Nice work! Was that 7 sets of 1 or 1 set of 7 @ 315? High rep closegrip…interesting… feel the burn?
It’s the second last steel workout, has you work up to 7x1x90% so for me thats 7 single’s at 315, then I did a back off set at 275, not called for, but I was just trying for a pump. Then I wrapped my strap one more time around the rafter, so the bar was hanging a couple inches above my chest, and did a couple sets of close grips, oddly I feel these more in my front delts, then my tri’s, starting from a dead stop puts the stress on my delts I guess, whatever I was just pissing around.
Baicaly the smolov has me squatting every other day for the next month, so I’m going to set up a push-pull superset after each squat workout, on a 4 day cycle, and mainly focus on my squat for a whlie, somthing like this
Day 1, smolov squat - bench (531) setted with- face pulls
Day 3, smolov squat - military - setted with - pullups ( 5 sets of 10ish) keeping reps in the tank
Day 5, smolov squat - Incline ( 531) setted with Rows
Day 7, smolov squat - Dips - setted with cleans ( 5 sets to failure on dips, and 5s on cleans)
2 days off, and go again
I’ll finish with either high rep latterals, or high rep arm work, alternating days.
This is a simple template, should allow me to focus on my squat, while still slowly bringing up my bench. This is pretty much what I was doing back in Nov. when life was good, and gains were comming by the week. I like training every other day, and basing my training on an 8 day week. I don’t feel like I’ve been focused lately, or working towards my goal of 500lb squat.
Anyways thats the plan, feeling pretty good about it. Next week I’ll finish up my bench cycle first, one workout left, and then drop into this template, also started this morning, doing 20 min of mobility work in the basement, early morning, I’m going to try and do that daily. Latter
Good work. Youll nail it. I love pause closegrip!
Woke up sore this morning, across my upper back, long time since I’ve done real kroc rows, and I remember why everyone loves them, traps-rear delts, lats everythings sore form basicaly one set, now thats low volume 
I’ll probably keep these in for awhile, but with only 90lb DBs, it’s kind of limiting. I’ll see if I can’t rig somnthing up, with the land mine, and a short strap, sort of a kroc row-meadow’s row combination. I got it in my mind, but not sure if it will work in reality. Latter
I stretch every single day, every chance I get. You have no idea how tight you are and how much better you feel once you start getting into it.
Well I’m willing to give it a shot, I was just saying over at barbwire’s log, that I’m feeling all rolled forward in my shoulder’s, for the first time in my life. I’ve always done alot of rowing and face-pulls, and my posture has always been good, and now my shoulder’s are rolling forward. I don’t think in my case it’s a muscle imbalance, like it is in most cases.
I think it’s a combination, of alot of heavy training ( not cycling the loads) I’m also way less active lately being on house arrest, usually I’m really active, between boxing, and bag work, swimming, running, rowing. Lately it’s just been lift heavy every other day, and lay around waiting for next session, I’ve just tightened up, to the point where I can’t even reach around behind myself, and touch my own spine.
I was joking with my son, that I have to put after shave on my neck with the back of my hand, because I can’t touch my own neck with my palm, as I’m typing this right now, I can’t place the palm of my hand, on my neck ( either side) it’s impossible for me, so I’m open to trying some stretching, LOL, I’ve never been this big, or this old. latter
Sunday Jan 26, smolov + dips, and cleans, squat day 1, 325x2x2
Warm up
leg raises - cuban bands - squat
mex10 - bandx40 - Mt bar x30
mex10 - bandx40 - 135x20
mex10 - bandx40 - 225x10
mex10 - bandx40 - 275x5 ( this much time warming up is new, logging it, for acountability)
Squat ---- DB flys—dislocates 20 after each set of flys
315x3------30x5 with 10 sec pause at the bottom, for stretch
325x2-------30x5
325x2------30x5
Front squats
135x5
225x5 ( video’d this mess for chobbs enjoyment
Cleans ------- dips
135x5------mex15
155x5------mex15
165x5------mex15
185x3------mex15 got 205x3 on cleans the other day, but didn’t have it today
185x3------mex15
185x3-----mex15
Alright, I love smolov, I love squatting every time I enter the gym, then doing the rest of my workout, just feels right to me. I did the front squats, because I’ve never really done them heavy before, and Chobbs got 225x5 the other day, and I thought that was pretty good, and thought I’d see where I was with my front squats. I had done my back squats already, but felt pretty fresh, 225x5 was the most I could manage, I had to fight hard for the last two reps, and I’m going to figure out a way to put them in my program, one set of 225x5 every time I squat can’t hurt anything, and I seem to need them. I think they point to a weakness in my core. Anyway I struggle in the video, and there’s no way I could get 5 reps with my body weight, ‘‘inside thing’’ but I’m going to work at it. Dips and cleans went well, I was stronger at the cleans the other day, but that happen’s, I think I was just tired from the extra warm up ,and the extra front squats, not to worried about it. I love doing dips, and hate when I have a program that I can’t fit them in, here they have they’re own day, and I’ll start adding weight as I go along. All and all a good day, put the work in, and had some fun with the front squats. Good times. Latter
I only started doing front squats this past year, and I always do the same thing, 205x5x5 after my deads. I had a conversation with Chobbs the other day, and it made me wonder if I could do more, so I atempted 225x5, I got it but it killed me. I need to start working on these, think it points to a weakness in my core, as I keep rolling forwrd, and almost lost the weight a couple times. I had to cut the clip, as it was to long to send to my email. To bad I had a funny little message for Chobbs at the begining. Life’s about mastering new challanges, and it seems front squats are a challange for me, soon to be mastered. latter
good work jake.
