01.04.14
Transmutation, week 5
Sumo deadlift:
4 x 100 kg
3 x 140 kg
3 x 160 kg
3 x 180 kg @RPE 8
2 x 200 kg @RPE 9
1 x 210 kg @RPE 9-10
1 x 220 kg @RPE 10
0 x 227.5 kg
Front squat:
3 x 100 kg
5 x 2 x 110 kg
Bar was flying off the floor during my first few sets this morning so I decided to push for a new PR. Ended up missing again on 227.5 kg, didn’t break the floor. I really need to work on my technique. Maybe incorporate some pulls to the knees in the next couple of weeks.
02.04.14
Transmutation, week 5
Bench press:
4 x 70 kg
3 x 82.5 kg (paused)
3 x 95 kg (paused)
4 x 107.5 kg @RPE 9
1 x 117.5 kg @RPE 9-10
Bench press top iso hold:
10" x 130 kg
8" x 150 kg (too heavy)
Bench press w/competition pause:
1 x 110 kg
2 x 110 kg
1 x 110 kg
Pull-ups:
9, 8, 8 x BW
Band pull-aparts:
6 x 12 x double red
Today’s training was so-so. My initial work sets felt really good, and I left a rep in the tank at 107.5 kg. Could’ve tied my PR of five reps at that weight, but decided that I wanted to go for a double at my training max. That was a bad idea, a single felt way too heavy. The paused bench was also a bit disappointing. Ended up misgrooving the first set and failed on the second rep. The second set went really well. In the third set I altogether avoided going for a second rep. I’ve got to work on my paused stuff… Ah, and I tweaked my left wrist during the workout, it’s a bit sore. I think it was in the top set of iso holds.
For whatever reason I feel weaker on bench press in the last while. I wonder if it’s due to overreaching or a mixture of training variables.
03.04.14
Transmutation, week 5
Squats:
2 x 80 kg
3 x 95 kg
3 x 110 kg
3 x 122.5 kg (PR) @RPE 10
Pin squats:
3 x 135 kg (high)
3 x 140 kg (high)
2 x 120 kg (medium)
2 x 110 kg (low)
Squats:
3 x 110 kg
3 x 95 kg
Paused squats:
4 x 2 x 100 kg @RPE 8-9
Kettlebell swings:
2 x 20 x 16 kg
Hyperextensions:
3 x 15 x BW 10 kg
On paper today’s training was OK, I managed to best my previous squat triple PR by 2.5 kg. But those were some damn ugly reps. I’m just not comfortable with my squat form and feel as though I’m leaking a lot of strength somewhere. It doesn’t add up that I can sumo deadlift over 220 kg but can’t squat 150 kg… Add to that the fact that I somehow managed to tweak my left groin muscle this week and it wasn’t a stellar training session. The pin squats felt ridiculously awkward.
I’m thinking I am going to continue to use my current form for the worksets of the rest of this mesocycle and try to incorporate some wide-stance squats on the side. I know that my supporting musculature isn’t strong enough to go ME with a wide stance, so I’ll try to bring that up by doing my paused work with the new stance. Hopefully I can get something out of that in the not-too-distant future.
Good work! maybe you’re just built much better for the deadlift? How are your quads? Big quads will often bring a big squat.
Yeah, my femurs are almost 30% of my total height. When I squat it feels like I’m going down a mile. That’s why I’m slowly starting to think that wide-stance squats will be more productive for me in the long run, even though close-stance, high-bar feels most comfortable.
Oh, and quads? What are quads?
BTW here’s how those squats actually look. Keep in mind this is a near-maximal triple, but my form is still butt:
[quote]kgildner wrote:
Yeah, my femurs are almost 30% of my total height. When I squat it feels like I’m going down a mile. That’s why I’m slowly starting to think that wide-stance squats will be more productive for me in the long run, even though close-stance, high-bar feels most comfortable.
Oh, and quads? What are quads?[/quote]
I have long femurs too but feel high bar squats help my low bar immensely! Sometimes doing the opposite actually works better for us long limbed guys.
Both my squat stances are narrow and I do both bench and floor presses with a close grip. I’m no record holder, but I say keep working those narrow high bars and fronts hard. Maybe then you’ll know what quads are! 
Mine definitely grew when I was doing high bar with fronts for volume afterwards.
Thanks for the pointers! Yeah, I squatted exclusively high-bar, narrow stance until last year. I think using that as my mainstay and then incorporating wide-stance, lower-bar stuff towards peaking periods would benefit me. My front squat is almost on par with my back squat, ha… This is why the squat confuses me!
