hm, you have very nice looking front squats…
Is that just what the raised heel is for? Because they assume people don’t have the ankle fexibility? Isn’t that making it like a crutch?
It seems like this raised heel business has taken over T-Nation lately…
Thankyou, means a lot coming from the queen of perfect form 
I find it hard to make a front squat ugly, because if anything goes wrong, the weight tends to fall out of my hands.
I honestly don’t get the raised heel thing. I guess if your heels come off the floor when you squat deep (cos of tight ankles) it could help you have something to push through your heels onto. In that case, I would say yes, it could be considered treating the symptom instead of the cause.
Does feel a bit more quad focused as well, but I can’t say why.
I can’t see how it helps with depth, purely because if you squat so that your knee joint is at its maximum ROM, then tilt your shin forwards, the angle of your thighs to the ground is going to get closer to parallel.
^BROSCIENCE OVER. I would add that many people much stronger than me like a raised heel, and that it clearly has some benefits. I just don’t notice them and prefer a flat sole.
Coan press week 10
Warmup - band stuff, thoracic extension
OHP
Bar x some
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 1
57.5kg x 2 x 2 - PR - first time over 55kg. Big boy plates next week.
Push press
67.5kg x 2 x 2 - PR - bit iffy
Bench
67.5kg x 2 x 8 - every rep paused
Crap tightness on the first set, took slippery tshirts off for set 2 and it felt better.
Seated db ohp
26kg x 3 x 5 - 2 set PR
Ss/Band pullovers
Purple x 3 x 10 - pretty good contraction from these, felt the triceps come in as well. Need more tension.
Lateral raises
16kg x 3 x 8
Ss/Rear delt raises
16kg x 3 x 8
Ss/Fat bar clean and press
15-20kg (haven’t weighed it yet) x 2 x 12
25-35kg x 12
Deadlift/back/hams
Ground stuff, leg swings
Pullups
Purple band assisted x 3 x 5
Swings
40kg plus purple band x 3 x 3
Deadlifts -alternate between sumo and conventional each rep - 20-30 seconds rest
60kg x 4 x 1
80kg x 6 x 1
Couldn’t resist - all conventional
100kg x 1
130kg x 1
150kg x 1
170kg x 1 - 10kg PR and matched sumo PR with ease. I think conventional is the way forward for now. Couple of form issues: hips rise a tad early, and my shoulders are pretty far over the bar.
Was focusing on lat tightness, and feel that that went well.
Lying leg curls
40kg x 3 x 8 - too heavy, about 3/4 rom. Stuck with it cos I’m stubborn.
Drop to 20kg x 30 - made this set hell - slow negative, squeezes, no rest
Ss/Deadstop chest supported row
31kg x 3 x 10 - nice to go heavy on these. Still going for a squeeze.
Eat paella
Bowl x 2
Skype girlfriend
1 x 45 minutes
Toes elevated snatch grip RDLs into shrugs - straps and belt
100kg x 3 x 10 - stretch in the hams, violent hip extension into shrug. I like these.
Kroc row
40kg kb x L: 40, R: 40
DROP on each arm
31kg db x L: 15, R: 15
Coan bench cycle 2 week 111
Warmup - foam roll, ground based stuff, thoracic extension, shoulder stuff
Bench
Bar x some
40kg x 2 x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 1
Coan sets
95kg x 2 - second rep was an awesome grinder, the bar literally stopped moving 3 times and it felt like I pulled a hamstring halfway up (that wasn’t so awesome)
Sat on the bench hyperventilating, listening to lamb of god, telling myself that the next set would be better.
95kg x 2 - much better. Smoother reps and the bar didn’t drift so far over my head during the press - 1 rep and 1 set PR/5kg PR, whichever counts for more.
CGBP
82.5kg x 2 x 2 - 2.5kg PR
Incline bench
82.5kg x 1 plus a fail. Dropped it on my chin. Managed to keep all my teeth though, so that’s nice.
80kg x 2
82.5kg x 1 - to make up for the missed rep. Failed a second again, but think it was more mental than anything.
