You are strong.
Noticed you are lifting without a belt. Will you be competing without a belt?
Nice pressing. Those weren’t ugly at all. (Compared to my form at least.)
In both videos the bar stops a little bit around the place where I always stall but you just pressed through it. Maybe I just need to grow some balls…
[quote]Grey Sweatpants wrote:
You are strong.
Noticed you are lifting without a belt. Will you be competing without a belt?[/quote]
Not sure yet. I started out wearing two pair of sweatpants, long socks, knee sleeves, belt and straps. Id kinda like to get rid of everything, but it the belt helps add a few to my 1RM, I might use it. I don’t like squatting with a belt. If SOHP was a competitive lift, Id definately use a belt, as my shoulder strength is way out in front of what my core can support, at the moment.
And thanks.
[quote]hastalles wrote:
Nice pressing. Those weren’t ugly at all. (Compared to my form at least.)
In both videos the bar stops a little bit around the place where I always stall but you just pressed through it. Maybe I just need to grow some balls…[/quote]
At a guess, that point is where the front delts don’t have a mechanically good angle on the lift, as opposed to the starting motion, where the upper arm is swinging forward more, instead of outward. Also maybe a leverage issue once you get it back your back. I dunno though, it definitely slows down there
6/10 Deads
Deadlift
325x5
370x3
415x7
Leg Curls superset with Face Pulls
4 sets of 10 each, no rest
not perfect form on the last few, but 500 is right around the corner. Used straps again, but 415x7 is obviously a PR, and a 512 estimated 1RM.
And, I’m gone for a week after tonight, might do some BW stuff, might row a kayak a bit, but overall I’m likely to be lazy and drink a lot of bourbon. Couple new directives when I get back:
- Stop being lazy and start conditioning
- Stop being lazy and start actively working on my core
- Get my grip strength to a point where I can do ME deads without straps
- Quit forgetting to superset all my pressing with pullups/chinups/rows
- Foam roll and stretch more
We have some pretty similar numbers, i think i saw you post it the 400 bench race thread too. solid log, keep it up i’ll be following
[quote]Raw Meat wrote:
We have some pretty similar numbers, i think i saw you post it the 400 bench race thread too. solid log, keep it up i’ll be following[/quote]
Yeah bench is one of my stronger lifts, as its the only damn thing Ive trained consistently over the years. Even though I didn’t have a structured program. My deadlift is flying up though, good old beginner gains. Squat,
Thanks for stopping by, I’ll see ya at 400.
heh whoops, new page not a failed post.
So, for my reference, I’ll be getting all main lifts on 5/3/1 when I get back. Training maxes as follows:
Squat: 405(est. 1RM) 365 (training max)
Bench: 390(est. 1RM) 355 (training max)
Dead: 512(est. 1RM) 460 (training max)
SOHP: 235(est. 1RM) 225 (training max)
So for my vacation, I was unsurprisingly too lazy to do bodyweight stuff on my own, but I did get two one-day passes to a gym in the nearest town.
6/14 Chest/Tri
Bench
235x10
285x5
325x3
360x1
375x0
Pec Fly machine superset with Tricep pushdown machine, 4 sets of 10
6/16 Legs
Squat
235x5
275x5
325x2
375x1
400x1 PR
SL leg press superset with SL calf raises
This was the worst gym for free weight training I’ve ever worked out in, but it worked for a vacation filler. On the squat/bench, I thought I was working with a standard 45# bar, and things were just feeling a little heavy, until the guy spotting me said it was a 55# bar. It was the only one they had, and I guess I will take his word for it. The squat at either 390 or 400 is a PR full squat.
6/18 Chest/Tri
Bench
250x3
285x3
320x5
Dumbbell Press
120x8, 8, 6
superset with Pull-ups, 3 sets of 8
Skullcrushers
95x5
115x5
135x5
superset with Kroc rows
120s 3 sets of 10 each
Got a bad lift off, and then hit the bench on the first rep with the 320 set, and still got 5.
6/20 Deads
Deadlift
345x5
390x3
440x1
470x1 PR
Then some ab work, and that’s it. Wanted to keep today nice and light, with the exception of one decently heavy single deadlift. 92% of my estimated max, and that’s about what it felt like.
Need to comment, my grip strength was especially suck today, 390x3 using an alternated grip, the bar was fully out of my palm, I did the last rep with just my fingers on the bar. Also, I pulled an Andy Bolton on that set and my nose started bleeding. Used straps for the singles.
6/21 Shoulders
Standing Overhead
160x3
185x3
205x2
205x3
superset a set of towel pull-ups, and s set each of neutral, supinated, and pronated pull-ups all for 8 reps
Not a good day. My elbow is killing me, started hurting during warm-ups but I’m too dumb to quit. On the first attempt at 205 for 3+ I totally lost my form on the second rep and damn near dropped the barbell. I was not willing to leave without hitting my prescribed 3 reps and did it again. Wandered around the gym for a few minutes debating on doing something else, and I am damn glad I didn’t.
