Farmer's Log 2

Training Over 35 Lifter
701

Thanks for the comments guys.

James - This is the article 7 Tweaks To Make Your Exercises More Evil
I didn’t do it exactly as written (counting pause lengths distracts me) I just did them as normal, but didn’t straighten up fully at the top, keeping a 30 degree-ish forward lean. It keeps so much more tension on the hamstrings.

alexus - I thought you meant proper barefoot running. I was reading about some South American tribe who run ultra long distances (100 miles +) barefoot on nothing but alcohol made from corn! I wasn’t sold on the idea.

Monday night’s lifting.

7/1/2013

Squats
5 x 135 lbs
5 x 220 lbs
3 x 264 lbs
3 x 286 lbs
1 x 308 lbs
Fail x 330 lbs

Front squats
3 x 135 lbs
3 x 154 lbs
3 x 176 lbs
2 x 198 lbs
1 x 220 lbs
1 x 242 lbs

Glute bridges
4 x 10 x 286 lbs

RDLs
4 x 10 x 176 lbs

Weighted dips
1 x 8 x 44 lbs
2 x 6 x 44 lbs

(supersetted with)

DB curls
2 x 8 x 41.5 lbs
1 x 6 x 41.5 lbs

Run.

I figure my 9 months off lifting has cost me 100 lbs off my back squat and deadlift. My front squat doesn’t seem to have suffered as much for some reason.

I’ve noticed since I’ve been back that I’ve developed this weird habit of pausing at the bottom of all my squats. I AM trying not to bounce at the bottom as much as I used to, but it’s as if I’ve been cross-wired and have forgotten what I’m supposed to do once I get down there. I just seem to stop and completely relax at the bottom. It’s bizarre. I might have to add a bit of momentum to train this out of myself.

Good news, the front squat was a PR! (Yay!)…with a clean grip (Boo!)

Forgive me, you have to look for cheap positives when you’re this weak.

The glute bridges followed by the no rest at the top RDLs was a bitchmother from hell. My hamstrings are killing me today.

I really effing hate everything about the glute bridges, the getting in to position, the discomfort of the bar on the old groin, the pressure they put on my neck and the dirt I pick up off the floor, but the dam things seem to work so I’ll have to keep them in I guess.

BRETT’S BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS FACT OF THE DAY!..Running is much harder after training legs than upper body.

702

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:

I figure my 9 months off lifting has cost me 100 lbs off my back squat and deadlift. [/quote]

Wow. That’s huge.

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:

I’ve noticed since I’ve been back that I’ve developed this weird habit of pausing at the bottom of all my squats. [/quote]
I seem to remember you having a nice little rebound in the hole.

Oh. And can you video an attempt at a 1-minute pullup/chinup? Please? I am starting supinated but think I must be doing it wrong.

703

[quote]kpsnap wrote:

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:

I figure my 9 months off lifting has cost me 100 lbs off my back squat and deadlift. [/quote]

Wow. That’s huge.[/quote]

Yeah it’s pretty depressing. I’m determined to get it back quickly though.

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
I am starting supinated but think I must be doing it wrong. [/quote]

Can’t really see how you could do it wrong. Start with your normal chin grip in a dead hang and take 30 seconds to get your chin over the bar, then take 30 seconds to lower back down. Simples.

I might video, not too sure. I find it very intense on my biceps and they’re getting quite a bit of work from my one arm rows and I’ve only just got rid of the soreness from my last attempt and that was before Christmas! I’m not exaggerating, it must have been a slight tear I guess.

I used to knock that 1 min chin out so easily in my twenties. I was a lot lighter back then though.

704

9/1/2013

Military press
5 x 110 lbs
5 x 132 lbs
3 x 154 lbs
1 x 176 lbs
0 x 187 lbs (failed at my forehead)
8 x 132 lbs

One arm DB row (each arm)
13 x 124 lbs
10 x 124 lbs

Weighted push ups
2 x 15 x 44 lbs
2 x 10 x 44 lbs

supersetted with

Face pulls
4 x 15 x 55 lbs

One arm DB press
0 x 69 lbs…Quite clear after cleaning it that I had nothing left.