more warmups help me out on squats. in on vid. cus I wanna see your grip lol
Try this again
again
Finaly got the vid to work, and the right vid, in the mean time, I’m probably not the guy to copy for grip as I’m obviously not the worlds best front squatter, but Paul Carter, at Lift-Run-Bang was talking about front squat grip just the other day, and he has his own way of doiing it, it’s either on Jan or Dec page, and if you’ve never been to this sight before enjoy. I just use an old fashioned BBer cross arm grip, and fight to keep my elbow’s up high, it seems I need work. Goodluck Latter
after 4th rep…“fuck me” lmfao
My left knee is real tender today, after the front squats yesterday. My left knee is the reason I’v lost all my lower body strength, and I have to be really carefull with it, It’s called a terrible triad, this means I tore all 3 things on the inside of my knee, I think ligiment-tendon-cartlige, and I’ve had 9 operation’s over the last 15yrs. I’ve come up with my own way to back squat, where I keep the weight on my heel’s, and I maintain pressure on the outside of my foot, the inside of my foot is basicaly off the ground when I squat.
Also you won’t see me go much below parelle, unless it’s with an MT bar, and I’m warming up slowly for the stretch. The point is I guess, if I’m going to continue front squatting, and I am, I’m going to have to work on my form, as I did with back squats, to be able to keep the pressure off the inside of my knee. Yesterday I don’t think it was on my mind, because I was fighting so hard to keep my upper body from rolling forward, and I wasn’t really thinking about my legs or feet.
Other than my knee, I’m really sore today through my abs, and my arch in my back, I guess my middle erector’s. If I go to arch my back, I can really feel that I did a workout yesterday. If I get strong at these, it has to help with my other lifts. Funny enough, I’ve used front squats with the kids over the years, just never spent much time doing them myself, probably front squtted a total of 10 times in my life. Looking forward to getting strong on them, if I can get 315 front squat, I know I’ll get my 500 back squat, thats my focus, and what ever I have to do to get there. Latter
I have some issue’s at the gym, last year when it was time to buy some new equipment, my guy, my equipment guy, talked me into buying BH fitness - treadmills. I needed to add two new treads to the gym, I origanaly opened my gym with 3 treads, two elypticals, and 6 assorted bikes. Everything was Natulis when I opened, all equipment including cardio, and last year after 4yrs in buisness I needed to add a couple new tread mills. Natulis went bankrupt shortly after I opened my gym, ( japan owned now) and I had set my mind on using pre core cardio, and Altlantis weight equipment, but my equipment guy talked me into thesae BH fitness units, suposedly they were a big europian company going to take over the comercial gym buisness. A new comercial treadmill is around 10 grand, and these were going for 5 grand ( I should have known) anyway here we are a year latter, and I’ve had someone in atleat once a month, all year long fixing these fucking pieces of shit.
My Natulis treads have been plugging away for 5yrs with no issues what so ever ( touch wood) Fuck, so now I’ve got these two pieces of shit, and I’m on the phone with my equipment guy today, telling him I want them the fuck out of my gym, I’ve still got two years left on the lease, and I want them switched for pre core or Natulis units, so alot of bartering and arguing today, and it’s going to cost me a fortune. I don’t even care if I get used units, I just want these ones gone, before they come off of warrenty. I’m ranting becuse I’m mad, but the point is, if anyones in the market for a new treadmill, stay away from these pieces of shit.