06.04.14
Transmutation, week 5
OHP:
4 x 40 kg
3 x 45 kg
3 x 52.5 kg
3 x 57.5 kg @RPE 9-10
2 x 2 x 60 kg @RPE 9 (PR)
Competition paused bench press:
5 x 80 kg
2 x 2 x 110 kg @RPE 9
2 x 3 x 100 kg @RPE 9
Straight-arm lat pulldowns:
3 x 8 x 40? kg (no idea, crappy machine)
Band pull-aparts:
2 x 15 x double red band
Today’s training felt good, even though I trained at the crappy commercial gym with my wife and a buddy. The barbells there are totally shitty and spin around in your hand during heavy bench presses. At any rate, I feel as though my form is improving with overhead press and that I’m able to take better advantage of my musculature. I’d like to go for a 70 kg single in the next couple of weeks. Keep in mind that my limited mobility hasn’t enabled me to train overhead with any kind of intensity until now, hence the discrepency between my flat bench and overhead work.
Funny anecdote from today that illustrates how crappy that gym is: I went to grab the attachment for straight-arm pulldowns from a wooden box that contains all the various attachments. While picking it up, a layer of plastic at the edge of the box gets loose and digs into my finger. I need to go get a band-aid, so I go to the front desk, where the attendant has a phone in is hand (but isn’t talking). I point to my bloody finger (it was a really small cut but seemed to want to bleed a lot) and he nods. But first he decides to take a call from someone interested in a trial training. Meanwhile, blood is dripping down my hand and onto the counter. I have to wait for two minutes while he stares into space with the phone… Safety first!
[quote]kgildner wrote:
Thanks for the pointers! Yeah, I squatted exclusively high-bar, narrow stance until last year. I think using that as my mainstay and then incorporating wide-stance, lower-bar stuff towards peaking periods would benefit me. My front squat is almost on par with my back squat, ha… This is why the squat confuses me![/quote]
That is a little odd. And looking at your video you use olympic shoes which should target the quads even more. I guess just keep praying to the Quad God!
Thats messed up about the cut. I wouldve walked behind the counter and started looking for one myself.
07.04.2014
Transmutation, week 6
Sumo deadlifts:
4 x 100 kg
1 x 140 kg
5 x 150 kg
3 x 170 kg
1 x 190 kg @RPE 8-9
1 x 210 kg @RPE 9-10
0 x 227.5 kg (vid)
0 x 227.5 kg
1 x 220 kg @RPE 10
High-bar squats:
3 x 80 kg
6 x 3 x 100 kg (vid)
Hyperextensions:
20 x BW
2 x 12 x BW 20 kg
I really wanted to hit 227.5 kg/500 lb in today’s training and finally broke the weight off the floor for the first time. But I just didn’t have the mental focus today – my leg drive was good, but I didn’t focus on tightening my lower back and breathing into my pelvis and had to bail a few centimetres off the floor, lest I slip a disc. That was really frustrating. After two failed attempts, 220 kg felt like a frigging ton. We’ll see how I feel next week. I want that before Easter.
Decided to do some high-bar squats in place of front squats and they felt stupidly natural. Below is also a vid of my high-bar squat form; while it feels really good, one can get an idea of why narrow-stance squats tear up my knees. I really have no idea where to go with my squat form.
[quote]kgildner wrote:
At any rate, I feel as though my form is improving with overhead press and that I’m able to take better advantage of my musculature. I’d like to go for a 70 kg single in the next couple of weeks. Keep in mind that my limited mobility hasn’t enabled me to train overhead with any kind of intensity until now, hence the discrepency between my flat bench and overhead work.
[/quote]
I was going to say something about the unusual discrepancy between your bench press and OHP, but that explains it.
You mentioned in my log that you did some Bikram yoga in your past and that it helped with mobility issues. I’ve also found that Bikram has helped with shoulder mobility, one good reason to keep it in the rotation (even if it’s just once or twice a week) in my return to heavier lifting. Do you have any intention to return to Bikram class, or have you found another solution buried somewhere in this log that’s improved your shoulder mobility?
Sorry, I’m new here
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
[quote]kgildner wrote:
At any rate, I feel as though my form is improving with overhead press and that I’m able to take better advantage of my musculature. I’d like to go for a 70 kg single in the next couple of weeks. Keep in mind that my limited mobility hasn’t enabled me to train overhead with any kind of intensity until now, hence the discrepency between my flat bench and overhead work.
[/quote]
I was going to say something about the unusual discrepancy between your bench press and OHP, but that explains it.
You mentioned in my log that you did some Bikram yoga in your past and that it helped with mobility issues. I’ve also found that Bikram has helped with shoulder mobility, one good reason to keep it in the rotation (even if it’s just once or twice a week) in my return to heavier lifting. Do you have any intention to return to Bikram class, or have you found another solution buried somewhere in this log that’s improved your shoulder mobility?
Sorry, I’m new here :)[/quote]
Where I live now I’m not sure that there is any Bikram offered and if so, it’s probably pretty pricey. I still do a few of the positions at home from time to time to open up my t-spine, though. Otherwise I’ve been doing a ton of shoulder dislocates with bands and have been working a bit with a Rogue Gemini. Yeah, that thing that looks like a sex toy.
