Fattest 198 of All Time. OF ALL TIME.

Training Training Logs
421

Monday

Step Ups
135x5, 185x3x3
Meh, hurt too much. Not awful, but too much to keep doing them. I wanted to at least try these out, though.

Squat Morning
225x3, 275x3x6
1 minute or so in between sets. Weight wasn’t too bad, and my knee felt fine doing them. At best I was getting to half-squat depth, and I was using a lot of back, hence the name. But this hammered my posterior chain, so I won’t mind if I can keep doing these as a squat substitute until my knee is good to go.

Leg Curls
87.5x10, 100x10, 112.5x8,8,7
Paused at the top, slow eccentric. Quit when I couldn’t pause the weight anymore.

Standing Crunch
87.5x10, 100x8,8,10

Kettlebell Swing
52.9x25,20,15,10,5
30s on the dot between sets…was dying by the end of these.

Good workout. Tried to do GHRs, but it was too much pressure on my knees. Leg curls will have to do for a while. I’m foam rolling the crap out of my IT band and doing lots of stretching, so hopefully that will help heal up my knee.

422

Glad to see you back to killin it big dog!

423

Thanks big’n! It’ll take crippling me from the neck down to get me to stop doing this shit. My goal is to lean my fatass out a little while I can’t really pound away at the big 3.

Tuesday

Bench
295, 325, 350x3, 315x3x3 (30s clusters)
Plus: Weight felt light, reps were nice and controlled. Minus: not ready for regular benching yet. Warmups felt significantly better than they did before, but I could tell at 350 that if I really went heavy, my shoulder would make me pay for it. I wasn’t even planning on benching, but I had to be at gym that didn’t have HS machines anyway, so I went ahead and tried. I’m think HS machines next week, then a few weeks of decline.

DB Floor Ext
Did one set with 45s, but my elbows didn’t handle this.

Dip Machine/Prone Horiz Abd Superset
160-180x20/5x10 3 times through. This is a good way to may sure I do the damn things that are saving my shoulder.

Cable Cross/BW Skullcrusher Superset
Somex10-12/BWx10-12 at progressively lower heights

Salvaged a good workout even though I had a curveball thrown at me being at a different gym. I’ve been doing shoulder dislocations every day.

424

Wednesday
CARDIO gasp! OK, so it wasn’t much, but it was the best I could do on a bum knee. I tried doing wall throws supersetted with one-arm KB snatch, but as soon as I went into the group fitness room it filled up with assclowns doing abs. Tried walking with weight overhead, but the weight my knee would tolerate was too light to challenge me. Jump roping was a no-go again because of the knee. I finally settled on the elliptical, doing 10 minutes of intervals (30s “sprint,” 1 min “walk”). It got me breathing pretty hard and at least gave me a jumping off point for the future.

Thursday

Snatch-grip Rack Pull from knee
405, 455, 475, 495x5
Hard as hell. I had forgotten how much I like snatch-grip DL variations, and I expect my upper back to be toast.

Pullover Mach/Inverted Row Superset
225/BWx8
225/BWx10
225/BWx12
Loved those inverted rows…felt it more in my lats than I think I ever have.

Face-pull
75, 87.5, 100x10

Row Mach
125, 137.5, 150x10
Hold at top, 3s negative for teh pumpz.

Did a bunch of shoulder stretching and IT band rolling too. TENTATIVE GOOD NEWS: doc says my knee pain is most likely quad tendinitis, and the kneecap was tracking fine. I’m on a pretty massive dosage of ibuprofen for the next 10 days, and I have the go-ahead to keep working out so long as I’m not doing anything that hurts. I have an appointment with the university sports medicine clinic on the 21st to make sure everything is OK and double-check this doc’s opinion, and they gave me a bunch of stretches/etc to do in the meantime. the best part was that I wasn’t antagonized for lifting through an injury, and they actually seemed to want to get me back to squatting/deadlifting as soon as possible. Very refreshing.

