Better Living Through Iron

Training Over 35 Lifter
81

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
Wow. Ok, the lack of cardio is catching up to me, endurance-wise. I ended up breaking up by 5 10-rep BBB sets into 10 5-rep sets. That, or I’m not used to the belt (just bought it, and thought I’d wear it today to get used to it, even though the weights weren’t heavy enough to need a belt. I was having a bit of trouble with oxygen today.)

Weight: 237.5

Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 4:

Warmups: 1 plank @1:00, 2x10 glute bridges, 2x5 facepulls@50.
Squat: 5@200, 5@230, 9@260 (= 335 lb estimated 1RM. NOT a PR. Current PR is an estimated 355 1RM, from 8@280 two weeks ago).

Video of my 9@260 (do not poke fun at my ridiculous warm-up/psych-up!)

Several observations:
a) Jeebus I’m fat
b) sorry for my ass in your face
c) I could go deeper.

Contrast this to video of half of one of my BBB sets: 5@230:

One thing I really notice: I’m coming forward as I’m going down and coming out of the hole. I need to stop that.

BBB work: 2x5@260, 2x5@230, 2x5@200, 2x5@170, 2x5@140

Accessory work: Leg curls 5x10@50.

no cardio, because I’m a lazy fuck.

I am by no means anything more than an internet expert and a rank beginner - but I suggest you sit back more to keep those knees from tracking so far forward, get rid of the bar pad because it more the bar up and away from your center of gravity, and work on getting those elbows forward while raising the chest. Keeping your head back and up may also help.

and yes work on the depth for the heavy sets.

Finally, you could put your little dance to music and have some real fun…[/quote]

I actually think I start out pretty good in the sitting-back dept. I just screw up coming out of the hole. I think somewhere along the way, I was told to drive up with my hips, and that eventually turned into “shove my whole torso forward”. Basically, I think I’m bringing my ass up before my torso’s in motion, and it’s pushing me to the front.

As for the pad, I’m REALLY uncomfortable without it. I actually get the bar fairly low, though it’s hard to see. It’s definitely resting on my traps and not my neck.

I also have a lot of back arch (== chest out), but it’s tough to see with the belt. At least, it feels like I do when I’m doing it. :wink:

Oh, and I just watched them with sound. Now you know why I’m wearing earphones while I’m working out. :slight_smile:

EDIT: I take that back. Watching the 2nd one (shot from the side), I’m going forward as I’m going down. Coming back up, I come up straight up and down. WTF? I have no idea why I’m doing that.

Maybe I will give a padless squat a try, and stop being such a pussy. Though if I’m shifting forward due to the bar position going down, it would seem to me that getting it lower on my back’s going to push my COG further back, making me lean forward even more to compensate.

Then again, maybe I’m shifting forward because my stance is too narrow, and I’m going forward to balance. I’m usually just shoulder-width. If I went wider, my COG wouldn’t shift back as much, and perhaps I wouldn’t lean so far forward to compensate.

Thanks for the critique, though. I can really use it. Maybe if I’m lucky maraudermeat will jump in and tell me wtf’s wrong, and how to fix it. :slight_smile:

82

[quote]mcl wrote:
I actually think I start out pretty good in the sitting-back dept. I just screw up coming out of the hole. I think somewhere along the way, I was told to drive up with my hips, and that eventually turned into “shove my whole torso forward”. Basically, I think I’m bringing my ass up before my torso’s in motion, and it’s pushing me to the front.

As for the pad, I’m REALLY uncomfortable without it. I actually get the bar fairly low, though it’s hard to see. It’s definitely resting on my traps and not my neck.

I also have a lot of back arch (== chest out), but it’s tough to see with the belt. At least, it feels like I do when I’m doing it. :wink:

Oh, and I just watched them with sound. Now you know why I’m wearing earphones while I’m working out. :slight_smile:

EDIT: I take that back. Watching the 2nd one (shot from the side), I’m going forward as I’m going down. Coming back up, I come up straight up and down. WTF? I have no idea why I’m doing that.

