Hi Chris Nice log. In for this.
Some very good discussions to learn from, and some good hints and insight here and there.
I’ll send some good karma your way. From now it’s all good… I hope 
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Monday March 5 - Main bench day
Bench press
360x1 - this was pretty easy, cold have moved a bit faster though
@guineapig - here you go:
If anyone is wondering about the plates, I have a rubber 10, an iron 10, and a 2.5 on each side in addition to 3 45’s.
300x3x4 - 90 sec. rest
Dead Bench
305x7 singles - 75 sec. rest
Wide grip bench
285x7x3 sets
Dumbbell flys w/super mini band
35’sX 12,10,10
Chin ups - neutral grip
Bodyweight+15lbsX10x3 sets
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So the secret to big bench is big belly lol
Are you actually big bellied or do you get like a big arch more?
I could lose a few pounds, but I’m definitely arching quite a bit too. Skip to 00:13 and see what it looks like when I lay flat and compare to when I set up. I’m aware that it wasn’t the most flattering view, maybe I should tuck my shirt in.
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All power bellies are beautiful
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Whatever turns you on
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Nice technique of bridge and of leg drive…
Thanks.
Tuesday, March 6 - Main squat day
Squat w/ wraps
490x1 - This was decent, I would call it about a 7.5-8rpe. Depth is hard to judge since you can’t see the top of my knee and my shorts bunch up around the hip crease but it looks about parallel, which should pass in WPC but I should still aim for another two inches. 500 next week. Here is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-PUVmTWaM&feature=youtu.be
After that - 435x3x2 sets, then wraps off 380x3x3 90 sec. rest.
Dead squat
345x7 singles - 75 sec. rest - sometimes these make me feel more energetic afterwards, kind of weird.
RDL w/bands around waist
305+mini+super mini X8X3 sets
McGill Curl up
6x4 sets
This was a good workout, my squat in wraps needs some work but at this point I should be able to squat at least 550, if I can improve my technique and get stronger in the next month and a half then there is potential for more.
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How are you finding wraps? Is it much different from without wraps like wearing 5 pairs of SBD sleeves?
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It’s totally different from sleeves. The first time I squatted in SBD sleeves I was cutting my squats high because I thought I was hitting depth sooner due to the fact that you feel a bit of tension build up in the as you descend. Wraps are about 100x more tension and it makes everything feel different. I used to unrack the bar with my feet close together and then move them apart as I walk out but for some reason that just doesn’t feel right in wraps, I have been unracking with my feet wider apart. Also the walkout feels awkward, I normally take just three steps but here you can see me shifting my feet around, I need to work on that. The descent feels different, and you really have to push your head up/back when you start to come up or your hips will shoot back, you want the force from the wraps to go into the bar but if you fuck it up then you waste that little boost and get put into a bad position. It definitely takes practice, I hear some people say they only put on wraps 4-8 weeks out from a meet but I don’t see that working unless you have been squatting in wraps for a long time. That said, even if you aren’t used to wraps they will still add pounds to your squat but it won’t be as much as you could add with better technique.
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Thursday, March 8 - bench assistance day
Close grip bench
320x4,4,3 - not bad, matched reps from last week with 5lbs more
Military press
220x5,5,4
Pushups - neutral grip on dumbbells with super mini band
12,9,7 - my shoulders actually feel better since I started doing these, and I didn’t even know there was anything wrong with my shoulders to start with. I don’t really follow Omar Isuf at all but he made a video recently talking about using pushups to build the bench (maybe he read my training log?) and the reason he gives is the same that Bryce Lewis said a while back, it allows you to press with scapular movement which is good for the serratus anterior and improves shoulder stability. I won’t keep these in my peaking block, but they are worth doing now and then.
Floor pause tricep extension
120x12,10,8 - these make my biceps sore
Hammer curl supersetted w/ band pull apart
50’s/super mini band X20/22,16/19,13/15
I don’t understand why some guys like curls so much. It feels tedious.
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Great log, I am learning a lot just by reading! Fellow canadian???
Yes, I am from Ottawa as the username implies.
Arm or elbow pain when squatting is usually poor shoulder mobility. Counted a full weeks reps and you’ve got 128 horizontal presses against 58 reps of chins and rows and then some band pull aparts. This imbalance could lead to pronated shoulders. I’d try to add some extra upper back work, even if it’s just more pull aparts between sets on your squatting days.
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I don’t have any pain when squatting anymore. When I did I tried doing a ton of band pull aparts and face pulls and the effect was minimal. Also, I didn’t log the band pull aparts I do during my warmup because nobody cares, they are also with a lighter band than my actual band pull apart work sets.
That sounds like a terrible idea.
Eric Cressey is one of the top specialists in shoulder health, he says that some people are predisposed to shoulder and arm pain from squatting due to the shape of the scapula. It can be related to shoulder mobility but there are other causes as well.
Friday, March 9 - Light squat/deadlift day
Squat - transformer bar in “back squat” setting
300x2x5 sets, 45 sec. rest, vertical jump after each set
Deadlift
500x1 - this felt real easy, like I could have pulled 4 reps. That’s what I want it to feel like, if I can keep this going then 600 is within reach. Just by improving my technique I will be able to make some big gains. Hips are high but arms a kind of short and femurs are kind of long, plus a wider stance immediately makes me weaker so it’s not something I’m going to experiment with right now. Possibly having my hips slightly lower could be better but this seems to be my strongest position right now. Dave Ricks pulls over 700 with a similar (but maybe uglier) technique at 58 years old, that gives me hope. Here’s the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqgQ8RHsGo4&feature=youtu.be
Volume work
405x3x4 sets, 90 sec. rest
Paused deadlift (just off the floor)
385x5,5,6 - I got carried away on the last sets and lost count, I was actually considering cutting it at 4 reps but changed my mind and ended up doing 6. Whatever. These take a lot out of me.
Barbell row
325x10,9,8
Shrugs
425x29,26 - a PR if there is such a thing with shrugs. I just keep going until my vision gets blurry and my arms feel like they are going to drop off. With fairly heavy weight it is kind of like a bracing drill too. Maybe I should do these with a pause at the top instead of doing stupid high reps, but I’m going to cut these out after next week anyway.
Overall a good day.
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How you like that transformer bar? Been looking at getting an SSB Bar.
Good deadlift!
If your shoulders were “tight” and you didn’t know it, and extra ROM, alternative grip, relatively light pushups made them feel better, will they “work” better during your heavy lifting?
If this is what happens, what would be the lower body, hip joint equivalent?
It’s good, exactly what I wanted. The obvious advantage over other SSBs is that you can adjust the angle. I have no complaints about the bar itself, but it took over two months from when I ordered it until I got it. Apparently they had a ton of orders and their lathe broke down, they sent me a couple t-shirts and a $100 gift card though. The other thing is that I’m in Canada so there are import duties to pay, they don’t handle that themselves and UPS handled the customs stuff, the “brokerage fee” they charged was a few dollars more than the actual duties. Aside from this one item I would rather deal with Rogue because they have lower prices, and on the Canadian site it includes customs fees and everything so there are no surprises. Maybe Kabuki bars are better quality, but I don’t hear bad things about Rogue and I’m not rich either. If you live in the US and money is not an issue then don’t worry about that, you can’t go wrong with Kabuki Strength.
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