Why does eveything good, have to go bankrupt, Natulis made in the USA, awesome equipment, indistructable, but gets put out of buisness by these cheap flimsy crap company’s. Anyway needed a rant before I go and punch this guy in the face,. latter
Assuming quality equipmemnt comes with a quality cost. Everyone trying to (assumably) save a buck buy cheaper brands. So … low volume for orders of Equipment that has high cost to build = bankrupt.
Ya I might officialy own the last fully equipped Natulis gym in existance, because they went into chapter 11, when I was building my place, and I had to go with what color they had in stock, they weren’t making anymore equipment at the time, and because of this and the wait, they had to gather equipment from different warehouses, I ended up getting 55% off of list, so it was a sweet deal at the time. I ended up getting a different leg press than I ordered, and my equipment was upgraded to ‘‘Natulis Plus line’’ for free, because it’s what they had, it means the seats are fancier, and the weight stacks have shrouds. All and all it was a good deal, and I knew, I’d have a hard time with warenty issue’s. At the time nobody was dealing with them because of this, but I had my heart set on Natulis, now they’re owned by a company from Japan, that making the equipment over there, and cheapining they’re name.
To bad, Natulis was started by Arthur Jones, and he developed ‘‘HIT’’ training in order to market his Natulis equipment. My stuff’s way over built, the cable cross over machine is built from 6x2 steel tubing, it could with stand an earth quake. Also the cardio equipment is indistructable, figuring I only have three tradmills for 600 member’s, and they basicaly get used around the clock, I’ve yet to do one thing to them in 5yrs, not even change a belt. My best bet, might be to find a couple used ones to replace the two pieces of crap. We shall see, he was seeing things my way, by the end of our conversation, as long as he dosen’t phone the cops, I’m already on house arrest for threatening, extorsion, and arson, so it was on the back of my mind as I was yelling at him on the phone. My ex landlord had me charged with threatening, last year, and I thought we were just having a heated conversation. I’m having a hard time fitting in to this civil society, where people can just screw you over, and you can’t do anything about it, other than call a lawyer. The life I’m used to living, people kept they’re fucking word. I’m learning thanks for the reply, just needed to vent Latter
Haha, I was venting all over the T Nation forms today, just a bad fucking day, just read the above posts, tomorrows a new day, if you know what I know, than you know what I mean. latter
Tuesday Jan 28 steel bench cycle last workout - workout 6
Bench----some face pulls and pullaparts, just enough to keep a pump in back
135x20
225x5
275x3
295x2
315x1
325x1 ( PR, since comeback, and everything after)
335x1
345x1 ( video)
I stopped at 345, it was tough rep, but I had a little more in me, both my shoulder’s were aching, even the good one, so I took the PR, and saved the rest for another day, plus I video’d the 345 so it was a good place to stop. A funny thing happened today, it’s been years sinse I pushed my bench really hard, when I opened my gym 5yrs ago, I dropped my body weight down to 215ish, and just maintained a fit look, so I could greet people at the door, and I basicaly fell into a twice a week workout to manitain this look, while I focused on buisness, and clients. So for those 5yrs, I’d work my bench up to 275x5, and call it a day. Right up to then I’d spent a couple years chasing a double BW bench, so it’s been 5yrs or so since I pushed my bench hard.The point being I hadn’t realized that I’d changed my form, then today, as soon as I unracked 325, somthing weird happened, my whole body shifted, my belly blew up, my elbows tucked, the bar came down about 4inches lower on my sternum. My body went back to heavy bench mode, unconsiously, it was kind of weird, and I hadn’t realized I wasn’t benching that way lately. I guess I’d fell into elbows out, bar to the nipples, and as soon as the weight got heavy today, my body remembered perfectly, hard to explain, but it was cool. Anyway, I got a solid 345, probably could have got 355, but I decided to wait, I’ll run a couple cycle’s of 531, while I do smolov, and just let my bench work it’s way back to 365, it’s in me, and I could feel it today.
On the other note, I took today off from squatting, I was suposed to run smolov, but my left knee was still banged up, and I decided on a couple more days to be on the safe side. When my left knee is sore, it’s not somthing I can stretch out, and work around. I have some pins and screws in there, so I have to let it rest, and from now on , just be more carefull with this front squatting thing, get my form better and work up slow. Other wise Im happy with the day, I’ll take the PR, and when my wife gets home this evening, I’ll get the vid up. Latter
Here’s the vid, I just realized in this clip that you can’t see the weight on the bar, I’ll have to find a different way to set up the camera for next time, and you’ll have to take my word that 345 on the bar Anyway it was tough rep, but I think I had a little more in me, but my shoulder’s were feeling beat up, so I took it. I’m thinking 6-8 weeks away from 365 with lots of work, shall see.