Pike’s Peak
24 May 2008
So I decided to fool around a bit this evening and tried a few things and did a partial session this evening.
Weight 187 lbs
Tried the Incline and Decline bench with just the bar
10x45lbs for each Probably shouldn’t do these since I could feel the pinch in my shoulder
BB curls since I had it out 10x45lbs
Chins: 5x5 BW
DB curls: 5x5 38.5lbs
Bench Dips: 5x5 80 lbs
Legs were too fried from my ride to do anything. Kinda fun just to fool around…
[quote]soldog wrote:
24 May 2008
So I decided to fool around a bit this evening and tried a few things and did a partial session this evening.
Weight 187 lbs
Tried the Incline and Decline bench with just the bar
10x45lbs for each Probably shouldn’t do these since I could feel the pinch in my shoulder
BB curls since I had it out 10x45lbs
Chins: 5x5 BW
DB curls: 5x5 38.5lbs
Bench Dips: 5x5 80 lbs
Legs were too fried from my ride to do anything. Kinda fun just to fool around…[/quote]
Nice bike ride.It is beautiful out where you live brother.
Easy on the shoulder,it can be a long haul getting better.I would do DB incline bench when I was rehabing mine.The rom is a little different than the bar.Hope it gets to feeling better. Your training is looking awesome,keep hammering away. Jimmy T
Nice pics there Dog! If I had views like that I might actually do some cardio too! (nah… probaly not… lol!)
[quote]Jimmy T wrote:
Nice bike ride.It is beautiful out where you live brother.
Easy on the shoulder,it can be a long haul getting better.I would do DB incline bench when I was rehabing mine.The rom is a little different than the bar.Hope it gets to feeling better. Your training is looking awesome,keep hammering away. Jimmy T
[/quote]
Thanks Jimmy! - I keep trying different push exercises for my upper body and keep finding out that the PT knows what she was talking about when she said no push exercises. LOL I’d like to find one that I can do high rep and low weight sets otherwise I’m relying on the squats and deads to keep some chest strength.
Beautiful views – thanks for sharing them; they must provide some real motivation to do your rides.
The dips will help you maintain some chest strength. With the rest of the major lifts and compound movements you are doing, you are going to come back stronger, I am sure.
25 May 2008
Weight 184.6 lbs
Didn’t get moving soon enough this morning to do a trail ride, then the family decided to see Indiana Jones this evening, so I decided to train before eating movie theater junk. I also took to opportunity to film my Zercher squats and dead lifts (since I found a decent compact camera on sale this past week).
Zercher Squat: 5x135, 5x155, 5x5 175 lbs
Ended up doing two extra sets while figuring out the video function on my camera.
Dead lift: 5x155, 2x5x185, 2x5x205 lbs
Decided to film the 185 for a form check.
Chin ups: 5x4, 4, 2
Think I’m feeling yesterday�??s session
DB curl: 38.5 lbs 3x5 3x4
Bench Dips: 80 lbs 5x5
I’m fried… think I’ll take tomorrow off.
Videos to follow.
Zercher squats: I think I need to work on depth and keeping upper and lower back from rounding.
Dead lift. Scraped my shins on these. Looking up too much. Not getting my hips forward at the top.
[quote]soldog wrote:
Zercher squats: I think I need to work on depth and keeping upper and lower back from rounding. [/quote]
With Z-squats that’s always the challenge. That weight looks pretty light for you, although I don’t know what set you were filming there. If that was set #5 then you could probably raise the poundage some.
[quote]soldog wrote:
Dead lift. Scraped my shins on these. Looking up too much. Not getting my hips forward at the top.[/quote]
Happens all the time. It’s called baptising the bar 
You actually need to set up with the hips a bit higher, unless you want to try sumo style. I try to have shins as vertical as possible when addressing the bar, then the other angles take care of themselves. Also takes care of the hips coming forward too late, because the bar can’t be lost forward. Keep the bar as close to the body and as close to a vertical path as you can and the hips will naturally snap forward into position at the right time.
Good work, Soldog! It looks like you are handling the poundages very well.
Skidmark’s advice is as usual good. In that light, on the DL you may also want to consider re-setting before each rep within the set. Approaching the reps a bit more individually may also help with finishing the hip lockout at the top with shoulders back.
Thought you looked really good on the Zerchers. Looked to have your weight firmly planted on the heels. Deads could use some form work but you looked real strong on both lifts. Plenty more there. I loved the real soldog’s “I’m out of here” move when you started the workout.
The form looks good on both.Practice makes perfect!!As you continue to train you will make adjustments with your power groove.Nice work!
[quote]skidmark wrote:
soldog wrote:
Zercher squats: I think I need to work on depth and keeping upper and lower back from rounding.
With Z-squats that’s always the challenge. That weight looks pretty light for you, although I don’t know what set you were filming there. If that was set #5 then you could probably raise the poundage some.[/quote]
That was set 5 and yes the weight goes up on Tuesday. I’m apparently getting the feel for the Zerchers.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
Thought you looked really good on the Zerchers. Looked to have your weight firmly planted on the heels. Deads could use some form work but you looked real strong on both lifts. Plenty more there. I loved the real soldog’s “I’m out of here” move when you started the workout.[/quote]
That was actually Lunadog but yeah I think she thought I was going to step on her or something.
Thanks for the comments!
Thank’s for all the comments guys! It’s reassuring to hear that there are no serious form issues. That’s my main concern since I don’t really know any experienced lifters around here to get feedback from…
So you’ve got the sun and the moon, huh. Cool.
[quote]hel320 wrote:
So you’ve got the sun and the moon, huh. Cool.[/quote]
Yep - We aren’t much for traditional names for animals.
soldog,
first time me checkin’ out your thread…nice stuff… i especially like the videos, keep 'em coming!
I honestly didn’t feel your form was all that bad on the zerchers; I am not sure you can keep the spine any straighter in that movement…I liked what I saw…I think you would be hard pressed to keep the spine from rounding - your mechanics look pretty darn good!
I liked your DL’s as well. I looked at the video about 6-7 times and I think your shoulders are a tad behind the plane of the bar at the beginning of the lift. Try leaning a little bit forward so there is a 90 degree angle of your arms to the bar when viewed from the side. It will change the mechanics of the entire lift & may be awkward for the first 100 or so reps, but I think you form will improve and that will eventually allow you to handle more weight with greater ease.
You want to pull the bar directly “up” NOT back into the shins; yes you want the bar to stay close to the shins/knee/thigh, But you don’t want to pull into the body, you want to pull up & at the same time keeping the bar close. Find the form that will allow you to accomplish that & you will excell!!!