Clockin' A Grip

Training Training Logs
601

12-15

Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows (35)x get a feel for the lift
Dumbbell Decline Bench (35) x20
4 pairs

Barbell Floor Press
155 x3, 9 sets with 3 grips

Chinese Row
145 x15, 13 then 135 x15
Rolling DB Tricep Extensions
25 x15, 3 sets paired with rows

Cable Upright Rows (45 degrees, lots of pulling back)
60 x15, 3 sets
Seated Bottum Up Kettlebell Press
20 x15, 3 sets ( 1 armed because one 20kb is missing)
Fat Gripz Dumbbell Curls
25 x15, 3 sets threesomed with rows and presses

Pretty good workout. My girl suggested I get down on the floor press. It felt pretty useful, so I’ll run it for 3 weeks. 155 was light, so I’ll try jumping 20 pounds per week. Reevaluate after 3 weeks. I’ve not done tons of this move, so I’m not ready to commit long term yet.

Assistance work was good enough to keep for a few more workouts. Just gotta come down a little on the Chinese Row. I used the Cambered Bar for more ROM, and it was tougher than I expected. Same mechanical, steady double progression for assistance on upper body day too.

It’s Max Effort Lower Body tomorrow. I’m not sure what I’ll do. How exciting!

2 Likes
602

No little stuff over the weekend.

12-17

ME Lower

McGill Floor Routine
Curl ups x8 per side
Side Planks x5 per Side, twice
Bird Dogs x5 per Side, twice

Followed By
Band Knees Apart Walk x a few
Single Leg Hamstring Curl x12
Peterson Step Ups x8
Suitcase Walk, down and back

3 minute warm up!

I asked my girl what lift to do, she said squat with curved bar.

2 Inch Cambered Bar Squat
95 x2
135 x2
175 x2
205 x2 -second rep, lots of groin
225 x1 -Just The Squat I’ve Been Looking For
245 x1 -feet were shifty during set up, as if I were worried. Squat involved too much low back and groin to continue. Technique Max.

Positive: Squat increased 33% from spring to now (185 -245) without “free” squatting and rarely hitting parallel. Negative: 245 sucks rhino! Takeaway: Continue to make training more effective, and keep doing those more effective trainings! Groundbreaking!

Cable Side Bends, kinda squeeze oriented, Paired With
SSB GMS
Bar x10 so hard
5’s on Bar x10 so hard
10s on Bar x4 incredibly easy, because I could not get the Glute / Hams to work.
Stripped back down to Bar x10 which was hard.

Leg Extension x25
Seated Calf Raise x25
Bad Girls, sit on parallel box with short mini band around knees
3 loops

Absolutely danced out of the gym, soooooo pleased with that 245 squat! And the ability to make my hamstrings work during a 75 pound Good Morning.

2 Likes
603

Is it just me or do hamstrings seem to ‘feel’ more with less weight?

1 Like
604

Absolutely.

605

12-18 or 19?

Chest Supported Shrugs/ Dumbbell Bench
-cut this BS short. We got to the gym late, I was grumpy. Dudes kept grabbing the DBs I wanted.

Bench Press
working up felt really good. Bar was “low” over the highest part of my chest, weight was off the shoulders and spread all over.
250 x1
265 x1
275 x??? Bar slowed, but I felt like I was in a Fantanstic position to keep it in the groove and continue pushing. In my opinion, everything was cool. But I must have looked like I was dying because my woman grabbed it. I was to Emo to try again.

Arrgh! Bench Press! Simultanious physical, technical AND mental plateau!

Half assed cable rows and Tricep Extensions.

Bench Press! How am I going to lift more weight, but have less anxiety in my training?

12-21

McGill 3, then

Hamstring Curl
Suitcase Walk
Peterson Step Up

Box Front Squat, 45 plate on Box
145 x2, 12 sets. Better than last week. No groin pinches.

Conventional Deadlift, Pin 1, Stand on 4 inch Block
185 +90 chains x2, 12 sets

Dumbbell Bend Overs
55 x20, 3 sets
Neutral Close Grip Pulldowns
160 x20, 3 sets

Leg Extension
Goblet Style KB Carry
Standing Calf Raise, Hold Dumbbells
3 loops through

Everything was just right!

606

Don’t put the lift on a pedestal. It’s your bitch, not the other way around! Probably just an off day mentally, you’ll crush it next time. Got to have the head in the right place. You control that.

607

On a Pedestal!

12-24 Sunday Morning Workout

“Shrugs” on High Cables x20
1 arm Tri Pushdowns x25
3 sets

Chest Supported Dumbbell Row x20
Dumbbell Bench Press x25
Lost interest after 3 sets of rows and 2 sets of benches. Morning!

Floor Press
135 +70 chains x3, 9 sets with 3 grips

Chinese Row with Cambered Bar- 135 x15
Seated Bottom Up KB Press(1 armed) - 20 x20 reps
3 paired sets

Cable Upright Row/Row Hybrid x20
Rolling DB Tri’s x20
Fat Gripz DB Curls x15
3 rounds

Great workout. Warm ups were a little shitty, but they get me ready for the rest, which went well. Chains on the floor press were cool, Oh, Heavy! at the top, but OK, Reasonable at the bottom. Hopefully, getting used to staying in a tight position during the transition from light to heavy, chest to Tri’s, will teach me to stay tight during the transition on regular bench pressing.