Pushdowns
4 x 10 x 99 lbs

supersetted with

Band pullaparts
4 x 20

4th Run. Starting to feel a bit easier.

Since my shoulder injury last year I’ve been really hot on my shoulder health/rehab exercises (face pulls, band pullaparts and scap retraction stuff like push ups etc), so hot in fact that I’m in danger of turning my shoulder and chest day in to more of a back day. So I’ll have to keep an eye on that. My shoulders do feel better than they’ve felt in ages though.

It’s been so wet here lately that the humidity in my unheated gym measured 99% tonight. I was worried if I generated too much heat it might start raining inside! It reminded me of that old Woody Allen sketch.

It was clear and dry for my run tonight. The sky was so amazing it was almost pleasurable…but not quite.

705

11/01/2013

Deadlift
10 x 135 lbs
5 x 220 lbs
3 x 308 lbs
1 x 352 lbs
1 x 396 lbs
1 x 418 lbs
10 x 286 lbs (touch and go)

One arm DB rows
3 x 10 x 124 lbs (each arm)

Glute bridges
3 x 10 x 297 lbs

RDLs (no lockout)
4 x 10 x 187 lbs

Weighted chins
2.5 x 44 lbs
2 x 3 x 33 lbs

GHR
1 x 6 x Bodyweight

Fatgripz DB curls
3 x 6 x 41.5 lbs

Run.

Pleased with the deadlift. 418 lbs feels a lot closer to 500 than last weeks 374. I don’t think I’m actually 44 lbs stronger than last week, just re-learning how to recruit better for a heavier attempt. You forget how to do it.

Form suffered on the glute bridges. Need to stick at this weight until I “own” it.

An 11 lb jump on chins was too much as well so I had to drop it back down.

Fatgripz arrived this morning. I didn’t want to jeapardise this workout by playing around with them during it so I left using them until the end. It’s clear some weight is going to have to come off the bar on some exercises, but they were fun on the curls.

706

I knew your strength would come back lightning fast.

707

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
It was clear and dry for my run tonight. The sky was so amazing it was almost pleasurable…but not quite.
[/quote]

My brother’s an amateur astronomer, builds his own scopes, takes pix by the tons, etc. Years ago when I was growing up, he’d take me outside and show me stuff in the scope. Stunning what’s up there.

Oh, and good lifting too.

708

Nice pulling! Great work, Brett.

709

[quote]alexus wrote:
i really noticed they woke up my glute).

[/quote]

POIDH

710

KP - Umm it hasn’t! But thanks for saying so.

Jack - Thanks, but it’s 80 lbs off my best and still feels really lame.

Cav - There’s very little light pollution where I live and 360 degree views so if conditions are right the night sky here can be epic. I’m no amateur astronomer, but I will set my alarm and get up in the middle of the night if there’s supposed to be a comet or planet visible or a meteor shower forecast. Nine times out of ten though it’s cloudy and a real disappointment.

sensay - I should imagine alexus has suffered enough going through life with only one buttock! the last thing she needs from you is cyber bullying.

711

14/01/2013

Back squat
10 x 132 lbs
5 x 220 lbs
3 x 264 lbs
1 x 308 lbs
1 x 330 lbs

Front squats
3 x 132 lbs
2 x 220 lbs
1 x 253 lbs

Back squat
3 x 10 x 198 lbs

RDLs (no rest at top)
3 x 10 x 198 lbs

One arm row (with Fatgripz)
2 x 8 x 69 lbs

Dips @ bodyweight
1 x 16
1 x 12
1 x 9

(supersetted with)

DB curls
1 x 9 x 41.5 lbs
1 x 8 x "
1 x 7 x "

Banged sensay’s wife.