Did a couple of sets of band rows and facepulls between sets of close grip and incline. That might’ve contributed to the loss of stability.
JM press
60kg x 3 x 3 - tried to make it a bit more triceps focused
Ss/Close grip band pulldown
Big blue x 3 x 12 - squeezing
Rolling db extensions
16kg x 3 x 10
Ss/Supine grip band pulldown
Big blue x 3 x 12 - also squeezing
Ss/Hammer curls
16kg x 3 x 12 - trying to squeeze, not as successful
DB floor press ss/ DB bent over row
16kg x 10, 9, 8, 7, etc down to 1 with zero rest. I thought this would be harder. Maybe next week I’ll go up and down or something.
Just trying to do a bit more stuff out of my comfort zone. Hopefully it’ll lean me up a bit as well.
Squats week 6
Ground based stuff, foam roll, squatting stretch, wide squats
Squats
60kg x 6
80kg x 4
100kg x 2
120kg x 1
130kg x 1
145kg x 2 - felt ridiculously light on my back. Second rep I didn’t hit normal depth. Pretty sure it was still below parallel, but those extra 3 inches are the ones that build all the muscle 
145kg x 2 - these ones weren’t so good. Anyway, 5kg PR, and first squats over 315
Pause squats
130kg x 2 x 2 - PR I think
Front squats
110kg x 2 x 2 - 5kg PR
Kb deadlift ss/swings
24kg x 10, 9, 8, etc with no rest
Thought this would be harder. Didn’t do good mornings cos I was dreading it. Got a back pump from it anyway, but that’s not really the goal with swings, so I’ll have to work on the technique next week, it was lacking and there was some hyperextension
Coan press week 11
Warmup - floor stuff, foam roll, band stuff, thoracic extension
OHP
Bar x some
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 1
60kg x 2 x 2 - 2.5kg PR - first set was a grind, second set was better, I rooted myself into the ground and attacked the bar.
Push press
70kg x 2 x 2 - 2.5kg PR - these sucked last week, this week they were great.
Bench - all paused, 30 to 60s rest. I wanted to practice unracking heavyish weight, and be able to focus on big leg drive, so I did lots of singles and went through all my cues/set up on every rep.
70kg x 2 x 1
80kg x 6 x 1
Seated db ohp
26kg x 3 x 6 - 1 rep PRs
Ss/Band pullovers
Purple x 3 x 20
Lateral raises
16kg x 3 x 8
Ss/Rear delt raises
16kg x 3 x 8
Ss/Db overhead press
16kg x 3 x 8
Fat bar ohp ss/ Fat bar row
10, 9, 8, 7, etc down to 1 with no rest. I thought my grip would hate me, but it was the shoulders that struggled. I couldn’t lock out half the reps, which kept the tension on the delts, which made it even tougher. Awesome. Got the lungs going too.
