Looks like your training has been going pretty well during my hiatus. Any meets on the horizon?
Thanks for dropping in; where have you been?! I’m really pleased with how lifting is going at the moment, and am hoping to hit some big PRs in a meet in early September.
23/05/11
Deadlifts
Stiff-legged Sumo Deadlifts:
65x2x5
105x5
125x3
145x3
165x3
185x1
200x1 (PR)
Good Mornings:
60x10
80x10
90x2x8
Reverse Hypers:
105x3x8
Cable Side Bends:
170lbx3x7
Since we went all supra-max on the deadlift variation last week, we decided to pull a bit lighter today. I’ve always found stiff-legged sumo pulls to be an effective movement for hammering the glutes, hammies and lower back, and certainly felt it after these. 15kg PR was pleasant.
25/05/11
Bench Presses
Bench Presses:
20x2x8
60x5
80x3
100x3
120x1
140x1 (2-board)
(Added Metal Ace shirt)
140x3 (2-board)
160x2 (1-board)
180xF (Missed touch)
180x1 (Missed touch)
190x1 (1-board)
100x9
Pull-ups:
BWx50 (7 sets)
EZ Bar Overhead Triceps Extensions:
3 sets
Rear Delt Flyes:
3 sets
Not overly delighted with this. I wanted to work down the boards and try to get something to touch today, but just could not get 180 down comfortably. NEED MORE TECHNIQUE WORK!
27/05/11
Squats
Cambered Bar Squats:
30x5
70x5
110x3
130x3
150x3
170x2
190x2 (PR)
(Added reverse green bands)
230x1 (PR)
SSB Squats:
70x10
90x10
100x10
110x7
Kettlebell Swings:
40x10
48x10
Pikes:
BWx3x8
Happy with this - I got a tough (but not head-busting) double with 190 for a rep PR, and then threw on the bands to overload the movement at the top. Again, 230 was tough but not an all-out max. That was 20kg above my previous best reverse band squat, which was done with a straight bar; I find that my cambered bar squat is usually very close to my straight bar squat so I’m very pleased with that.
You’ll notice in the video I’m using a box to measure my depth. I decided I needed a back-to-basics method of teaching myself to just break parallel on each and every rep, as I have a habit of going waaaaay deep and leaving weight behind.
29/05/11
Presses
Fat Bar Push Presses:
15x2x8
35x5
55x5
65x3
75x3
85x2 (PR)
85x1
Pull-ups:
BWx6
BW+5x5
BW+10x3x5
BW+15x5
BWx8
Dips:
BWx10
BW+10x5
BW+15x5
BW+20x5
BW+25x5
BW+20x5
BWx12
Kroc Rows:
100lbx29
That looks like a great set-up you’re working with there mate! Great training lately too!
Cheers man, I’m really pleased with the progress I’m making at the moment. The gym is fantastic - we pay my mate a quid per session to keep up the costs of repairs to equipment and all the other bits and bobs, and in return we get a hardcore, fantastically equipped private dungeon to lift in!
I keep trying to comment in your log but my posts don’t seem to be showing up for some reason… Seems like your overreaching before your holiday paid off nicely given that you were able to work up to 90% on all 3 lifts in your first session back! Are you sticking with Smolov now or are you going to see how you’re feeling once you’ve got over this virus then reassess?
[quote]Element_26 wrote:
I keep trying to comment in your log but my posts don’t seem to be showing up for some reason… Seems like your overreaching before your holiday paid off nicely given that you were able to work up to 90% on all 3 lifts in your first session back! Are you sticking with Smolov now or are you going to see how you’re feeling once you’ve got over this virus then reassess?
[/quote]
That’s crazy - great set-up, especially with the guys to train with too!!
Yeah that first session felt pretty comfortable - I’d only landed at Heathrow about 5 hours before that…felt shit that last 2 days though ahaha.
I think I am going to run the base cycle for sure, I want to bring my squat up to be more in line with the dead - it’s currently -40kg!! Should also let me work on benching at the same time…we’ll see!
[quote]Element_26 wrote:
Thanks for dropping in; where have you been?! I’m really pleased with how lifting is going at the moment, and am hoping to hit some big PRs in a meet in early September.[/quote]
Long story, but the gist of it is I got burned out and weak; only now am I building myself back up to some decent numbers. I’ve been working with Josh Bryant from EFS for the past few months and will continue on with him through the fall as I prepare for my return to the platform. I’ll be starting a training log again so feel free to stop in once I get it up and running.