Best part? I know why my elbow hurts, one of the guys I work with would not give up in his mission to arm wrestle me. And obviously I had to win once I gave in, at the cost of today’s workout. Suck. Also I wanted to do all towel pull-ups, but I heard the towel start tearing, another message that I am fat?
6/23 Legs
Back Squat
275x3
315x3
345x5
Left a rep or three in the tank. Took a look at the clock and realized it was 8:30, not 7:30. Had to be to work at 9:00. Sums up my last 4 workouts pretty well. Could have ton a shit ton better, but a few good things sprinkled in. Bench: I feel like it woulda been where it needed to be had I not smoked the bar support on the first rep. Deads: Hit a PR, can’t complain too much. Military, 205x3 ain’t shabby for a bad week. Squat: Kinda a wildcard.
6/27 Chest/Tri
Bench
230x5
265x5
300x10
superset with wide grip pull-ups 4 sets of 5
Dumbbell Press
120x5
superset with kroc rows, 120x10, 3 sets
Plate pinches
Three 10# plates each hand, for 20, 15, and 30 sec
Finally, a day with no lame excuses. Bench felt pretty good. After that was a different story, that 300x10 wiped me out. 120# dumbbells haven’t felt that heavy in a while. The plate pinches were very informative today, my right hand felt good to hold those plates for a full minute, my left was inconsistent. Gonna try to work on grip every time I’m in the gym.
6/30 Deads
Deadlift
320x3
370x3
415x5
475x1
And ran out of time again. Left a good few reps on the 415 set, realized I was short on time and decided another heavy single was in order. I didn’t keep my chest and shoulders up and I’m paying for it. Gonna back off and deload everything this next week, and go easy on 90%+ efforts for a while.
Oh, I also just noticed, my estimated PL total right now, is 1337. If 1337 isn’t an elite total, I dunno what is.
7/12 Chest
Bench
265x3
300x3
320x5
superset with 2 sets of pull-ups, and 2 sets of chin-ups, 8 reps
DB Press
80x8 2 second pause
superset with kroc rows 80x15
3 sets
Close Grip Bench
135x3
155x3
174x3
205x3
225x3
245x3
superset with neutral grip pull-ups, 6 sets of 3, very little rest
Back strain + cold = 2 weeks off. 320 felt frickin heavy, I was not happy with 5 reps, and did not have another in the tank. The second set, I think I undershot with 80s, but I went with a pause and it turned out pretty well. Third superset, I don’t really know what I was doing there, but if felt like I got some good work done. I counted to 30 in between sets, and it included stripping and reloading the bench bar, and walking back and forth, so basically got a 5-10 second breather. The 245x3 was a bitch to lock out.
In retrospect, not a bad day after a long break.
7/15 Deads
Deadlift
345x5
390x3
440x1
SL Leg curls
4 sets of 5 each (fairly heavy)
Kinda feeling it out how my back healed up, it felt good during the lifts, time will tell how it feels later. Would have liked to get 440 for 4 or 5, but I don’t want a re-injury. The weight felt heavy and moved slowly, but at the same time moved easily, if that makes any sense. Leg curls, did single leg to get a higher load. Ran out of time again, which is an annoying pattern on lower body days lately.
I still feel like a noob on deadlifts (grand total of 16 deadlift workouts in my career) but I think some speed work would be very beneficial. Looking at videos, it feels a lot slower than it looks, but more explosion can’t hurt my max. Also I’m not positive how heavy weights will affect my lower back just.
7/18 Shoulders
Military
145x5
160x5
190x4
Incline Barbell Bench
135x8
185x8
225x8
275x5
Both military and incline superset with neutral grip pull-ups, 7-8 sets of 8
JM Press
45x5
95x5
115x5
135x5
155x5
superset with chest supported rows, 5 sets of 8
Then an ab circuit of 3 sets of 8 on the ab wheel, and 3 sets of 15 exercise ball crunches
I forgot that I need to step back on military, my core just can’t stand up (literally) to this weight. I think my max is around 245, but it’s been a struggle since I starting working with a 225 training max. Incline felt good, but I didn’t bother with a spotter and stopped at 275x5. JM Press didn’t hurt as much as it has in the past, might keep doing em.
LOT of volume for pull-ups and rows, for me, it is something I need to continue to work on
7/21 Legs
Back Squats
290x5
330x3
365x3
225x5
225x5
225x5
Plate Pinches
3 sets of 30 seconds with three 10s each hand, then a set til failure, 45 seconds. (Left hand again)
GHR
4 sets of 8
superset with
calf raises
4 sets of 20
Finally, a decent lower body day. But, my squat still sucks. May have had 365 for 1-2 more, but it was moving so frickin slow out of the hole. GHR: I thought this machine was for abs haha. Will be using it more, as my hamstrings are one of the glaring issues in my squat.