425

Let me know how the doctor stuff goes man. You know I think a lot of that is bullshit but if they help you out I may give it a try

426

Monday

Reverse-grip Row
275, 295x8, 315x10+4+3 (15s RP)
A little weak, but good.

DB Shrug
130 10x10 (30-45s)
Again, this is ridiculous. Not generally my thing, but seems to work.

FP/Inverted Row
87.5/BWx8x2
87.5/BWx10x1

So no legs during my NSAID kick. Back seemed like the thing to do here. After a hilarious episode of burning my hand with hot oil while cooking gumbo, I’ve been out of action for a few days. Everything worked out.

Tuesday

HS Seated Bench
4PPSx10, 4+25x8, 5PPSx5, 4PPSx10+4+3
Strength is pretty close to where it was over the summer on low reps, but it was a struggle with the higher stuff. Was still protecting my hand, so that might have affected it slightly.

HS Dip
Warmups, 3PPS+25x10x4
Abbreviated the ROM to isolate the tris, though that went out the window a little on the last set and it became full ROM.

Lat Raise
Warmups, 35x10x4 (30s)
That shit got hard after the first set ans short rest.

Tri Pressdown
Warmups, 105x10x3
Slow negative.

So a day later, my lats are sore as shit. Fringe benefit of the dip machine, apparently. Next week I’ll decline and see how it feels. I feel like a pussy doing these machine based workouts.

427

Friday

Snatch Rack DL (Knee)
430, 455, 480, 510x5
Narrowed my grip slightly, felt like it gave me more control and ability to feel my back.

Explosive Supinated Pullup
BWx6,8,6,6,6
Wanted to do a non-row compound movement, so this was really my only option. Keep forgetting I can do T-bars easily, though. Shoulder feels OK on these, but hates me on any OH work otherwise.

FP
87.5x10
Quit after that. Will probably need to find something else for a while…too much discomfort.

Pullover
240x10+4+3

Row Machine
150x10+7+5

Had to speed up after the rack pulls. I’m hobbled like a mofo, but my shoulder is feeling a lot better and should respond well to decline. Knee is feeling a lot better too, but still a ways out from deep squats. I do think I’ll be able to do some partials after finals week, and I think box squats and a wide stance will eventually be my best bet. Currently, my knee is assuming more weight when I do BW squats, and doesn’t seem to have issue with a wider stance.

I feel like a tool lifting 3x a week, too. Can’t wait to do more.

428

Monday

Reverse-grip Row
275, 295, 315, 335x8
Solid. I think I’ll alternate heavy and DC-style each week.

Shrug
405, 455, 505, 545x8

Neutral Pulldown
220x8,7,5
Dead by the end.

BB Curl
115x6, 125x6x2, 125x5
Should probably keep doing these, definitely felt like I got more out of these than light weight DB stuff.

Will do chest stuff Wednesday since I have a final tomorrow.

429

Wednesday

Decline BB
315x5 (medium, false), 315x3 (narrow, false), 315x5 (narrow, closed), 325x5 (same), 325x7 (same)
Obviously it took me a little while to find a good grip, but the narrow/closed grip really felt good. All my reps today were pretty slow, and I really didn’t feel any shoulder pain. Got a decent amount of volume in for my purposes.

HS Seated Bench
3Platesx8, 3+25x8, 4+10x10+3+2 (15s)
Felt good too.

DB Rear Delt
20, 25x10, 30x10x4

Tri Pressdown
87.5x10, 110x10+5+3 (15s)
Easier this week because of placement.

HS Dip
3Platesx10,12,20

Prone Ys
5x10x3

Good workout, and I escaped without crippling my shoulder. No complaints, and a nice relaxer during finals.

430

Saturday

Snatch Pull Below Knee
445, 475, 500, 525x3
A little more involvement from the glutes because of the lower setting, but still a 15 pounds jump. Knee felt fine.

DL
For shits and gigs, did some speed pulls up to 315 for 2-3 reps, then pulled one at 405. Made sure to really force my knees out, and it didn’t really bother my knee. The weight felt light still, but it’s going to take a few weeks to get my leg and glute strength up if I get the go ahead to do these again.