[quote]novaeer wrote:
[quote]Element_26 wrote:
Thanks for dropping in; where have you been?! I’m really pleased with how lifting is going at the moment, and am hoping to hit some big PRs in a meet in early September.[/quote]
Long story, but the gist of it is I got burned out and weak; only now am I building myself back up to some decent numbers. I’ve been working with Josh Bryant from EFS for the past few months and will continue on with him through the fall as I prepare for my return to the platform. I’ll be starting a training log again so feel free to stop in once I get it up and running.[/quote]
I’ll definitely be following along with your new log; I’m really interested to see how a few different people working with Josh progress. There’s such a lot I see written these days about how ‘less is more’ and it seems like his methodology completely flies in the face of that. Lots of people seem to be making amazing gains with his programmes though.
30/05/11
Deadlifts
Sumo Deadlifts:
60x2x5
100x5
140x3
160x3
180x3
(Added Metal Pro Squatter)
200x1
220x1
240x1 (PR)
Good Mornings:
70x10
90x10
90x10
95x7
Cable Side Bends:
160lbx2x8
Reverse Hypers:
3 sets
I wanted to work up to a heavier weight in the suit to get an idea of what I have to work on in the run-up to the meet. From the video, two things: technique and lockout. Lockout should be helped by driving my hips through earlier and arching harder at the start of the lift to get my shoulders behind the bar. Having said that, I’m still going to hammer my glutes and mix plenty of block pulls into my rotation.
[quote]Element_26 wrote:
I’ll definitely be following along with your new log; I’m really interested to see how a few different people working with Josh progress. There’s such a lot I see written these days about how ‘less is more’ and it seems like his methodology completely flies in the face of that. Lots of people seem to be making amazing gains with his programmes though.
[/quote]
Yeah he definitely takes it in the opposite direction. The first few weeks with him were downright brutal. This next 12 weeks will be offseason work and a change of pace from what he had programmed in the previous cycle.
01/06/11
Bench Presses
Bench Presses:
20x2x8
60x5
80x3
100x3
120x3
(Added Metal Ace shirt)
140x1 (2-board)
160x1 (1-board)
170x1 (Missed touch)
180x1 (Missed touch)
185x1 (Missed touch)
190xF (Missed touch)
Pull-ups:
BWx50 (7 sets)
Dumbbell Bench Presses:
80lbx15
80lbx16
Overhead Triceps Extensions:
2 sets
Rear Delt Flyes:
3 sets
Another slightly unsatisfying bench session today. It started off so well, with good bar speed on all of the (raw) warm-up sets. When I put the shirt on for 140, the plan was to quickly work down the boards and then try to touch to the shirt (again). I didn’t have the shirt fitted quite right for the sets with 140 and 160, and it effected my I set-up somewhat, but I still got decent, fast reps on both sets.
I decided to take the next weight down to the chest but, despite having the shirt in place and my set-up and overall technique massively improved, I was still a good 2 inches away. I was annoyed, as I touched with about 150kg the very first time I wore this shirt, when it brand new. Can 6kg of increased body weight really make so much difference to the fit of the gear?! Apparently so. Anyway, I decided that more weight was needed, so threw on 180. That was fine (although an over-eager spotter grabbed the bar early for some bizarre reason - don’t think he realised that the lockout is the hard part in gear) so I jumped to 185. Still fine, still no touch. 190. I will millimetres away from touching! Unfortunately, I think I was spent by this point, as I could not quite push through the sticking point and lock out the weight.
Looking at the positives, I feel confident that with just a little more work on my technique I will be able to get a weight around 180kg to touch in the shirt. I definitely have the strength to press the weight, and I have time on my side before the meet.
looks like you’ve got a decent raw press there - 120 x 3, care to share any secrets?
Hahahaha. It’s nothing to write home about. I find my bench increases every time my bodyweight goes up, so start eating if you don’t have to worry about maintaining a weight class or staying at a particular weight for your sport (you mentioned you’re a rugby player - what position do you play out of interest?)
Aside from that, 5/3/1 got my bench moving again after it had stagnated for a long time, and make sure you work the rear delts, lats and triceps hard. I like bodyweight stuff (chins, dips etc) for my upper body assistance.
I’ve stopped playing now - used to hook 
I already weigh 98kg - don’t fancy going up much more at 5ft 11 haha
531 got my repping strength up, not my maximal though! I need to start hammering back I think, don’t do enough of that.
Ah OK. I’ve played at prop and in the back row. The latter was too much like hard work for me though!
I have to admit that I was a little concerned when I started 5/3/1 that my maximal strength would regress, but was pleasantly surprised to gain 10kg on my 1RM (130 to 140) in about 5 months. Obviously gaining some weight helped, but given that all my main lifts improved significantly in those few months, I’m going to say that max effort training isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of maximal strength training.
Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed the program, I was also progressing (significantly in some cases)…however, when it came to testing the ‘predicted’ maxes I couldn’t get anywhere near them, horses for courses and all that.
Congrats on the deadlift PR by the way - looked like a warm up!
Thanks man, I really should have got a double with 240kg but struggling at lock out is something I really haven’t experienced much when deadlifting before, and it caught me by surprise!