23rd
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg (=PR), 1 x 220kg (PR!), 3 x 200kg (rep PR or =PR)
Crazy. Brilliant session, very comfortable PRs. I left it there and got out early because that was such a milestone for me. Bring on the progress!
[quote]halcj wrote:
23rd
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg (=PR), 1 x 220kg (PR!), 3 x 200kg (rep PR or =PR)
Crazy. Brilliant session, very comfortable PRs. I left it there and got out early because that was such a milestone for me. Bring on the progress![/quote]
Nice work! 227.5 is just around the corner, even if that isn’t a milestone for you, haha.
[quote]lift206 wrote:
[quote]halcj wrote:
23rd
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg (=PR), 1 x 220kg (PR!), 3 x 200kg (rep PR or =PR)
Crazy. Brilliant session, very comfortable PRs. I left it there and got out early because that was such a milestone for me. Bring on the progress![/quote]
Nice work! 227.5 is just around the corner, even if that isn’t a milestone for you, haha.[/quote]
Thanks! Yeah, 220kg is 5 metric plates so that’s the reason, plus it’s my first all-time PR since my injury and time off last year. 500lbs is still a major goal though, hopefully achievable when I compete next month!
24th
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 2x110kg, 2x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg
Bench from Pins (chest height): ramped (1, 1, 1,) clusters to 130kg
Then: ramped triples to 120kg
Push Press: 1/3 ratchets ramped to 86.5kg (yes, 1kg plates), then 1, 2, x 90kg
Then: 7 x 70kg
Bench: w/u with 8x70kg, 5x110kg; 2 x 130kg, 2 x 140kg, 2 x 142.5kg (all reps paused)
Brilliant lifting again. I felt great on bench despite all the other work before it, and the push presses were fairly strong too.
25th
Squat: w/u with 3x60kg, 3x100kg, 3x140kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg, 5 x 190kg (rep PR)
Seated Machine Row: 5 x 115kg, 4 x 125kg, 3 x 135kg, 5 x 5 x 105kg
Stat. Bike: 6 mins very high intensity (up to 180bpm HR)
I felt very tired today, but set a nice rep record with 190kg and got some upper back work in.
I’m curious, do you still pull with a narrow Sumo stance like in your avi? If so, any tips on technique you have for performing that kind of ‘hybrid’ stance?
I like the Bulgarian training, I feel it’s something cool I maybe do for short 4-8 week cycles a couple times a year down the line just for a change of pace. Excited to see how it carries over for you at your meet!
[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
I’m curious, do you still pull with a narrow Sumo stance like in your avi? If so, any tips on technique you have for performing that kind of ‘hybrid’ stance?
I like the Bulgarian training, I feel it’s something cool I maybe do for short 4-8 week cycles a couple times a year down the line just for a change of pace. Excited to see how it carries over for you at your meet![/quote]
Thanks! I’m actually using conventional deadlifts at the moment, and I feel they’ve helped my back (upper, mid, and lower) strength considerably compared with sumo / semi-sumo pulls. That said, sumo stances are great if you use a wide squat stance or have stronger hips than lower back; Ed Coan used both, so perhaps there’s some merit to using a combination (either both year-round or cycles of one then the other).
Technique wise, I think the biggest points to note are: breathing and tensing before you grip the bar (then holding throughout) rather than taking a breath when you’re already down; tensing and squeezing back (behind you) with the lats as you initiate the pull (“bend the bar” around your shins); and easing the bar off the floor rather than going hell-for-leather and losing your positioning / leverage. This is important for sumo.
As for the meet, I’m going for a 600kg+ total or broke, so hopefully I’ll have done enough! I’m worried about my bench though - at my previous competitions I’ve had at least 5 benches disallowed for various reasons, all of them petty (“uneven extension”, “the toe of your shoe wasn’t touching the floor” when that part of the shoe was curled upwards slightly, “didn’t wait for the start command” when they hadn’t given one for my first attempt, etc. etc. - not fun!). I’ll keep you updated…
26th
Rowing Machine: warm up
Deadlift (conventional): w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 2x150kg; 2 x 180kg, 2 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 220kg, 1 x 227.5kg (~501.5lbs, PR!), 2 x 3 x 180kg with pauses below knee, 2 x 5 x 150kg also with pauses
Bench from Pins (slightly higher this time due to different bench): ramp to (1, 1, 1,) x 135kg, 1 x 145kg, 1 x 140kg
Then: ramped triples to 125kg, then 3 sets with 125kg
DB OHP: 6 x 32.5kg DBs (while waiting for flat bench)
Bench: w/u with 6x60kg, 4x100kg; 2 x 130kg, 1 x 140kg, 2 x 4 x 120kg (all paused)
Another very strong session! First lift over 500lbs at last, and it was pretty easy to be honest. Bench was thrown off after that, with me missing push presses due to fatigue and misloading the bar for pin presses after someone stole 2 x 5kg plates from right next to me (?). Oddly, there were no 5kg plates ANYWHERE, so I guess someone had all 10 or so of them on an E-Z curl bar somewhere… Regardless, bring on the PRs!
27th
Squat: w/u with 3x60kg, 3x100kg, 3x140kg; 1 x 180kg, 1 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg, 3 x 200kg, 3 x 195kg
Stat. Bike: 8 mins high intensity
Still pushing. Progress and momentum building, everything going fairly well; strong session again today, and weights > 210kg starting to feel more comfortable and “liftable”.
