Did some cat squats and some floor presses on saturday. Had my family in town so I only did the necessities. On to today…
squats
425 x 4
445 x 4
460 x 4 x 2 (vid is 2nd set)
box jumps
5 sets of 2
db rows
145 x 8 x 3
klokov press / ghr
5 sets of 5 / 10
ab wheel
standing x 5 x 3
Filming from the back, it is quite obvious that I have some major mobility issues going on in my lower legs. I knew that I had some limitations, but I think that since I’m dropping my squats deeper it is being magnified. The heels of my shoes may be pitching me forward some as well, however going back and paying closer attention, it was there when squatting in flat soles. I have done mobility work in the past, but it was half-assed. I will start tracking it to keep myself honest.
Got my rehband sleeves in finally and put em to work. Felt real good, nice and cozy. My low back tightening up is what really limits my pace here. I got talked into some racquetball and ended up playing 5 games. Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling much like finishing my workout after the fact. Did some pump work and walked out the door
Previously, I would throw on knee wraps when training heavy doubles and singles, so this is a cheap PR. That said, my depth has gotten much better since tinkering with my stance. I had this number in my head going in and was surprised how smooth both reps felt. I debated on taking another set and going up but decided against it. I feel I’ve found a sweet spot with my squat training and plan on hitting another, bigger, PR in 6 weeks.
Good stuff, thanks. I need to work on that slight forward movement you make with your elbows to get them directly under the bar before the start of the lift.
That position transfers well to the squat, helping to keep the chest up and weight back while locking in your arch. Of course, I am pulling down in the squat instead of pushing up.
This was the last workout of my 6 week cycle. Very happy with the way my squat and bench have been going. My deadlift is on another program and is still tbd. Probably won’t change up the program too much, but am planning on adding in “crazybells”, an idea from the cnp blog.
squats
box jumps
430 x 5
440 x 5 paused squat
315 x 3
btn push press
205 x 5 x 5
bor / abs
5 sets of 10 / 12
Gonna slowly add in some drop back sets in the form of paused squats. With the mobility work, I’ve been able to keep my heels down but I’m still getting some eversion. I’m going to play with some distraction at the ankle and work on opening my hips up to see if that helps out at all.
deadlifts
box jumps
420 x 4 x 4
470 x 2
530 x 2
420 x 10
BOR
from floor
5 sets of 5
upright row / abs
4 sets of 15
Cheap PRs having not done much consistent work from a 1" deficit, but it still counts. 530 is my biggest double (540 from the floor) and 420x10 is a rep PR (425 from floor). I have added in some sumo reps throughout my warmup to try a get more comfortable with the lift. I may give sumo another run in the spring if I can get my hips opened up. Right now it feels more like a conventional pull with my feet splayed wide.