Deadlift/back/hams
NEWS: I have rings now, so that’s cool, and my fat bar weighs 21kg (20kg for the purposes of this log)
Ground stuff, leg swings
Ring Pullups
BW x 3 x 3 - last rep assisted by a leg kick on the ground halfway up on sets 1 and 3
Fat bar deadlifts with small plates (so it’s like a deficit)
Speed sets
60kg x 4 x 1
80kg x 4 x 1
Grip work
100kg x 1 plus 5 shrugs
120kg x 1 plus 5 shrugs
120kg plus purple band x 1 plus hold to failure (about 15 seconds)
That last rep torched my upper back
Lying leg curls
40kg x 3 x 5
Drop to 20kg x 2 minutes of hell - slow negative, squeezes, partials
Ss/Deadstop chest supported row - with purple bands providing tension trying to pull the weights towards my head (filmed some cos I suck at describing) -turned into a mix of a row and lying lat pulldown - good contraction, crap rom
31kg x 3 x 10
RDL
100kg x 10
120kg x 3 x 8 - last two sets with straps
Inverted row on rings
Feet on bench x 8
Feet on floor x 5
Stand closer to vertical x 6
Gonna work on these for a while
Deadlift/back/hams
NEWS: I have rings now, so that’s cool, and my fat bar weighs 21kg (20kg for the purposes of this log)
Ground stuff, leg swings
Ring Pullups
BW x 3 x 3 - last rep assisted by a leg kick on the groud halfway up on sets 1 and 3
Fat bar deadlifts with small plates
Speed sets
60kg x 4 x 1
80kg x 4 x 1
Grip work
100kg x 1 plus 5 shrugs
120kg x 1 plus 5 shrugs
120kg plus purple band x 1 plus hold to failure (about 15 seconds)
That last rep torched my upper back
Lying leg curls
40kg x 3 x 5
Drop to 20kg x 2 minutes of hell - slow negative, squeezes, partials
Ss/Deadstop chest supported row - with purple bands providing tension trying to pull the weights towards my head (filmed some cos I suck at describing) -turned into a mix of a row and lying lat pulldown - good contraction, crap rom
31kg x 3 x 10
RDL
100kg x 10
120kg x 3 x 8 - last two sets with straps
Inverted row on rings
Feet on bench x 8
Feet on floor x 5
Stand closer to vertical x 6
Seems like you’re making nice and steady progress, good job on the PRs.
Coan bench cycle 2 week 12
Warmup - foam roll, ground based stuff, thoracic extension, shoulder stuff
Bench
Bar x some
40kg x 8
60kg x 5
75kg x 2
85kg x 1
Coan set
100kg x 1 - about time I hit 2 plates. I personally didn’t think this was a great rep form wise, even though it was pretty fast, it could’ve been a lot faster if I’d kicked in a bit more leg drive. 5kg PR
BONUS
110kg x F - ha. Knew it was too heavy when I unracked it. An inch from the chest it came crashing down on me.
CGBP
90kg x 1 - 5kg PR
Incline bench
85kg x 1 - 2.5kg PR
Felt like I could’ve gone for doubles on all sets, probably should’ve instead of going an extra 10kg on the top set. Ah well, 3 PRs is 3 PRs
Attempts at ring dips
3 sets. Got some fairly decent negatives in, then it gets wobbly at the bottom. Did some leg assisted reps on the second two sets, which stabilised it quite a lot.
Ss/Ring pullups
BW x 3 x 6 assisted reps (legs on bench)
Ring pushups - about 45° angle to floor
BW x 3 x 10
Ss/Ring inverted row - parallel with floor
BW x 3 x 10
Major respect for gymnasts now. I don’t know if ring work is going to help any of the big lifts, but it’s definitely fun, and I need to improve my bodyweight lifts anyway. I can’t go through life being unable to do more than 5 dips/chins. Plus, gymnasts are built.
DB floor press ss/ DB bent over row
21kg x 10, 9, 8, 7, etc down to 1 with zero rest.
Squats week 7
Ground based stuff, foam roll, squatting stretch, wide squats
Squats
60kg x 6
80kg x 4
100kg x 2
120kg x 2
140kg x 1
155kg x 1 - PR - nice and deep, knees caved a bit at my sticking point, that indicates to me that I need better glute activation. Whenever I get to that sticking point normally, focusing on driving my hips forward and squeezing my ass normally gets the weight moving again, so that makes sense.
Unracked 160kg, wanted the paused set to feel light.
Pause squats
145kg x F - thought I’d go for 315 paused, should’ve had it, but a combination of losing my balance halfway down so that I fell into the hole with all my weight on my toes, and probably not resting anywhere near long enough meant that I had to dump the bar off my back in the hole. Didn’t seem worth going for it again.
Front squats
100kg x 1
120kg x F - would’ve been nice to get 2 and a half plates, but it was just a bit too far. Felt good until I was a quarter of the way back up and the bar just stopped.