28th
Squat: w/u with 3x60kg, 3x100kg, 2x140kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg
Bench from Pins (chest height, as the session before last): (1, 1, 1,) clusters ramped to 135kg and 1 x 140kg
Then: explosive triples ramped to 120kg then 4 x 3 x 120kg
Push Press: 3 x 70kg, 3 x 80kg, 1, 3, x 84kg, 1, 2, x 90kg, 6 x 70kg
Bench: w/u with 6x60kg, 3x100kg; 4 x 2 x 130kg (long pause on chest for each rep)
Another good session, more progress and more momentum gained. Pauses are becoming more natural. My chest and triceps are actually sore this week, which is rare for me, so hopefully that’s a good sign. I’m not pushing squats to the limit at the moment because I feel I can add a lot to my total by focusing on my deadlift more and I don’t want to risk injury at this stage, but I am still above 90% daily and yesterday was pretty full on so I’m definitely not slacking. If all goes well it should be a heavier session tomorrow.
29th
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 2x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 220kg (=PR), 2 x 205kg (=PR), 2 x 207.5kg (PR!)
Stat. Bike: 5 mins high intensity
Seated Machine Row: 5s ramped to 5 x 135kg (PR)
VERY strong session. Double with 207.5kg was deep and easy; I’m very pleased with this progress - more to come!
Nice gains, seems like you are indestructible with squatting everyday.
What’s your opinion on grinding top sets on squats? John Broz mentality or staying conservative?
[quote]squats and milk wrote:
Nice gains, seems like you are indestructible with squatting everyday.
What’s your opinion on grinding top sets on squats? John Broz mentality or staying conservative?[/quote]
I grind weights quite often, but not for multiple successive sets: if one set is really bad, I’ll probably leave it there and back-off or finish the session. If I’m hitting PRs, I might push a bit further.
30th
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg, 3 x 200kg
Bench from Pins (on chest): ramp (1, 1, 1,) clusters to 140kg
Then: ramp triples to 2 x 3 x 130kg
Push Press: ramp to 3 x 90kg, 1 x 100kg (PR!), 3 x 90kg
Pull-ups: 7 wide grip, 6 close grip, 5 wide grip
Bench: w/u with 8x60kg, 5x100kg; 5 x 130kg, 4 x 140kg (very nice set!)
More Bulgarian brilliance xD ! Very pleased with this. Bench was with a better “power” style bar instead of the usual thick bar, which felt far better (although it was a bit bent, unfortunately, which is why I didn’t use it before). This is the first time I’ve attempted 100kg overhead in any form, so getting that was nice.
1st
Rowing Machine: 1000m in 3:34 (PR I suppose)
Deadlift: w/u with 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 2 x 180kg, 2 x 200kg, 4 x 1 x 210kg, 2 x 180kg
Seated Cable Row: 10 x 68kg, 10 x 75kg, 10 x 78kg, 2 x 10 x 68kg
Stat. Bike: 5 mins, very high intensity
Very tired. Extreme sweating and panting for breath for about an hour or a bit less - good GPP / deadlift session. Had some glute pain immediately after the rowing, but it faded once I reached 200kg on deads.
2nd
Squat: w/u with 3x60kg, 3x100kg, 3x140kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg
Bench from Pins (on chest): ramp clusters (1, 1, 1,) to 140kg, (1, 1,) x 142.5kg [very short rest between reps, around 2 seconds]
Then: triples ramp to 4 x 3 x 132.5kg
Push Press: ramp to 5 x 3 x 90kg, 2 x 90kg
Bench: w/u with 10x60kg, 5x100kg; 4 x 130kg (pause on final rep), 3 x 140kg (pause on first rep)
Solid lifting again. Push press is starting to feel a lot better, and weights are still going up overall. The progress continues…
3rd
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 3x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 220kg (=PR), 2 x 207.5kg (=PR), 2 x 200kg
Seated Machine Row: 5 x 5 x 125kg
Stat. Bike: 5 mins
I haven’t felt very good in the last 24hrs, tired and possibly getting sick. I think I’ll be ok in a day or two though, probably just a cold. Regardless, good session again. The upper back work is really paying off, my deadlift has increased massively recently and I think this is part of the reason.
4th
Squat: w/u with 3x70kg, 3x110kg, 2x150kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 220kg (=PR), 1+M x 205kg
Bench from Pins (chest height): ramp to (1, 1, 1,) x 140kg, (1, 1,) x 145kg
Then: triples ramped to 2 x 3 x 135kg
Push Press: 3 x 70kg, 3 x 80kg, 3 x 90kg, 2 x 95kg
Bench: w/u with 8x60kg, 5x100kg; 5 x 130kg
Fairly strong session again. I missed a second rep of 205kg, but got the first. 220kg was a “No Fly Zone” squat - if a fly had landed on the bar, I would probably have missed - so I didn’t go for a new PR. All going pretty well.
[quote]halcj wrote:
I haven’t felt very good in the last 24hrs, tired and possibly getting sick. [/quote]
And still going 5 plates and matching PRs. Nice!
[quote]squats and milk wrote:
[quote]halcj wrote:
I haven’t felt very good in the last 24hrs, tired and possibly getting sick. [/quote]
And still going 5 plates and matching PRs. Nice![/quote]
Yeah, thank you! It feels good, but I know there’s more to come.
5th
Squat: w/u with 5x60kg, 3x100kg, 3x140kg; 1 x 190kg, 1 x 200kg, 1 x 210kg, 1 x 215kg, 2 x 2 x 200kg
Tired physically today; reasonably good session but not quite in the “PR-Zone”. Pushing onwards…