Maybe I will give a padless squat a try, and stop being such a pussy. Though if I’m shifting forward due to the bar position going down, it would seem to me that getting it lower on my back’s going to push my COG further back, making me lean forward even more to compensate.

Then again, maybe I’m shifting forward because my stance is too narrow, and I’m going forward to balance. I’m usually just shoulder-width. If I went wider, my COG wouldn’t shift back as much, and perhaps I wouldn’t lean so far forward to compensate.

Thanks for the critique, though. I can really use it. Maybe if I’m lucky maraudermeat will jump in and tell me wtf’s wrong, and how to fix it. :slight_smile:

[/quote]

I probably shouldn’t be giving any kind of critique but I can’t help myself. (I think there is a 12 step program for that)

What you should do is post both videos on the “Feedback from Meat” thread, currently residing on page 2. Go straight to the source and ask!

83

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
I actually think I start out pretty good in the sitting-back dept. I just screw up coming out of the hole. I think somewhere along the way, I was told to drive up with my hips, and that eventually turned into “shove my whole torso forward”. Basically, I think I’m bringing my ass up before my torso’s in motion, and it’s pushing me to the front.

As for the pad, I’m REALLY uncomfortable without it. I actually get the bar fairly low, though it’s hard to see. It’s definitely resting on my traps and not my neck.

I also have a lot of back arch (== chest out), but it’s tough to see with the belt. At least, it feels like I do when I’m doing it. :wink:

Oh, and I just watched them with sound. Now you know why I’m wearing earphones while I’m working out. :slight_smile:

EDIT: I take that back. Watching the 2nd one (shot from the side), I’m going forward as I’m going down. Coming back up, I come up straight up and down. WTF? I have no idea why I’m doing that.

Maybe I will give a padless squat a try, and stop being such a pussy. Though if I’m shifting forward due to the bar position going down, it would seem to me that getting it lower on my back’s going to push my COG further back, making me lean forward even more to compensate.

Then again, maybe I’m shifting forward because my stance is too narrow, and I’m going forward to balance. I’m usually just shoulder-width. If I went wider, my COG wouldn’t shift back as much, and perhaps I wouldn’t lean so far forward to compensate.

Thanks for the critique, though. I can really use it. Maybe if I’m lucky maraudermeat will jump in and tell me wtf’s wrong, and how to fix it. :slight_smile:

I probably shouldn’t be giving any kind of critique but I can’t help myself. (I think there is a 12 step program for that)

What you should do is post both videos on the “Feedback from Meat” thread, currently residing on page 2. Go straight to the source and ask![/quote]

That’s not a bad idea. I think I will!

I’m an absolute novice at this myself. Other than videos online and such, I’ve had zero instruction, so any criticism whatsoever is more than welcome!

84

Same here - all the relevant instruction I’ve had has come through this site and posting videos.

85

Meh. The BBB squats really kicked my ass. I haven’t been able to walk without flinching all weekend. I think my bad form destroyed my quads. My girlfriend tried to take me walking through the city, and she had to put up with me hobbling up and down the stairs of the subway, and whimpering every time I had to step off a curb.

86

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 1:

Warmups: 3 ab-wheel rollouts, 1 set of side planks @0:30.
Military press: 3@75, 3@90, 14@100 (+1 rep PR)
BBB: 10@100, 10@100, 10@90, 10@75, 10@65
Accessory: decline cable pullovers 5x10@60
Intervals: jumprope 7@15/30

No weight or food log today.

At least I’m back on the cardio bandwagon.

87

[quote]mcl wrote:
Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 1:

Warmups: 3 ab-wheel rollouts, 1 set of side planks @0:30.
Military press: 3@75, 3@90, 14@100 (+1 rep PR)
BBB: 10@100, 10@100, 10@90, 10@75, 10@65
Accessory: decline cable pullovers 5x10@60
Intervals: jumprope 7@15/30

No weight or food log today.

