Just. Don't. Suck (Part 1)

8.27.18

Woke at 246.4 lbs. I guess that’s good news for my weekly check in. It means I’m not gaining too fast. I was beginning to worry that I’d hit 260 too soon and then I’d have to live with it until January.

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SGSS W5 D4

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP

RFESS
bar x 5
95 x 3
120 x 5 x 5

22" BOX SQUAT
225 x 3
295 x 5 x 5

DEADLIFT
315 x 3
365 x 5 x 5

LYING LEG CURL
70 x 20 x 2 sets
Still sore AF from doing these Friday so I just made it burn.

HIP ABD/ADD MACHINE
150 x 10 x 2 sets / 170 x 10, 8
Hit failure on the second set of adduction. That’s going to hurt.

STRETCH

Lifting took 75 minutes and I didn’t feel like I was moving slow. It just takes some time to move from one exercise to the next and gather the equipment for RFESS and box squats.

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How tall is the box in relation to your knee? I use an 18" which is just below the knee so resulting in a near 90 degree knee angle. I should use a much higher box but my knee still feel good going “this low”

Great workout Big J
How’s the hip liking box squats?

They’re high squats. I guess you could call them 3/8 squats.

I went a little wider of my first set and it caused some pain. It does fine if I stay narrow.

These box squats might turn out to be useful. I might be working close to my sticking point.

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8.28.18

Woke at 247.4 lbs.

My hamstrings and glutes are sore as usual but still no quad soreness. How can something such as 2 minute legs presses cause so much pain and no DOMs? I know DOMs isn’t an indicator of the quality of a workout but at least it tells you that you caused damage and the body is repairing it (laying down new muscle aka growing!).

Perhaps the misery of 2 minute leg presses isn’t worth it? Maybe I should try some miserable form of leg extensions instead.

Back to the gym for heaps of volume for the back later this morning. But for now I’m enjoying my recliner and morning pot of coffee.

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Cheers!

Well, crap. Here’s my resting heart rate over the past three months. It’s pretty obvious where I was doing CrossFit workouts.

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SGSS W5 D5

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP

PENDLAY ROW
115 x 5
190 x 5 x 5 sets

HANG SGHP
190 x 5 x 5 sets

CABLE ROW (1.5 reps)
160 x 10 x 2 sets

LAT PULL DOWN
205 x 5 x 5 sets

J ROPE PULL (1.5 reps)
120 x 15
150 x 8

REV CABLE FLY (21s)
20 x 10B/10T/10F x 2
20 x 10F/10T/10B
Had to do an extra set because one of the trainers had some questions about some program he’s running from bodybuilding.com and I took too much time between sets 1 & 2.

MACHINE CURL (21s)
50 x 10B/10T/10F
70 x 10B/10T/10F
60 x 8F/8T/8B

CONDITIONING (sucked)
Tabata jump rope
Tabatha battle ropes
This wasn’t easy but it wasn’t hard in the manner I wanted. I just gave up after this. Better luck next time.

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Last set of high pulls today. Sorry, it’s not the best angle.

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On July 26th I was 238.4 lbs. I might need to pay attention for a bit. I’m about 5 lbs ahead of schedule. I’ll try to track my food tomorrow.

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If I could offer some advice, being an Olympic weightlifting kind of guy (not so much anymore but bear with me), I would say this:

High pulls from the hang are my absolute favorite exercises for traps. No question. You’re doing it right lowering the bar down like an RDL, but instead of exploding up from just above the knees, let the bar slide back up your thighs and hit the crease in your hips before you explode upwards. It’ll make it feel easier, and you’ll be able to do more weight, but it’ll still crush your traps. It’s a win-win-win.

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I’ll give it a shot!

Just to clarify, I need to slowly move the bar up to the hip crease before executing triple extension?

I’ve seen the bar hit higher up the leg like that when watching Olympic lifters. I’ve never tried it or understood how they do it! I’m not sure if the bar can get that high with my long ass arms.

Here’s a snap shot from a snatch grip deadlift. I’m completely upright and the bar is barely to the crease. How do I get any explosive extension from this point?

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Maybe this comes down to you and @lava2007 having different leverages. Looks like a heavy SGDL (noting the plates on the bar, you look fairly unfazed).

That’s what I was thinking but I don’t want to make excuses for less than perfect form/technique on a lift so I’m open to suggestions.

People find what they’re good at in life and pursue it. Olympic lifting isn’t one of those things that you decide to do and find success just because of hard work and discipline. Some of us just aren’t built for it.

Reminds me of the CrossFit games and how often you hear the commentators say that Matt Fraser will be good at an event because he’s short.

I like Olympic lifts because they are fun but I have no illusion that they are a good fit for my build - they ain’t. If I’m not mistaken you are taller still than I am so. We seem to have similar proportions though.

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6’ 4" tall at my last physical. Everyone used to say I was 6’ 5" when I was younger but they could’ve been stretching it or rounding up for the sports programs. They always want the players to appear bigger than they actually are.

I’ll agree, your leverages aren’t ideal, but neither are mine. There’s a reason that tall white guys like us are rarely exceptional olympic weight lifters. We just weren’t born with short enough arms or torsos to have that “it” factor for Oly, which is fine. We’re good at other things, like reaching the top shelf, getting rebounds, and cleaning the shower head.

If you’re doing SGDL, then it doesn’t matter where the bar rests as long your body is fully erect. If you’re doing snatch grip high pulls, the position you’re in in this picture is good. Slight knee bend, good foot positioning, etc. A nice athletic position. From there, you lean forward like you did to create a little momentum, then bring it up to the hip crease.

So, the bar hits the hip crease while it is moving; as soon as it hits the hip crease, explode up so that only your big toes are touching the ground (that’s a good cue for me). Keep the elbows above the bar as long as humanly possible to keep your shoulders healthy. If the bar becomes aligned horizontally with the elbows, as opposed to vertically like it should be, then you could be putting yourself at risk for some nasty shoulder shit.

I was looking for good videos of snatches on YouTube and I couldn’t find one. So I found this video of myself from senior year. It’s not a high pull, as you can see, but it shows a very good example of what it looks like when you wait for the bar to reach your hips before you strike and explode into the movement.

Edit: Put the video in 0.5x or 0.25x speed so you can see it better

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8.29.18

Woke at 247 lbs.

I have decided to do a 1-2 week cut. I’m supposed to weigh 242-243 lbs on September 1st. I’m already at my October 1st weight. I’m going to cut down to the correct weight and then restart the bulk. Hopefully it doesn’t take long. I’ll probably drop a couple of pounds if I just stop eating animal crackers by the handful.


SGSS W5 D6

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP

AB CIRCUIT (2 x 15 ea)
Hanging knee raise
Back Extension 25 lbs
Side crunch

OHP
45 x 10
95 x 5
115 x 3
130 x 5 x 5 sets

INCLINE CABLE FLY
50 x 5
80 x 5 x 5 sets
50 x 10 1.5 reps

SEATED DB OHP (21s)
30 x 10F/10T/10B

BENCH
135 x 10 1.5 reps
135 x 15 (AMRAP sadly)

REV CABLE PRESS DOWN (1.5 reps)
100 x 15
100 x 8

CONDITIONING
Round 1: 2:14
Round 2: 2:15
Load: 65 lbs
That was fun.

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@OTHSteve, I’m in Wichita. How bout you?