My squatting is just not improving as fast as I would like. It still feels really odd. Like when you go from playing tennis to squash and you keep hitting the wall because you can’t adjust to the different length of the racket. I feel like I’m squatting with someone else’s legs.

Deads, presses and front squats feel fine it’s just the back squats. So I’ve decided to come at it from another angle and squat 3 x a week with some high volume to just hammer them with a ton of reps and try and ingrain the movement pattern that I seem to have lost. I know I’m all over weaker, but it doesn’t explain the awkwardness I feel when squatting. I know I’m weaker on deads too, but they don’t feel odd. Anyway nuff rambling…

I didn’t run tonight because it was zero degrees, blowing a gale and blizzarding (my spellcheck says blizzarding isn’t a word and recommended “sailboarding” WTF?) and I just didn’t fancy getting soaking wet and chilled. I really don’t want to start missing runs already, but I don’t feel too guilty because I know I would have done it if it weren’t for the weather.

The one arm rows with Fatgripz were great. If hand weakness is the problem with my grip then I can really see these sorting it out.

THE END.

712

Squats will come back . Just give it time.

713

Is your bodyweight different? also really hard to get stronger with running at same time - unless already in shape or just keep the runs very short in length–hell I would program in sprints and ditch the running.

And like Mr. bulldog says: It takes Time.

714

bulldog - Yeah I know, thanks.

Fischer - Actually I am 15 lbs lighter than I was, but I didn’t think that it would make that much difference. I don’t think the running is to blame, it’s just a bit over a mile three times a week. Nothing excessive. I normally do do hill sprints, but I have this character trait where I try to beat my previous effort every single time and it all got a bit too intense and I ended up getting calf pulls. I’m just a bit more laid back with the running.

16/1/2013

Squats
5 x 10 x 198 lbs

supersetted with

Natural GHR
5 x 5 x bodyweight

Military press
4 x 5 x 132 lbs

supersetted with

Face pulls
4 x 15 x 60 lbs

Weighted push ups
4 x 10 x 44 lbs

supersetted with

Band pullaparts
4 x 20

Run.

Getting comfortable at this distance. Time to go further or up the speed. It was the most enjoyable run I’ve had so far mainly because I had new earphones that didn’t keep falling off all the time.

The squats felt better today, maybe I just needed some reps.

Just got back from watching Les Miserables where I sobbed my little heart out…NOT!!! Don’t know what all the bloody fuss was about.

715

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Just got back from watching Les Miserables where I sobbed my little heart out…NOT!!! Don’t know what all the bloody fuss was about.[/quote]

Yeah, I understand. I remember when my sister and I watched E.T. - we laughed till our sides hurt.

716

Nice Volume Brett!

717

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
14/01/2013

Banged sensay’s wife.

[/quote]

VOIDH

718

Thanks for the comments guys.

18/1/2013

Squats
5 x 10 x 209 lbs

supersetted with

GHRs
5 x 5 x bodyweight

Pendlay rows
3 x 8 x 176 lbs

Pulldowns
4 x 10 x 88 lbs

One arm DB rows with Fatgripz
2 x 11 x 69 lbs (each arm)

Close grip U/H pulldowns
4 x 10 x 88 lbs

^^^ Not really sure what these are called, we used to call them chest pulls.

The Fargripz stuff seems to be really frying my biceps rather than my forearms. I hope that’s normal.

Did the pulldowns and chest pulls ‘bodybuilder’ style. I performed them slowly with light weight, while squeezing and contracting the muscle and pouting moodily at myself in the mirror. I screamed loudly on every single rep.

No run, due to the snow.

Here’s a vid. I know it’s pussy weight, but surely the fact it was below zero has to be worth an extra 50 lbs? No?

EDIT: Oh yeah and the batteries ran out half way through!

719

[quote]punnyguy wrote:

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
14/01/2013

Banged sensay’s wife.

[/quote]

VOIDH[/quote]

Ha! Missed the first post.

720

Who’s that singing in the video?

What do you farm?