Doin' Work in the Steel City

Training Logs
61

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Quit hogging all the awesome.[/quote]

Dude, there was so much awesome in the gym that night it was ridiculous. If you look close at the bench next to the platform, you’ll notice that the weight on the bar is equal to the weight that I pulled (600). And the guy was benching raw. I saw him hit 640 raw and paused 2 months ago.

I have more video from that night of other people lifting, just need to put it together and I’ll throw it on here. If you can’t make progress in that place, then you just suck.

62

9/14/2011 - Bench/Chest/Shoulders

BP - worked up to 335 single with a pause, then back off with 295x6
Incline - worked up to 245x8
Machine BP - 203x22 RP, 16 RP
DB Lateral Partials - 2 drop sets (65,35,20) for a bunch of reps
CS Partial Laterals - 2 drop sets (55,30,15) lots of reps
Machine MP - 195x10,10,8

Wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this session since I was still sore as fuck from pulling Monday. Shit, I felt like I got hit by a truck on Tuesday. Just sore and achy all over. I wasn’t even sure I’d get this session in, but I felt ok in the morning so I figured I’d just go in and bench and leave, LOL. But by the time I was warmed up I was ready to rock. It ended up being a pretty decent session too. 335 was smooth and easy, like it should be.

63

9/16/2011 - Back

Meadows Rows - 75,100,125x10, 150x8
DS DB Row - 120x3x8
Lat Stretch - 2x60s
Stretchers - 100x3x12
Pullown - 190x3x10
Lat Stretch - 2x60s
WG Magnum Row - 230x3x10

Back is still a little sore from Monday, so no shrugs or face pulls.

Overall a good session. Too tired to write much more right now.

64

Jesus man, you blasted that 6-hundo up. Impressive.

65

Just weighed myself this morning and I’m 225. I repeated this 3 times, incredulous. I was 235 yesterday. I’m not sick, didn’t starve myself, etc.

My stomach does look and feel less bloated today and I did have 2 monstrous shits yesterday, but still, 10 lbs? Really weird.

66

9/17/2011 - Arms

1A) DB Hammer Curl - 55x3x10
1B) Rope Pressdown - 65x3x12
2A) DB Concentration Curl - 35x3x10
2B) CGBP - 185x12, 205x10, 225x8
3A) EZ Bar Curl - 85x3x10
3B) Pronating Kickback - 25x3x12

Have some video of this session, a recent pic, and a brief tour of my home setup. Just have to get it on here. Lots of super-ghey shirtlessness going on, but I was at home by myself so why the hell not?

Went to a party at a friend’s house in Cleveland on Saturday night. Saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a few years and got a lot of (mostly backhanded) compliments on my progress. Lots of “so I see you stopped lifting LOL” jokes. That’s always nice. A lot of the guys I went to school with are in pretty sorry shape now. Even the guys I played ball with look like they haven’t seen the inside of a gym since senior year.

Oh well, too bad for them. I’ll never stop, ever.

9/19/2011 - Squat

Squat - worked up to 465x1, back off 365x8 (wanted 10 but that would have been pushing it, technique started breaking down)
Leg Curl/Leg Ext superset - 3 sets of 12-15, don’t remember weights
Standing Calf Raise - 300x15, 320x15
Ab Pulldown - 120x3x15

The 465 squat felt like a bit of a grind but is actually the heaviest I’ve ever gone using current setup (high bar, narrow stance, Oly style). I don’t count it as a PR though. It annoys me to no end when people claim PRs for everything from a different stance width to different hand width to different grip, eccentric speed, belt, shoes, relative humidity, time of day, etc. Is it the best you’ve ever done on that lift? No? Then it’s not a fucking PR.

Or maybe I’m just an asshole.

It did feel awesome to strain under a heavy-ish weight. Skipped speed deads because I was pretty well fucking spent after the big single and back off. It also somehow took me an hour to squat because I was helping other people in the gym.

BW is still at 225 in the morning. No idea how that happened but I’m glad since I wanted to stay around that weight anyhow. As long as strength keeps moving up like it has I see no reason to go too far over 230 this winter. Definitely not into the ultra-puffy 250 range like I was last year. Ugh, just the thought makes me want to go on the V-Diet, LOL.

67

here for the sexy pics, you big asshole.

nice squat, and I like the looks of your arm days.

68

4000×3000 2.74 MB

Pic from Saturday. 225 here.

69

you are such a dick.

I don’t even like you, not even a little bit

70

Check out my gym:

71

9/21/2011 - Bench

BP - worked up to a 345 paused single, then 315x6 back off
Incline BP - 195x8, 215x8, 235x8 - felt a pinch in left shoulder on last rep. FUCK
Machine BP - 215x22 RP, 17 RP - this didn’t bother the shoulder
Lateral Partials - 2 drop sets starting w/70x30 or so, then 35xAMAP and 20xAMAP full range
CS Partials - 2 drop sets starting w/55s
Machine MP - 195x10 - shoulder didn’t like this too much so called it a night

The 345 single was nice and smooth and I think I left a rep in the tank on the 315 for reps. Very happy with the flat bench work. Pissed that I effed my shoulder on inclines, though I don’t think it’s too bad and I had a lighter bench day planned for next week anyhow. Just going to do some light speed work with chains. We’ll see how it feels then. It was sore as fuck about an hour after I got home from the gym and I’ve been dosing 800mg ibuprofen every 4-5 hours since.