Seated Narrow Low Row
180x10, 200x10x3
Paused, slow negative.

Quickie. Finals are finally done and I’m somewhat stress-free, so I’m hoping to make some gains and get my knee healthy over the break.

431

Monday

Reverse-grip Row
Warmups to 295, lots of reps
325x10+4+3

Shrug
455, 495, 500, 535x8, 565x6

Inverted Row
BWx10x5

Wide Low Row
200x10+4+3

BB Curl
90x8, 110x8x2

Took a little longer than I wanted, but good.

432

Wednesday

Decline
295, 315, 335x6
Very slow and controlled, not too hard. Don’t think I’m going to push this too quickly.

Flat
Did some triples through 295 feeling OK, but tried to play around with my form on 315 and it hurt pretty bad. Once again for anyone listening, “pinching the shoulderblades” and keeping elbows tucked throughout the movement impinges the shoulder. This is anatomical fact.

DB Rear Delt
25x10, 30x10x4

Flye/Pushup Plus
45/BWx10x2
Good superset. I think I’m going to start doing flyes again and first, because these felt fine, albeit with light weight.

Thursday

Hang Clean
Up to 13x5
Too much pain, bad idea to do these before rack deads…

Snatch DL below knee
405, 455, 495x3
Too low, knee felt bad. Going to have to stay a little high and not wear the oly shoes.

Neutral Pulldown
200x6x5

Rope Lat Pulldown/Pressdown
75x10x3
Whatever you want to call it…think triceps pressdown without extending the elbows.

Friday

Tri Pressdown
110x8x5

OH Tri Bar
120x8x5

Lat Raise
35x8x5

HS Dip
3plates+25x8x5

40-rep hell day. I’m inventing a system, come at me.

Update
Saw the sports med guy Wednesday. Knee is tracking OK and no structural damage that is obvious, but he thinks the cartilage is grinding or something to that effect. I’m also remarkably tight and inflexible. The next 8 weeks are for mobility and hip strengthening, and if it doesn’t get better I’ll be getting scans and such to assess the damage.

433

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Once again for anyone listening, “pinching the shoulderblades” and keeping elbows tucked throughout the movement impinges the shoulder. This is anatomical fact.
[/quote]

What do you do with the shoulder blades? I’ve had some luck flexing the lats to spread them, then flexing the erectors to pull them down, and trying not to touch too low or tuck too much.

Maybe pinching the shoulder blades together works if you’re in a shirt? Recipe for wrecked shoulders with raw work, I think.

Looks like you have a lot of rehab challenges. Good luck man.

434

[quote]grettiron wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Once again for anyone listening, “pinching the shoulderblades” and keeping elbows tucked throughout the movement impinges the shoulder. This is anatomical fact.
[/quote]

What do you do with the shoulder blades? I’ve had some luck flexing the lats to spread them, then flexing the erectors to pull them down, and trying not to touch too low or tuck too much.

Maybe pinching the shoulder blades together works if you’re in a shirt? Recipe for wrecked shoulders with raw work, I think.

Looks like you have a lot of rehab challenges. Good luck man.[/quote]
Hmmm what I’ve done is tighten my lats while I get arch and tighten my traps when pinning myself into the bench. It’s more a subtle tension than a violent tension. Then after I liftoff, I row the bar done (almost as though I’m pulling against my lockout) for max tension and rebound (works amazingly well with a handoff). It also sets up my bar path perfectly. Hope this helps; I couldn’t think of a better way to explain it, but that’s how I bench.

435

Strong stuff. I’ll be following.

436

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Once again for anyone listening, “pinching the shoulderblades” and keeping elbows tucked throughout the movement impinges the shoulder. This is anatomical fact.
[/quote]

Hmm…elaborate?

437

It was a bit of an inflammatory statement, I’ll admit. And so there’s no confusion, I’m not advocating fully abducted shoulders when benching, either. But if you keep your shoulder blades pinched together throughout the movement, the only thing that can happen is the humerus closing off the space under the acromion and impinging it before the movement is complete. I think the answer is in the middle: tuck on the way down, which will allow you to stay tight, but flare on the way up. If you have a good arch, your elbows should never get past 45-60 degrees, anyway.