Also, I moved the Narrow and Medium grips for DE bench in a little today. I did a bunch of slightly wider grip benching for awhile. To develop my chest. Then, I moved my grip out a little, since I had more chest.

This used more chest at the bottom, but DisJointed the bench press. With the wider grip, my elbows were forced to tuck at the bottom. So the chest was on a Pedastal, alone at the bottom and the Tris were on a pedestal, isolated at the top. I couldn’t keep max tightness at the bottom. I need my hands a little closer to use more back.

Mark said months ago, Dudes just want to do something with their elbows, so they tuck them at the bottom. They should keep them out.

How do I keep my hands close grip but elbows wide grip?

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Put my hands inside my elbows, like these 600 benches do!

2 Likes
608

Merry Christmas flats

609

Thanks a lot, Duke!

I hope it was Merry for you too!

1 Like
610

12-25 (ME lower)

McGill 3
Single Leg Curl
Suitcase Walk

Sumo Iso action in Power Rack.

Sumo Deadlift, Plates on 4 inch Blocks
Work up in 2’s
315 x1 -pretty good
335 x1 - not as good
355 x1 - best of the day

I’m really trying to not be ego driven by these. Stance was feet centered on rings. Feet not excessively turned out. Rather than stand wide wide and twist out shit out to generate torque and fake tightness in my hip joint, I used a more “natural” stance and tried to drive feet Out to the side. Then get over the bar and lower straight down, without leaning over. I pictured a spider, or a crab, or one of those cranes from a huge loading dock. Instead of a long boom, leaned over with the weight dangling (my back, conventional) I wanted to be right over top of it. Not wide stance conventional!

No
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Yes

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Maybe could have pulled 1 heavier, but usually I don’t get an even better rep, after that great one. Its good to have a number for this height( 4 inch blocks). I’ve worked down to this height and messed my whole plan up like 3 times this year. I was trying to do like 20 reps with 325 from this height! I was basing the weights off a lift from higher pins, and trying to lift way way to much weight, down here. Not a huge lift, but a beneficial one.

Pulldowns(medium width, almost underhand) /SSB Good mornings
4 paired sets, ramp to 200 x10 Pulldowns / 85 x10 GMs

Saw some kid in a video squat with a short mini band around his knees, so I tried it from GMs.

Single Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Calves
3x20

12-26

38th Birthday. Prime Rib, Jameson, Choclate Came

12-27 (ME Upper)

-Shrugs on Cables, start overhead, lower each set
-Single Arm Tricep Pushdowns
4 sets of 25 each

No dumbbell benching today

Bench Press, slightly narrower grip
Some 3s
230 x3
240 x3
250 x2

3 count pause at top and bottom
185 x3 reps for 3 sets. Focus on feet!

JM Press
4 sets, ramp to 125 x5
Paired with (5)Chest Supported Shrug then Row
4 sets, ramp to 3 plates x10

Dumbbell Shrugs, Lean on High Incline Bench
Up to 70s x15

Dumbbell Side Delt Raises (Fat Gripz, thumbless grip)
Up to 12.5s x12

Good workout. JMs were effective! Lots of tension. High Incline Dumbbell Shrugs burned up those upper traps (which I want for vanity) without shoulder impingment. Delt Raises with Fat grips and thumbless grip worked without problems as well. My hand was pretty “open” which was comfortable.

These felt like “Regular” workouts. Not rehab, not lifting around injuries, feeling things out, or “making due.” Just a regular, weak, guy lifting.

3 Likes
611

This I can agree with lol.

1 Like
612

You have just described how I pull sumo

613

The good part about that situation is that it’s all in the head!

1 Like
614

Amen brother

1 Like
615

Great News! It sounds like I’m on the right path!

1 Like
616

Hopefully. Because if you are, that means I am too.

1 Like
617

12-29 DE Lower

Single Leg Curl
Sidebend
Pull down
3 times to get going

Front Box Squat, 45 plate on Box
155 x2, 10 sets

Pin 1 Conventional Deadlift, Stand on 4 Inch Block
165 + 90 chains x2, 12 sets

Dumbbell Bend Overs
60 x15 reps x 3 sets

Close, Narrow Pulldowns
180 x15, 15, 11 reps

Leg Extensions
Reverse Hypers
Stir The Pot
3 sets of each, around 20-30 reps, worked in with Pulldowns and bendovers.

3rd week of this Wave (or cycle or block). Heaviest front squat for 10 doubles, lightest deadlift for 12 doubles. Everything is going as planned so far. Weights were not heavy so technique was sharp. Its getting way easier to stay tight and move correctly. I’m not sure if I should slightly increase weights, or slightly increase ROM for the next 3 weeks.

Maybe front squat a little heavier and deadlift a little farther?

2 Likes
618

Yes!

1 Like
619

Oh yeah, like the original plan I agonized over for days and then wrote down, specifically to remember to stick to.

3 Likes
620

Saturday dog walk, an about an hour out there. I saw this funvideo when I got back. Now I have lat cramps.

1 Like