I think it’s also been a lat tightness thing more than a pure mobility issue in my shoulders/t-spine, and so I’m going to try to continue to address both issues. Strangely, I seem to make the best progress in mobility when I leave things alone for a while.
09.04.14
Transmutation, week 6
Bench press:
3 x 70 kg
5 x 90 kg
3 x 100 kg (paused)
3 x 112.5 kg @RPE 10
1 x 117.5 kg @RPE 9-10
Bench press with chains (all reps paused):
5 x 70 kg + ca. 20 kg
3 x 80 kg + ca. 20 kg
4 x 2 x 90 kg + ca. 20 kg
Dumbbell curls:
9, 8, 8 x 15.5 kg
Band pull-aparts:
8 x 15 x double red
Still felt weak in the bench press today. I don’t know what’s going on there. I hit a new PR triple, although I was confident going into today that I could hit that weight for four to five reps. The single at my training max felt pretty heavy. I know that I won’t hit a new training PR of 130 kg by the end of this mesocycle unless I feel super well on that day.
I decided to try out the chains at my gym to work on my stabilizing muscles (which I seem to be tweaking quite often) and on my speed. Felt pretty easy with about 20 kg of chains. We only have mega chains (about 15 kg apiece) that are pretty long, so they never fully leave the ground while pressing. I assume that the bar carried about 10 kg of the weight of each chain, but I’m not entirely sure. Anyone have any tips as to how I might be able to shorten them? I can’t wrap them around the barbell because they have a sleeve that spins around.
10.04.14
Transmutation, week 6
Squat (high-bar, narrow stance):
3 x 80 kg
5 x 102.5 kg
3 x 115 kg
1 x 130 kg @RPE 9
1 x 135 kg @RPE 10
5 x 100 kg
Rack pulls below knee:
5 x 100 kg
5 x 140 kg
3 x 180 kg @RPE 8-9
Rack pulls above knee:
2 x 180 kg
1 x 210 kg
1 x 230 kg
1 x 235 kg
1 x 240 kg @RPE 9
Hyperextensions:
30 x BW
Decided to bring in my stance again for squatting and it felt pretty good. I’m not sure where I’m stronger, with a “hybrid” medium-bar, medium-stance squat or with the high-bar narrow-stance squat I used to do until a year ago. Will have to play around with both.
The rack pulls were interesting, had to use straps for everything above 210 kg because my thumbs didn’t want me to hook grip that particular bar… Go figure. I prefer block pulls anyways and will probably go back to them. Today I just wanted to work on the last few centimetres of lockout and on my holds at the top. Felt nice to have that much weight in my hands.
Had a chance to peruse your log in a little more detail this morning. Re: the mobility issue, to each their own, kudos to you for finding a solution that works. I’ve been glad to see the increased focus on mobility in the last few years; not that it should become a priority over actually moving weights, but most voices in this field now seem to recognize that mobility work to address underlying issues can both improve lifting performance and prolong a lifter’s “career.”
Keep up the excellent work. I’m sure you’ll have that 500-pound pull before too long!
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
Had a chance to peruse your log in a little more detail this morning. Re: the mobility issue, to each their own, kudos to you for finding a solution that works. I’ve been glad to see the increased focus on mobility in the last few years; not that it should become a priority over actually moving weights, but most voices in this field now seem to recognize that mobility work to address underlying issues can both improve lifting performance and prolong a lifter’s “career.”
Keep up the excellent work. I’m sure you’ll have that 500-pound pull before too long![/quote]
Cool, thanks! I’m glad you’re in here giving your feedback. I’mma try to video my bench more frequently in the future and would be honoured if a man as proficient in this lift as you are would chime in his two cents. Seems as though I’ve stagnated there in the last little while.
Here’s a video of my top single of high-bar squat form this morning. I kinda misgrooved the ascent and the form still only feels distantly familiar after all that lowish-bar squatting.
Yes, I know I look as though I’m twelve, even though I’m 30.
Also, I’d like to draw your attention to my forearm vein, which is my favourite bodypart.
11.04.14
Transmutation, week 6
Barbell rows:
10 x 60 kg
6 x 80 kg
5 x 90 kg
One-arm row:
10 x 32 kg
10 x 36 kg
8 x 42 kg
Face pulls:
2 x 20 x 30 kg
Back in the lab for some back work today, as I didn’t get enough of that in this past week. About the only thing I can properly do in the commercial gym.
13.04.14
Transmutation, week 6
OHP:
4 x 40 kg
5 x 47.5 kg
3 x 55 kg
1 x 60 kg @RPE 9-10
0 x 65 kg @RPE fuck
Paused bench press:
5 x 80 kg
3 x 100 kg
2 x 110 kg @RPE 9
1 x 115 kg @RPE 9-10
0 x 120 kg @RPE fuck
2 x 3 x 100 kg
45 degree hypers:
25 x BW
15, 12 x BW double red band
Lack of food and sleep and, bam! – training is shitty. Time to recoup.