I’m not just making this stuff up, either. I talked with a PT who does a lot of research on shoulder mechanics (Uhl, if you have access to journals through your university and care to look further into this), and he was the one who told me about this. Your shoulder blades have to be able to move a little in order to optimally press. But again for clarity’s sake, I’m not talking about letting your shoulders roll completely, but rather allowing your shoulder blades to wing around your ribcage a little. I think “pinching the shoulder blades” is a good cue, but it doesn’t make sense for raw lifters to do this throughout the movement.

I think what Grettiron said is correct: A shirted bench is a lot different. There’s an element of support that doesn’t exist in a raw press.

Monday

Reverse-grip Row
275, 305, 325, 345x8
Pretty easy, but I didn’t want to push too hard and flame out.

Shrug
455, 495, 535, 565x8
Better this week.

Neutral Low Row
200x8x5 (1 min rest)
Love this 40 rep stuff.

Inverted Row
BWx8x5
Focuses a little more on my upper back on these.

Bad Girl Machine
100, 110, 120x10
Felt some tightness in my knee on that last set…I think these should help my rehab.

Stretched for a good 20 minutes before, knee felt OK. I think I’m going to start doing glute bridges on Mondays.

438

[quote]spar4tee wrote:

[quote]grettiron wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
Once again for anyone listening, “pinching the shoulderblades” and keeping elbows tucked throughout the movement impinges the shoulder. This is anatomical fact.
[/quote]

What do you do with the shoulder blades? I’ve had some luck flexing the lats to spread them, then flexing the erectors to pull them down, and trying not to touch too low or tuck too much.

Maybe pinching the shoulder blades together works if you’re in a shirt? Recipe for wrecked shoulders with raw work, I think.

Looks like you have a lot of rehab challenges. Good luck man.[/quote]
Hmmm what I’ve done is tighten my lats while I get arch and tighten my traps when pinning myself into the bench. It’s more a subtle tension than a violent tension. Then after I liftoff, I row the bar done (almost as though I’m pulling against my lockout) for max tension and rebound (works amazingly well with a handoff). It also sets up my bar path perfectly. Hope this helps; I couldn’t think of a better way to explain it, but that’s how I bench.[/quote]

There’s a lot going on during a raw press, but I’ve always had the best luck with a relatively narrow grip. I tuck my shoulder blades toward my ass as much as I can before I unrack, then squeeze everything on the way down. Keeping the lats tight and back squeezed will control the elbows a little, but I feel the most work being done by my triceps. My elbows never tuck too far (maybe 30 degrees abduction at most) because they can’t; I’ll get searing pain in my shoulder past that point. I start flaring pretty close to my chest and always press back. This is essentially what guys like Wendler recommend for raw benching now. With a wide grip, I’m almost all chest. I can’t do wide grip for more than 2 months or so for that reason, as I start to get tendinitis in my pec/shoulder tie-in.

Thanks for following, guys.

439

I see…well keeping them fully pinched back seems hard to do anyway haha. I keep them retracted while I bench, but IDK if it’s completely pinched together…probably not. As far as flaring, I think it’s pretty moderate for me. Not really sure about the technical specifics of the whole thing.

Anywho, good stuff as usual.

440

^^^^It is a solid cue, but I think you probably flare naturally to the point that works best. I think the salient point is completely immobile shoulder blades are not good, even if that seems to be the most “stable” condition.

Tuesday

Flye
Bunch of warmups, 70x10x3
Not bad, big stretch and hit the chest hard (obvi).

Decline
305, 325x6
HA. Yea, doing flyes first does, in fact, affect this a little.

HS Decline
4Plates+5x10x3, 10+3+3 (15s RP)

DB Rear Delt
35x10x4

Chest is still pretty sore on Friday…not bad. I think I’m going to train speed bench as a main movement for a while, barring pain.