching the chest. I had to lower the poundage substantially to make that work.
Looks like I did the right thing today in Following the Program As Prescribed. Appetite came back with a vengance today which means I’ve been just on the other side of overtraining. I’ve been eating everything I come across.
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to learn this:
Stimulate. Don’t annihilate.
"Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow than I was today! " - Streamline
Skid -
I just caught up on your log. LOTS of great stuff here. Good inspiration-- Thanks and keep it up bro!
[quote]skidmark wrote:
Looks like I did the right thing today in following the Program As Prescribed. Appetite came back with a vengance today which means I’ve been just on the other side of overtraining. I’ve been eating everything I come across.
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to learn this:
Stimulate. Don’t annihilate.
"Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow than I was today! " - Streamline [/quote]
Training looks awesome… think I will adopt your mantras… stimulate, not annihilate.
The forest fires down there effecting you at all (i.e. breating/ smoke etc.)?
[quote]skidmark wrote:
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to learn this:
Stimulate. Don’t annihilate.
[/quote]
Agree 100% with this comment. More is not always better.
[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
skidmark wrote:
Looks like I did the right thing today in following the Program As Prescribed. Appetite came back with a vengance today which means I’ve been just on the other side of overtraining. I’ve been eating everything I come across.
I dunno how many times I’m going to have to learn this:
Stimulate. Don’t annihilate.
"Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow than I was today! " - Streamline
Training looks awesome… think I will adopt your mantras… stimulate, not annihilate.
The forest fires down there effecting you at all (i.e. breating/ smoke etc.)?
[/quote]
The only thing that’s changed for us during the fires is that the sunsets have become absolutely beautiful.
2008-07-01
Abs and Grip
1-hand hang
BWx30s
2-hand hang
BWx60s
hanging knee-ups
20,15
[quote]1Geech wrote:
Your competitive desire is admirable, Skidmark, but that meet will just be one occasion. You want to keep on lifting after that, whether in other competitions or not. Why don’t you get an MRI, or whatever is necessary, to see what the problem really is?
I am concerned that you might cause yourself damage either directly, or indirectly through conscious or unconscious compensation attempts, that could affect your long-term lifting or even health. You are working with some heavy weights.
In any event, you can always make a decision after you have found out the facts. I regret I have no knowledge or experience with this kind of problem to suggest anything more specific. [/quote]
Good advice.
.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
1Geech wrote:
How are you doing these bench speed sets?
I try to explode off the chest and not lockout. [/quote]
Is that a standard approach on bench speed sets? (I was not doing them that way, but locking out on each rep of sets of 3. Maybe I missed something in my research.) I can imagine that might the focus on the drive up. It occurs to me that finishing the lockout at the weights involved is not doing anything anyway.
Westside speed bench consists of eight sets of three reps, each rep locked out. Eccentric and concentric done as fast as possible. You lock out because you’re training competition form at the same time.
What I’m calling speed bench is actually a combination of DE and RE. The first reps are as fast as possible, but as the set progresses, it becomes impossible to go as fast as I did initially. The intent is still there, though, which is neurally important. But it essentially is a bodybuilding exercise at those reps, so I’m trying to keep the tension on and the turnaround fast.
Gotcha. Now I understand your notation for that, too.