At least I’m back on the cardio bandwagon.[/quote]

Nice job, mcl! It looks like I’d better get crackin’ after my de-load week this week. Interesting how you are doing heavier accessory work.

88

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 1:

Warmups: 3 ab-wheel rollouts, 1 set of side planks @0:30.
Military press: 3@75, 3@90, 14@100 (+1 rep PR)
BBB: 10@100, 10@100, 10@90, 10@75, 10@65
Accessory: decline cable pullovers 5x10@60
Intervals: jumprope 7@15/30

No weight or food log today.

At least I’m back on the cardio bandwagon.

Nice job, mcl! It looks like I’d better get crackin’ after my de-load week this week. Interesting how you are doing heavier accessory work.
[/quote]

Yeah, I decided to follow the example of pyramiding down from the book for BBB. I figured I’d get more benefit from it, than 5 sets of 10 at a much lighter weight.

89

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 2:

Slept like absolute crap last night. Couldn’t get to sleep until after midnight, and tossed and turned all night.

Warmup: 10 glute bridges, set of side planks at 0:40.

Deadlift: 3@200, 3@230.

I was pissed at myself for not locking out the 405 attempt last week, so:

1@315, 1@405! Woot! Doing 400 was one of my end-of-year goals. I just hit it exactly six months early. I think now I’ll shoot for 455. :slight_smile:

Then, back to 5-3-1:

10@255. Yeah, not a PR by any means. The 405 took it out of me, and my traps were killing me for the rest of my sets. I don’t care if I missed a 5-3-1 estimated PR, because that 405 was a PR for an actual deadlift.

BBB: My traps were really acting up, so I did 5x10@200, rather than pyramiding down (I’d planned to do 2 sets of 10@255, and down from there).

Accessory: 5x10 reverse crunches

No cardio today.

90

[quote]mcl wrote:

1@315, 1@405! Woot! Doing 400 was one of my end-of-year goals. I just hit it exactly six months early. I think now I’ll shoot for 455. :slight_smile:

[/quote]

Hey! congrats on the 405# pull, that’s my next target as well.

You gonna reset your training max for your next 5-3-1 cycle based on that pull?

91

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:

1@315, 1@405! Woot! Doing 400 was one of my end-of-year goals. I just hit it exactly six months early. I think now I’ll shoot for 455. :slight_smile:

Hey! congrats on the 405# pull, that’s my next target as well.

You gonna reset your training max for your next 5-3-1 cycle based on that pull?[/quote]

I’m definitely thinking about it, because it’s obvious my current true max (320) is too light, even though the most I’d pulled for 1 rep prior to starting 5-3-1 was 315. But I haven’t done 5@315 or higher, and I’m not sure I can. But hell, there’s only one way to find out! If it turns out to be too much, I can always knock it back down.

I had to really strain to get those last 2-3 inches and lock out the 405. I may need to add some heavy rack pulls as regular accessory work to strengthen the top end of my DL.

My gym’s closed Friday and the whole weekend, so it looks like I’m not getting a rest day tomorrow. Hopefully my back’s recovered enough to do bench presses tomorrow.

92

Weight: Hell if I know. I’m not weighing myself while I’m on this gallon-a-day milk thing. Not until the end of next week.

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 3:
Warmup: 10 dislocations, 10 facepulls @50
Bench: 3@135, 3@155, 14@175 (+1 rep and estimated 1RM PR (== 255 lbs))
BBB: 10@175, 10@175, 10@155, 10@135, 10@115
Accessory: DB rows, 5x10@70

No cardio.

Hopefully I’ll have something left in the tank for squats tomorrow. We’ll see.

93

[quote]mcl wrote:
Weight: Hell if I know. I’m not weighing myself while I’m on this gallon-a-day milk thing. Not until the end of next week.