Either way, I won’t let this derail my progress, I’ll just find a way to work around it. It’s definitely not a bicep tendon issue like I had last winter, it feels more like a supraspinatus impingement. Hopefully it doesn’t nag for too long. Might have to go to the cambered bar or maybe use the Manta Ray for squats too. We’ll see.

72

[quote]bugeishaAD wrote:
you are such a dick.

I don’t even like you, not even a little bit[/quote]

LOL, umad bro?

73

That’s a serious home gym setup. You plan on competing at some point, in any strength endeavor?

74

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
That’s a serious home gym setup. You plan on competing at some point, in any strength endeavor?[/quote]

I’ve done a few single-ply powerlifting meets in the past before my last surgery. I did two bench only meets while my hip was recovering from the injury and then a full meet about 14 months after the injury.

Competing is fun and all, but the time and money involved is pretty considerable. With a new baby and a 10 year old, I’m short on both right now. If I find a relatively local meet at the right time I’ll probably do it if I’m healthy and my lifts are near where they should be.

There is actually a meet about 10 min from my house on Oct 9, but since I just started squatting and pulling heavy about 3 months ago I didn’t feel like I could be ready in time.

75

Here’s video from the full meet I did. Totaled 1713 as a 242 with a 650 squat, 501 bench, and 562 dead.

76

Jesus man, who knew you were such a monster?

Fucking impressive as hell brother, seriously.

Keep up the good work. (But Go Pack.) :wink:

77

[quote]SSC wrote:
Jesus man, who knew you were such a monster?

Fucking impressive as hell brother, seriously.

Keep up the good work. (But Go Pack.) ;)[/quote]

Thanks bro, will do.

I’m still salty about last February, not gonna lie. I’ve never seen a team play that poorly and still have a chance to win.

78

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:
Jesus man, who knew you were such a monster?

Fucking impressive as hell brother, seriously.

Keep up the good work. (But Go Pack.) ;)[/quote]

Thanks bro, will do.

I’m still salty about last February, not gonna lie. I’ve never seen a team play that poorly and still have a chance to win.[/quote]

Shit, it really was a well-played game on both parts. I think Pittsburgh would have played good enough to beat any 30 other teams on that particular night, but the boys from up north apparently had some kind of real fire up their ass, haha.

79

[quote]SSC wrote:

[quote]Steel Nation wrote:

[quote]SSC wrote:
Jesus man, who knew you were such a monster?

Fucking impressive as hell brother, seriously.

Keep up the good work. (But Go Pack.) ;)[/quote]

Thanks bro, will do.

I’m still salty about last February, not gonna lie. I’ve never seen a team play that poorly and still have a chance to win.[/quote]

Shit, it really was a well-played game on both parts. I think Pittsburgh would have played good enough to beat any 30 other teams on that particular night, but the boys from up north apparently had some kind of real fire up their ass, haha.[/quote]

I guess they played well enough other than the 3 turnovers. Especially the pick 6 and the Mendenhall fumble. D got shredded by Rodgers too. The Pack played better and was the better team. They deserved to win, no question.

80

9/23/2011 - Back

Meadows Row - 150x3x8
DB Dead Stop Row - 145x2x8
Lat Stretch x60s
Stretchers - 100x3x10
Pulldown - 200x3x8
Lat Stretch x60s
WG Magnum Row - 230x3x10
Face Pull/DB Shrug SS - 70x15/145x15

Was running short on time so I had to cram this one in pretty quick. Performance started to suffer when I got to stretchers and pulldowns. I’m really starting to feel the groove with Meadows Rows so the weights are going up quckly. DB Dead Stop Rows increased as well and felt good.

9/24/2011 - Arms

1A) Hammer Curl - 55x3x10
1B) Rope Pressdown - 65x3x12
2A) Concentration Curl - 40x3x10
2B) CGBP - 185x12, 205x10, 225x9
3A) EZ Bar Curl - 85x3x10
3B) Kickback - 27.5x3x12

My shoulder is showing no more signs of soreness after the scare on Wednesday. Very pleased with that. CGBP gave me no problems. Still going to have a light day this Wednesday and will still probably use the cambered bar for squats on Monday though, just to be safe.

Having arms on a separate day has really been working well for me so far. Arms are a relative weak point for me so it just makes sense. I’d like to get them over 18" (currently 17" or so) at this bf. That will probably take several months if not longer so I will stick with this split for a while.

BW was 228 this morning. I had a few more crap meals this week than usual so that’s understandable.