Good squat PR, shame about the other two, but this stuff happens. Maxing out ohp tomorrow, then deloading, visiting girlfriend at uni, playing my first rugby game in over a year, then testing my deadlift. Few weeks after that I’ll be in South Africa for 3 weeks, so definitely looking forward to coming back and having to set all these PRs again 
Coan press week 12
Warmup - band stuff, thoracic extension
OHP
Bar x some
30kg x 5
40kg x 3
50kg x 1
55kg x 1
65kg x F
65kg x F
Add belt
65kg x F
I’ve discovered where my sticking point is. Need to start doing pin presses from the eyeline.
Push press
75kg x 1 - PR
80kg x 2 incomplete reps
These are mainly hips for me, don’t think they actually help the press. I’m so pissed off that I didn’t pick a second movement that might actually assist the primary movement. It genuinely feels like I wasted 3 months. Grr, miserable teenager, etc
OHP
65kg x 2 more attempts. Second attempt I lost it forward slightly and pulled my upper trap/neck area.
Screw this crap, deload time.
Deload stuff
Situps
2 x 50
Side plank
3 x 30 seconds
Headstands against wall
3 x 10 seconds
Lower body stretches - 5 minutes
Good progress man, some good PRs there. Nice to see someone else from England on here, it means the weights are in kg so I actually understand it.
Floor press - legs straight, 3 count pause
20kg x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 2
70kg x 1
80kg x 1
85kg x 1
Default PRs. After Africa, these’ll be my main bench accessory movement since I stick around the mid point.
Seated pin press - from chin level
20kg x 5
40kg x 4 x 5
Incline db bench
26kg x 3 x 6
Easy
Ss/Rear delt flyes
Swings: 26kg x 3 x 20
Last set, drop to full rom: 5kg x 40ish
Drop to 2.5kg x 10
Evil
Laterals
Swings: 21kg x 3 x 30
Last set drop to full rom: 10kg x 12
Drop to 5kg x 20
[quote]MaazerSmiit wrote:
Thanks, where in England are you based? You’ll want to check out the Scandinavians as well, they use the metric system too, and vikings are strong bastards.
Played the last 30 minutes of a game of rugby today. I was a bit worried I might hurt my shoulder in exactly the same way as I did before (acj partially separated during a tackle) but I was right in the middle of things wrestling people to the ground and ripping the ball around and the only discomfort I got was from my arm swinging about as I ran.
Was also pretty satisfied with my ability to run around, despite being 30 pounds heavier than when I last played. Last 5 minutes were a bit rough on the lungs, but considering I do very little conditioning work I was happy.
I need to get more involved with the club, hopefully play a few more matches once I’m back from Africa (leaving for 3 weeks in March).
Setting lifting PRs is still my priority, I won’t be going to training and playing matches every week as well as hitting 4 gym sessions, but I might run a slightly more flexible program over the next few cycles.
Gonna see what upper body stuff I can fit in tomorrow, then deadlift is getting maxed out on tuesday
[/quote]
I am currently studying for masters in Leeds. No reason you can’t still progress your lifts whilst doing a sport. Despite rowing 59685857834 hours a week I still managed to hit some PRs in my 2 weight sessions a week.
Gutted about the deadlift, looked like you had it. You following a set training programme?
At the moment, I’m not following any program. Pretty much testing some maxes, doing some higher rep work, and playing rugby (playing again this Saturday). That’s mainly cos I’m about to spend a month out of the gym, and only had 2 weeks, so starting a new cycle was pointless.
I’ve run a 6 week Tim Henriques program from this site for squat and deadlift a couple of times, and Coan bench twice. I also recently used the last 6 weeks of the Coan program for squats. All of those have worked well.
You’re not as gutted as I was, trust me. I should’ve tried to ground it out.
I’m assuming I have weak glutes and hams, which I’ve never considered since I can activate them pretty well and I’d always assumed that you can rack pull more than you can deadlift. I’m going to hammer block pulls instead of deadlifts for a while, hopefully once I can pull my deadlift max for 5 from below the knee locking out a pull should be no issue. I’ll also do some stuff with bands, and shrug more, since my traps (edit: and grip) suck anyway.