Triceps Pushdowns w/Straight Bar Attachment:
75lbx2x12
I had to get creative this evening. I wanted to do some kind of supramaximal max effort exercise (read: lift really heavy shit) but was training with a guy whose shoulder is in no condition to permit hand-offs. So, I contrived to try out the spectacularly named suspended chain reverse band bench presses. They are as cool as they sound, and it felt good to handle 150kg whilst lying on the bench.
An interesting thing has happened to the way I miss lifts. I used to miss a weight, and then get it comfortably if I tried a second time. This tells me that I either wasn’t focused the first time around, or that my technique wasn’t good enough to be consistent when playing with heavy loads. In the last few weeks (especially on bench days) I’ve been finding that I nail a heavy attempt, but then miss - often twice - with just a few more kilos on the bar. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I reckon that my focus and execution is improving, and now I’m only missing lifts when the bar is too damn heavy! This, I think, is encouraging.
We had the two Tonys (Russian and Non-Russian) back training with us this afternoon, and there was a great energy in the gym. I kept my squats light and fast, and left a little in the tank for a bigger pull. 150 against doubled mini bands was a 10kg PR, and it’s very satisfying to see the sumo stance working well for me.
Positives:
PRs are always good, especially with the safety squat bar.
Negatives:
It was only a 2.5kg PR - I was expecting more.
It was ugly as hell.
I manage to pick up a minor injury deadlifting last Friday, but it hadn’t bothered me over the weekend, so I figured I’d be good to go tonight. It didn’t pan out that way, and every single rep of those squats felt uncomfortable on my back. Despite that, I still managed a horrible looking PR.
After that, I decided not to deadlift and just do a little extra assistance work instead.
Triceps Pushdowns w/Straight Bar Attachment:
40x2x12
TRX Rear Delt Flyes:
2x10
Training in a commercial gym is fun. I got weird looks when doing 2-board presses against bands, but when I followed the status quo and did some ‘functional’ training with the TRX straps later on, all was well with the world.
Speed Bench Presses:
20x2x8
(Added 2 sets of chains per side)
20x2x5
40x3
60x2x3
70x2x3
80x2x3
90x2x3
Here’s the final set with 90kg plus the chains:
Rolling Dumbbell Triceps Extensions:
15x2x12
17.5x1x8
Barbell Rows (from 1st pins):
92.5x4x6
Face Pulls:
110lbx3x10
E-Z Bar Curls:
38x3x10
The early sets of bench presses felt very fast, so I decided to work to a few heavier triples. The sets with 80 and 90kg plus the chains were definitely not ‘dynamic’, but they felt pretty good so I won’t complain!
The last time I performed suspended chain good mornings I maxed out at 100kg, so tonight’s efforts were a huge improvement. I had the bar set a little higher than I had done so before though, which would explain the 25kg PR!
Positives:
PRs are always good, especially with the safety squat bar.
Negatives:
It was only a 2.5kg PR - I was expecting more.
It was ugly as hell.
I manage to pick up a minor injury deadlifting last Friday, but it hadn’t bothered me over the weekend, so I figured I’d be good to go tonight. It didn’t pan out that way, and every single rep of those squats felt uncomfortable on my back. Despite that, I still managed a horrible looking PR.
After that, I decided not to deadlift and just do a little extra assistance work instead.[/quote]
Positives:
PRs are always good, especially with the safety squat bar.
Negatives:
It was only a 2.5kg PR - I was expecting more.
It was ugly as hell.
I manage to pick up a minor injury deadlifting last Friday, but it hadn’t bothered me over the weekend, so I figured I’d be good to go tonight. It didn’t pan out that way, and every single rep of those squats felt uncomfortable on my back. Despite that, I still managed a horrible looking PR.
After that, I decided not to deadlift and just do a little extra assistance work instead.[/quote]
Damn!! You freakin’ worked for that rep. Nice[/quote]
Haha cheers mate - check out the floor press below. Now THAT was a real grinder!
Triceps Pushdowns w/Straight Bar Attachment:
75lbx3x12
Face Pulls:
110lbx3x10
Interesting session: although I didn’t technically set a PR on the floor press, I equalled my max weight from the last cycle but with a slightly different chain set-up. Call it clutching at straws, but we draped the chains over the bar today (rather than suspending them from the smaller chain) so this probably added a couple of kilos to the real weight I was handling! Damn tough rep though.
In other news: assistance work went well. Especially the press lockouts.
A 10kg PR with the cambered bar was an extremely satisfying way to start the session. It was a pretty smooth rep, despite the fact that I couldn’t seem to decide where to set my feet after I walked it out!
The rest of the session was, to be honest, really rather crap. Deciding to try to go for a PR on sumo deadlifts after having already toasted my lower back with the cambered bar was about as sensible as building a theme park and filling it with dinosaurs. I finished off with some abs and reverse hypers to try and loosen up my back. Which worked.