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 3:
Warmup: 10 dislocations, 10 facepulls @50
Bench: 3@135, 3@155, 14@175 (+1 rep and estimated 1RM PR (== 255 lbs))
BBB: 10@175, 10@175, 10@155, 10@135, 10@115
Accessory: DB rows, 5x10@70

No cardio.

Hopefully I’ll have something left in the tank for squats tomorrow. We’ll see.[/quote]

mcl - you are really rockin’ it buddy! Way to go! hopefully skipping the cardio a couple days will help out for tomorrow’s squats

94

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
Weight: Hell if I know. I’m not weighing myself while I’m on this gallon-a-day milk thing. Not until the end of next week.

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 3:
Warmup: 10 dislocations, 10 facepulls @50
Bench: 3@135, 3@155, 14@175 (+1 rep and estimated 1RM PR (== 255 lbs))
BBB: 10@175, 10@175, 10@155, 10@135, 10@115
Accessory: DB rows, 5x10@70

No cardio.

Hopefully I’ll have something left in the tank for squats tomorrow. We’ll see.

mcl - you are really rockin’ it buddy! Way to go! hopefully skipping the cardio a couple days will help out for tomorrow’s squats[/quote]

We’ll see. I’m going to try to incorporate all of meat’s suggestions tomorrow, so I suspect I’ll be too focused on form to get serious reps out of the last set.

95

mcl- just caught up on the log. Your workouts and efforts look great. You sure pump out a lot of reps on your last sets. Did you underestimate your maxes or do it intentionally?

Also, you seem to like the Alpha Male. I am considering trying it. Is it safe to say the you recommend it?

96

I don’t think I underestimated my maxes, necessarily. I just think that I wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could have been when the maxes were set. Since I started 5-3-1, I’ve been intentionally trying to push through the mental state that makes me rack the bar, and try to grind out extra reps instead.

I suspect that next cycle, you’re going to see my last set numbers drop to single digits and stay there for a good long while. :slight_smile:

I definitely recommend the Alpha Male!

97

Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 4:

Warmups: A bunch of squats with the bar, a bunch @135.

Squat: 3@215, 3@245, 6@275 (but it was actually two sets of 3, since I was focusing hard on incorporating meat’s feedback, and stopped after 3 to check my form on the camera (videos over in maraudermeat’s “feedback from meat” thread.))
BBB: Since I was focusing on form, I didn’t pyramid down, and instead did 5x10@135.
Accessory: 5x10 leg curls@60.

No cardio. No break this week, so I’m ready to fall over.

98

Cycle 2, Week 3, Day 1:

Warmup: 2 side planks @0:45. 10 facepulls @40.

Military Press: 5@80, 3@95, 12@105 (not a rep or estimated 1RM PR. however, I thought I’d try a true 1RM today, so I did 1@135 (actual new 1RM PR). I tried 185, but couldn’t get it up, even as a push press. I have a long way to go on the MP!))

BBB: 10@95, 10@95, 10@80, 10@70, 10@60

Accessory: 2x5 neutral-grip pullups, 2.5@10 decline cable pullovers @65. I had intended to do 3 full sets, but my right shoulder started acting up.

Cooldown: 9 dislocations (shoulder stopped me from doing the 10th).

No cardio, because I’m just being a lazy bastard today.

99

Cycle 2, Week 3, Day 2:

Warmup: 10 glute bridges.

Deadlift: 5@215, 3@240, 11@270 (not an estimated 1RM or a rep PR).
I swear I’m not going to try a 1RM PR every week, but since I have my new Inzer belt, I had to try it:

1@415. New actual PR. Held it for 5 seconds, too. Still had spots in my vision the whole time, though.

BBB: 10@240, 10@215, 10@190, 10@165, 10@140

Accessory: 5x10 reverse crunches.

Cardio: about 5 minutes working the hanging bag without gloves. Ow. Note to self: get gloves.

Weight: who knows?

100

Nothing says Max like the tweety birds.
Nice work MCL…

kmc